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RIM announces BB OS7 with new Browser and BlackBerry Balance (PR)

RIM has just announced a new Revision of the Blackberry OS for their new series of Smart-Phones which were announced today. The OS will bring better features to the interface, web browsing and overall usability of the New Blackberry Devices. Another thing to note is that none of the old devices including the current gen BB OS 6 devices will be eligible for an upgrade as the OS lacks any form of QNX.

FULL PR

RIM Introduces New BlackBerry Bold Smartphones

New BlackBerry Bold 9900 and 9930 Smartphones are the Thinnest and Most Powerful BlackBerry Smartphones yet, Featuring the Renowned BlackBerry Keyboard Together with a Brilliant Touch Screen and the New BlackBerry 7 OS

Waterloo, ON – Research In Motion (RIM) (NASDAQ: RIMM; TSX: RIM) today unveiled two new BlackBerry® Bold™ smartphones. The high-performance BlackBerry Bold 9900 and 9930 smartphones feature a stunning and iconic design that integrates an incredibly easy-to-use BlackBerry keyboard with a brilliant, high resolution, capacitive touch screen. These exceptional smartphones are built on a new, performance-driven platform powered by the BlackBerry® 7 operating system and designed to deliver the ultimate in communications, multimedia and productivity for users around the world.

“The new BlackBerry Bold smartphones and BlackBerry 7 OS are inspired by millions of customers around the world who want the ultimate combination of performance, functionality and style,” said Mike Lazaridis, President and Co-CEO, Research In Motion. “These fully-loaded and beautifully crafted smartphones offer a highly refined user experience with blazingly fast performance, a brilliant touch screen and an outstanding typing experience.”

Thin, Sleek, Iconic Design
Distinguished by an iconic design and the industry’s best keyboard, the BlackBerry Bold 9900 and 9930 smartphones feature the premium materials and finishes that characterize the BlackBerry Bold line. Both models have a lustrous exterior with a brushed stainless steel frame and a high-gloss glass-weave backplate. They are also the thinnest BlackBerry smartphones yet, at only 10.5mm. The quality materials and optimized design of the new BlackBerry Bold smartphones are instantly evident when held in the hand.

Performance-Driven
These BlackBerry Bold smartphones are built on a new performance-driven platform featuring a 1.2 GHz processor, Liquid Graphics™ touch screen, and support for high speed 4G/HSPA+ wide area wireless networks.

The Liquid Graphics touch screen, a key new feature powered by BlackBerry 7, delivers fast, smooth performance for highly responsive touch-based navigation, web browsing, pictures, video and graphics intensive games*. Offering up to 60 frames-per-second performance with instant UI action/response, Liquid Graphics gives customers a visually rich and immersive experience that’s responsive to the touch. In addition, the smartphones feature brilliant displays with an eye-popping 287 dpi to deliver crisp, stunning visuals.

The new platform also provides support for 4G networks; the 9900 supports HSPA+ connectivity, and the 9930 supports CDMA EV-DO Rev. A and HSPA+ global roaming on GSM/UMTS networks.

NFC
The BlackBerry Bold 9900 and 9930 smartphones include built-in support for NFC (Near Field Communications), a new technology that will enable many rich and exciting experiences. Through NFC, users will be able to, for example, pair the BlackBerry Bold to an accessory or read information such as a web link from smart tags by simply tapping their BlackBerry Bold to an NFC tag (eg. Smart Poster).

Augmented Reality
The BlackBerry Bold 9900 and 9930 smartphones feature a built-in compass (magnetometer) to support location-based services and augmented reality. APIs will allow third party developers to take advantage of the new functionality within their applications. The new smartphones will also include Wikitude, the leader in mobile augmented reality, which overlays contextual information on what the user sees through the smartphone’s camera viewfinder.

HD Video
The new BlackBerry Bold 9900 and 9930 smartphones support up to 720p HD video recording and playback. Users can easily share their videos directly from the smartphone or sync videos, as well as music and photos, to their computer using Media Sync in the BlackBerry® Desktop Software.

BlackBerry 7
The BlackBerry 7 OS is designed to power the new performance-driven BlackBerry Bold platform. It provides an easier and faster user experience with improved browsing, voice-activated searches, the ability to manage personal content separately from corporate content, as well as additional personal and productivity apps out of the box.

The BlackBerry Browser has been significantly enhanced in BlackBerry 7. In addition to the general performance gains of Liquid Graphics, which helps deliver faster rendering and seamless panning and zooming, the BlackBerry 7 browser includes a new JIT (just in time) JavaScript compiler to improve the load time speed of web pages. The new browser also includes support for additional HTML5 elements, such as HTML5 Video.

Building upon the Universal Search feature introduced in BlackBerry 6, BlackBerry 7 expands the capability to include voice-activated search. This new capability makes it even easier and more convenient to search for content on the smartphone or web.

BlackBerry 7 also integrates BlackBerry® Balance™, which separates personal content from corporate content on the smartphone, giving users the freedom and flexibility to use the handset for personal email, Facebook®, Twitter®, multimedia, games and other apps while satisfying the very real need for corporate data to be highly secure and manageable. BlackBerry Balance works in conjunction with BlackBerry® Enterprise Server 5.0.3, which provides a number of unique IT policy controls such as wiping only corporate data from the handset or blocking work related content and apps from being copied or forwarded to personal contacts.

With BlackBerry 7 on the BlackBerry Bold 9900 and 9930 smartphones, users will also get the full version of Docs To Go® with all “premium” features enabled out-of-the-box so that users can easily work with Word, Excel and PowerPoint files directly on the smartphone. Docs To Go also includes a native PDF viewer.

Availability
The new BlackBerry Bold 9900 and 9930 smartphones are expected to be available from carriers around the world beginning this summer.

For additional information please visit www.blackberry.com/touchbold

May 2, 2011
The Mozilla Seabird Concept

The Mozilla Seabird is a concept device which promises to herald in a future where we have to carry just one device for all our technology needs. It threatens to replace traditional desktops, laptops and even tablets. The device was conceptualized a few years ago, and it seems that the base technology to run this magical device is finally catching up. You never know when your next Android phone might pop out a projected keyboard from the sides. Watch the video above.

May 2, 2011
New Blackberry Bold Touch shows up on Blackberry.com and then dissappears

The Blackberry Bold Touch has been leaked several times before this, But never on Blackberry.com. The newest variant of the most powerful Blackberry Device showed up on the RIM – Blackberry website for a short while and disappeared. The Picture above shows that the new Bold is a BOLD STEP AHEAD for RIM and the new device is also running BB OS 7 (earlier known as OS 6.1)

April 30, 2011
D-Link Launches 2-Port USB KVM Switch in India
D-Link KVM-222 – a 2 port KVM (Keyboard, Video & Mouse) switch, that allows a user to control two PCs from a single keyboard, mouse, and VGA monitor console. D-Link KVM-222 comes with a audio support feature that allows the two connected PCs to share a set of speakers via. a standard 3.5 mm stereo jack.

Key features:
- Access multiple PCs with one set of Keyboard, Mouse, Monitor and Audio
- Use remote control to switch independently
- Select PCs by using Remote Control button or Hot-key commands or AP
- Stereo audio support
- Compatible USB 1.1 specifications
- Support SVGA, VGA, XGA, WXGA, UXGA, WUXGA, QXGA and multi-sync monitors (the max. resolution is up to 2048*1536)
- Supports DDC, DDC2, and DDC2B
- Windows 2000 / XP / Vista / 7, Linux and Mac OS(10.3 and up) compatible
- No additional cable or adapter required
Availability & Pricing: D-Link KVM-222 is currently available all across India at a MRP of Rs. 3100/- & comes with 1 year warranty.
April 29, 2011
Apple iPad 2 Starts Selling in India, First Come First Serve
The iPad 2 has finally made it to stores in India, and the stock is apparently flying off of shelves. All stockists were given strict instructions to not take pre orders and the iPad 2 is available on first come first serve basis to those willing to buy it.

Pricing is as follows and various users are complaining of the low stock of white color.
- 16GB Wi-Fi: Rs. 29,500
- 32G Wi-Fi: Rs. 34,500
- 64GB Wi-Fi: Rs. 39,500
- 16GB 3G + Wi-Fi: Rs. 36,900
- 32GB 3G + Wi-Fi: Rs. 41,900
- 64GB 3G + Wi-Fi: Rs. 46,900
April 29, 2011
App a Day:Contr2Brothers – Contra for iOS

Well we found an app that brings back a few childhood memories of sitting in front of the TV and furiously mashing the controls of the NES to kill a few bad guys and achieve 14-bit glory. Here we have a misappropriatly named game called Contr2Brothers – a copy of the good-old game Contra. It features the same game-play as the original with on-screen controls that are slightly tough to use. The game claims to offer 30 lives but we still haven’t figured out how to get there. The audio is a little irritating after a while so you might want to mute it. One good feature is that the game supports upto 2 players via a bluetooth connection. Download it from the link below to relive your childhood…

[xrr rating=3/5 label=”Price : $0.99 ” imageset=shiny_yellow_star display_as=fraction_stars]

[xrr rating=4/5 label=”Ease of Use :” imageset=shiny_yellow_star display_as=fraction_stars]

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Contr2Brothers – IceFish

[qrcode]

April 29, 2011
UBUNTU 11.04 finally out, Open Source and Linux communities rejoice

The Latest version of the most popular open-source Operating system for Computers is out. The new version adds some interesting UI changes

Their servers are higly overloaded. We are downloading the new build right now, we will be back soon with a full change-log, tweaks and setup instructions shortly.

April 28, 2011
App a Day: Superfiles for iOS
Todays app is exceptionaly useful for Businesses and people who use their phones extensively for work.Superfiles is a frontend for Google Docs, iDisk, Dropbox, Box.net, Flickr, Picasa, WebDAV, FTP, SFTP etc.

What it basically allows you to do is to upload & download documents from your cloud storage or other servers on the go to your iDevice. Edit files on the go. Preview files not supported by other iOS apps, share files between Superfiles via bluetooth, Scan documents with your camera etc.

Some of the features of the app are:
- Send/Receive files between Superfiles via Bluetooth
- Scan documents, enhance for better OCR
- OCR(Optical Character Recognition) of images
- Translate documents to 52 languages
- Upload/Download files locally to your iPhone using any Web browser
- Email selected files
- Local preview of CHM, FB2, PDB, EPUB, TXT, CSV, TSV, TAB, XCARDS, HTML, HTM, WEBARCHIVE, PHP, JS, JAVA, CSS, XML, C, CC, CPP, M, MM, H, DOC, DOCX, XLS, XLSX, PPS, PPSX, PPT, PPTX, RTF, RTFD, PAGES, NUMBERS, KEY, PDF files
- Create/Edit Text documents
- Crop, flip, rotate, resize and enhance images
- Convert image from/to JPG/PNG/GIF/BMP/TIF format
- Create multipage PDF from several images and text files
- Upload/Download/Rename/Move/Delete/Preview for GDocs
- Upload/Download from/to Picasa/Flickr
- Upload/Download/Rename/Move/Delete/Preview for FTP/SFTP/MobileMe/iDisk/WebDAV/Dropbox/Box.net
- Zip and Upzip files
- Text-to-speech for 37 languages
Inintially, when you open the app, you might be overwhelmed with the sheer number of options that are available to you. Dont feel intimidated. Its quite easy to use the app. First off, create/log in to your account on any of the providers. After that, just click on the icon for the task you wish to perform.

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SuperFiles – ArlexSoft

[qrcode]
April 28, 2011

HTC Desire S Full Review India with Sample Pics and Video Rev

One of the Mighty phones from HTC’s stable the HTC Desire needed a real makeover to take on the market. With a big mass audience to please and some really big shoes to fill, does the Desire S really actually replace the original HTC Desire? Our Review looks into the mass appeal Desire S and tells you what it brings to the table.

BUILD QUALITY AND HARDWARE

The HTC Desire S is the best form factor of smart-phone from HTC with a perfect size and quality styling and brilliant form factor. The device fits easily in all hand sizes and is convenient to pocket around. This is by far the best representation of form factor from HTC. That being said the paint or the exterior finish was not up to standards, we saw the paint fade from several places with just regular use, within a week. We are not too happy with this fact and are unsure whether or not people can claim warranty on such units.

In terms of specs we have the following

Frequency	Quad Band
Phone Style	Touchscreen
OS	Android 2.3 Gingerbread
Thickness	11.63mm
Length	115mm
Width	59.8mm
Weight	130g
Built-in Memory	1.1GB
Additional Memory	MicroSD support (up to 32GB)
High-speed Data	GPRS, HSDPA,Wi-Fi,
Connectivity	Bluetooth, USB
Screen Size	3.7-inch touch screen with 480 x 800 resolution
Camera Resolution	5 megapixels
Flash	power LED flash
Battery	1450 mAh

We are calling it the Lightweight Champion because of the simple fact that it bring most high end features at a much reasonable price than one would expect from an HTC Phone

PHONE AND MESSAGING

The phone dialer is as great as any other HTC phone we have tested in the past, the earpiece and mic make us wonder if anyone can become any better with the voice quality. Network connections are smooth, we did face the “Death grip” issues in some case where the network dropped significantly when the device was held too tight.

Messaging is simple and easy with the HTC keyboard and even better with keyboard replacements from the Marketplace, the touch screen is accurate and responsive hence there is no problem with the accuracy of the keyboard.

we simple love the fact that HTC devotes a huge chunk of its time in fixing the phone inside the Smartphone, to make it work seamlessly. As is the case with every thing man-made problems are there in devices, But we have seen a huge uptrend where HTC and constantly improved their products over-time, focusing on past issues.

SCREEN AND MULTIMEDIA

We don’t see how this is an improvement over the past Desire, we were actually lucky enough to get the original Desire with an AMOLED screen, which basically trumped all other screens including the sLCD offered by HTC these days, the resolution is also somewhat similar at 480×800 pixels and the screen size is small compared to competition. Although touchscreen technology has improved significantly we can see that the device is more responsive and accurate at receiving inputs. Which makes the overall experience worthwhile.

Video playback quality is simply great on this device, we tested a huge array of video files, buffer sizes and audio syncs they all played great and the device just scored a ten in our books in terms of multimedia. The screen is still great and watching videos on it is still a lot of fun. Speakerphone on the device is actually the only thing we can complain about, because it is poor for a device that is so great. Low volumes make utilization of this device in public places a horrid experience.

CAMERAS

The device has 2 cameras a rear 5 MP snapper which can also take 720p video and a front facing VGA cam that not only looks far better than any other VGA cam that we have tested but records great video.

The rear 5 MP sensor has great color depth and a large view field, we also saw that the camera was much snappier at taking pictures and the rest of the HTC devices tested by US. Pictures were clear and crisp and low light performance was quite surprisingly good. Video is the standard 720p Lossless format, with little or no jitter. We love the added picture and video effects, makes the camera app a much more complete app, and you wont find yourself searching for a marketplace camera app replacement.

The front camera is great for portrait pictures and even great for video logging, without needed the mention of Video calling over skype fring etc which works natively and brilliantly.

CONCLUSION

The device packs a lot of features at a price bracket of 22,000/- to 24,000/- Indian Rupees. Possibly the best device in the market at that price, Comes with Android 2.3 right out the box, a front and rear camera and simply great form and construction. You cant beat that at a price of 22K . The fact that you can add a couple of thousand and get the Incredible S, makes us kinda jiggly on our own decision, Incredible S gives a Better Performance CPU-GPU, an sLCD, an 8 Mega Pixel camera and Better sound output.

[xrr rating=4/5 label=”We Rate The Desire S” imageset=shiny_yellow_star display_as=fraction_stars]

Full Video UNBOXING

FULL REVIEW VIDEO

VIDEO CAMERA SAMPLE

April 28, 2011

Apple iPad 2 launched in India, Shipping April 29th 2011. Original iPad to get cheaper!

Apple Finally sent us an intimation that the iPad 2 will be made available in India from the April 29th. Just as earlier rumors suggested the iPad 2 will infact be the fastest ever current gen iOS device to be made Available in India after its launch in the US.

The pricing of the iPad 2 still remains a question, because the device is slated at a 25,500- 27,500 base price for the 16Gb WiFi only version. We will have more information on launch date.

We also have news from one of our sources at Apple that the original iPad will infact become cheaper by upto 5000/- INR bringing it down to a starting price of just 17000/- Inr. For those looking for a first tablet at that price nothing beats the original iPad.

Stay tuned for more on this including a post launch unboxing and a full review.

April 28, 2011
Video Chat Coming to Android 2.3.4

Looks like a bunch of Rumors floating around the web including a tweet which talks about the Nexus S – Video Chat on Gingerbread 2.3.4.

What this means is that all Android Devices with front facing cameras and the latest version of Gingerbread will be Able to use it to Video Chat amongst other with similar availabilities.

April 27, 2011
Next Windows Phone 7 Software update (Mango) to be called Windows Phone 7.5
Microsoft has accidentally confirmed that its next major Windows Phone update aka Mango will be infact Called WIndows Phone 7.5.

Mango update will bring
- Multitasking
- Internet Explorer 9 mobile
- Twitter integration
Microsoft also showcased several new features of the Mango Update Earlier this Year at the MIX developers confrence.

[VIA]
April 27, 2011
BlackBerry Style 9670 CDMA Launched in India at 24,999/-
Looks like a new Blackberry is in town, All the BB lovers who also like flip phones the new BB style offers a mix of the BB madness in a flip style phone.

Specs
- BlackBerry OS 6.0
- 360 x 400 resolution internal display
- 240 x 320 resolution external display
- 5 megapixel camera with auto-focus and flash
- Videos in VGA resolution
- BlackBerry full QWERTY keypad
- Optical trackpad
- Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and GPS.
- 12MB internal memory
- 8GB microSD card
Price is set at 24,999/-
April 26, 2011
Acer Iconica Tab A500 with Honeycomb, now shipping in the US for $499
The Acer Iconia Tab A500 has
- Android 3.0 (Honeycomb tablet)
- 10.1-inch display
- Price of $450
- Dual-core NVIDIA Tegra 2 at 1GHz
- 16GB of onboard storage
- 2-megapixel front-facing camera
- 5-megapixel rear camera,
- 8 hours of battery life
- 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 2.1 +EDR
- MicroSD card slot that supports up to 32GB
The device is now available from local vendors and reatails merchants like Best Buy in the US for 450 US$ or approximately 20,000/- INR. Pretty steep for a wifi only Tab if you ask us!
April 26, 2011
Sony Announces S1 and S2 Dual Screen Honeycomb Tablets with Video Intro (PR)
Sony has just now announced its 2 upcoming Android 3.0 Honeycomb tablets.

The First one is dubbed the S1 and comes with
- 9.4-inch Screen
- Curved top like a magazine
- Front- and rear-facing cameras
- Tegra 2 SoC
- “Quick and Smooth” touch panel UI
- “Swift” web browser
- Can be used as a Remote control for Sony Equipment (thanks to included IR)
The S2 on the other hand has
- 2 – 5.5-inch 1,024 x 480 pixel Displays
- Tegra 2 SoC
- Single Camera
- Custom book-style UI layout
- e-reader app, email
Both the tablets are PlayStation Certified and are WiFi and 3G/4G enabled. They are expected to be available Aug-Sept

Full Press Release

Sony Announces Optimally Designed “Sony Tablet” with Android 3.0 that Complements Network Services for an Immersive Entertainment Experience
-Also strengthening VAIO in expanding PC markets-

Sony Corporation (“Sony”), announces “Sony Tablet” that delivers the perfect combination of hardware, content and network with seamless usability for a high-quality, engaging entertainment experience. Based on decades of engineering heritage, Sony is developing two tablets with unprecedented design, including S1 (codename) which is optimized for rich media entertainment and S2 (codename) which is ideal for mobile communication and entertainment. “Sony Tablet” will become available in the global market starting in fall 2011.

“Sony Tablet” is equipped with the latest Android 3.0 which is designed for devices with larger screen sizes, particularly tablets. Both tablets are WiFi and WAN (3G/4G) compatible and users can not only browse the internet or check e-mail but they can also smoothly access digital content including videos, games and books through Sony’s premium network services and more, on-the-go at any time.

S1 has a 9.4-inch display for enjoying the web and rich content on a large screen. Its off-center of gravity design realizes stability and ease of grip as well as a sense of stability and lightness, offering comfortable use for hours.

S2 has two 5.5-inch displays that can be folded for easy portability. In contrast to existing tablets, its unprecedented dual screen presentation and usability allows its displays to be combined and used as a large screen or for different functions such as playing video on one screen while showing control buttons on the other.

“‘Sony Tablet’ delivers an entertainment experience where users can enjoy cloud-based services on-the-go at any time. We’re aiming to create a new lifestyle by integrating consumer hardware, including ‘Sony Tablet’ with content and network,” said Kunimasa Suzuki, Corporate Executive, SVP, and Deputy President of Consumer Products & Services Group.

“Android 3.0 is a new version of the Android platform with a new holographic user interface that is designed from the ground up for devices with larger screen sizes, particularly tablets. I’m excited about “Sony Tablet” as it will further spur the development of applications and network offerings which users are looking for.” said Andy Rubin, Senior Vice President, Mobile, Google Inc.

Also, in the mobile computing category, the market for PCs which realize high productivity is expected to steadily grow, particularly in emerging markets. Therefore, Sony will also remain committed to strengthening its VAIO brand and introduce increasingly compelling products which offer new value propositions to the market.

“Sony Tablet” features.
Designed for portability and intuitive gripping
With its off-center of gravity form factor, the 9.4-inch S1 offers stability and a sense of lightness, offering comfortable use for hours.
The dual screen S2 comes with two 5.5-inch displays which can be used together as one large screen to browse websites and more. They can also be used for different functions as users can watch a video on one screen and input commands on the other, or check email on one screen and use the other as a soft keyboard.

Seamless Usability and Performance
Through Sony’s knowhow for combining hardware and software, “Sony Tablet” realizes optimal usability and performance. Because of Sony’s rapid response technologies, users can perform smooth, quick touch-screen operations and enjoy fast and efficient website loading. The keyboard arrangement is also optimized for the large screen, making email and SNS communication a breeze.

Rich entertainment experiences through various network services
Through Qriocity1 music and video services, users can enjoy rich video and music content. Also, through PlayStation®Suite, users can immerse themselves in high quality first generation PlayStation® titles. Additionally, users can easily download ebook content from Reader™Store2 and use both tablets as digital reading devices. The integration with various services allows users to take their entertainment experiences on-the-go. Furthermore, “Sony Tablet” is equipped with functionality that organizes content for easy access.

Remote access functionality with AV devices
Through “Sony Tablet”, users can control home entertainment devices as well as enjoy content in new ways. S1 uses infrared technology and works as universal remote controls for a variety of AV devices starting with . Users can perform functions like turning on their TVs, changing the channel and adjusting the volume. Also, through DLNA functionality on “Sony Tablet”, users can “throw” personal content to large screen televisions or music to wireless speakers.

In 2010, Sony launched a network platform called “Qriocity” which connects many of Sony’s network-enabled devices, and has been expanding its services into global markets. Also, Sony Computer Entertainment has been providing various contents and services for PlayStation users through PlayStation®Network, which now has over 75 million registered accounts (as of March 20, 2011) worldwide.

Simultaneously, Sony will continue to announce various devices which leverage these services. Starting in early 2011, Sony Computer Entertainment announced the next-generation portable entertainment system (codename: NGP) while Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications brought “Xperia™PLAY” to the market. Sony is introducing “Sony Tablet” to deliver an entertainment experience which integrates hardware with network services that deliver rich content.

With the establishment of Consumer Products and Services Group in April 2011, Sony will focus on accelerating the development of innovative next generation products and aim to deliver a new lifestyle by strengthening the integration of hardware and network services.

1 In markets where service is available
2 In markets where service is available
April 26, 2011