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Windows Phones to remain Qualcomm chipsets exclusive

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Microsoft will continue to use Qualcomm chipsets exclusively for the Windows Phone devices. Andy Lees, Windows Phone Division Head at Microsoft told Bloomberg in an interview, that Microsoft currently has no plans to work with other makers for Windows Phone devices. With one uniform chipset hardware, Microsoft wants to ensure smoother performance on the Windows Phone devices.

Andy Lees informed that the heavy volume is Microsoft’s motivation to help the handset makers so that affordable handsets are offered. Even the cost of producing handsets supporting Windows Phone 7.5 is expected go down in next year. That’s because low cost of production and affordable handsets will result into less royalty to pay off for Microsoft.

Consumers will get to see more Windows Phone 7.5 devices from different handset makers. Also the interim updates from Microsoft will roll out faster for all devices because the hardware will more or less remain the same.

Microsoft also promised to bring Windows Phone handsets with dual-core and LTE supporting in coming years. However, the company did not specify the timeline.
Google platform on the other hand has several different hardware chipsets involved to roll out different handsets. That is one major reason why major system updates take a long time to roll out through the handset makers.

BlackBerry expected to announce limited edition Bold 9980

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Research in Motion (RIM) in collaboration with Austria based designer firm Porsche design has sent out media invites for a special launch event to unwrap a new product on which these two companies have worked together.

Even though the details of the product launch have not been announced but it’s like the most basic of guesses that what a smartphone manufacturer will be doing in collaboration with a designer. Sometime back some leaked pictures were revealed about a BlackBerry handset carrying a full brushed metal design, courtesy Berry.cn revealing the new Bold 9980 in a totally new design. So it is expected that RIM will be launching a similar device during the event which is scheduled to take place on October 28 in Dubai.


Although much not has been said about the specifications of the device but under the metal clad design the device will be same as the Bold 9980 with a 1.2 GHz processor, video recording, 24-bit high graphics, and advanced enabling new augmented reality applications such as Wikitude that can be seamlessly integrated with BBM 6.

Limited edition Bold 9980 is expected to feature a 5 camera and 8 of internal storage memory, while the display will remain the same as the one on the Bold 9980 enabled with a touch based input.

Porsche design studios have in the past also been associated with other mobile brands like Sagem for the production of limited edition phones.

All Sony Ericsson 2011 Xperia devices to get Android 4.0 ICS

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Sony Ericsson has clarified that all Xperia family of smartphones launched 2011 will get 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich update. However, this will happen only when Google will release the Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich code to Sony Ericsson.

It may be recalled that in past, Sony Ericsson Xperia family of devices suffered quite a lot of heat for not being able to get the Android 2.3 Gingerbread update on time.

With the new 2011 Sony Ericsson Xperia family devices, the company aims to make things right for its fans and consumers. Sony Ericsson is currently busy rolling out the Android 2.3.4 Gingerbread update to its 2011 Xperia family of handsets. This is a phase-wise roll out.

Sony Ericsson announced via its Facebook page that the company intends to bring the Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich to its current 2011 Xperia lineup. However, the actual work will begin only when Google releases the Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich source code. That will happen only after Galaxy Nexus goes on sale in early November. Engadget has reported that Sony Ericsson has thgis development to them.

Sony Ericsson’s 2011 Xperia smartphone lineup includes &#151 Xperia Play, Xperia arc, Xperia neo, Xperia pro, Xperia mini pro, Xperia neo V and Xperia active.

However, do note that the Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich update from Sony Ericsson may not be available immediately and might take couple of months to reach the consumers.

ooVoo service now on Android Devices

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ooVoo, a video calling service allowing multiple callers to chat together across Android, iOS, PC and Web platforms, has announced the expansion of ooVoo Mobile to more than 200 Android-supported devices worldwide.

This includes the lastest offerings from Samsung, HTC, Motorola, LG and Verizon smartphones, plus Lenovo and VIZIO tablets. The video chat service is available as a free download from the Android Market.

“Since we first launched our mobile service in 2010, ooVoo is delivering high quality video chat to a rapidly expanding list of Android devices,” said Philippe Schwartz, chief executive officer of ooVoo.

The was featured in the recent Lenovo ThinkPad Tablet introduction. In the first quarter of 2011, Nielsen Net Ratings ranked ooVoo as the industry’s fastest growing communication app for PCs.

To get ooVoo Mobile video chat, users can download the free application for WiFi, enabled smartphones and tablets from company website ( www.oovoo.com), where users will find links for other platforms like iOS, Windows Phone 7 and Windows PC and Mac OS as well.

Thrutu app now on Blackberry

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Thrutu, a free that allows in-call digital sharing capabilities has been launched for BlackBerry smartphones. The app is already available for and iOS.

Thrutu lets users instantly share content and media files during a phone conversation, including photos, location and contact information, at the touch of a button.

To access Thrutu, users simply make and receive calls as normal. Thrutu appears as a new option on the in-call BlackBerry menu, enabling rich content sharing and interactions through a number of Thrutu buttons.

It allows one to share your location, and see each other’s position which is updated real time on your default map. It also allows one to click and share a photo, send photographs from your gallery and send contact.

Since its launch for Android in March and iPhone in July, Thrutu has seen widespread global adoption, with over 300,000 downloads.

Thrutu is available immediately in the BlackBerry App World for 5 and 6, with OS 7 coming soon.

Android Ice Cream Sandwich to go open source

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Google has said in a statement that the source code for 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich will be made open source, unlike the Honeycomb version of Android.

Source code of earlier Android versions was also made public by Google, but things changed with the release of Honeycomb 3.0, the first tablet specific version of Android as it was not made public.

The biggest concern Google had with making Honeycomb open source was that this Android version was made specifically for large screen devices and the company did not want it to end up on unsuitable screen sizes. The new Android version Ice Cream Sandwich was released by Google at a Hong Kong event earlier.

Recently, Google has showcased Galaxy Nexus at an event which is the first device running on Ice Cream Sandwich. The company has said the source code would become open within two weeks for official launch of Galaxy Nexus.

Ice Cream Sandwich is the unified version of Android which can be used on both smartphones and tablets, thus making it easier for the developers to create their a single apps for both devices.

MTNL to charge regular SMS on Diwali

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MTNL has said that it will have no blackout days, which means that its consumers will enjoy the discounts that they enjoy on other days on Diwali as well.

Generaly all the operators charge the base rate for SMSes (which varies between Rs 1 to Rs 1.5 for each SMS), however with MTNL announcing no Blackout day its consumers will be able to use discounts on even on normal blackout days.

Discounts are in the form of SMS packs which offer SMS at 1 paisa per SMS or at times a fixed number of free SMS, both of which can be on Diwali as well.

Public sector mobile operator which offers services in Delhi and Mumbai has also introduced two ‘Diwali Special Top Up coupons’ priced at Rs 1,000 and Rs 3,000. The E Top Up-1000 offers core of Rs 1,200 while with E Top Up-3000, subscribers will get talk-time Rs 4,000.

Sony Xperia X10 will get no more upgrades

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With the roll out of the Gingerbread upgrade version 2.3.3 Sony Ericsson has officially decided and communicated that the Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 Smartphone will no longer receive any upgrade.

The news was made official by Sony Ericsson UK through their Twitter post. The details were revealed when one of the Xperia X10 users asked Sony Ericsson about the possibility of Xperia X10 getting the 2.3.4 upgrade that was very recently rolled out for newer Xperia devices as well. Sony Ericsson in reply to the query responded “There will be no more updates for the Xperia X10”.

So now with the confirmation on the updates front Sony Ericsson has cleared out its plans for the age old Xperia X10 Smartphone which has been running for well past 12 months time.

The good news is that although we knew that the phone will be discontinued form the updated bandwagon but it can be upgraded to Gingerbread 2.3.3 which has given a lot many functionality to the Smartphone which the earlier OS Froyo 2.2 upgrade had failed to address. At present the Xperia X10 gets the Mobile Wi-Fi Hotspot feature which was one of the much demanded features. Apart from that, users are able to share the network data connection with their laptops with the tethering. Besides, the music player has also been updated with new equalizer settings so that music enthusiasts can adjust the music output as per their taste.

Along with that Facebook inside Xperia and timescape have also been upgraded through the latest upgrade. IF you haven’t yet upgraded to the Android Gingerbread 2.3.3 upgrade then please head over to the How to update article on the website and upgrade your device.

HTC smartphones to get Android Ice Cream Sandwich soon

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A few days back Sony Ericsson announcing that all the 2011 Xperia devices will be upgraded to Ice Cream Sandwich. Following Sony Ericsson, HTC has also announced its acceptance for the Android Ice cream Sandwich operating system and has promised that the HTC devices will get and upgrade soon for the same. The information came from HTC’s Facebook page.

The Official statement that appeared on HTC’s Facebook account reads “Since Google unveiled Ice Cream Sandwich earlier this week, HTC has been looking closely at the new OS’s features and functionality to determine our upgrade plans. We’re a recognized industry leader in providing fast and consistent upgrades to our Android devices and Ice Cream Sandwich will be no different.”

Statement further said, “Upgrades require a careful balance of hardware and software to ensure the best possible performance and usability, so please stay tuned as we assess our product portfolio. Our goal is to upgrade as many HTC devices as possible and we’ll be sharing details on specific devices and timing in the coming weeks!”. Although much has been said about the delivery of the updates but the actual delivery will happen only when Google will release the Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich code.

HTC over a time has gained a lot of reputation and has been delivering various updates right on time. Although the list of supported smartphones which will get the update has not been made available readily but it is expected that all the Gingerbread 2.3.4 supporting smartphones will be getting the ICS update, but confor4mation will only be done once the update is ready to be tested.

Turbo Cricket Pro for Android

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Games2Win, a popular online gaming service provider, has launched Turbo Cricket Pro game for devices. In a country obsessed with cricket Games 2 Win offers people a chance to challenge players from around the country and their friends in this cricket game.

The game offers users to play and compete against others using GPRS, which is a must to have with this game and earn titles which are then defended by the owners while getting challenged by other players of this game.

The game utilises the Appuchino social network to find out other competitors and leader whom players can challenge in a game of cricket. Along with game play the Turbo Cricket pro game offers users to interact with other players through the game window and in built chat engine.

The Turbo Cricket Pro game is available for download on the android marketplace and it is a free to use application with compatibility for all devices running Android version 2.1 and above.