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Sony S tablets get HD games from Gameloft

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Sony has partnered with Gameloft in order to provide popular High Definition games to Sony tablet users.

The games have been specifically chosen keeping in mind the multimedia capabilities of the Sony tablets. All the current and new users will have free access to these game titles that include Asphalt 6: Adrenaline HD, N.O.V.A. 2 – Near Orbit Vanguard Alliance HD, Real Soccer 2011 HD, Spider-Man: Total Mayhem HD, and Green Farm HD.

All the five high definition games will be available for the Sony S and the Sony P tablets through the much hyped Playstation suite application.

“The convergence of high performance, a stunning display, and the focus on a networked device provided by Sony Tablet devices perfectly complements Gameloft’s high quality games and online multiplayer functionality,” said Gonzague de Vallois, senior vice president publishing, Gameloft.

“The high impact of the Sony Tablet S’s large display along with the unique dual screen configuration of the Sony Tablet P truly enhances the overall entertainment value of the gaming experience,” Vallois added.

Sony Tablet S is a 9.4 inch tablet with a curved top, much like a folded magazine, which makes it easy to handle for longer hours. The Tablet P is a dual screen design tablet aimed particularly at people looking for both mobility and usability. Both devices use Nvidia Tegra 2 processors and run a customised version of Honeycomb operating system.

Even though Sony tablets have been announced globally there has been no concrete response from the Sony India Spokesperson on when Indian users can expect to lay their hands on these new tablets. However, it is expected that the Sony tablets will make an official entry in to the Indian market before the end of this Year.

Nokia’s Sea Ray phone may not arrive before 2012

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The Sea Ray smartphone, which is expected to be the first Nokia handset with Windows Phone platform, will come in 2012. The Street revealed this quoting unnamed sources.

However, CNBC said that the phone is very much on schedule and will arrive in 2011 itself.

“As we stated previously, we have increased confidence we will ship our first Windows Phone product this year,” Nokia spokesman Doug Dawson was quoted as saying by CNBC.
Nokia is currently in the transition phase as it is leaving its currently smartphone operating system Symbian and will start on the new Windows Phone platform with the Sea Ray phone.

Even about a week back, there was a tweet from Nokia which said the first Windows Phone 7 smartphone would definitely be released in 2011.

Possibly, Nokia is talking about some other phone other than Sea Ray which would become its first Windows Phone based handset.

Opera Mini update arrives for Symbian

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Opera has announced the newest and the latest version of its Mini browser for the Symbian devices. The new Symbian Belle powered devices also get much needed support for the Opera Mini browser.

Now Opera mini browser for Symbian will provide improved integration with half-screen keyboard on phones running Symbian Anna. So end of problems for people who have recently migrated to Symbian Anna and Symbian Belle.

“The Opera Mobile team is happy to announce an updated version of Opera Mini 6.1 for Symbian. In this release we added support for brand new Symbian Belle devices and improved integration with half-screen keyboard on phones running Symbian Anna,” Opera said its official blog.

The company had very recently revamped the Opera Mini browser, adding support for new age web applications. The new version of the Opera Mini browser for mobiles bring desktop-like features such as AutoComplete, searching from address bar, better CSS and HTML5 support, Google Voice search support and even domain auto-complete option for several popular domains.

The Opera Mobile is a fully functional mobile web browser that supports HTML5 and also data compression technology that allows users to save cost as well while boosting internet browsing speeds.

Opera Mini browser is available for all mobile and smartphone platforms and can be downloaded by accessing the marketplace or store or visit m.opera.com from your phone or www.opera.com to download using PC.

Motorola Xoom 2 surfaces

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In July, The Mobile Indian had reported about the Motorola Xoom’s successor, which was to come with 4:3 aspect ratio and the Ice Cream Sandwich update. Now Droid-Life managed to get exclusive images of the Xoom’s successor tablet, which is likely to be branded Xoom 2.

Featuring a 10.1 inch screen the Xoom 2 comes with angled corners, similar to Motorola’s Photon smartphone. We can expect the tablet to be revealed by the end of this year or early next year at the Consumer Electronics Show 2012 in LA, USA.

Motorola Xoom 2 will have a 10.1 inch display and will sport 4:3 aspect ratio with 2048 x 1536 resolution. The tablet is presumed to leave out a 4G chip and will come in WiFi as well as WiFi+3G versions. Motorola Xoom 2 has model number MZ617.

The front facing camera exists to use the tablet in landscape mode while the camera at the back comes with written next to it. The tablet will most probably be capable of recording 720p HD videos. There was no information on the but considering the exclusive tie-up between Motorola and Nvidia to use the Tegra 2 processor in Xoom, the successor will likely come with the much rumoured Kal-El processor, also called Tegra 3.

Details on the version of operating system on this tablet are scarce. It seems safe to assume that Android Honeycomb might come pre-loaded on the device with the capability to update to Ice Cream Sandwich whenever it starts rolling out. Else, this might turn out to be one of the first Android Ice Cream Sandwich tablets.

Motorola will offer Xoom 2 in two colours &#151 white and black.

Micromax’s A85 Superfone coming this Diwali

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Micromax is set to launch its first high-end smartphone – A85 Superfone, around Diwali. The Mobile Indian has got exclusive images of Micromax A85 Superfone on which the company been secretly working for quite some time.

“Micromax will launch its first high end phone A85 Superfone in third week of October and it will be priced around Rs 19,000,” sources familiar with the development said to The Mobile Indian.

A85 will feature a gesture control-based user interface and will be targeted at the high-end smartphone category. Gesture control supported user interface will use of the front facing camera to navigate and scroll through the user interface.

Micromax A85 Superfone will feature a 5 camera with auto-focus to capture high quality images and hopefully 720p video. It will be powered by Android 2.3 Gingerbread operating system.

It also has a 4 inch capacitive (480 x 800 pixel) display with decent real estate for an improved mobile internet experience. Under the hood, the A85 will carry an overclocked dual-core Nvidia Tegra T20 coupled with 512 RAM.

SuperPhone A85 will come with 8 onboard storage which can be expanded up to 32 GB. To power this phone, Micromax has used a 1650 battery pack.

Micromax had earlier released Andro A60 and A70 mobile phones running Android 2.2 Froyo in India. These handsets created a lot of buzz and hence the company plans to make a mark in the Android space with a high end phone.

Motorola working on 8 inch and 10 inch tablets

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Motorola is working on two Honeycomb tablets with different screen sizes &#151 8 inch and 10 inch, Engadget has reported citing sources.

Both tablets are surprisingly codenamed as Fleming. However, one of them carries codename Fleming Emara. Motorola has used Android 3.2 Honeycomb and chips on both tablets. We expect these tablets to be released sometime soon and most likely at the CTIA Enterprise and Wireless event on October 11 in San Diego, USA.

Last week, Motorola was reported already working on Motorola Xoom tablet successor dubbed as Xoom 2. To everyone’s surprise, the leaked spy shots mentioned on Engadget reveals that Motorola is working on two Android tablets with different screen sizes.

For both tablets, Motorola follows same design approach &#151 metal panel at the back held with screws and angular corners.

The 8 inch display bearing Motorola tablet is dubbed as Fleming Emara. This tablet will feature portrait orientation mostly and will come with Android 3.2 Honeycomb loaded on it. No details about the internal hardware this tablet was revealed but we can certainly spot the cameras at the front and back.

The 10 inch display bearing tablet is codenamed as Fleming and has a landscape orientation. Even this tablet will come with Android 3.2 Honeycomb tablet operating system and will have a 5 camera capable of video recording.

One thing is peculiar is that both tablets will have Start/Sleep/Shutdown button at the back and next to that will be the volume controller buttons. Both models will come in White as well as Black colour version of which we believe that the white editions could be limited to certain regions.

Huawei launches its most powerful Android phone

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Huawei has unveiled its most powerful smartphone yet. Named as Honor, the Huawei smartphone comes with the latest 2.3.5 Gingerbread operating system with a high-definition (HD) 4 inch capacitive touchscreen. The phone is expected to be roll-out in India by December.

It has the largest 1,900 battery in its class, and according to the company it gives a three day back up to the phone, which address one of the biggest concerns in a smartphone.

With a 1.4 GHz processor, an 8 HDR[2] enabled camera and a 2 megapixel front facing camera, Huawei Honor is indeed a very powerful device and is also sleek with 10.9 mm thin body and weighs just 140g.

“Huawei Honor encapsulates the Huawei brand – it features simple-to-use, advanced technology that allows people to share and connect easily. Honor provides a package of features that elevates the smartphone user experience, including an ultra-long battery life, so critical to the performance of smartphones but yet is often downplayed,” said Victor Xu, chief marketing officer of Huawei Device.

“Consumers now have a high-performing smartphone that lets them communicate, connect, entertain and share content for an extended period of time without compromising on looks, technology or style,” Victor added.

Honor comes with an exclusive Huawei user interface which is easier to customise and manage, as well as a dynamic weather widget. Honor also features a Gyroscope which enables a better gaming experience. The smartphone is DLNA-certified which ensures interoperability with other DLNA-certified devices such as digital cameras, game consoles and TVs.

According to the press statement, Honor will be commercially available in Asia-Pacific, China, Russia and the Middle East in next three months. Initially launched in Black, Honor will be released in more colours closer to the Christmas holidays.

In our interaction with Huawei India, its officials had said that they will be launching two to three high end phones by the year end and Honor along with the Vision will be the ones to be launched.

BharatMatrimony and IndiaProperty app launched on BlackBerry

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Consim, an Indian Internet company, today announced the launch of mobile applications of its portals &#151 BharatMatrimony and IndiaProperty &#151 on the Blackberry for professionals on the go.

The IndiaProperty Blackberry combines innovative technology with deep consumer insights to deliver a host of features with multiple benefits to buyers and sellers of properties alike. Through augmented reality, they can use the phone camera to locate nearby properties and places of interest including educational institutions, places of worship, travel destinations and transportation facilities.

The advance search function helps users to search by multiple parameters like locality, built-up area and price range while ‘locality search’ enables them to search for nearby properties based on the coordinates. Users can also view photo galleries, property details like amenities, specs and floor maps as well as post an enquiry through Email/SMS or place a call to the builder.

The BharatMatrimony Blackberry app will enable users to search using advanced parameters for their life partners from anywhere any time when they are on the move. Most of the features of the web version of BharatMatrimony are available in the mobile version as well.

Members can view the full details of the prospects along with their photo albums and horoscopes. They can also shoot photos using their device and upload them to their profile albums.

Commenting on the launch, Murugavel Janakiraman, founder, chief executive officer, Consim, noted: “The mobile apps developed with the support of Blackberry will create useful and enriching experiences for our members while on the go. We believe that the apps would go truly viral due to its deep integration with the BlackBerry messenger.”

Janakiraman added: “Mobile apps will help us reach consumers on a brand new level. We are intensely focused on creating the best search experience to be a meaningful part of our members’ lives and to provide our services when and where they need them. Together, the IndiaProperty and BharatMatrimony apps will empower members in new ways for carrying out their partner and property searches in their pocket.”

How to turn your Android phone into a portable scanner

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What do you do when you wish to scan and store a page or important document while you’re on the move? It is not possible to carry a scanner but you can certainly make the best of the Android smartphone in your pocket to scan the text on pages using your mobile’s camera.

CamScanner enables Android 2.0 or higher update to scan and store images in a readable format. For old bills or important personal documents you can always keep a copy of them as PDF files to be referred to later. This is a very useful app for those who keep referring to old documents that are fragile and easily damaged.

With the CamScanner you can turn your smartphone into a portable scanner and it can be quite helpful to store readable copies of documents.

Download and install CamScanner App from Android Market.

Step one

Open the CamScanner app and tap on the extreme left icon with the image of a camera on it.

Step two

Capture the image page in question. Tap on Retake to capture the image of the text again and tap on the OK button when done.

Step three

Use the 90 degrees rotation buttons to rotate the document clockwise or anti-clockwise. Then adjust the fluorescent green selection box to choose the specific text you want, or directly tap on the Correct symbol to automatically crop/trim and enhance the captured image. That removes all dark or grey spots.

Step four

Finally tap on the Correct symbol again to save the captured image.

Step five

Tap on the Pen icon and then assign a name to the scanned documents. Tap on the Correct icon once you’re done. If required you can tap the icon in the center to convert the document into a PDF file, then tap the Menu icon and select File to send the PDF document via Bluetooth, or upload it to your Google Docs, or send it via Gmail.

One of the shortcomings of CamScanner is the limit of up to three photos while capturing images in bulk mode. Also, the free version comes with advertisements; PDF files are created with watermarks; and there is a limit of up to 50 documents in which each document can have up to ten pages.

App Review: World Newspapers

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Newspapers are part of our lives and some of us simply can’t live without them. However, finding time in the morning to read them is becoming increasingly difficult. And there are many who realise that and are creating applications that can delivered on mobile phones, and tablets so that one can read while on the move.

World Newspapers is one such application which gives you access to more than 6,000 newspapers, magazines, and websites.

A good part of it is that it renders local Indian languages even on 2.2 which does not have native support for these languages. You also get a good selection of Indian language as well as English newspapers and websites including Aajtak, Times of India, Amar Ujala, BBC Hindi, Business line, ET, HT, Malyalam Manorma etc.

The user interface is very simple and allows easy sharing of the stories through social networking sites. You can set RSS feeds, add favourites and store some pages for offline reading. If you do not understand a language properly you can translate it into a language of your choice. What is good is that all this happens in few clicks and is very easy.

User Interface

Since the application is free and there are no subscription charges for the newspapers, you have to tolerate a lot of ads, but that either comes at the bottom of the page or the top. You will also get a lot of video ads which east up a lot of time if you are on a slow speed.

It would have been better if there was a paid version of the World Newspapers as so many people who have used the app have expressed the desire to get paid app without advertisements.

We did this review on Dell XCD 35 and the pages rendered flawlessly even on the slow 2G connection and the readability was maintained for all the languages.

The newspapers and magazines have also been segmented into different categories like automotive, sports, business etc, which will help you in selecting stories of your interest.

Verdict

A must have app for people who like to be updated, the application is fairly well laid out with a lot of to choose from. It has content from 105 countries and 6,000 publications. The language support is very good and so you won’t find web pages with boxes, they all render the way they should. Only thing that you need is a data connection either through 2G, mobile network or WiFi.