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Apple iMac in India launch dates confirmed, along with prices and Options

Apple new super slim version of the 2012 iMac will launch in India on the 30th of Nov 2012. The new iMac is not only slimmer in profile but also offers a nely enhanced display that is 75% less reflective. The new model of the iMac will be available in India in the same two sizes the 21.5 inch and a 27 inch size.

The 21.5 inch will launch on 30th November whereas the 27inch will launch in december. Apple announced the new iMac along side the iPad Mini and the 4th iPad launch back in October 2012. The new 21.5 inch iMac in India features Core i5 quad-core processor at 2.7GHz, 8GB of RAM, an Nvidia GeForce 640M GPU and a 1TB hard drive and will be priced at Rs 85,900.

The upgrade model costs Rs 99,900 and features a 2.9GHz Intel Core i5 quad-core CPU, 1TB of storage, 8GB of RAM and an Nvidia FeForce 650M GPU.

The new 27-inch of iMac in India launching in December will have a starting configuration display of 2560×1440 pixels, an Intel Core i5 procesoor with a quad-core CPU clocked at 2.9GHz along with an Nvidia GeForce 660M GPU priced at Rs 1,22,900. The top of the line for India will be a 27-inch panel with the same native 2560×1440 pixel resolution, but upgraded Intel Core i5 quad-core CPU clocked at 3.2GHz and adds the Nvidia GeForce 675M GPU. Alas no customisation options for i7 for India.

Apple may also not launch the Hybrid Fusion Drive in India, as in the US it is available as a built to order option.

November 28, 2012
Reliance Globalcom Partners with Ciena for 100G Submarine Cable Network Upgrade

Ciena Corporation, today announced that Reliance Globalcom, has selected Ciena’s market-leading WaveLogic coherent optical 100G networking solutions to upgrade its FLAG Europe-Asia (FEA) submarine network. Based on Ciena’s OP architecture, the 100G network will bring massive capacity increases to a route that connects Egypt and Jordan to satisfy customer demand for high-bandwidth services, while using its existing fiber infrastructure to support growing bandwidth requirements.

[quote]“Ciena’s submarine network solutions are designed to fit into existing wet plants to significantly increase submarine network capacity without disrupting existing customer traffic or adding cost and complexity to the network. Our solutions are ideally suited for large submarine networks like Reliance Globalcom that play an important role in ensuring continuous global broadband connectivity, and thus cannot afford downtime for network build-out and service turn-up,” said Anthony McLachlan, Vice President and General Manager, Asia Pacific, Ciena. [/quote]

As part of the network upgrade, Reliance Globalcom will deploy a 100G DWDM system with Ciena’s 6500 Packet-Optical Platform equipped with WaveLogic coherent optical line interfaces. Using principles of Ciena’s OP network architecture, the upgrade will allow Reliance Globalcom to support the surge of high-bandwidth applications such as cloud computing, video conferencing, business continuity/disaster recovery, data center connectivity, and storage area networking, in addition to ever increasing Internet traffic.

The network upgrade with 100G technology allows Reliance Globalcom to increase submarine bandwidth on this segment by 10 times, and enables the launch of 10GE and OTU-2 services. The upgrade also enables Reliance Globalcom to provide 100GbE for their end customers as required.

Ciena is also providing Reliance Globalcom with its advanced network management solution for streamlined service activation, robust fault management and comprehensive performance monitoring. Additionally, the deployment includes a wide range of professional services for this deployment via Ciena’s Specialist Services portfolio, including engineering, furnishing and installation (EF&I).

[quote]“Ciena’s proven coherent optical technology gives us the ability to upgrade our existing submarine networks from 10G to 40G and 100G rates, and beyond, so that we can keep pace with our customers’ changing bandwidth requirements while leveraging our investments in fibre assets. We are already using Ciena coherent solutions to deliver 40G services on multiple, critical submarine routes, so when we decided to upgrade our FEA route to 100G, we knew Ciena was the right choice to help strengthen our leadership position and differentiate our network capabilities,” said Punit Garg, President and CEO, Reliance Globalcom.[/quote]

November 27, 2012
Now Enjoy Free Incoming Calls On Airtel Mobile While Travelling To United States

Bharti Airtel today announced the launch of three new International Roaming Packs for post-paid mobile customers travelling to United States of America. Customers can get upto 5 hours of free incoming calls while travelling in USA, and also make outgoing calls to local USA numbers as well as outgoing calls back to India at just Rs.20/min with Airtel.

Available in three different tariff packs of INR 1000/-, INR 3500/-, and INR 8500/- with a validity of 30 days each, the tariff plan allows customers to easily stay in touch with family and friends back home at affordable rates on their Airtel India postpaid number. Also their family and friends in India can call them at local India rates. Customers can activate the pack by messaging the respective activation keyword to 121 for the selected pack and enjoy the discounted rates. Standard roaming rates would apply for all other outgoing international calls, messaging and data usage.

November 27, 2012
Rumour : LG Optimus G2 To Sport 5-inch display, Quad-Core Processor, Android Key Lime Pie And More

The Optimus G is LG’s most powerful and best looking smartphone to-date. The specs are impressive as it comes packed with a 1.5Ghz quad-core processor, 4.7-inch display with a resolution of 1280×768, 2GB RAM, 8MP camera, 2100mA and currently runs Android OS 4.0 ICS.

According to a recent article on MK, LG plans on releasing its successor, supposedly dubbed LG Optimus G2, packing the smartphone with a quad-core processor with each core clocked in at 2GHz.

In fact, the company is said to have partnered with Qualcomm for the inclusion of its Snapdragon S4 MSM8974 chipset inside the upcoming device.

At the same time, the Optimus G2 is expected to arrive on shelves with a full HD touchscreen display, something that has been rumored before. Apparently, this would be a 5-inch 1920 x 1080 pixel panel capable of delivering a pixel density of 440ppi. Reportedly, LG has already started to produce the screen.

The handset might also hit the market with the next flavor of Google’s Android operating system, Key Lime Pie, loaded on it and will rival Samsung’s successor to the Galaxy S3.

November 27, 2012
Facebook App for iOS gets much awaited update, enables Emoji, Tagging, Sorting and Reposting

The Facebook App for iOS gets the much awaited update allowing users to now tag their friends in posts and comments, along with photos. The new update also enables features like reposting from the news feed and smileys and emoji into your Facebook messages.

Users can also now sort out their feed by pressing the sort button on the left of the sidebar. Check out the changelog below and the link to download the update.

What’s New in Version 5.2.2

Now you can share the best stories from your news feed with just one tap.
• New Share link to re-post stories from your news feed
• Tag your friends in any post, comment or photo
• Smileys, hearts and other emoji in messages
• To sort your feed, tap the button next to News Feed in the left sidebar
• Security and bug fixes

(Facebook App)

November 27, 2012
Samsung Launches ATIV Smart PC and Smart PC Pro in India

Samsung Today launched two new tablets+PC convertibles for India, the ATIV Smart PC and Smart PC Pro. Prices for the ATIV Smart PC and Smart PC Pro are ket at a staggering Rs. 53,990 and Rs 75,490 respectively.

The ATIV Smart PC features dual-core Intel Atom CPU clocked at 1.8GHz, an 11.6-inch display with a resolution of 1366×768 pixels, 2GB of RAM, 64GB of eMMC memory and has dual cameras (8-megapixel rear with full HD Video and a 2-megapixel front facing shooter). The keyboard dock comes standard along with a 2-cell battery, dual speakers and the S-Pen stylus. Samsung claims that it can deliver a battery life of up to 13.5 hours with the standard battery. Other ports include a micro-HDMI, one USB 2.0, a MicroSD card reader and a 3.5mm combi-headphone jack.

The ATIV Smart PC will also feature the full set of Samsung developed apps to utilise the Windows 8 Platform

Samsung’s ATIV Smart PC Pro promises to deliver the extra features missing from the Smart PC, Intel Ivy Bridge dual-core i5 processor and a full-HD 11.6-inch display. Its only 9.9 mm thick and classifies as an ultrabook. ATIV Smart PC Pro also includes standard keyboard dock, 4GB of RAM, a 128 GB SSD drive, stereo speakers, twin cameras 5.0-megapixel rear camera, 2.0-megapixel front facing camera, funnily enough the more expensive one out of the two has a lower resolution camera. The ATIV Smart PC Pro has a 4-cell battery and up to 8.5 hours of battery life.

The ATIV Smart PC Pro also features the S-Pen stylus, one micro-HDMI port, one USB 3.0 port, a microSD card reader, a combi-headphone jack and Samsung’s proprietary dock port. Both the Smart PC and Smart PC Pro are expected to be available in December 2012

November 27, 2012
Nokia Asha 205, Nokia 206 Dual-SIM Launched, Priced At $62

Nokia unveiled on Monday two new cellphone models, the Nokia Asha 205 and the Nokia Asha 206, pricing both models at around $62, excluding subsidies and taxes.

The dual-SIM Nokia Asha devices have been unveiled in four countries (Indonesia, Nigeria, Kenya and India) today as the Asha series completes one year of launch.

[quote]”Asha is a huge category for us and in Q3, about 6.5 million Asha touch devices were sold, which speaks volumes about the popularity of the device. The new phones are also aimed at giving users a smarter Internet experience at affordable costs,” Nokia India Director (Mobile Phones) Sari Harju told reporters during the launch.[/quote]

The Nokia Asha 205 is a QWERTY device with a 2.4-inch display and a dedicated Facebook button. It comes with 2G connectivity, Bluetooth, VGA camera and a battery that offers 11 hours talk-time. The phone comes with pre-installed apps like eBuddy Chat, Twitter and support for popular email accounts such as Gmail as well as 40 free games from EA. The Nokia Asha 205 will be available in Cyan, Magenta and Orange colour options.

Nokia 206 is a regular ‘bar’ style feature phone with a 2.4-inch display, 1.3-megapixels camera and 2G + Bluetooth connectivity. It comes with pre-installed apps like eBuddy Chat, WhatsApp and a gift pack of 10 free, premium content items. The Nokia 206 will be available in Cyan, Magenta and Yellow colours.

The Nokia Asha 205 and Nokia 206 are expected to start shipping in the fourth quarter of 2012 for an estimated retail price (excluding taxes) of $62 (Rs. 3,450)

November 26, 2012
Motorola Mobility Indian Website Shut Down

Motorola Mobility has shut down its India-specific product website as part of its global streamlining process.

[quote]“We are streamlining our business and support systems, and unfortunately, we’ll no longer have a dedicated website for India,” a message on Motorola Mobility India’s website said.[/quote]

“Your local support site will remain open well into the future, and we’ll continue to provide support for our existing products,” it added.

This move seems to be a part of the company’s global downsizing process. In August, it had confirmed its decision to cut off 20 percent of work force and shut down operations in many countries.

Motorola Mobility, which is totally independent from Motorola Solutions, had incurred heavy loss last year. Google took over the company for $12.5 billion in May this year. Google had earlier said in a filing to the US Securities and Exchange Commission.

The company is likely to continue its sales in India till the stocks lessen. It is rumored that India may not see any new products from Motorola. It was reported that the existing customers would continue to get the service centre support.

This move seems to be a part of Motorola’s global downsizing process. In August, Motorola had confirmed its decision to cut off 20 percent of work force and shut down operations in many countries.

Motorola Mobility, which is totally independent from Motorola Solutions, had incurred heavy loss last year. Google took over the company for $12.5 billion in May this year. Google had earlier said in a filing to the US Securities and Exchange Commission, “These changes are designed to return Motorola’s mobile devices unit to profitability, after it lost money in fourteen of the last sixteen quarters,” as reported by IBN Live.
The company is likely to continue its sales in India till the stocks lessen. It is rumored that India may not see any new products from Motorola. It was reported that the existing customers would continue to get the service centre support.

November 26, 2012
BlackBerry 10-N Series Physical QWERTY Keypad Gets Photographed

The BlackBerry 10 N-Series hasn’t since seen the light of day, until today. Aside from the early marketing video never really meant for public eyes, the N-Series has escaped blurry cams everywhere but purported images of the BlackBerry 10 N-Series Physical QWERTY Keypad have made their way out now.

Taking a look at it shows the similar iconic design that we’re used to seeing in other flagship devices, namely the Bold 9900, but with the upcoming BB 10 it looks like the familiar chrome ‘frets’ will be straight, rather than curved.

The BlackBerry 10 platform and the first two smartphones powered by it will be launched on January 30, and more on the matter will become official at that time.

For BlackBerry users out there, are you likely to go with touchscreen or QWERTY keyboard?

November 26, 2012
Apple iPad Mini coming soon Starting Rs. 21,900, Online retailers list SKUs

Several online retailers have started listing the iPad Mini on their websites as “coming soon”, this indicates a pending soon launch. The iPad Mini was originally though to be introduced a week after the iPhone 5 launch in India. But, due to the high demand by the iPhone buyers, Apple possibly wants to be prepared when they launch the iPad Mini in India.

The 16GB iPad mini Wi-Fi only version will be priced at Rs 21,900, while the 32GB will cost 27,900 and 64GB versions will be available for R Rs 33,900. The iPad mini Wi-Fi + Cellular version will supposedly come with a price of 28,900 for the 16GB variant, keeping in the trend of iPhone 5 pricing.

The Flagship iPad mini, the 64GB Wi-Fi + Cellular version, will sell for Rs 41,900. However one has to consider the fact, that a flagship iPad 9.7 inch with retina display will be available for a mere 4 thousand more, then why would one buy the iPad Mini?

Funnily enough Apple is also planning to launch the new generation of iPod Touch at a price of Rs. 23,900 for the 32 GB and a price of Rs. 29,900 for the 64 GB, which just seems strange, because one would definitely choose the iPad mini vs the iPod Touch or even a full fledged iPad for the same price. even more so, a 16 GB iPhone 4 can be had for around the 26 thousand price.

Apple seems to be defeating its own market in India with the pricing of their products. Unless a better more competitive pricing is adhered to, the iPad Mini and the new iPod Touch may never say the beaming numbers of the iPhone 5 or what the iPad 3 had.

November 26, 2012
Galaxy Note 2 Sales Hit 5 Million

It was just three week ago that Samsung declared Galaxy Note 2 sales reached the 3 million milestone in 37 days. Now, according to a post on SammyHub, the 5.5-inch phone/tablet has reportedly crossed over the 5 million mark in global sales in just 2-months – something that the original Note took 5 months to accomplish.

It features a 5.55? HD Super AMOLED display along with 1.6 GHz quad-core processor and 3100mAh battery.

The Note 2 is 9.4mm thick, has a quad-core Exynos processor clocked at 1.6GHz. In terms of design it follows along the Galaxy S3 while retaining the feel of the original Note. Samsung has been smart enough to launch the phone with Jelly Bean and their new Touchwiz UI. The Note 2 also features a new S-Pen that adds a lot of functionality to the device.

November 25, 2012
Crystal Dynamics Reveal Tomb Raider Gameplay Length

Crystal Dynamics, the development team behind the new Tomb Raider reboot, took to answering some late night questions about the game in a short Q&A with fans. Although the one-hour segment didn’t go into great details about the game, a few small facts did arise.

The answers came from Karl Stewart, the Global Brand Director, who took to Twitter for one-hour in a lightning round of Tomb Raider trivia. We will skip some of the lame questions and head right to the good ones in order to save you some time.

One of the best questions asked was how long will the gameplay be, to that question Karl stated, “12 to 15 + depending on your play style”. When asked if Lara could swim, the answer was a touch odd; “Lara can swim, but just not in this game” Karl said. This hopefully will quell any ideas of underwater levels… we hope.

It seems Lara will be using the regenerative life-meter in this game and will be forgoing the traditional ‘life-bar’. Karl stated on Twitter that Lara will have “regenerative” health and will have “no need for items” in that respect in this iteration of Tomb Raider.

It seems that Square Enix may be planning a few midnight releases for the game as well, Karl confirmed that “it will” when asked, but would only say “more on that soon” at this time. For fans hoping that this will begin a new franchise, Karl had this to say about a possible sequel if the game is successful, “why of course” he simply stated. We couldn’t have stated it better ourselves.

One question we really enjoyed was asked by @ZenonSamuels who stated, “Will the combat system be better than TR:Underworld?”. Karl’s response was simply, “haha…….OHHHH YEEEESS it will!!”.

Karl promised much more information about the title would be released in December.

[Gaming Examiner]

November 25, 2012
Volvo V40 Launching March 2013; Priced at Rs 25 lakhs

Luxury car major Volvo would launch its new car in Indian market by the end of March 2013, a top company official has said.

The car ‘V40-Cross Country,’ is already on road in Frankfurt and would hit the Indian market, which is a potential market for the company, Tomas Ernburg, Managing Director, Volvo India, told PTI on Friday.

n India, Volvo V40 will compete with the Mercedes Benz A Class and B Class, and BMW 1 Series hatchback. Tomas Ernburg told PTI earlier this Friday that India is a very big market. “Volvo India wants to be No.1 in India in the luxury segment and aims to capture 15% market share by 2020 and would sell 20,000 cars then. It would gradually increase to 30,000 in 2025,” he said.

Tomas revealed these details in Coimbatore, where he was present to open one of the Volvo showrooms in the country. Other cities that have Volvo showrooms include, Chnadigarh, Chennai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Kochi, Mumbai and Pune.

Volvo will increase their production sites to 43 by 2020, from current 12 by 2020 in order to capture the luxury car market by 2020. Volvo would commence operations at their plant in China next year and plans of building a plant in India are gaining momentum.

November 25, 2012
Pantel WS802C-2G Penta T-Pad Tablet Launched For Rs 8299

Pantel Technologies has launched its 8 inch WS802C 2G Penta T-Pad for Rs. 8,299.

The Penta T-Pad comes with an inbuilt SIM slot, enabling users to access 2G data as well as make calls. It also features Wi-Fi connectivity and 3G USB dongle support. Under the hood, a 1.2GHz processor and 1GB DDR3 RAM power the device. It has 8GB of built-inl storage, expandable up to 32GB via a microSD card. It also boasts of a 5,000 mAh battery and 3D graphics accelerator.

[quote]At the launch of the tablet, Vijender Singh, MD, Pantel Technologies, said, “This latest product, introduced in India for the first time, the Penta T-Pad WS802C Voice calling tablet PC, with a unique accessory and multiple connectivity options at an affordable price of Rs 8,299, is an initiative to bring more excitement and enhanced capability for our customers in this ever evolving market-place.”[/quote]

There’s also a keyboard with an inbuilt stereo-phonic speaker system available for the device. The price for that is Rs 1,499. The Penta T-Pad WS802C-2G comes pre-loaded with Facebook, Skype, and Angry Birds.

November 25, 2012
Bose Solo TV Sound System Launched At INR 25,673

Bose has introduced the Solo TV Sound System, an unobtrusive, single speaker for TV. Bose claims the system “dramatically improves the dialogue, music, action and sound effects from everyday programming.” The device uses a single cable connection to the TV and fits under many TVs.

[quote]”The Bose Solo TV sound system was developed for the love of TV — for people who don’t want a home theatre system. It delivers detailed sound at any volume, without the complications or intrusions of multiple components. One listen, and you’ll realise how much you’ve been missing in your favorite shows,” said Ratish Pandey, Director Bose India.[/quote]

This is Bose’s second launch this week after it unveiled the AirPlay-enabled SoundLink Air Digital Music System on Tuesday.

Measuring 7cms high x 52.5cms wide x 30.4cms deep, the Bose Solo TV sound is designed to fit under flat-panel televisions that have a base up to 101cms wide and 26.6 cms deep – requirements met by TVs with screens up to 32-inch and many 40-inch to 42-inch televisions.

The Bose Solo TV system connects to a television with just one cable and one plug to the wall. No additional equipment, wiring or adjustment is required. A remote control is included, and the system can also be operated by most universal remotes. The system uses proprietary Bose digital signal processing and Bose speaker array technology to deliver the typical Bose experience.

The Bose Solo TV system will be available for Rs 25,673.

November 24, 2012