Apple has filed a third challenge against HTC on June 4th claiming claims HTC is still violating patents with their new One series devices. If this case goes anywhere near success, Apple would slap down 29 devices including the new One Series, the One X, the One V and the One S. A full list of implicated handsets is in the source link below.
The latest suit contains a quote by Steve Jobs.
[quote]We can sit by and watch competitors steal our patented inventions, or we can do something about it. We’ve decided to do something about it, We think competition is healthy, but competitors should create their own original technology, not steal ours. [/quote]
They are at it again. Apple and Samsung are in legal hot waters yet again, only when things couldn’t get worse. Apple has called for early ban on Samsung’s new flagship device the Galaxy SIII. According to Apple the Galaxy S III violates at least two patents, one is the data tapping patent, the exact on in their suitagainst HTC and the other a unified search patent that covers Siri.
Apple is also arguing that a Million Pre-orders are evidence of the potential damage if the US court lets the dispute slide. Samsung has confirmed that the injunction will not affect the US launch schedule. But knowing how this battle has heated up, we can only wait nd watch what really will happen.
The ultra-books are aimed at being slim and lightweight.
The ultra-books are aimed at being slim and lightweight.
The ultra-books are aimed at being slim and lightweight.
Lenovo on Tuesday launched 2 new ultrabooks, the IdeaPad U310 and U410 priced at Rs 50,000 and Rs 53,000, respectively along with the new IdeaCentre A720 all-in-one PC. The 13-inch U310 and 14-inch U410 weigh 1.7kg and 1.9kg, and measure only 0.7 inch (18mm) and 0.83 inch (21mm) thick, respectively. These laptops are powered by third-generation Intel Core processors and focus on light weight and slimness. Both are available with Ivy Bridge processors up to Core i7, as much as 1TB of storage, plus optional 32GB SSD cache drives and NVIDIA discrete graphics. Pricing of the U310 and U410 ultrabooks start at Rs. 49,990 and Rs. 52,990 respectively.
The A720 desktop is just 25 mm thick, which is pretty good for a 27″ frameless display. Like the ultrabooks, this AIO comes with a selection of third-generation Intel Core processors and NVIDIA’s 6-series GPU. The display features a 10-point multi-touch screen that can be adjusted from -5 to 90 degrees for regular and touch-optimised usage. It has been priced at Rs 90,000.
The All-in-one PC is one of the slimmest in the market.
Windows 8 offers a completely different user interface.
Windows 8 offers a completely different user interface.
If you’re thinking of buying a new laptop/desktop and are worried bout being left with the older version of Windows, Microsoft comes with the solution! If you buy your machine between June 2, 2012 to January 31, 2013, and it comes preloaded with Windows 7 Home Basic, Home Premium, Professional or Ultimate that includes a matching and valid OEM certificate of Certificate of Authenticity (COA), just visit the Microsoft website and register there so that when Windows 8 is launched officially, it would be made available for download at a price of just Rs 699!
Just a few days ago, Microsoft launched a preview of Windows 8 and was made available for download from it’s website. Moreover, PC’s running Windows 7 would not need any hardware change to run Windows 8. The basic requirements are a 1Ghz processor, 1gb RAM, DirectX 9 compatible (recommended).
Micromax’s newest offering to the entry-level Android smartphones, the A45 “punk”, was made available for purchase on Wednesday at a price tag of Rs 5,499. The device, like it’s predecessor the A50 “Ninja”, comes pre-loaded with Micromax’s voice assistant “AISHA” which helps you with simple tasks such as finding the nearest restaurants and weather forecasts and is mainly a music phone.
The A45 Punk runs Android 2.3.6 (Gingerbread), and comes engineered with a 650 MHz processor, a 8.89 cm full touch capacitive screen with a resolution of 320 X 480 pixel. The phone reportedly provides a talk time of 4.5 hours powered by a 1300mAh Li-ion battery. It is a dual SIM phone, and sports a 2 megapixel camera, with a memory is expandable up to 32GB. The device offers a new way to explore, discover and enjoy music and thus revamp your music listening experience through a set of funky looking headphones (with HD surround), provided along with the handset. It comes with all essential apps such as Facebook, Whatsapp etc and the rest are available for download from the Play store.
The pricing makes this device a value-for-money deal and is expected to challenge Samung’s Galaxy Y.
The Wii U is the first Wii device to sport it's own screen.
Gaming giants Nintendo unveiled the launch version of their new family gaming device, the Wii U. Presenting the device at the Nokia centre at the E3 gaming event, Nintendo was light on details about the insides of the device, and chose to focus more on the game titles it’ll be bringing out this year for the console.
The Wii U has seen a massive change from what was showcased last year and is now a tablet styled device which comes with a bunch of buttons, including 2 analog sticks on both sides, a stylus and a camera on top of the device for both gaming applications and video chat! This is the first Wii device to sport a dedicated screen.
[quote]Game machines had to be connected to the TV. They couldn’t have a more important role than the TV. We decided our next system would have its own dedicated screen … and make it the first screen people go to when they go to the living room. With the Wii U gamepad we have the first dedicated personal screen in the long history of videogames said game designer and producer Shigeru Miyamoto.[/quote]
Shigeru Miyamoto at the presentation.
Apart from that, Nintendo announced 23 new game titles and by releasing some “hardcore games” made it evident that they were ready to make the Wii console a bit more mature as far as the games were concerned. News that the titles – including Batman Arkham City: Armored Edition; Aliens: Colonial Marines; Mass Effect 3; Assassin’s Creed 3 and ZombiU – are under development will help their appeal. Casual gaming titles like Mario, Wii Fit and Picmin 3 also make their way back into the device.
Nintendo also promoted the integration of its Miiverse social network, allowing a user’s friends to pass on tips or boast of their recent scores while play continued.
Spice has just launched their new MI 425 in the market. The device is powered by a 1GHz processor, and a promised upgrade to ICS Android 4.0. The device is well designed and feels good in the hand at first go. The rounded edges fit the device comfortably in the hand and the soft touch matte pearl white back is nice and grippy.
[tabgroup][tab title=”Specifications”]
Display
[arrowlist]
Screen :Comes up in 4 inches TFT LCD Capacitive Touchscreen display
Screen resolution : 480 x 800 pixels resolution,262K Colors
[/arrowlist]
Operating system and Processor
[arrowlist]
Run on Android v2.3 (Gingerbread) operating system but upgradable to latest Android v4.0 ICS (Ice Cream Sandwich) OS.
Processor: 1 GHz single core processor
[/arrowlist]
Camera
[arrowlist]
Primary Camera : This phone having 5 Megapixel rear camera of 2592 x 1944 pixels resolution with Digital Zoom
Secondary Camera : 0.3 megapixel front facing camera having resolution of 640 x 480 Pixels.
Camera features :LED flash,Geo-tagging,
[/arrowlist]
Memory and Storage
[arrowlist]
Internal memory :140 MB internal storage
Memory can be expended up to 32 GB with the help of Micro SD card
Intel on Tuesday launched a whole new range of Ultrabooks, along with their new 3rd Gen Core Processors. The new range of products are designed on their 22nm platform, with added benefits of better battery life, more flexible designs and light mobile ultrabooks. The new inbuilt features will offer more security and theft protection by allowing new services like remote locking.
Intel said devices such as Ultrabooks, powered by Ivy Bridge, would give consumers ability to play games, upload videos to the Internet and movies without purchasing expensive, separate graphics card.
[quote]Similar to introduction of Intel Centrino nearly a decade ago, this is a time of revolutionary change in personal computing
-Ms Debjani Ghosh, Managing Director, Sales and Marketing Group, Intel South Asia[/quote]
[quote]
We would see around 30 new designs coming which are touch-enabled and 10-12 designs which are convertible like sliders by end of this year. Sliders are designs that can be used as tablet as well as laptop.
-Mr Sandeep Aurora, Director Marketing, Intel South Asia
[/quote]
Though Intel has kept the cost of Ivy Bridge similar to that of Sandy Bridge, products such as Ultrabooks would remain as a niche product for at least next 12 months. Intel was also keen to mention that the staring SKU’s of the new ultrabooks would cost upwards of Rupees 50,000. But, the company is working closely with OEM manufacturers to bring pricing to the older time Centrino levels.
Micromax is working on an upgrade to the A50 with AISHA, called the A52 , the new smartphone will feature a 1GHz processor with dual sim capabilities. The phone will be available in Yellow, White & Black and will have a 3.2 inch capacitive LCD. The price is expected to be around Rs. 6,000 which would make this an exclusive product in this price range with such features.
Sources reveal that the phone will be launched within days with a marketing campaign based around AISHA and 1 GHz chipset, just as we saw for the A50. The phone will come with Gingerbread , with a supposed update to ICS available soon. If the device truly launches for 6k it might just make our list of best phone to buy.
Wait for more information and see our unboxing of A50 below.
Nokia’s newest offering, the 808 PureView, which boasts of a massive, high-resolution 41 megapixel sensor with high-performance Carl Zeiss optics and has full HD 1080p video recording and playback, is all set to hit Indian stores tomorrow. The PureView was made available for pre-booking last month on Nokia’s website. The cost is expected to be around the Rs 30,000 mark.
Some features of this smartphone :
The OS is Symbian Belle
1.3GHz single-core chip
Display is 4-inches corner to corner, resolution of 360 x 640 (nHD).
512MB of RAM and 16GB of on-board storage, expandable via microSD.
The company’s flagship smartphone model, Nokia Lumia 900and Nokia Lumia 610 will also hit the market this month expected to be around Rs 28,000 and Rs 11,000 respectively.
For the past 5 years, Microsoft has been the star at E3 gaming event. Hence, it was only natural to think that they wouldn’t disappoint this year either. Oh, we were mistaken. The lack of a big surprise and a relative dearth of brand new titles stopped this from being a great conference. Even Usher couldn’t bring the crowd off their seats.
The event started out with a loud and action-filled (obviously) trailer of Halo 4, which was followed by Don A. Mattrick, President of the Interactive Entertainment Business at Microsoft taking over the stage and announcing “We’re on a mission to make entertainment even more amazing”. How we wish.
Halo 5!
Cut to footage of Splinter Cell: Blacklist, Ubisoft Toronto’s first announced title, developed under the stewardship of Jade Raymond. Seems Splinter Cell has morphed into a cross between Ghost Recon and Black Ops. However, an interesting feature was the use of the Kinect Mic to attract the attention of your enemies.
Andrew Wilson, Head of EA SPORTS at Electronic Arts, took to the stage and announced that Kinect support will be coming to Madden 13 and FIFA 13. A Video showed players making subsititutions and adjustments to team formation by shouting at Kinect, just like a real manager probably. Though I’m not sure my neighbor wants to hear me yelling “get Mario off the pitch he’s a liability!”
Microsoft then turned their attention to their first party franchises. Fable The Journey had a brief trailer. Seems like last year’s lukewarm reception to the game made an impact, it looks much better. However, that was only in terms of visuals, with no gameplay showed, so quite how the game has developed in the past 12 months remains a mystery. In a quickfire volley of trailers, Gears of War Judgment got its first airing, apparently casting Baird in the lead role which came as a shock as nobody quite liked Baird. Again, no gameplay but it will be interesting to see how new developer People Can Fly (Bulletstorm) bring their unique attitude to shooters, and how they can make Baird less of a jerk. Forza Horizon and a whopping dollop of dubstep rounded out the trailer, taking the detailed visuals and handling of Forza and transplanting it into open road racing and motor festivals. Resident Evil 6 and Tomb Raider too made blink and you miss appearances.
What turned out to be the most interesting announcement of the event was the announcement of Xbox Music and SmartGlass. Microsoft revealed the details of the two concepts at their pre-E3 press conference. Xbox Music will go up against popular music streaming services like Spotify, Apple’s iTunes etc. to bring music to your Xbox console as well as Windows tablets and smartphones. There was no indication of the release date, but Microsoft insisted that while Xbox Music will replace their not-so-successful Zune, it will be more than a simple revamp of that application. The teaser video showed users being able to queue up music and share what they are listening to with friends, much in the same way Spotify does. However, Microsoft said that the unique features for the service will be detailed in the coming weeks.
Xbox Music is aimed at challenging Spotify and iTunes.
Xbox SmartGlass allows users to interact with their Xbox console and television screen using their tablet computers –including Apple’s iPad– and smartphones. The concepts on display included being able to watch a movie on your tablet computer and then transfer it directly to your Xbox and television to pick up where you left off. Interestingly, while you are watching a television show or playing a game on your television with Xbox SmartGlass enabled on your tablet device, the two screens will interact with each other in different ways. For games, there was a concept demo of a player of American football game Madden 13 choosing plays on their tablet while playing the main game on the television, and a concept for FPS Halo where the player could examine weaponry and interact with friends over the Xbox Live service on their tablet. This seems similar to Nintendo’s Wii U console, which comes with a tablet style controller. Microsoft also revealed that Internet Explorer would be making it’s way into Xbox and would be compatible with Kinect and SmartGlass.
The SmartGlass enables your tablets and smartphones to interact with your TV.
The show was rounded off by a Call of Duty Black Ops II trailer which nearly brought the whole center down by sheer volume. It showcased some interesting gadgets, with the player controlling a small drone to wipe out enemies and a sniper rifle that can see through walls. It was classic Call of Duty gameplay, though the near future twist and vehicles add flavour to this most ubiquitous of series.
Sony has launched their new smartphone the “Sola” in the Market, and we go unboxing and hands-on, iGyaan Style. The new smartphone has a different build as far as all Xperia net devices are concerned.
[tabgroup][tab title=”Specifications”]
Main
[arrowlist]
3.7 inch scratch-resistant TFT touchscreen
16 million colours, 854 x 480 pixels
Google Android 2.3 (Gingerbread)
(Upgrade to Android 4, Ice Cream Sandwich, planned in Quarter 2 2012)
The new series of tablets will be powered by Windows 8.
At Computex-world’s largest computer related exhibition, tech giants Acer showcased a number of devices, including Windows 8 based machines. The company said that this year it would launch two tablets (W700 and W510), Aspire 7600U and Aspire 5600U all-in-ones, and Aspire 7 series ultrabook powered by Windows 8.
[quote]The unique part of the W510 tablet is the tri-mode, allowing users to touch, type and view. Aside from the conventional tablet mode, it can be used in productivity mode. A detachable keyboard dock can be connected to the tablet for optimal typing as well as extending the battery life up to 18 hours. Rotating the tablet 295 degrees allows it to be used in presentation mode, which is excellent for watching a video, browsing a webpage or viewing a PowerPoint presentation, the company said.[/quote]
In addition, the W510 has Always On, Always Connect technology, and a 10.1-inch touchscreen, which delivers wider viewing angles and vibrant colours, while W700 has a full HD 11.6-inch screen.The smaller tablet will be priced at Rs $799 while W700 will cost at least $999.
For all those android users using a CyanogenMod 9 or AOKP ROM (Oh yes, we know), who want their phones to run HTC’s beautiful Sense 4.0 UI, here comes the app that you’d been waiting for! This theme from BlackDub imitates the new streamlined and functional interface to perfection. A must have for spicing up your phone.
The HTC Sense UI 4.0
JetAudio Basic (Free)
This is an app worthy of replacing the default music player on your Android Smartphones.
It comes with 32 equalizer presets that will provide a wide array of listening experience. For those who would like to customize their own sound experience, it also allows 10 bands graphic equalizer and other advanced playback functions including playback speed control, crossfading, AGC and much more. It’s available for free on the Play Store.
There are multiple Presets and equalizer options.
[/tab]
[tab title=”iOS”]
SkyDrive (Free)
It comes as a shock, but Microsoft online storage service has been available for iOS users. The latest release adds a couple of new features such as support for Retina displays on the new share of apple devices. Features such as the option to upload multiple pictures and videos, sharing of these files via e-mail or web link help it to be the app of the week. The SkyDrive app also lets the user open files uploaded to SkyDrive using other iOS apps. So, if you fancy additional-based cloud storage, head to the iTunes store for the latest version.
Music Unlimited (Free Trial + subscription)
Yet another music streaming service, but this time, from Sony. It’s biggest advantage is that it is offered across a ton of Sony hardware-Android, PlayStation 3, PS Vita, and Sony TVs and Blu-ray players. It also boasts music from all the major labels, not just Sony’s own music division. If you’re interested, you can get a free 30-day trial.
The interface is smooth and flowing.
[/tab][tab title=”Windows Phone”]
WizTiles
This app makes it into the list because it brings the much needed option of customizing your home screen. You can choose from images and other themes to make your home screen more lively. It is available for download in the Windows Market Place.
Still own an iPhone 4 or a 3Gs, and need an unlock for your device? You are in luck! The dev-team has just released the latest version of Ultrasn0w i.e. 1.2.7 which will unlock all iPhone 4s on baseband 01.59.00, while the older 3G / 3GS units on 04.26.08, 05.11.07, 05.12.01, 05.13.04 or 06.15.00. Also a new version of RedSn0w (0.9.12b1) for both Windows and Mac, was released.
