Home Blog Page 4566

Future perfect: HTML5 apps that work on all platforms

prasoon-kumar
-
0

There has been a spate of news in recent times when various big names on the Internet decided to work their way around Apple’s store and started developing HTML5 based web apps. The Financial Times was one of the earlier names which decided to go this route, which believed it would have to make some compromises while going for HTML5 app instead of native app.

Users have to go to the to access the Financial Times app, and they can access most of the features available in FT’s iPhone native app. Users can even read articles offline, due to the enhancements made using HTML5.

Such web apps also have the benefit of working across all platforms whereas native apps have to be reworked on if they have to be made compatible with or Windows Phone 7.

Another similar piece of news has come from Facebook, where about 80 developers are developing a Facebook version which will open in browser and bypass the iTunes app store from Apple. The project has been codenamed Project Spartan. If everything goes according to plans, whenever users point the browser to Facebook, a dropdown menu will allow them to launch the apps.

The benefit for the users?

Again, the same web app can be accessed from and Android devices too.

A South Korean credit card company, Lotte Card has expressed its desire to go the hybrid way – means the core app was created writing HTML5 which was then wrapped around native iOS and Android code to make them suitable for both the platforms.

Probably it decided to go the hybrid way because if their app was based solely on HTML5, they would not have been able to use camera and address book of the phone. At the same time, it takes more work to make an HTML5 based app work well compared to native apps, but the users needn’t worry about it, it’s the headache of publishers.

Sony Ericsson Xperia to get NFC soon

rahul-gupta
-
0

NXP Semiconductors, one of the leading global Near Field Communications (NFC) hardware provider, has been appointed by Sony Ericsson for delivering technology for their based smartphones.

With this, users will be able to do monetary transactions with just a touch of their NFC enabled smartphones at POS terminals, ticket counters and many more places.

Sony Erickson, however, will not be including the NFC technology in all of its Android devices. Rather, only the Xperia range of smartphones will be getting this technology.

“Building on Sony Ericsson’s leadership in Android and mobile gaming, the integration of Near Field Communication into our Android-based Xperia portfolio is another step in delivering the most entertaining smartphones,” said Jan Uddenfeldt, chief technology officer at Sony Ericsson.

“NFC offers our consumers the ability to broaden their communication experience beyond the phone, and we are poised to drive the development of new, exciting and creative entertainment experiences,” Jan added.

With Google including the Google Wallet service in Android operating system, it would not come as a surprise if more and more smartphone manufacturers, who were not considering NFC earlier, include the technology in their upcoming smartphones.

Videocon may launch a 7 inch tablet next month

Sandeep Budki
-
0

In a time when it is raining tablets, Videocon Mobile is planning to launch an based 7 inch tablet for Indian consumers.

“Videocon Mobile is currently testing a prototype of Android 2.3 based 7 inch tablet and may launch it in July,” sources familiar with the development told ‘The Mobile Indian’.

He further said that the company is planning to launch a 7 inch tablet because through a survey they have found out that it is most acceptable size of tablet in India.

Videocon Mobile had forayed into the Android market with the launch of Videocon Zeus smart phone last year.

Some of smart phones in Videocon mobiles’ kitty are V2950, V1750, V7500 and V1410.

Panasonic to launch toughened Android tablet

nilabh-jha
-
0

Panasonic is expanding its Toughbook range of ruggedised laptops with the addition of an Android-based tablet device. Dubbed the Toughbook tablet, the 10.1-inch tablet is not aimed at the retail market, but rather is geared towards the industrial and commercial sectors, where ruggedised laptop are traditionally used out in the field, or areas where traditional laptops or handsets are subject to tough environmental conditions.

According to Panasonic, the Toughbook is targeting “mission critical government personnel, highly mobile field forces, SMB’s looking for a competitive edge, security conscious IT managers and bottom-line focused CFOs.”

The tablet will come with a 10.1 inch XGA multi-touch display but it will not be a glossy one which we expect in consumer tablets. Rather, it will have a display that is clearly visible even in bright sunlight so that mobile workers, in markets like field service, home healthcare and public safety, can easily see critical data and operate the device regardless of lighting conditions.

Another pointer to its intended core market is the addition of an active stylus, which is traditionally used on industry handsets when signing for a package.

Other features of the device will be similar to Panasonic’s existing Toughbook portfolio – it will focus on reliability and durability, even in extreme operating environments.

Panasonic is also promising and full-shift battery life, coupled with “professional-grade accessories and optional embedded mobile connectivity”. Other details about the tablet are not yet available.

Panasonic will, however, be not alone in the space as recently Motion Computing, a USA based company, came out with a 10.1-inch CL900 tablet, designed to fulfil the needs of engineers, utilities workers, and the aviation and healthcare industries.

These devices, of course, present something of a challenge for IT managers, who have to mitigate the possible security risks. And keeping that in mind, Panasonic tablet will come with security embedded at the hardware as well as software level.

The tablet is expected to be launched in United States sometime in the fourth quarter of 2011.

Motorola Xoom WiFi now gets access to Google Movies

nilabh-jha
-
0

Google Movie service, which so far was available on 3.1 based tablets with and Android 2.2 running smartphones, has now been extended to the WiFi only Xoom tablets as well.

Google Movies has over 3,000 movie titles from Universal, Sony and Warner Bros that users can rent or purchase.

During the initial phase, in which only selected tablets got the service, seems to be an attempt by Google to test the service with a smaller audience before making it a large scale service. The testing seems to be over and so the service is making way to tablets like Xoom WiFi.

These movies are also available through YouTube for purchase and rental. The rental price starts at $1.99 (about Rs 90). Movies rented through Youtube can be watched on Android tablets and phones and vice-versa.

It will pose a big challenge to services like HTC Watch and Samsung Movies, titles of which can only be played on their own branded devices. For example, HTC Watch service only works on HTC devices and so does the Samsung services.

On the other hand, the Google Movie service will work across all the devices including on non Android devices (Youtube is available across all platforms). Moreover, they have much more titles compared to these OEMs (Samsung Movies has approximately 500 titles).

Angry Birds Mine and Dine update now available

rahul-gupta
-
0

Yesterday only we had reported about the new season of the Angry Birds game that is due for launch sometime this month. But even before that Rovio Mobile, the creators of the game, has announced the launch of a new update for the original game.

Called as the Angry Birds Mine and Dine, the new update is set underground with the backdrop of a mine where the pigs are hiding and the birds are all set to revenge them. The new update adds a total of 15 new levels to the existing game and a whole new definition of fun as well in the process. A couple of new Golden eggs have also been added to the levels for the players to find out and unlock bonus levels as well.

At present, the update is available for download only for the Apple and Google running devices. It is expected that Rovio Mobile will soon launch a similar update for other devices as well including the recently launched Windows Phone 7 mobile operating system.

The update is available free of cost and can be downloaded on to the device via the application store. Again, this is an optional upgrade and users who wish not to install can continue playing the Angry Birds game without any problems.

New Google Maps update brings Best Ever rating to places

samir-makwana
-
0

Google has come out with yet another update of its maps service. The updated Google Maps 5.6 will now let you view places with ‘Best Ever’ ratings and awards, received by the listed restaurants.

Google Places is a feature of Google Maps service that provides information to the user about different places like restaurant, bars, hotels, ATMs, gas stations and other necessary places. Google Places offers users to make a virtual ‘check-in’ at a place and also give a rating to it.

Using the location search data base and places’ listing, the Google Maps also details of places near to the user’s location. If a restaurant listed with Google Places has received an award, then it will be mentioned in its description when accessed from Google Maps.
Besides, Google Places will now let you give a Best Ever rating to your favourite place where you had most amazing and satisfactory experience.

Update your Google Maps application to version 5.6.0 from the Market or you can visit this link to download the update from web version of Android Market.

Facebook app for iPad to be released soon

samir-makwana
-
0

A Facebook application, specifically designed for the Apple iPad, is now reported to be in testing phase and due for release in coming weeks. The New York Times has reported that the Facebook chief executive officer Mark Zuckerberg has been “heavily invested” in the features and made necessary design decisions.

There has been no official Facebook App for iPad till date. People familiar with Facebook’s plans told NYT that the app has been under development since last year. After going through several iterations, the application is now under final testing phase.

The individual who’ve seen the Facebook app for iPad said that the photo and video experience offers full and full screen images.

The Apple iPad users are dependent on third party apps like Friendly, iFace to access Facebook on their devices. Even the web interface isn’t good enough for the avid Facebook users. Facebook intends to make up with the new Facebook App for iPad.

Apparently, the iPad 2 owners would be able to record and upload videos directly using the Facebook App.

If the Facebook App for iPad has taken over a year to develop then the design, features and user interface should be ground-breaking. Several users already have high expectations and only time will tell that whether the application will add another feather to Facebook’s hat.

Hot deals of the week

nilabh-jha
-
0
Hot deals of the week

Android phones are rapidly gaining in popularity, to the point where around 3.5 lakhs of them are being activated everyday. That means that phones represent a significant and ever-growing portion of the overall market. Here are some very popular Android handsets which have seen a step drop in their price in recent months.

LG Optimus 2X P990

LG Optimus 2X P990 is world’s first dual core smartphone with 1 GHz dual core Tegra 2 processor, Android 2.2 Froyo, full video play on 4.0 inch IPS screen, 8MP camera, Flash with full HD 1080p video recording capability, 1.3 MP front camera, HDMI, DLNA connectivity and A-GPS.

It has a smooth user interface and comes equipped with heavy multitasking features. You can play high graphic games with ease and watch full HD 1080p videos with no frame lag.

The seamless glass front, which houses a 4-inch WVGA display, is also home to four capacitive touch controls, a forward-facing camera and earpiece. The screen is respectable with good viewing angles, retains legibility under sunlight and is comparable to its contemporaries.

The price has dropped from close to Rs 30,000 to Rs 26,000. What’s more, letsbuy.com is also giving a Jabra headset worth Rs 1,200 free. The phone comes with 6.4GB of internal memory, plus you can add up to addition 32GB with a Micro SD card.

Dell Venue

The Dell Venue is another phone in the list which saw is prices dropping to Rs 22,399 (on Flipkart.com) from Rs 30,000, which is its official price tag. Similar price is also available on letsbuy.com.

It has a 4.1 inch AMOLED capacitive touch screen with 16 million colour display. The Corning Gorilla Glass, which is scratch resistant, is curved to enhance the visuals besides giving it greater strength and safety.

The monolith textured back hides fingerprints, scratches and smudges until you can clean it, camouflaging daily wear and improving grip on the phone.

It has an 8MP camera with a dedicated key, auto focus and 4x zoom. It has very good AV capability and is powered by Android 2.2 OS, supported by the powerful 1GHz QSD8250 Snapdragon chipset.

The Snapdragon integrates GPS, 3G, usual support, and memory support of upto 32 GB. Only thing that is missing in the phones is an HDMI slot. The 1400mAh battery powers the Dell Venue optimally to ensure that you do not have to find a charging point frequently while you travel.

Motorola Milestone

This one is probably the oldest phone in this list, in terms of its arrival in India. Motorola Milestone has Android 2.2 operating system and supports a range of multitasking options. It is also one of the thinnest sliders around.

The phone features a hi-resolution 3.7 inch capacitive touch screen display which supports the pinch-to-zoom functionality and features good hap-tic feedback.

Motorola Milestone has a 5MP camera with built-in flash. Its zoom and auto focus offers DVD-quality video recording at 24 fps. You can even drag/drop/sync your content and share them using the Motorola Media Link.

The device supports free access to the maps of 401 cities in India with voice guided street level navigation.

Connectivity options include 3G, WiFi, Bluetooth. However, the HDMI option is missing in the handset. The phone is currently selling for Rs 19,786 on both Flipkart.com. Letsbuy are slightly costlier at Rs 20,399.

Sony Ericsson Xperia X10

The Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 was the first Android smartphone from the Sony Ericsson stable. It comes with a 4 inch capacitive touchscreen display with 16 million colours and a of 854 x 480.

The X10 packs a great set of features including an 8 camera, DVD quality video recording, crisp 4″ screen, and a snappy Qualcomm Snapdragon 1GHz .

It comes with connectivity with 10.2 Mbps download speeds; WiFi and Bluetooth are also present.

The X10 comes with the Timescape app, which aggregates all the info from your friends and renders it an easy-to-access format replete with flashy animations and cool transition effects.

The phone sports the Infinity button, which lets you to pull out all the information about a contact just from a text message that they have sent. Pressing the Infinity button when a track is playing will dig up info on that artist, and let you see related tunes, pictures and videos, all with the swipe of a finger.

The Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 sports a whopping 8 megapixel camera, which lets you capture highly detailed and accurately colour toned pictures regardless of the light conditions. The phone supports smile detection, image stabilisation, face detection, macro mode, and will let you focus on objects just by touching the area of the screen where you want the camera to focus.

The handset supports multiple autofocus, a feature usually found in dedicated digital cameras. The X10 records in widescreen and supports 30 frames per second recording and comes with easy geo tagging and automatic face tagging.

The Sony Ericsson X10 is powered by a 1500mAh battery which holds well for up to 10 hours of continuous talking. Other features in the phone include Wi-Fi, A-GPS, accelerometer, compass, proximity sensor, Gmail, Google calendar, search and maps.

The price of the phone has come down drastically and is now available for Rs 18,000 on the shopping.indiatimes.com, letsbuy and flipkart are costlier with a price of Rs 21987.

Samsung Google Nexus S

This is the second iteration of Google phone, this time manufactured by Samsung (the first one ‘Nexus One’ was manufactured by HTC). Samsung Google Nexus S comes with a 4 inch Super Clear capacitive touchscreen display with a resolution of 480 x 800 pixels.

The Nexus S is powered by Android v2.3 Gingerbread OS, installed on ARM Cortex A8 1 GHz processor. The CPU is supported by 512 MB RAM, and 16 in-built memory.

The Samsung Google Nexus S uses a 1500 battery that powers 2G talktime services up to 14 hours and 3G talktime services up to 6 hours 40 minutes. The standby times for the Nexus S are up to 713 hours (2G) and 428 hours (3G). The usage time for the Nexus S battery is dependent on the number and the nature of applications running on the phone.

Google Nexus S has a 5MP camera camera with a LED Flash. Videos can be shot on the Nexus S camera with WVGA (800 x 400 pixels) resolution. Additionally the Google Nexus S has a front facing secondary camera for video calls and other live camera applications.

Connectivity options include GPRS, and 3G with HSDPA, 7.2 Mbps on HSUPA, 5.76 Mbps standards on 3G. Data connectivity include WiFi 802.11 b/g/n with DLNA support, Bluetooth v2.1 with support, and MicroUSB v2.0.

This phone is one bargain, which is hard to miss with a price of Rs 19,999 from both Letsbuy and Flipkart, especially since the original price of this recently launched phone was close to Rs 30,000.

BlackBerry’s future course correction

prasoon-kumar
-
0

Research In Motion, the makers of the BlackBerry, is probably working on new devices, according to a report.

“RIM’s biggest product news was that several BlackBerry 7 OS products would be rolling out at a ‘rapid succession’ near the end of the quarter. That includes both HSPA and CMDA-enabled devices hovering around the high-end and mid-tier product ranges,” a posting in Zdnet said.

The sales of BlackBerry phones have gone down now, and some existing BlackBerry owners have also said they’d rather switch to other smartphones. Despite what the company says, the cynics only look at things that are visible – and that is receding popularity of BlackBerry smartphones.

Its tablet, the PlayBook has sold better than expected but the shifted focus seems to taken a toll on the BlackBerry sales. The next big news, however, is the likely release of BlackBerry 7 operating system based products, such as BlackBerry Bold 9900.

The BlackBerry Bold 9900 is likely to be 10.5 mm thin which means it will be slimmer and sleeker than earlier BlackBerry smartphones.

It is likely to be along the lines of Bold 9000, which has 8GB memory, enhanced browsing, a built-in compass, video recording, fluid liquid graphics, and capabilities.

The company officials said that once the devices are out in the market, users would know “the wait was worth it”. The problem for RIM, however, is that it needs its latest smartphone lineup to fire, if they don’t it would be in big trouble.

In the existing problems, apps are a significant part of the problem. Number of apps, despite what the users think, is not the problem. Whatever apps are there on the BlackBerry platform, several users say they are not intuitive or easy to use. It’s an annoying experience to just open the apps, and scroll to the particular position, let alone using them.

BlackBerry might be great for business emails, but its apps expertise leaves a lot to be desired.

1...4,5654,5664,567...4,756Page 4,566 of 4,756

© 2024 All Rights Reserved. The Mobile Indian.