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Smartphones you can gift on Parents’ day

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Every year, the fourth Sunday of July is regarded to be the day to honour parents worldwide. There are many such days that focus on singularities like the Father’s day and Mother’s day as well but the significance of this day is more because on this day the whole world celebrates parenthood as a whole.

Every year on the Parent’s day, many of us gift our parents varied things like chocolates and flowers. But, this time let’s make it a little more memorable by gifting our parents the gift of communication.

In this modern world, where mobile phones have become a bare necessity everyone has a phone but there are still very less people who own a smartphone. So this Parents Day let’s gift our parent an upgrade to smartphones and let them also access the smarter side of mobile telephony. If they already own one, then these smartphones will serve as an upgrade for them to an even smarter device.

We have categorised smartphones on the basis of their functionality and usage and made out combinations for a neat little surprise for our parents and little more help for the reader.

Camera centric devices

Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc (Rs 27,000) for dad and Nokia N8 Pink (Rs 21,500) for mom:

Gone are the days when smartphones just used to be smarter data centric devices and nothing more. Today smartphones have conquered new frontiers be it multimedia or data usage. So if you are of the opinion that your parents need a camera based smartphone then the Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc and Nokia N8 Pink combo is the best for them.

Sony Ericsson Xperia arc features an 8 camera which offers superior imagery with the use of Sony’s patented Exmor sensor technology. This smartphone runs on the latest version of Google’s Gingerbread operating system and has a big 4.2 inch display to make things clear. Its 1 GHz processor ensures that things remain fluid while using this device and it also comes with an 8 of internal storage space.

The Nokia N8 Pink has been recently added to the Nokia smartphone lineup by Nokia specifically targeted at women who loves to take pictures. By far, Nokia N8 has the best camera ever to feature on a smartphone. And with the launch of the Symbian Anna, Nokia has upgraded the whole N8 lineup with this new operating system. The N8 features a 12 megapixel camera and a total of 16 GB of internal storage to keep the shutter bugs happy.

Touch screen centric devices

Samsung Galaxy SII (Rs 28,500) for dad and Micromax Bling 2 (Rs 8,000) for mom

Today touchscreen mobile phones are among the best selling handsets in the world. Few touchscreen handsets are responsive even to the tip of the finger and offer functionalities like multi-touch which definitely helps in getting tasks done faster and better.

Samsung Galaxy SII is the second generation Galaxy device from Samsung’s stable. The device boasts of the biggest smartphone screen size till now, standing tall at 4.3 inches. And to make that work better, Samsung has incorporated a 1.2 GHz processor in this device.

Women always look for style and a little bit of fashion in anything they use, so how can this be not considered vis-a-vis the mobile phone they carry. Micromax’s second generation Bling device has come up as an Android based smartphone but carries the same aura as created by the original Bling device.

The Bling 2 gets encrusted with Swarowski crystals. Besides, it features a slightly smaller but a much responsive capacitive touch screen along with a speedy 600 processor that manages things well and keeps the device ready for action anytime.

Business centric devices

Blackberry Bold 9780 (Rs 21,500) for dad and Blackberry Pearl 9100 (Rs 13,300) for mom

BlackBerry devices are always considered the best as far as the business phones go. Most executives today prefer the small little device and depend on it for exchanging mails, talking to people and doing a lot of other stuff as well.

Built on the same lines as the Bold 9650, the Bold 9780 is marginally smaller and thinner than its predecessor and weighs lesser by 14 grams. The Bold 9780 features a 2.44 inch screen, 65,000 colour TFT display with a of 480 x 360 pixels offering ample viewing comfort to the users.

The biggest change in the Bold 3 is the inclusion of the OS 6.0 as a preinstalled option, which is the most appreciated BlackBerry operating system till now. Although much better suited for a touch based operation, the new OS 6.0 works flawlessly with the track pad also.

On the other hand, the once lost legacy of Blackberry Pearl has been resurrected by the new Pearl 3G smartphone. The classic half keypad makes sure that user need to type the minimum amount of letters to type. The Pearl 3G has gotten a total new look, some weight loss to and not to forget the inclusion of the OS 6 in this one, making it the perfect choice for business women especially with the pink colour. And no more worries about the trackball as it too has been replaced with an optical track pad.

Tata Sky launches ‘Tata Sky Mobile Access’

Tata Sky, which provide Direct-to-Home service, has launched an that enables its subscribers to user their iPhones, iPads and iPod Touch as a universal remote to control consumer electronic devices in their homes.

In addition, subscribers can use the Tata Sky Mobile Access app to access 4-day programme listings, read extended information for movies: search for programs based on title and set their favourite shows for recording on the go.

Tata Sky Mobile access allows subscribers to share what they are watching on TV through Facebook and Twitter. Further, the app allows subscribers to view which programmes their Facebook friends are currently watching, helping them to decide on what to watch.
At launch, this app will be available on Apple Devices only. An app for devices will be launched shortly after.

This app can be downloaded free of cost from the iTunes store and will work across all Tata Sky boxes. To use the Universal Remote Functionality, the subscriber will need to use the app along with a unique orb-shaped Mobile Accessory. This accessory plugs into the of the Apple Device and enables the subscriber to control his Tata Sky set-top box, TV, amplifier and DVD player.
As part of the launch phase, the new MP3 Mobile accessory will be given free of charge to the first 1000 subscribers. Post the promotional period, the accessory can be purchased for Rs 350 including shipping and handling.

Speaking on the launch, Vikram Mehra, chief marketing officer, Tata Sky , said, “The Tata Sky Mobile Access App is a natural integration of TV entertainment with these smart devices allowing subscribers to not only control their TV and set-top boxes with their smart devices, but also make their content choice based on what their friends and family are viewing. This is the first-of-its-kind functionality offered by any DTH service provider in India.”

G’Five launches three handsets loaded with games, movies

G’Five Mobile has launched three new handsets with new compression technology breakthrough and games. The new G’Five Movie King E680, E650 and E620 models come with a 4GB data card preloaded with 20 full-length movies, 20 ringtones and 5 FTV videos.

As per the regional preferences, the content has been customised into four different movie packs – North, South, East and West. Each pack is a combination of movies from different languages in the region. For example, the North pack includes Hindi, Punjabi and Bhojpuri movies (blockbuster hits like Singh is King, Rock On, Pardes, Taal, Wakeup Sid, Bhool Bhulaiya etc.)

G’Five G20, the new gaming wonder from the brand, comes preloaded with 1,000 video games from the most popular family of 16-bit games like Mario, Contra, Tetris, Goonies, Battle City etc. To further enhance customer’s gaming experience, the handset comes bundled with a gaming console which is akin to the remote control of other gaming devices.

Arshit Pathak, managing director, Kingtech Electronics India, a group Company of G’five International, said, “In the last 6 months we have launched several innovative models like the projector phone. During Cricket World Cup, we launched a complete range of TV phones, so that our consumers can enjoy their Cricket telecast anywhere. We also launched a 2G phone with video chat, hitherto a feature available only on phones and service. The latest in our series of innovation for the mass market are the Movie King range and the gaming phone targeted at those desiring non-stop entertainment on the go.”

The G’Five Movie King E680 is a dual standby handset which comes with a 5.5 cm (2.2″) QVGA display and multimedia features like dual camera, built-in Yamaha amplifier for surround-sound effect, FM radio player, music player, video player, a 3.5 mm universal besides short range wireless connectivity.
The G’Five Movie King E620 has all of this coupled with TV feature as well. While the G’Five Movie King E650 is a stylish flip phone with touch screen, and a bigger 6 cm (2.4″) QVGA display.

The G’Five G20 gaming phone is also a dual-SIM dual standby phone loaded with multiple features. It has a gaming simulator with 1000 games, 6 cm (2.4″) QVGA display, dual slot, analog TV, built-in Yamaha amplifier, universal 3.5 mm audio jack, music player and audio player besides short range wireless connectivity.

Acer Iconia Smart coming to India in August

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Acer will be launching a number of smartphones in the coming months in India including its flagship model, the Acer Iconia Smart, a company spokesperson told The Mobile Indian.

However, we have not been told about the exact date of launch which is expected to be in the second week of August.

The Acer Iconia’s touchscreen is the reason for its huge popularity. At 4.8 inch, the capacitive touchscreen of the device is one of the biggest amongst smartphones, just behind Dell Streak’s 5 inch screen.

The display of this device requires a special mention primarily because of its odd shape add 21:9 ratio display with a native of 480 x 1024 pixels. Its higher resolution ensures a smooth Internet browsing while its six axis gyroscope sensor and combo make games realistic and fun.

The Iconia Smart will be based on the Qualcomm Snapdragon chip with a single core scorpion running at 1.1 GHz with 512 each of RAM and ROM, and an Adreno graphics engine for better graphics. Although slightly outdated in terms of the specifications but it will be featuring Google’s latest mobile operating system, the Gingerbread.

As reported earlier also, the price point has not been revealed by Acer but this device is expected to compete with other bigger devices like the HTC Sensation and the Samsung Galaxy S2 and will be competitively priced as well.

Planet M to sell mobile apps through its stores

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Planet M, a music retail store which also sells mobile phones and other electronics, will soon start selling mobile phone applications through its stores. The launch of the service is planned for August.

Sources aware of the development in the company said to ‘The Mobile Indian, “The retail store will sell both free and paid for all the major smartphone platforms, which users can even try before the actual buying.”

The source further revealed, “This will be a first of its kind store and has a huge potential in terms of user education and reaching out to not so tech savvy (who are not comfortable with online purchases) or those who do not have access to credit cards. The stores will also provide help to users in understanding how the applications work.”

Though the spokesperson of the company confirmed that the launch is planned for August, he said the details are still being worked out. More details are likely to emerge soon.

With applications market booming with millions of app downloads every day, it looks like the right move especially in India where operator billing option is not available for most online application stores, thereby making credit card or debit card mandatory for application purchases.

Planet M, with more than 200 stores in 32 cities across India, has the resources to reach out to potential customers in a big way. This move will also appeal to college going kids who know all about applications but might not have credit cards to make the purchase.

Now an app that helps you save Android phone’s battery

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Many of us want to extend our smartphone’s battery life but are not comfortable going into the details. For such users, an has been launched, named PowerMax which is created by a startup – Volt Up.

“Smartphones that carry the Google Android platform can rest assured their phones will not fail them when they need them most,” said Joseph Yossi Weihs, an embedded devices engineer and head of Volt Up.

“Of course we can’t make the battery last forever, but in most cases we can double battery life, which can make all the difference, especially during emergencies,” Joseph added.

The technology developed by Volt Up monitors and manages the radios of Android handsets including 2G/3G/4G, WiFi, FM, and Bluetooth. The app puts these radios to sleep according to the needs of the users.

The app analyses the usage patterns of the Android handset, and keeps an eye on the device if the battery is being drained faster. The user is also informed about how much battery power is being saved and used.

Google is definitely aware the Android phones are facing some battery problems. When Google co-founder Larry Page was asked about the weak battery life of Android handsets, he said ideally the users should get one day’s battery life and if they were not getting it, something was wrong. He suggested it was probably due to third party apps and the way the users used them.

When there are software programs running in the background and the users are not aware of it, the process sucks away battery life.

In simpler terms, the users should simply turn off applications such as the GPS whenever they can. Similarly the background sync, or Twitter app, RSS apps should not be active all the time. The problem is, these are the features which bring people to Android in the first place, so they may not want to disable these apps for more battery life, they would rather charge their battery.

Cheapest iPhone coming in August: Report

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The cheapest Apple iPhone may come for about just $350 (about Rs 15,500) by the end of August this year and will be for the prepaid users, a website has reported.

For quite some time, Apple has been looking to increase its customer base, as earlier it used to concentrate only on niche users. Apple realises the prepaid market is large one which it should not miss.

Currently, the platform from Google is quickly closing the gap between itself and Apple’s iOS, by getting Android handsets released in a larger price including low end Android handsets. In the low end handset segment, Apple is not present yet the new iPhone is likely to fill that space.

The report was not clear about the design of the new iPhone though it said the cheaper iPhone is likely to be iPhone 3GS. It also said even when the iPhone 5 arrives, Apple is likely to continue selling iPhone 4, which will mean the company will have the complete range of all three &#151 low end, mid level and high end phones in its stable.

Twitter, LinkedIn to come integrated with WP7.5

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Microsoft will integrate two popular social networks, Twitter and LinkedIn, into the Windows Phone 7 Mango.

Stuart Bottom, program manager/developer for the social notifications and filtering for Windows Phone, stated that the Twitter and LinkedIn social networks would be deeply integrated with the Me Tiles on the Windows Phone home screen. The Windows Mango update is expected to be rolled out by September this year.

With the Windows Phone 7.5 Mango update, Microsoft has promised to roll out several new features for the platform. a website has reported over the social notifications and filtering in the Windows Phone clearly indicates how Microsoft wants to stay head to head with rival Apple.

At the Worldwide Developers Conference last month, Apple demonstrated new notifications system along with deeper integration of Twitter social network. Following that suite, Microsoft went a step ahead and also integrated LinkedIn to impress the business class folks as well. The integration goes beyond fetching feeds to filtering specific feeds and updating the Me Tile at the home screen.

Deeper integration of Twitter and LinkedIn would save the Windows Phone owners from the headache to agitate for an official or hunt for a third party version that supports such social networks. This also indicates the popularity and prominence of three social networks &#151 Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and of course Windows Live.

Microsoft is also working to bring the Facebook Chat with the Mango update. But there’s no clarity on whether the users would be able to engage into a video chat with their Facebook contacts since Microsoft has already bought Skype.

From social network integration in operating system to Facebook button bearing HTC ChaCha/Salsa handsets, these services have become part of a mobile phone.

In September, Apple is expected to roll out the 5 update with loads of new features for iPhone, iPod touch and iPad. Around same time, Windows Phone 7.5 Mango update will be released for existing devices and we can expect to see new handsets with Mango update preloaded. This year, in September or October, is going to be pretty competitive and interesting for mobile phone owners.

Nokia Live View augmented reality browser goes beta

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Making its entry into the augmented reality domain, Nokia has added a beta version of its Live View browser, which adds information to whatever is being seen through the cameras viewfinder alongside the actual imagery.

In a disclaimer, Nokia said that this is an experimental product and might disappear after the beta trial is over. But, the fact is that this has been a common trend followed by Nokia in the past during introduction of a new product and we are expecting a final version product of the Live View very soon.

The Live View browser works in conjunction with the Nokia Maps. Users, however, should install the latest version of the Nokia Maps on their device for a better experience. With the use of Nokia Maps, the Live View browser is able to access points of interests and users can also get direction to the nearest caf&#233 or place while walking or driving as added in the latest Nokia Maps update.

As of now, there is no official word on the availability of this service with any geographical limitation from the developers and anyone anywhere can use this application.

Nokia has confirmed the compatibility and testing of this application on devices such as Nokia N8, Nokia C7 and the E7 as well running the newer or the updated OS. For other devices users can use and share their experience as it would help other users too.

For installing, the Nokia Live browser users can head straight to the Nokia beta labs and download the token file and it is advised that the users stay connected to a WiFi network during installation as the installation will require download of additional files.

Purported Apple iPhone 4S prototype surfaces online

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Amidst the buzz about Apple’s next iPhone handset, enthusiastic Chinese testers leaked the images of the purported iPhone 4S or iPhone 4GS. China’s popular micro blogging service Wiebo.com carried series of images about an iPhone engineering prototype. The user refers the prototype as iPhone 4GS but apparently it looks similar to an iPhone 4 prototype.

In the images, one can see the different testing menu options on the iPhone prototype. The photos appear to be clicked with a mobile phone camera. None of the images give us a good view of the slim form factor of the handset or the back panel of the prototype.

Usually a company works on several engineering prototype models to test out different features in each or pair of devices. This might be one of the prototypes to test out specific features.

One of the images shows the camera test menu but there’s no way to find out the pixel of the camera carried.

Rumours are already buzzing about the next iPhone with obnoxious details like 4-inch display, 8 camera, slimmer body, faster processor, more storage, and network chip. Only time can tell how many of these assumptions will come true.