Author: Shivaank Rana

LG’s Nexus’ Rumoured Specs say wireless charging, a quad-core processor and 1280×768 True IPS display

The hits just keep on coming for the rumoured LG Nexus device we spoke about yesterday.

According to various sources, the next-generation Nexus device will indeed be built by LG, and will be based in part on the Optimus G. While the phone won’t look that similar to its non-stock peer, its insides will bear a remarkable resemblance.

According to MoDaCo, LG’s Nexus smartphone will be derivative of its beefy Optimus G. MoDaCo says it has “confirmed” the following specs for LG’s Nexus: quad-core Snapdragon S4 processor, 2GB of RAM, 1280×768 resolution display, on-screen soft keys, 8-megapixel camera, 8GB and 16GB internal storage models (no microSD card slot), non-removable battery and wireless charging.

What do you think? Would the inclusion of wireless charging impact your decision to buy the upcoming Nexus in a positive way?

October 6, 2012
$12,405 Steve Jobs Tribute MacBook Pros To Be Auctioned

Uncover has announced that it will auction off three Steve Jobs tribute MacBook Pro Laptops. The laptops feature the design originally created by a Hong Kong artist that features the silhouette of Steve Jobs superimposed onto the bitten Apple logo.

“A year ago the world lost a force of nature in technology. Steve Jobs’ willpower, creative vision and business instincts disrupted no less than 9 different industries and inspired us all to try and achieve insanely great things,” said Uncover in a written statement. “In his honour we have crafted three MacBook Pro Retina’s, based on the design by Hong Kong-based artist Jonathan Mak. We’ve meticulously cut the silhouette of Jobs from the edges of the Apple logo and filled it up again with the highest quality epoxy. And each has the beautiful but lesser known ‘You can change things’ quote by Steve Jobs laser-tattooed on the bottom, as a covert mantra for inspiration.”

What will these three limited edition laptops be used for? Well, they will actually go to auction with a minimum bid of €9500 (that’s $12,405 USD) each, and the bidding will be going on until Monday night at Midnight ET (Monday at 9 p.m. PT). Although the price is outrageous and not justifiable by most, at least the proceeds from the sale will go to two different charities.

Each of the Retina-equipped tribute MacBook Pro laptops contains the best specifications currently available, including a 2.7GHz Intel Core i7 processor, 16GB of memory, and a 750GB SSD.

October 6, 2012
LG Optimus G Nexus Hands-On Report Surfaces Online!

We are getting further into October and in the last couple of days rumours surrounding the Google Nexus program have been heating up. Only recently there was no leaked news about any upcoming Nexus device, but in the last couple of days things are changing. now, a LG Optimus G Nexus hands on report has surfaced online.

Android and Me has been given access to the first LG Optimus G Nexus hands on, albeit it can’t provide any images or videos of the device. Apparently the handset has been tested by a source that has access to it, without being a Google employee. Here’s what he told the publication :

[quote]

“I can confirm the next nexus is LG Optimus based. The phone looks surprisingly like the Galaxy Nexus and does not have sharp corners like the LG Optimus we already know. It has a silver’ring like the iPhone 3G around the outer edge of the screen which seemed to be similar to the Galaxy Nexus in size but was much better in brightness.

I couldn’t have said if it was larger in the few minutes that I had the phone. Also, it has Nexus written on the back like the Nexus 7 except there is a color element to it. The ‘X’ is in four colors. There was also the LG logo on the back.

Android 4.2 in its current state looked exactly like the 4.1.1 we love. There were no tabs on that build version for home-screens as you suggested from your other tipster. What I was amazed by is how fluid everything seemed to be from exiting apps, switching, etc. It seems like they’ve increased the number of transitions and their types. It still had the hodge-podge mess of multiple communication tools: Messenger, GTalk, Voice and SMS.”

[/quote]

If the information described above is correct, it’s describing a very iterative Nexus, one with a 8MP camera (not the 13MP module found in the Optimus G), running a new-but-familiar version of Android.

This is getting interesting!

October 5, 2012
Mercedes-Benz Launches C-Class Sport and E-Class Sport

Mercedes-Benz India today launched a Sport Edition of its flagship sedans the C-Class and the E-Class. The Sport Edition of the C-Class 220 CDI and the E-Class 220 CDI Sport Edition was launched by Mr. Peter Honegg, Managing Director & CEO, Mercedes-Benz India and Mr. Debashis Mitra, Director, Sales & Marketing, Mercedes-Benz India.

The C-Class and the E-Class flagships sedans have been Mercedes-Benz India’s highest selling luxury cars in India. The C-Class sedan known for its performance and driving dynamics has sold close to 16,000 units in the Indian market since its introduction. The E-Class sedan that sets benchmark in luxury segment has sold more than 21,000 units till date. The average age of customer in India today is getting more younger & the Sport Edition of the C-Class and E-Class is a tribute to these young, aggressive and trendy emerging new age consumers. The Sport Edition of the C-Class and the E-Class stands distinctively different from any other car in its segment in India, since the dynamic interplay of lines and colors and trims reflect the aggressive driving dynamics of these vehicles.

The Sports editions of the C-Class and the E-Class are priced at Rs 29.9 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi) and Rs 39.9 lakh respectively. Both the sedans are powered by the 220CDI four-cylinder diesel engine developing 170bhp and 400Nm of torque; mated to 7G TRONIC automatic transmission.

The C220 CDI Sports edition gets loads of additional features inside, along with the AMG body kit. The interiors get Artico upholstery with Black piano lacquer trim, electric seats, THERMATIC automatic climate control, an Audio 20 with single CD player with USB, Aux in and Bluetooth connectivity. The C 220 CDI also features a Mirror Package.

The AMG styling kit of C220 CDI includes front and rear bumper aprons and side skirts, 17-inch 5-twin-spoke light-alloy wheels, black painted roof with a SPORT badge, halogen lamp and is available in Polar White colour.

The basic body kit remains the same on the E220 CDi as well, but the alloy-wheels are bigger – five-spoke 18-inch rims. The E-Class Sport also gets LED Day time lights and Direct Control Suspension; it is also available in the Polar White colour.

The features on the E220 are similar to that of the C220; however it gets burr walnut wood trim. Both cars have host of safety features including PRE – SAFE, NECK Pro, Attention Assist, tire pressure loss warning system, 6 Airbags, Antilock Braking System, Brake Assist, and Electronic Stability Programme with Acceleration Skid Control (ASR).

October 5, 2012
Xperia S Tablet Sales Put On Hold Due To Water Resistance Defect

Sony Corp said it has halted sales of its Xperia tablet PCs, a month after its launch, after discovering gaps between the screen and the case that make some of the machines susceptible to water damage.

The problem with the tablet, which is supposed to be water resistant, is the result of a manufacturing flaw at the Chinese plant where it is fabricated, said Sony spokeswoman Noriko Shoji. Sony has not yet decided when it will resume sales, she added.

Sony began selling its latest Android tablet on September 7 in the United States followed by launches in Japan, Europe and elsewhere. So far it has shipped around 100,000 of the devices. The company said it will fix any of the tablets sold and expects the cost of the recall to have no significant impact on earnings.

The tablet joins a crowded market for tablets that is still dominated by Apple Inc’s iPad. Samsung Electronics Co Ltd, with its rival Android machine, leads the pack of Apple challengers.

October 5, 2012
Facebook To Charge Users To “Promote” Content

For all those frequenting Facebook, the social networking website can now turn into a forum for promoting themselves as by paying a few bucks, people can now use the media for highlighting something they want to.

If you want more of your friends to see your funny one liner or personal announcement, pony up little cash and you will get more visibility. Although the price has not yet been fixed but Facebook already soft-launched its latest paid product ‘promoted posts’ yesterday as part of its effort to mop up more revenues, charging users $7 to make their friends more likely to see their personal posts..

[quote]“When you promote a post – whether it’s wedding photos, a garage sale, or big news – you bump it higher in news feed so your friends and subscribers are more likely to notice it,” wrote Facebook’s Abhishek Doshi in a post announcing the test.[/quote]

For now, at least, the test is limited to people with fewer than 5,000 friends and subscribers.

Of course, Facebook controls the algorithm for what shows up in members’ News Feeds, and in theory should already be running it in a way that shows us just the most interesting content. But owning the News Feed also means they can make money off of it from marketers – and now from members.

The service echoes one that Facebook first rolled out in New Zealand right before its IPO.

October 4, 2012
Mahindra to launch Rexton on Oct 17

Mahindra & Mahindra, India’s leading SUV manufacturer, on Wednesday announced it would be launching the Rexton, its first product under Ssangyong stable in India, on October 17.

The Rexton has always had solid underpinnings, borrowed from the Mercedes-Benz M-Class from a few generations ago, but it lost out a lot in the looks department. Unveiled at the Busan Motor Show in Korea in May, the new Rexton is a third-generation model that is based on the W163 M-Class chassis.

The new Rexton, dubbed the Rexton W, gets a completely new front-end, with new headlamps, fog lights and a wider, chrome-lined grille. The entire front bumper assembly also appears to be new. At the rear, new tail-lamps and a new bumper round out the deal. The other details of the car remain the same though, but the wheel-arches of the car are much better integrated this time around and don’t look like after thoughts.

There will also be new powerplants on offer. The old 2.7-litre turbo-diesel engine that currently does duty in the Rexton has been replaced with a 154 bhp, 2.0-litre engine. This one is an in-house creation as opposed to the older engine which was derived from a Mercedes-Benz unit.

Mahindra hopes to offer both a 5-speed automatic as well as a manual version of the Rexton and is likely to be priced in the Rs 17 to 19 lakh bracket.

[BSMotoring]

October 4, 2012
Google Maps Street View Web App Launching Tomorrow, Will Work On iPhone, iPad

Google will add its popular Street View feature to the Google Maps web app, accessible on iOS devices, according to the Wall Street Journal.

The newspaper said the feature will be rolled out on Thursday, and tech correspondent Walt Mossberg has already tested the new version of the browser-based service.

Google has been apparently working on adding this integration to the HTML5-based app since the launch of iOS 6, and the feature will be compatible on the iPhone and iPad through Mobile Safari. The addition is a precursor to what most pundits believe is a push to add a dedicated Google Maps app to iOS, like Google just did with YouTube.

Google Chairman Eric Schmidt said in September that no standalone mapping app has been submitted to Apple’s App Store, and declined to elaborate on the company’s future plans regarding and iOS version of Google Maps. Such an app is believed to be in the works, however, as Google wants to keep a strong presence on Apple’s mobile platform, evidenced in the recent introduction of a standalone YouTube app.

October 4, 2012
60% Of iPhone Users Running iOS 6

A new study says most iPhone users have updated to iOS 6, Apple’s latest operating system, despite a number of flaws that have plagued its launch.

After only two weeks on the market, iOS 6 is running on over 60% of iPhones, 15% more than on iPads. Chitika, an ad network and analytics firm, put together the study.

Apple is known for having fast adoption rates for its operating systems, but it wouldn’t have been surprising if iOS 6 bucked that trend after suffering from a plethora of problems that have embarrassed the Cupertino tech company since its launched.

iPhone users are adopting iOS 6 faster than iPad or iPod Touch users, likely because most iPhones support the upgrade, whereas the iPad 1 and iPod Touches before the 4th generation won’t be updated past iOS 4 or iOS 5.

In particular, the iPad 1, due to its limited 256MB of RAM, was not able to update past iOS 5.1, leaving many owners angry that their first-generation product is now obsolete. While most apps will still run fine for another generation or so on iOS 5, many developers will begin enforcing iOS 6 in the coming months.

October 4, 2012
Apple Slashes iPhone 4S, iPhone 4 Prices

Apple has announced a cut in prices of the iPhone 4S and iPhone 4 models. According to an Apple spokesperson, the iPhone 4S 16GB model is now available for Rs 41,400, a reduction of Rs 3,100 from its earlier price of Rs 44,500.

The big news for Apple enthusiasts is that the company has slashed the price of the iPhone 4 (8GB) by Rs 9,600. The phone, which was earlier available for Rs 37,900 is now available for Rs 28,300. Further, Apple has discontinued the iPhone 3GS.

No exact date given, although word on the street is that the iPhone 5 will be launched just ahead of diwali, with the 16GB version costing around INR 45,000. Previously there were reports that Airtel, Vodafone and Aircel have placed orders for Nano-SIM cards which are used in the iPhone 5.

October 3, 2012
Samsung Galaxy S3 “Mini” Coming Next Month?

Will Samsung announce a Galaxy S III Mini on October 11th?

The company has issued invites to a press event in Frankfurt for next Thursday, with a byline that reads: “Something big can be small and something small can be big.” Rumours of a smaller, less powerful Galaxy S III have persisted since the device’s announcement in May. Samsung usually takes its flagship design and tweaks it a little for the middle- and entry-level markets; for example, the Galaxy Y and Galaxy R were offshoots of the Galaxy S II.

With a a 4-inch WVGA (800×480) Super AMOLED screen it would only be 0.8-inches smaller than the Samsung Galaxy S3’s screen so, if true, the Mini-moniker is a bit of a misnomer. It might also feature a dual-core processor, a 5MP camera, and will come with Android 4.1 Jelly Bean out of the box.

Is this just a wild rumour? Let’s wait and see!

October 3, 2012
iPad Mini : Latest Specs Leaks

According to the latest leaks of the iPad mini, the 7.85-inch tablet will come in black and white colours, differentiating itself from the silver anodized aluminum of its bigger brother. The colour scheme gels with the iPhone 5, and could mark territory for Apple as they move away from the single-toned iPad.

Inside the device, we see a nano-SIM slot and antennas for 3G/LTE connectivity, so expect the iPad mini to come in both WiFi and cellular-compatible versions, likely for a smaller premium than we’re used to. The Lightning connector input is present as well, which is unsurprising.

You can see a hole for a rear camera, no flash, and the typical Apple logo with a simple ‘iPad’ insignia etched on the back. The black tone seems darker than the ‘Slate’ colour we are used to on the iPhone 5, though we don’t know what it will look like in the real world.

October 3, 2012
WSJ : Apple Begins Production of iPad Mini

The Wall Street Journal is reporting that Apple has started mass producing “a new tablet computer smaller than the current iPad.” It’s heavily rumoured for months now that Apple will be launching the “iPad mini” and have it come with a display sized 7.85-inches – this is to compete agains all the other smaller tablets on the market, such as the Nexus 7, BlackBerry PlayBook, Samsung Tab, and the Amazon Kindle Fire HD.

It’s been rumored for weeks that Apple is planning to unveil an iPad Mini in October. In August, schematics of the new device were bouncing around the tech blogs. The new smaller iPad will be priced at around $250-$300 (£156-£187 respectively), T3.com reported, citing Chinese sources.

During an Apple’s earnings call in October 2010, the company’s late co-founder Steve Jobs once famously dissed mid-sized slates.

[quote]“The 10in screen size is the minimum size required to create great tablet apps. 7in tablets are tweeners: too big to compete with a smartphone, and too small to compete with an iPad,” Jobs said. These are among the reasons that the current crop of 7-inch tablets are going to be DOA — dead on arrival,” [/quote]

October 3, 2012
Government Blocks Facebook, YouTube in Kashmir

There are reports that the Indian government has blocked Facebook and YouTube in Kashmir. The story was first reported by GreaterKashmir which said that, ISP companies blocked social networking sites including Facebook and YouTube in Kashmir without any official directive the state government.

The cellular companies have also blocked GPRS facilities on the mobile telephones causing immense inconvenience to the subscribers. Greater Kashmir received over a dozen telephone calls from different areas of the Valley, complaining that the internet service has been blocked by companies including BSNL, Reliance, Aircel, Airtel and Vodafone.

It was previously reported that the certain URLs with offensive content had been blocked, but it now seems that access to the entire websites have been restricted. Last month the Government of Jammu & Kashmir had directed service providers to ensure that the controversial YouTube video was not accessible from the state.

October 2, 2012
HTC Releases Windows Phone 8X Promo Video

Expected to hit the shelves around the world in November (alongside the 8S), the HTC 8X, aka Windows Phone 8X by HTC, has appeared in what seems to be its first official promo video.

The company dishes about full Skype integration in Windows Phone 8, which we knew was coming, as well as a new service called Xbox Music, which seems to be Microsoft’s updated version of Zune for the new Windows Phone Store.. We already know of the 8X’s excellent back camera, with improved low-light performance, but its front-facing camera is particularly noteworthy. It’s a 2.1MP wide-angle lens, so it fits more people in a single shot.

October 2, 2012