Gadget Expert

iPad vs Samsung Galaxy vs Toshiba Folio 100 vs OlivePad

2010-09-04T13:32:00.000+05:30

Apple iPad has set in a tablet frenzy. Hardware vendors of all sizes have jumped on the tablet bandwagon to challenge Apple's tablet and cash on the new computing segment. Latest to join the fray is Korean giant Samsung and Toshiba who recently unveiled their iPad challengers.

In India too the tablet PC market is hotting up. Recently, Olive Telecom launched its iPad contender which is country's first 3.5G tablet.

Here's how the recent launches in the tablet space -- Samsung Galaxy Tab, Toshiba Folio 100 and OlivePad VT100 -- compare on looks, OS, camera, connectivity and apps front with each other and Apple iPad.

1: Dimensions

iPad: Apple's iPad measures 9.56 inches in height, 7.47 in width and 0.5 inch in depth. iPad weighs 1.5 lbs (0.68 kg), the 3G version is 0.1 pounds heavier.

Galaxy: Measuring 7.84 X 4.74 X 0.47 inches, the device weighs mere 380 gram.

Toshiba Folio 100: Folio measures 181 x 281 x 14 mm and weighs 760 gram.

OlivePad: Measuring Width 110(W) X 11.5 (D) X 179.4 (H) mm, the device weighs 410 gram.

2: Display

iPad: The device has a 9.7-inch LCD colour screen. iPad uses iPhone's multi-touch technology, Apple's Magic Mouse, and the company's trackpad technology found in some of the company's laptops.

Galaxy: Sporting a 7-inch TFT LCD display, the Galaxy Tab has a screen resolution of 1024 by 600 pixels.

Toshiba Folio 100: Featuring a 10.1-inch display, the device has a multitouch screen. The screen has a resolution of 1,024 x 600 pixels.

OlivePad: With 7-inch touch capacitive screen, the device has screen resolution of 800 x 480 pixels. The device can also be used to make phone calls.

3: Camera

iPad: Apple's iPad lacks camera. Lack of camera is widely seen as a negative in iPad as the device is said to be placed somewhere between a smartphone and laptop.

Galaxy: Unlike iPad, Samsung Galaxy Tab comes with a 3.2 megapixel rear-facing camera. The device also has a 1.3 megapixel front facing camera.

Toshiba Folio 100: There's a 1.3 megapixel camera.

OlivePad: The device boasts of a 3 megapixel camera with 4x zoom and a front facing camera.

4: OS & processor

iPad: iPad runs on Apple iOS 3.2. The device has a 1GHz chip that has been custom designed by Apple.

Galaxy: The device uses Google's Android 2.2 operating system.

Toshiba Folio 100: Folio runs Nvidia Tegra 2 processor. The device will come with Google Android 2.2 OS.

OlivePad: The device runs on ARM11 600MHz processor and packs Android 2.1 (Eclair) OS.

5: Memory

iPad: Apple iPad comes in 16, 32 and 64GB versions.

Galaxy: The device comes in 16 and 32GB version.

Toshiba Folio 100: Toshiba's iPad rival comes with 16GB of storage.

OlivePad: In terms of storage, OlivePad VT100 has 512 MB of internal memory which can be extended upto 32GB.

6: Adobe Flash

iPad: The device doesn't offer support for Flash. This means users will encounter those 'big, empty video boxes in the middle of a page' while surfing on the pages which require Adobe Flash. Youtube will be supported just like in iPhone but no Flash games. In iPhone 3GS too when users browse through Web pages with Adobe Flash, it displays empty spaces with missing icons.

Galaxy: Samsung Galaxy Tab offers support for Adobe Flash

Toshiba Folio 100: Folio 100 supports latest Adobe Flash Player 10.1.

OlivePad: The device runs Adobe Flash.

7: Connectivity

iPad: It supports both WiFi and Bluetooth connectivity. The WiFi antenna supports 802.11 a/b/g/n. The device also packs GPS.

Galaxy: For connectivity, Galaxy supports Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and 3G cell phone networks.

Toshiba Folio 100: The device supports WiFi and Bluetooth 2.1. Toshiba announced that a 3G version will be launched soon.

OlivePad: The device has WiFi (802.11b/g), Bluetooth 2.0 (EDR), and microUSB connectivity.

8: Battery

iPad: It offers battery life of upto 10 hours. The standby time is approximately a month.

Galaxy: It promises upto 7 hours of video playback.

Toshiba Folio 100: As for battery, Toshiba claims that the device promises upto 7 hours of Web browsing.

OlivePad: The device comes with 16 hours of standby time and 7 hours of talktime.

9: Apps

iPad: The device can use virtually all the over 140,000 apps currently available for the iPhone. However, iPad will let you download applications only from Apple's AppStore. iPad doesn’t allow users to download any apps other than from the App Store.

Galaxy: For applications, Galaxy Tab offers access to Android Market in addition to non-Market apps.

Toshiba Folio 100: Users can download apps from Toshiba App Place.

OlivePad: It has access to Android MarketPlace.

Apple TV versus Google TV

2010-09-04T13:19:00.001+05:30

Apple Inc unveiled its new Apple TV on Wednesday, setting it up to compete with Google Inc's soon-to-be released Google TV. Here's a look at how they compare:

Cost

Apple: $99 (Rs 4455)

Google: Not yet announced

How they work

Apple TV is a compact box that hooks into TVs and allows viewers to stream shows and movies that they have rented or downloaded from iTunes. It requires an Internet connection and can access YouTube, Flickr and other sites.

It can stream music from iTunes and play shows or movies that have been downloaded on separate devices from iTunes. Apple TV can be controlled through iPods, iPhones and iPads after downloading an app.

Google TV: Google TV will allow viewers to search and watch programs from the Internet and their DVR recordings. Sony TVs and blu-ray players, as well as Logitech TVs, will come with Google TV installed.

A separate stand-alone device is also available. The software has a Chrome Web browser built in so users can access whatever videos, photos, music and games are online. The Android Market will be on Google TV starting in 2011.

Availability

Apple: Chief Executive Steve Jobs said Apple TV would be available in a month, and the devices can be pre-ordered now.

Google: Unknown date this fall.

Content

Apple: TV shows will cost 99 cents (Rs 4455) to rent, movies will cost $4.99 (RS 224.55) to $2.99 (Rs 134.55) to rent.

Google: All free online content can be accessed. DISH Network Corp subscribers can also browse and watch their content with the device.

Partners

Apple: Netflix Inc, News Corp, Walt Disney Co

Google: Sony Corp, Logitech International SA, Intel Corp and DISH Network Corp

Track record

Apple: This is the second incarnation of the Apple TV. Jobs has said the first version, released in 2006, has "never been a huge hit."

Google: This is the first Google TV of its kind for the company.

Tech to improve voice clarity on mobile phone

2010-09-04T13:07:00.000+05:30

A technology that improves voice clarity on mobile phones by filtering out unwanted sounds is on offer.

High Definition (HD) Voice claims to reduce the background noise and 'hisses' that often mar mobile phone calls and offer users 'crystal clear' sound.

HD Voice, which went live Wednesday, should help those people who frequently make calls from trains and noisy workplaces, reports the Daily Mail.

The firm also claims that HD voice is able to 'eliminate the perceived distance between callers making it easier to hear the emotions in people's voices.'

Jonathan Leggett of mobile phone comparison website Top10.com said: "It's ironic that as smartphones have become more multi-functional, they're arguably not much better at their primary function as a conduit for calls.

"We don't expect Orange's HD Voice technology to sway young smartphone users.

"However, improving the calling experience will appeal to less tech-hungry consumers who use their handsets predominantly for making calls and texting," added Leggett.

Recent research from Orange has shown that a third of business leaders say they routinely struggle to hold phone conversations due to the noisy environment they work in.

Other countries already have networks using the technology including Moldova and Germany.

5 Hottest Qwerty phones

2010-08-22T02:02:00.000+05:30

Nokia E72

The E72’s multimedia skills beat all the others here. It’s very stylishly built, flaunting an elongated profile and a robust metallic rear battery bonnet. The keyboard’s domed buttons (which include dedicated punctuation keys) are easy on the thumbs, feeling almost ceramic to the touch, although not as distinct as the BlackBerry’s.

The Symbian S60 interface is a bit dated but highly customisable. The push email set-up rivals the BlackBerry for ease of use, and while Nokia’s Ovi Store isn’t overflowing, it offers a decent choice of apps and games to download.

Verdict: With outstanding media and SMS talents, the E72 is the best all-round QWERTY phone.

Specs: OS: Symbian Series 60; Display: 2.4in, 320x240; Camera/video: 5MP/VGA@ 15fps: Storage: 250MB + microSD; Battery 6hrs talk, 576hrs standby.

Sony Ericsson X10 Mini Pro

The X10 Mini Pro is the smallest here and could be the dinkiest smartphone we’ve ever handled. A flick of a thumb is enough to slide the screen up with a satisfying snap to reveal the surprisingly roomy QWERTY.

In our tests it proved a fine platform for speedtyping, but those with larger digits than ours may find it more challenging. Beneath the responsive capacitive touchscreen is an Android-based interface that’s been tweaked to accommodate the small screen size. If you’ve previously been put off QWERTY handsets by their size, the Mini Pro could change all that.

Verdict: A lesson in smartphone miniaturisation that’s incredibly user-friendly.

Specs: OS: Android 1.6; Display: 2.6-in, 320x240 capacitive touchscreen; Camera/video: 5MP/VGA@ 30fps; Storage: 128MB + microSD; Battery: 3.5hrs talk, 360hrs standby.

Palm Pixi Plus

Thanks to Palm’s flexible webOS, the entry-level Pixi Plus is a multitasking demon. No rival QWERTY handset can switch between apps and features so effortlessly.

It’s very slim, light and well made, and while the keyboard looks cramped it’s great to use. The soft rubbery domes are very tactile, you get dedicated full stop and comma keys, and the phone’s slender profile means you can easily tap out messages one-handed. This frees your other hand to use the responsive capacitive touchscreen or the gesture pad.

Verdict: This multitasking smartphone has more appeal than its entry-level status suggests.

Specs: OS: webOS 1.4.1; Display: 2.63in, 320x400; Camera/video: 2MP/VGA@ 30fps; Storage: 8GB; Battery: 5.2hrs talk, 350hrs standby.

Acer Neo Touch P300

The Acer’s 3.2-inch widescreen display is a beauty. Unfortunately, this Windows Mobile-powered phone doesn’t follow through with performance to match. The sliding keyboard is spacious and geared for drafting long messages and emails.

Flush to the surface with an almost pressurepad action, each key is distinguishable by a smooth rubberised finish. The same can’t be said of the resistive touchscreen. It copes fine with aggressive taps on the main menu icons, but swipe and scroll and it becomes temperamental.

Go off-road from the main menu and you’ll be grabbing the stylus to negotiate the fiddly sub-menus. Also, the processor seems to have trouble if you throw it a quick volley of taps or swipes, needing time to catch up. Ultimately this lack of response overshadows the fairly impressive set of features.

Verdict: A great QWERTY is let down by a moody touchscreen and sluggish processor.

Specs: OS: Windows Mobile 6.5; Display: 3.2in, 240x400; Camera/video: 3.2MP/320x240@30fps; Storage256MB+microSD; Battery: 4.4hrs talk, 400hrs standby.

BlackBerry 9700 Bold

In terms of design and ergonomics, the BlackBerry’s keyboard is the finest on test. Inspired by the frets on a guitar, it has reasonable-sized keys that are ridged to help your thumbs keep their bearings.

It’s a pleasure to use and great for instinctive typing, even in the absence of standalone punctuation keys. Like the Nokia E72, the Bold is a traditional messenger, so there’s no touchscreen but there is a touchsensitive optical trackpad. Teamed with its splendid keyboard, for pure messaging the BlackBerry is hard to beat.

Verdict: Its thumb-friendly keyboard makes this BlackBerry a top-class messenger.

Specs: OS: BlackBerry 5.0; Display: 2.4in, 480x360; Camera/video: 3.2MP/480x352@30fps; Storage: 256MB + microSD; Battery: 6hrs talk, 408hrs standby.

Sony Ericsson launches 3 mobile phones

2010-08-22T01:23:00.000+05:30

Sony Ericsson unveiled three new models of mobile phones, including entry level handset for 3G.

The company unveiled Xperia-X8 entertainment smartphone on Android platform, besides Cedar, the basic entry level model for 3G and Yendo,the full touch walkman phone. "We continue to offer an amalgamation of communication and entertainment by fusing together best quality touchscreen experience, in the second half of the year," Sony Ericsson India Marketing head Anurag Kunto told newsmen.

"The newly launched models shall be available at the stores from September," Kunto said.

According to Kunto, Android platform in mobile handsets has begun taking away market share worldwide.

Sporting a 3-inch HVGA capacitive touchscreen (320 x 480), Xperia X8 comes with 3.2 megapixel camera, full Web browser, FM radio, support for video streaming, access to social networks through Timescape and music player with PlayNow and TrackID.

Xperia X8 runs on 600MHz processor and Google Android OS 1.6. For connectivity, the phone includes Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. The phone packs 128MB of internal memory and a 2GB microSD card. The memory can be expandable upto 16GB.

In the walkman series, Sony Ericsson has launched its first full touchscreen phone called Yendo. Featuring four corner touch user interface (UI), Yendo comes with 2 megapixel camera with 4X digital zoom.

The phone's music features include FM radio, music player, walkman player, MP3/AAC tones and a Bluetooth A2DP stereo.
Sporting a 2.6-inch TFT screen with 320 X 420 pixel resolution, Yendo has 3.5mm jack, Bluetooth, micro USB connector, USB mass storage and modem.

The company has also launched an entry-level 3G phone called Cedar. The phone offers quick access to social networking sites through a feature called Widget Manager 2.0.

Featuring a 2.2-inch display, the phone packs a 2 megapixel camera and 3.5mm headphone jack. The phone's battery promises upto 4 hours of talktime on 3G network.

The company has close to 1,000 point of sales in western region including Maharashtra and Gujarat, and nearly 4,000 across the country.

Close to 100,000 million GSM handsets sales are projected for the Indian market in 2010, of which 70 per cent are priced below Rs 3,000, a company official said.

BlackBerry solution in India soon

2010-08-22T01:17:00.000+05:30

BlackBerry-maker Research In Motion may provide some solution next week to help Indian security agencies access corporate email by obtaining encrypted data in readable format, a government source said.

Research In Motion (RIM) faces an August 31 deadline to give Indian authorities the means to track and read BlackBerry Enterprise email and its separate BlackBerry Messenger service.

The government, concerned about the potential for militants to use the secure BlackBerry network to carry out attacks, has vowed to shut the services ifRIM fails to comply, cutting it out of one of the world's fastest-growing telecoms market.

An RIM technical team in New Delhi has been working with the department of telecoms and security agencies to find a way out.

"We are expecting they will come up with some solution for Enterprise mail next week," the source said. He did not want to be named as RIM's discussions with the government are not public.

India said this week that it would allow the messenger service to continue beyond the deadline as it had been assured access to the services, but could shut down the secure email service if access is not given by then.

India is one of a number of countries putting pressure on RIM, which has built the reputation of the BlackBerry, popular with business professionals and politicians, around confidentiality.

Government officials have said RIM has assured manual access to BlackBerry instant messenger by September 1, and automated access by year-end.

Fujifilm launches 3D camera

2010-08-22T01:12:00.000+05:30

Fujifilm has launched the world's first 3D camera and printing service.

Photographs on the new FinePix camera can be printed on special 3D paper, ready to stick in the family photo album or be instantly viewed on the camera's built-in display.

Unlike the 3D films in cinemas, special glasses do not need to be worn to show the 3D image. The camera takes two photos simultaneously from its two lenses which are fixed a similar distance apart to human eyes, reports the Telegraph.

Using "lenticular" technology, the separate left and right eye images are interlaced on a furrowed surface to create the stereoscopic illusion.

This method has been used since the 1940s typically on novelty items and stickers, featuring simple two-frame animations, such as a winking eye. The new camera also incorporates a high-definition 3D video camera, allowing users to watch their home movies back on any 3D TV.

The new FinePix Real 3D W3 will go on sale in early September, costing around 400 pounds.Fujifilm said its 3D printing service would be available "shortly" after the camera's launch.

Asus launches dual touchpad notebook NX90

2010-08-22T01:04:00.000+05:30

Notebook PC-maker, Asus has launched its new product NX90 notebook in the domestic market.

The product is designed in co-operation with technology developer Bang and Olufsen's chief designer David Lewis, Asus' (India) Country Head for System Business, Alex Huang, said.

"With the NX90 we hope to give notebooks the world over a new definition and place," Huang said.

The product comes with features including 8GB DDRIII memory and 1TG (500GBx2) 7200rpm storage capacity. The 18.4-inch full high definition LED backlit display laptop is priced at Rs 1,31,999.

"Initially, we would be marketing our product primarily in major metros like Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata," Huang said, adding that the product would be marketed through its dealer network channel partners in India.

The NX90 comes with a configuration of an Intel Core i7 processor, graphics card NVIDIA Geforce GT 335M, an amplifier and a built-in webcam of 2 megapixel.

Among other features, the laptop has a dual touchpad located on both sides of the keyboard.

HTC launches Desire in India

2010-08-22T01:01:00.000+05:30

Cellphone maker HTC Corporation in partnership with telecom service provider Tata Docomo launched a new handset 'HTC Desire' in India.

HTC Desire is supported by android operating system that offers the enhanced HTC Sense experience to users.

Sporting a 3.7-inch AMOLED display, the phone comes loaded with Android 2.1 OS. Desire also has an optical trackpad and physical buttons. The phone also supports multitouch gestures.

Desire packs a 5 megapixel camera with auto focus, flash, face detection capability, widescreen photo capture and Geotagging. The phone records videos at WVGA resolution (800*480) at 15 fps.

The handset also supports music player and FM radio and has both audio and video recording. Powered by 1 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor, Desire has 512 MB of ROM and 576 MB of RAM. The phone comes with 4GB MicroSD card and the memory can be expanded upto 32GB.

The phone also has 3.5 mm stereo audio jack, standard micro-USB and Bluetooth 2.1. For connectivity, Desire supports 3G, GPRS, EDGE and Wi-Fi.

The new HTC Desire will be available at a market price of Rs 28,900 at all authorised HTC resellers across the country.

"This launch marks the strong relationship, Tata Docomo enjoys with HTC and, going forward, we will continue to work together to launch more innovative mobile offerings for Indian consumers on the Tata Docomo platform," Tata Docomo Head Marketing Gurinder Singh Sandhu said.

HTC Desire comes with an exclusive offer for Tata Docomo users in India, wherein the company's postpay subscribers will get free data download of 500 MB per month for six months, the company added.

Tata Teleservices has so far launched GSM services under the Tata Docomo brand name

Meet Desi e-reader, Wink

2010-08-22T00:55:00.003+05:30

Bangalore-based digital publisher EC Media International has launched its multi-function e-book reader Wink that not only supports 15 languages but will also offer over 200,000 book titles on debut.

Wink will offer consumers a one-stop e-store to access e-reading content of choice via www.thewinkstore.com that would enable access not just to e-books, but also journals, newspapers, magazines and selected articles, EC Media said.

Many of the titles have been acquired from international aggregators, giving Indians access to a whole lot of books not available in the country.

"With the launch of Wink, we aim to revolutionise the way people read," said Ravi DeeCee, founder and chief executive of DC Group, which has promoted EC Media and the Kerala-based publishing house DC Books.

"Wink will allow readers to access their favourite content anytime, anywhere -- that, too, in the language of their choice," he said.

Another offering will be Wink Wire for news, the first e-reader newspaper in India. EC Media has entered into a content alliance with IANS, India's largest independent news service, for Wink Wire.

EC Media's e-reader itself is designed primarily for reading digital books and periodicals but users can also listen to music, check e-mails or even play games, executives said.

This e-reader uses e-ink technology to display content to readers, and the main advantages of these features are portability, strain-free reading even in bright sunlight and substantial battery life.

"With the launch of Wink, we want to enable the growth of content provisioning through electronic medium by leveraging existing eco-system of global tie-ups with publishers and aggregators," said Pradeep Palazhi, chief operating officer of EC Media. "We hope to succeed in attaining this vision."

The group also aims to help publishers and authors leverage the new platform, simplifying the process of publishing -- from the draft of a book to its final printing, besides also helping them to reach out to a larger audience.

Wink has enrolled top publishers like Penguin, Roli, Oxford University, Harper Collins and Permanent Black for content so far. It will provide access to over 100,000 tiles to begin with, along with some newspapers and magazines.

The group has also announced a tie-up with Croma, the electronics megastore promoted by the Tata Group, as its retail partner. It has also roped in Redington as its distribution partner.

"From a consumer perspective, it's going to be a resourceful investment. It will certainly enhance their reading experience with a variety of offerings," said Ajit Joshi, chief executive of Croma Electronics Megastore.

Explaining how the e-reader works, officials said a user can access the online store from the web or through the catalogue present on the gadget, intuitively designed for easy preview of content, downloads and a secure payment gateway.

The Wink store will have a strong base of regional language content on top of a wide-variety of international titles and category of e-books. Members will be able to avail of special deals and discounts on the store, they added.

Gurcharan Das, author of "The Difficulty of Being Good: The Subtle Art of Dharma", is upbeat about e-readers.

"E-readers like Wink are well positioned to capture the imagination of the younger generation," Das said at a function at the Crossword book store at Kemps Corner here.

"I feel book stores are going to be history soon because the younger generation wants everything on screen. E-books are going to get cheaper than an actual book over time, so there is no point being stuck in nostalgia," Das, who is among the nominees of the Vodafone Crossword award, said.

BlackBerry messenger to continue, email may shut

2010-08-18T18:27:00.000+05:30

India will allow BlackBerry's messenger service to continue beyond an August 31 deadline, but could shut down its secure email service if access is not given to its encrypted data by then, a senior government source said.

A technical team from Research In Motion began discussions with India's telecommunications ministry and intelligence agencies, the source said, seeking to address security worries over some of BlackBerry's services.

"Discussions have started. They will continue this week and whole of next week. Discussions are on both the services," said the source on condition of anonymity.

The government expects some sort of technical solution from RIM to emerge during the discussions, he said. When asked if BlackBerry would be allowed to operate after August 31, he said, "BlackBerry services, including phone, SMS and Messenger will run, not sure about enterprise mail."

Research In Motion has assured India of manual access to BlackBerry instant messages by September 1, and automated access by year-end. They are yet to get assurances for its more secure corporate email, sources said.

Also on Tuesday, at least three mobile operators confirmed they received letters from the Department of Telecommunications giving them a deadline to put in place monitoring capability for BlackBerry Messenger and secured Enterprise email services.

"We have received a letter ... asking us to ensure that legal intervention capability is put in place for BlackBerry services by 31 August 2010," a statement from operator Tata Teleservices said.

New Delhi says it will shut down BlackBerry services if RIM does not allow access to its messaging or secured email, threatening its future in the world's fastest-growing telecoms market.

Suitable interception
India is one of a number of countries putting pressure on RIM, which has built the reputation of the BlackBerry, popular with business professionals and politicians, around confidentiality.

Governments such as Saudi Arabia's fear it could become a tool for militants to plan attacks or for those breaking Islamic laws. A shutdown would affect about 1 million users in India out of a total 41 million BlackBerry users worldwide, allowing them to use the devices only for calls and Internet browsing.

"The onus is on service providers to ensure that they have some sort of interception mechanism in place before the deadline ends," a senior Interior security official said.

"It is binding upon them and the DoT (Department of Telecommunications), which is the nodal agency, will ensure that it is followed strictly, in the interest of national security."

A source at one of India's biggest telecom operators said the government wanted a "suitable interception and monitoring" solution in readable format for the law enforcement agencies. According to a government source, RIM has already assured India of limited access to BlackBerry instant messages by September 1.

RIM has lost more than 11 per cent of market capitalisation since the beginning of August, when governments in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates said they would also consider a ban.

Skin to turn anything touchscreen

2010-08-18T18:22:00.001+05:30

Touchscreens seems to be going ubiquitous! The interactive hardware company Displax has started marketing Skin, a paper-thin, flexible film that can transform any non-metal surface into an interactive touchscreen!

The film, unveiled in February this year, can be placed on any surface, transparent or opaque, flat or curved, to display any interactive content. Completely transparent, Skin uses projected capacitive technology, making it possible to apply on the back of a glass and detect finger touch on the front of the glass.

When the film is applied to glass, plastic or wood, the surface becomes interactive. Significantly, this new multitouch technology solution can be integrated with standard LCD screens as well, making it an attractive choice for LCD manufacturers. It will also be available for audiovisual integrators or gaming platforms to develop innovative products.

Extending the capabilities of the interactive format, Skin can be applied to flat or curved, opaque as well as transparent surfaces up to three metres across the diagonal while the controller creates a hyper sensitive technology solution. It allows users to interact with an enabled surface not just by touching it but, for the first time, by blowing on it, opening up new possibilities for future applications. Currently, the technology can detect up to 16 fingers on a 50-inch screen. The number of fingers detected is expected to increase as development progresses.

The technology was primarily developed for commercial environments. Potential customers will come from industries as diverse as telecoms, retail, property, broadcast, pharma or finance. However, Displax expects consumer applications to be developed using the new technology, as well

HD war: Tata Sky vs Sun vs Airtel vs Dish

2010-08-18T18:19:00.000+05:30

A long time in the offing, high-definition broadcast has finally invited itself upon India. Suddenly, we have not one but four bright options to choose from!

Tata Sky HD
Prompt and efficient with service and installation, Tata Sky makes up for its lack of content by putting a smile on your face. Channels currently on air include Discovery HD World, Nat Geo HD and stray movies on their own Showcase HD platform.

Star Plus HD and Star Movies HD are next in line to be upscaled to 1080i. Best value for money offering right now.

Price: Rs 2599

Verdict: Best for - service and VFM

Sun HD
Early birds get the worm, as they say. In this case, the worm is becoming more of a health hazard for Sun TV. The most expensive package here it offers two more regional HD channels and Colors HD (upscaled) over the standard fare Nat Geo HD and Discovery HD World. Still, it doesn’t help its performance-per rupee rating. Only if you speak Tamil...

Price: Rs 9990

Verdict: Best for choice of channels

Airtel HD
The weakest of the current crop offers only Nat Geo HD and select events on ESPN HD as channels that will give you an eye-opening experience. They promise to add new channels “very soon” so we shall preserve our drool for another time. But with Dolby Digital Plus as their preferred 5.1 codec, we can only wait for better things from Airtel.

Price: Rs 2940

Verdict: Best for curbing HD channel surfing

Dish TruHD
Not the most responsive when it comes to service, Dish TV earns brownie points with ample package options. It offers channels like Discovery HD World, Nat Geo HD, Zee TV HD and Zee Cinema HD.
Cricket a’la carte is served up by Ten Sports. As an added bonus, they will also buy back your old standard-def box if you’re an existing subscriber.

Price: Rs 2990

Verdict: Best for HD channel surfing

Girlfriend-only phones beat Nokia

2010-08-17T00:01:00.000+05:30

Micromax Informatics Ltd co-founderVikas Jain drew inspiration for the company’s first phone from a line of Indian villagers standing in the midday heat to get their cell phones charged by a man with a car battery mounted on a bicycle. Their homes had no electricity.

In response, the company designed its first model, the X1i, with an oversized battery, a small screen, and tweaked electronics that made the phone run for as long as five days, and on standby for as many as 30 days.

“It was really the most obvious thing to do,” says Jain, who co-founded the company in 1991 with three friends. “Here was something that provided customers a feature nobody else had bothered to give them -- battery life.”

Micromax now sells about 1 million handsets a month, with 37 models tailored to local tastes, Bloomberg BusinessWeek reports in its August 16 issue. The company has about 4 per cent of the $6.3 billion Indian market, eating into the sales of Nokia Oyj, the world’s biggest maker of mobile phones, whose share in India fell to 52 per cent by the end of last year from 64 per cent in 2008.

Micromax’s phones start at $40 and few of them sport Wi-Fi, 3G, or GPS capabilities. That keeps costs down in a country with sporadic Internet access and little 3G coverage. One phone doubles as a Nintendo Co Wii-like controller, allowing users to play video games. Another, marketed heavily with Bollywood- themed TV commercials, has costume jewelry embedded in it and swivels open to reveal a full keyboard.

Product focus
Closely-held Micromax’s approach has attracted interest from Boston-based TA Associates Inc, a $16 billion private equity fund that invested $45 million in the company in January for an undisclosed stake.

“We did spend a lot of time with the broader universe of Indian phone makers,” says Naveen Wadhera, a TA Associates Advisory director based in Mumbai who worked on the deal. “But what we specifically wanted was someone with a real focus on product and a real effort at innovating. The others have a bit of a ‘me-too’ sort of strategy.”

Micromax has led the assault on Nokia by Indian phone makers, which as a group have grabbed 14 per cent of the market, according to research by Indian trade magazine Voice&Data. Nokia isn’t giving up on the market.

Carl Zeiss, anthropologists
At its Gurgaon offices, near New Delhi, Nokia is hosting a group of Indian tech bloggers who were writing about its latest touchscreen model with a Carl Zeiss lens.

Elsewhere in the country, anthropologists working for Nokia track the results of an experiment where the company gave every person in four neighboring villages a free phone with access to local weather, crop, and other information.

Each Nokia phone spends nearly 18 months in development, says Nokia India Vice-President and Managing Director D. Shivakumar, with models tested for water exposure, bent by robots, and shaken around in boxes full of sharp objects.

“Nokia’s one of those companies that nobody pays attention to when it does well,” he says. “It’s like when Roger Federer wins at Wimbledon, nobody talks about it. But lose once...”

Nokia’s stock has dropped 24 per cent in the last twelve months, as margins suffered from its failure to bring out a high-end smartphone to take on Apple Inc’s iPhone. Sales of high-end handsets have lagged behind worldwide, and the company cut forecasts twice in three months over delays in finishing the software for the N8, a flagship new model.

Microsoft to launch Xbox Kinect in Nov

2010-08-16T23:41:00.000+05:30

Ask seven-year-old twins Aarushand Aayush Ambasht about their most precious possession and pat come the reply: PlayStation 2, a gaming console that is three years older than the twins living in Mumbai.

Sony PlayStation 2, which trails more advanced gadgets such as Nintendo Wii, Microsoft Xbox and PlayStation 3 in most of the world, still accounts for more than half of the 580-crore console gaming market in India as it sells at less than half the price of smarter devices.

But things may change. Console makers are counting on the ever-growing purchasing power of the Indian consumer, increasing use of consoles among grown-ups and a couple of exciting new products that allow users to control on-screen action with movement to push demand for new-generation games.

Microsoft will launch its Xbox Kinect console worldwide in November and Sony will roll out PlayStation Move in September. While the Move will have a controller to create an experience, Kinect users will control the game with their body, nothing else.

The console gaming market in the country is expected to grow an average 19% a year to more than `1,100 crore by 2014, according to a recent report by industry body Ficci and research firm KPMGthat cited increasing disposable incomes and favourable demographics as reasons.

This is a rather conservative estimate as the market has been growing 40-50% since Sony officially launched PS2 in the country in 2006, six years after its global release.

BlackBerry gives in, to provide access to encrypted data

2010-08-16T23:30:00.000+05:30

The BlackBerry mobile phone maker Research In Motion (RIM) has agreed to provide security agencies partial access to its messenger services by September one and would complete the project by the end of the year.

The move by the RIM comes barely five days after the government conveyed in no uncertain terms to RIM asking them to come up with a technical solution to the issue of interception of its services by August 31 or shut down its shop.

However, the Canada-based firm said some more discussions were required for giving access to BlackBerry Entreprise Services (BES), official sources said.

The sources said the RIM, which has a subscriber base of nearly one million in India, made this offer to the government in order to end the logjam by agreeing to blink on the issue of providing access to its special services.

Initially, the BlackBerry had agreed to provide manual details to law enforcement agencies and the same would be made available by the year-end, the sources said.

On BES, the smart-phone makers have conveyed to the government that certain technical discussions were required to be undertaken before finding a solution to this issue also.

Canadian smartphone maker had proposed certain ways to address India's security concerns over BlackBerry Enterprise Services (BES) and BlackBerry Messenger Services (BBM) for which it is seeking access in the country.

In a letter to Department of Telecom (DoT) Secretary P J Thomas, Home Secretary G K Pillai had asked him to convey to the operators and RIM that a technical solution to make available lawful interception of BES and BBM must be found by the deadline.

BlackBerry had attempted earlier to break the logjam over its services in India by offering "metadata" and relevant information to security agencies which would enable them to lawfully intercept communication on such phones but it failed to enthuse the authorities.

RIM representatives explained that BlackBerry mobile device sends encrypted emails, which is sent to BlackBerry Enterprise Server (BES) located with the service provider.

Microsoft Xbox outsells Wii, Sony PS3

2010-08-15T08:29:00.000+05:30

Microsoft Corp’s Xbox 360 outsold Nintendo Co’s Wii last month, becoming the top selling video-game console in the US for the first time in almost three years, after introducing a model equipped with wireless-Internet.

Sales of the Xbox 360 more than doubled to 443,500 units, regaining the top spot for the first time since September 2007, Port Washington, New York-based researcherNPD Group Inc said in a statement.

Consumers bought 253,900 Wii players, little changed from a year ago, while sales of Sony Corp’s PlayStation 3 gained 76 per cent to 214,500 units.

“Xbox 360 was the top-selling hardware platform for the month, driven by sales of the new slim format,” Anita Frazier, an NPD analyst, said in the statement. The console last occupied the top sales spot when Microsoft released its “Halo 3” exclusive title almost three years ago, Frazier said.

The demand for Xbox 360 bolstered overall sales of hardware 12 per cent last month, helping offset the 8 per cent decline in software revenue, the report said.

Sony and Microsoft hope to increase sales by introducing motion controllers later this year, while Nintendo will upgrade its handheld-player lineup with a model allowing users to see 3D images without wearing special glasses.

‘NCAA Football 11’
Sales of Nintendo’s DS portable player fell 26 per cent to 398,400 last month, NPD said. Sony’s PlayStation Portable handheld sold 84,000 units, a 32 per cent plunge from a year earlier, it said.

The best-selling game in July was “NCAA Football 11” from Electronic Arts Inc, which sold 368,000 copies for the Xbox and 298,800 copies for PS3, NPD said. PC game sales more than doubled as retail purchases of “StarCraft II” from Activision Blizzard Inc. totaled 721,000 units.

Microsoft in June shipped a new Xbox machine that was slimmer and quieter than its predecessor and had built-in Wi-Fi. The console sells for $299.99, the same as the old model.

Sony Ericsson making PSP smartphon

2010-08-14T21:30:00.002+05:30

Sony Playstation is coming to smartphones. According to reports, Sony Ericsson is working on a PSP Go-like smartphone that will run on GoogleAndroid 3.0.

Engadget describes it as a cross between the Samsung Captivate and Sony's own ultraportable PSP Go games handheld.

According to the report, it is a landscape slider with game controls in place of the typical QWERTY keyboard. The D-pad is here, but instead of the small joystick, the device will have what was described as a "long touch pad" for analog controls, along with standard PSP buttons and shoulder buttons. The phone has a large display, described as being between 3.7 and 4.1 inches with WVGA or better resolution, a 5 megapixel camera that we're told might not be final, and it'll likely have a 1GHz Snapdragon CPU on board. The phone is mostly black with some silver highlights, and the gamepad area is white / silver in colour. Apparently it is currently branded as a Xperia device, but it looks like it will carry PlayStation branding as well."

Engadget says that the device is not only in development but could be also hit retail stores before the end of 2010.

Lemon Mobiles launches touchscreen phone

2010-08-14T21:21:00.000+05:30

Lemon Mobiles has launched a low-cost touchscreen phone -- iT 717.

Sporting a 3-inch touchscreen display, the dual-SIM phone packs a 3.2 megapixel camera, video player, video recorder, FM, voice recorder, MP3 player and Bluetooth. The phone has dedicated volume keys on the side.

iT 717 has a phonebook capacity of 2000 contacts and upto 500 SMSes in the phone memory. The phone offers support for Nimbuzz Instant messenger, Gtalk, MSN, Yahoo and AOL.

As for memory, the phone packs 28MB internal memory and allows upto 8GB memory expansion. The handset promises upto 5 hours of talktime and 8 days of standby time.

Lemon iT 717is priced at Rs 4,499

LG launches LED 3D TV

2010-08-14T21:08:00.000+05:30

LG Electronics has unveiled LX9500, an LED 3D TV. Claimed to be the world's first full LED 3D TV, LX9500 has INFINIA design.

LX9500 uses an backlight structure and is illuminated by LED panels directly behind the screens. TruMotion 400Hz LED panel boasts of 400 refresh rate per second.

Wireless AV Link provides the TV connectivity to other AV devices, while NetCast delivers instant streaming via a broadband connection.

LX9500 dimensions are, a depth of 22.3mm, and a 16mm bezel. Rohit Pandit, Home Entertainment Head, LGEIL, "Our new 3D line-up is a perfect blend of superb design, latest technology and superior performance it comes loaded with features like Netcast, DLNA, Blue tooth & wireless connectivity option."

The LX9500 employs shutter glasses-type technology that adds depth to an image by blocking one lens. LX9500 is equipped with dual IR emitter that ensures wider viewing angle. The glasses are comfortable enough to wear for an extended period of time and can be recharged via a USBfor up to 40 hours for uninterrupted viewing pleasure.

LG's Full LED 3D TV LX9500 is available in two sizes – 55 and 47 inches and is priced at Rs 3,00,000 and Rs 2,00,000 respectively.

IBM to buy marketing software co Unica

2010-08-14T21:02:00.000+05:30

International Business Machines Corp (IBM) said it will buy marketing software firmUnica Corp for about $480 million in cash to expand its portfolio of business software and technology services.

IBM, which recently said it would buy more companies to shift further into software and services, would pay around $21 per Unica share, a premium of around 120 per cent from Thursday's close of $9.55. Unica shares jumped to $20.81 in pre-market trade.

IBM said Unica will boost its ability to help companies analyze and predict customers' behaviour and develop more targeted marketing. Unica's 500 employees will be integrated into IBM's software solutions group, it said.

IBM has said it plans to spend $20 billion on acquisitions over the next five years to expand into higher-margin businesses and away from increasingly commoditised hardware sales.

It has announced a series of acquisitions in the past few months, including one for an undisclosed sum earlier this week of privately-held Datacap, which helps companies digitize paper documents.

In late May, it said it would pay $1.4 billion for Sterling Commerce, which specializes in secure transfers of electronic documents like payroll and healthcare claims.

The buying spree comes as rivals such as Hewlett-Packard Co, Oracle Corp andDell have also been scouring for deals as they compete to offer a more comprehensive set of products and services.

Trojan horse attacks Android phones

2010-08-14T21:00:00.000+05:30

The adage 'be careful what you wish for' has a modern-day counterpart: “Be careful what you download.” Especially on your mobile phone.

Earlier this week, several mobile security companies were analysing a Trojan horse that appeared on phones running Google’s Androidsoftware in Russia.

The malicious software , which was discovered by Kaspersky Lab, an antivirus software company, is said to take advantage of Android phones after users install what appears to be a “harmless media player.” Once the file is installed, the Trojan horse begins sending text messages to premium-rate phone numbers “without the owner’s knowledge or consent, resulting in money passing from a user’s account to that of the cybercriminals .”

Lookout, a security company specialising in mobile antivirus software, said in a blog post that the malicious programme was the first Trojan horse developed exclusively for the Android platform. But it said the programme would not affect Android phone users outside of Russian cell networks.

Security experts also noted that the infected application was not available in the Android Marketplace, the store used to download applications for the Android platform. Phone-owners must explicitly change a setting on their phone to permit the installation of non-Marketplace applications .

Jay Nancarrow, a Google spokesman, said Android applications must get permission from the user before doing things like sending text messages or making phone calls. “We consistently advise users to only install apps they trust,” Mr Nancarrow said in a statement . “In particular, users should exercise caution when installing applications outside of the Android Market.”

Mobile number portability from Oct 31 2010

2010-08-12T23:58:00.000+05:30

India's telecom regulator said today that mobile number portability (MNP) will be implemented nationwide from October 31, as announced earlier, ruling out any further delay.

MNP is a service that allows a mobile user to change his operator while retaining the number.

"There will be no further delay in the implementation of MNP," Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) ChairmanJ S Sarma said.

The Department of Telecom (DoT) said the operators must ensure that all inter-operator tests for porting the numbers from one service provider to another are completed before September 1, 2010.

The Dot made it clear to all telecom operators that in case they fail to implement MNP as per the scheduled deadline, they will be barred from launching any new commercial services from September 1.

"It has been decided that permission to launch commercial service in any area with effect from September 1, 2010 shall be given to only those licensee(s) who are MNP compliant," said a DoT note.

Mobile service providers -- Bharti Airtel, Reliance, Vodafone Essar, Tata Tele, Idea, STel and Aircel -- are getting ready to launch high-speed 3G services from next month.

State-owned telcos Bharat Sanchar Nagar Nigam and Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Limited have said they are ready with the infrastructure to implement the MNP service.

The earlier June 30 deadline for the implementation of MNP was deferred as the operators were not ready with the infrastructure to provide the service.

The MNP was to be implemented by December 31, 2009 in all the metro cities as well as in the states of Maharashtra, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. The deadline was then changed to March 31, 2010 and thereafter to June 30, 2010.

Asked about the rolling out of 3G services, Sarma said, "I see no reason to believe that there would be any delay."

Device converts iPod Touch to phone

2010-08-11T19:10:00.000+05:30

A Chinese firm has developed a special protective case known as the " Apple Peel" for converting the iPod Touch media player into a mobile phone, state media said.

The Apple Peel 520 from Shenzhen-based Yosion Technology is expected to be available next week in online stores and is targeted at aspirant owners of Apple's trendy iPhone who are baulking at paying the full price.

The device attaches to the iPod Touch like a protective case but has a dock connector, an extended battery and a SIM card slot, enabling users to make phone calls and send text messages, the Beijing News said.

Users who unlock their iPod Touch can install the rubber and plastic case for 388 yuan ($57).

The iPhone became legally available via China Unicom, the country's second-largest mobile operator, in October -- more than two years after its US debut.

An iPod Touch costs around 1,500 yuan in China, compared with 4,999 yuan for the Apple smartphone.

Sales of iPhones in China were initially sluggish as the price was much higher than for those sold on the grey market, which has been thriving for years.

Apple most criticised brand in blogosphere

2010-08-10T08:35:00.000+05:30

Apple is the most criticised brand in the blogosphere, according to research into consumer attitudes toward brands on the web.

Research by social media analyst Brandwatch found that Apple is the brand most commonly linked to the descriptor '#fail'. The negative hashtag originated on Twitter, but it has gained widespread use across the internet among consumers venting their spleen about companies that have fallen short of their expectations.

In the past month, Apple was mentioned 1204 times in Twitter messages containing the hashtag. The majority were directed at the Apple brand generally, while others contained specific complaints about its products - the iPhone, iPad and Mac.

Brandwatch said mentions of Apple on other blogging sites included hundreds of gripes about the iPhone4's allegedly poor reception. The research showed that the most complained about brands online are those in the communication and technology sectors. Specifically on Twitter, Facebook was the second-most complained about brand.Nokia ranked third, while the BBC was fourth. Complaints about the broadcaster related to its service generally, as well as its programmes.