Mercury Launches Maestro, Tabla Handsets

Mercury has introduced 2 new mobile phones - Maestro and Tabla - in the entry-level segment. Music lovers who like to use their phone as a portable music player they will be happy to know that Maestro packs has a Yamaha Amplifier, while the Tabla promises that it has 3D Surround Sound quality. Both the phones will be available for less then 3000 rupees only ; the Maestro will cost Rs. 2990, while the Tabla will cost Rs. 2800. 

The new Maestro has a 2.2-inch Bright Light LCD with 1.3 megapixel camera with FM and Bluetooth. Use the expandable memory slot to add memory card for loading more music and stuffs and play it on the speakers powered with Yamaha Amplifier.

The Mercury Tabla comes with a 2.4-inch TFT Display along with 1.3MP Digital Camera. Music lovers can expect some surround sound experience with 3D Surround Sound with FM and MP3 player. The handset also offers GPRS and WAP connectivity for the chat using EBuddy, and social networks like Facebook,Orkut,Twitter.

No one looks at the sub-Rs. 3000 segment for a media feature-rich phone and that's where these two Mercury phones  positioned themselves. 

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Micromax Andro A60 previewed in India

Yesterday, we reported about Micromax to unveil its 1st Android phone - Andro. Now concrete details about Micromax Andro smartphone running Google Android 2.1 Eclair update come from Micromax Delhi Bloggers Meet. Micromax Andro A60 is a full touch-screen smartphone that will feature 2.8-inch touch screen. Sporting a 600MHz CPU this Android smartphone will be available in India starting next month for a price of less than Rs. 8000. We ll try to get the exact figure but it s certainly will be less that that figure. 

Coming from India s 3rd largest mobile phone vendor, Micromax Andro takes a leap into Android phones under Rs. 10,000 bracket. Andro has 2.8-inch touchscreen supporting 320x240 pixel resolution which might not please the mobile fanatics but average joe might be happy with it. With dual-band GSM support this smartphone will be 3G ready and promises up to 7.2Mbps speeds via HSUPA and up to 5.76 speeds via HSDPA. Micromax has added even Wi-Fi for wireless connectivity but there was no mention of Bluetooth.  

Micromax s Android debut Andro comes with GPS which is quite interesting for an Android handset priced for less than 8K.With measly 150MB internal memory one can add up to 32GB memory card. The phone offers 3.2 megapixel camera with Auto-focus. You can also record video but don t expect amazing quality. Andro A60 will also sport Accelerator and gravity sensor for users to enjoy the light weight Android-platform based games

Most worrisome part of Andro A60 is the 1280 mAh Lithium-Ion battery that promises just 4 hours of talk time. Now I am not sure if this is going to be a Dual-SIM phone. But it may get some attraction from users to check out the new operating system - Android. Only after getting our hands on to Andro A60 we can say whether it would be a worth competitor to Samsung Galaxy 5 GT-i5503. Like it or not, Android is slowly seeping into entry-level handsets for letting users get used with Android as new mobiel operating system.

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Sony Intros Ultra-Chic Colorful Walkman E-series

Finally Sony has launched an ultra-stylish range of E-series Walkman media players. They support a 2.0-inch QVGA LCD screen, which allow you to view album artworks and videos. The E-series features 5 of Sony's proprietary sound technologies such as Digital Sound Enhancement Engine (DSEE) to create more natural tones, closer to the original recording. These support a new and easier user interface so that users would have no problems in navigation and enjoying music and video. Since they appear like mass storage devices, you can conveniently and easily drag and drop files to the Walkman, rather than depend on any software for that purpose.


The Walkman PMPs are packed with unique features such as the Karaoke Mode, which automatically reduces the volume of original performer's vocals, thus letting you fill in his/her place with your vocals. There is even the facility to adjust the key of the song to match their natural pitch without affecting the playback speed. They also suppport the new SenseMe channels, which automatically analyze and categorize the music library with Sony's 12 Tone Analysis technologies to create themed playlists. Users can then pick a music channel to suit his/her mood. Last but not the least, there is FM radio for an element of surprise when you feel that listening to MP3 is too predictable.

They are available in bright and cheerful colors like Gold, Red and Black, these are targeted at the young and the young at heart. The Walkman E-series NWZ-E353 and NWZ-454 are available in 4 GB and 8 GB capacities, and can be bought at all Sony Center and other major electronic outlets across India. The E353 with 4 GB capacity is available in Black and Red for Rs. 4,990, while the E454 with 8 GB is available in Black and Gold for Rs. 6,990.

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Nokia X5 Arrives in India; Priced at Rs. 10,499

After Five months its unveiling, the Nokia X5 is finally out now . The X5 slider phone looks like a cross between a Nokia E series smartphone and an XpressMusic handset. Nokia X5 is on sale for Rs. 10,499.

It supports a 5 megapixel camera with LED Flash, 2.36 inch QVGA display and a slide out QWERTY keypad. With an internal memory of 200 MB and bundled 2 GB microSD memory card.

The phone supports dedicated music keys, and comes with a year's worth of unlimited music from Ovi Music. Nokia X5 music oriented features include a built in 'Surprise me!' option that plays random tracks when the phone is spun around. 'Playlist DJ' feature allows playlist creation tools. When music is not playing, you can shake the phone to see the number of new SMSes in the Inbox.

It runs the same Symbian Series 60 OS found on the E-series smartphones, which gives access to slew of social networking services. Connectivity options include Bluetooth 2.0, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g and USB 2.0. Nokia X5's battery is claimed to last 16-days on standby and gives 24 hours of music playback.

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Indians:Call US/Canada Free till 2010 End in Gmail

When I woke today morning i checked my Gmail, only to be pleasantly surprised by a "Call Phone" option right at the top of my Google Talk chat window. I clicked it, accepted the Terms and Conditions and was presented with a num-pad; much like the one you'd find in VOIP services like Skype. While I was almost about to yawningly say, "You can now make international calls via your Gmail for cheaper than using regular telephones...yada yada...", this one small line at the end made me jolt off my chair! In bid to popularize this service, Google is allowing free unlimited calls to the US and Canada till the end of the year 2010. I than instantly ran to my phone-book and made an hour worth calls to the US and Canada and here are the three things I observed: 1) The phone started ringing the moment I hit the call button, 2) The call quality was absolutely clear on my end and was reported to be equally clear from the other side as well, 3) There were no disconnections during the two different half-hour long calls I made. FYI: I'm using a 512 Kbps broadband internet connection.

 Calls to other countries can be made after purchasing pre-paid credits on their Google Voice website. After doing a quick comparison of the call rates, you'll realize it isn't a good bargain for people in India to use this service to make calls to the US or Canada (after the free period is over, of course). For example, India to any other country is charged at 6 cents (Rs. 2.7) per minute whereas Skype charges almost one-third the cost - 2.2 cents (roughly a rupee) to call specifically to the US/Canada. 

Now the sad thing is that after making those hour long free phone-calls, that option has all of a sudden disappeared from my window after I logged back again to take some screenshots; I hope it returns again soon. After talking to my colleague, he too said that he hasn't got that option yet. So, we can assume that the roll-out will be gradual and everybody should eventually get it. So, check your Gtalk window in your Gmail to see if you've got that "Call Phone" option right underneath your status change drop-down menu. It's the end of November, so even if most of us get it before the month ends, we'll still have one whole month to make free US/Canada phone-calls! We leave you with the introductory video of the same. 

Click To View The Video-

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_-DzpAg0SdU&feature=player_embedded

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Pictures of Destroyed Apple Items

If you’re an Apple hater, this collection of photos of destroyed Apple items is for you. It is, ostensibly, art , but you just know that this is basically trolling. I’m sure some artsy images of a ceramic chicken sliced to pieces probably wouldn’t get the same traction this collection does.

An artist named Paul Fairchild took this series of 12 photos and they’re available “en grand format,” according Fubiz.net.

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Macs, iOS devices to do Wireless Presentations?

For people having their heads spinning over the title and sub-title of this story, let's begin right with the basics. AirPlay is a simplified jargon for the technology that allows transmitting audio-visual content from a Mac or an iOS device (like the iPhone or iPad) to the Apple TV. Apple TV is a small box that connects to a television via HDMI and streams content over the Internet or stored locally using Wi-fi. 

Now, Keynote is an application and part of the iWork suite for creating presentations on a Mac (and even the iPad) - like Microsoft PowerPoint that most of you would know. Now, while their creative application suite called iLife was updated to the latest 2011 version, the iWork isn't yet updated from version 2009. And the reason for them to delay this update? Because they're trying to get AirPlay to work with Keynote.  

Softpedia reported about a person who mailed Steve Jobs if AirPlay would allow streaming wireless presentations via an iOS device or a Mac, and got back an "It is all coming soon" answer. So, is this news any worthy to jump off your chair? If you own or plan to own an Apple TV, then maybe. With it and the new Keynote 11 software, you would be able to wirelessly project your presentations to an LCD TV. You could do it on a projector as well; provided that it has an HDMI port or you have an HDMI-to-VGA converter ready (since Apple TV only has the HDMI out port).  

While this may be good news, we hope this feature will also come to Keynote on the iPad soon. I'm sure many corporate folk using an iPad would want to show off their hand-made slides with the freedom of walking around the boardroom.

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Facebook Might Launch Project Titan to Jab Gmail

Facebook has reportedly sent out invitations for a special invite-only event to be held on November 15 at St. Regis Yerba Buena Terrace in San Franscisco, US. Michael Arrington, founder and co-editor of TechCrunch is betting that Facebook will unveil a new web-based email client codenamed Project Titan at this event. Internally, Project Titan is referred as "Gmail Killer" and is said to bring email address backed by @facebook.com domain name. Do you think Facebook can take over something as big as Gmail? Well, probably not but read on.

Earlier this month, Google had updated its API Terms of Service that allowed easy export as well as import of Contacts to a service or application only if the same is reciprocated. In a way, Google shut down Facebook's access to pull contacts from Gmail to protect the user data. To battle that, Facebook came up with a work around to download Gmail contacts as CSV files and then upload it to Facebook. Google wasn't happy with Facebook's move and criticized Facebook for not letting users get their Friend Lists and email addresses out of Facebook. 

This is not the first time both companies stood against each other for Friends/Contacts exchange matters. Back in 2008, Facebook suspended Google Friend Connect as the latter started re-distributing user information from Facebook to other third party developers without any user knowledge. Looks like that wound didn't heal even after more than two years have passed. But in a way, Google is correct for not letting a service simply take away Gmail contacts and not offering something in return to Google. All Google is asking Facebook to do is to let users pull out Contacts and Friends from Facebook to Gmail. Practice what you preach.

Now, to respond back to Google and kill the whole data protection issue, Facebook is rumored to launch its own email service with @facebook.com domain. It's pretty unlikely to kill Gmail but if Facebook launches its own email service, it would be interesting to see how other popular web-mail service providers react.

Facebook chat integration in several mobile apps has certainly made many Facebook users happy. But when Facebook Chat is used in the web interface, it's not that comfortable to use. Though the invitation obviously points that a new email/messaging service is on the anvil, I think Facebook might give a facelift to its Chat service. A much deserved facelift for users who have thousands of known and unknown friends. If Facebook chat is revamped with the ability to share photos, links and files, it will actually lead to loads of users remaining logged into Facebook for longer hours.

However, as of now, we have no confirmation on Facebook's deal. We've got to wait till November 15 for Facebook's official announcement.

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Samsung Wave S8500 Now a Collector's Trophy?

At the end of September this year, it was reported that Samsung is running out of those ultra-cheerful Super AMOLED displays they had dazzled us with in the Samsung Wave. The Wave was Sammy's first phone to sport their Bada Operating System, and with the kind of features and performance it gave, it was surprising how the phone was sold at a reasonable Rs. 17,500. So, the buzz was that Samsung was running short of Super AMOLED displays - and we wouldn't really be skeptical of that. The variety of Samsung Galaxy S branded phones which have that type of displays have already sold over 3 million in the US itself. Second, all the Windows Phone 7 based offerings from Samsung will also have Super AMOLEDs on them. Lastly, and take this with a pinch of salt, Apple is purchasing Super AMOLED displays to put in their devices next year. 

Whatever the reason maybe, the effects are definitely showing. The Samsung Wave is nowhere to be seen on retail in India. We have been hearing from many people that they're not able to find one offline. While, a quick online search at popular resellers also suggests the same - it'll all out of stock. No wonder Samsung announced the Wave II just three months after the first one started selling. This one has the exact same feature set to the original, except for one change. The 3.3 inch Super AMOLED is now replaced with a Super-LCD panel. As a consolation, the screen size is bumped up to 3.7 inches. 

Now this is where the plot thickens. Mobile-review.com got hold of a Wave II and they compared it with a Super AMOLED-laden Galaxy S as well as a regular AMOLED based Nokia N8. I don't know about you, but to me the S-LCD display seems to be more vivid and bright than the latter two. Let's hope they have been entirely unbiased while they clicked those images. This makes me wonder, is the S-LCD on the Wave II not going to make you regret Samsung's inability to deliver on the Super AMOLED displays?

What ever the case, one thing seems to be sure - the original Wave S8500 headed for its grave too early. Converting the announced European price tag of the Wave II, it came up to Rs. 26,160. That's heck more expensive than the first one. I'll end with this - Samsung had given us a multi-media powerhouse that no other phone under Rs. 20,000 could match, and it makes me sad that it doesn't exist anymore. 

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Apple releases iTunes 10.1 with iOS 4.2 support

Apple has released iTunes 10.1 software update for Mac OS X and Windows platforms. This new version of iTunes brings support for iOS 4.2 update and the new wireless streaming feature - AirPlay. Announced at the Sept 1 event, the new AirPlay features allows streaming music, photos and videos to an Apple TV wirelessly. However, there's no update or mention about the highly anticipated iOS 4.2 update for iPhone, iPod touch and iPad devices.

New iTunes 10.1 for Mac OS X and Windows platforms brings number of important stability and performance fixes. New AirPlay feature will now let you stream videos from iTunes 10.1 to the all-new Apple TV wirelessly. Most importantly this update brings support for iOS 4.2 firmware running iPhone, iPod touch and iPad devices. Recently MacStories reported that iOS 4.2 update was delayed due to a Wi-Fi bug.

The iTunes 10.1 update for Mac OS X and Windows can be downloaded from here -http://www.apple.com/itunes/download just in case your Apple software update doesn't occur on its own. 

File sizes for iTunes 10.1:
- Mac OS X 10.5 or higher: 90.63MB
- Windows (32-bit): 78.10MB
- Windows (64-bit): 78.98MB

Now the iOS 4.2 update is anticipated to arrive early next week.

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Tata DOCOMO 3G Tariff Plans Announced

Tata DoCoMo had launched third-generation GSM telephony services dubbed as 3G Live in India last week. Now, the company has revealed the tariff details for Basic 3G Plans, Data Plans and even Voice+Data plans for consumers in nine Indian circles. 

Telecom Talk has put up the tariff plans for TATA DoCoMo's 3G Life services. 

Tata Docomo 3G services are available in all the nine circles where it has the 3G license-Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh-Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, Gujarat, UP (West), Punjab, Haryana and Maharashtra-Goa. All plans announced would be effective from November 10 in the aforementioned nine circles. Now let's take a look at different 3G Life plans announced by Tata DoCoMo. 

For those who just want to try out 3G Data plans can look out for 3G Data Top-ups which are basic data packs. To begin or experience 3G, one can go for Data Top Up of " Rs. 90 that offers 100MB usage at 21Mbps with a validity of a week. Furthermore if you want to try it out for a month (30 Days) you can go for:

- Rs. 200 Top-up with 200MB usage at 21Mbps 
- Rs. 500 Top-up with 650MB usage at 21Mbps
- Rs. 2000 Top-up for unlimited usage at 21Mbps till 15GB of download and then the speed drops to 256Kbps.

Also, a typical Video Call would cost 0.66 paise per second which sums up to almost 0.40 paise per minute. We're sure you'd rather go for video chat over the Internet connection because Video calls over 3G would require more bandwidth. Unless you don't care for the bills, Video calling is going to be a costly affair.

Small Screen Voice and Data Plans:
Meant for 3G supporting smartphones, these plans are available for both Pre-paid and Post-paid Tata DOCOMO subscribers. Check out the plan tariffs below:

- In addition, there is also a plan available only on Prepaid for Rs." 350. This has 500 minutes (Local+STD) and 150 MB of 3G Data
- These minutes can be used for ALL local, STD and outgoing roaming calls-all calls are on a per-second pulse
- The options are designed at various price points to cater to different consumption levels
- The above voice call minutes and 3G Data plans have a validity of 30 days
- Plans available in both Post-paid and Pre-paid, so customers can choose their payment preference


Unlimited 3G Life:
Carefree Internet users who seek blazing fast browsing as well as download speeds without worrying about the bills should take a look at the Unlimited 3G Life Plans.

High Speed 'Unlimited' 3G Data Card Plan for Rs. 2,000 has been announced wherein subscribers would get 15 GB of data usage at a speed of 21.1 Mbps and beyond 15 GB would be free 3G with lower speed of 128 kbps.

Tata DoCoMo certainly is bit costly as compared to the BSNL 3G Plans available today. Now we shall wait for other mobile operators including two telecom stalwarts - Airtel and Vodafone to roll out 3G services and reveal their 3G tariffs in the country.

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Pre-order Kinect From India

With the international launch of Kinect, gamers here can now pre-order the Kinect system and combos from the Microsoft India store. A call to Microsoft India confirmed that the Kinect system will be available locally by the end of this calendar year. For those who wish to secure the motion controller on the release day itself can now pre-order it for Rs.9,990. Also available on pre-order are Xbox 360 250GB with Kinect for Rs. 31,980 and the 4GB console with Kinect for Rs.22,990.

Microsoft set a precedent with the Xbox 360 console by keeping the Indian price very close to its international pricing. However, the difference between the $150 (Rs. 6,650 approx.) international and Rs. 9,990 for the Indian version of Kinect is quite substantial this time. The premium increases further over the 4GB and 250GB international versions selling for $300.00 (Rs. 13,300 approx.) and $400 (Rs. 17,700 approx.), with the Indian released being pegged higher at Rs. 22,990 andRs. 31,980 respectively. That's quite a price to pay, unless of course, you are fortunate enough to have someone bring it over from the US of A.

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Apple Sued for Updates making Phones Unusable

Every time Apple releases a major iOS update, older iPhone and iPod touch owners get disappointed. One such disgruntled person - Bianca Wofford from San Diego has filed a class action lawsuit against Apple for false advertising, unfair and deceptive business practices by encouraging iPhone 3G users to download iOS 4. Apparently, Wofford stated in the suit that the iOS 4 software update "rendered the iPhone 3G devices virtually unusable, constantly slowed, crashed or frozen".

Apple had released iOS 4.0 software udpate back in June and stated that a few new features like multi-tasking won t work on iPhone 3G. Wofford's lawyers wrote in the lawsuit (PDF) - "The true fact of the matter is that the iOS 4 is a substantial 'downgrade' for earlier iPhone devices and renders many of them virtually useless iBricks."

Wofford contended that not allowing iPhone 3G downgrade from iOS 4 to iOS 3.x was Apple's attempt to willfully manipulated consumers into purchasing the iPhone 3GS or iPhone 4. And due to the iOS 4 update, Wofford claimed that her iPhone 3G had gone from 99 percent reliability to "about 20 percent functionality".

Back in July, an Apple spokeswoman had acknowledged that the company was aware of the lag in performance of iPhone 3G post iOS 4 update and would be working on a fix. At the September 4 event keynote, Apple CEO Steve Jobs noted that the bug that lead to poor performance of iPhone 3G with iOS 4.0 would be solved in the iOS 4.1 firmware which was released on September 8.

The complaint filed in San Diego County requires an approval from a judge to gain class action status. Wofford, in the complaint, stated, "Apple has falsely, intentionally and repeatedly represented to owners and consumers of the iPhone 3G that its new operating system for the device, iOS4, was of a nature, quality, and a significant upgrade for the functionality of all iPhone devices, when in fact, the installation and use of the iOS4 on iPhone 3G resulted in the opposite - a device with little more use than that of a paperweight."

Apple iOS 3.0 update totally left out iPhone first generation and left many dissatisfied. Users who updated their iPhone 3G phones with iOS 4.0 weren't happy with the performance. The iOS 4.2 update is due later in this month and it better improve the performance of the iPhone 3G.

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Are these 3G Tablets Digging our Wallets Deeper?

Tablet computers have never made this big a noise since the iPad launch this year. Most tablets including Apple's shiny 10-inch device or even Samsung's Galaxy Tab (which we recently checked out) come with Wi-Fi for connecting to the net when you're around a hotspot. Many also have 3G for Internet accessibility anywhere you go. Now, something that many may tend to overlook are the recurring charges for the latter. This is more relevant to people who own tablet computers as well as smartphones (which I believe is a big percentage). For such people, they're already paying a monthly fee for 3G on their cell phone.

Over and above this, if you own an iPad 3G model, you'll be shelling out $15 per month to AT&T for a paltry 250MB. Another American carrier Sprint charges $30 per month for 2GB of usage when you purchase the Samsung Galaxy Tab via them. A possible way out of this is to share the Internet connection from your cell phone when required (known as Internet Tethering). For example, Google's Android 2.2 has a feature built-in that lets you turn your phone into a Wi-Fi hotspot. It uses its 3G connection to serve other Wi-Fi enabled devices (like say the Wi-Fi only iPad or iPod Touch) with broadband internet. A popular app called Joikuspot for Symbian devices lets you do the same. However, some operators do not allow such type of sharing of their 3G Internet to more than one device.

We still don't know the fate of 3G Internet tethering till all operators launch it. At least most of them have no such harsh restrictions for the currently running 2.5G Internet (or EDGE) service. So, for people already owning a 3G smart-phone and planning to buy a tablet, I'd suggest you do your math before jumping to buy a 3G tablet with a monthly plan. Explore Internet sharing over your smartphone before. You could save a big sum at the end of the year.

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