Flash 10.1 Slows Down Nexus One

For the past few weeks the tech world has been abuzz with news of Apple and Adobe being at loggerheads, owing to Apple's stand of not implementing Flash support for its handheld devices. Flash, according to Apple, is a closed platform and apparently doesn't do any good for the device apart from making it way slower. In short, the iPhones and the iPads are better off without Flash support says Apple.

It is in such a scenario that Google's Nexus One - thanks to the latest update to Android 2.2, the Froyo - has been endowed with Adobe Flash 10.1 support. What better time than now to check if Apple was correct all the way or not?

Well, folks over at PocketNow did a bunch of unscientific tests on three devices, namely, the Google Nexus One, the HTCHD2 and the Apple iPhone 3GS to check if what Steve Jobs said was just hodgepodge or not.

As mentioned earlier, these tests were completely unscientific - and for the same reason gives the user an idea of the Nexus One's real world performance with and without Flash, and how well it compares to the iPhone and the HD2 with and without flash. PocketNow used a Nexus One with Android 2.2, an Apple iPhone running OS 4.0 beta, and an HTC HD2 running Windows Mobile 6.5 for the tests. As for the results, let me just give you a clue, it isn't exactly very heartening. Especially for those of you who supported Adobe and also for those of you who wanted Flash to come to the iPhone.

Let's face it, Flash 10.1, at least in its current iteration DOES make the Nexus One slow. The Nexus One is known to be a fast device and time and again it has proved to be the fastest device out there in terms of page loading time. The iPhone and the HD2 are no match for the Nexus One - until Flash makes an appearance. According to the test results, with Flash installed, the iPhone beats the crap out of the Nexus One in page loading time.

The HD2 on the other hand remains at par with Nexus One with Flash. The story doesn't end there, the flash implementation is a lot buggy and there are lots of things that need to be taken care of. The scrolling is choppy and the only things that seem to work properly are Flash-enabled ads and games, which play quite well. However, the question is, are these advantages worth the loss in speed?

The good thing, however, is that Flash can be enabled and disabled, and acts like an App rather than an irremovable component of the OS that you'd need to put up with. The good aspect about this is that users who choose to have the speed of a Flash-less Android phone can wait until Adobe irons out issues with it, or even better install it and use it only when you think you need it. No iPhone will ever offer you that option.

As for the answer to the bigger question, "Does Flash make phones slower?", the answer to it would be an emphatic "YES". However, the things that need to be noted here are that Flash 10.1 is still in Beta and that you have the freedom to NOT use it when required. But heck, Steve Jobs was right all the way!

Samsung i8330 Handset Leaked

Vodafone and Samsung had launched a couple of Vodafone 360 branded handsets over the past years without creating much impact on the market.

That however isn't deterring either of the companies to give up. At least that is what is evident by these latest leakedimages. What we are seeing here are the leaked images of Samsung's latest Vodafone 360 branded phone, the i8330.

The phone is quite interesting in itself and has a spec sheet that cannot be ignored. We are talking about an 8 megapixel camera, a 1GHz processor and a very rare LiMo R3 OS. Other features include support for WiFi and HSDPA, together with Bluetooth and GPS. The phone is also likely to feature HD Video recording - which is gradually becoming commonplace now.

Being 360 branded, it is likely to be Vodafone -ised to the core and will come with Vodafone's own social networking tools, an app store and online content.

The phone is expected to be launched by the start of the FIFA World Cup.

Dual SIM G-Fone 571 Launched in India

G-Fone has launched its latest dual SIM handset in India, the G-Fone 571, reports Telecom Talk. The device is a full QWERTY handset with a decent spec sheet.

The 571 boasts of a 2.2 inch, 64K screen that displays stuff at QVGA resolutions. It boasts of a 208 Mhz processor that should be zippy enough to display and playback various multimedia content.

It supports MP4 video playback and has an FM radio packed in as well. There is a pretty basic 1.3 megapixel camera with flash the rear. It also doubles up as the video recorder. The phone surprisingly comes with a motion sensor.

Like many other devices of its kind, the 571 too is quite social networking friendly. The phone comes with Snaptu and Nimbuzz preloaded. The phone is GPRS capable. EDGE, however, is not supported. It would be too much to expect Wi-Fi in here but hey, Bluetooth does find its way in.

Other features include PC sync, expandable memory up to 8 GB and support for Java apps. At Rs. 3,999, we guess you should be satisfied what this phone offers you.

Sony Makes Killzone 3 Official, Playable in 3D

Sony Computer Entertainment Europe has officially announced that Killzone 3 is under development with Guerilla Games. The first person shooter - Killzone 3 - will obviously be a PlayStation 3 exclusive. And here's something that might interest many - Killzone 3 would be playable in 3D! Killzone 2 was the best looking game when it came out, so obviously our expectations from Killzone 3 is higher.

The new game begins where the second installment ends. Sev and Rico will take on the Helghast army after Scolar Visari is killed and most ISA forces are wiped out at the end of Killzone 2. Herman Hulst, managing director of Guerilla Games, stated that every new level will have its own distinct feel right from the start in Killzone 3. The Jetpack from Killzone Liberation game for PSP will return and make room for aerial combat game play.

The story of Killzone 3, as stated by Hulst, goes something like this (Killzone 2 Spoiler here):

So with Visari gone, there's a power vacuum on Helghan where figures like Stahl, the head of the Helghan weapon producer, are vying for power. Essentially, the surviving ISA soldiers are caught in the middle of a catfight when what they really need is to get the hell off the planet and return to Vekta. On the ground, this political situation changes the nature of the conflict. The Helghan are now in the ascendency and they are bringing a great deal of new technology to the fray. The result for the player is that you'll be encountering new weapons and enemy types with their own distinct behaviour.

Of course there would be multi-player option which is an important part of the game and quite honestly, a lot of gamers make the best of it. The most interesting aspect of the game is that it would be playable in stereoscopic 3D and hence Sony would be betting on its BRAVIA 3D TVs. A killer deal would be a Sony BRAVIA 3D TV and the special edition PlayStation 3 with Killzone 3 game as well as other goodies. Won't you do anything for a deal like this? Now, only if Sony is listening.

Harmonix's Rock Band 3 Teaser shows Keyboards

Harmonix and MTV have teamed up again to bring out the game Rock Band 3 this summer. Gamers who downloaded the demo of Green Day: Rock Band from the Xbox LIVE Marketplace or PlayStation Network were shown a teaser screen of Rock Band 3. The teaser screen had an icon for a keyboard apart from other instruments like drum and guitar.

Rock Band is game for consoles centered on music. Green Day: Rock Band is set to arrive on June 8, while the demo of the same is already available for Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3 consoles. The demo had two Green Day tracks and when gamers want to exit the demo, the Rock Band 3 teaser screen shows up.

The presence of the keyboard icon in the teaser screen indicates that a new keyboard based gameplay would be added in the game. Let's hope more details come out at the E3 convention that commences on June 15 in Los Angeles, US.

iPhone 3G Goes Off Apple Store. Almost

With just a few days left for Apple's Worldwide Developer Conference, the tech world is patiently awaiting the announcement of the iPhone 4G - the existence of which has not been confirmed by Apple.

It has been a tradition at Apple to launch new iterations of its iPhone at the famed WWDC. It also is pertinent to note that the launch of a new version usually rings the death knell for older versions of the device.

While it is possible that the 3GS may be sold along with the 4G, it is highly unlikely that Apple will sell three generations of the iPhone together. In what might be the first signs of Apple slowly pulling the iPhone 3G off the shelves, the "select" button for buying the iPhone 3G from the Apple Store suddenly went missing yesterday, and has since then shown no signs of coming back.

Is this just a technical glitch or should we read more into it? Or is it that the 3G is just out of stock? But then Apple can simply state so instead of removing the "select" button.

Gmail now lets you Move the Icon Column

Google's Gmail team has been actively making both small and big improvements to the web-based email service. For better classification of emails, Gmail Labs has introduced a new feature - Move Icon Columns. So you now have the option to see icons depicting attachments, Chats, Google Calendar Invitations, Buzz posts, etc. in front of the sender.

If you have to hunt for an email with an attachment sent by your friend, the only detail you'd know about that mail is your contact's email. Now hunting the mail by a contact's email or search keywords can be tedious at times. By moving the icons in the front of the sender, it becomes a bit easier to spot a particular mail.

To try out the new Move Icon Column option, click on the Gmail Labs button and scroll down till the option comes up. This is not a major change but a minute interface change that will help you organize your mail better.

Nvidia Unveils GTX 480M Graphics for Laptops

Nvidia has introduced its next generation Fermi computational graphics architecture to the mobile platform. In the near future, laptop models sporting Nvidia GeForce GTX 480M chip will support DirectX 11 level graphics. The new Nvidia Fermi based GTX 480M for laptops has more than three times CUDA Cores (stream processors) than its predecessor. Clevo would be the first to release GTX 480M based notebooks.

Nvidia's GeForce GTX 480M has the stripped down Fermi architecture based GF104 GPU chip. This new GF104 chip has 352 stream processors or CUDA cores and the graphics engine clocked at 850MHz. Nvidia didn't specify the amount of video memory used but stated that it will be clocked at 1200MHz and 256-bit memory bandwidth. The maximum theoretical output of this graphics unit would be 897 GigaFLOPS. However, there was no confirmation on the thermal design power rating of the GPU.

We don't know much battery life the GTX 480M based GPUs will offer, especially after using the Nvidia Optimus GPU-IGP graphics auto-switching technology.

Back in January, AMD had introduced ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5000 GPUs for the mobile platform. Nvidia must've impressed the consumers with boosted frequencies, but certain features would be compromised for that, like Stereoscopic-3D, PhysX support and others. Let's hope these new Green camp (Nvidia) GPUs give good competition to the red camp (ATI) GPUs on the mobile platform.

Next Gen Motorola Droid Found in Gym

What's with these phone companies these days? Gone are the days of press meets and conferences where new products (read: phones) were officially announced. In 2010 the trend seems to have changed dramatically with companies finding it easier and cost effective to leave one of their unreleased handsets in a public place and then let tech blogs and the Internet take care of announcing the existence of the device.

Unreleased, top secret devices are being spotted across bars and gyms. Of course, you know what we are talking about, don't you? Well, the latest phone to be announced, er... spotted in a Gym happens to be the Motorola Shadow, a phone whose details were leaked just two days ago. Apparently someone found a prototype of the device at a Verizon corporate Gym. If that wasn't all, the poster at Howard Forums, where the phone was first seen, has posted a close up image of the phone.

Whatever we know about the specs is very little. The screen seems like it is either 4.1 or 4.3 inch. There is confusion regarding the processor that will power this one; will it be an ARM Cortex A8 or a Snapdragon still remains a mystery. What we do know is that it will support 720p video recording, will have an HDMI port and will come with 8GB of internal storage memory.

Let's see if this one shows itself sometime in July 2010.

Nokia N900 Gets Firmware Update

All you N900 users out there rejoice! Nokia has announced a new software update for Nokia's Maemo based Internet tablet.

The new update will first be available in the UK and eventually reach N900 users in other parts of the globel. The update, Version 1.2 (V10.2010.19-1), comes with a range of enhancements to the phone.

To begin with, the phone now gets new games apart from the ones already available via the Ovi Store. These include Jurassic 3D Rollercoaster, Zen-bound, Angry Birds (level pack), Sygic, Kroll, Weatherbug, and GoGadget. Nokia has said that they have also made improvements to communication as well.

Email has been improved with the ability to accept or decline an event invitation right within your inbox. The phone now also supports Facebook IM. This release brings with it video calling, a much sought after feature. Other improvements include support for portrait browsing on the internet. Even Ovi Maps has been updated with a new UI and features. Nokia has also changed the N900 menu structure with the first level now being made fully customisable.

Along with this update, Nokia has also clarified its stand regarding the future of the N900 with the upcoming MeeGo OS. They say that while the N900 has been used to test MeeGo for research and development purposes, the company doesn't have any plans to bring MeeGo to the N900.

Intel Unveils Low-voltage CPUs for Laptops

Intel has introduced a new consumer ultra-low voltage microprocessors in their Core 2010 family. These new consumer ultra-low voltage versions join the processors announced in January this year. Intel has targeted these at ultra-thin and lightweight notebooks with 10-inch to 13-inch display screens. All these new 32nm process made Core chips have two cores. Intel stated that these new CULV Core chips equipped laptops would be available starting next month.

New Consumer Ultra-Low Voltage processors include 1.33GHz Intel Core i7-660UM with 4MB L3 Cache and can be boosted up to 2.40GHz using Intel Turbo Boost Technology. This CPU is a higher version of 1.2 GHz Intel Core i7-640UM.

Two new CPUs join the CULV Intel Core i5 series: Core i5-540UM and Core i5-430UM. Both these dual-core chips are clocked at 1.2GHz and 3MB L3 Cache but only Core i5-540UM could be boosted to 2GHz while Core i5-430UM up to 1.73GHz.

The dual-core Intel Core i3-330UM is clocked at 1.2GHz, which is not to be confused with Core i3-330M. Apart from these Core series, Intel has also added dual-core Pentium U5400 clocked at 1.2GHz with 3MB L3 Cache and Celeron U3400 clocked at 1.06GHz with 2MB L3 Cache.

These processors will rest below the standard Intel Core i3, i5 and i7 processors released for mobile platforms.

MasterCard Promises More Payment Apps

MasterCard has announced that it will let software developers use the company's proprietary payment technology to develop online Apps and Mobile Phone Apps. Open Application Programming Interfaces or Open APIs will be released later this year for independent software developers. These Open APIs will allow mobile Apps or Web based apps to directly access MasterCard's payment systems.

MasterCard had already launched the ATM Hunter iPhone app and now wants to introduce Open APIs for independent developers. A new portal would be opened for providing technical documentation, sample source code, software development kits, and other testing tools for developers. That portal will also have developer forums where developers will get to interact with MasterCard engineers.

About 20 platforms have been identified and services such as online games, merchant e-commerce sites, payroll systems and mobile applications would be opened up to the developers. MasterCard said that the company's developers had internally developed iPhone apps and other programs, and now the same process would be opened up to the developer community, thereby expanding payment options.

MasterCard is trying to leapfrog VISA, which came up with a special iPhone accessory In2Pay that consists of a case and pairing app for paying through the iPhone.

At the end of the day, users will get to see more applications with MasterCard and/or VISA payment options for different platforms. The only concern here is the security of the user's account information. We presume that would be taken care of by MasterCard and VISA.

Google TV Announced Finally

Google has finally announced the much awaited Google TV in partnership with Sony, Logitech and Intel. Rishi Chandra, Google's group product manager said, "Google TV is a new platform that we believe will change the future of television," at the Google I/O annual developers conference in San Francisco. Google TV will sport Android based graphical user interface. Complete Google TV supporting product is expected to arrive in Fall (September-October) this year.

Google wants to incorporate a single seamless experience to the user. Based on Google Android, this embedded OS will have Chrome web browser to surf websites and Android Market for downloading various apps. Navigation and interaction would be the two intuitive features of Google TV. The search function incorporated is expected to give faster navigation to TV channels, shows, movies, websites and apps.

Google is working with Sony and Logitech to put Google TV in their products like televisions, Blu-ray players, digital video recorders and other devices. These special devices would have Bluetooth and even Wi-Fi inside them. Intel would be providing Atom chip variants for these devices. Brooke Crothers of CNET's Nanotech blog stated that Intel CE4100 system-on-a-chip would be the brain power in Google TV boxes. More information about Intel CE4100 chip can be found here (pdf).

Logitech would be coming out with a QWERTY keypad loaded wireless remote control. Apart from that, Google TV may also be designed to work on your existing devices. Flash support also comes along in the Google TV and soon the SDK along with web APIs would be released for the developers. So users can expect more Flash applications and games on their TV sets.

With this new product Google has once again smartly jabbed Apple TV which comprises of physical hardware and a software to be used along with. Google has combined TV with web with its new platform and has opened up gates for selling apps through Android Market.

We'll have to wait when Google TV beta SDK is released. Get more information about Google TV athttp://www.google.com/tv/.

Seagate brings New FreeAgent GoFlex HDDs

Seagate has introduced new range of storage solutions in India dubbed as FreeAgent GoFlex, emphasizing heavily on the flexibility. Aiming to future-proof the storage options, the new FreeAgent GoFlex portable and desktop drives come with easy plug and play functions. Seagate also brings a new array of cables that adopt to different standards and features. New GoFlex hard drives are designed to work with better interoperability between Microsoft Windows and Mac OS X.

New Seagate FreeAgent GoFlex hard drives have two components: Storage area and the cable adapter. The smaller adapter is connected to the USB 2.0 storage drive via SATA interface. This adapter has a circuit board that determines the drive's functionality and also supports different standards as well as interfaces. Seagate brings new Upgrade Cables that allows the USB 2.0 based GoFlex portable drives to be hooked with any other interface supporting computer such as FireWire, USB 3.0 or eSATA.

GoFlex Drives:
GoFlex ultra portable drive: The core of the GoFlex Storage System. Available in 14.5mm and 22mm versions and includes a USB 2.0 cable. These drives would be available for Rs. 5,200 for 320GB (silver, black), 500GB (silver, black, red, blue) for Rs. 6,500 and 1TB (silver, black) for Rs. 13,900.

GoFlex Pro ultra portable drive kit: A 7200RPM, 2.5-inch drive that delivers premium backup with encryption and includes a USB 2.0 cable. This kit is available for Rs. 7,900 for 500GB (black).

GoFlex Desk external drive kit: Delivers high-capacity storage and automatic, continuous backup with encryption for all your files and includes a USB 2.0 cable. This kit is priced for Rs. 7,100 for 1TB (black) and Rs. 13,500 for 2TB (black).

GoFlex Cables and Adapters:
GoFlex Cable - USB 2.0: The basic interface for the GoFlex and GoFlex Pro ultra-portable drives available for Rs. 1,500.

GoFlex Upgrade cable - USB 3.0: Bring the USB 3.0 speeds to the GoFlex and GoFlex Pro ultra-portable drives for up to 10x faster file transfers and also being backwards compatible. This cable is priced for Rs. 3,000.

GoFlex Upgrade cable kit - USB 3.0: Includes ExpressCard adapter to update a laptop and GoFlex ultra-portable drives from USB 2.0 to USB 3.0 and deliver up to 10x faster transfer of files than USB 2.0 at price of Rs. 6,000.

GoFlex Upgrade cable - FireWire 800: Upgrade the GoFlex and GoFlex Pro ultra-portable drives to deliver 2x faster transfer speed over USB 2.0 at a price of Rs. 2,700.

GoFlex Upgrade cable kit - eSATA: Empowers your GoFlex and GoFlex Pro ultra-portable drives to deliver up to 6x faster performance over USB 2.0 available at price of 2,000.

GoFlex Upgrade cable - Auto Backup: Delivers continuous backup and protection of data giving consumers the peace of mind that their data is backed up, while leaving capacity for basic drag-and-drop file transfer at price of Rs. 2,200.

GoFlex Desk Desktop adapter-USB 3.0: Allows the GoFlex Desk to deliver up to 10x faster transfer speed over USB 2.0 for your desktop PC at price of Rs. 3,500.

GoFlex Desk Desktop adapter kit-USB 3.0: Includes PCI Express adapter to upgrade a desktop PC and GoFlex Desk external drive for USB 3.0 performance at price of Rs. 6,000.

GoFlex Desk Desktop adapter-FireWire 800/USB 2.0: Upgrades your GoFlex Desk external drive to deliver 2x faster performance over USB 2.0 with FireWire 800/USB 2.0 for your desktop PC at price of Rs. 2,700.

GoFlex Storage System Devices:
GoFlex TV HD media player: Allows for enjoyment of digital content on a TV. Priced at Rs.12,000 for media player only.
GoFlex Net media sharing device: Enables instant, easy access and sharing of content over a network at price of Rs. 7,000.

Seagate also comes up with a NTFS driver for Mac OS X on all GoFlex portable and desktop drives that will allow accessing files from Windows and Mac machines. These drives would be made available by the end of this month.

Nokia, Yahoo to unveil Project Nike

Yahoo has sent out an invite to select media publications regarding a joint announcement with Nokia on May 24. Kara Swisher, author at BoomTown blog of All Things Digital, pointed out that it might be an announcement of the Nokia-Yahoo collaboration to bring search, email and other applications pre-installed on select Nokia devices. This partnership has been codenamed as Project Nike.

Few Nokia S40 phones already have Yahoo Ready and Yahoo Go installed on them. Recently, Yahoo also struck a deal with Samsung to bring its mobile services on Samsung's Android and bada OS based devices.

It looks like Yahoo doesn't want to stay behind the rampaging rivals Google and Microsoft. Google has its own vast eco system on Android based devices and several other phones. Microsoft has its Windows Mobile 6.5 and upcoming Windows Phone 7 platforms.

Just for the record, Project Nike has nothing to do with the sports brand.

Gaming Roundup: SC Insurgency DLC

As the dates for E3 Convention approaches, we expect more updates and leaks while game publishing and developing companies prefer to stay tight-lipped. Amongst the hustle-bustle of Google's announcements, we managed to pick few important updates from the gaming industry happenings.

Take a quick look at this gaming roundup snapshot for this week.

SC Conviction: Insurgency DLC due on May 27

Ubisoft has announced new downloadable content pack dubbed Deniable Ops Insurgency for its recently released game - Splinter Cell Conviction. This new DLC pack would be available for Xbox 360 owners through Xbox LIVE and to PC users via Games for Windows Live, reported VG247. Insurgency DLC brings a brand new mission for Archer and Kestrel on four additional maps in the Deniable Ops Modes. Take challenges in Hunter, Face Off, Infiltration or Last Stand for unlocking new achievements. Users can play in settings from docks of San Francisco to the New Orleans Cemetery. Though Sam Fisher may have his conviction, the Black Arrow would be still out there to waiting for him. Microsoft would be offering Deniable Ops Insurgency DLC for 800 Microsoft Points on Xbox LIVE while the PC pricing is yet to be confirmed.

SEGA Delays Sonic the Hedgehog 4 Game

The release date of Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 1 has been postponed from summer this year to the latter half of this year. As per the official release, SEGA's Development Team is focusing to keep 'the game high-quality, continuing tuning and balancing of levels and interface and overall maintaining the kind of polish that an important game like this demands'. SEGA also announced that Sonic the Hedgehog 4 is also under development for iPhone and iPod Touch. No specific release date for the game was given.

All HTC Phones Launched in 2010 to get Froyo

HTC has confirmed that it will bring the highly anticipated Google Android 2.2 Froyo update to all smartphones launched in 2010. Pocket-lint got a confirmation from HTC that all phones released in 2010 will get Android 2.2 Froyo updates in the second part of the year.

Google has announced the much anticipated Android 2.2 Froyo update and obviously, several HTC made Android phone owners are waiting for the same. However, HTC has announced that it will bring the Froyo update only for the phones released this year. These phones include Google Nexus One, Legend, Desire, Droid Incredible and others to come.

HTC hasn't confirmed whether the devices released before 2010 would be getting Android 2.2 Froyo update or not.

Fly's New Cheap Dual SIM Mobile Phone - Booom

Fly Mobiles India has launched brand new Booom cell phone that has a dual-SIM support. The company claims that Booom MC105 is India's first mobile phone with a 30mm x 40mm speaker and a built-in amplifier to pump out real loud sound. Besides being dual-SIM, this phone has a number of interesting features like informing a pre-selected contact in case of emergency with a simple button press and hold. Unfortunately, the VGA camera on this phone won't give any impressive images.

New Fly Booom MC105 has a 5.1cm TFT display and has up to 0.5MB internal memory. Radio enthusiasts will enjoy FM radio with scheduled recording on this phone. Users can have up to five different FM alarms. This phone allows setting up to 15 FM channels with specific channel effect and has music player that shows album cover, lyrics and the background. Thankfully, the phone comes with 3.5mm jack which allows user to hooking any pair of headphones.

The phone comes with 2GB memory card pre-loaded with Bollywood audio, video and wallpapers. This memory is expandable to 4GB. Booom also has Bluetooth but doesn't support A2DP. Fly adds feature like Mobile Tracker, password protection, call black-listing, SMS Filter, and pre-dated SMS message to this phone. The camera quality can be bit let down but interestingly, the phone allows the users to record videos in AVI format. This phone has 1200mAh battery that offers 8 hours of talk time.

Fly Booom MC105 is available in India for Rs. 3,649.

Google's Android 2.2 Froyo beats Apple iPhone

Google has announced Android 2.2 update codenamed Froyo on the second day of Google I/O Conference at the Moscone West, San Francisco. With this update, Google has smartly put Apple in a soup. Android Froyo will run Flash and HTML5 platforms for both - native and web applications. That is a direct hit on the Apple-Adobe squabble that sparked over Adobe Flash platform for iPhone.

Apple iPhone would be leaping directly to HTML5 for web apps. We don't know much about their future plans to make that platform available for native apps too. Android 2.2 Froyo runs Flash Player 10.1 smoothly and the overall system performance has been boosted up to 5 times compared to the previous update. While Apple simply mentions that its upcoming iPhone 4.0 update will bring an improved performance and faster interface.

Moving ahead, Android 2.2 Froyo loaded device is capable of wirelessly streaming non-DRM music from iTunes or any other music library. Apart from that, apps from desktop too can be transferred to mobile wirelessly.

The real kicker is Android's harmony with Flash and HTML5 in both native and web apps sense as that puts Apple's iPhone platform on the backseat. Developers would get an option to choose between Flash and HTML5 while Apple iPhone developers have to go ahead with HTML5 only. On should not forget that Apple has its own reasons for choosing HTML5 only.

Apple has kept the iPhone community buzzed with new multi-tasking features. Let us remind you that is device dependent and will work on most recent iPhone OS based models.

We already heard the buzz that the Android 3.0 'Gingerbread' update is on the anvil. Talks are that will support WebM, new open media file format. Now, there is an option for the users and developers to either join the Apple camp or the Google Camp.

Samsung Omnia HD2 with Symbian^3 Leaked

If you thought that Samsung Omnia HD was the best HD mobile from Sammy Boys, you were wrong. Mobile-Review Forum member sberberov located in Bulgaria has posted an image and details of Omnia HD 2 i8920. This Omnia HD successor is speculated to come loaded with Symbian^3 mobile operating system. We are more than interested to see the HD performance of the same.

Samsung i8920 Omnia HD 2 will have a massive 4-inch Super AMOLED (Active-Matrix Organic Light Emitting Diode) display. However, that would still be small as compared to the recently announced HTC EVO 4G smartphone. Still, it would lead over the Samsung i8910 Omnia HD which has a 3.7-inch display. We don't know how super would be the 4-inch Super AMOLED display but hope that it is comfortably viewable in sunlight.

The leaked Omnia HD 2 will have a 12 megapixel camera with Xenon and LED Flash. This camera sensor would be capable enough for recording 720p HD video at 30 frames per second. This phone sport Bluetooth 3.0, GPS and will support Wi-Fi (b/g/n). Omnia HD 2 can come in two storage options 16GB or 32GB internal memory.

Whatever happened to plans for bada OS for smartphones! As of now,a there's just one leaked image and not all details are clear so far. But looking that the specifications mentioned, this Omnia model would surely burn hole in your pocket.

Samsung Corby 3G Announced in Russia

Samsung has added yet another mobile phone to its Corby lineup with new Samsung S3370 - Corby 3G. Designed in a sporty style, the new Corby 3G is a candybar phone with 2.6-inch touchscreen. However, this phone is bound to be confused with Samsung Lindy M5650, which is already available in India as Corby 3G.

Corby 3G sports the TouchWiz 2.0 user interface with customizable widgets. Corby 3G has a miniscule 49MB of internal memory. However, it has a microSD card slot for memory expandable up to 16GB, camera, Bluetooth, and also an FM radio. This handset will offer access to social networks like Twitter, Flickr and others while you'll have to pay for the data charges.

Users will be able enjoy better quality audio for their music, thanks to DNSe v2.0 for the multimedia player in the phone. This phone will also be sold as Samsung Acton in Belgium.

Samsung S3370 aka Corby 3G would be available in Russia for 5,790 Rubles ($189 or Rs. 8,600 approx.).

Facebook Fixes Bug That Let Users View Live Chat

Facebook has fixed a serious hole in its service that allowed users to peek into live chats of their Facebook Contacts. Once again, Facebook's Privacy settings had a serious exploit, which was pointed out by Steve O'Hear, author with TechCrunch. Infact, O'Hear was tipped by Scott and Matt Atwood. Thankfully, Facebook has fixed this bug and now peace has been restored.

Facebook's Privacy settings have been causing havoc lately and select users have been taking their privacy seriously. Mark Zuckerber, CEO of Facebook, reportedly said that he doesn't care about privacy. In a video, O'Hear showed how he could exploit the Facebook bug and peek into live chat of users and also check their pending invites.

Later, Facebook fixed the bug and sent out a statement:

"For a limited period of time, a bug permitted some users' chat messages and pending friend requests to be made visible to their friends by manipulating the "preview my profile" feature of Facebook privacy settings. When we received reports of the problem, our engineers promptly diagnosed it and temporarily disabled the chat function. We also pushed out a fix to take care of the visible friend requests which is now complete. Chat will be turned back on across the site shortly. We worked quickly to resolve this matter, ensuring that once the bug was reported to us, a solution was quickly found and implemented."

Though Facebook has done a good job by patching the security hole in its privacy settings, it's advisable for them to get their website code reviewed. As for you users, you never know what holes lie in such social networks, so once again we request you to resist divulging personal contact details publicly.

Google Chrome 5 Beta: Released

The fact that Google is making steady inroads into the fiercely competitive browser is now a known fact. The browser has managed to clinch in close to 5 percent of the browser market share in a little over a year and a half since it was first released back in October 2008.


Over the years, the browser has seen many versions with which came various new features and optimisations. Google has now released the 5th version of the browser for beta testers with new claims of a speed bump and other feature additions. Now, we're wondering how fast could an already zippy browser go?


Anyway, while the speeds might not be noticeable for laymen, on paper, it does sound and look quite good with Google claiming a speed jump of up to 30 percent and 35 percent on the V8 and SunSpider benchmarks respectively over the previous beta channel release. Now, if we compare this to the speed of the original Chrome browser, the very first version launched back in 2008, this is a phenomenal 213 percent to 305 percent increase on these benchmarks.


As for the new features in the browser, it now includes browser preference sync, using which you can store your themes, bookmarks, history, and settings to your Google account. It also comes with native Adobe Flash support. No more downloading it separately. Head here for downloading Google Chrome Beta 5.

Android Ported on iPhone 3G

Linux on the iPhone guys have made yet another development by porting Android OS to iPhone 3G device. Planetbeing, an iPhone Dev Team member struck with this port with help from many others. This Android port on iPhone 3G allows you to perform all activities except for those which require audio in it.

Earlier, Android was ported on iPhone 2G and now, it has got a functional port on iPhone 3G which is quite an achievement. The port uses OpeniBoot custom boot loader. Those who ported Android on iPhone 3G look forward to tweak the port files for better power management, backlight control and most importantly - audio.

You can browse the web and even send-receive SMS. This port also brings under the hood updates and several improvements for better stability and reliability.

Samsung bada OS SDK Now Available

Samsung has released the first Software Development Kit beta of bada OS and has made it available to all developers. Announced last year, Samsung's bada OS has finally made its way to developers. One needs to register on the Samsung bada OS Developer website and then download the SDK. Soon, we shall see the release of more bada OS laden phones like Samsung Wave in coming months.

Samsung is pushing its own open mobile platform along with Google's Android OS. The bada OS SDK 1.0.0b2 has an Integrated Development Environment (IDE) based on Eclipse CDT (C/C++ Development Tools), Simulator, UI builder and sample applications. The new UI framework in the SDK also supports Samsung TouchWiz UI.

Apart from that, control for Adobe Flash, web browser control, motion sensing, fine-tuned vibration control, and face detection can be found in the SDK. The bada OS also bring support for service-centric features such as social networks, location -based services, content management, and e-commerce services.

Samsung bada OS SDK beta can be downloaded from here only after getting a free developer account registered.

Check out the system requirements before installing the SDK:

• Microsoft Windows XP, Windows Vista or Windows 7 operating system
• At least 1.4 GB of RAM memory
• At least 1.8 GB of free disk space
• Local administrator rights
• The bada Simulator screen size is 480 x 800. If the screen resolution of your computer monitor is under 800, the Simulator does not show normally for applications that use OpenGL.

Samsung Wave will be the first DivX HD certified phone besides being one of the initial Samsung bada OS based devices. We'll soon get to see how good bada OS is to handle HD video besides several other features.

Buy New Samsung Guru 1175 @ Rs. 1,690

With Vodafone introducing mobile phones costing less than Rs. 1,000 in the Indian market, the meaning of "low-cost" mobile phone has been taken to a new level altogether. Adding yet another cheap mobile phone in the Indian market, Samsung has launched its entry level Guru 1175.


Guru 1175 with a curvy design and patterned battery cover has a ergonomic grip due to its streamlined body. The ergonomic design of the phone and its rounded edges fit comfortably in the palm.


The handset also offers features like a bright torch which can work upto 38 hours and can be operated on a bike mode as well. The bike mode is a useful feature for two-wheeler owners and allows users to receive calls only those calls that are important. In the profile settings, one can set important contacts list whose calls only can be received .Anyone else calling, will get the user busy response. Further, an automatic call answer can be set for added convenience, as calls can be instantly connected via the handset without any need for a manual press of a button. The ring tone volumes are the loudest possible to hear in the traffic noise.

It has an FM radio and a battery life of 1000mAH allowing 12 hours of talk time and 650 hours of standby time. In addition, the FM phone is equipped with advanced mobile tracker, fake call and SOS messages.


This phone offers 1MB of memory with phonebook memory of 1,000 entries and an SMS memory of 500 entries allowing users the ease to store their contacts. A nine regional language input and display makes it easier for users to use the phone in the language of their choice. The phone is also equipped with the Indian calendar and games like Carrom, Suduku, Super Jewel Quest and Cricket.

The Samsung Guru 1175 is priced at Rs. 1,690. The Samsung Guru series is now available in a range of Rs. 1,520 to Rs. 3,130.

Get Instant Text Translation with Google Goggles

Google has released its Goggles application for Android platform based smartphones starting with the Nexus One. While you're travelling abroad, language difference is a major issue while checking out any written content. Thanks to new Google Goggles, users can now click a photo of the text and the application will automatically translate that text in English or other desired language.

Google Goggles is a computer vision software that allows smartphone to search (text/photo) based on the images taken. A year back, Google Goggles were unveiled at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona where the translation engine could translate only German text in English. Now, Google engineers have enhanced the engine that reads English, French, Italian, German and Spanish. Goggles can also translate into many languages.

Goggles v1.1 features better barcode recognition, artwork as well as logos recognition, and also search on the basis of images in the phone s photo gallery. Google team is aiming to extend the recognition capabilities of this application to Latin-based languages and eventually go to non-Latin languages like Chinese, Hindi and Arabic.

Google Goggles v1.1 is available for smartphones with Android 1.6 or higher. Lately, Google Goggles was reported to bring augmented reality to life.

Gaming Roundup: Halo Reach MP beta, GoW for PSP

Microsoft has made the long awaited Halo: Reach multiplayer beta available to public. While the console games get ready for some Halo action, Sony announced God of War: Ghost of Sparta for PSP. This is second God of War title on PSP and everybody has high expectations set to it. Loads of other information about upcoming titles is expected before the E3 Expo starts from June 15. Take a quick look at some of the noteworthy announcements in gaming scene this week

India Cyber Gaming Season has Begun

Grand Cyber Gaming Season has begun with Indian Cyber Gaming Championship (ICGC) and South Asia Cyber Gaming Championship. The ICGC city qualifiers is taking place since yesterday in nine Indian cities where gamers can show their talent at listed cyber cafes. These nine cities include Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai, Hyderabad, Pune, Bangalore, Kolkata, Ahmedabad and Goa. Also, the Electronic Sports World Cup for Indian qualifiers will take place. All interested gamers must register online. Events are sponsored by Nvidia, Razer, Cooler Master and Technoholik. Finals will take place at Palmarinha Resort in Goa on May 20-22. Check more details at www.icgc.in

World of Warcraft running on iPad

Private Beta game streaming service enables running MMORPG games on the iPad over Wi-Fi. David Perry, CEO and co-founder of Gaikai.com, showed a photo of an iPad running World of Warcraft, the popular MMORPG game. The game was being streamed over Wi-Fi to the iPad tablet using Gaikai's streaming technology. Looks like streaming games is going to be the next big thing since OnLive, an on-demand game service based on Cloud computing, has similar plans as well.

Halo: Reach Multi-player Beta to Started

All Halo fans, the time has come to check out the next major Halo series game - Halo: Reach. From today, the much awaited Halo: Reach Multiplayer Beta will start off. Once again we remind you that to participate in Halo: Reach Multiplayer Beta, one must to have: Xbox LIVE Gold account, Halo: ODST campaign disc and about 1.2GB free space in HDD. For more details and proper steps for joining the Halo: Reach Multiplayer Beta visit this page. One needs a Xbox LIVE Gold account, Halo: ODST campaign disc and 1.2GB HDD space to participate and soon Microsoft will make this beta available for Xbox LIVe Silver account holders as well.

God of War: Ghost of Sparta for PSP Announced

Sony has announced second God of War game for PSP - God of War: Ghost of Sparta which is deemed to arrive later this year. Ghost of Sparta's story begins where the original God of War game concluded. It is the story of Kratos' ascension to power as the God of War. Kratos will go through a journey that will reveal secrets of lost worlds. He will finally get answers about his scar, tattoo and family. Armed with Blades of Chaos, Kratos' ultimate goal is to get rid of the nightmares. Developers claim to have made "significant strides to give players a realistic feel that has never been seen before on PSP or any other portable platform". Players will be provided with 25 percent more gameplay, improved weapon system, and new magical powers enjoyable anytime, anywhere in the game.

Blizzard to Release StarCraft II on July 27

Finally after years of waiting Blizzard Entertainment has announced the release date of the much-awaited real-time strategy game - StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty as July 27. The World of Warcraft game developers will make this Starcraft sequel available in United States, Canada, Europe, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand, Russia, Mexico, Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, the Philippines, and the regions of Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macau. Battle.net subscribers will be able to purchase the game directly from Blizzard shortly after it is made available in stores.

Iron Man 2: The Video Game Released

SEGA has released Iron Man 2: The Video Game today. This new third-person action adventure game will let the player choose between Iron Man and the War Machine for playing the game. U.S. citizens can now buy Iron Man 2: The Video Game for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PlayStation Portable, Nintendo Wii and DS consoles. Sorry, no PC game this time too.

Ubisoft Confirms H.A.W.X. 2 in Making

Ubisoft has announced that a second installment of its aerial warfare game - Tom Clancy's H.A.W.X. 2 is under development. Just for records, H.A.W.X. stands for High Altitude Warfare eXperience.Developed by Ubisoft Bucharest, this new H.A.W.X. 2 game is inspired by Tom Clancy, author of military science and espionage storyline based books. Ubisoft will launch this game for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Wii and PC platforms this fall.

Even if we say that s all, it s never going to be enough in gaming. Hope you ve some great time catching up with friends and/or family over few of the latest titles. Oh, you guys must check out Splinter Cell Conviction. Have a happy gaming weekend.