TechWhiz » Mobile Phones

Google finishes with the Nexus One

Pramod — Sat, 24 Jul 2010 02:39:47 +0000

Reports are flying in that Google is finally finished with its flagship Android phone. The Nexus One, also called the HTC Passion had been introduced to largely positive reviews. Although the reception seemed good, too many problems have plagued what could have been a very successful device.

The first few problems revolved around the touch screen and its connectivity via 3G. Users who encountered problems were also forced to use the Android forums online. Some users were also seen complaining about the phone not being sturdy. The phone was not a failure though – from its launch in January, it has been regarded generally as an excellent example of exactly what Android can do. Tech blogs were also in praise of its implementation of all the updates at the time of release. Although subsequent models like the Motorola Droid have surpassed it in terms of features and updates, it still stands testimony to Google’s foray into the smartphone arena.

The latest post on the Nexus One blog has declared that no more lines of the Nexus One are in the making. With the web store closed, only the few stores that still have leftover stocks of it will be an option for a buyer.

With Google CEO Eric Schmidt’s statement that the ‘mission’ was accomplished with the Nexus One and that no follow ups were planned, this may signal the end of the Google line of phones for the time being.

India’s First Mobile App Store – Airtel App Central

vikrant — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 08:23:00 +0000

Airtel had launched India’s first mobile App Store 4 months back – “Airtel App Central” just like the Apple online stores in Feb 2010. Using this, Airtel customers can now directly download from over 1250 Apps available online and are charged directly through there bill thus removing the bottleneck of credit card. Airtel users were able to choose from 25 different categories like business, social networking, gaming etc. Around 550+ mobile handset devices can take use of these Apps. Through these apps one can convert his basic mobile phone into a smart phone. These apps starts from as low as 5 Rs.

How to Get these Apps for your mobile.

Visit Airtel Live on there handset and browse into App Central or SMS “app” to 54321 (toll free) to receive the details.

Top paid apps:

Cricket Zone
Rough Guides Led Zeppelin
Celebrity Pairs Game
Tracey Cox’s Super Flir
Guinness World Records Mobil

Top Free Apps:

mig33
Qeep
Snaptu
Frogger
Spice Sangeet

Airtel makes Facebook free for mobile users

vikrant — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 04:43:15 +0000

Airtel has made facebook free for all its 130 million mobile customers for a period of 2 months. This offer is valid for the period of 2 months and in this time no extra charge will be payable for this. Users can login to facebook using m.facebook.com to share, connect with there friends and colleagues. Airtel mobile users will be able to post status updates, comments, likes, message and upload pictures to there facebook account. Those who are using this for the first time will need to first SMS “FACEBOOK” to 54321 to take use of this offer. Facebook mobile site “m.facebook.com” will be available in English and Hindi in the initial period and then will be soon followed by other 5 languages like Punjabi, Bengal, Telgu,Tamil and Malayalam.

How to access facebook:

SMS facebook to 54321
Login using m.facebook.com

Motorola Milestone

Naman — Sun, 04 Jul 2010 13:43:00 +0000

Motorola Milestone is the first phone to use Android 2.0 operating system. It has a beautifully crafted capacitive touch screen with a sliding QWERTY keypad. The slider is one of the thinnest available in the market today. The phone is provided with a fingerprint sensor and it runs on ARM Cortex A8 processor. The touch-screen is pretty wide and very comfortable to use.

Milestone has a very attractive body but the phone lacks in certain areas. The phone does not have many features which were incorporated in its predecessor Dext. For example, Motoblur feature which offers great security. If the phone is ever stolen or lost, the handset can be remotely wiped of all data and the content restored to a new mobile. Other features missing include phonebook’s synchronization with Facebook and Gmail.

In a nutshell, Motorola Milestone is worth its price. It is the first phone to operate on Android 2.0 and has the thinnest keypad. The phone lacks certain features present in Dext like Motoblur and social networking functionality.

Processor and Memory

Processor	TI OMAP3430
Processor Clock Speed	Up to 600 MHz
Flash ROM	512 MB
RAM	256 MB
User Storage Available (max)	256 MB
Memory Card Type	FAT32 microSDHC, Class 6
Memory Card Size(Supported (max)	32GB

Media

Camera Resolution	5 mega pixels
Image Capture Resolution (max)	2592 x 1936
Camera features	Color effects Flash: dual LED Focus: auto Geotagging Image stabilization Picture quality Scenes White balance: auto, presets
Camera Digital Zoom (max)	4x

iPhone and iPad are game changers

Ansha — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 10:11:57 +0000

Apple Inc. is the Fortune most admired company for its innovations. Breaking the jinx of conventional, every time it launches a new product, it creates a sensation in the market. Although some of its products like Lisa and iBook boomed, others like Mac and iPod created a revolution. Apple’s iPhone 4G and iPad are the recent feathers in its cap. While the iPhone 4 sold a whooping 2 million sets in just two days of its launch, over 6 million iPad have been sold since the launch in April. These two devices have set such a high benchmarks in the tech world, that it would be difficult for other gadgets to compete with them. So what makes them different from the other products?

iPad is a tablet computer designed and marketed by Apple Inc. A jack of all trades, it can used for applications like internet browsing, emails, book reading, gaming, movies, music etc. Some of the exciting features of iPad are

Attractive external design and awesome display:- The sleek aluminium body gives it a rich look. Its high screen resolution makes everything look very bright, clear and crisp.
Media consumption: The i-book reader enhances your reading experience and brings alive the magazines and comics. Everyday a large number of applications are being developed exclusively for Apple users.
Gaming: Although iPad is not a hardcore gaming device but almost all the gaming applications including the recently launched 3-D Games run very well on it.
Power and battery backup: Another great advantage of an iPad is that it turns on and off, almost immediately. It has an excellent battery backup and can run your favourite applications for days together. However once the battery is consumed, it cannot be replaced and the iPad needs to be taken to the Apple service station.
Web browsing: The web browsing on iPad is faster than most of the smartphones. However it doesn’t support flash player and some sites are not accessible on it. The virtual keypad is not very convenient to use, thus it is not a preferred device for Long web browsing sessions.

One of the biggest drawbacks of iPad is that we cant make calls using it. It has no camera and a single USB port for all the enhancements. Despite the shortcomings, iPad had the biggest opening in the history of tech gadgets. It hasn’t launched any new applications, but it has compiled the existing ones into a single compact and convenient package, in the most seamless manner possible.

Another jewel of Apple’s eye is the iPhone 4. The recently launched smartphone is creating a buzz all over the tech world. Apple CEO Steve Jobs claims that after using iPhone’s super high resolution retina display, it is impossible to go back to other devices. Its remarkably powerful A4 processor chip makes it powerful and yet power efficient. The 5- mega pixel camera allows you to take sharp pictures and high definition videos. The operating system for iPhone iOS4 will allow multitasking, a feature long awaited by all iPhone users.

In some ways the hype surrounding the iPhone has deviated the attention of users from iPad. However while iPad is primarily an at-the-home entertainment package, iPhone is more of an on-the go device. Since the launch of iPad in April, followed by iPhone4 in June, Apple has captivated the attention of tech freaks worldwide. Apple Inc has been able to mesmerize people once again by its innovations and has taken the gizmo world to a new zenith!