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Top 5 Symbian apps for kids

Kids love to play with cellphones even though they have no intention of talking to others. They love to just hold and explore mobiles. Very soon, though, they get bored and start creating problems for other people.

But with your Symbian smartphone, you can engage your kids in a creative and learning activity with applications that entertain them and also help them learn something new.

From the vast number of applications available on the Ovi store, we have selected five top applications that are also free of cost.

Coloring Book Lite

Bring the hidden artist in your child out with this free application. The Coloring Book is a simple and easy to use program that allows kids to choose colours and paint with their figures on the screen.

With different figures and characters such as dogs and cats, this application is sure to be liked by your little ones and will keep them glued to one place.

Nature Word free

This game is the mobile version of a very popular game called Search the Word. It comprises of a grid made of the alphabet and children need to find hidden words. This game is not just entertaining, it also helps your child learn new words.

Nature Word contains over 25 different categories of words of animals, trees, flowers, reptiles, oceans and seas. Along with this, it features three different board sizes and three levels of difficulty, so even adults can brush up their vocabulary.

Spot the Difference

Do you remember the Spot the Difference game in newspapers? Like that game, this mobile application displays two similar images with some differences which need to be identified Spot the Difference not pnly improves kids’ observation, it boosts memory as well.

Memory

In this, the player is required to remember where he/she saw a similar card. If he is able to match the two, a score is awarded otherwise points get deducted for wrong matches.

This game also comes with a child lock feature which locks the device so that while playing, children won’t get into other functions by accidentally pressing a key.

Kids Count

If your child does not like maths, this is the right app for him. The Kids Count application is a brilliant effort at making mathematics entertaining. Kids are given a simple equation or mathematical solution in the first line and they have to replicate it in the third line in a different way.

Why you should recycle your handset

With mobile technology changing at a much faster pace, the average lifespan of a mobile phone has come down to a year or so. Some even consider changing their handsets within a year!

Considering that India alone has about 700 million mobile users, the total e-waste generated from these junk handsets turns out to be huge.

A report released by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) in February last year stated that the total e-waste generated in India is about 4.3 lakh tonnes, of which mobile phones contribute about 1,700 tonnes.

E-waste based on the obsolescence rate (rate at which electronic products become obsolete) in India is expected to exceed 8 lakh tonnes per annum by 2012. Mobile phones constitute a major component of this waste.

Not surprisingly, WWF India says that by recycling our phone we will be able to save 240,000 tonnes of raw material per year.

Most people in India keep phones lying unused at their homes or sell them to the local scrap man. At some places in Delhi, printed circuit boards (PCBs) of mobile phones are sold to scrap dealers for as low as Rs 6 per piece. And it’s not just PCBs; almost all parts of a phone are up for sale. Batteries and fibre bodies are sold by the dozen. These are then burnt, usually in slum areas, in the open air. What remains are a few grams of copper and other metals. This process does irreparable damage to the environment and to the health of people inhaling the toxic fumes these materials produce.

Cellphones contain many different substances that are toxic and potentially hazardous to the environment and health. These include ferrous and non-ferrous metals, lead, magnesium, copper, mercury, plastics, glass, liquid crystals, barium, concrete, ceramics, rubber, arsenic etc.

Hence, it becomes crucial that m-waste is disposed of in a proper manner. Also, after recycling, the materials obtained can be used to make useful items such as utensils and benches. In fact, metals extracted from e-waste are resold in the commodity market by recycling agencies not only in India but worldwide.

But have you ever wondered what happens to the phone at it goes through a proper recycling programme?

There are several myths associated with mobile phone recycling, which actually hold people back from participating in it.

Some believe that handset makers take out old parts and use them in new phones to reduce manufacturing cost, but the truth is that a phone is recycled for the materials of which it is made.

Mobile phones are made of materials like plastic and metal. These are extracted and then used to make new device parts.

Almost 80 per cent of a cellphone can be recycled and the material obtained can then be used to manufacture parts for a new handset, and also for making things like car bumpers and traffic cones. Apart from that, the glass, metals and plastics are fully recyclable.

Today, almost all major handset manufacturers such as Samsung, Nokia, Apple, and LG, run mobile phone recycling programmes.

Nokia phones are adjudged the greenest due to its recycling facilities.

Recycling not only helps preserve the environment, it also reduces the cost of new devices. A steady infusion of raw materials in the market makes these materials cheap and readily available to manufacturers.

Recycling is not just the manufacturer’s responsibility; and it cannot be imposed on the government. Recycling is something which is everyone’s responsibility and each one should actively participate in it.

Govt mulls stiffer penalty for obscene MMS

Sending obscene MMSs from your mobile could land you with a fine as the government is mulling stricter penalties for such offences, according to a media report.

“The Indecent Representation of Women (Prohibition) Amendment Bill, mooted by the women and child development ministry, will make objectionable representation of women unlawful. The first conviction will attract a fine of Rs 50,000, up from Rs 2,000, and a jail term of up to three years. The term will be raised to a maximum of five years for the second and subsequent conviction and then hiked from Rs 50,000 to Rs 5 lakh,” the report on the website of Times of India read.

Apart from MMSs, indecent representation of women in audio and visual material, including pornography on the internet, advertisements, and any other publications will be in the list.

The proposed legislation has been circulated to ministries for their opinions and is likely to be taken up by the Union Cabinet soon.

Recently, Jawaharlal Nehru University in Delhi was rocked by an MMS scandal involving students.

How many app stores do we need?

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Can you count the number of stores in the market? Apple and Google have their own, then there is GetJar, Nokia Ovi, BlackBerry, and now Opera and Amazon are to launch their own app stores.

Furthermore, telecom service providers such as Airtel, Aircel, Idea Cellular, Reliance and BSNL in India have their own app stores too.

The surfeit of app stores seems inspired by the humungous success of the iPhone App Store, and all the new entrants in the field want to copy the idea. iPhone App Store is available right from the phone screen, and can also be accessed from a desktop via iTunes.

The huge increase in app stores is due to the fact that developers these days need not negotiate with carriers to get their app to the market, which used to be the case earlier.

People are also increasingly getting used to the idea of downloading apps and content.

A benefit of this competition is that prices of apps may go down in future. Also, developers will have to come up with more innovative applications to woo customers.

At the same time, too many choices may make things complicated for users. If they have bought apps from several app stores, they may have to check for updates on different sources.

For example, applications for devices are now available from a number of places, which confuses users.

Most people want MP3 player in their handsets: Survey

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99 per cent of the mobile phone users are aware of Nokia when it comes to mobile phones and devices. Following closely in terms of overall recall value are Indian brands like Micromax and Spice which have created a recall due to their innovations in the mobile phone space, according to survey.

The survey, conducted by CMR (Cyber Media Research), says that in the mobile phone market the trends are changing and that too at a faster pace.

The survey has found that the mobile phone users now don’t consider touchscreen and keypads as to must have features.

“Launch of mobile handset models with innovative features by new and emerging vendors has changed the mindset of the Indian consumers. The two most used features on a daily basis were Player (60 per cent) and FM Radio (48 per cent). Experience with Qwerty Keypad or Touchscreen is no longer on top of a buyer’s wishlist, as these are now available in basic feature phones,” says Suman Dutta, head analyst, consumer research, CMR India.

The mobile phone users in India today are more feature conscious rather than brands thereby opening up new venues for emerging players to cash in the opportunity.

“Emerging mobile handset players, with their highly innovative features, have been able to influence the buying decision of first time buyers, especially the youth and blue collar executives,” said Anirban Banerjee, associate vice president, research and consulting, CMR India.

Emerging players are trying and tapping buyers in large numbers and in turn giving tough competition to established brands. The reason behind it is not just the innovation or the value add these brands are giving but after sales service is a critical element in making a buying decision.

In the survey consumers rated durability (35 per cent) as the most important factor while buying a mobile handset, followed by brand preference (29 per cent) and service and support quality (20 per cent)

When it comes to customer care and after sales support, BlackBerry (86 per cent) was able to delight their customers to the max followed by emerging Indian brands like Micromax (74 per cent) and Spice (66 per cent) which remained almost at par with the established brands like Nokia (78 per cent), LG (74 per cent) and Samsung (71 per cent).

iPad 2 to hit Indian stores in April?

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Apple’s second generation tablet computer, iPad2, will go on sale in 25 more countries from this Friday but will miss India again.

Apple, however, said in a press release that “all models of iPad 2 will be available in Hong Kong, Korea, Singapore and additional countries in April.”

Though it is not officially known what Apple means by “additional countries”, speculation indicates that India is on the list.

iPad 2, which was unveiled earlier this month, features a new design that is 33 per cent slimmer and nearly 15 per cent lighter than iPad 1, while it has the same 9.7 inch backlit display.

The device features Apple’s new dual core A5 and now includes two cameras, a front-facing VGA camera for video calling and a rear-facing camera that is capable of recording 720p video. Though it is slimmer and lighter, Apple says that iPad 2 still delivers up to 10 hours of battery life.

iPad 2 costs the same as iPad 1, at about $499 (Rs 22,400) for 16GB model, $599 (Rs 27,000) for 32GB and $699 (Rs 31,500) for 64 GB.

The 16 model of iPad 2 with Wifi + is available for $629 (Rs 28,000), while the 32GB model of the same is priced at $729 (Rs 33,000), and the 64 GB model costs $829 (Rs 37,000).

BlackBerry PlayBook for Rs 22,455

The much awaited BlackBerry PlayBook, made by Research In Motion (RIM), will hit stores on April 19. Initially, it will be available in 20,000 retail stores in the USA and Canada.

BlackBerry PlayBook, with Wifi, will be available in three models and prices will start from $499 (about Rs 22,455).

Mike Lazaridis, president and co-chief executive officer at RIM, said, “BlackBerry PlayBook is an amazing tablet that is already being widely praised as a multi-tasking powerhouse with an uncompromised web experience and an ultra-portable design.”

“Given the high level of customer interest in the BlackBerry PlayBook, we are particularly pleased to be working with such an amazing line up of retails partners,” he added.

Among the companies expected to sell BlackBerry PlayBook are AT&T, Radio Shack, Verizon Wireless, Cbeyond, and Cellular South in the USA. While in Canada, companies such as Costco, Future Shop, Telus, Walmart and WIND Mobile will be marketing the PlayBook.

The tablet has a seven inch high display, web browsing with support for Adobe Flash Player 10.1, multitasking, multimedia, and advanced security features.

Microsoft releases Windows Phone 7 update

Microsoft has finally come up with an update for the Windows Phone 7 devices, dubbed as NoDo that will bring an improvement to copy and paste functionality.

The copy and paste capabilities were missing in the Microsoft operating system since its launch in October last year.

Amid other improvements in the NoDo update, Microsoft notes faster start and resume times for apps and better category search in the Marketplace (the Windows Phone 7 store), allowing users to search for specific apps from the phone.

Nodo updates also include some Outlook interface and compatibility enhancements, better Facebook synchronization, improved MMS reception and display. The update also gives Windows 7 phones the much needed stability while switching between video and still camera modes.

Microsoft has also added a few performance tune-ups also for WiFi functionality and the Outlook e-mail client.

MTS launches high speed broadband services in Andhra

MTS has announced the launch of its high-speed mobile service, MBlaze, in Andhra Pradesh. The services will be available in various parts of Andhra Pradesh such as Hyderabad, Vijayawada, Vishakhapatnam, Tirupati, Warangal, Rajahmundry and Kakinada.

Commenting about the launch, Suresh S Kumar, chief operating officer, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh region, Sistema Shyam TeleServices Ltd, said, “We are excited to launch our high speed mobile broadband service in Andhra Pradesh. Customers in Andhra Pradesh will now be able to enjoy the unmatched MBlaze experience coupled with attractive tariffs and innovative offerings”.

MBlaze services in Andhra Pradesh are supported by a network of 3000 retail stores and 40 company stores.

MTS provides high speed mobile broadband services in more than 100 Indian cities. The company is expanding its high speed data (HSD) network and currently has more than 92 per cent of data potential across the country.

RCom launches new Facebook mobile app

Reliance Communication along with the Facebook has announced the launch of a new Facebook mobile exclusively for RCom subscribers for a period of three months.

The new Facebook app for Java-powered feature phones will be made available for most of the popular handset models in India.
RCom subscribers who are also active on Facebook can now stay connected with their friends through the app without having to upgrade to a smartphone.

The new Facebook app is designed to use less data while still providing a great user experience thus making it cheaper for regular users. The app will be available for free download at Rworld.

Prashant Gokhan, business head, Reliance Communication, says, “This agreement between Reliance Communications and Facebook will unleash the real power of Social Networking in India. This tie-up will enable anytime anywhere access to Facebook from almost every popular handset model currently available in India”.

The Facebook app includes various unique features such as viewing photos from your mobile phone, synchronising your local address book contact with your Facebook friends, Facebook login to third party services within the app such as news, sports and weather.