GagdetGuru

Samsung Galaxy Camera

2012-10-10T12:56:00.000+05:30

Samsung launches new and very revolutionary thing that ever made, Samsung launches galaxy camera.

which is first of its type, which has android as an operating system. The main thing is that it comes with android 4.1 jelly bean out of the box. The other specifications are

MAIN

3G HSDPA 800/900/1900/2100 ( not have 2G compatibility)
4G LITE is optional one
dimensions128.7 x 70.8 x 19.1 mm (305gm)
Super clear LCD screen with capacitive touch, Multi-touch
720 x 1280, 4.8 inches ( 306 ppi)
Clock speed of 1.4 GHz(quad core) with 1GB of RAM
Internal memory 8GB extended up to 32 GB (SD card slot)
Wi- Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0, Micro USB v2.0

CAMERA Specification

16 MP, autofocus, 21x optical zoom

Pop up Xenon flash, AF light

Wide-angle 23mm lens, geo-tagging,

Touch focus, face and smile detection, optical image stablization

video 1080p with 30 fps, 720x480 with 120 fps

OTHER

GPU mail 400MP
Accelerometer, gyro, compass
HTML5 supported
Available in black and white color
Dropbox (50 GB)
HDMI port
Other fuction of android device is also there.

Google Navigation and live traffic updates

2012-09-21T13:41:00.001+05:30

Over the years, Google has rightfully earned the crown of game-changer and established itself as the tech giant that it is. Just a couple of days ago, it reminded us again of just what makes it a force to reckon with. Yes, we are referring to the launch of the latest offering from Google, two new features to make Google Maps even more purposeful – Google Maps Navigation that is turn-by-turn voice guided driving directions and live traffic information for Android.

While we could use and rely on Google Maps for finding our way, you now have the ability to see how much time you will take to reach the said destination depending on the traffic; it will even suggest alternate routes to save time. And it doesn’t stop at that. While you are driving on the selected route, it will alert you of traffic conditions ahead and recommend alternate route on the go. In a city like Mumbai, where the traffic can test the patience of even a yogi, a service like this is God-sent. Little wonder that the launch of the service caused a lot of buzz around. Rossi Fernandes, our in-house certified geek who can’t seem to get over his Galaxy Nexus, was particularly stoked, because belonging to the rare breed of Jelly Bean users he had access to certain additional features.

He tried out the service the same day on his way home from office and was more than impressed. Rossi says, “As an everyday use utility, it gives more meaning to Google Maps as it exists today. The feature now shows up traffic updates as a layer in Google Maps on the web, when you access it from the desktop and also on your phone. It's handy, because now you can plan out your journey accordingly. You can plan out what the time to leave for a particular place is too, which is neat. However, one of the nicest things to happen to a Jelly Bean user like myself, is the integration of traffic updates on the personal assistant, Google Now. It knows my usual mode of transport and the stations that I board and get down from a bus when I travel to and from work. It also has the added benefit of showing me bus timings and schedule when I'm near a prominent bus stop or station. The traffic integration throws up alerts on the phone telling me that hotspots where I'm likely to be delayed and also alternate routes that I should consider, and how much time I'll save if I choose them. While there might be some who might be worried of privacy concerns, for me I think of it as a useful utility that could have been offered as a paid service, but it's not. It's free and it works rather well!”

It will show you the estimated travel time depending on traffic and even suggest alternate routes on the go

But how does Google manage to get the live updates on to your device? Here is where the numbers come into play and by that we mean the number of Google Maps for mobile users. Darren Baker, Product Manager for Google Maps, explains, “The live traffic data used in Google Maps Navigation is crowd sourced from users of Google Maps for mobile. If you use Google Maps for Mobile with GPS enabled on your phone, that's exactly what you can do. When you choose to enable Google Maps with My location, your phone sends anonymous bits of data back to Google describing how fast you're moving. When we combine your speed with the speed of other phones on the road, across thousands of phones moving around a city at any given time, we can get a pretty good picture of live traffic conditions.”

There are several devices and tools available in the market for you to choose from. They aren’t free, but they claim to cover every nook and corner of the country and offer more than just navigation services. On the other hand, Google Navigation has its limitations, but it’s nonetheless accurate and would suffice the needs of everyday traveller who wouldn’t want to spend on a dedicated GPS navigation device. Google Navigation may not be able to provide you with data for all places, Baker explains, “Traffic data is refreshed every few minutes with the most recent known conditions. The accuracy can vary depending on the number of data sources providing speed information to Google - for example, in a city where a lot of people are using Google Maps for mobile and contributing speed information through traffic crowd sourcing, the traffic data may be more accurate than another city where their aren't as many users. If we don't believe we have enough data to publish reasonably accurate results, then we don't publish it at all. This is why some roads will show traffic data at some times of day and not at others.”

You can even check the live traffic on your desktop

While the app itself is free, the only thing you need to worry about is the data charges that you may incur. Google Maps Navigation automatically accesses the latest information about roads and points of interest from Google’s online mapping services without the need for any manual data updates. Baker elaborates, “Its real strength lies in the fact that it's an internet-connected GPS navigation system. Being connected to the Internet means you're always using the latest data from Google Maps - the most recent maps, businesses, traffic, and current local events. You never need to buy map upgrades or manually update your device - Google Map data is constantly updated with the most current map and local information. Once you start navigating, Google Maps Navigation (Beta) downloads map data for your upcoming route, so navigation, and even rerouting, will often continue to work even during periods of lost connectivity. However, further searches will have to wait until you're connected again.”

Currently, Google Maps Navigation is accessible to Android users anywhere in India while the live traffic information is available on Google Maps for major cities of Bengaluru, Mumbai, New Delhi, Chennai, Pune and Hyderabad. You can check the traffic conditions by enabling the “Traffic” layer on Google maps for desktop or mobile. It uses a very simple colour scheme to represent traffic – red stands for significant congestion, yellow for minor slow-downs and green represents free flowing traffic. While this in itself is perfect, what makes it an even sweeter deal is the voice support not only for navigation, but even for search, which is important as Baker puts it, “Voice search is extremely valuable in Navigation (Beta), since so often when you want to navigate somewhere you are walking to the car or trying to hit the road and don't want to waste time fumbling with a phone keyboard! Just say your destination, and Google search finds it. You don’t even need to know the address. Also misspelled queries are corrected, and ambiguous queries return multiple results so the user can choose.”

Find out which budget Android 5-incher is worth your money.

2012-09-19T15:52:00.000+05:30

Ever since Samsung launched the Galaxy Note, I have seen many following the large screen trend in the Android handset sector. Indian manufacturers have been launching Chinese OEM based handsets sporting the 5-inch display screens like hot cakes and I have reviewed three of these handsets. I have scrutinised the iBall Andi 5c, the Micromax Superfone Canvas A100 and the WickedLeak Wammy Note in this one month itself. All these handsets feature almost similar specs in terms of processor speeds, display sizes and operating systems, but the price tags are pretty steep as compared to each other. Let’s pit these three handsets against each other and check out which one is better than the other and who emerges the final winner.

iBall Andi 5c

iBall Andi 5c

The 5C sports an IPS display panel at 5-inches with a resolution of 480 x 800 pixels. The processor is a 1GHz Cortex A9 and the memory is 512MB of RAM. The internal storage is 4GB and the battery capacity is 2300 mAh. The phone has a decent performance and the UI is pretty smooth. Images on the display are crisp—thanks to the IPS panel it sports. The aesthetics are good and the build quality is also superior. If you are looking for a phone on a low budget with all the connectivity features you could possibly have, or if you just want to show off a phone with such a large screen, then the Andi 5c can be considered. Though the phone sports just a single-core 1GHz processor, it is pretty smooth and fast enough for daily use. Media, entertainment, email, chat and web browsing are great on the large display. But the quality of the 5 megapixel camera is completely below average. Priced at an MRP of Rs 15,999, this device is a bit expensive, but I have news of an offer price of around Rs 12,999, which seems good enough for a phone with a large IPS display. Check out the full review of the iBall Andi 5c.

Micromax Superfone Canvas A100

Micromax Superfone Canvas A100

Flaunting the best aesthetics in this roundup, the Micromax A100 seems to be the phone you possibly won’t hide from others. The A100 runs on a 1GHz ARM V7 processor and an Adreno 200 GPU. The RAM is 512MB and the internal storage is 5GB. The user interface is smooth but gets a tad sluggish at times. The large display is actually 4.9-inches and not a full 5-inch, which makes the phone a little slimmer and easier to hold as compared to the other two with a wider form-factor. The display is standard and is not scratch-resistant, but the quality of the videos and photos on the screen is very bright and crisp and almost equals out an IPS display with great viewing angles. The only flaw I found was with the camera as the photos and videos when saved to the PC are actually inverted. Whilst many users of this phone complained about different issues from software to hardware, I did not experience any as yet. Micromax was informed about the flaws with the product and is to yet to get back with an answer. As far as the price is concerned, it sells at a mere Rs 9,900, which is the cheapest and best valueI could see. If you are willing to forego the minor camera glitch, this phone is the best for your pocket. Check out the full review of the Micromax Superfone Canvas A100.

WickedLeak Wammy Note

WickedLeak Wammy Note

Another Samsung Galaxy Note knock-offs, the Wammy Note from WickedLeak, was seen earlier this week. The phone resembles the Galaxy Note to quite an extent, but fails to flaunt similar specs. The phone has a built-in analogue television, which I do consider as a bonus. The quality of the television reception was unacceptable though. The manufacturer also bundles an additional battery pack and this is a great add-on for those constantly on the move and have no time to charge. The Wammy Note features a 1GHz processor with a PowerVr SGX531 GPU. The RAM is 512MB and the internal storage is 4GB. The display, a 5-incher with a resolution of 480 x 800 pixels, is not scratch proof and has a bad viewing angle. The display also has disturbing miniscule dots all over it, which makes viewing bright images a nightmare. The operating system is stock and there is just one additional application installed on the phone. This helps keep the operating system lighter and the user has the option and space to install the apps of his choice. The storage can be expanded further to 32GB, but the microSD card slot is not hot-swappable like the other two, which means you would have to switch off the phone to install or replace the card. The camera featured here is an 8 megapixel, but the quality is pretty bad and it seems like the performance of a standard 2 MP or a 3.15 MP camera. Though the phone sports just a single core 1GHz processor, it is pretty smooth and fast enough for daily use. Media, entertainment, emails, chat and web browsing are good enough on the large 5-inch display. The issues with the display’s viewing angle, the flaw with the camera button location and the below average camera performance are the only problems I found on this handset. But the sleek look and additional bundled items such as a free battery and plastic back panel case help balance this. For Rs. 11,000, the Wammy Note does not impress us any more than the Micromax A100 that is priced at Rs. 9,999, as they both have equally disappointing flaws. Check out the full review of the WickedLeak Wammy Note.

Micromax seems to be a winner

Verdict

Pitting the three phones with respect to their features and performance, I conclude that the Micromax Superfone Canvas A100 is the winner. The phone won in terms of performance, aesthetics, weight and price. The A100 is also a slimmer piece and has a good grip. The phone has a pretty smooth interface, but the only flaw is with the camera. I don’t think the product will fail completely as Micromax has been personally informed about the flaws and I are sure they will be working quickly on an operating system update. As far as price and performance is concerned, I would recommend the A100, but if you want an additional battery and a television add-on, the Wammy Note at around Rs 1,100 more is a good deal. The sheer performance of the camera and the display is a downer though.

Sony Xperia acro S review: Daring droid

2012-09-04T12:52:00.001+05:30

After the touchscreen revolution swept the mobile world, rugged smartphones became much harder to come by. They are making a slow return now though, with Sony Mobile being one of the key players in that market.
The tradition of producing attractive rugged droids dates back to the the days of Sony Ericsson, and it's great that it continues now, when Sony is in full control of the company. More impressively, the company shows that it's not going to limit element-resistant smartphones to the mid-range anymore, and so we come to the subject of today's review.

Sony Xperia acro S official photos
The Sony Xperia acro S may not make the Samsung Galaxy S III shake with fear, but its specs sheet seems good enough to provide a high-end smartphone experience and that should be all that matters, really.

Key features

Quad-band GSM /GPRS/EDGE support
Quad-band 3G with 14.4 Mbps HSDPA and 5.76 Mbps HSUPA
Bright 4.3" 16M-color capacitive LED-backlit LCD touchscreen of HD resolution (720 x 1280 pixels) with Sony Mobile BRAVIA engine;
IP57 certification - dust protected and water proof up to 1 meter and 30 minutes; Scratch-resistant shatter proof glass
Android 4.0 ICS
Dual-core 1.5 GHz Scorpion, 1 GB RAM, Adreno 220 GPU, Qualcomm MSM8260 Snapdragon S3 chipset
12 MP autofocus camera with LED flash
1080p video recording @ 30fps with continuous autofocus and stereo sound
1.3MP front-facing camera
Wi-Fi b/g/n and DLNA
Built-in GPS receiver with A-GPS and GLONASS support
NFC connectivity
16GB built-in storage (13GB user accessible)
microHDMI port, dedicated TV launcher
microUSB port (charging) and stereo Bluetooth v3.0
Standard 3.5 mm audio jack
Stereo FM radio with RDS
Voice dialing
Accelerometer and proximity sensor
Active noise cancellation with dedicated mic

Main disadvantages

Chipset is rather modest for the class
Thicker than most rivals
Display viewing angles are mediocre
No preinstalled document editor
Non-user-replaceable battery

Samsung Ativ Tab preview

2012-09-04T12:47:00.002+05:30

Samsung looks to be keen to point out its commitment to the Windows 8 platform with its freshly-announced Ativ Tab. And by the looks of it this isn't just PR talk. What's more, based on our first impressions of the slate, the company might become a major player in the Windows tablet game.
The Ativ Tab is built around a 10.1" IPS LCD display with a resolution of 1366 x 768 pixels and 400-nits of brightness. It's powered by a Snapdragon S4 APQ8060a chipset, featuring a 1.5GHz dual-core Krait CPU and 2GB of RAM.
The Samsung Ativ Tabs weighs just 570 grams, which is a decent achievement for tablet of this size. Thanks to that and its 8.9mm slim waistline, the Ativ Tab handles quite nicely as far as 10" slates go.

The Samsung ATIV Tab front, back and sides
In terms of connectivity, the Samsung Ativ Tab offers NFC, Wi-Fi a/b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0, microHDMI and a full USB 2.0 port, as well as a microSD card slot. On the back, there's a 5MP camera with LED flash, while a 1.9MP snapper at the front takes care of video-chatting.
Overall, the Ativ Tab looks very slick with a plastic back that resembles the hyperglaze material of the Galaxy S III. We like what Samsung has done this time better though, and the good impressions continue when you move to the front which contains only one button - the Windows key. Just like the Galaxy Note 10.1, the stereo speakers are situated at the front on either side of the display, which we find to be the best solution in terms of user experience.

Windows 8 is expected to be released at the end of October, but our experience with the Consumer Preview running on the Ativ Tab was positive. The new UI is quick and looks sharp, and the navigation is drastically different from previous Windows releases - even Windows Phone, despite the similar styling. You will most likely need some time to learn your way around the OS, but once you do you'll really appreciate what Microsoft has done with the place.

Sony Xperia neo L review

2012-08-13T22:40:00.001+05:30

The Sony Xperia neo L is trying to break into an already well-populated market of affordable smartphones that give you a loud bang for your buck. It's a hotly contested game, but the neo L doesn't come unprepared. It has Sony's screen and camera know-how behind its back.
The Sony Xperia neo L is the second revision of the neo design. The biggest change is the screen, which grew to 4 inches, and the OS - the L model launches with Android 4.0 ICS out of the box.

Sony Xperia neo L official pictures
There are some other changes visible on the outside - Sony decided to drop the HDMI port, there are now four hardware buttons under the screen and the hardware shutter key is missing, but that's about it.
On the inside, things are more familiar - the Sony Xperia neo L is based on the same platform as quite a few Sony Ericsson phones - the previous two neos, the Xperia arc, mini, ray, PLAY and so on.
In Froyo times these were flagship specs and when Gingerbread came out, they were relocated to midrange territory. Today, they are even lower than that but the neo L has a couple of aces up its sleeve.

Key features

Quad-band GSM /GPRS/EDGE support
3G with 7.2 Mbps HSDPA and 5.76 Mbps HSUPA
4" 16M-color capacitive LED-backlit LCD touchscreen of WVGA resolution (480 x 800 pixels) on Sony Mobile BRAVIA engine
Android OS v4.0.4 Ice Cream Sandwich
1 GHz Scorpion CPU, Adreno 205 GPU, 512 MB RAM, Qualcomm Snapdragon MSM8255 chipset
5 MP autofocus camera, LED flash, geo-tagging, 3D Sweep Panorama
720p video @ 30fps with continuous autofocus and stereo sound
Front facing VGA camera, video chat (Google, Skype)
Wi-Fi b/g/n and DLNA
GPS with A-GPS
microSD slot (32GB supported, 2GB card included)
Accelerometer and proximity sensor
Standard 3.5 mm audio jack
microUSB port (charging) and stereo Bluetooth v2.1
Voice dialing
Adobe Flash 11 support
Deep Xperia Facebook integration

Main disadvantages

Display has poor viewing angles
Very limited video codec support
No HDMI port as on the older neo models
No FM radio as on the older neo models
No hardware camera shutter key as on the older neo models
Memory card slot under the battery

The lack of a dual-core processor might put some people off, but it's really the HDMI port that we miss. It's a real rarity, especially since manufacturers started using MHL instead, but that requires an adapter and it's usually only the higher-end devices that get it.

Samsung Galaxy S firmware update to Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich

2012-08-07T22:26:00.000+05:30

Samsung Galaxy S Update | Dream of Android 4.0 Galaxy S

If you are an unfortunate owner of a Samsung Galaxy S mobile then you have probably known that you are not getting the latest Android Ice Cream Sandwich update from Samsung. It is because of their complex Touchwiz launcher which runs over the basic Android they are unable to update it.
Samsung Galaxy S Android 4.0 or ICS will be a killer combination!
N.B.: Samsung is giving some ICS smell to the existing Samsung Galaxy S I9000 users. It is not ICS but some functions of ICS in Gingerbread.

According to theverge.com

“Samsung has just distributed the worst news of this Ice Cream Sandwich upgrade cycle: the popular Galaxy S smartphone that sold 10 million units last year and the 7-inch Galaxy Tab tablet won't be upgraded to Android 4.0. The company's argument is that they lack sufficient RAM and ROM to run the new OS alongside TouchWiz and other "experience-enhancing" software. This will come as a massive blow to the great many users of the Galaxy S, who would have rightly expected the 1GHz Hummingbird processor and accompanying memory to be able to handle ICS — it's the same hardware as you'll find inside the Nexus S, and that phone is receiving Android 4.0 over the air right now.”
c.f. http://www.theverge.com

So, the Galaxy S users are in the dark forever? No, you have a solution in hand for Galaxy S update. The Samsung Galaxy S software update process we are going to discuss is tested with positive results.

Your mobile is an android device and freedom is the main mantra of Android. So, it is very much possible to update Samsung Galaxy S to ICS. Just follow the simple steps and see the magic.

Warnings!

The ICS ROM is Updated for You! With fully working camera and wi-fi tethering support.
Before jumping to the process of upgrading you must consider these words of caution as follows:
1. If you are a novice android user better to seek an expert’s help to do it.
2. This process is not 100% safe and you should proceed in your own risk. But if you do it rightly chances of any harm to your phone is very low. Don’t blame me afterwards.
3. Charge your phone fully before updating. If the battery empties during the process your phone may become dead.
4. Network locked devices are not recommended for this update.

Samsung Galaxy S Ice Cream Sandwich Update

To update your Galaxy S to Icecream Sandwich you need to follow the steps described below:

Stage I

1.Update your Samsung KIES tool to the latest version (of it is not already done.)

2.Backup all your data before advancing. While backup never use KIES backup tool but use other methods like backing up your Notes in Mail; videos, images and songs in SD card and contacts in outlook etc. Use an app to do better backup of your all files and settings. You may perform a nandroid backup.

3.You need XXJVU firmware in your phone. Check it in your phone by: Settings > About Phone > Firmware Version. If it is not then update it to XXJVU from here.

4. You also to root your device before advancing. If it is not already done you can go here.

5.Enable USB Debugging on your device from: Settings > Applications > Development > USB Debugging.

6. Download the main package: Android ICS 4.0.3. Then transfer the zip to your Galaxy S mobile’s SD card.

7.Now disconnect the mobile from the PC by detaching the USB cable.

8.Go to the recovery mood by pressing and holding three switches simultaneously: Volume UP + OK + Power.

9.While in recovery mode, select “Wipe data/factory reset”, “Wipe Cache partition” to clear all the cache present in the device.

10.Select “install zip from sd card” > “choose zip from sd card” and then select the zip file which you placed in the phone “ I9000_STOCKPLUS_ICS_RC4_v2.zip ”

11.It will take around 15 – 20 minutes for applying this update. After this, you need to select “++++ Go Back ++++” and then select “reboot system now” to reboot the phone.

12.Repeat is necessary if the updating fails.

Now you have a Android 4.0 Samsung Galaxy S device.

Lava XOLO X900 Preview

2012-08-05T23:51:00.000+05:30

It’s not always we get to use a smartphone that has an Intel processor inside so when we got the opportunity, we jumped on it. For those who are not aware, the Lava XOLO X900 is the first phone in the world to use an Intel processor and its x86 architecture, and is on sale right now in India. Meanwhile, another version of this phone called the Orange San Diego is now making its way to shops in Europe and this is just the beginning as you’ll be seeing a lot more devices running an Intel processor by the end of this year.

But all that for later. For now, catch us after the break for a quick preview of the world’s first smartphone with Intel inside.

Design

The design of the Lava XOLO X900 is virtually identical to the Intel FFRD (Form Factor Reference Design) that we first saw back in December 2011. It seemed fine for a reference design but looks quite bland when seen on a retail product. The X900 looks simple to the point of being boring and it won’t be winning any beauty contests. Build quality isn’t particularly impressive either and the all-plastic body tends to creak a bit when held tightly.

Going around the device we see the 4.03-inch display up front with the earpiece, front facing camera and various sensors on top above and the four control keys below. On the right are the volume control keys, microSIM tray, camera shutter button and the right stereo speaker. On the left are a microHDMI port and the left stereo speaker. On top is the power/sleep button with the headphone jack and on the bottom is a microUSB port. On the back are an 8 megapixel sensor with LED flash and a secondary microphone.

You can remove the cover on the back, but there is no reason you would need to. You can access the battery underneath but it is attached using cables instead of contact points so it’s not user replaceable.

The X900 is a long phone and the display is placed near the top so you need to adjust your grip to be able to reach its upper portion comfortably. The power button on top is placed somewhat inconveniently and is hard to use at times.

Display

The Lava XOLO X900 uses a 4.03-inch TFT LCD with a resolution of 1,024 x 600 pixels and Gorilla Glass coating. Quality-wise, the display is nothing special. The colors are muted, the brightness and contrast are average and the image distorts when seen off angle.

The display refresh rate also doesn’t seem to be very high, which leads to noticeable motion blur in some games. The only redeeming aspect about this display is its resolution, which coupled with the relatively small 4-inch size gives it an impressive 295 PPI pixel density. This makes things look tack sharp, but also very small at times.

The OS doesn’t seem to have been optimized for this pixel density and you’ll notice everything on this phone looks generally smaller than on other phones. On the homescreen, for example, you will see the same number of icons as on other phones but they are all small and spaced out. Things should be looking much better when the Android 4.0 upgrade arrives, as Ice Cream Sandwich has HD as its native resolution.

Performance

The Lava XOLO X900 runs on Intel’s Medfield platform. The SoC on this phone is the Atom Z2460, also known as Penwell. It consists of the single-core 1.6GHz Saltwell CPU and the PowerVR SGX540 GPU, clocked at 400MHz. Then there’s also 1GB of dual-channel LPDDR2 memory and 16GB storage space (non-expandable). The X900 runs on Android 2.3.7 Gingerbread.

HTC DROID Incredible 4G LTE review

2012-08-04T12:53:00.004+05:30

The DROID Incredible line of smartphones for Verizon Wireless, much like the EVO family offered by Sprint, consists of US-only, carrier exclusive devices made by HTC. The HTC DROID Incredible 4G LTE is the latest member of the family to come our way and it seems to have ambitions worthy of its rather epic name.

HTC DROID Incredible 4G LTE official photos
Unlike its predecessor, which was a minor update over the original, the HTC DROID Incredible 4G LTE is a major leap forwards. The smartphone offers a curious blend of high-end features, packed into an already familiar looking and pocket-friendly package. As a matter of fact, you will have a hard time finding a more powerful Android device with similar dimensions on the US market.
Here goes the two lists, summing up the most important things you need to know about the HTC DROID Incredible 4G LTE.

Key features

LTE/EVDO/CDMA network support
4 " 16M-color Super LCD capacitive touchscreen of qHD resolution (960 x 540 pixels); Gorilla glass
Android 4.0.3 Ice Cream Sandwich with HTC Sense 4.0
1.2 GHz dual-core Krait CPU, Qualcomm Snapdragon MSM8960 chipset
1 GB of RAM and 8GB of storage
microSD card slot
8 MP autofocus camera with LED flash; face detection and geotagging
1080p and 720p video recording @ 30fps with stereo sound
720p front-facing camera for video-chat
Wi-Fi b/g/n and DLNA
GPS with A-GPS
NFC connectivity
Accelerometer, proximity sensor and auto-brightness sensor
Standard 3.5 mm audio jack
microUSB port (charging) and stereo Bluetooth
MHL TV-out (requires MHL-to-HDMI adapter)
Smart dialing, voice dialing
DivX/XviD video support
HTC Portable Hotspot
Beats audio enhancements

Main disadvantages

Rather thick for a high-end device at 11.7mm
Verizon's UI customizations are extremely intrusive
Ageing looks
No dedicated camera button
No FM radio

As you probably noticed , the HTC DROID Incredible 4G LTE is anything but short on processing power. Even when underclocked, the Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 with its two Krait CPU cores is more than sufficient to easily pull a smartphone through any task you throw at it.
The fairly compact body of the Incredible 4G LTE is likely its most important feature. The device offers a great alternative to those who think that a Galaxy S III or an HTC One X is a bit too much to handle. Also, we had almost forgotten when was the last time we could handle an Android flagship with one hand.The HTC DROID Incredible 4G LTE does have its disadvantages but depending on your preferences and usage patterns they might not matter too much to you. The phone's looks are hardly revolutionary, but some might prefer to call the design an HTC classic.

Sony Xperia go review

2012-08-04T12:48:00.002+05:30

The Sony Xperia go is not a phone to keep on a short leash. Not your kind of phone either if you'd say no to a dip in the pool because you are expecting an important call. The Sony Xperia go lets you join the fun. The midrange package that Sony just brought to the market aims to offer plenty of bang for your buck - and a bang of a time.

The Sony Xperia go official pictures

The Xperia go is a smartphone that you don't need to constantly look after. The little rugged droid will have you covered in situations very few other phones will put up with, let alone survive. Drop it or sink it, the Xperia go will take it without a flinch. And there's more where that came from. Here's the short version of what the Xperia go is all about.

Key features

IP67 certified for dust and water resistance, wet-finger tracking

Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE support

3G with 7.2 Mbps HSDPA and 5.76 Mbps HSUPA

3.5" 16M-color LED-backlit LCD capacitive touchscreen of HVGA resolution (320 x 480 pixels) at around 165 ppi

Bravia Mobile engine

Android OS v2.3 Gingerbread

Dual-core 1 GHz Cortex-A9 CPU, Mali-400 GPU, NovaThor U8500 chipset

512 MB RAM

5 MP autofocus camera, single LED flashlight, geotagging, image stabilization, smile detection, touch focus

720p video @ 30fps

Wi-Fi b/g/n, Wi-Fi hotspot functionality and DLNA

GPS with A-GPS, Wisepilot navigation

microSD slot (32GB supported, 2GB card included)

Accelerometer and proximity sensor, notification LED

Standard 3.5 mm audio jack

Stereo FM radio with RDS

TrackID music recognition

Relevant package of apps

MicroUSB port (charging) and stereo Bluetooth v2.1

Adobe Flash support

Main disadvantages

No ICS out of the box

Screen resolution a bit low by today's standards

No arm case and wrist strap in the bundle (ala the Sony Ericsson Xperia active)- available in the Xperia go "Sports Edition"

No hardware camera shutter key

No secondary camera, no video calls

Loudspeaker has below average performance

No DivX/XviD video support, 1080p video playback is a no go, too

No ANT+ support for connection to sports peripherals (unlike the Xperia active)

Now, who said you can only have two out of the three if you're after compact size, rugged build and performance under the same roof. The Sony Xperia go has the brains to go with the toughness and is still compact enough to carry around and slip into any pocket.

To make it even better, Sony has addressed two of the main issues we had with the predecessor - the Xperia active. There's now a capable dual-core chipset under the hood and the screen has grown to the far more usable 3.5". We could have probably used some extra pixels, but the Xperia go sounds like a package that's hard to beat as it is.

Samsung Galaxy Beam review

2012-07-25T19:43:00.000+05:30

The first attempts at a projector phone didn't quite work out for Samsung. For many that would be enough to call it a day, but not the Koreans. You don't become the world's number 1 phone manufacturer by giving up easily, so Samsung chose to take a step back, learn from mistakes and give it another go.

The Samsung I8530 Galaxy Beam takes a completely different approach to making a projector phone and a smartphone work together. Last time around, with the original Beam, Samsung took a high-end device and slapped a rather advanced projector on its back, effectively ending up with something very thick and expensive, which was nearly impossible to sell. Thicker devices lack the high-end vibe one normally associates with smartphones in that price range, so it never really managed to get going.

Samsung I8350 Galaxy Beam official photos

The I8530 Galaxy Beam on the other hand aims far lower - it's based on a mid-range phone and throws in a projector that's good enough for casual use. Serious, corporate use is out of the question here, but that was never in the requirements, and you get a more compact and reasonably priced package instead. Now add the NovaThor chipset and its dual-core CPU and you get a deal that's definitely worth a second look.

Key features

Quad-band GSM /GPRS/EDGE support
3G with 14.4 Mbps HSDPA and 5.76 Mbps HSUPA
4" 16M-color capacitive LED-backlit PLS TFT touchscreen of WVGA resolution (480 x 800 pixels), Scratch-resistant glass
Built-in DLP nHD projector
Android OS v2.3.7 Gingerbread, planned Android 4.0 ICS update
Dual-core 1 GHz Cortex-A9 CPU, 768MB RAM, Mali-400 GPU, NovaThor U8500 chipset
5 MP autofocus camera with LED flash and geotagging, Multi Angle shot
720p video recording @ 30fps
VGA front-facing camera
Wi-Fi b/g/n and DLNA
Built-in GPS receiver with A-GPS
8GB built-in storage expandable through the microSD card slot
microUSB port (charging) and stereo Bluetooth v3.0
Standard 3.5 mm audio jack
Stereo FM radio with RDS
Rich retail package
Voice dialing
Adobe Flash 11 support
Accelerometer and proximity sensor

Main disadvantages

No Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich out of the box
All plastic construction
Feeble loudspeaker
NovaThor U8500 is the least powerful of the dual-core offerings on the market
Thicker and heavier than mid-range competition

So, the Samsung I8530 Galaxy Beam is basically a Galaxy S Advance with an extra DLP projector and a different screen. The lack of character in the overcrowded mid-range was the main thing wrong with the Samsung mid-range flagship, and it seems like the Beam made easy work of adding some.

Samsung I8530 Galaxy Beam at ours

Sony Xperia ion review

2012-07-22T19:47:00.001+05:30

Sony was the talk of town during CES 2012 back in January and the Xperia ion for AT&T was among the main reasons why. Launched alongside the Xperia S, the Sony Xperia ion took the great honor of being the company's first LTE smartphone. To make the matters even more epic, the smartphone marked Sony Mobile's grand return to the most lucrative segment of the US smartphone market - that of the high-end, tricked out handsets with spec sheets as long as a daily newspaper. In a nutshell, the Sony Xperia ion was a big deal anyway you looked at it.

Arriving to the market six months after its announcement, the Sony Xperia ion has a different smartphone landscape to face. Samsung and HTC have already released their heavy hitters in the United States, packing better internals, and offering more up-to-date software experience. To put it mildly - arriving late to the party, the Sony Xperia ion now finds itself outgunned by the competition.

What makes this occurrence particularly frustrating is the fact that this wasn't the case at the smartphone's announcement six months ago. Back in January, the Xperia ion for AT&T could go have a go at any top-of-the-line Android smartphone on the market and emerge victorious.

To offset the massive delay, the Sony Xperia ion is priced quite aggressively. AT&T asks only $99.99 for the smartphone. Should you choose to pick one up directly from Sony though, you will only have to shell out $49.99 with a two-year contract. Cutting edge it might be not, but the Sony Xperia ion still offers you a lot of smartphone for the money. Here goes the list of its full talents.

Key features

Quad-band GSM /GPRS/EDGE support
Tri-band 3G with 21Mbps HSDPA and 5.76 Mbps HSUPA
Category 3 LTE network connectivity
4.6" 16M-color capacitive LED-backlit LCD touchscreen of 720p resolution (720 x 1280 pixels) with Sony Mobile BRAVIA engine; Scratch-resistant glass
Dual-core 1.5 GHz Scorpion CPU, 1 GB RAM, Adreno 220 GPU, Qualcomm Snapdragon MSM8260 chipset
12 MP autofocus camera with LED flash and geo-tagging, Multi Angle shot
1080p video recording @ 30fps with continuous autofocus and stereo sound
1.3 MP front-facing camera, 720p video recording
Wi-Fi b/g/n and DLNA
GPS with A-GPS
16GB built-in storage; microSD card slot
microHDMI port, dedicated TV launcher
microUSB port (charging); stereo Bluetooth v2.1
Standard 3.5 mm audio jack
Stereo FM radio with RDS
Voice dialing
Adobe Flash 11 support
Deep Facebook integration
PlayStation Certified
Accelerometer and proximity sensor

Main disadvantages

Android 2.3.7 Gingerbread out of the box doesn't cut it for a high-end device this far into 2012
Display has sub-par side viewing angles
Underwhelming front touch buttons and side camera key
Non-user replaceable battery

As you have probably noticed above, the Sony Xperia ion for AT&T is rather closely related to the Xperia S, which came to be quite popular. In order to be more appealing to the US users however, the handset has seen its screen stretch up a bit. The microSD card slot is also a nice addition to the spec sheet - after all, the handset is made for consuming multimedia and playing videogames.

The biggest letdown about the Sony Xperia ion for AT&T is undoubtedly the lack of Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich out of the box. Sony's customization of Android 2.3 Gingerbread is quite polished but still - it simply does not befit a mid-2012 high-end device. The battery life could have also been much better, given the handset's knack for multimedia.

Sony Xperia ion live photos

Meizu MX 4-core review

2012-07-22T19:39:00.000+05:30

The partnership with Samsung was the key to bringing a quad-core phone to the market. Meizu didn't quite beat the big names with LG, HTC and, naturally, Samsung getting there first, but it secured a precious advantage over local rivals Huawei and that should be a big win for them.

Meizu MX 4-core official photos

We're about to start exploring a phone we've already seen. The Meizu MX 4-core is virtually the same as the original dual-core Meizu MX, if you don't count the two extra cores. But who are we fooling here? We know you do. Now here's the cheat sheet to get you started.

Key features

Quad-band GSM and penta-band 3G support
21.6 Mbps HSDPA and 5.76 Mbps HSUPA
4.0" 16M-color ASV capacitive touchscreen of 640 x 960 pixel resolution; Gorilla glass
Heavily skinned Android OS v4.0 ("Flyme OS")
1.4 GHz quad-core Cortex-A9 CPU, Mali-400MP GPU, Exynos 4212 Quad chipset, 1GB of RAM
8 MP wide-angle autofocus camera with LED flash, face and smile detection; Wide Dynamic Mode
Up to 1080p video recording @ 30fps
Wi-Fi 802.11 b, g and n support; Wi-Fi hotspot
GPS with A-GPS connectivity; Digital compass
32/64GB of internal storage
Accelerometer, gyroscope and proximity sensor
Charging MHL microUSB port with USB host, TV-out support (1080p via an optional adapter) and S/PDIF-out for dock connection
Standard 3.5 mm audio jack
Stereo Bluetooth v2.1
Active noise cancellation with a dedicated mic
VGA secondary video-call camera
Full Flash support
Document editor
File manager comes preinstalled
Impressively rich audio and video format support

Main disadvantages

Tries too hard to beat the iPhone at its own game
Sub-par viewing angles and sunlight legibility
Looks exactly like its predecessor
No dedicated camera key (but cool Gesture captuire option and volume rocker alternative)
Non-expandable internal storage
Battery not user replaceable
No FM radio

If you've been paying attention, you'd notice that the lists are quite similar - the original Meizu MX has been there, done that. There are only two major changes and one of them is the updated Flyme OS. The MX 4-core offers a user experience so vastly different from the established brands that Meizu may not be too worried in the end about the high-profile competition.

The other update the Meizu MX 4-core brings is the real deal, which is why it's right there in the smartphone's name. The two extra cores, the better GPU and the new 32nm architecture mean the Meizu flagship is now faster and smoother while still using roughly the same amount of power.

Samsung Jasper

2012-07-22T18:57:00.002+05:30

The Samsung SCH-I200, better known as Jasper, has been leaked again, and this time we get to see what the device looks like.

The upcoming device was leaked via Twitter, and will feature Android ICS out of box, alongside a dual-core Snapdragon 1.5GHz MSM8960 processor and WVGA screen. As you can see from the back panel, the smartphone will run on Verizon’s 4G LTE network and will not have an LED flash for its rear-facing camera.

Nothing is known on when or at what price Verizon plans to launch the Jasper, but as soon as some news is revealed along those fronts, we’ll let you know.

Samsung 75-Inch flagship TV boasts of gesture controlled Angry Birds Smart TV app amongst others

2012-07-22T18:26:00.000+05:30

You know something? We humans have very basic needs, but the list of wants – now that becomes a little bit tricky. After all, the world has so much to offer, and basically anyone with enough money or power (usually both) are able to live out an extremely hedonistic lifestyle. Assuming you have been dreaming of a TV upgrade in your living room for the longest time already, and told yourself that you want to blow your budget this time around without being bothered by the financial consequences, what are some of the options at your disposal?

I would certainly tout Samsung’s latest flagship TV – we are talking about 75 inches of diagonal viewing goodness here, where the ES9000 LED Smart 3D TV is said to offer a larger-than-life, extra-premium experience alongside a timeless new design concept which will boast of a beautiful rose-gold-colored finish. All of this crammed into a form factor that is extremely slim at 0.31 inches for its curved bezel without any visible seams, and I can safely say that you’ve got a winner here.

Not only that, the Samsung ES9000 LED Smart 3D TV will also come with it, another first in the industry. We are looking at a totally new Angry Birds App for Samsung’s Smart Interaction-enabled TVs. This means you can now fling those emo avian friends using nothing but gesture controls sans the need for a controller. It might take some getting used to at first though, since most of us are so used to flinging those birds across the sky (and space) using a touchscreen display. Angry Birds is said to come as a free download later this month on the Samsung 2012 LED 7500 and up models and Plasma 8000 models. If you have more patience, a dedicated app for Angry Birds animated content will be available later in 2012 as well.

Expect the Samsung ES9000 LED Smart 3D TV to hit the general market later this August for a cool, cool price of $9,999.

Solar Transformers – If you have Sun, you have “Play Power”

2012-07-22T18:22:00.004+05:30

I used to love building models as a kid, they were fun to make and I was proud of them when they were finished. I can’t get my kid interested in building things like that, because as she puts it “they don’t do anything” ah to be a child in the electronics age…

Well here’s an innovative solar science kit that hopefully will encourage children to exercise their often ignored creativity and imagination. This 7 in 1 kit comes with simple snap plastic parts, including solar panel and accessories (with no screws or tools required). The kit contains easy to assemble projects that are comprised of 7 different modules, including 2 power charging stations, and 5 different vehicles.

The transforming rechargeable station has 2 output plugs; one for solar recharging and the other for battery recharging. Amazingly, the battery charging station can bring the selected unit to full power in only about 5 seconds and the solar recharging station (operational under sun or halogen lights) will fully recharge in approximately 120 seconds. The run time on these little vehicles is approximately 50-80 seconds.

The educational value is comes with the kit, The 7 in1 Solar Rechargeable Solar Transformers allows the user to experience energy that can be recharged and stored in a power source, and it lets the kids learn these principles through assembly of the vehicles.

Kids can enjoy five different vehicles: Solar Car, Concept Car, Bulldozer, Dump Truck, and Concept Race car, So with all the transforming, recharging, both indoors and out, creating, and building, kids will have something to do, with a lesson to be learned, and a toy that still “does something.” Hey, its a win-win! Get yours for $26.95 from owirobot.com

Spice Mi-425 review

2012-07-20T16:54:00.000+05:30

Rating: 3.5/5
Detailed official specs for Spice Stellar Mi-425

Dimensions: 125 x 63.5 x 12.5mm

Weight: 110g

Input: Full Touch

Colour: White

Display: Screen: 10.16 cm 480 x 800 pixels

Battery: 2000 mAh

Operating frequency: GSM 900/1800, WCDMA 2100

Data networks: GPRS/EDGE/Wi-Fi/HSPA

Connectivity: GPRS/EDGE/Wi-Fi/Bluetooth/3G

SAR (W/kg): 0.357 Watt/kg

Memory Card: microSD upto 32 GB

Phone memory: 149 MB(main dissadvantage)

Camera: rear 5 megapixel autofocus with LED flash and 3.9x digital zoom and front VGA

Radio: FM

Package contents: USB cable, CD, Charger, user manual, headset, battery and warranty card

Budget Android phones may have been selling well, but the Android experience on these low-powered devices isn't something I can recommend. The good news is that Android on a budget is now on the verge of change with the entry of power-packed sub-Rs 10,000 devices such as the Spice Stellar Mi-425.

I was eagerly waiting to get my hands on the new Stellar range of Spice phones because they promised features that we usually associate with devices priced almost double of what the Stellar phones are.

When I held the Spice Stellar Mi-425 in my hand for the first time, it didn't disappoint, even though it seemed to be on the heavier side and did feel a bit plasticy, especially to the rear.

On the first look it resembles an HTC device, in fact many friends at work thought it to be an HTC phone (though the characteristic HTC chin isn't present). The phone with a large screen is definitely good to look at. The red-coloured front and rear speakers are eye catching. Even the four backlit capacitive buttons just below the screen are appealing.

The touch is smooth and the screen bright. You may need a little shade to decipher what's on the screen in bright sunlight. I deliberately kept the phone in by bag with keys and coins for a few days and it emerged scratch free from the ordeal. The Stellar may not boast of Gorilla Glass protection, but it does not seem to be a soft target for display abrasion.

The Spice Stellar Mi-425 packs in almost everything on paper that you might want from your Android smartphones - powerful (1 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor, 245 MHz GPU, 512 MB RAM and 512 MB ROM), large screened (WVGA 800x480 4 inch/10.16 cm screen), decent camera (5 megapixel auto-focus rear camera with LED flash and also a VGA secondary front camera), latest OS (Androd 2.3 and Spice says 4.0 ICS upgrade coming soon), good battery (2000mAh) and attractive price (Rs 9700 on HomeShop18). If this seems too good to be true, Spice spoils the specs party packing in a measly 140 MB of user available internal memory.

Internal memory is one of the most overlooked of smartphone features. The salesperson will try to sell you the external memory formula, but the two memories are not the same. There are a number of apps (usually the ones that you'll end up using the most) that will install only on the internal memory by default, for security reasons or otherwise. This means that you may not be able to install all the apps that you want to because of lack of storage space even if you have a 32 GB microSD card. My recommendation is a minimum of 1 GB user accessible internal memory, even 512 MB is acceptable. But 140 MB definitely isn't.

One phone that can give the Spice Stellar Mi-425 some contest in its segment is the Karbonn A9. While we are yet to get hold of a review unit, it does seems to measure up to the Spice Stellar on some crucial specifications.

On turning on the Spice Stellar you will notice that the launcher isn't the Android default, Spice has instead used Launcher+. I was actually a little tempted to change to launcher with something that suited my tastes a little better. But then that is outside the purview of this review.

A bugging habit of phone makers also finds its way into the Spice Stellar - unwanted but pre-installed apps that you cannot easily uninstall, also known as bloatware. For example a user like me has no need for an app for Live Aarti or BSE/NSE Stocks or for that matter the security app that Spice has been touting during the launch - NQ Mobile Security.

Also instead of the default Android keyboard Spice has used the TouchPal Keyboard. I experienced some issues while typing, such as adjacent letters being typed even without them being touched. Not sure if the screen calibration was to blame or the app itself. Also I was unable to get into landscape mode while trying to text. Landscape typing worked on the browser and other apps but not while texting.

That the phone is dual-SIM (GSM/CDMA, GSM) may make it more attractive to some buyers and it is always advantageous to have a second SIM slot, be it for better call rates or for something else. But the disadvantage is that dialling and texting with two SIMs inserted mean an extra barrier to cross (choosing which SIM to use).

The 5 megapixel auto-focus camera is good enough for its segment. That it comes with an LED flash is an added advantage. Only that the colours look a little washed out, but is within acceptable limits. The front camera is best used for 3G video calling or to Skype (which works pretty well on this phone). But video recording leaves a lot to be desired. The quality isn't anything that you can show off to friends, especially the ones shot in a little low light. It also seems to only record in 3GP format (the highest resolution I could manage was 864x480) and not also in MP4 as some of the listed specs suggest.

That the phone comes with powerful specs and a large screen means that there is that extra strain on the battery. Spice has tried to compensate for hunger for power by packing in a 2000mAh battery. The phone managed to give me about a day's use without charging on moderate usage. This I think should be fine for most users as we all have fallen into the routine of charging our smartphones daily.

Though the earphones that come inside the box aren't much to write about even for many of the big brands, Spice includes a good looking handsfree set with the Stellar.

The position of the USB port to the bottom right seems a little awkward to me. I prefer to have the USB port either on the top or the bottom of the phone. Having them on the sides mean that the USB cable will come in the way while trying to operate the phone when charging/transferring data.

If not for the little irritants (internal memory, video quality) the Spice Stellar Mi-425 would've been a great phone at its price. Spice did strive for a stellar device but fell a little short.

Phones from Indian companies such as Spice, Micromax and others may give great features at a budget, but they have to battle the general perception that the cheap in the price tag also extends to the quality. Many people whom I showed the phone to seemed to be very impressed with the phone until they noticed the brand. I think devices such as the Mi-425 can give the brand the value they have been striving for. While they are at it, maybe they can also get the phone's information booklet designed a little better.

Meanwhile I have my eyes on the Mi-425's 5-inch cousin - the Spice Stellar Horizon Mi-500. It promises even more bang for the buck.

(Spice Stellar with the Samsung Galaxy S III)

(Rear view)

(Innards)

(Rear camera)

WINDOWS 8 REVIEW

2012-07-20T08:31:00.000+05:30

If you’ve seen Windows 8, Microsoft’s groundbreaking new release for PCs and tablets, you’ve probably noticed it bears more than a passing resemblance to the look of Windows Phone. Here’s how the Windows 8 Start screen looks in the latest preview release.

With Windows Phone 8, the similarity is more than skin deep. We’ve based the next release of Windows Phone on the rock-solid technology core of Windows 8. It means Windows Phone and its bigger sibling will share common networking, security, media and web browser technology, and a common file system. That translates into better performance, more features, and new opportunities for app developers and hardware makers to innovate faster.

This new shared core—along with all the extra work we’ve done on top of it—opens up a new world of capabilities, which you don’t have to be a techie to appreciate. Here’s a taste:

Multi-core processor support: As reviewers have noted, Windows Phone runs buttery smooth on phones with a single processor. But piggybacking on the Windows core provides support for multiple cores—so we’re ready for whatever hardware makers dream up.
Bigger, sharper screens: Windows Phone 8 supports two new screen resolutions—1280x768 and 1280x720, opening the door to amazing new handsets with high-definition 720p displays.
More flexible storage: Windows Phone 8 supports removable MicroSD cards, so you can stuff your phone with extra photos, music, and whatever else is important to you, and then easily move it all onto your PC.
NFC wireless sharing: If you haven’t heard the term “NFC” yet, I’m betting you soon will. This emerging wireless technology lets phones share things over short distances. In Windows Phone 8, it helps make sharing photos, Office docs, and contact info easier—just tap your phone another NFC-equipped device. How cool is that?
Internet Explorer 10: The next version of Windows Phone comes with the same web browsing engine that’s headed for Window 8 PCs and tablets. IE10 is faster and more secure, with advanced anti-phishing features like SmartScreen Filter to block dangerous websites and malware.
Wallet: Windows Phone 8’s new digital Wallet feature does two great things. It can keep debit and credit cards, coupons, boarding passes, and other important info right at your fingertips. And when paired with a secure SIM from your carrier, you can also pay for things with a tap of your phone at compatible checkout counters.
Better maps and directions: Windows Phone 8 builds in Nokia mapping as part of the platform. Our partnership will provide more detailed maps and turn-by-turn directions in many countries, plus the ability to store maps offline on your phone so you can work with maps without a data connection.
Cooler apps and games: Basing Windows Phone 8 on the Windows core will unleash a new wave of amazing apps and especially games, for reasons I’ll touch on in a moment.

A new Start

We’re putting the finishing touches on Windows Phone 8 as I write this. It has a ton of great new consumer features that I can’t wait to tell you about in the months ahead. Today, however, I’m going to show off just one: the beautiful, flexible new Start screen.

As you can see, we’re making Windows Phone 8 even more personal, with a new palette of theme colors and three sizes of Live Tiles, all of which are under your control. We know Live Tiles are one of the things current owners really love about their Windows Phones, and we wanted to make them even more flexible and unique. This short video shows the new Start screen in action.

Windows Phone…7.8!

The new Start screen is so useful and emblematic of what Windows Phone is about that we want everybody to enjoy it. So we’ll be delivering it to existing phones as a software update sometime after Window Phone 8 is released. Let me repeat: If you currently own a Windows Phone 7.5 handset, Microsoft is planning to release an update with the new Windows Phone 8 Start screen. We’re calling it “Windows Phone 7.8.”

Some of you have been wondering, “Will we also get Windows Phone 8 as an update?” The answer, unfortunately, is no.

Windows Phone 8 is a generation shift in technology, which means that it will not run on existing hardware. BUT we care deeply about our existing customers and want to keep their phones fresh, so we’re providing the new Start screen in this new update.

100,000 apps and beyond

Today we announced that the Windows Phone Marketplace officially hit 100,000 apps and games—a milestone we reached faster than Android, and a testament to the thousands of talented developers around the world who’ve supported us since launch. Together they deliver more than 200 new titles, on average, each day.

On behalf of everybody at Windows Phone, THANK YOU! We appreciate your effort and creativity and the value you bring to Windows Phone users.

To mark the milestone, today we’re announcing a new batch of marquee titles. The official Audible app for audiobooks arrives in Marketplace today. Official apps from Chase and PayPal are in the works. Gameloft has Windows Phone versions of Asphalt 7: Heat and N.O.V.A. 3 Near Orbit Vanguard Alliance on the way.

And Nokia is helping deliver the much-requested Zynga games Words with Friends and Draw Something to Windows Phone later this year. Check out Nokia Conversations today for more details about this and other new Windows Phone-related announcements today. (And don’t miss the fun new “100,000 Apps and Counting” mugs and other goodies in the official Windows Phone Gear Store!)

Developers, developers, developers

Since we’re talking about apps, I want to tell developers a little bit about what they can expect in Windows Phone 8. Some of the exciting changes on the way include:

Native code support: Windows Phone 8 has full C and C++ support, making it easier to write apps for multiple platforms more quickly. It also means Windows Phone 8 supports popular gaming middleware such as Havok Vision Engine, Autodesk Scaleform, Audiokinetic Wwise, and Firelight FMOD, as well as native DirectX-based game development.
In-app purchase: In Windows Phone 8 we make it possible for app makers to sell virtual and digital goods within their apps.
Integrated Internet calling: In Windows Phone 8, developers can create VoIP apps that plug into our existing calling feature so Internet calls can be answered like traditional phone calls, using the same calling interface.
Multitasking enhancements. Windows Phone 8 now allows location-based apps like exercise trackers or navigation aids to run in the background, so they keep working even when you’re doing other things on your phone.

This is just a taste. Later this summer, we’ll have much more for developers on the Windows Phone 8 Software Development Kit (SDK) and the new Visual Studio 11-based development tools. So stay tuned.

Windows Phone 8 @ work

In Windows Phone 8, we’re also moving into the workplace in a big way, introducing a number of features and capabilities that companies and their IT departments demand. This is just one more benefit of sharing a common core with Windows 8. Some of the new business-friendly features include:

Device encryption: To help keep everything from documents to passwords safe, Windows Phone 8 includes built-in technology to encrypt the entire device, including the operating system and data files.
Better security: Windows Phone 8 supports the United Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI) secure boot protocol and features improved app “sandboxing,” so the phone is better protected from malware with multiple layers of security.
Remote management: With Windows Phone 8, IT departments can manage apps and phones remotely, with tools similar to ones they now employ for Windows PCs.
Company Hub and apps: Companies can create their own Windows Phone 8 Hub for custom employee apps and other critical business info.

HTC Desire C review

2012-07-20T00:45:00.000+05:30

Are you a seasoned Android user looking for ICS on a budget or a learner ready for that big step into smartphones? Is it the journey or the destination? HTC will be pleased to welcome you on board either way. And they're making sure you start on the right foot.
Meet the Desire C. The little one at the feet of giants. The adopted child of the blue-bloods in the One family. The HTC Desire C is about half the size of a One X and has only a fraction of its processing power but the C in the name doesn't only signify compact, it also stands for comfort and capability.

The Taiwanese have a solid record in the entry-level smartphone segment. To be fair, their pricing is not the most competitive but the build, fit and finish of their smartphones are hard to beat. Beauty anyway is in the eye of the beholder, so here are the solid facts about the Desire C.

Key features

Light and compact
Quad-band GSM and dual-band 3G support
14.4 Mbps HSDPA, 5.76 Mbps HSUPA support
3.5" 16M-color TFT capacitive touchscreen of HVGA resolution (320 x 480)
600MHz single-core Qualcomm Snapdragon S1 MSM7227A chipset, Cortex A5 CPU, 512MB RAM, Adreno 200 GPU
Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) with HTC Sense 4 UI
Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n with hotspot functionality
GPS with A-GPS connectivity
5 MP camera, geotagging, face detection
VGA video @ 24fps
microUSB port (charging) and stereo Bluetooth v3.0
microSD slot (up to 32GB)
Standard 3.5 mm audio jack
Accelerometer, proximity sensor
Polaris Office doc viewer / editor
25GB of free Dropbox
Stereo FM radio with RDS
Smart dialing
DivX/XviD video support
HTCSense.com integration
Adobe Flash support
Surprisingly good audio output

Main disadvantages

Feeble CPU
Modest retail package
Fixed-focus camera
No front-facing camera

Samsung Galaxy Ace 2 review

2012-07-20T00:36:00.000+05:30

A midrange smartphone has been making its way to a number of markets without much fanfare. But you can bet the Samsung Galaxy Ace 2 won't settle for the role of just another sequel. It has a chance to prove the Galaxy S III is not the only superhot smartphone Samsung has released this season.

Samsung Galaxy Ace 2 I8160 official photo

And it's going to use it. Aiming to deliver 90% of the benefits of its extremely popular sibling for a fraction of the price, the Samsung Galaxy Ace 2 plays to the company's strengths and might turn out to be one of the unsung heroes of the year.

Dual-core might not be top-dog material in the Android realm any more, but it's enough to run virtually all apps and give you a nice smooth sailing around the interface. The entrance of ST-Ericsson in the smartphone race has enabled Android OEMs to make sub-€250 smartphones, with specs that would be considered high-end on any other platform. Now who would say no to a bargain like that?

Key features

Quad-band GSM /GPRS/EDGE support
3G with 14.4 Mbps HSDPA and 5.76 Mbps HSUPA
3.8" 16M-color capacitive LED-backlit PLS TFT touchscreen of WVGA resolution (480 x 800 pixels), Scratch-resistant glass
Android OS v2.3.7 Gingerbread, planned Android 4.0 ICS update
Dual-core 800 MHz Cortex-A9 CPU, 768MB RAM, Mali-400 GPU, NovaThor U8500 chipset
5 MP autofocus camera with LED flash and geotagging, Multi Angle shot
720p video recording @ 30fps
VGA front-facing camera
Wi-Fi b/g/n and DLNA
Built-in GPS receiver with A-GPS
NFC connectivity
4GB built-in storage expandable through the microSD card slot
microUSB port (charging) and stereo Bluetooth v2.1
Standard 3.5 mm audio jack
Stereo FM radio with RDS
Voice dialing
Adobe Flash 11 support
Accelerometer and proximity sensor

Main disadvantages

No Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich out of the box
All plastic construction
NovaThor U8500 is the least powerful of the dual-core offerings on the market
No screen and capacitive key haptics

Android now powers 51.8% of US smartphones, growth continues

2012-07-16T00:43:00.003+05:30

Popular analyst company Nielsen has published its report on the US smartphone market in the second quarter of 2012. The quarter saw smartphone growth continue as two thirds of all new customers picked a smartphone.

Android continues to be in lead, powering 51.8% of all US smartphones and 54.6% of the ones purchased over the past three months. And that was the quarter before the Samsung Galaxy S III was launched.

iOS is the other platform on the rise, with Apple's OS accounting for 34.3% of US smartphones and 36.3% of the newly acquired ones. Expectedly iOS is starting to lose pace in the third quarter of iPhone 4S availability, but things are bound to change once the iPhone 5 comes out.

BlackBerry is the only other platform on record by Nielsen and it continues its free fall. While the RIM OS still powers a respectable 8.1% of US smartphones, it only managed a market share of 4% with new subscribers. This means that it might soon join the dreaded "others" category, officially turning the US smartphone market into a two-horse race.

As for the platform that is hoping to escape that category - Windows Phone - only managed a market share of 1.3%. The Nokia Lumia lineup is still struggling to make an impact, covering just 0.3% of the market, despite the heavy promotion of the Lumia 900 by both the Finns and AT&T.

Philips AirFryer review

2012-07-13T23:44:00.000+05:30

When it comes to the kitchen you’ve probably already got too many gadgets as it is, so should you be getting the Philips AirFryer? We’ve lived with one for just under a month to find out.Forgetting all the marketing hype, the Philips AirFryer is basically a convection oven for your counter. The unit consists of a large egg-shaped device that has a pull out tray for your food. The tray-come-basket is enough to provide a portion of chips for around three people at once and the good news is that the basket dismantles and is fully dishwasher friendly.

Above the tray is a heating element like you’ll find in your electric oven and above that a big fan (which is hidden from sight) that blows air onto the heating element and therefore the food below.Turn on the AirFryer to your chosen temperature (up to 200 degrees), set the timer (up to 30 minutes) and you’re cooking.

Because of the way the system works, it’s not only faster cooking chips in the AirFryer than an oven, but it also produces crispier results because of the way the heat is forced into the cooking chamber.That speed in real terms is about 15 minutes (slightly longer for fatter chips) beating an oven alternative by about 15 minutes.

So what can you cook? Well chips mainly, although the accompanying cookbook suggests everything from brownies to quiche.

Over the course of the month we cooked chips, chips, chips, and more chips. We did cook other things - sausage rolls with crispy tops and soft centres, bananas (they didn’t really work), and cookies (not moist enough), roast potatoes (good), stuffing (crispy on top), parsnips (very yummy), and even mushrooms in garlic butter (maybe not), but over and over again found ourselves reverting back to chips, fries and crisps.

On the chip front, the AirFryer is very good, although a “chip fan” and ex-chef we know told us they didn’t match up to a decent chip that had been deep fried (we would have to agree). Of course the AirFryer version uses considerably less and is safer as there is no large vat of boiling fat to contend with.

NuForm from Talwalkars - the nu way to total fitness. Just 20 minutes . Once a week.

2012-07-13T23:31:00.000+05:30

The NuForm fitness studios allow full body exercise workouts using the EMS or Electric Muscle Stimulation method.

EMS is a full body training with electrical stimulation. In this method the muscles are stimulated so that the workout is much more efficient. Thus the training which one does is much more intense and faster than conventional weight training. Strengthening, toning and a super-effective workout in a short time span are the main outcomes of an EMS workout.

The training intensifies the human body's natural process wherein the central nervous system constantly sends electrical impulses to control muscle action and thus reaching deeper muscle layers which are hard to activate through conventional training. The wide range of benefits from EMS training are weight loss and fat removal, strength and endurance, relief from backache, improved blood circulation, enhanced muscle formation and stimulation, improved mobility, muscular imbalance correction and body toning. It also helps athletes who desire a strong, athletic build for themselves in terms of sports training.

The fitness training available at NuForm studios is an "active exercise" EMS method that gives the user the desired effect without a very strenuous effort. Regular intensive training with EMS helps to reduce excess body fat, gain muscle and positively influence body's metabolism. EMS training simultaneously trains all large muscle groups with high intensity at the same time. This strengthens the core muscles and also helps build muscle mass, along with taking care of body tone. What it offers is that much-desired sculpted look, with unbelievable ease!

Benefits of using NuForm studio facilities would include:

Weight Loss

Muscular Strength and Endurance

Enhanced Flexibility

Back Pain Relief

Prior to the commercial introduction of these special studios - Talwalkars has tested the technology extensively in some of the existing gyms. The experience and success of some of the members who have undergone this EMS training talks for itself. Read more what they have to say at: http://www.talwalkars.net/nuform/Testimonials.aspx

Apple iOS 6 vs Android 4.1 Jelly Bean

2012-07-08T01:33:00.003+05:30

Introduction

Within just weeks of each other, Apple and Google both showed off the latest and greatest they have to offer with their mobile operating systems - and both are due out later this year.

First Apple took to the stage to give a preview of iOS 6 for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch, showing off a significant upgrade to Siri, an all-new Maps app that does away with mapping from Google in favour of its own images and deeper social networking integration.

Just a couple of weeks later, Google returned fire at its I/O conference, giving Android 4.1 Jelly Bean its debut, with a refined design, Google Now and a whole host of new features.Both operating systems are available to developers now, but while iOS 6 will not be out to the public until the autumn (presumably alongside a new iPhone and maybe even an iPad mini), Android Jelly Bean will arrive on the Nexus 7 tablet in July.

Android Jelly Bean and IOS 6 are not yet finished products and may well change before they are released to the public, so this comparison is based purely on what we have seen of each operating system so far.

iOS 6 vs Android 4.1: Siri and Google Now

Apple's 'humble personal assistant' Siri is getting a major update with iOS 6 that adds the ability to read sports results, make a restaurant reservation and books cinema tickets.

Siri in iOS 6 can also launch applications - something we always thought it should have done before - and our request to "take a photo" now works, having previously suggested, rather unhelpfully, that it is not a photographer.

Apple has partnered with a number of companies to provide these results, with Rotten Tomatoes providing film reviews and news, while OpenTable will serve up restaurant information and reviews.

You can also use Siri in iOS 6 to update your Facebook status and tweet, further integrating the two social networks into Apple's mobile operating system.

Siri in iOS 6 understands requests for sports fixtures and results across baseball, basketball, American football, soccer and hockey, and can also show stats on individual teams and players, as well as live scores from current games.

While Siri is passive, in that you have to ask if for information, Google Now takes the game a step further and becomes more alive, actively presenting you with on-screen cards that it thinks are relevant to your interests, combined with the time of day, date, location and your search history.

So while walking through central London, for example, you'll be given the local weather, transport information for buses and the Underground, and suggestions of local places to eat, alongside reviews.

An important difference between the two voice-activated systems is that Google Now can operate offline, without an internet connection.

Obviously, Google Now cannot find information to help answer your questions, but it can perform all other tasks offline, whereas Siri has to contact Apple's servers, even if all it wants to do is set up a reminder or answer you with a joke.

Verdict:

Picking a winner here is tough, because while Google Now promises to offer more, early reviews of Jelly Bean suggest that it is still a work-in-progress. Siri has a nine-month head start on its Google rival, so naturally it's going to feel like the more completed product - for now, at least.

iOS 6 vs Android 4.1: Maps

Mere days after Google showed off its new 3D maps and offline mode, Apple took its turn in the mapping game and revealed an all-new Maps application for iOS, ditching long-term partner Google in favour of TomTom.

Maps for iOS 6 features 3D buildings and landscape, but while hills and valleys are recreated everywhere, 3D buildings are currently only available in a select few cities.

Of course, this is a very early beta and we'd imagine that Apple will have a lot more to offer when iOS 6 is released to the public around October.

From what we've seen so far, 3D buildings look good, in that they are all recognisable, and navigating around is fun, but they definitely lack the clarity and sharpness of Google's offering.

Along with 3D images, Apple has added turn-by-turn directions to Maps for iOS 6. Previously, Apple offered directions with help from Google, but we never considered this as a rival to proper Sat-Nav apps, such as those from TomTom and Co-Pilot.

Now though, turn-by-turn directions work just like any other sat nav unit, but the loss of Google Streetview is certainly a step backwards for Apple until it can come up with its own solution.

An advantage for Android 4.1 Jelly Bean is its ability to show maps offline, so you don't need to worry about your driving directions disappearing if you enter an area with no mobile coverage, and you can view maps abroad without incurring vast data charges.

Taking maps offline is as easy as drawing a box around the town, city or country you want and downloading it to your phone. According to Wired, the entire city of San Francisco took up just 1.5mb of phone storage space, so you needn't worry about clogging your device up with maps.

Verdict

Ditching Google Maps was a brave move by Apple, and has resulted in the loss of Streetview. The maps in iOS 6 also seem less detailed, and while impressive initially, Apple's 3D maps are limited to around 40 cities for now and lack the detail we were hoping for - at least at this beta stage.

iOS 6 vs Android 4.1: Notifications

Both operating systems have made improvements to their notification systems, but the majority of these updates are small cosmetic changes. Of note, Google has added extra information to each notification, which can be shown by dragging down with two fingers - this, for example, shows previews of messages in your inbox, instead of just who the message is from.

Jelly Bean's notification window also lets you control apps without going to them, so images that appear as notifications can be shared right away.

Google+ integration means that any image shared with your account can be seen full screen in the notifications drawer, but this isn't possible for Facebook and Twitter, which is a shame given the popularity of these services over Google's own social network.

Over in iOS 6, Apple has added shortcuts to tweet and update your Facebook status within the drop-down Notification Center windows, further adding to the OS's social network integration.

Verdict

iOS was a little slow off the mark with how it handles notifications, and could be accused of copying Android when it finally added the pull-down drawer with iOS 5, but the addition of Twitter and Facebook shortcuts along with pushing alerts to the lock screen is enough for iOS 6 to claim victory.

iOS 6 vs Android 4.1: Social Networking

With iOS 6, Apple has added deep Facebook integration to sit alongside Twitter; this means that images, links and more can be easily shared on the two social networks without launching the individual applications.

Integration with Facebook and Twitter extends to your contacts, which can be synced with accounts to include their profile picture, birthday and a link to message them via Facebook in your address book.

Apple has revamped the sharing menu in iOS 6, where before a list of 'Add to Home Screen', Mail, Tweet and Print appeared when you wanted to share a link, now you're greeted with a screen of icons for Facebook and Twitter sharing, wireless printing, add to reading list and more.

This all means you can share a website link on Facebook and Twitter from within Safari, and add your location to that too if you so wish.

With Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, Google has upped the ante even further, by releasing APIs allowing developers to have direct sharing access to applications like Gallery.

What this means, is that images can be shared from within Jelly Bean to Facebook, Twitter, Google+, GroupMe, Dropbox, Foursquare and more, whereas in iOS you have to visit each application separately to share an image.

Verdict

Adding deep Facebook integration to iOS is a good move by Apple, but Google's openness with Jelly Bean and its ability to interact with a wide range of social networks gives this point to Android.

iOs 6 vs Android 4.1: User Interface

While iOS has remained largely unchanged since its first incarnation - save for the addition of proper notifications management in iOS 5 - Android has seen gradual change throughout its life to help simplify the UI.

For Jelly Bean, Google has introduced a number of features under what it calls Project Butter to help make the user interface smoother, faster and more responsive.

This has been done by maintaining a 60 frames per second screen rate across the whole operating system, as well as allowing the CPU, GPU and display to all operate separately, meaning that they don't have to wait for each other.

Also, the processor now ramps up to full speed as soon as you touch the screen, rather than when an app is launched, to help maintain a speedy feel throughout.

Apple has made very few changes to the iOS home screen since the iPhone was first revealed five years ago, with little more than changeable wallpapers, a new dock design and a few new applications.

Android, on the other hand, has made changes with every update, and with 4.1 Jelly Bean Google has taken Ice Cream Sandwich and refined it even further to produce a clean and elegant user interface.

Verdict

Choosing one interface over the other is tough, as it is mainly down to personal preference. But what we can say is that Android has become much more user-friendly in recent updates, while iOS has remained almost unchanged, save for a few small alterations.

Back in 2007 iOS seemed like the perfect mobile operating system, but after five years of little change, we want to see something bold and new from Apple that will take iOS into a new generation.

From what we've seen so far, this point goes to Jelly Bean.

iOs 6 vs Android 4.1: Release Date

Android 4.1 Jelly bean will be available first on the Nexus 7 tablet, which is due to go on sale in the middle of July.while the Nexus S, Galaxy Nexus and Motorola Xoom will also get the upgrade at that time.

Apple has stated that iOS 6 will be available to the public in the autumn, so we're expecting to see it around October or November.

Apple iOS 6

2012-07-08T01:10:00.002+05:30

Today at Apple’s WWDC keynote, far and away the most exciting product announced has to be refreshed and replenished mobile operating system. The days of iOS 6 are upon us, and the platter of 200 new features Apple is serving up is more than enough to make any fanboi’s mouth water.

Up until now, we’d swallowed down a hearty rumor stew, complete with trusted source claims, leaked beta sites, rumors, and pure speculation. We’ve more-than expected Apple Maps, iCloud features, and Facebook integration, but the rumor mill had taken us further than that, with hopes of Siri APIs, Siri for iPad, and even deeper customization, with live apps not unlike the live tiles seen in Windows Phone’s metro UI.

So which dreams came true, and which will be left for later generations of the software?

All that after the break (and I’ll be updating as the announcement is made so be sure to hit refresh).

New Siri Abilities:

Siri pulls in sports info from Yahoo, allowing you to get game updates.
Sports include Football, Baseball, Basketball, and possibly more. Those were the sports demoed.
Siri has also gotten better at restaurant/Yelp integration, offering average price per menu item, reviews and Yelp rating.
Siri has also partnered with Open Table, offering a tab to make reservations, which takes you to the Open Table app.
Siri also partnered with Rotten Tomatoes to watch trailers, etc.
You can ask for “movies with Scarlett Johansson” or “movies playing at the HERP DERP theater.
And the moment we’ve all been waiting for: Siri can launch apps. Simply say something like “Play Temple Run.”
Siri will also let you Tweet by voice.
Siri may come packaged nicely in a button on some car’s steering wheels. Brands include BMW, GM, Land Rover, Audi, and Honda, among many more.
Siri is now available in English, French, and German. Japanese will roll out next, with Spanish, Italian, Korean, Mandarin and Cantonese to follow after.
Siri is now available on the iPad.
You can access Siri by hold-tapping the home button on the iPad.
Siri only takes up a small portion of the bottom half of the screen, popping up with rounded corners and the same blue linen finish as on the iPhone version.

Facebook Integration:

Facebook is now a baked-in part of iOS
Just sign-in once through settings and everything is set up
You can share photos, links, maps, iTunes links, and Game Center content.
Maybe and RSVPed Facebook Events are automatically added to Calendar
Birthdays, too.

Phone numbers will appear in Contacts list.

New Phone app:

The app will set a reminder to call someone back if you don’t want to pick up when they’re calling.
You can choose to send a message instead of pick up the call.
Geo-fence feature allows you to be reminded to call someone when you leave a certain area.
DO NOT DISTURB feature: Lets you tell your phone not to bother you with alerts or badges. Messages come through but there is no alert paired with its delivery.
A little like Mail VIPs, the DO NOT DISTURB feature lets you assign certain contacts to let through during DO NOT DISTURB mode.
Two calls in a row will be sent through, in case of emergencies.

FaceTime over Wireless:

FaceTime has long been a WiFi-only experience, but iOS 6 brings it to wireless status.
You will have a unifying phone number and Apple ID for FaceTime, as well as Messages.
It’s unclear if the service will be available for all carriers.

Safari/iCloud Tabs:

iCloud Tabs will work in Safari only. (Duh.)
The feature does not automatically synchronize browser tabs at all times. Instead, it offers a synchronized list of tabs open across all iDevices.
The feature is exclusive to OS X Mountain Lion and iOS 6.
Safari in iOS will add an offline reading list.
You’ll be able to upload photos straight from Safari.
Smart App Banners will let people know about your native app in the App Store.

Photo Stream:

Shared photo streams: “Choose your photos you’d like to share, choose the friends you’d like to share it with, and you’re done.”
Commenting is built-in.
Available on Mac, Apple TV, and via web.

Mail VIPs:

The feature essentially offers you a way to “star” email correspondents that are most frequently contacted or “very important people.”
You can insert a photo or video from the Compose field.
Mail VIPs will not be pushed to the top, but rather be starred off in chronological order among other inbox contents.
Mail VIPs will be hooked into iCloud, meaning that all VIP Contacts will be synced across devices.
You’ll have two extra inboxes: VIP inbox and a flagged inbox.
Mail will also support opening password-protected Office docs.

Passbook:

Get all your passes in one place, including boarding passes, tickets, and coupons.
It works with other apps that make natural sense, like the Starbucks store app or various apps to buy movie tickets with.
Brands include Starbucks, Fandango, United, Amtrak, and Apple Store of course.
Shows gate changes, account balances, etc. as pop-ups on lock screen.

iOS 6 Maps:

Apple has given Google Maps the ax, opting to use their own in-house system.
Maps has over 100 million local businesses listed upon launch.
The app integrates with Yelp, just like Siri!
Apple is building a traffic service to show incidents and general traffic conditions in a certain area.
The traffic feature will use anonymous crowd-sourced data from iOS users to stay real-time and up-to-date.
Hoorah! Turn-by-turn navigation is in the works.
The Maps app will offer real-time ETA thanks to that crowd-sourced traffic info.
Maps works from the lock screen, and also plays nice with Siri.
Siri can find certain venues, like say a gas station, for you on your way to somewhere, making sure that the gas station is en route to your desired end-destination. She’ll also answer every parent’s favorite question: Are we there yet?
Maps will have a beautiful 3D mode, which users can toggle on within the app.
Flyover lets you hover above your intended route to see the perspective from an airplane or helicopter.
You can rotate and zoom, or simply tap on a place in 3D mode to learn about it.
Turn by turn navigation voice brought to you direct from Siri.
The icon for the Maps app has changed to pin Apple’s 1 Infinite Loop headquarters, and also has a tad different coloring than the original app icon.
Apple did all the cartography themselves, which explains the snazzy look.

Support:

iOS 6 will be supported on the iPhone 4S, iPhone 4, and iPhone 3GS.
iOS 6 will be supported on the iPad 2, and the new iPad.
iOS 6 will be supported on the fourth-generation iPod touch.
No word on Apple TV support.
Coming this fall.

GagdetGuru

Samsung Galaxy Camera

MAIN

CAMERA Specification 16 MP, autofocus, 21x optical zoom Pop up Xenon flash, AF light Wide-angle 23mm lens, geo-tagging, Touch focus, face and smile detection, optical image stablization video 1080p with 30 fps, 720x480 with 120 fps OTHER

Google Navigation and live traffic updates

Find out which budget Android 5-incher is worth your money.

Sony Xperia acro S review: Daring droid

Key features

Main disadvantages

Samsung Ativ Tab preview

Sony Xperia neo L review

Key features

Main disadvantages

Samsung Galaxy S firmware update to Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich

Samsung Galaxy S Update | Dream of Android 4.0 Galaxy S

Warnings!

Samsung Galaxy S Ice Cream Sandwich Update

Lava XOLO X900 Preview

HTC DROID Incredible 4G LTE review

Key features

Main disadvantages

Sony Xperia go review

Key features

Main disadvantages

Samsung Galaxy Beam review

Key features

Main disadvantages

Sony Xperia ion review

Key features

Main disadvantages

Meizu MX 4-core review

Key features

Main disadvantages

Samsung Jasper

Samsung 75-Inch flagship TV boasts of gesture controlled Angry Birds Smart TV app amongst others

Solar Transformers – If you have Sun, you have “Play Power”

Spice Mi-425 review

WINDOWS 8 REVIEW

A new Start

Windows Phone…7.8!

100,000 apps and beyond

Developers, developers, developers

Windows Phone 8 @ work

HTC Desire C review

Key features

Main disadvantages

Samsung Galaxy Ace 2 review

Key features

Main disadvantages

Android now powers 51.8% of US smartphones, growth continues

Philips AirFryer review

NuForm from Talwalkars - the nu way to total fitness. Just 20 minutes . Once a week.

Apple iOS 6 vs Android 4.1 Jelly Bean

Introduction

iOS 6 vs Android 4.1: Siri and Google Now

iOS 6 vs Android 4.1: Maps

iOS 6 vs Android 4.1: Notifications

iOS 6 vs Android 4.1: Social Networking

iOs 6 vs Android 4.1: User Interface

Apple iOS 6

New Siri Abilities:

New Phone app:

FaceTime over Wireless:

Safari/iCloud Tabs:

Photo Stream:

Mail VIPs:

Passbook:

iOS 6 Maps:

Support:

CAMERA Specification

16 MP, autofocus, 21x optical zoom

Pop up Xenon flash, AF light

Wide-angle 23mm lens, geo-tagging,

Touch focus, face and smile detection, optical image stablization

video 1080p with 30 fps, 720x480 with 120 fps

OTHER