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Notion Ink updates Adam; to launch Adam 2 in December

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Notion Ink, an Indian tablet startup, is planning to launch a successor to its tablet, Adam, during the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in January 2012.

In an interview with Light Reading, Rohan Shravan, chief executive officer of Notion Ink, said, “This December you should see Adam 2 if everything goes fine. We love CES.”

In the meantime Notion Ink is also giving a facelift to its existing tablet in the form of updates and add ons. Adam has been upgraded to 2.3 Gingerbread and a Kindle ebook reader, a new multi-tasking environment, and simple video and music players have been added to it.

Existing Adam owners can get the updates over the air. Adam tablet can be bought online for Rs 25,000 for a version; and Rs 21,000 for a WiFi version.

Apart from that if you want to purchase a PixelQi version, which has a screen that offers sunlight readability and low power consumption, you need to pay Rs 4,000 in addition to the price of a 3G or WiFi device.

The tablet, which received rave reviews when it was launched during this year’s CES, has also had its share of bad press with many users complaining about the quality and lack of customer support. Rohan Shravan has responded that improvements will be made and consumer complaints will be addressed.

Some of the unique features of the tablet include support for up to 128 of external storage through a combination of full size USB, MicroSD and SD card slot. The device runs on a dual core processor, can swivel by185 degrees, has a 3.2 camera, and has an HDMI port for connecting it to a TV. It also supports Flash. Adam tablet’s user interface is said to be unique, and so is its design, which looks like the Sony S1, but preceded it.

Getit Yellow Pages working on smartphone app

rahul-gupta
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Getit Yellow Pages working on smartphone app

Getit, one of the players in the yellow pages domain, plans to take its service to the next level. It already had presence in B and C class cities. It has now also entered A class cities.

The company plans to soon develop a smartphone as well. “Applications specifically designed for smartphones providing comprehensive search through the yellow pages directory is one of the things in store for users of yellow pages in India. Along with that smartphones that are enabled can also be used to guide customers by giving them directions,” said Siddharth Gupta, chief executive officer of Getit Infoservices.

It’s not just the smartphone domain that Getit is planning to tap; social media is another resource that can be used in order to provide personalised services to users.

Siddharth Gupta further said, “Social media is very relevant because it allows people to share experiences and, in sometimes intended and sometimes unintended ways, help each other as a larger community. At Getit we understand the power of social and all of our key products and services have been built, and will be built, to facilitate this interaction and enable us to connect within our user groups and their networks.”

Recently, Getit Yellow Pages adopted a call based model that includes information exchange over the phone. This service can be accessed by calling 44444444 from any phone. Getit yellow pages offers directory listings in nine categories from automobiles to daily use items, and this information will be offered via voice and SMS. Getit is offing its services through a site and an application for basic or feature phones as well.

A sliding tablet from Acer later this year

prasoon-kumar
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It appears that Acer is going to unveil a sliding tablet later this year. The news report has reached us courtesy Digitimes, which has its sources in the Acer supply chain. Not much is known about the device as yet, but it is reported to have a 10 inch screen. It is expected to run on an ARM based and the supplier making these would be Compal Electronics. The number of shipments is likely to be on the lower side.

It is believed that Acer’s sliding tablet will run on 3.1 Honeycomb. Another informed guess about the tablet is that its moving parts will not live long, so it is advised that users take extra care of their device.

BlackBerry apps to be more social with BlackBerry Messenger (BBM)

prasoon-kumar
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According to an announcement from Research In Motion, developers will now be able to integrate BlackBerry Messenger into their apps as the company has released the BlackBerry Messenger Social platform SDK (software development kit) 1.0 for BlackBerry Java final version. Users can now expect a new class of apps which will make better use of BlackBerry Messenger’s social interaction features.

BlackBerry Messenger is already used by 45 million people across the world and the platform is adding two million users every month. Irrespective of what apps are built &#151multimedia, gaming, location-based services (LBS), VOIP, video, or commerce &#151 users can chat with others, and can share updates with their contacts in real time. The new social interactions may include getting invitations from people who are not currently on the contact lists of users.

The company has been working on BBM Social since September, with which people will be able to group chat, transfer files, share apps with their contacts, and make changes to their BlackBerry Messenger profile. There have been unconfirmed reports of it being available on and platform as well, but this remains a rumour so far.

There are huge communities built around BlackBerry Messenger alone, and it appears to be a good move from Research In Motion to let BBM be integrated into apps. The lack of connectivity with other chat application platforms is still a problem, though this too is likely to be addressed soon.

Facebook application for Android gets update

rahul-gupta
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While Facebook application for the iPad is still on its way, the Facebook application for the devices has received yet another update. With the new update, devices running on Android version 1.5 and above will get a host of new features.

The list of improvements for the new updates although small but is big in terms of usability. The update will add the ability to view pages right on the device from within the application. Most importantly, the application will now also allow the Android device users to directly upload videos on to Facebook.

The News feed has also been tweaked a little that promises faster refresh times and some visual tweaks. However, the comment liking feature is still somewhat missing in action and we are hopeful that it will be added in the next update.

The video upload feature adds the functionality to add or upload videos right from the Android device on to the Facebook account. The videos need not be recorded with the application running and videos that are stored in the device can be uploaded through this feature.

Users can directly search the application in the Android marketplace to get the update.

Opera Mini, Mobile web browsers get AutoComplete support

The Mobile Indian Network
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Opera has rolled out updated versions of Opera Mini 6.1 and Opera Mobile 11.1 mobile web browsers for majority of modern mobile platforms. These updated versions of Opera Mini and Opera Mobile bring AutoComplete and Google Voice search support. After installing the new versions on the mobile phones, users will get more search suggestions from Google and Yandex services. Visit the m.opera.com from your mobile’s and download the respective version.

The functionality gap between mobile web browser and web browser for desktops is getting smaller. Opera Mini and Opera Mobile has played significant role in making mobile web browsing a tad easier experience.

New versions of the Opera Mini and Opera Mobile bring desktop-like features such as AutoComplete, searching from address bar, better CSS and HTML5 support, Google Voice search support and even domain autocomplete option for several popular domains.

Both mobile web browsers are meant for same purpose but support different platforms. For instance, Opera Mini 6.1 uses a specific data compression technology that enables faster page loads on the mobile devices running Java, Symbian S60, iOS, and BlackBerry platforms. It’s shows a mobile web version of a full-fledged website.

The Opera Mobile is a fully functional mobile web browser that supports HTML5 and also data compression technology. Opera Mobile is meant for smartphones and tablets that run Android, Symbian S60, and MeeGo platform based devices.

Opera Mini and Opera Mobile support number of Indian languages and there by continue to remain popular amongst people speaking and using different languages.

Skype for Android gets video calling feature

samir-makwana
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Skype, a popular voice over service, has released an App update that enables video calling over WiFi and networks. This is a big feature for Android smartphone owners. At this moment, two-way video calling is available only on select devices. These are HTC Desire S, Sony Ericsson Xperia neo, Sony Ericsson Xperia pro and Google Nexus S.

Skype has started offering video calling recently, but it was initially limited to only desktops, Macs and the iPhone. Now users get to download the updated Skype app to make video calls on iPhones, Macs, Windows, Android phones and TVs. Video calling is free but you have to pay for data charges while calling over 3G.

This means two-way video calling for Android phones will soon be a reality for those smartphones that have a front facing camera. Currently the app supports only four handsets and Skype hasn’t given out a word on when support for more devices will be added.

Two-way video calling is indeed a much anticipated feature on Android smartphones since several iPhone 4, iPod touch fourth generation, Mac and Window users enjoy video calling for free. To compete with Apple’s FaceTime feature, Skype has actively worked to enable the same feature for Android handsets and perhaps future BlackBerry devices with front facing cameras can avail it to.

Apart from that the new Skype for Android app boasts a better user interface. Skype for Android can be downloaded from Android Market or from this link.

Facebook app for Windows Phones gets Push notifications

samir-makwana
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A new Facebook application has been released for the Windows Phone devices. It has now brought the much sought after Push notifications feature to the WP7 devices. The update has begun rolling out to select users who are registered with Microsoft.

Microsoft had promised Push Notifications mechanism with the much awaited the Mango update for Windows Phone 7 based smartphones.

Facebook addicts are the ones who wanted to make the best of Push Notifications and stay updated with the movements and posts of their friends. With the new Facebook Windows Phone v2.0, users have the option to choose from No Push Notifications, Toasts and Tile count, and Tile count only options.

The heavily anticipated Facebook Chat feature is expected to come post the Mango update.
To get the new Facebook for Windows Phone app, you will have to visit the Marketplace on your phone and download the new update.

Early reviews for HP TouchPad

prasoon-kumar
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HP TouchPad has recently made its debut in the market with lot of hype and hoopla, so expectations will naturally be there. Some see it as the challenger to the iPad 2 and others described it as part of a chain of products coming from HP, and the TouchPad is just the beginning.

With Flash support, an elegant interface, and a dual core processor, the TouchPad looks as a worthy opponent of the Apple iPad 2. In the case of Apple device, the hardware and software work really well together, which is doubtful here.

TouchPad has a nice interface, with good multitasking capabilities. Users just have to hit the home button to minimise the apps and to go to the home screen. As an alternative, they can also swipe up any screen to minimise working apps, and stack related apps together by pressing on one side of the screen. The method of notification is also user friendly; the messages drop down from the top right corner.

The HP TouchPad also comes armed with Beats Audio to improve the sound quality of the tablet. The positioning of speakers on the left side of the tablet is also innovative, as the audio can be heard from a distance as well.

At the top of the home screen there is just type bar as well, which enables users to search anything from Google, to Wikipedia to Maps or even apps. Whatever is typed there can be easily converted into a Facebook message, calendar event or just a new message &#151 users will have to look for this option by scrolling down. One big plus for the HP TouchPad is there are no sites that come with dead ends, since the tablet supports Flash too.

HP decided to develop its own Facebook app, in which users can see their friends in a nice grid view. The company has also worked with Skype so the users can make video calls through it as well.

There are many things that HP got right the first time itself, such as managing apps like a stack of cards, but then it doesn’t provide shortcut for double space for period.

On the tablet, a website, CrunchGear, says, “The TouchPad performance leaves a lot to be desired when under pressure. Even when performing standard tasks, the TouchPad gets bogged down. When users are browsing images, the user interface slows down and responds to the tap after some time, and viewing photos is critical for a tablet. While the site looks impressed with the software, the lack of apps for TouchPad may end up tilting the scales against it.

Watching video on all handsets to be a reality soon

prasoon-kumar
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Google has come out with a tool that can convert Flash files into HTML5 files so the users can view the later on all types of mobile devices, including devices.

The tool, which is named Swiffy, thus would enable the user to watch videos on his handset irrespective of the fact that whether his device supports Flash or not.

Notably, Apple had decided to keep Adobe Flash out of iPad and other iOS devices, which rendered the users of such devices helpless when it comes to Flash content &#151some time they has to resort to workarounds to view the Flash files.

Google, on the other hand, has been very vocal about its love for Flash, but they are not against HTML5 either. Now the good news is that, with the help of Swiffy, developers can make apps which will address this problem.

The process to use Swiffy is quite easy for developers as well as for common mobile phone users – they just need to visit Swiffy’s website and have to check the box saying they are not uploading a file which violates a copyright, and then upload their file.

The FAQ page of the Swiffy site says, “Swiffy supports many common SWF features such as vector graphics, embedded fonts, images and timeline animation. Basic ActionScript 2.0 code is also supported, but don’t expect to convert your favorite Flash game yet. In general, Swiffy supports most of the features in Flash 5, so exporting your file as a Flash 5 will give the best results. The Swiffy compiler will warn you when unsupported SWF features are encountered.”

There is a tool with Adobe as well which converts Flash files into HTML and is called Wallaby. Wallaby is different from Swiffy because the latter is just a web based tool.

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