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Sony Ericsson’s special section in Android Market

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Sony Ericsson has launched its own channel in Market. The company becomes the first mobile phone manufacturer to do this. This is basically a dedicated section for Sony Ericsson phones in the Android market, and will be available from today itself.

“My Apps” option in Android Market in Sony Ericsson phone will be replaced by a link to the specific channel. “My Apps” will be available when menu key is pressed.

The channel will provide recommendations to help find the best games and applications that enhance Sony Ericsson phone experience.

It will also provide a way to easily find original apps from Sony Ericsson (SE) such as the Timescape plugins. Not just that, Sony Ericsson will also help its developer partners to promote their apps and games.

SE also hopes to use this channel to judge what people love and what they ignore, for better product design.

This channel become important ever since Xperia play was launched which is a basically a hybrid of Xperia phone and PSP gaming device. This device warranted the availability of PSP games in the Android Market and with this channel it will be much easier for both SE and its user to have dedicated place to look to for device specific requirements.

RCom launches a program to connect with Karnataka

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Reliance Communications has restarted its customer engagement program called ‘Reliance First’. Through this program the operator would interact with customers, where they can also pay their bills, recharge their account, submit their customer application form, get their CDMA handsets upgraded or serviced and discuss any other customer service issues.

With Reliance First, which was also organised last year, the Reliance Communications team will be meeting its customers under one roof in Bangalore, Mysore, Mangalore and Hubli. The aim is to have a platform for receiving feedback or understanding the needs of customers.

Swaminathan, hub head Karnataka, Reliance Communications said, “When we conducted the Reliance First meet last year, it was a great success in Bangalore. We could connect with a large number of customers. This time, we are taking it to the next level and providing the same platform across Karnataka.”

The first Reliance First meet was organised in Bangalore on April 14th.

This will be followed by Mysore on 16th April, in Hotel Regaalis on Vinobha road, from 10 AM to 6 PM. On the same day Hotel Trupti International (Amber hall) will host the event between 10AM to 8PM.

Twitter app for BlackBerry v1.1

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Research In Motion has launched Twitter application for BlackBerry smartphones v1.1. This new version includes several new features such as adding location to Tweets and Push @Mentions.

Tweet Location

With this, users can pinpoint their location in a neighbourhood and include it their Tweets. To try out this feature, you need to open latest Twitter app, press the ‘Menu’ key and select ‘Options’, enable ‘Add Location To Tweet’ and save your changes.

After enabling this setting, you’ll notice a new compass icon that appears to the right of the photo icon below the Tweet box. To add your location, select this icon and your BlackBerry smartphone will determine where you are and add it to any new Tweets you submit.
If you want to remove your location, simply select the icon again to disable this feature until you’re ready to use it again.

To view someone else’s location, if they have enabled this feature, all you need to do is select the location icon that appears in the bottom right corner of their Tweet and a map view will open, allowing you to see where they were when they submitted that Tweet.

Push @Mentions

With Push @Mentions, you’ll know who is talking about you or to you on Twitter, so you can continue the conversation as it happens.

It uses the BlackBerry Push technology and sends you a notification on your BlackBerry smartphone whenever you are mentioned on Twitter. You can control whether you want to be notified when anyone mentions you, or just when your followers mention you.

#Topic Autocomplete
The #Topic Autocomplete feature will pop up a list of keywords based on previous hashtagged words in Tweets, Retweets, or any hashtagged words you’ve selected or searched for in Popular Topics, as well as in applications like Facebook for BlackBerry smartphones.

Retweet Updates

The next time you Retweet something, it will appear in your Home timeline as ‘Retweeted by You’, to quickly alert you that your Retweet was sent successfully.

Blackberry has also added some new language support but non of them is Indian so this is not of much use to us in India.

To upgrade to the latest release, open Twitter on your BlackBerry smartphone, press the Menu key and select Options, scroll down and select the option ‘Check for Upgrade Now’.
If you currently do not have Twitter for BlackBerry smartphones and would like to install it, you can download it through BlackBerry World on your BlackBerry smartphone. The application is free.

Loop Mobile launches mobile TV for subscribers

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Loop Mobile, which provides GSM services in Mumbai, has introduced Mobile TV for its subscribers.

In addition to access to 40 channels, Loop Mobile TV will show IPL matches through special T-20 Cricket Pack priced at Rs 5 per day. The available Loop Mobile TV packs are: Mega Pack (all channels), T20 – 2011 Cricket Pack (till end May 2011), News Pack (popular news channels) and Entertainment Pack (popular music, movie and other channels).

To avail the services, prepaid subscribers can TV to 50505 while postpaid users SMS to 50800.

As the official mobile network of Mumbai Indians, Loop Mobile subscribers will get exclusive content of MI Anthem ‘Ala Re’ to be downloaded as caller tunes, ringtones and others as wallpapers, videos and match trivia.

Customers can also participate in exciting contests and win autographed bats of MI players or win tickets to seven matches at Wankhede, the teleco has said in a press release.

Meanwhile, Loop Mobile has also announced the launch of ‘Bol Mumbai Bol’, under which subscribers are offered free Loop to Loop Mobile calls for a recharge of Rs 86. Other calls are charged at 30 paisa for local and STD at 50 paisa.

Commenting on the announcements, Surya Mahadevan, chief operating officer, Loop Mobile, said, “Our subscribers can now watch their favourite TV channels on their Loop Mobile phone. We are a Mumbai specialist and our association with Mumbai Indians carries forward our Mumbai connect by making the brand emotionally engaging for our subscribers. Through Mumbai Indians, Loop Mobile will provide its VAS offerings and specially developed content, trivia and contests, exclusively for subscribers thus giving us a competitive and enabling subscribers to connect with their favourite team. Prepaid subscribers can also recharge with Rs 86 and get free Loop Mobile local calls.”

Cheers Mobile announces free calls on weekdays

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Cheers Mobile, a part of Etisalat DB that provides GSM services, has announced a special weekend offer for its subscriber across India.

Cheers’ subscribers, across all its 15 circles, will be incentivised with unlimited free local on net calling all through Saturday and Sunday. Commencing April 16, this special offer will last until midnight of Sunday. The offer will be applicable only in the home network.

“This offer is a prelude to quality in offerings that we are globally renowned for, and what we have slated for them now, and going forward,” said Ahmed Al Hashmi, chief commercial officer, Etisalat DB.

Cheers Mobile has currently 289,732 customers in Mumbai and 664,024 in Delhi. It has also presence in Madhya Pradesh, UP (East) and UP (West).

Top 5 apps for Java based phones

Today mobile phones have reached more than 60 per cent of the world’s population. Although the market share of smartphones is increasing at a fast pace, these devices are still far from outnumbering Java based feature phones.

Java or J2ME (Java 2 Micro edition) phones have been called basic phones because they could originally only fulfill basic communication needs. Over time, though, they’ve become capable of much more.

Today there are various applications available for all categories of Java phones. In fact, more applications are available for Java phones than for smartphones.

Here we have picked some essential applications for Java based feature phones, and you needn’t worry about your pocket as these are absolutely free of cost. They can easily be downloaded from popular websites such as Getjar.

Bolt Lite web browser

Web browsing on a Java based phone is really slow and that is why most people avoid doing it. Bolt web browser, which is specially designed for Java phones, is therefore a must have.

Bolt runs perfectly on phones with limited system resources and renders complete web pages, which the default application of the phone cannot.

It also allows users to manage and save bookmarks on the phone and online as well so that the bookmarks can later be synced with any device running Bolt.

Java call recorder

Call recording is fast becoming a much used feature, but sadly Java phones don’t usually have an inbuilt call recorder.

Java call recorder is a neat, free utility that you can download on any Java phone.

This application integrates itself with the phone’s menu upon installation, and to record a call one only has to hit the menu and select ‘record’.

Recorded files can be saved to the phone’s or memory card, in either low or high quality.

Mobiesta

Mobiesta is a help and search application that provides exclusive information and recommendations in nine exciting categories including shopping, food, music and movies.

It currently provides information only for Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad and some other major metros in India, but more cities will soon be added to the catalogue.

E buddy messenger

There are many websites that enable people to chat on various services without having to log into many separate accounts.

The e buddy messenger application does a similar job and that too from the Java phone itself.

As of now, e buddy messenger supports Facebook, MSN, Yahoo, Google Talk, AIM, ICQ and MySpace chat. Users can type directly in the chat window and upload pictures taken by the phone’s camera.

The application also allows people to share pictures with others.

Dictionary by Vikrant

With approximately 34,000 word definitions, this application allows people to search meanings and save multiple bookmarks too.

The latest version of the application runs on touchscreen and devices. Users can change the font size, theme and more. This is quite easy to use and is compatible with most Java phones.

Bluetooth Review: Plantronics M100

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Since the day of its inception, the name Plantronics has been synonymous with communication aides, be it wired or wireless devices. Its innovative products, such as the Discovery and the Voyager, have their own unique characteristics for which it is known and appreciated and followed by people.

Plantronics has recently added the M100 Bluetooth headset for mobile phone users in its product line. This headset carries a price tag or Rs 4,199.

It features knacks like active noise cancellations and a sleek design. So how well does its proves itself on the given price point, let’s find out.

Design

The M100 has a sleek look and a unique design that gives it an exciting and sophisticated look, which suits both executive and casual attires.

The M100 comes in a dual colour graphite and blue colour tone with a glossy outside and a matte finish in the inside surface.

In a nutshell, the look and design of this device is great and with a slim profile it can be worn every day without any hassles.

Feel

The M100 weighs nine grams and is very appropriate for long time wearability. All thanks to the gel based ear supports and the comfortable ear harness, it stays put in its place and hardly bothers the user while in use. The ear gels also feature a notched design to avoid the ear gel from rotating while wearing, ensuring a comfortable and a care free wear.

Connectivity

Along with the Bluetooth version 2.1, the M100 features Quick Pair technology that eliminates the need to input any passwords to connect the device to the mobile phone.

Also the M100 can be paired to two or more devices simultaneously, making it easier for people to use a single headset with multiple devices.

But it would have been certainly better if it supported simultaneous device connections as well just like the Jabra JX 10. For charging it uses the new mini port and has the provision to be charged via PC also.

Features

One of the best features of the M100 is its voice alerts. Users are alerted when the device is switched on, paired, connected and even the battery level, making it a virtually vision less operation.

M100 is even better for iPhone users as it gives the exact battery level on phone’s screen.

The supplied ear gels come in three different sizes so that user can adjust it according to need and use.

There are three buttons in it. The main button is placed on the front side for accepting and disconnecting calls, while the other two to control volume placed on the side of the headset.

Performance

This is one department where the M100 shows its real talent. The dual microphone design gives it a fabulous noise cancellation. We tried the M100 while traveling in the Delhi Metro that too during the morning rush hour. Quite amazingly, the audio on the recipient’s side as well as from my side was absolutely flawless.

In windy conditions too, the M100 provides noise cancellation to a great extent but the threshold is soon surpassed by strong winds so all of you who were planning to use it while riding a motorcycle would be disappointed and for the good as it is banned to talk over phone while driving.

M100 provides five hours of talktime, almost close to the company’s claim of six hours. Remember, the higher the volume level the lower will be the talktime.

Conclusion

To sum it all up, Plantronics M100 is a great looking Bluetooth headset and a good performing one too. In a sentence it would be beauty with brains. Noise cancellation, Dual microphones for clear voice, Quick pair, multi connect and many such useful features make this a must have accessory for cellphone users, but the only concern is that the price of this will restrain many users from just go and buy this headset.

The price tag although might be more but there are many places like Croma store and online stores like ebay where this is available for a much affordable price tag of around Rs 3,000 or so.

If you are looking for a top notch Bluetooth headset with advanced features and looks, then look no further but while buying just make sure that you check out the price at a couple of places to get yourself the best deal possible.

3G data plans from Idea Cellular

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Idea Cellular, which launched services in the last week of March, has become the latest operator to do so. Since it became the last major operator to launch third generation telephony services in the country, the teleco was expected to come up with some competitive tariff plans.

Here we have analysed Idea’s 3G tariffs to decide how competitive they are.

For the occasional user Idea has two sachet plans: Rs 7 for 10 data; and Rs 51 for 50 MB, which is a little weird since the cost per MB of data normally goes down with larger packs. However, Idea is slightly cheaper than Airtel which offers 10 MB for Rs 11, but as you go higher its packages are similar to Idea’s.

Data is charged at 10 paise per 10 beyond free usage. This is the same as what RCom and Tata Docomo charge, but is cheaper than Airtel, which charges 30 paise for 20 KB.

Usage based plans are also being offered by Idea and they are at par with similar plans offered by other operators, if not cheaper. Prepaid recharge options start at Rs 103 for 100 MB and go up to Rs 1,750 for 5 of data, which is a good option for heavy users. In between these two plans are five others.

For post paid users, plans start at Rs 100 for 100 MB and go up to Rs 750 for 2 GB; there are four options in between.

Time based plans that charge based on minutes of use are also on offer. Idea offers 30 minutes for Rs 46; for Rs 79 you get 60 minutes; and for Rs 148 you get 2 hours. Usage beyond these limits will be charged at Rs 3 per minute.

For users of dongles (data cards) there are three post and pre paid plans each. These are Rs 599 for 1 GB of data; Rs 750 for 2 GB; and Rs 1,750 for 5 GB. Extra usage is charged at 5 paise per 10 KB.

Idea’s dongle plans are better than those offered by most other operators. However, Tata Docomo is the only operator that has unlimited data plans.

Data is also available but only in towns where Idea offers 3G services. Roaming charges for voice are the same as they are on 2G. Data tariffs for post paid subscribers are the same as on the home network, while prepaid users are charged 10 paise per 10 KB.

Idea offers a maximum speed of 21 on its 3G network, which is standard for the rest of the industry as well.

Idea Cellular’s plans come as a mixed bag. While dongle tariffs are among the most attractive on offer, Idea’s rates for mobile users are at best similar to other operators’ plans.

Idea Cellular has 3G spectrum in 11 circles, which include Maharashtra, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh (E), Uttar Pradesh (W), Madhya Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, and Jammu & Kashmir.

So far Idea operates its 3G network in eight of these circles. Except Kerala, it offers 3G services in 29 cities across seven circles. In Kerala its 3G services are available in almost every part of the state. So we can safely recommend Idea Cellular 3G for Kerala customers.

However, Idea is yet to launch services in Jammu & Kashmir and Punjab. One city each in Himachal, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat is covered by Idea 3G so far.

HTC Sensation unveiled

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As reported by The Mobile Indian, HTC has unveiled its latest and the most advanced smartphone, the HTC Sensation, during a press conference on 12th April 2011 in London.

Although the expectation was that the new device will be named as HTC Pyramid but the company chose a different name all together and named it the ‘HTC Sensation.

The new handset features a brand new HTC sense user interface coupled with Android’s version 2.3 (Gingerbread) operating system. The HTC sense has got some brand new changes and tweaks in terms of its look and feel and bring a whole lot of new animations for the benefit of the user.

To give the sensation a flawless and faster performance, HTC has chosen the latest and the fastest smartphone from Qualcomm the Snapdragon 8260, featuring a 1.2 Ghz processor and the latest Adreno 220 graphics engine for better and faster graphics.

HTC is calling the Sensation as a multimedia super phone that has got the reason to do so too. The Sensation features a 4.3 inch S-LCD display with a qHD of 540 x 960 pixels, which is protected from scratched by a Gorilla glass. It features an 8 camera which is capable of recording Full 1080p resolution videos along with stereo sound.

It also features a standard 3.5 mm audio connectivity jack for easy connectivity with audio devices.

HTC has not yet revealed the pricing details of this device yet but is planning to launch this device world wide in the month of May. As for now the expectation is such that the device should be priced with a sub Rs 35,000 price tag.

Official Vimeo app for iOS devices

Vimeo, the well known YouTube competitor, recently launched its official app. Vimeo’s videos are encoded in HTML5, the standard supported by Apple.

Viewers earlier had to open the and type web addresses to watch their favourite videos. With the launch of this the situation has changed. Now users just have to open the app to browse videos of their choice.

Not just that, people can create a film using the video editing tools in the app. They can edit video using the iMovie app too, but that costs money. Vimeo app, on the other hand, is free. With the Vimeo iOS app users can browse, download, or even upload videos. The social sharing facility is also present right within the Vimeo app.

At a time when other providers are also coming up with similar apps for tablets and smartphones, video viewing activity on the mobile web is increasing substantially. The tough part, however, is that video apps on the web are not searchable.

An Vimeo app is also expected to arrive soon.