technews

Tablet Review

2012-01-14T07:47:00.000-08:00

Anand Tuliani | 30 Dec, 2011 | 6 Comments

Lenovo recently hopped on the tablet bandwagon with the IdeaPad and ThinkPad tablets. Like in the case of their laptops, the IdeaPad is More

EDITOR’S RATING

7.5

USER RATING

4.5

Sony Tablet S Review

Naina Khedekar | 29 Dec, 2011 | 12 Comments

Sony made a debut in the flourishing tablet market with two distinctly designed devices – Tablet S and the ... More

EDITOR’S RATING

7.5

USER RATING

7.0

Spice 'MiTab' Mi-720 Review

Roydon Cerejo | 23 Nov, 2011 | 8 Comments

The budget tablet market seems to be growing just as fast as the high-end space, if not faster. Just last week, ... More

EDITOR’S RATING

4.0

USER RATING

5.5

Mercury mTAB Review

Roydon Cerejo | 16 Nov, 2011 | 9 Comments

The budget tablet market keeps getting a new member almost every month now. The newest addition comes in ... More

EDITOR’S RATING

5.0

USER RATING

7.5

Fly Vision Tablet Review

Aaron Almeida | 07 Nov, 2011 | 8 Comments

In recent months, brands have launched tablets that cater to the needs of the budget-minded consumer. We have seen the Reliance Tab, .. More

EDITOR’S RATING

4.5

USER RATING

6.5

Asus Eee Pad Transformer TF101G Review

Roydon Cerejo | 05 Nov, 2011 | 2 Comments

Tablets make fun multimedia devices but when it comes down to real work, like typing out this review for instance, there’s no replaci More

EDITOR’S RATING

7.0

USER RATING

6.5

Lenovo IdeaPad K1 Review

Roydon Cerejo | 02 Nov, 2011 | 1 Comments

Lenovo failed to deliver on their promise of the Le Pad but at least we have a part of it in the form of the IdeaPad K1 tablet. If you More

EDITOR’S RATING

7.5

USER RATING

7.0

Asus Eee Pad Slider (SL101) Review

Jamshed Avari | 05 Oct, 2011 | 1 Comments

The most obvious reason one might buy a netbook instead of a tablet today is that there’s just no substitute for a real keyboard. Acc More

EDITOR’S RATING

8.0

USER RATING

7.0

Samsung Galaxy Tab 750 (GT-P7500) Review

Roydon Cerejo | 26 Sep, 2011 | 24 Comments

About half a decade ago, Samsung was just another name in the crowd when it came to mobile phones. More

EDITOR’S RATING

7.5

USER RATING

4.5

iBall Slide Android Tablet Review

Shayne Rana | 20 Sep, 2011 | 99 Comments

With the budget tablet segment taking off another new entrant is the Slide from iBall. iBall has been quite popular in the PC periphera More

EDITOR’S RATING

6.0

USER RATING

5.5

Motorola Xoom 32GB 3G + Wifi Android Tablet

Roydon Cerejo | 13 Sep, 2011 | 6 Comments

The one that started it all, Motorola’s Xoom was the first commercially available tablet to rock Google’s Honeycomb OS. Launched in More

EDITOR’S RATING

6.5

USER RATING

6.0

Beetel Magiq Tablet

Shayne Rana | 06 Sep, 2011 | 14 Comments

With the likes of the Reliance 3G Tab making the tablet market cringe when it comes to the price, here’s one that thought they can do More

EDITOR’S RATING

7.5

USER RATING

4.0

Wink XTS e-Reader - Definitely No Competition For The Kindle

Sandeep Balachandran | 05 Nov, 2010

A very average product that needs a major boost in performance and usability.More

EDITOR’S RATING

6.0

USER RATING

The Dell Streak Tablet

Shayne Rana | 08 Oct, 2010 | 7 Comments

The Dell Streak is great in the looks and hardware department but could have used a bit more. More

EDITOR’S RATING

8.0

USER RATING

8.5

OlivePad V-T100

Shayne Rana | 16 Aug, 2010

We got the OlivePad, India's first 3.5G tablet in for review. Read on to find out just how it worked out. More

EDITOR’S RATING

8.0

USER RATING

Tablet reviews

2012-01-14T07:44:00.001-08:00

Reliance 3G Tab

Shayne Rana | 24 Aug, 2011 | 27 Comments

The tablet wars are approaching at a frenzied pace as the latest entrants viz. Beetel’s Rs. 9,999 tablet and Reliance’s 3G Tab pric More

EDITOR’S RATING

8.0

USER RATING

2.5

HTC Flyer Gingerbread Tablet

Roydon Cerejo | 23 Jul, 2011 | 2 Comments

Honeycomb has been a bit of a disappointment so far and because of that, all the tablets running it have not been received well despite More

EDITOR’S RATING

5.5

USER RATING

4.5

Zinglife E-Pad ZL101 Android Tablet

Roydon Cerejo | 27 Jun, 2011 | 12 Comments

Everyone wants a tablet nowadays, even though most don’t really need it. More

EDITOR’S RATING

5.5

USER RATING

7.0

Acer ICONIA Tab A500 Android Tablet

Roydon Cerejo | 23 Jun, 2011 | 1 Comments

We had a brief hands-on with Acer’s ICONIA Tab A500 back in May when they announced it in India. We returned from the conference quit More

EDITOR’S RATING

6.0

USER RATING

5.0

BlackBerry PlayBook: Great Tablet, But Not Much to Play With

Ivor Soans | 22 Jun, 2011 | 4 Comments

Once an industry darling, Research in Motion (RIM), the company that makes BlackBerry devices, lately has been navigating stormy seas. More

EDITOR’S RATING

7.0

USER RATING

7.5

Creative ZiiO 7-Inch: Not Really a 'Tablet'

Roydon Cerejo | 13 Jun, 2011 | 7 Comments

A good PMP but that’s about it. More

EDITOR’S RATING

4.0

USER RATING

7.0

Amazon Kindle - A Class Apart

Rossi Fernandes | 02 May, 2011 | 4 Comments

Amazon's star eBook reader gets reviewed; here's what we think of it. More

EDITOR’S RATING

8.0

USER RATING

8.0

Infibeam Pi2 - Infinite Reading Pleasure

Rossi Fernandes | 15 Apr, 2011 | 1 Comments

A solid eBook reader that requires a price drop to make great sense for those like reading. More

EDITOR’S RATING

7.0

USER RATING

5.5

Review: The ViewSonic ViewPad 10

Rossi Fernandes | 18 Jan, 2011

Viewsonic improves on its older ViewPad, but has everything been fixed? More

EDITOR’S RATING

6.0

USER RATING

8.5

Viewsonic ViewPad 7: It's Just a Brand Name

Shayne Rana | 24 Dec, 2010

The ViewPad is the latest tablet on the street, but what does it really offer that could make it stand out? More

EDITOR’S RATING

6.0

USER RATING

7.5

LACS Magnum Tablet PC - Is it Really a Tablet?

Shayne Rana | 01 Dec, 2010 | 5 Comments

The Magnum has a lot to offer but is still far from a finished product. More

EDITOR’S RATING

8.0

USER RATING

4.5

Samsung Galaxy Tab P1000, More Than Just A Large Android Handset?

Shayne Rana | 15 Nov, 2010 | 9 Comments

Samsung's Galaxy Tab is quite a versatile device however it's far from perfect.More

EDITOR’S RATING

8.0

USER RATING

7.5

No More Tweeting For Indian Cricketers

2012-01-12T00:29:00.000-08:00

Team management bans players from using social networks when on tour.

After the ICC fined 50% of his match fee, cricketer Virat Kohli decided to vent his frustration out on his Twitter account. The batsman tweeted, "I agree cricketers don't have to retaliate. What when the crowd says the worst things about your mother and sister. The worst I've heard". What followed was a flurry of replies. English batsman Kevin Pietersentweeted, "Ha ha ha ha ha!!! Welcome to Australia buddy!!", to which Kohli said, "Never heard crap like that. EVER".
Reports suggest that the BCCI, not wanting this incident to snowball into another controversy, has asked players to refrain from commenting on social networks. Apparently, Kohli's antics haven't gone down too well with the team, which is staring at another disastrous series. No one in the management wants a repeat of the 2007-08 Monkeygatecontroversy. However, a fresh new row at this time might actually take our minds off their shoddy performance.

AT&T Nokia Lumia 900 Is Official: 4.3-Inch AMOLED, LTE, 8MP Camera

2012-01-11T06:55:00.000-08:00

It’s not exactly a surprise at this point, but Nokia has just officially revealed the long-awaited Nokia Lumia 900.

Formerly known as the Ace, the Mango-powered 900 packs pretty much everything we expected it would — a 1.4 GHz CPU, 512 MB of RAM, and the same sort of 8-megapixel sensor as seen on its little brother the Lumia 800. Despite having the same camera, the 900 definitely beats its little brother when it comes to displays as the 900′s 4.3-inch AMOLED display is a solid step above the Lumia 800′s 3.7-inch LCD.

Of course, there’s a front-facing camera too, and users can get their video chat on thanks to the inclusion of the Tango app.

All of those goodies go inside the same sort of polycarbonate shell as seen on the Lumia 800, and Windows Phones fans will be able to pick up one in either black or a fetching cyan.

As Nokia CEO Stephen Elop hinted at this morning at AT&T’s Developer Summit, the 900 is also the company’s first LTE-based Windows Phone (though not the first LTE Windows Phone we’ve heard about today).

Many people were disappointed to see that the low-end Lumia 710 would be the first Nokia Windows Phone to hit the United States, but I daresay the 900 was worth the extra time. Sadly, the wait stretches on even longer — there’s no word yet on pricing or availability.

DO YOU WHAT CES MEANS?????????

2012-01-11T01:17:00.001-08:00

consumer eletronic show

The International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) is a major technology-related trade show held each January in the Las Vegas Convention Center, Las Vegas, Nevada, United States. Not open to the public, the Consumer Electronics Association-sponsored show typically hosts previews of products and new product announcements. CES rose to prominence after COMDEX was canceled.

ViewSonic announces new ICS tablet priced at $169

2012-01-11T01:12:00.001-08:00

7-inch tablets, it seems are making a comeback with Asus announcing the $250 MeMo,Samsung launching its Galaxy Tab Plus 7.0 and now ViewSonic launching it’s ViewPad e70. However, the e70 differs from its competitors primarily owing to its OS - it comes with Google’s Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich operating system. The rest of the specs, include an 800 x 480 pixel resolution display under the 7-inch capacitive touchscreen and a 1GHz single core processor.

Getting cheaper and cheaper...

As reported by Liliputing, the connectivity options for the ViewPad e70, include a microSD card slot, a microHDMI port(!) and 4GB of internal storage. Surprisingly, the tablet will come with the Amazon Appstore and the Kindle application and not Google’s Android market, which may be a deal breaker for some, along with the ultra-low resolution. These tablets are coming in by the hordes, and considering Google’s leniency with Android 4.0, there are chances that this is just the start.

Windows 8 Pre-Beta in two weeks

2012-01-09T08:36:00.000-08:00

e had mixed feelings regarding the Windows 8 developer build that we had our hands onlast year, and now we have a roadmap and timeline on Microsoft’s upcoming Windows operating system. As reported by Winunleaked.tk, Windows 8 is currently in its pre-Beta stage and will continue to remain so, till the 21st of January. From the 23rd of this month, it will enter into the Beta Escrow stage and testers can vote for their final build between the 23rd and the 28th of January. The internal preview of Microsoft’s Windows 8 will be shown on the 30th of this month.

Windows 8 has been turning heads, since quite some time, with its tile themed Metro interface. It looked appealing in all the available developer builds and has been a fresh change from all their earlier interfaces; but will Microsoft be able to get the right balance between appearance and functionality? We’ll have to just wait and watch.

Wireless charging

2012-01-09T08:34:00.000-08:00

“The ability to charge through metal surfaces opens the door for phone manufacturers currently building phones with metal backs to incorporate wireless power capabilities without compromising design," said Dave Baarman, Director of Advanced Technologies for Fulton Innovation.

This new development in special freedom for wireless charging is demoed by charging a cell phone through a handbag, obviously negating the need for wires. Some more demonstrations will be charging devices within the general area of a wireless power transmitter. So, will the days of charging devices through an exact charging spot become obsolete? This advanced wireless power solution can be built into any surface, even packaging and publications, says the company. On display will be Entertainment Weekly's recent issue powered by eCoupled intelligent wireless power technology. The magazine will light up using the wirelessly powered printed electronics. This prototype shows how wireless power can be used by publishers and advertisers to increase their revenue.

The company will show wirelessly charging devices like phones and tablets by simply placing the device on the dashboard of a car that has its internal surface power-enabled wirelessly. A Tesla electric vehicle (EV) showcases a similar technology wherein the car charges itself wirelessly. Fulton's technology can be used for a range of power requirements. Moreover, eCoupled can be configured to directly power everyday devices and appliances.

History of Photography Pinhole Cameras to The Daguerreotype

2012-01-09T06:00:00.001-08:00

"Photography" is derived from the Greek words photos ("light") and graphein ("to draw") The word was first used by the scientist Sir John F.W. Herschel in 1839. It is a method of recording images by the action of light, or related radiation, on a sensitive material.

Pinhole Camera

Alhazen (Ibn Al-Haytham), a great authority on optics in the Middle Ages who lived around 1000AD, invented the first pinhole camera, (also called the Camera Obscura} and was able to explain why the images were upside down. The first casual reference to the optic laws that made pinhole cameras possible, was observed and noted by Aristotle around 330 BC, who questioned why the sun could make a circular image when it shined through a square hole.

The First Photograph

On a summer day in 1827, Joseph Nicephore Niepce made the first photographic image with acamera obscura. Prior to Niepce people just used the camera obscura for viewing or drawing purposes not for making photographs. Joseph Nicephore Niepce's heliographs or sun prints as they were called were the prototype for the modern photograph, by letting light draw the picture.

Niepce placed an engraving onto a metal plate coated in bitumen, and then exposed it to light. The shadowy areas of the engraving blocked light, but the whiter areas permitted light to react with the chemicals on the plate. When Niepce placed the metal plate in a solvent, gradually an image, until then invisible, appeared. However, Niepce's photograph required eight hours of light exposure to create and after appearing would soon fade away.

Louis Daguerre

Fellow Frenchman, Louis Daguerre was also experimenting to find a way to capture an image, but it would take him another dozen years before Daguerre was able to reduce exposure time to less than 30 minutes and keep the image from disappearing afterwards.

The Birth of Modern Photography

Louis Daguerre was the inventor of the first practical process of photography. In 1829, he formed a partnership with Joseph Nicephore Niepce to improve the process Niepce had developed.

In 1839 after several years of experimentation and Niepce's death, Daguerre developed a more convenient and effective method of photography, naming it after himself - the daguerreotype.

Daguerre's process 'fixed' the images onto a sheet of silver-plated copper. He polished the silver and coated it in iodine, creating a surface that was sensitive to light. Then, he put the plate in a camera and exposed it for a few minutes. After the image was painted by light, Daguerre bathed the plate in a solution of silver chloride. This process created a lasting image, one that would not change if exposed to light.

In 1839, Daguerre and Niepce's son sold the rights for the daguerreotype to the French government and published a booklet describing the process. The daguerreotype gained popularity quickly; by 1850, there were over seventydaguerreotype studios in New York City alone.

Negative to Postive Process

The inventor of the first negative from which multiple postive prints were made was Henry Fox Talbot, an English botanist and mathematician and a contemporary of Daguerre.

Talbot sensitized paper to light with a silver salt solution. He then exposed the paper to light. The background became black, and the subject was rendered in gradations of grey. This was a negative image, and from the paper negative, Talbot made contact prints, reversing the light and shadows to create a detailed picture. In 1841, he perfected this paper-negative process and called it a calotype, Greek for beautiful picture.

Tintypes

Tintypes, patented in 1856 by Hamilton Smith, were another medium that heralded the birth of photography. A thin sheet of iron was used to provide a base for light-sensitive material, yielding a positive image.

Wet Plate Negatives

In 1851, Frederick Scoff Archer, an English sculptor, invented the wet plate negative. Using a viscous solution of collodion, he coated glass with light-sensitive silver salts. Because it was glass and not paper, this wet plate created a more stable and detailed negative.

Photography advanced considerably when sensitized materials could be coated on plate glass. However, wet plates had to be developed quickly before the emulsion dried. In the field this meant carrying along a portable darkroom.

Dry Plate Negatives & Hand-held Cameras

In 1879, the dry plate was invented, a glass negative plate with a dried gelatin emulsion. Dry plates could be stored for a period of time. Photographers no longer needed portable darkrooms and could now hire technicians to develop their photographs. Dry processes absorbed light quickly so rapidly that the hand-held camera was now possible.

Flexible Roll Film

In 1889, George Eastman invented film with a base that was flexible, unbreakable, and could be rolled. Emulsions coated on a cellulose nitrate film base, such as Eastman's, made the mass-produced box camera a reality.

Color Photographs

In the early 1940s, commercially viable color films (except Kodachrome, introduced in 1935) were brought to the market. These films used the modern technology of dye-coupled colors in which a chemical process connects the three dye layers together to create an apparent color image.

How to: Remotely access your PC with a smartphone

2012-01-09T00:06:00.000-08:00

There may have been several occasions when you are at home, on a holiday or travelling and urgently need to access your office PC for some important document you forgot to take with you. What do you do? How do you gain access to your PC?

Well, there is a way to gain access to your PC via the Internet using the Remote Desktop Protocol or RDP. But this involves setting up a live IP address, which is visible all around the world. You can possibly do this for home, but what about your office PC, which is behind a firewall or a proxy server? You would not be able to gain access as easily. In this workshop, we shall show you how simple it is to gain access to your PC at home or office from your Android smartphone or tablet as well as the iPhone or the iPad. All you need is an internet-enabled device with a free-to-use app called TeamViewer. Configuring TeamViewer is easy and you can get it working in a matter of minutes. At the same time, the utility is safe and secure. Once you have your setup working, you can also connect to your desktop PC from any Internet cybercafé using the Web login.

Download and install TeamViewer

TeamViewer is an all-in-one solution for remote access over the Internet. It is free for personal use and is compatible with desktop operating systems such as Windows, Mac, Linux and also with mobile operating systems such as Android and iOS. Download TeamViewer for your desktop PC from www.teamviewer.com. We recommend the portable version which can be run from a USB drive or a CD. The app for the smartphone and tablets can be downloaded from their respective online app stores.

Download and install TeamViewer

Once downloaded, you'll have to configure it at both ends once, but before you do this, you might need to register with TeamViewer for a free user account. You can do so by signing up athttps://login.teamviewer.com/ and creating a free account.

The Desktop PC Configuration
Start TeamViewer and proceed with the installation as you would usually do with any other software. Once the installation is done, start TeamViewer and it will sync with its online servers and allocate a unique ID and password for your computer. Note down these details and keep them safe. Every time you restart the application, you will receive a new password, while the ID will remain static for your PC. This ID and password is a one-time security pass to give the invitation for a remote login to your PC. You can use this ID and password to connect to your desktop PC from a remote location. But if you restart your PC very often, it will be difficult to keep track of the changing passwords. For this reason, you need to set up an unattended access to TeamViewer. Click on ‘Connection’ and then on ‘Setup unattended access’. This will bring up a wizard wherein details such as the PC name and password needs to be specified. Give the desktop PC a name and password of your choice. The next screen will then ask you to enter the details that you registered online. If you did not do it earlier, you can create one now too. After entering the details, your system will now be available to you online with the same password every time. Your desktop PC is now available for remote access. You can now choose to lock the desktop or turn off the monitor.

After starting the TeamViewer app on the smartphone or tablet, enter the login details, connect to the partner and gain remote access within minutes.

The Client Side
After installing TeamViewer on your phone, start the app. You will be welcomed by an initial introduction screen, which can be skipped by pressing the back button. The next screen will be ready on the ‘Connection’ tab, where you can type in the details of the ID and the password of the computer you would like to connect to. Simply skip this and click on the ‘Partner list’ tab. Here, you can log in using your username and password you created on the TeamViewer website. Once you do this, you will see a button called ‘My Partners’. Click on this button and you will now see the desktop PC available online. Click on the PC name and you can gain access to your desktop PC. And you’re done! Simple, isn’t it? Once you've logged in, you can try out a number of features that TeamViewer has to offer. You can change resolutions, switch monitors, tweak the performance by optimizing it for quality or speed, remove wallpapers for better speeds, disable remote cursor, use the keyboard, use the mouse right-clicks, enable function buttons, and the list goes on. So, enjoy your remote access.

10 must have Free Android Apps

2012-01-08T06:16:00.001-08:00

Miscellaneous

Vlingo

With the popularity of Siri, one just can’t miss on a voice-enabled app. Vlingo, is an Android app that attempts to simplify your tasks with voice commands. It follows your instructions to the tee. You can simply speak out a text message or email, search for content on the web, update social networks and much more.

Say it...out loud

Where’s My Droid

You’ve placed your phone somewhere in the room, but can’t remember where, you use another phone and try calling but realize that the ringer of your phone is off. Does this scenario sound familiar? Our phones have turned into a closet to store all our critical data and here’s when ‘Where’s My Droid’ comes into the picture. Although there’s a Pro version, the free one is good enough - it helps you find the phone by enabling the ringer and vibration function lets you search via the handset's GPS location and even notifies you in case the SIM card or phone number is changed.

Media

MoboPlayer

This solid video player ensures that you don’t have to spend time converting movie files. It supports almost all video formats. The interface is neat and also adheres to popular subtitle formats. Videos can be streamed via HTTP, RSTP protocols. The player enables users to create video library and even sort videos by type.

Tune in

MixZing:
MixZing is one of the advanced media players that identifies songs, even without valid tags and cleans up the tags and album art. Capable of displaying lyrics for millions of songs, it also features a mood player, which creates custom listening sessions. It equips a graphics equalizer for MP3, AAC/M4A and OGG files. The palyer helps you discover new music, automatically saves playlists and even restores the deleted ones.

The Android Market is inundated with such free apps, and lots more like IMO Instant Messengersocial hub, Teamviewer that gives access to your computer, even while away from the desk. For a tabbed and smooth browsing, Android Market offers SkyFire and Google Goggles can be used for augmented reality. There are tons of others, which ones form your favourite list?

apps

2012-01-08T06:15:00.000-08:00

Games
Angry Birds

Anger management is definitely not on the cards for these birds. This challenging physics-based game can keep you engaged and glued to the screen for hours. We really don’t need to talk about how popular the game has emerged to be, compelling players to blend skill, logic and accurate force for that perfect shot. This game has also been updated with intriguing levels and themes. Unlike its iOS counterparts, the Angry Birds Rio and Angry Birds Seasons, which have upped the gaming experience further can also be downloaded for free off the App Market.

Words with Friends
Words with Friends is an addictive, crossword game which could instantly remind you of the good old Scrabble. The game involves word building, triple score seeking and the player can chat with friends even while playing through the built-in chat section. Needless to say, it’s a turn-based game that could help build your vocabulary.

Productivity

Google Docs Google Docs app for Android can be like a sigh of relief for many. Be it creating, editing, uploading or sharing documents, Google Docs eases all of it. This must-have productivity app lets users upload files and convert them into Google documents. Go ahead and click a photo of printed text to convert it into a Google document, share it with others online and even access it from you PC anytime anyplace.

Astrid Keeping a track of daily errands is often tedious. This app has reminders, lists, allows syncing and also comes with a widget. It enables task sharing and optional instant notifications can be used to keep you updated with this app. You can share lists by syncing them with the Astrid website. They can also be synced with Google tasks and the app also features custom filters.

Utility

Dropbox

Dropbox holds all your docs, photos and videos in one place which can be accessed through various platforms like your computer or Android smartphone. This free app ensures that your data is a click away, even while you are travelling or sitting in the comfort of a couch. The content can be effortlessly shared with family and friends. The app also allows editing documents stored in your Dropbox account.

Lightbox

LightBox was introduced to fill in the space for Instagram. This app has proved to be quite effective to shoot, enhance and share photos. It comes with several effects that can be added to photos for a better and fun-filled experience. Besides editing photos, the app makes it quite effortless to share them with social sites such as Facebook, Twitter, Flickr and more.

reasons that will make you buy the Aakash

2012-01-08T06:14:00.001-08:00

Affordable Price

It may sound clichéd, but everything boils down to the pricing considering the price sensitive Indian market. The key selling point of the tablet is evidently its pricing. In fact, it was meant to come with a price point, which would be as low as possible to reach wider audiences. Aakash sells for Rs. 2,500, while the UbiSlate for Rs. 2,999. For Rs. 2,999, the 7-inch UbiSlate has a decent set of specifications to be cheapest tablet in the world.

Phone
Another aspect worth considering is the support for call functionality that the tablet offers. Yes, it works as a phone using a SIM card. Unlike the Reliance 3G Tab, it isn’t SIM locked to any carrier and gives you the flexibility of choice. The call functionality is also one of the factors that distinguish it from the Aakash tablet. This sub-3K device has a standard 3.5mm jack, further adding to the convenience of making and receiving calls.

Android 2.3
There are devices still running on Froyo, so it's good to see the UbiSlate run on the Android 2.3 Gingerbread platform. This will also bring in support for the Android Market.

Connectivity
Now, the UbiSlate 7 has a minimalist approach, but it has managed to have the connectivity aspect in place. Several connectivity options and ease of use are some factors that users look forward to, and the UbiSlate 7 strives to offer optimum features within a tiny budget. It supports GPRS, Wi-Fi and 3G dongle. Now, that’s a good deal for a device under Rs. 3,000.

External memory
On the memory front, the UbiSlate 7 is at par with many tablets. It has a 2GB internal memory, which can be further extended up to 32GB, using the external microSD card. The overall storage capacity of this tablet, is almost on the same level as other tablets carrying hefty price tags, comparatively. In fact, it takes a step ahead with support for two standard USB 2.0 ports, which allow connecting external storage devices like a flash drive, webcams and more.

Warranty
Since the Aakash and its commercial version were announced, the question has been about its build quality and overall performance. How long can a Rs. 2,900 device last. Well, we presume at least a year. DataWind offers 30 days replacement warranty, along with a one year warranty.

Portability
Whether it’s the all-plastic body or weaker components, DataWind hasn’t compromised on the portability factor. The 7-incher tips the scale at 350 grams, which is quite decent. You can easily slip the 7-incher in your bag.

Display size and resolution
It is nice to see that UbiSlate 7 didn’t settle for a smaller screen and maintained the average or standard, if we may say so, 7-inch screen size (again we aren’t considering the screen performance). Again the screen carries a fairly acceptable resolution of 800x480.

Though debatable, these may be the selling points that would help make the Aakash UbiSlate 7 a success story in the Indian market. Now available for pre-order from here, it will start shipping by late January 2012. A more improved version is also expected sometime around next year, which will add in better processing speed, along with a few improvements like an external keyboard just for Rs. 3,500.

However, the views are based on the price and the spec sheet that the device carries, and things may change depending upon the performance it eventually delivers.

Movies that we’re looking forward to in 2012

2012-01-08T06:13:00.001-08:00

Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter (June 2012)

Yet another movie that could redeem Vampires, ALVH is the story of America’s 16th president who instead of politics, dedicates his life to slaughtering the undead. The movie will be helmed by Timur Bekmambetov, the man behind the underrated vampire flicks, Day Watch and Night Watch

G.I. Joe: Retaliation (June 2012)

The Joes have now been framed by the president of the United States for a crime they didn’t commit so what do they do? Try to clear their name by kicking butt and blowing more stuff up. Obviously. I mean how else can anyone really clear their name?

The Dark Knight Rises (July 2012)

Movies that we’re looking forward to in 2012

2012-01-08T06:12:00.003-08:00

Battleship (May 2012)

A cheesy, summer blockbuster by heart Battleship is like Independence Day in the middle of the sea as a fleet of naval Battleships take on some sort of an advanced alien civilization. From the trailer, it looks like the kind of movie where you leave your brains and home and enjoy the simple yet action packed ride to the end. Plus it has Liam Neeson so you can’t go wrong.

Movies that we’re looking forward to in 2012

2012-01-08T06:12:00.001-08:00

Wrath of the Titans (March 2012)

So God of War may not be getting a film adaptation anytime soon but gamers looking for some Greek mythology on the silver screen can look forward to Wrath of the Titans, a sequel to the relatively enjoyable Clash of the Titans. Sam Worthington may be no Kratos but it looks like he’ll be bringing the pain to a bunch of Titans this year.

Men in Black III (May 2011)

After a sabbatical of nearly ten years, Agents J and K are back as top secret agents monitoring alien activity in New York. After an alien manages to assassinate K (Tommy Lee Jones), J (Will Smith) must travel back in time to save his mentor/friend as well as “protect earth from the scum of the universe”.

The Avengers (May 2012)

Anyone who’s ever read a Marvel comic in their life has probably dreamed of this moment and in 2012, Joss Whedon (Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Firefly) will make their dreams come true when Iron Man, The Hulk, Thor, Hawkeye, Captain America and Black Widow come together to protect the planet from Loki.......

Movies that we’re looking forward to in 2012

2012-01-08T06:11:00.001-08:00

Underworld Awakening (January 2012

In recent times, vampires and werewolves have had their names dragged through the mud thanks to the Twilight series but hopefully Underworld Awakening will offer them a bit of redemption. This time round, Selene (Kate Beckinsale) must take the fight to the humans in a bid to save her race.

Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance (February 2012)

The first Ghost Rider film may not have been as epic (or enjoyable) as one would have hoped but the sequel brings with it the directorial talents of Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor, the same duo responsible for the kinetic and completely badass Crank series. And these guys really know their action.

$100 TABLET TO MAKE DEBUT

2012-01-08T06:10:00.001-08:00

Marvell and One Laptop Per Child today introduced the XO 3.0, a tablet designed for education in the developing world. The XO 3.0 uses Marvell's 1Ghz PXA618 processor and runs both OLPC's custom Sugar Linux OS and Google Android Honeycomb, said Jack Kang, Marvell's director of technical marketing. Marvell's focus on providing very low-power-consumption, low-cost processors helped it land the OLPC business, with OLPC laptops beginning to switch over from x86-based processors last year.

It isn't made from a "single sheet of flexible plastic," though, as the original OLPC tablet spec said. According to The Verge, the tablet has an 8-inch, 1024-by-768-resolution screen. The tablet will be on display at CES Unveiled on Sunday afternoon; we'll get a hands-on, For American Students, Plugs, Not Tablets Teachers can control students' devices through the plug, Kang said. In terms of tablets and phones, Marvell continues to plug along. The company's chip powers the low-cost Vizio Android tablet as well as the new rugged Panasonic Toughpad A1 Android tablet which was announced in November, and which we're going to see at CES. OLPC's mission is to provide one connected laptop or tablet to children who have little or no access to education because of insufficient resources.

The XO 3.0 integrates a 1GHZ Marvell Armada PXA618 system-on-a-chip, delivering low power consumption at low cost.
Other features of the Wi-Fi capable tablet include:
• Circuitry that allows it to be charged directly by solar panels or hand cranks.
• A Pixel Qi sunlight-readable display.
• Android and Linux operating system support.
The tablet comes on the heels of the news that India’s own mass-market tablet, the Aakash, has garnered serious interest, selling thousands and producing interest potentially in the millions of units. One Laptop Per Child's XO-3 tablet is ready to ship after years in the making, and working units will be shown next week at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, OLPC founder and chairman Nicholas Negroponte said.

The tablet has an 8-inch screen and will be priced at less than US$100 as originally planned, Negroponte said via e-mail. Like OLPC's XO-1 laptop, the XO-3 will be offered as an educational tool for children in developing countries. "[The XO-3] price will be $100 or lower. The tablet provides about eight to 10 hours of battery life, though some audiences may choose a smaller battery capacity to reduce the purchase price, said Ed McNierney, chief technology officer at OLPC. The charging options include solar panels or hand cranks, and a study is under way to see if the battery can be detached and the tablet powered directly through a solar cell.

The tablet is also available with a traditional LCD screen. But the optional Pixel Qi display absorbs ambient light to brighten the screen, reducing power consumption and extending battery life. Microsoft's Windows will not run on the device, only Linux-based OSes, Negroponte said. Negroponte has said the tablet on display at CES will run Google's Android OS. The XO-3 ultimately will replace the XO-1.75 laptops that are currently shipping, Negroponte said.

OLPC is not dependent on a specific manufacturer for the tablet and will work with "whomsoever wants to roll-out the tablet, for whatsoever purpose, at a very large scale," Negroponte said, adding the objective is to see prices plummet. Software on the tablets will record audio and video and adapt a reading platform to the needs of the children without human intervention. The project will study how children interact with the tablet and will aid in the study of tools for self-learning and critical thinking among children.