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Facebook Messenger app for iOS, Android

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Facebook Messenger app for iOS, Android

Popular social network Facebook has revealed an official Facebook Messenger for the Apple iOS and Google platforms.

The new Facebook Messenger app allows one-to-one chats, group chats, Address Book integration, photo additions, and even keeps track of the user’s location. Facebook Messenger is available for download only in the USA as of now.

The app works on iOS 4.0 or higher versions on iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad. On Android, the Messenger works on Android 2.2 Froyo or higher.

Because Facebook Messenger is a stand-alone application, the user will have to log into it separately. This app also provides integration with the Address Book on the device and thus lets the user chat on Facebook. In a way, Facebook Messenger app being cross-platform from day one is going to give competition to BlackBerry Messenger app iMessage on iOS devices, and several WhatsApp-like messengers.

Facebook Messenger utilises a data connection and thereby users won’t incur premium charges while chatting with their friends across the globe. Currently, the app allows one-to-one and group chats so that users can share photos as well as their location.

Besides chat, the hidden code in the app reveals that Facebook Messenger is capable of video chat as well. Now, that would really make the best of devices that have front facing cameras.

Apple already has FaceTime on iOS devices while Google brings Gtalk with video in the Android 2.3.4 update. So with cross-platform and video chat capability, Facebook does stand a higher chance of being used more than the competition provided the experience is pleasant.

At this moment, Facebook Messenger is not available worldwide, but it is expected to be available globally in sometime.

Google to discontinue App Inventor

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Google to discontinue App Inventor

Google will soon discontinue its Inventor service for devices. App Inventor is an online service from Google that enables people to develop applications for Android phones using a web and either a connected phone or an Android emulator installed on the computer.

After closing down the current App Inventor, Google will soon make the platform available as an open source application.

“With the winding down of Google Labs Google will discontinue App Inventor as a Google product and will open source the code. Additionally, because of App Inventor’s success in the education space, we are exploring opportunities to support the educational use of App Inventor on an open source platform,” said Google on a Google labs blogpost.

The reason for shutting down App Inventor is actually the phasing-out of Google labs. So all Google labs products that are Android applications will continue to be available on Android marketplace, but till the transition is completed no updates will be rolled out for Android devices. The reason for phasing out Google labs is that the company wants to have a more focused approach towards its products and so there will be no more experimentation. The experimental updates for both Gmail and Google Maps will continue to roll out even after the phasing-out of labs is complete.

So Google won’t be taking away all the fun from aspiring developers as the open source version of App Inventor will continue from where the web version application leaves off.

Android Ice Cream Sandwich device likely by October

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Google is likely to launch its first Ice Cream Sandwich device by October. The intention here seems to be to put it in direct competition with iPhone 5. Although the version Ice Cream Sandwich of Android was announced at Google I/O 2011, not much information is available on it.

Some of its expected features include a new user interface and facial recognition. Besides, it will attempt to remove or at least reduce the problem of fragmentation in Android.

Android Ice Cream Sandwich will be formed by bringing together the Gingerbread and Honeycomb versions of the OS. An earlier report had suggested that Google is aiming to release an Android Ice Cream Sandwich device by the fourth quarter (January-March) of this financial year. Another website has pegged the time of launch in October this year. The iPhone from Apple is expected to be released in September or October.

iPhone 5 is likely to be thinner than iPhone 4 and will come with a dual core A5 along with a powerful camera.

On the software front, Apple has already released the next update in detail and the beta version has been released to developers too, but users are still not clear how the user-interface of Android Ice Cream Sandwich will look and whether it will be bug free.

Apple gets new patents for visual voicemail, touchscreen

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Apple has been granted 21 new patents including one for integrated touchscreen that could pave the way for thinner and brighter displays which would require less power.

The iPhone maker has also granted the patent of visual voicemail with the help of which users can see the voicemails on screen and thus can keep a tab on them. Apple was earlier sued for a similar technology, which it settled out of court.

The patent application from Apple explains the technology, “At a portable electronic device with a touch screen display: displaying a list of voicemail messages; detecting selection by a user of a respective voicemail message in the list; responding to the user selection of the respective voicemail message by initiating playback of the user-selected voicemail message; detecting a finger contact with a progress bar on the touch screen display, the progress bar configured to slide in a first direction on the touch screen display; detecting continuous movement of the finger contact on the touch screen display from the progress bar to a location other than the progress bar”.

Interestingly, the patents have come at a time when Microsoft and Google are exchanging verbal volleys over patents.

Microsoft Windows Phone 7 Tango would bring lower-costing handsets

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Microsoft is reportedly working on Windows Phone 7.5 Mango successor, dubbed as Tango, which is meant for less expensive handsets.

ZDNet reports that about two Tango update running devices will be released early next year. Quoting sources, it said that Tango based handsets will be released mostly for Asian markets at low price points. Microsoft is expected to release Windows Phone 7 Tango based devices before the Windows Phone 8 Apollo releases.

The Windows Phone 7 owners are expecting Microsoft to release the Mango update sometime next month. Meanwhile, certain reports hint that another version of Windows Phone 7, codenamed as Tango build 8200, is on the cards.

There’s no clarity as whether the Tango is successor of the Mango update or just another interim update that would bring bunch of new features. According to a DigiTimes report, Compal Communications has procured the license to use Mango and Tango platform updates from Microsoft.

In the fourth quarter of 2011, Compal will start shipping Mango based phones to Nokia. If these Mango based handsets are sold well, then Nokia may place an order for more Mango devices from Compal.

Nokia SeaRay will be the Mango update running handset. Its successor – Windows Phone 7 Tango running device will arrive but at more affordable price points and that too mostly for Asian region.

Microsoft currently remains tight-lipped about the post Mango update plans. The Windows Phone 8 Apollo release is expected to arrive late in 2012. But between that span, we may get to see one or two interim update for the Windows Phone devices.

Bring internet bills under control on phones

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Bring internet bills under control on phones

With the arrival of smartphones, data usage on phones is increasing sharply while at the same time prices of data plans have also come down significantly. However, most of the times users rue inflated bills which is partly due to unmonitored usage of internet on their devices.

That’s the reason, why monitoring data consumption on one’s device is so important.

For BlackBerry, the Network Traffic Control tracks the data usage, including WiFi, and it also furnishes daily reports to the users to tell them how much data they used every day. The app works on EDGE, GPRS and networks.

Onavo is a free data monitoring app for devices which can save the users on their monthly bills. It streams data including downloads, browsing on and emails through its servers. Currently it doesn’t compress videos and music but the app developer intends to start doing so in future.

Onavo works only when iPhone or iPad is working in 3G mode and not when it is in WiFi mode.

3G Watchdog is a free app for Android, with which users can track their monthly Internet usage. The app helps users monitor their data usage irrespective of whether they are surfing Internet on 3G, EDGE or through GPRS. The app, however, monitors the data only when it has been activated in the background by the users. Like Onavo, the 3G Watchdog also doesn’t monitor WiFi data usage by the users.

Twitter launches photo sharing for web, app version expected soon

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Social networking and microblogging service provider, Twitter has introduced a new image upload feature to its web version, allowing users to upload pictures along with the regular texts in their tweet.

The new feature will be rolled out for other platforms including the native mobile apps as well at a later stage. So that means Twitter users across all smartphone and tablet platforms can soon expect this functionality on their devices through native apps and the HTML 5 web version as well.

Twitter has developed an API (Application Programming Interface) for the new functionality but has kept it under wraps and may release it for developers once the roll out completes for the web version.

Twitter has also set out guidelines for the usage of this functionality that will be common across all platforms as and when the service is rolled out on them. Although there is no limitation laid out for the number of pictures that can be used or uploaded using this feature there is still a 3 file size limitation added to keep the service up and running at all times.

Twitter also has plans to make public galleries of all the photographs that are uploaded by a user but only with due permission and that too at a later stage only.

As for now, tablet users like the iPad should keep checking their web version of twitter.com because with the HTML5 version out in the market already it will be the one to get the functionality after the web roll out completes for all the users.

BSNL brings special content for I-Day, Raksha Bandhan

The Mobile Indian Network
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On the occasion of 64 years of Independence and Raksha Bandhan, Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) is offering special content on its portal – BSNL LiVE.

The special content includes speeches of great leaders like Mahatma Gandhi, Jawahar Lal Nehru; patriotic songs of artists like Lata Mangeshkar, A R Rehman; Bollywood and regional movies like Namaste London, Bumm Bumm Bole, Baabul; and wallpapers of freedom fighters.

Besides, the teleco is also offering Bollywood songs for Raksha Bandhan such as Bollywood songs (phoolon ka taaron ka..,behna ne bhai ki ..), Rakhi greetings, virtual Rakhi, music videos etc.

New and popular movies with patriotic significance will be offered at a reduced price of Rs 25 also. A new movie will be offered on a daily basis at a reduced price of Rs 25. These special content, for which BSNL has created separate sections on its portal, will be available from 10th August to 20th August.

Airtel 3G now in 54 towns of MP, Chhattisgarh

The Mobile Indian Network
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Bharti Airtel has now extended its 3G services to 42 more towns of Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh in the second phase of roll out. Airtel 3G services will now be available in a 54 towns of Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh after the successful roll out in the second phase which covered towns including Ratlam, Sagar, Satna, Rewa, Burhanpur, Khandwa, Ujjain, Harda, Bina, Singrauli and Sejbahar.

Datoda, Dhannad, Dharampuri, Dharwada, Dudhia, Hatod, Kanadia, Mhowgaon and Simrol are among the major towns near Indore which will benefit from second phase of rollout of 3G services of Airtel.

With this, Airtel mobile customers in 42 more towns will be able to experience the Airtel 3G advantage and enjoy a host of innovative service capabilities including fast mobile internet access, Mobile TV, video calling, video streaming and social networking &#151 at anytime, from anywhere. Airtel also offers high speed data cards that provide customers with 3G access on laptops.

Commenting on the second phase of rollout, Rajnish Kaul, Chief Executive Officer, Madhya Pradesh & Chhattisgarh, Bharti Airtel said, “As we make 3G services available to 42 more towns, more and more customers across Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh will be empowered with high speed capabilities that will bring them closer to an all new world of possibilities. With a commitment towards delivering an unmatched service and network experience, we look forward to delighting our 3G customers with a host of innovative capabilities including Mobile TV, video calls, video streaming and social networking on-the-go”.

Airtel customers in Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh can now enjoy the next generation of mobile technology on their 3G compatible handsets, laptops or tablets. To know whether the handset is a 3G compatible handset, Airtel customers can ‘3GHS’ to 121 from their mobiles.

Airtel 3G gives customers the ability to leverage a wide range of capabilities such as multimedia services, high speed mobile broadband, videos on phone, live TV, video calls and much more. Airtel 3G mobile customers in the country can even make international video calls and interact face-to-face with their loved ones and colleagues living abroad – instantly sharing experiences and information.

Airtel 3G users also have access to Airtel’s 3G portal titled ‘3G Zone’, which offer entertainment across a plethora of categories such as movies, music, comics and gaming and application store ‘Airtel Central’ offering thousands of mobile applications.

Airtel 3G customers can enjoy the benefits of 3G speeds on the device of their choice &#151 be it their mobile handsets, tablets and on laptops connecting using the Airtel high speed USB data cards.

To know more or join Airtel 3G services – customers can visit www.airtel.in/Airtel3G/ or call 12134 (toll free) or SMS ‘3G HELP’ to 121.

RIM brings the thinnest BlackBerry smartphone ever

The Mobile Indian Network
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Research In Motion (RIM) today announced the launch of the new BlackBerry Bold 9900 smartphone with the BlackBerry 7 operating system (OS) in India for Rs 32,490.

“We are thrilled to bring this outstanding new smartphone to the Indian market,” said Frenny Bawa, managing director, India, RIM. “We believe that customers will be extremely impressed with the exciting new features and exceptional performance delivered by the BlackBerry Bold 9900 and BlackBerry 7 OS.”

The touch and type smartphone features a range of powerful hardware enhancements including 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.

The BlackBerry Bold 9900 is the thinnest BlackBerry smartphone yet (at only 10.5mm) and is also the first BlackBerry smartphone to include built-in support for (Near Field Communications), a new technology that is enabling many new and exciting capabilities, including the ability to pair accessories or read SmartPoster tags with a simple tap of the smartphone.

The BlackBerry Bold 9900 also features RIM’s new Liquid Graphics TM technology, which along with the graphics and fast provides highly responsive touch interface with smooth graphics.

Bold 9900 has also an integrated suite of phone, email, and social apps to keep users connected and productive throughout the day. Recent enhancements include the newest release of BBM (BlackBerry Messenger) which now extends the real time BBM experience to a range of other apps. The updated Social Feeds (2.0) has been extended to capture updates from media, podcasts, and favourites all in one consolidated view. The new Facebook for BlackBerry smartphones (2.0) app introduces features like Facebook chat and BBM integration that makes it easier for users to connect with their Facebook friends in real time.

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