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Get breaking news on the move with Vodafone’s Local News Pack

The Mobile Indian Network
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Vodafone Essar has come up with local news service in Kolkata under which its users in the metropolitan city can now receive updates on top news headlines thrice a day.

“The Local News Pack provides news in the form of three voice calls giving the headlines from popular Bengali channel, Star Ananda,” said the teleco in a press release.

Priced at Rs 2 per day, both prepaid and postpaid customers can avail this service by dialing 5670310 or to 111/144.

Vodafone has also a news alert service, called Newswrap, which was launched sometime ago. The MMS based service which sends updates twice (Morning and Evening) in the form of a MMS, which contains Text and images.

The subject of the news could be Sports, National, International, Entertainment and Business. Vodafone plans to start and Voice and Video news alerts soon. The charges for this update is Re1 for a day, Rs 5 for a week, and Rs 20 for a month.

HTC Chacha debuts in India courtesy Tata Docomo

The Mobile Indian Network
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HTC Corporation today announced the launch of the HTC ChaCha smartphone in India in association with the Tata Docomo.

The sleek and feature-packed smartphone combines a 2.6-inch touch screen, which provides 480 x 320 resolutions, with a full keypad.

“Featuring a dedicated Facebook button and one-touch Facebook access, the HTC ChaCha aims to make it simpler and convenient for its users to share and connect through their favourite social networking site,” said Faisal Siddiqui, Country Manager, HTC India.

“We are extremely pleased to launch the HTC ChaCha in India with Tata Docomo, and are positive that this social smartphone will garner a favourable response from Indian mobile phone users,” he added.

HTC ChaCha supports a high speed HSPDA network, WiFi, Bluetooth, connectivity, a 3.5 mm audio jack, music player, video player, G sensor, digital compass, proximity and ambient light sensor and a 1250 battery. The HTC ChaCha comes with a 5-megapixel camera with auto focus and flash, and a front-facing camera.

The device is driven by 2.3 operating system, an 800 and the acclaimed HTC Sense user interface. The user interface has been tweaked for ChaCha for better Facebook integration like easy upload of pictures captured through the camera; a clock with a ticker stream of Facebook updates; and a calendar widget so you never miss your friends’ birthdays and events. You can also follow your special favourites and all their news with the Friend Stream widget.

Its Facebook Chat widget allows users to group their friends together, and notifies them if anyone comes online. It can also be used for live chats and for juggling between as many private conversations as the user wants.

Under the bundle offer, Tata Docomo prepaid customers can avail 3GB free data valid for a period of 90 days whereas 1GB free data is offered free each month to postpaid customers across all 3G circles valid for 90 days. All 3G customers will also get three hour of free Mobile TV that includes data access charges valid for 90 days.

While Tata Docomo 2G prepaid customers can avail 3GB free data and 300 Tata to Tata local calling valid for a period of 90 days whereas 1GB free data and 100 minutes Tata to Tata calling is offered free each month for 3 months to postpaid customers across all 2G circles.

The new HTC ChaCha will be available for Rs 15,990 at all authorized HTC resellers across the country.

Google Plus app for iPhone released

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Google has finally released the Google+ or Google Plus for Apple iPhone. This new Google Plus app is compatible with Apple iPhone running 4.0 and higher.

It is bit surprising as the app doesn’t include the support for iPod touch devices. At this moment, there’s no iPad specific Google Plus app but the users can use the service via web app. The iPhone 4/3GS/3G owners can download the Google+ app from the App Store or can visit here.

Google had already released the Google Plus App for devices on the same day when the social networking service was announced. The new Google Plus app is meant for and will work only with iPhone 3G, iPhone 3GS and iPhone 4 devices running iOS 4.0 or higher update.

The interface of the app is clean and very similar to its desktop version. The timeline appears like Facebook news feed or Twitter timeline with number of comments and the +1 clicks. The stream view needs to be pull down to refresh it and load new updates.

Google Plus App is also capable of click and upload feature which is similar to the one on the Android version of the app. Apparently the group chat Huddles is part of the same app on iOS instead of being a separate shortcut like for Android platform. Huddles also bring the Push Notifications where in user receives it every time anyone sends a message in Huddle.

Once Apple releases iOS 5.0 for all devices, the Google Plus app should ideally get an update to support the new notifications system. Hopefully that update would bring the Hangout option for the mobile devices or at least the iPad specific Google Plus should have the Hangout feature with a limit to add about 4-5 people at the same time. Also it will compete with the much rumored Facebook app for iPad.

Do note that the Google Plus social network is available only to users with age 18 and higher.

Do you read app permissions?

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While downloading an application from an store, such as Market, users have to permit it to do certain things before it can operate.

However, not all apps require permission and therefore it is vital for users to go through the list of permissions the app asks for. For example, if all an app does is provide wallpapers, but it wants access to the user’s personal information, there is no reason to permit it.

Most of the time, Google does a fairly good job of informing users how intrusive the apps on its store are. There are altogether 22 app permissions and Google issues a different warning for each, which is a good thing. The only problem is that most users don’t read the terms and conditions and just look for the ‘OK’ or ‘I Accept’ button. So, effectively, what happens is that users end up giving even those permissions they don’t want to provide.

At the same time, just because an app is asking for permission doesn’t mean it won’t do anything wrong once it is installed in the phone. Since Google is transparent about what each app is going to access it is time people started reading about the kind of permissions they are giving.

Google, on its part, can try to adopt a walled garden approach similar to Apple’s, which means it will have to scrutinise the apps that are asking for requisite permissions and those that are asking for unnecessary permissions, in order to protect users.

Whenever the existence of malicious apps on Android has been brought to Google’s notice, the company has taken prompt action, but its approach has been reactive, whereas Apple pro-actively tries to protect users.

If users understand what an app does and why it needs certain permissions they will make the right decisions.

Whenever granting permission costs money people will be interested in reading the fine print. They’d also like to know if the app will make calls. A service like Google Voice may need to make phone calls but a ringtone app doesn’t require any such leeway.

Facebook app might ask users for permission to keep a tab on their location but those people who don’t want to disclose this information should be able to disable the feature.

If you are in doubt about the permissions an app is asking for you could email the app’s developers who will respond if they have nothing to hide.

Best mobile phones for chatting and texts

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Best mobile phones for chatting and texts

Texting and chatting are two of the most frequently performed functions on a mobile phone, especially by young users. However, traditional alpha numeric mobile phones are not suitable for the purpose, and apparently not everyone (at least in India) is comfortable with touchscreen phones for texting either.

Hence, for audiences whose mobile phone usage involves heavy texting and chatting, we’ve shortlisted the best handsets that have keypads and are value for money devices. We’ve aimed to stay within a budget of Rs 15,000.

Although to stay in touch with friends you can always use cross-platform applications such as Whatsapp as we covered here,you might also like drafting emails or working on documents a bit and for that nothing comes close to a Qwerty keypad.

BlackBerry Curve 3G

Said to be one of the most purchased mid-range BlackBerry handsets, Curve features a comfortable Qwerty keypad. It is used intensively by BlackBerry Messenger addicts and supports WiFi, Bluetooth, and 3G. Besides the obvious BlackBerry Messenger, one can always use third party multi-login apps like Nimbuzz, Fring and others.

BlackBerry Curve 3G has touch sensitive trackpad navigation with ESC key on the right and menu key on the left. It features a full Qwerty keypad with backlighting. Curve 3G has a 320 x 240 pixel transmissive display. It comes in black, white and maroon or red body colours.

This handset is available for approximately Rs 14,000 in India and would be a good choice for those who want a comfortable keypad with backlight and a handset that supports secure email.

Nokia E5 & E6

Nokia E-series is aimed at business class users and boasts only enterprise features. However, both handsets come with neatly laid out Qwerty keypads along with a slew of other multimedia features to back them.

Nokia E5 comes in carbon black and chalk white, priced at approximately Rs 10,000. The Qwerty keypad on Nokia E5 is a bit better than the E71 and it has a 2.4 inch display with 320 x 240 pixel resolution. Nokia has packed a 5 camera in this Qwerty device.

The E5 is best if you are looking for a Nokia handset with Qwerty keypad, and 3G and WiFi connectivity. Of course the official Ovi Chat can be used for but you could also try options such as Nimbuzz, Fring, or eBuddy.

Nokia E6 deserves a special mention here for it rules over Nokia E72 and E71 with its touchscreen display and Symbian Anna operating system. Nokia E6 has a full Qwerty keypad and 2.46 inch display that supports 640 x 480 pixel resolution. So the font and multimedia appear crisp.

The new Symbian Anna update certainly brings in promising features like multi tasking, more homescreens, better fonts and a slew of other features. This business class handset is packed with an 8 megapixel camera at the back and a secondary front facing camera, so you can always look forward to the IM applications on it that support video chat. Nokia E6 supports 3G and WiFi (802.11 b/g/n) connectivity.

Motorola Charm vs Galaxy Pro

Android smartphones already have Google Talk integrated into them so there is no need to worry about hunting for a decent Gtalk client. With the flavour, Motorola Charm makes it to the list of best messaging phones for Android lovers looking for a solid Qwerty device under Rs 9,000.

Featuring a 2.8 inch touchscreen, Charm has a slightly blocky design and a rectangular keypad. This handset comes with a 600 processor, Android 2.1 Eclair, backtrack navigation pad and social network integration.

Its close competitor Samsung Galaxy Pro flaunts a 2.8 inch touchscreen display, an 800 MHz processor, Android 2.2 Froyo, Social Hub Premium and a TouchWiz 3.0 UI. This handset is available at a street price of Rs 10,000. For data network connectivity it offers GPRS, Edge, 3G and WiFi. It also has a mobile WiFi hotspot feature.

Both handsets promise a decent Android experience, at least on the Qwerty keypads. But of both, we would certainly recommend Galaxy Pro because it has a slightly better and longer talk time with a 1350 battery compared to the 1170 mAh battery in Charm. For those who are on a strict budget, Charm is recommended.

These are the best Qwerty chat phones with 3G support that cost more than Rs 9,000. For slider Qwerty lovers, Samsung Galaxy 551 is the only good option, and it is available at about Rs 11,000. Now let’s take a look at the good Qwerty handsets under Rs 6,000 and be ready to compromise with the lack of 3G connectivity.

Chat phones under Rs 5,500:

Nokia C3

Featuring a 2.4 inch display, the Nokia C3 supports WiFi but the somewhat sluggish Symbian S40 might be a bit annoying. If you are looking for a smartphone with a wide library of applications, though, Nokia C3 is your best bet.

Samsung Chat 355

With a sturdy design and body Samsung Chat 355 is capable of running Java based mobile chat applications such as Nimbuzz and Fring. It gets a special mention here due to its WiFi support and large battery pack promising talk time of 11 hours.

Available in black and white colours, the Samsung Chat 355 is a dual SIM handset, which is a bonus for that price. Apart from talking and texting your friends you won’t miss out on multimedia either since it has a built in music player and FM radio.

Nokia X2-01

Nokia X2-01 does a wonderful job for those looking for a no nonsense Qwerty handset under Rs 3,500. Sporting a full Qwerty keypad, the X2-01 runs Symbian S40 and comes loaded with Opera Mini mobile web browser. It’s a single SIM handset and uses a 1020 mAh battery that supports it for about 5 hours of talk time.

Symbian S40 offers a large number of chat applications that will let you explore and ping your friends. The low VGA camera can be bit of a downer though.

Micromax Q75

Closest to the Nokia X2-01 is the Micromax Q75, a super affordable Qwerty handset with decent build quality and a 1200 mAh battery pack. This handset comes with a Zenga mail client and the Snaptu social networking application that will keep you in touch with your friends.

Featuring a neat 2.4 inch QVGA resolution display the Q75 certainly feels comfortable. The dual GSM SIM Q75 promises talktime of up to 7 hours and if you use the WiFi it is expected to drop below that. Flaunting a decent 3.2 megapixel camera it is a good choice for someone seeking a Qwerty handset.

If you are still confused about Qwerty handsets under Rs 3,500, do refer to our special story here. It adds to this list.

Overclocking tablets?

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Overclocking, an instance of taking a computer component such as a and making it run at a higher capacity than is prescribed by the manufacturer, was once the prerogative of desktops only. Now, it is possible in the mobile world as well.

Tablets, which were consciously left untouched by the phenomenon, may soon have the overclocking feature, says Fudzilla. The website has reported that Nvidia’s graphics card partners may create a new market segment for overclocked tablets.

If it does happen, Tegra 2 processors from Nvidia can be bumped up from 1.2 GHz to 1.5 GHz, though users will still have to think about the effect it will have on the devices’ battery life.

Motorola Xoom was the first tablet with Honeycomb running on it, and it has reportedly been overclocked in the past, up to 1.7 GHz despite its fair share of problems in the market. For users it just means they have the option to boost its performance, if they are willing to void its warranty and drain the battery faster than ever.

Usually, companies underrate their components (such as processors) so that they can perform better than expected. Overclocking just takes advantage of this fact and runs the component at full capacity, or at higher capacity than what the manufacturer is willing to certify it for. But those who overclock the processor make sure these are capable of running at those speeds.

The main benefit of overclocking is better computing performance without any increase in costs. It’s not that there are no drawbacks to overclocking. The first is the warranty of the tablet or computer becomes void, and then the lifespan of the device is also reduced. The situation can get worse if overclocking is done improperly. So unless you are an expert computer technician you shouldn’t tamper with your device’s processor.

3G, 3.2 inch screen and slider phone for just Rs 5,999!

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3G, 3.2 inch screen and slider phone for just Rs 5,999!

Airtyme Communication, which also distributes Motorola XT800 and HTC Pulse CDMA phone, is going to launch two new phones under its own brand name in India.

The phones called Flaunt and Torrid will have 3.2 and 2.8 inch screens respectively with full slider keypad. They will have Java based touch operating system.

The Flaunt, which is a 3G phone (7.2 Mbps), will have 3.0 camera with Flash, Opera mini browser, stereo speaker and 3.5 mm Jack. Besides, it will play a wide variety of music and video files.

The of the phone is a 528 unit supported by 256 RAM, 1GB SDcard and will come with the package and external memory which can be expanded up to 32GB. Its battery is of 1250mAH unit.

Torrid, on the other hand, is a 2G phone with a smaller 2.8 inch screen coupled with a Qwerty slider. It has a ARM based and supports only 4GB of external memory support.

The Flaunt is priced at Rs 5,999, while the Torrid’s price has not been disclosed but will be substantially cheaper than the former. An Airtyme spokesperson confirmed to ‘The Mobile Indian’ that both the phones will be available from July 20.

Given the pricing and specification of the Flaunt it has the right ingredients to be a success. However, it will all depend on how well this phone really works and well the distribution is done.

The spokesperson of Airtyme also confirmed that there will be couple of phones also coming under its brand name in September, although plans has not been finalised as of yet.

Maxx to launch two phones with noise cancellation tech

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Maxx Mobile is going to introduce two new phones, one in bar and other in design, which will be part of a new range of handset series called “Khamoshhhh”.

These phones will use noise cancellation technology to mute all background sound so that user can only hear the callers or called persons voice and not the surrounding noise.

Revealing this to ‘The Mobile Indian’, a Maxx spokesperson said, “We will wait for the user response, if there is a demand we will bring in more phone with this feature”.

Maxx mobile is calling this SAM technology. The phones are otherwise normal feature phones with 2.0 and 3.0 camera, 2.4 inch screen (in Qwerty design). Other specifications will be known once the phones are launched on Wednesday. The price is expected to be between Rs 3,000 to Rs 4,000.

Nokia Maps gets another update

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Nokia Maps gets another update

Nokia has announced the beta launch of the new Nokia Maps for Symbian S60+ devices only. With this upgrade, the Nokia Maps for Symbian upgrades to version 3.08.

The new update primarily focuses on changing the approach and in turn the usability of the Nokia Maps. As opposed to a singular approach, Nokia Maps now follow a subject based approach and users will need to choose the usage right from the opening screen of the application whether they want to drive, walk or want the use the Nokia Maps for general browsing only.

Along with this, the Nokia Maps has also gone through a complete overhaul from the design department as well. Based on the Symbian Anna colour and style theme, the new Nokia Maps offer bigger buttons and a classy black theme as well.

One of the top features of the new Nokia Maps is the based map availability. Users can simply point their browser to ‘m.maps.ovi.com’ and make use of the web based navigation on any phone supporting data connectivity.

Nokia is also in the process of making maps as drive oriented as possible. Users will be able to get driving instructions between points as earlier plus they can also select any point as the destination and get simple drive to instructions. With fellow Nokia smartphone users, the Nokia Maps users will now be able to choose ‘drive to contact’ feature as well. Nokia Maps’ users can select their contact as their destination and get driving directions right from the Nokia Maps.

In countries like Germany, France, US, UK and Russia, however, Nokia Maps is offering real time traffic information as well, which will be a big step towards advanced navigation. But other countries will have to wait for some more time as Nokia plans to bring this feature to other countries soon.

Nokia Symbian users can straight away head to the Nokia Beta labs and try the new Nokia Maps on the Symbian devices including Nokia N8, Nokia C6-01, Nokia C7-00, Nokia E7-00, Nokia E6-00, and Nokia X 7-00 running the Symbian Anna. Rest all users can make use of the web based interface.

Gujarati dictionary, encyclopaedia soon on mobile

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Bhagwad Gomandal, which is a rich source of information on Gujarati, will soon be available through a mobile application. Arnion Technologies, the group developing the application, has already put online the Bhagawat Gomandal (Gujarati encyclopaedia) and the Gujarati Lexicon, a language compendium that has scores of tools like translator and thesaurus.

The group plans to make it available across various mobile platforms, including the very basic phone with facility, in the form of an application in the next three months.

Kunal Shah, business development manager of Arnion Technologies, told The Mobile Indian: “The application will not have the data base, it will fetch the data from our servers on request, this has been done to ensure that the application is light so that it can be installed even in low cost phones with basic GPRS facility”.

He added, “It is a not for profit venture, so the user will not have to pay anything to download or use the application apart from the data charges”.

The application which will launched in the next 90 days will be available for Android, Blackberry, Symbian, and Java based phones thorough various application stores like Market and OVI Store.

Features like Gujarati dictionaries, proverbs, and idioms will be available on the application without any charge. One can solve Gujarati crosswords, take quick quizzes and play games on all new-age smart phones.

Bhagwad Gomandal, itself has one of the largest dictionary and encyclopaedia for Gujarati language with 2.81 lakh words, 8.22 lakh meanings, spread in 9,200 pages.

The Gujarati Lexicon team is working on other interesting projects as well. After digitising Gujarat Vidyapith’s Sarth dictionary and Bhagwad Gomandal, Gujarati Lexicon presented Lok Kosh – a dictionary recording popular words in current usage. The team is also working on specialised dictionaries for medical and legal disciplines.

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