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Honda launches CNG compatible City sedan

Honda has launched a CNG variant of the Honda City in India. Available in a single trim, V MT, the City CNG is priced at approximately Rs 9.60 lakh ex-Delhi. The Honda-approved retro-fitted CNG kit is available at all of Honda’s 45 dealers located in 28 cities in India. The 1.5-litre 4-cylinder engine from the petrol variant has been retained while the suspension is said to have been altered to handle the extra weight of the CNG kit. Honda is offering the CNG trim with ABS, BA and dual airbags.

Honda has also introduced an Audio Visual Navigation (AVN) pack on the V AT and MT trim levels. The AVN includes a Bluetooth-enabled touchscreen, DVD and CD player, USB/I-Pod/Aux-in connectivity and leather upholstery. The CNG powered City though doesn’t get the AVN package.

Speaking on the occasion Jnaneswar Sen, Sr vice president, Honda Cars India Ltd. said “Honda City is one of the most successful car brand in the country and certainly the most desirable sedan in its category due to its unmatched values of performance, mileage and overall reliability. We are extremely happy to bring the City with a CNG option for our customers. Adapting the CNG technology is another step to keep low cost of ownership for our customers and will add to the appeal of the car, as it will not only be cheaper to run and maintain but also eco-friendly.“

Here are the Honda City prices.

Fuel	Variants	Price in lakh (ex-Delhi)
Petrol	Corporate	7.26
Petrol	E MT	7.88
Petrol	S MT	8.41
Petrol	S AT	9.15
Petrol	V MT	8.94
Petrol	V AT	9.68
Petrol	V MT CNG *	9.03
Petrol	V MT AVN	9.72
Petrol	V AT AVN	10.46
Petrol	V MT (sunroof)	9.78
Petrol	V AT (sunroof)	10.52

* CNG Kit: Rs 50,200

Installation Charges (Extra)

[Overdrive]

October 23, 2012

Sony’s New Cloud Service To Be Called “MyXperia”?

Sony’s $1,47 billion acquisition of the remaining 50% stake in their Sony Ericsson joint venture closed in January of this year. The mobile division is called “Sony Mobile Communications” and they are focussed bringing the latest smartphones to market. The other key areas for Sony – that fall under the “One Sony” umbrella – are laptops, tablets and televisions.

It seems, just like so many other manufacturers, Sony is heading into the cloud and might possibly launch a storage service. According to a recent European trademark filing Sony has coined the term “MyXperia,” hinting at a future, but unconfirmed, cloud service or app. The description says:

“Computer application software and downloadable software in the nature of mobile applications for use in connection with virtual computer systems and virtual computing environments for upload, storage, retrieval, download, transmission and delivery of digital content and media to and from the following: mobile phones; smart phones; digital or electronic tablets for the recording, transmission, processing and reproduction of sound, images or data; personal digital assistants (PDAs); and/or portable and handheld digital electronic devices for the recording, transmission, processing and reproduction of sound, images or data.”

The domain for MyXperia.com has already been secured by Sony and the basic website is already up and running. We’ll see soon enough whether something (big or small) will come out of the “MyXperia” filing.

October 23, 2012
Nokia Launches new Nokia Lumia 510 for the Budget Windows Lover
Nokia has brought what others have failed to deliver, a Windows Phone at a budget price. The Lumia 510 has been launched at a press event in New Delhi, the 510 has a 4 inch capacitive screen with a 480 x 800 pixel density. On the spec sheet of the Lumia 510 you will find a 5-megapixel camera at the back (no front-facer), an 800MHz Qualcomm processor, 256MB RAM and 4GB of non-expandable storage.

Nokia is targeting markets like India and China for this phone expecting it to penetrate the lower strata of Smartphone users shifting up from an Asha Phone to a smart phone. The price of the Lumia 510 is expected to be US $199, so expect it to hit the Indian market in the coming weeks for under Rs 9999.

Sales are planned to begin in November, starting with India and China, and followed closely by other Asia-Pacific countries and South America.

Windows Phone is different to other smartphone platforms thanks to Live Tiles, making it easy to see incoming messages and updates; People Hub, which brings together contacts and updates from across social networks into one location, and access to Microsoft Office and Internet Explorer 9 on the mobile.

The Camera Extras app provides exclusive digital lens functionality to go with the five megapixel camera and built-in autofocus. Nokia Maps, Nokia Drive and Nokia Transport also offer comprehensive smartphone location and navigation experience available.

Complete Specs
- 4 inch LCD
- 480 x 800 px resolution
- 5 MP camera
- Windows 7.5
- 800 MHz Processor
- 256 MB RAM
- 4GB Fixed Storage
- 7GB cloud with SkyDrive
- Interchangeable Back Panels
- Price : US $ 199 or Under Rs. 9999 in India
October 23, 2012
Apple Starts iOS 6.0.1 Carrier Testing, Releasing Soon To Fix Bugs

Apple is now apparently in the process of testing a minor iOS update, iOS 6.0.1, with carriers with the update likely to hit users in the coming weeks. The report comes from BGR who say that one of their Apple sources has let slip about the update and that numerous bugs will be fixed with the update, including enhanced Wi-Fi support and fixes for cellular data as well as the horizontal aberrations in iTunes when entering a password.

Users have also reported issues with the camera flash not being timed properly with the shutter, leading to accidentally dark scenes. This should be fixed in the new software version, as well as a fix for iTunes Match incorrectly using data when WiFi is in use.

Apple is also rumoured to be testing its next big iOS version, 6.1, which is expected to come by the end of the year. While one may expect the new iPad mini to come with a new version of iOS, it seems increasingly unlikely that iOS 6.1 will be ready to go by the smaller tablet’s early November release date.

October 22, 2012
Sony Odin Reportedly Caught On Camera

We did talk about the Sony C650X Odin’s alleged specifications more than a week ago, but had absolutely no inkling of an idea as to just how the smartphone would look like. Well, it does seem as though additional light has been shed into the darkness of rumors, and here we are with what could very well be the first leaked image of the Sony C650X Odin in the flesh. The Sony C650X goes by the codename of Odin and is rumoured to compete with all the other phone/tabets – aka phablets – on the market.

It seems that Sony has translated their TV design over to the C650X Odin, where there is hardly a bezel for your eyes to grab a hold of, as it does look as though the screen itself offers edge-to-edge functionality. Of course, this could be due to the fact that the device itself has been turned off, so one cannot really make a conclusion as to whether this is legit or not.

Rumoured specifications include a 5” display at 1080 x 1920 resolution, a quad-core 1.5GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro processor and 2GB RAM. In addition, the Odin is an Android-powered device and currently runs OS 4.1.1, but by the time it’s released it might have OS 4.2 Key Lime Pie. Perhaps more will be revealed at the CES showfloor next year – or will we see an official announcement at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona after?

October 22, 2012
Bharti Airtel Becomes World’s 4th Largest Mobile Operator

According to the Wireless Intelligence ‘Scoreboard’ report, Bharti Airtel has 250 million mobile subscribers across its operations by the end of June 2012. Bharti Airtel took over Telefonica Group with a growth of 13 percent over the year.

Bharti Airtel has operations in 20 countries across South Asia and Africa with a subscriber base of 250 million.

According to a PTI report, China Mobile continues to be at the top spot with 683.08 million connections, followed by Vodafone Group (386.88 million) and America Movil Group (251.83 million). Bharti Airtel (250.04) and Telefonica Group (243.51) are at fourth and fifth position, respectively.

The research report also listed three other Indian operators in the top 20 mobile operators with Reliance coming in 8^th position having a subscriber base close to 155 million, followed by IdeaCellular in 14^th position with 117 million subscribers and then BSNL in the 20^th position with 98 million mobile subscribers.

October 22, 2012
Nokia Asha 308 Dual-SIM Phone Launched At INR 5,865

The Nokia Asha 308 unveiled last month alongside the Asha 309, is now available in the country for Rs. 5,865. Users can head to the Nokia store and purchase the device online. The Nokia Asha 308 is available in Black and Gold colour variants. The company is also offering Yatra.com travel vouchers worth Rs. 4,500 for a limited period.

As far as the specs are concerned, Asha 308 has a 3 inch capacitive multi-point touchscreen display with 400 x 240 pixel resolution, 800MHz processor, 2MP rear camera with fixed focus, 64MB internal memory, 128MB mass memory and a micro SD card slot supporting up to 32GB expandable memory.

In terms of connectivity, the Nokia Asha 308 packs features including Bluetooth and micro USB 2.0. Also, the handset is powered by a 1,110 mAh BL-4U battery.

Also, the Nokia Asha 308 comes with a fluid ‘swipe’ user interface and an open environment for third-party application development. We have seen the fluid ‘swipe’ interface before when Nokia unveiled the Asha 305 and the Asha 311.

The Nokia Asha 308 also comes with the free gift of 40 premium EA games, and pre-loaded Facebook, Twitter and WhatsApp apps. The device also features Nokia Messaging Service, and video streaming through the browser from sites like YouTube.

October 22, 2012
13 inch Macbook Pro Retina gets Leaked in Images

What appear to be images of a Macbook Pro Retina 13 inch running Windows, yep Windows, have been found online. The possible leak shows a 2,560 x 1,600 LCD (4 X resolution than the existing MacBook Pro) there are also dual Thunderbolt ports and HDMI video that shipped with15inch variant.

No information on how the computer performs or if it runs on the Ivy Bridge platform, the images do show Windows running on it. However the macbook pro 13 inch with Retina display could be a perfect balance between a unibody and SSD design and portability.

The images are also speculated to be of a Chinese ripoff replica running windows on substandard hardware, like the macbook Air replica seen earlier.

Apple will hold a special event on Oct 23rd to launch several products including the new iPad Mini and the rumored revised Macbook Pro 13 inch with Retina Display.

[Source]

October 22, 2012
Samsung Nexus 10, LG Nexus 4 and Asus Nexus 7 3G all to come on 29th Google Event

According to rumors Google “has been distributing a video recorded at one of its weekly all-hands “TGIF” meetings on its internal network” to present the new products coming in just over a week: the Samsung Nexus 4, LG Nexus 4, and the new Asus Nexus 7 (32GB Wi-Fi version and 32GB 3G + Wi-Fi model), all running Android 4.2 Jelly Bean. Looks like the Key Lime Pie versions will come out in the early 2013 event.

Nexus 4

Several sources including TheNextWeb have stated that LG will make the SmartPhone which will feature a quad-core 1.5 GHz Qualcomm APQ8064 Snapdragon processor, 4.7-inch 1280 x 768 display, 2GB RAM, 16GB storage, an 8-megapixel rear-facing camera (and 1.3-megapixel front-facing snapper) and a 2100mAh battery.

Nexus 7

The new variant of the tablet is supposedly going to come with not only a 32 GB capacity but also a 3G modem built in, expect a nano sim card slot. Asus will continue to make the Nexus 7 and the new variant will supposedly feature a newer chipset which is more battery efficient.

Nexus 10

Here is the big news after the positive success of the Google Nexus 7, Google will launch a new Nexus 10 tablet. The device will feature a 10-inch display with 2560 x 1600 resolution, 16:10 aspect ratio and 300 pixel per inch (PPI) density. It is also believed that Samsung will be the manufacturer of the said tablet and the Nexus 10 will also run the new Android 4.2 Jelly Bean.

Google’s October 29th event also will hold host to launch of several other products making it a total of 5 Nexus launches on the Day. The Google Nexus launch date of Oct 29th also co-incides will Microsoft’s Windows 8 and Phone 8 launch that will take place on the very same day.

[more]

October 22, 2012
LG Optimus VU F100S launched in India for Rs. 34,499

LG has added to the so called Tablet – Phone Hybrid format by launching the new LG Optimus VU in India. The Optimus VU has been priced at Rs. 34, 499 in India and will be officially unveiled at an event today. After the phones successful launch at MWC this year the phone has sold over half a million units in Korea and is finally available in India. Powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 processor clocked at 1.5 GHz the phone is expected to attract a few buyers in India, especially since the launch of the Galaxy Note II.

The Optimus Vu also has an 8-megapixel rear camera and a 1.3-megapixel front camera. The Optimus VU for India will come OTB with Ice Cream Sandwich, but will get jelly bean soon after. The Optimus VU will also come with some LG loaded apps including Quick Memo and Quick Voice app which is a Siri/S-voice replacement for the LG branded “Phablet”.

Expect a full featured coverage of the LG event along with unboxing and review videos soon after.

October 22, 2012
Exclusive : Apple iPad Mini may launch in India as early as first week of November

Take this one with a pinch of salt! Apple’s new iPad Mini may not have been announced yet, but it is to make a debut on the 23rd of October 2012. Apple resources and one Apple Distributor close to iGyaan have informed us that stocks for the new iPad Mini may be available as soon as 1st week of November.

Apple is pegging big on their new mini iPad and expect it to sell well during what is the festive season of the Indian subcontinent. Apple’s iPad Mini has been long rumored, in fact Apple is supposedly working on the iPad mini for several years. Leaked images and casings along with camera modules, back panels and even displays of the supposed iPad have been found before the actual release.

If Apple does infact release an iPad Mini on the 23rd Oct event, the pricing will determine its final market worth and also will determine how well it will do in India, provided the above speculation is true.

The current leaked pricing of the iPad Mini starts at Euro 249 for the basic variant which should peg it between Rs 15000-20000 in India.

Apple iPad Mini will supposedly sport a 7.85 inch Retina display, along with new gen chipsets, will run on iOS 6 and will be available in both WiFi only and with a cellular option. Apple is holding the special event on the 23rd of October to announce not only the new iPad Mini, but will also launch upgraded Mac Minis and new iMacs and Retina Macbook Pro 13 inch versions. Apple Cinema displays are also long overdue for an upgrade, which might happen on the 23rd event too.

October 22, 2012
Winston Churchill Land Rover sells at auction for £129,000

A Land Rover used by legendary leader Sir Winston Churchill to transport him around the grounds of his Kent home has sold for more than double its estimate, at £129,000 .

The vehicle, which was used to drive the former Prime Minister around his Chartwell estate and presented to him on his 80th birthday, went under the hammer in Cambridgeshire.

The vehicle, which had been modified to enable him to be chauffeur-driven around his Chartwell estate in Kent, was expected to fetch up to 60,000 pounds at an auction in Cambridgeshire, the BBC News reported.

It was sold with the original logbook registering it to Churchill to a bidder who wished to remain anonymous. The previous owner had kept it in a shed in Kent since 1977.

The 1954 Series 1 Land Rover was registered as UKE 80 in the name of the “Rt Hon Sir Winston Spencer Churchill KG. OM. CH. MP. Chartwell, Westerham, Kent”. It was especially modified for him with an extra-wide passenger seat and heated footwell.

Cheffins auctioneers said the vehicle, which had 20,812 km on the clock, was the most expensive item in its auction of more than 2,000 vintage vehicles.

October 21, 2012
Google Contemplating FTC Settlement Over Patents : WSJ

According to a report in the Wall Street Journal, Google is contemplating a settlement of an FTC investigation that is probing whether the company purposely refused to license industry essential patents to competing mobile device makers, and in some cases leveraged the IP to seek injunctions.

The FTC in June began investigating Google’s use of patents it acquired after purchasing Motorola in May.
Following the buyout, the internet search giant continued to press forward with a number of existing lawsuits, including possibly anticompetitive litigation regarding standards-essential FRAND patents.

One of the sources noted that the FTC had threatened to bring a case against Google over alleged unfair business practices involving the use of Motorola’s IP against rival mobile device makers like Apple and Microsoft. During discussions, the agency’s lawyers cited a number of cases in which the Google subsidiary possibly violated FRAND terms.

Google reportedly argued that competitors currently holding FRAND patents also violated their duties in bringing suit against Motorola and others, including filings from Apple. The company went on to say that if a settlement was reached, it would be left defenseless as rivals push forward with their own FRAND claims.

[Apple Insider]

October 21, 2012
Couple Finds Camera Buried In Earthquake With Wedding Photos Intact

A crazy story of photo survival has emerged over in New Zealand. Apparently a couple had lost their camera during the Christchurch earthquake last February. They found the demolished camera yesterday, 18 months after it got buried in silt, and were overjoyed to find that their precious photos were still readable.

According to Stuff (via PetaPixel), Martin lost his camera in the damaging earthquake that struck Christchurch in February, 2011. He and his wife had just returned from their honeymoon, and had only been back in their home an hour when the quake hit.

In the ensuing panic to evacuate their crumbling house, the camera – with more than six months’ worth of pictures on its Adata 4GB SDHC memory card – was washed away with other belongings in silt more than a meter deep. The newly married couple, though upset by the loss of the precious photos, accepted there was nothing they could do and carried on.

Then on Wednesday evening, a full 20 months after the quake, Martin noticed an object sticking up out of his driveway. On closer inspection, he realized it was his long-lost camera. As you can see from the image above, the snapper was in bad shape, but Martin wondered if the memory card might be made of sterner stuff.

To his astonishment, following “a bit of tinkering” with the memory card on his computer, the New Zealander was able to recover all the shots contained on it, including those from his wedding and honeymoon.

October 21, 2012
Apple Opens Largest Store in Asia Near Beijing

Apple’s largest store in Asia opened in Beijing on Saturday. The store, located in the city’s commercial street of Wangfujing, is Apple Inc’s third in Beijing.

John Browett, Apple’s senior vice president of retail, had previously said the new store is the company’s largest store in Asia, with an area of 2,300 square meters and more than 300 employees.

Big Apple events in Beijing tend to get a little rowdy, but Saturday’s opening, tightly controlled by dozens of security personnel, went smoothly. A half hour before doors opened, hundreds of employees in the company’s typical blue t-shirts lined up in formation, slapped high fives with one another and the crowd. Some even jogged around the perimeter of the store, drumming up excitement from customers. By 10 a.m., the line barricades were removed, although a steady stream of customers continued to file in.

It was reported on Thursday that Apple Senior Vice President of Retail John Browett visited the Wangfujing location to offer media a guided tour of what he called the best store Apple has built in Asia. The executive also let loose that construction of a fourth Chinese location was already well underway in Shenzhen, a city in which Foxconn and other Apple manufacturing partners run major fabrication facilities.

October 20, 2012