In record breaking sales figures Samsung Galaxy SII reached the magical one million mark within only a month of its launch. Its previous version, the Samsung Galaxy S had reached the same figure in 70 days.

The Android handset, which runs on a dual core system on a chip (SOC), hit Korean stores in April and received a rousing welcome perhaps for its good hardware.

The phone has an improved Super AMOLED (Active-matrix organic light-emitting diode) screen which is 4.3 inch large. It ensures that colours don’t appear saturated and that images remain sharp.

Also, Galaxy SII’s TouchWiz interface proved to be a critical factor which attracted users to the stores.

Although the initial data is only from Korea, Samsung Galaxy SII is also expected to sell in good numbers in Europe and other key markets of the world.

Users will only have problems with the back plastic cover, which seems almost to be a Samsung tradition.

A huge plus of the device is that users can see missed calls or SMSs without even unlocking the screen. Performance-wise there doesn’t seem to be a lag in response, which is extremely smooth to say the least. The dual core Processor shows its power very clearly when users launch an app. Pinch to zoom works well on Flash videos too, and the feature performance is among the best on all phones.

Samsung Galaxy SII has an improved GPS (Global Positioning System) feature, which connects with the satellite quickly and remains connected &#151 better than before. Battery life is also good, though when the phone is used on 3G networks in India, users may expect battery life to be slightly less.

Popular video game emulators like the Nesoid, Snesoid, Gensoid, Ataroid and many others have reportedly been removed from Android Market by Google.

Google had in the past also removed a few emulators from the marketplace following a complaint by game and device manufacturer Sega.

Emulators are programmes that imitate the working of a device, such as a gaming console. These are very popular because through them users can play popular console games, which don’t otherwise work on PCs and smartphones.

The ban could be due to allegations of copyright violation and piracy. Although these are legitimate programs and are written by independent developers, they still result in the illegal copying of otherwise copyrighted games owned by companies like Sega.

As of now Google has deleted all similar applications from its marketplace and has disabled the developers’ accounts as well. Following this case there is a huge possibility that other third party application stores might do the same with similar programs, but the question is: Will the companies provide a solution for people to play classic games that they used to play through these emulators or will they just become like memories of the past.

Google has announced yet another update for its Maps service which enables easier check in and rating of places. Google Places is a service in which users can access Google Maps to find out information about a particular place or places near them.

The new Google Maps 5.5 allow users to get one touch access to check in and rating the place in Google places with up to 5 star rating.

The location history database, which was added to the Google latitude check in sometime back, has also been improved. Also included in the history dashboard are buttons that allows users to quickly change their office and home location with just a single touch.

Users can update the Google Maps application on their Android powered device to 5.5 directly by visiting the Android marketplace from the device or alternatively they can also click here to do the same.

The Apple iPhone 4, which is being regarded as the most unique device, is not capable of making video calls over a 3G mobile network despite being a 4th generation smartphone.

Users in India can make video calls using WiFi networks, but not over 3G as the application which enables the service is locked by Apple.

The Apple spokesperson in India said, “FaceTime, the application that allows video calling on the Apple iPhone 4, is a closed user application that allows people having iPhone or compatible Apple hardware like the iPad 2 and forth generation iPod touch running FaceTime application to have video calling.”

“3G cannot be used to make these video calls; only WiFi data is supported by the application. The application allows seamless connectivity between other Apple products though,” he added.

iPhone 4 nevertheless has all the necessary hardware, including a front facing camera and 3G capable quad Frequency network band, to allow 3G video calling over the mobile network.

Many applications like Frring, Tango me and Oovoo can be used as third party solutions to curb this problem of calling over 3G mobile networks.

Along with that, these applications offer both free and paid services and allow cross platform compatibility as well, which means that an iPhone 4 user can call another iPhone, or even another operating system that supports these third party applications.

There were some issues related to video calling with Frring but with the new update for the iPhone 4, Frring users on iPhone 4 get to make better quality video calls.

ASUS has launched what it calls a PadPhone at the ongoing COMPUTEX 2011 convention in Taipei, Taiwan. The device involves a pair wherein an Android smartphone docks at the back of an Android tablet.

The ASUS smartphone has a 4 inch display and is expected to run Android 2.3 Gingerbread.

ASUS PadPhone’s Android tablet sports a 10 inch display capable of 1280×800 Pixel Resolution and runs Android 3.0 Honeycomb operating system. It has a special compartment at the back for docking the smartphone. When docked, the smartphone gets charged through the tablet’s larger battery.

The compartment’s lid has a small slot to expose the smartphone’s camera when it is docked. The tablet doesn’t have a camera at its back and is dependent on the smartphone for imaging. However, ASUS has put a front facing camera on the tablet.

When someone calls the smartphone, the user can remove it from the tablet’s hind or use a Bluetooth handsfree to respond. The smartphone shares the 3G data connection with the tablet, hence both can make use of the same SIM card for 3G connectivity.

Known for its ‘cost-effective and affordable’ philosophy, ASUS has clubbed the tablet and the smartphone together so that both devices can use a common 3G data connection. The devices are expected to sync seamlessly with each other because they both use Android OS.. Usually, tablets are capable of using a tethered 3G connection.

The concept is indeed interesting but has a couple of pitfalls too. For instance, the phone needs to be docked at the tablet’s back for using the camera, and for the incoming phone call one has to remove the smartphone from the tablet. ASUS hasn’t revealed detailed technical specifications of the devices though we can expect them in the coming months.

MAXX Mobiles, an Indian handset maker, has launched three new mobile phones that deliver extended battery life at affordable prices: MAXX Hexa (MX155), MAXX Rave (MX182) and MAXX Buzz (MX188).

Stressing on the need for prolonged battery life, Ajjay Agarwal, chairman and managing director, MAXX Group, stated, “In a vast country like India, people spend many hours using their mobile phones but seldom find time to charge it. Anticipating the need for longer battery life, we created three such handsets. Now, even in places where consumers face discontinued electrical supply, they can enjoy the benefits of extended talk-time and standby time.”

MAXX Hexa is bundled with an 1800mAh battery which, according to the company, ensures talk-time of up to 6.5 hours and Standby time of up to 600 hours. Priced at about Rs 1,600, this dual SIM handset has a unique hexagon shaped navigation key. Besides expandable memory of 2GB, the handset also offers an FM radio, audio and video player, sound recorder and melody composer. The WAP enabled model supports Bluetooth data connectivity.

MAXX Rave bar phone offers up to 6.5 hours of talk-time and up to 650 hours of standby time with 1900mAh battery capacity. With memory expandable up to 4GB with a microSD card, the 1.3 mega pixel MAXX mobile phone is integrated with multiple features like dual torch, dual SIM/dual standby, sound recorder, MP3, 3GPP and MP4 player, video recorder, e book reader and more.

For those who want music on their phone this device also comes with 20 mm speakers. MAXX Rave is priced at nearly Rs 1,900.

Packed with an 1800mAh battery, MAXX Buzz provides talk-time of up to 6.5 hours and standby time of up to 600 hours. The handset costs about Rs 2,100 and comes free with a 2GB memory card.

This dual SIM and dual standby handset also features an MP3 and MP4 player, and wireless FM radio. It has a 1.3 mega pixel camera, expandable Micro USB storage capacity of 4GB, and built in privacy protection.

Wynncom has come out with a range of phones under the Wynncom OGO label, which it said “deliver all that the smart phones do and more”.

The phones, named as O 77 Konnect and O 78 Touch, are EDGE enabled dual SIM phones.

These new Wynncom OGO phones are powered with Synchronica UK’s Mobile Gateway Messaging services. This enables the handsets to support features like realtime Push Email, Instant Messaging, Social Networking Services with support of Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter accounts; and access to thousands of Indian and International news, sporting and entertainment web feeds.

These devices also support Microsoft Exchange Servers, Lotus domino, Sun Java suites and practically all POP3 and IMAP 4 accounts. Wynncom hosts this service in India to support the above services, and to provide Wynncom OGO customers with a tremendous user experience.

The Wynncom OGO- O 77 is a sleek QWERTY handset available in three colours &#151 Red, White and Steel Grey, while O 78 is a touch screen phone available in red and yellow colours.

Both the devices come with widget menus, optical track pad for smooth navigation and hordes of other high end features like 3MP camera, big displays, Bluetooth, Gsenor, JAVA, 2000X6 field phonebook, 1000 SMS , expandable memory, video players with RMVB support to watch movies seamlessly, MP3 player, FM Radio, expandable memory up to 8GB, Snaptu, and Opera Mini 5.0.

Speaking on the launch occasion Arvind Vohra, co-founder and managing director, Wynn Telecom stated, “Staying connected professionally and personally is key & a necessity for todays’ youth. Social networking has taken a different dimension all together not only globally but in India too & these devices have been specially designed keeping in mind this need – everything is made available with a push and instantly. That’s not all, we have made the devices affordable not only to buy but for the consumer to use for the next one year, you can say for LIFE, by making internet downloads , push mail , instant messaging all practically free.”

The Wynncom O 77 and O 78 are available across India at select stores and priced at Rs 4,499 and Rs 4,999 respectively.