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First Look: iOS 5

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First Look: iOS 5

Apple has starting rolling out the heavily anticipated 5.0 update from October 12 mid-night in India and like millions others we were haggling to get it on our devices.

After downloading the update, and applying the iOS 5.0 on the iPod Touch, it was sheer bliss to interact with the device. The first boot up, post iOS 5.0 update, welcomes the users with certain settings to be set by the user such as Language, Region, Location services option, WiFi, and finally the diagnostics sharing.

After applying the iOS 5.0 on the fourth generation iPod Touch, we spent couple of hours to see some of the obvious changes in the user experience. The new iOS 5.0 brings several features to the table like new iMessage instant service, Notification Center, Twitter integration, camera improvements, iCloud sync, iTunes sync over WiFi and several other features under the hood. Do take a look at the list of major features offered with the iOS 5.0 over here.

As this is the first look, the following will be totally honest account of personal usage experience with the iOS 5 update.

Apple has replaced the box-y rectangular toggle switches with the slim switches that are more rounded at the end. That is one of the cosmetic changes one could find in Settings App.

Notification Center

The iOS 5 brings the much awaited new Notifications Center that aggregates all the important notifications in one single place. One has to perform the slide down gesture from the top of the screen to get the Notifications Center where in notifications are divided app-wise.

Lockscreen also becomes more useful since it is now capable of showing the alerts and swiping on them will take you to respective app. However, in order to clear the alerts on the home screen, one has to unlock the lockscreen, open the notification center and then clear them.

Comprehensive notifications settings certainly offer flexibility to receive alerts and update in a way the person finds most suitable.

Messaging

The new iMessaging system starts off by registering yourself with your Apple ID credentials and pulling your list of contacts that also possess iMessage capable device. Just like BlackBerry Messenger, even the iMessage chats are encrypted and seamless across different devices. That means you can carry the conversion from where you left even if you have changed the device. Also Delivery and Read receipts are supported so that one can always keep a tab on what happened at the recipient’s end.

If you are using the Messages app to send a message to non-iMessage app user, then that user’s contact name in “To” field would appear in Green Bubble. Similarly, if the recipient has the iMessage app then the contact name in “To” field would appear with blue bubble. Sharing images and video over iMessage chat is certainly fun with the bubble-style threaded chat interface.

Location Services

Location Services if enabled while setting up, the iOS device for first time tends to eat up quite a lot of battery and also slows down the performance of the device.

Our iPod Touch slowed down considerably and the app or options took good 3-5 seconds to show up. However, after the Location services were disabled, the iPod Touch worked smooth. By default, the Location Services if enabled stays on for several native iOS apps such as Weather, Maps, Camera and even fetches location based iAds.

Language and Input

While setting up the iOS device, if you have chosen India as your location, the keyboard will offer Hindi keyboard by default for input. All you have to do is tap on the Globe button on the keyboard to activate the Hindi keyboard. Also one can now choose the Keyboard for adding emoticons while chatting. The auto correction accuracy has been improved phenomenally.

Most novel part in input is the new Shortcuts. In this, booming Internet and instant messaging era, Apple offers Shortcuts to expand the expressions. Like the OMG will expand to Oh My God and TTYL expanding to Talk to You Later. Once again, this feature has been inspired by the TextExpander app in the Cydia store and is quite a helpful feature for those chatterboxes who love to use acronyms for pretty much everything.

The iOS 5 also brings built-in dictionary which is quite handy. For instance, if you select a word anywhere on the webpage or in email by holding on it to bring the Cut-Copy-Paste pop-up menu then a new option Define shows up. That option leads to the dictionary which shows meaning and nature of the selected word.

Safari

The mobile version of the web has now the famous Reader option that strips down a particular text heavy page to present it in a more readable manner. For instance, you can read an entire article or review without getting distracted by other columns or features on that website.

The Reader button appears in the address bar of Safari when accessing a text heavy page. However, the Reader option doesn’t include other features of the page like comments.

iCloud Sync and iTunes WiFi Sync

The new iCloud service offers up to 5 storage in Apple’s cloud servers where one can store data that includes mail, contacts, calendar, reminders, bookmarks, notes, documents and photos. The iCloud backup kept on giving failure error while trying to turn on iCloud Backup. Reasons for the failure weren’t known so we gave up after multiple tries. Apparently one is required to plug the device to the computer, sync it with iTunes and choose ‘Back up to iCloud’ from the Summary tab of the iOS device in iTunes.

The iOS 5 also brings yet another most awaited feature – the iTunes WiFi Sync that allows syncing data and multimedia between the iOS device and a computer wirelessly. Both device and the computer need to be connected via WiFi and then sync all the data wirelessly. That totally takes of the burden of connecting the device to PC or Mac every time you wish to sync some music.

Camera Improvements

Double-pressing the home button while the screen is locked brings camera icon on the lockscreen and the users can directly open the camera app by tapping on that icon. Besides that, camera offers new grid view for those who wish to frame the subject properly and capture perfect photos. After capturing photos, one can immediately edit them by adjusting the brightness, removing the red-eye or cropping it.

Besides these obviously visible improvements, the iOS 5 has brought several other additions in different native apps like the mail, maps, photos and newsstand. Twitter lovers will totally enjoy the social network’s integration in the photos, map, notes and even Safari to share updates seamlessly wherever the ‘share’ feature is available.

Major improvements have been made for in the accessibilities area with custom element labeling, vibration patterns and numerous other options.

This was our account of first basic interaction with the iOS 5.0 running iPod Touch. Very small number of features is exclusive to respective devices such as iPhone and iPad.

Yesterday, the Apple servers were swamped with millions of request and now it is safe to download and install the iOS 5.0 on your iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad.

Star Plus app for iPhone, iPads announced

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Star Plus has launched an for iPhone and iPad for India and over 120 countries around the world. Users can download the Star Plus app from the iTunes App store.

“We have always provided our growing viewers with discerning content using cutting technologies. Our entry into the iPad, iPhone App store will enable our upwardly mobile viewers to watch their best loved programs on iPhone and iPad wherever they are and whenever they want to,” Sanjay Gupta, chief operating officer of Star India said.

Lalit Bhagia, vice president – digital of Star India added, “The app allows users not just a great video experience, but also gives details on show schedules, news and updates on their favorite show characters through daily audio blogs.”

The app will offer unique features like live TV, catch up of missed episodes of last two days, updates/news from STAR Plus current and upcoming shows. A unique, built-in interactive feature also allows users to connect with their favorite Star Plus characters through audio-blogs & pictures.

The application has been launched in India and in over 120 countries around the world. The app also offers unique interface which enable users to browse content either by the show or by the characters.

PUMA launches a new Facebook app for F1 enthusiasts

anil-satapathy
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Formula One fans in India now have another reason to celebrate, with Puma giving everyone a chance to watch the inaugural Indian Grand Prix live at the Buddh International Circuit and enjoy the excitement of watching the first ever F1 race in the country.

This Diwali, PUMA, the global-sport-lifestyle brand has 150 tickets to the Indian Grand Prix that are up for grabs; and it is as easy as logging on to Facebook and playing Rocket Race by Puma and you can watch the race live on 30th October.

Everyday Puma is giving away 5 tickets to the F1 Airtel Indian GP, to users who come in the top five in the game on that particular day.

So, all you have to do is log on to Facebook, select the Puma Rocket Race application and get started. There are 3 types of rockets to choose from – Easy Rider, Spitfire and Hairpinner; and three locations to choose from are Street, Open Ground and Terrace.

In the Street you have to trace your path through obstacles; In the Open ground you have to tilt your rocket to beat the wind and In Terrace you have to dodge birds. Every gamer can choose their opponents and then fire their rockets. With each win they get points.

In addition to the 3 rockets mentioned above, people who shop at the PUMA stores and the PUMA e-shop also win 100 Big Guy rockets which are basically invincible rockets which in turn enhance your score and thus your chances of winning the tickets.

How to make custom ringtone using MP3 Ringtone maker

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How to make custom ringtone using MP3 Ringtone maker

The default ringtones on smartphones are outrightly boring and sometimes nauseating as well. But one need not to suffer for that as anyone can create his or her own custom ringtones which would aptly describe their personality as well.

Primarily there are services that offer free popular ringtones to users but for the more creative people, we have here explained the way to make one’s custom ringtone. This way you have the control over what you want to hear every time you get a call and that too the way you wanted.

Step1

Download the Ringtone Maker application from the store. You can access it from your computer or from your device by visiting this link. After that, install that application on your device.

Step2

Open the applications tab from the home screen.

Step 3

From the list of application installed on your device choose the MP3 Ringtone Maker application and start it by pressing on the icon.

Step 4

The application will show you the splash screen. From here you can either search for your favorite song using the search tool or simply can go to ringtone editor and select the desired song from the list.

Step 5

The following screen will show you all the songs present on your device. Select the one you need to make the ringtone.

Step 6

You can also make use of this list to get rid of duplicate files. Long press on the duplicate file and select delete. Or else select edit from the popup menu.

Step 7

The software application will then analyze the song and make a waveform graph of the song for editing. There are two tabs – the upper tab will allow you to move the selection from one position to another without reducing the time of the selected song.

Step 8

The lower tab controls the time frame of the ringtone. The ringtone is generally set at 15 seconds. You can use this tab to reduce or increase the time of the ringtone or the selection.

Step 9

Once you are done with the song selection press the save button to proceed further.

Step 10

From the following prompt select the desired name you want to give to your custom ringtone and save it. Now you can use it as any other ringtone sans the monotony of the default ringtones.

HTC Titan coming in November

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HTC, which launched its Windows Phone 7.5 Mango based smartphone Radar in India yesterday, is set to launch another smartphone here.

Talking to The Mobile Indian, HTC’s country head for India, Faisal Siddiqui said, “We will launch HTC Titan with Windows Phone 7.5 OS smartphone in November for Indian masses.”

The HTC Titan features a 4.7 inch big touchscreen display with 480 x 800 pixel resolution at 199 PPI pixel density. It houses a fast 1.5 GHz processor as compared to the Radar’s 1 GHz chip. This handset features 512 MB of RAM and 16 of internal storage memory. But actual storage available to the user could be about 12.6 GB as Windows Phone 7.5 will occupy the rest of the memory.

Titan also features an 8 megapixel camera with dual flash. The camera is capable of recording 720p videos at 30 frames per second. HTC has also added a front facing 1.3 megapixel camera so video conferencing will be much easier as well. Titan will support quad-band GSM networks and tri-band HSPA+ networks offering connectivity. It will feature a gyroscope sensor for orientation and a gravity sensor and Digital Compass for applications.

For wireless connectivity this smartphone offers both and WiFi support while wired connectivity will be through a standard microUSB connector. Titan will also feature a 1600 battery that promises of up to 12 hours on 2G networks and nearly 7 hours on 3G.

Viewsonic low cost tablet in India

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Viewsonic, a company famous for its PC monitors, is planning to launch a low cost tablet in India. Viewsonic already sells a tablet in India &#151 Viewpad 7 for Rs 15,000.

The upcoming low-cost tablet, called Viewpad 7e, would run 2.3 Gingerbread with a 1 GHz Arm Cortex-A8 processor and 512 DDR2 SDRAM. The bad news is that the tablet’s 7 inch display with 800 x 600 pixel will have a resistive touchscreen which we all know is not the best in the business. However, given the price, it is not that big a concern especially coming from a quality brand.

“The tablet is under compliance testing in India, and as soon as that is over we will launch it in India,” Girish Mantani, national sales manager of Viewsonic’s tablet division in India, told The Mobile Indian.

He added, “We plan to target educational institutions and students with this tablet and it will be our low cost offering.”

ViewPad 7e is also equipped with a 3 rear camera and 0.3 megapixel front camera. Besides, it supports WiFi 802.11 b/g/n and 2.1 with EDR. Viewpad 7e also supports Adobe Flash 10.3 offering better support for games, video streaming and other web media.

You can playback 1080p videos on a large screen via a mini HDMI connection. You also get an OTG (on the go) port for the host/device. For storage Viewsonic Gingerbread tablet provides 4 of internal storage capacity and up to 32 GB expandable memory through a card.

Viewsonic, however, has not kept its promises earlier as it had said it would launch Viewpad 10 Pro way back in July, but the device is still stuck at the compliance testing level We hope that the process is finished soon and we get to experience the tablet, which promises to offer very good value for money.

First Look: HTC Radar

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First Look: HTC Radar

Windows Phone Mango is the latest buzzword as far as smartphones are concerned. Today in India, we have a handful of Windows smartphones including the Samsung Omnia W, the latest HTC Radar.

Well till now all the smartphones that have come out of HTC’s factories have been good in terms of look and feel and the Radar is no different. From the moment you see and till you hold it in your hand, you get the feeling of a top notch build quality that HTC is known for. The phone has a unibody design and a metallic casing that adds bit more class and strength to the design to withstand a few falls and accidents.

The device is powered with a 1 GHz application for better and faster computing muscle and along with that it features a 3.7 inch touchscreen with a resolution of 800 x 480 pixels. The phone also features a 5 megapixel rear camera and a front facing camera for video conferencing. In term of memory, the device features a 512 MB of RAM and 8 of internal storage space for storing all the users content on the device itself.

Talking a bit more about the display, the device has a great display that reproduces bright and vibrant visuals and all thanks to the graphic engine, the motion and the interface of the Mango operating system are really fluid on the device.

With Microsoft Windows Phone Mango, users will get an additional 25 GB of Cloud based storage space courtesy Microsoft Sky Drive. The device only comes in white colour and it looks good. The back panel of the device has a metallic finish that adds some serious class to the smartphone and makes it less prone to scratches as well.

At Rs 23,500 approximately, the device looks a bit high priced but this device has looks and set of decent features that justifies the cost. And as far as the device’s performance goes that will only be unfolded once we get to lay our hands on the device. So until then stay tuned.

Acer Allegro smartphone by year-end

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Acer Allegro smartphone by year-end

Acer is all set to rock the world with its new smartphone &#151 Allegro, which will be based on Windows Phone 7.5 Mango operating system. The Acer Allegro is expected to be announced in India by the end of this year at approximately Rs 20,000.

After the Neo Touch, Allegro will be the only Windows based device to come from Acer’s arsenal.

The Acer Allegro features a 3.7 inch touchscreen with 480 x 800 pixel and is capable of producing 16 million colours.

It houses a 1 GHz Snapdragon with Adreno 205 GPU. This handset features 512 of RAM and 8 of but actual storage available will be less than 8 GB as Windows Phone 7.5 operating system too will occupy some memory.

Allegro features a 5 camera but does not have flash. The camera is capable of recording 720p videos as well. Sadly the Allegro misses out on the front camera so video conferencing won’t be possible.

Can lapdocks give tablets competition?

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Motorola has announced its second lapdock, a docking accessory that looks like a laptop and uses a smartphone’s processing, storage and connectivity to work like a laptop.

Google (which owns Motorola as well as Android) and Motorola would want it to succeed as a new device category or even as a challenger to tablets.

For Google it holds more importance as has not been as successful in the tablet space as it has been in the smartphone category. More worryingly, apart from Samsung with its Galaxy Tabs all the other Android tablet makers are struggling to meet their internal targets.

So the best idea is to take the fight to where you are stronger, and that for Google is the smartphone, and through lapdock it can simply extend the capability of the smartphone to be able to give it top-notch tablet like features.

The concept is very exciting but didn’t find consumer favour in its first iteration mainly due to only one smartphone supporting it at that time and also due to high cost. However, this time around Motorola has announced that its lapdocks will be cheaper and will be supported by four current smartphones and many future ones.

What consumers can look forward to

There are several reasons for lapdocks to be successful; the first is that smartphones are becoming powerful enough to challenge laptops and the only thing they lack is screen size, which lapdocks can provide.

Smartphones today come even with 1.4 GHz dual core processors and this is just the beginning. We may soon see smartphones with 2.4 GHz processors or even more, and they would be more powerful than many laptops that were released just a year back.

The second reason is the cost advantage, as the lapdock needs only a screen, battery, speakers a keyboard and a very small memory just to store the basic user interface elements. The cost of the lapdock can be much lower than that of a tablet or a laptop which needs everything that a smartphone and lapdock have combined.

With lapdocks there is no need to sync. You have just one device and you get a  choice of screen size.

What can consumers ask Google for?

Lapdocks can potentially replace a tablet as well as a netbook (even a basic laptop) as they have all the functions of a laptop. However, there is no point in adding too much hardware to the lapdock as that will just push up the price.

The second factor is that both Android and Motorola are owned by Google. Thus it will be a wise move to extend the webtop functionality to Android itself.

If lapdocks are created as a third segment in the mobility business (smartphones and tablets being the first two,) many manufacturers releasing their own lapdocks will bring prices down, as has happened with Android tablets that now cost as less as Rs 3,000 (MNC brands start close to Rs 10,000).

Apple iPhone and iPad have seen a lot of very interesting accessories that use the iPhone’s capability to provide for very specific needs. However, the concept of a lapdock is much wider and so is its ability to be a game changer in mobility.

And it is almost certain that Google would already be working in this direction. Soon we might see many more lapdocks trying to use our smartphone juice.

Motorola to unveil Droid Razr on October 18

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Motorola is set to launch the much anticipated Droid Razr handset, codenamed as Motorola Spyder, on October 18 is United States.

This Motorola smartphone will have 4.3 inch Super and will support networks. Motorola Droid Razr will remain Verizon Wireless exclusive at the launch period.

Motorola Droid Razr will be the first qHD (960×540) bearing smartphone with Super Amoled display. In terms of physical appearance, Droid is more like the Photon 4G with angled corners. Under the hood, this smartphone comes with dual-core 1.2 GHz processor coupled with 1 RAM. At the back lies an 8 camera and 4G LTE presence.

This smartphone will come with 2.3.x Gingerbread update but will certainly be upgradable to the Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich whenever it is launched. Previously Motorola Spyder was reported as the Droid HD since the name wasn’t finalised. This smartphone is expected to be capable of 1080p HD video recording with the 8 megapixel camera at its back.

Motorola is also working to launch the next range of its tablets under the Xoom 2 series which includes a 7 inch and a 10.1 inch device with mere 9 mm thin profile.

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