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Microsoft Windows Phone 7.5 Mango update due next week

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Microsoft has asked users to be patient and wait for the Windows Phone 7.5 Mango update for couple of weeks more.

Joe Belfoire, vice president for Windows Phone, Microsoft shared the news via his official Twitter account that the WP 7.5 Mango update rumours are false. Though Mango update based devices have been announced by Toshiba, HTC and Samsung, the official Mango update has not been made available as yet.

As reported earlier this week, Microsoft was expected to release the Windows Phone 7.5 Mango update for the existing Windows Phone devices. However, there was no sight of the update. Instead, Belfiore sent out a Twitter update clarifying that the September 15 as Window Phone 7.5 Mango release date was merely a rumour.

“9/15 isn’t mango day, that was another rumor, folks. We’ve been saying “fall”… it’s not fall yet,” Belfiore wrote, indicating that there’s one more week to go for Microsoft’s official announcement of the Mango update as the Fall will being in USA from September 23 onwards.

Apparently, there is a Windows Phone 7.5 Mango final build leaked and circulated around through forums on the web. Handset makers like HTC have already announced the new Titan and Radar handsets while Samsung has announced new Focus S and Focus Flash handsets.

In coming weeks, we can expect other Windows Phone handset partners that include Dell, Acer, ASUS, LG and ZTE to announce new devices. Nokia’s Windows Phone 7.5 loaded device can be expected by the end of this year.

Will Facebook buy HP’s webOS?

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We all know the kind of reach Facebook has, and the way they have worked successfully with the developers. While we don’t know whether they want to compete with Apple, Google or Microsoft for the mobile operating system market or not, but analysts are suggesting such a move.

According to a Forbes report, Jefferies analyst Peter Misek writes Facebook is the best candidate to buy software division of Hewlett Packard.

If this happens it will be good news for die hard Facebook fans because if Facebook is built into the operating system, it will make contact list better and other stand features more social. Right now, people access it via its mobile website, its apps or through a dedicated Facebook button on a phone.

Apart from that if this deal happens people can expect element of social networking being featured in payments, app store and campaigns instead of being just limited to games like Farm Villa.

Facebook in-spite of more than 750 million users on its social network and its good financial position has always stopped short of having its own operating system so far, even though it has partnered with mobile handset companies such as INQ Mobile and HTC in building Facebook phones. If the analyst’s views really become a reality, Microsoft and Research In Motion will have to face a really strong competitor.

Motorola Edison with Android in the anvil: Report

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Motorola is working on a new handset, named Edison, which may have Android 2.3 Gingerbread, according to a report of Android Central. The website found traces of the upcoming handsets dubbed as Edison in the Webtop code.

The Motorola handset codenamed Edison is presumed to be the much buzzed Droid MB865 update but there are no confirmed reports to join the strings together.

Motorola offers the Webtop application that allows users to connect the Webtop-enabled Motorola Android smartphones with a dock and use it on a larger screen using this application.
According to the report, the code in Webtop application has the codenames of the Webtop enabled Android smartphones – Olympus, Common, Sunfire, Targa and Edison.

Out of those names – Targa is the Droid Bionic, Olympus is the Atrix 4G, Sunfire is the Photon and Common is assumed to be meant for common set of devices. Amongst those, Edison is the codename of an upcoming Android handset.

The codename Edison could be of the Droid HD MB865 handset which is expected to have 4.5-inch display with qHD (960×540) resolution, 8 camera capable of recording 1080p HD and micro HDMI port. This handset will be as slim as 8.5mm, almost as much as the Samsung Galaxy S II handset. This device may come with Android 2.3 Gingerbread if it is revealed by the end of this year or might jump to Android Ice Cream Sandwich update directly.

We have taken the information about Edison in webtop code as a grain of salt and just trying to pull the different strings together. Hopefully more details will be shared at the CTIA E&A Event on October 11 in San Diego, USA.

SMS Gupshup to launch Android and Symbian apps

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SMS GupShup, a popular based social networking platform which allows people to send free group massages, is going to launch applications for and Symbian operating systems.

“We are developing an application for Android and Symbian platform so that smartphone users can get better user interface to use our service,” said Beerud Sheth, chief executive officer of SMS GupShup, to ‘The Mobile Indian’.

He added: “This application will still be based on SMS platforms as in India data connection even amongst smartphone users is low, and many areas still do not have decent enough wireless connectivity, so while the application will make it easier for users to easily use the service, they will not need to bother about paying for the data connectivity or wait for the stuffs to download”.

The application will also offer Facebook integration, so that users can update of their Facebook account or see other updates even where there is no data connectivity.

He claims that in India, GupShup is bigger than Facebook, it is only that Facebook gets more hype. GupShup, Sheth claims, has more than 45 million registered users while Facebook only had 25 million members in India till April this year.

Users who wish to use the GupShup service currently can do so by sending Join (group name) to 567678. You can also create a group by sending ‘Create’ (group name) to 567678, and subsequently inviting your friends to join the group. Once you join you will be guided how to use the service. Sending the massages there after to the group is very easy as you have to type just one number and the SMS will go to each member of the group for free. (SMS will have add at the bottom).

You can also use the service by visiting https://www.smsgupshup.com. One of the interesting stuff that you can do is sending long SMS with as many as 640 characters in just one massage at just 7 paisa. You can also join groups like ‘Mumbai Traffic Police’ to get regular updates related to traffic, or cricket news for cricket scores etc. There are paid premium groups and SMS applications also that is owned and operated by the users themselves.

Microsoft Word, Excel won’t work on Windows 8 tabs

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The new ARM tablets which run the Windows 8 operating system will not run the current Microsoft desktop apps for personal computers, according to Stephen Sinofsky, the president of Windows Unit of Microsoft.

“We’ve been very clear since the very first Consumer electronic Show (CES) demos and forward that the ARM product won’t run any x86 applications,” Information Week quoted Stephen Sinofsky as saying.

Earlier at the Build Conference, Microsoft had showed two devices, one with Windows 8 running on x86 processors and another prototype ARM tablet which was running pre-beta software.

“The challenge is very interesting. If we allow the world of x86 application support like that, or based on what we call desktop apps(like MS word and excel) in our start yesterday, then there are real challenges in some of the value proposition for [ARM] System on a Chip,” Sinofsky said. “Will battery life be as good, for example? Those applications aren’t written to be really great in the face of limited battery constraints, which is a value proposition of the Metro-style apps.”

In another related news, it was reported that the Metro version of Internet Explorer 10 will not have the Flash plug in. So the Windows 8 platform joins the other platforms which are favouring HTML5 over Flash.

Sony takes wraps off Android powered Walkman

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Sony has unveiled a new device in its Walkman series of music players. The new Walkman Z1000 is by far the most advanced Walkman device in Sony’s stable. Moving beyond just the music, the Walkman Z1000 offers a big 4.3 display with a resolution of 480 x 800. In addition, the device is powered with the Nvidia Tegra 2 mobile dual-core that allows it to do fast web browsing, play video games, high definition and full HD 1080p video playback and not to forget the enhanced multitasking capabilities. Along with that this device will be running on the latest version of Google 2.3 gingerbread operating system.

The Walkman Z1000 comes equipped with “S-Master MX” sound processing that delivers better audio performance along with digital noise-cancellation. The Walkman also features a dedicated “W” button, which acts as a one touch access key for launching the music player application.

The Sony Walkman Z1000 is also DLNA capable and it allows users to play multimedia content on a variety of DLNA enabled products, such as Network Music Players, WiFi enabled cameras and photo frames, wireless speakers, home cinema systems or television sets, without the use of wires. Even with the use of wires, users can play content on bigger television using the built in HDMI port.

Sony Walkman Z1000 series devices will be offered in three different capacities including 16 GB, 32 and 64 GB versions priced at JPY 28,000 (Rs 17, 270), JPY 33,000 (Rs 20,354) and JPY 43,000 (Rs 26,526) respectively.

The devices including all its models are scheduled for a release date of December 10 this year in Japan where the device will be released first and following that it is expected that the device might be coming to India as a new year present from Sony.

Fring launches stand along app for Playgrounds

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Following the very recent launch of the Playgrounds feature for Fring application, Fring has decided to make Playgrounds completely independent and has released a new for the same.

So now Fring has two main applications that include the Fring Classic, the original application without the Playgrounds feature, and other is the Playgrounds application that just includes the topic based video chat feature. But both the apps will work with the same Fring ID.

With Playgrounds, Fring users will be able to actively engage in four-way video discussions either by browsing a list of open Playgrounds or by creating their own video discussions about the topic of their choice on which they want to discuss with other users. These Playgrounds are publicly visible to all Fring users using the latest application.

Fring users will be able to video chat with others using Playgrounds feature irrespective of device type so an iPhone user can chat with an iPad, iPod Touch, Symbia n or device users.

The company has revealed the stand alone application for Android devices only as of now. But the company has plans to make apps available for iPhone/ iPad/ iPod Touch and Symbian devices in the days to come.

The new Playground app is available in the Android Market or can be downloaded from the below mentioned link.
Link: Android: https://market.android.com/details?id=com.fring.playgrounds&feature=more_from_developer

Beetel runs out of Magiq

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In a development that underlines the huge market for tablet computers in India, Beetel has reported to have run out of its stock of Magiq tablets.

The Bharti enterprise, however, said that it has now received fresh stocks of the tablet and that these will be available across Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Bangalore and Jalandhar by Monday.

The rest of the country will have to wait for another 2-3 weeks to lay its hands on the tablet. A spokesperson of the company confirmed it to The Mobile Indian, saying, “We were out of stock for this tablet PC, and we are glad to make it available once again from Monday in the five cities of Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Bangalore and Jalandhar. In the rest of the tier one and tier two cities the tablet will be available in the next 2-3 weeks.”

Magiq, which is touted as India’s cheapest tablet PC, comes at an unbelievable price of Rs 9,000. It comes with impressive specifications like a 1 GHz processor, support with calling, and front and rear cameras.

It has a 7 inch WVGA resistive touchscreen display with 2.2 Froyo operating system. The tablet allows 2G and 3G calling and also has a stand at the back.

Besides, Magiq has 2 cameras both at the front and the back. Its 8 of can be expanded up to 32 GB, and it is powered by a 2200 battery. The tablet also offers 3G connectivity and WiFi.

Samsung to manufacture Bada phones in India

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Korean mobile phone major Samsung Electronics has commissioned new facilities at its Noida manufacturing plant through which it plans to produce and Bada operating system phones in India by the year end.

Ranjit Yadav, country head, mobile and IT business, Samsung India, said during an event in Delhi, “Samsung’s Noida facility is currently manufacturing multimedia, and touchscreen phones and by year we will start producing Android and Bada handsets also.”

As a result of this development, mobile customers in India can expect a 4 per cent reduction Samsung smartphone prices when mass manufacturing starts in the country. In the current scenario when handset players import handsets from other countries they pay import duty of 4 per cent, which a company can pass on to customers if they start mass production in India.

Yadav didn’t reveal the names of smartphones that Samsung will be manufacturing in India but we expect some of the smartphones from Samsung Galaxy S to be manufactured here because of the appeal this device has in India.

In the same event J S Shin, president and chief executive officer for South West Asia at Samsung, said, “India is one of the top three mobile markets for Samsung in the world and we stand committed to this market and Indian consumers.”

He added, “We are working on consistently strengthening our presence in the country through a very innovative mobile portfolio; as well as enhance manufacturing, operations, research and development.”

Nokia 700 and Nokia 701 coming soon

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Good news for Nokia Symbian smartphone fans here in India as Nokia is said to be launching its next gen Symbian smartphones – Nokia 700 and Nokia 701 – soon. Earlier, Nokia was expected to launch the handsets in here in October.

Confirming this to The Mobile Indian, a Nokia India spokesperson said, “Both the devices, the Nokia 700 and the Nokia 701, will be available in the Indian market in the coming few weeks.”

The Nokia 700 has a 3.2 inch ClearBack with Gorilla Glass to protect it from scratches and damage. This device will be running the latest version of Symbian – Symbian Belle.

Other features include a pentaband radio with connectivity a 1 GHz processor and features like Bluetooth, WiFi, digital compass and onboard sensor. This handset has a 5 camera with LED flash. It also has a Near Field Communication chip built-in, and the best part is that the phone’s body is said to be made entirely of recycled materials.

Nokia 701 has a 3.5 inch In Plane Switching display with ClearBack technology, protected by a Gorilla Glass. The handset comes with a new graphics processor which will have four times the graphics memory in comparison to older Symbian handsets.

Along with this, the device features a 1 GHz processor to give the best performance for Symbian Belle. Other features include an 8 megapixel camera with dual-LED flash, a front facing camera that supports video calling, and an in-built Near Field Communications chip. By default the phone’s memory is 8 but it can be expanded up to 32 GB via a memory card.

Although the final prices and release dates are still awaited we hope they will arrive next week. As of now the expected price of a Nokia 700 and a Nokia 701 is Rs 17,000 and Rs 19,000 respectively.