Almost five months after Nokia made the existence of the Nokia N8 public, the company is ready to ship devices to customers across the world. Nokia has announced that it has now started shipping its latest flagship smartphone.
As expected, the lucky few who managed to prebook the device would be amongst the first to get this handset. Nokia N8 is the first amongst a series of smartphones based that Nokia is preparing to launch in the next few months. All these devices use Symbian^3, the latest version of Symbian's smartphone operating system.
The N8 happens to be Nokia's first 12 megapixel camera phone - complete with Carl Zeiss optics, Xenon flash and a large sensor that, according to Nokia, rivals those found in compact digital cameras. The N8 is also the first Nokia device to support HD Video recording. The phone also features a built-in video editing suite - the effectiveness of which we're unsure of. The N8 supports Dolby Digital Plus surround sound and users can connect it to their home theatre system. Contrary to the expectations back in April that it would come with 64GB of internal memory, (since its an upgrade to the 32 GB laden N97) it will ship with "just" 16GB of in-built storage space. With microSD slots, the memory is expandable up to 48GB.
Nokia is, however, yet to announce the list of countries where the shipments have started. You can pre-book your N8 from here.
Samsung has announced the launch of three new Dual SIM phones in India. The new devices include the Samsung Star Duos GT-B7722, the Guru Dual 25 and Guru Dual 26.
Let's take a look at these devices in detail.
We start with the GT-B7722 Duos. This handset is touted to be the first 3G + 2G Dual-Standby touchscreen phone on the planet! This GSM + GSM handset features support for Active Sync, Microsoft Office files and even has a PDF reader - making it a decent entry level office phone. It also has a 5 megapixel autofocus camera with an LED flash. Connectivity options include Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and USB. It also has 250MB of internal memory. It is priced at Rs. 12,300.
Next, we have the Samsung Guru Dual 25 (GT- E1225) and Samsung Guru Dual 26 (GT -E 1252). These are entry level dual SIM phones designed to compete with the players in the low cost field dominated by the likes of Micromax, G'Five and so on. The Dual 25 is the cheaper of the two and boasts of features like stereo FM, Torch, support for nine regional languages and a 1000 contacts phonebook. Only one SIM can be active at a time on the Guru Dual 25. It has a smallish 1.8-inch display and has an 800mAH battery. It also has a 3.5 mm jack for audio.
Its elder brother Guru Dual 26 comes with a larger 2-inch display and also has a larger battery - rated at 1000mAH.
Prices:
- Samsung Guru Dual 25 - Rs. 2,020
- Samsung Guru Dual 26 - Rs. 2,240
- Samsung GT-B7722 Duos - Rs. 12,300
Samsung has also promised that it would introduce new dual SIM handsets in the country in the months to come. Samsung currently sells 10 dual SIM models in India.
Barely a week after the launch of the iPhone 4 in China, the country biggest mobile carrier China Unicom has revealed that it managed to sell 100,000 units of the device so far.
However, what is more interesting is the map application that the Chinese iPhone comes with. Screenshots from the Maps application used in the Chinese iPhone 4 show the Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh as a part of China.
Apparently, Apple was told to display the map to Chinese users with Arunachal shown as a part of the country. The state is shown as a disputed territory in International versions of the map. However, it is a well known fact that Arunachal Pradesh is administered by India and even has a government in place there. iPhone 4 users are also not allowed to view international versions of popular map services that shows these disputed territories as not being a part of China. According to The Hindu, China has tightened its grip on map makers and surveyors to ensure that all map services display international borders that adhere to Chinese government's specifications.
India is yet to respond officially to this latest move by China.
Twitter has launched new 'Fast Follow' feature for mobile phone users in India, U.S., Indonesia and Haiti. This feature will let mobile phone owners get Twitter updates of their favorite Twitter user by sending a text message (SMS) even if they don't have a Twitter account. So all those folks you have been trying to put their head around Twitter can now get a hang of it via SMS.
In a way, it is creepy as anyone knowing just your username will get to read your updates without even you getting to know about it! Anyone, we repeat, ANYONE can receive Twitter updates on their phones without signing up on Twitter. This feature is currently available only in U.S., India, Indonesia and Haiti. In India, Fast Follow feature is available for Airtel and Videocon mobile subscribers only. The short code for India is 53000.
Kick start to get updates by sending a SMS message - Follow [USERNAME] to 53000 and start receiving updates from that particular user. Do note that you must know the particular username, like Techtree, to start getting updates.
For example, Airtel and Videocon mobile subscribers can send an SMS with text - Follow Techtree to short code number 53000. And then, they would receive Techtree's Twitter updates via SMS.
Here's a basic list of command for users to start receiving twitter updates on their phones:
- Follow [username] - To receive updates from a user send Follow along with the username to 40404
- OFF or STOP or LEAVE- You can turn off receiving updates from the user that you are following by sending OFF or STOP
- ON - Sending ON will turn on device updates and you will start receiving tweets again.
- WHOIS username - Retrieves the profile information of the user.
- STATS - This command returns the number of people that you are following.
- GET username - This retrieves the latest update that the user has posted.
For a comprehensive list of commands, visit this page.
Do note that there's no way to stop following a user or block them via SMS. You'll have to visit that user's profile on the web interface to stop following them. Using ON/OFF commands in SMS will only stop the notifications being sent out to your phone.
Now if you, as a Twitter user, don't want any random people to follow you, then you'll have to protect your updates by setting a privacy filter from Twitter account settings. Go to the Settings link on the top of the page and on the Account tab scroll down to check the box next to Tweet Privacy. Once you've protected your Tweets, only users you approve can follow you and get to read your Twitter updates - be it for the mobile notifications or on the web.
Visit this link to register the phone number to sign up for Twitter.
The new Fast Follow feature for selected countries is an effort to bring aboard more Twitter users via mobile phones. Even though whatever is being sent out as Twitter updates is available and accessible openly on the web, the privacy of existing users is at stake and an average user won't be able to figure out if someone is already receiving his/her updates via mobile phone. What do you think about this new feature? Leave us a comment and let us know.
Logitech has announced the launch of a new entry level keyboard in India. Called the K200, this new keyboard features one touch controls and has a thin profile that adds a sleek look to your desk.
The K200 can withstand 5 million keystrokes and it lets the liquid drain out of the keyboard making it spill resistant, states the company.
The keyboard is supported by Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7 or Linux kernel 2.6 or later. It weighs 490 gms and is 155mm wide. The company assures that the setup is simple-you just plug it into a USB port on your desktop, laptop, or netbook computer and start using it. Even the hot keys work without software.
The Logitech K200 is available in India for a recommended retail price of Rs. 595 and is distributed by Neoteric and Ingram Micro. It is backed by a 3 year limited hardware warranty.
Nintendo held a press conference in Japan earlier today and announced (PDF) that the Nintendo 3DS handheld game console will be released on February 26, 2011 in the country. Several gaming enthusiasts and technology industry folks were aiming for its release during holiday season - Christmas time. Nintendo's next-generation handheld game console 3DS will be first start shipping in Japan for 25,000 YEN (Rs. 13,400 approx.). The handheld console would be available in U.S. and Europe region from March 2011 or later.
The most novel part about the handheld Nintendo 3DS console is that one can enjoy 3D content on it without using any special 3D glasses. A week back, we reported that this handheld console will have two 266MHz ARM11 architecture based processors and one GPU along with 64MB RAM and 1.5GB of flash storage. Certainly, it will serve to be a good competition to Sony's PlayStation Portable and PlayStation Portable Go handhelds.
Nintendo 3DS game console has 3.53-inch upper screen (800x240) capable of showing 3D images with an adjustable 3D Depth Slider. The Stereo Camera that has two lenses is capable of taking 3D images. This would be the first handheld console that will sport Motion Sensor and Gyro sensors. In Sleep mode, Nintendo 3DS would be able to detect wireless access points with SpotPass feature and able to exchange data with other 3DS units with StreetPass feature.
The 3.02-inch touchscreen is capable of showing 320x240 pixel resolution imagery. Nintendo has added 2.4GHz band for Wi-Fi connectivity. In the bundle, Nintendo will add a 2GB memory card and stylus with the console.
At the conference, Nintendo stated that region specific pricing and shipping dates will be announced later separately.
Amazon has launched new Kindle for the Web for consumers to purchase and read books in HTML5 Standard supporting web browser. Touted as the new experimental feature of Amazon website, Kindle for the Web Beta allows users to read samples of Kindle books online. Kindle for the Web Beta is designed for the latest web standards and is best viewed with Firefox 3.6, Safari 5, or Chrome 5.
Amazon has already introduced Kindle app for desktops (PC & Mac) and also for mobile platforms - iPad/iPhone, BlackBerry and Android. Till date, Amazon offered "Search Inside the Book" which was basically a bunch of scanned copy images of the physical book. While the "Kindle for the Web" is a digital edition with enhanced interface where you can get all Kindle like features.
At the Amazon websites, certain books that are also listed at the Kindle Store will have "Kindle Edition" Box listed on the right side of the page. When you click on "Read the First Chapter FREE", a new browser window opens with Kindle for the Web interface. This interface offers a navigation bar at the bottom to scroll through the pages. Just like the Kindle app, users can choose suitable display settings - font size, color mode and line spacing.
This Sample chapter can be shared with friends via email, Twitter or Facebook. You can add the Kindle book's sample chapter to a blog or website using embed code and pasting it in the blog or website's HTML code. Users who view those chapters on the blog or website can in fact buy the book from there itself. In case the blog or website owner has entered into Amazon Associates Program, then money can be earned on every product purchased from Amazon through the links on the owner's blog or website.
In a way, Amazon is trying to lure more users to check out Kindle interface and get used to it as much as possible. Wonder if Apple is going to do the same for its iBooks store.
After what seemed to be a long lull in the spate of patent infringement suits and legal wrangles, we seem to be seeing a resurgence of the same. It was in December 2009 that the Apple vs Nokia legal fiasco started with Nokia suing Apple in U.S. for a bunch of technologies that it said were the company's exclusive patents. In response, Apple counter sued Nokia with a list of technologies it said Nokia used without its permission .
Almost nine months after the first suite was filed, Apple has filed a lawsuit in Britain against Nokia. Nokia, in the original lawsuit, had alleged that Apple illegally used as many as 10 technologies used by Nokia. Apple went a step ahead and sued Nokia for infringing 13 of its patents.
In the latest lawsuit in Europe Apple has sued Nokia for nine technologies (most of which are the same as the ones in the original lawsuit in U.S.). Nokia is yet to respond to this latest move by Apple.
This is probably the first time Nokia would be legally challenged by Apple in its home turf Europe.
Last year, Apple ended up having issues with Google after it rejected the official Google Voice app. That led Federal Communications Commission to investigate the matter with AT&T and Apple. Meanwhile, Apple did let Google Voice support apps feature in its App Store. Now, Apple has approved the Official Google Voice App for iPhone as per a source close to Google, reported TechCrunch.
This is certainly surprising. As per TechCrunch's source, Google is working on the Google Voice app's iOS 4.0 compatibility and multi-tasking capabilities. However, no confirmed details are available on the features of the Google Voice app for iOS platform. On inquiring about Google Voice app for iPhone, Google gave this as an official statement:
"We currently offer Google Voice mobile apps for Blackberry and Android, and we offer an HTML5 web app for the iPhone. We have nothing further to announce at this time."
Google already has spruced up Gmail Web interface with HTML5 goodness for iOS and Android devices. But didn't Google already make Google Voice web app with HTML5 richness available to iPhone and Android platforms throughhttp://m.google.com/voice link? And recently, Google integrated Voice capabilities in the web version of Gmail but only in U.S. region.
At the start of this month, Apple had updated its App Store Review Guidelines (PDF) and clearly opened up the store to "other" Development platforms. However, none of the updates affected Google Voice in anyway. Google's quiet revolt to integrated Google Voice in Gmail for every platform possible would succeed at least for two of the most popular platforms - Android and now iOS.
The official Google Voice app is said to arrive in the coming months but there's no specified date out yet. Let's keep our fingers crossed on this one.
Indian IT services firm MindTree is getting ready to launch its own smartphone in U.S. by the second half of this fiscal year, according to a report by Reuters.
The phones will use Google's Android platform and will support 3G networks as well. The company is already in talks with a major U.S. network for the upcoming launch. MindTree also plans to bring the handsets to Latin America, Europe and Canada. Strangely, Asia (and more specifically, India) doesn't seem to be in the list.
The company expects to price one of its upcoming handsets at around the $300 mark. It is good to see an Indian company going international and launching its products in other countries. However, we would love to see some of your handsets in India. MindTree, are you listening?
It's a known fact that India is one of the fastest going mobile phone markets in the world. The growth in the sales of mobile handsets too has been consistent over the past few yeas and has reached an all time high in the last quarter.
According to advisory firm IDC, 38.63 million mobile handsets were sold during the period of April-June 2010. This is a growth of over 6.3 percent quarter on quarter.
As expected, most of India's sales come from low-end, high volume handsets. While Nokia and Samsung still hold on to the No.1 and No.2 positions, according the report, Chinese manufacturer G'Five is at number 3 - garnering 7.3 percent of the market share. Nokia and Samsung hold 36.3 percent and 8.2 percent respectively. Micromax Mobiles and Spice Mobiles are at the 4th and the 5th spot respectively. What has come as a surprise to us is the growth of small players like G'Five and who are now right at the heels of far bigger players like Samsung and Nokia. Other erstwhile biggies like Motorola, LG and Sony Ericsson, who used to prominently feature in the top five list of the yesteryears, are no longer up there.
The report also adds that multi SIM handsets are getting popular by the day in India. In fact, sales of dual SIM handsets have increased from accounting for less than 1 percent in 2009 to garnering over 38.5 percent in a span of just one year!
We wonder what took Nokia so long to introduce its dual SIM handsets in India. They are obviously late to the party with arch rival Samsung already having a plethora of dual SIM options. Going by the rate at which these small players are advancing, who knows if you see Micromax, G'Five or Spice ending up as the top phone makers in the country in the years to come.
Mozilla has clarified that no Firefox Mobile version for iPhone is in the works. Infact, Firefox Home app that syncs the Firefox web browser data in a read-only format for the iPhone, will also be introduced for BlackBerry and Symbian platforms. However, Mozilla said that it is investigating the possibility of a Firefox Home app for the iPad.
Firefox Home app was released for iPhone and iPod touch in July. The app shows Firefox Browser Data in a read only format. This obviously made everyone wonder whether the mobile version of Firefox aka Fennec will be released for the iOS platform or not. Mozilla, in the blog post stated, "There are technical and logistical restrictions that make it difficult, if not impossible, to build the full Firefox browser for the iPhone."
However, Mozilla is indeed investigating a possibility of bringing the Firefox Home app for iPad as well which is interesting as users would get offline data in a bigger and easily viewable scale. Meanwhile, Mozilla did chart out a number of features that could be expected in the future update of Firefox Home app.
- Synchronize passwords to your phone so you don't have to type them in anymore.
- Better integrate with new iOS4 features and other native applications (such as Youtube, Maps, Mobile Safari etc.)
- Bring other Firefox customizations such as search engine preferences.
- Bring your Firefox Panorama settings and tab groups to your phone.
- Some experimental features will allow you to easily share links, reviews and comments with friends on Twitter, Facebook or other social networks directly from Firefox Home.
- Build the ability to provide feedback and get help with any issues directly from within Firefox Home.
Mozilla has been quiet about Firefox Home app for Android platform. We believe that the app won't be there but Fennec will certainly have Firefox Home app like features built-in by default. In case you didn't notice, the Mozilla Seabird Concept phone was running Android OS and had a Firefox icon on the home screen. So, it's obvious that the Mozilla team is working on it.
On that note, Mike Beltzner, Firefox Director has announced the release of yet another build of Fennec for Android.
