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BuZZ

Nokia has launched the N78 in India, which comes with a special feature - the 'Location Tagger' application, which automatically tags location data to the picture - allowing users to save pictures by date as well as by geographical coordinates.


Additionally, the Nokia N78 will enable consumers to take full advantage of a suite of Nokia services, including the Nokia Maps and integrated A-GPS. The Nokia N78 is expected to retail for approximately Rs. 19,999. With its black surface the Nokia N78 will be available in two stylish colors: cocoa brown and lagoon blue.

"The slim Nokia N78 fuses features in new ways," said Vineet Taneja, Head-GTM, Nokia India. "It features location-tagging, which merges camera functionality and A-GPS to not only share pictures but also the places where they were taken. Users can now store all information about locations they visit using an image and share it online with the world. It also allows the fusion of music, camera and internet, enabling users to generate content right from the palms of their hands."

Touted to be the slimmest of Nseries devices with a 2.4 inch screen, the Nokia N78 packs high-speed connectivity via WLAN and HSPDA 3.5G and a 3.2 megapixel camera with Carl Zeiss optics. The N78 comes preloaded with Nokia Maps of 8 cities across the country with points of interest across 52 categories such as bars, cafes, restaurants, hotels and more. Also included is an integrated 3-month navigation license with the device.

"The Nokia N78 carries forward the Nokia Nseries legacy of superior technology combined with a sleek form factor and truly lives up to the Nseries promise of delivering unparalleled mobile multimedia experience with latest technologies and services. It is sure to appeal to consumers who appreciate style and technology in a single compact device," added Taneja.

The Nokia N78 will also come with widgets enabled by Web Runtime technology. Combining the power of mobile with the power of the Internet, widgets, such as Weatherbug and RSS feed reader, allow consumers to get quick and easy access to their favorite web content.

The Nokia N78 supports microSD cards currently available up to 8GB, internal speakers and support for standard 3.5mm headphones.


Improved screen
Office tools very functional
Helpful keypad
Can open attachments
Slow and sluggish
Touchscreen doesn't work properly
Slow speed undermines TouchFLO
ActiveSync doesn't work properly
Bad battery life
No Wi-fi
HTC Touch was pitted as one of the iPhone Killers. It was also, as we found out, one of HTC's quirkiest launches. However, soon after the original design failure (do read the previous review, if you want to know what I am talking about) word got around about the HTC Dual, a better, more robust avatar its predecessor.

The new HTC Touch Dual features significant changes, not only with regard to the form factor, which is a welcome relief (I shall explain later); it has at the same time tweaked some existing features. Having said all this, I expected HTC to work up the magic and deliver a clear winner this time. Yet it's not all in vain. Let's dig deeper.

Form Factor
To begin with, the Touch Dual is taller, and some extra ounces have been gained in the process. It feels bulky than the original though, and a bit narrower too. If you compare the dimensions, here is what they look like: 107 x 55 x 15.8 mm (Touch Dual) as against 99.9 x 58 x 13.9 mm (Touch). The Dual weighs 120g, while the predecessor came in at 112g. It isn't that big a difference.


What has changed is the addition of the 12-key numeric keypad, which opens up once the front portion is slid. This makes it really convenient to type messages, even while negotiating bumpy roads. I have written in my previous review about the downsides of having a small QWERTY keypad and trying to write anything while you are traveling. This is true especially in a country like India, where bad roads are a big problem. You just cant keep your hands steady even for a second.
One of the silliest quirks of the HTC Touch happened to be the hot-swap slots. This time the side housing has been shifted to a more conventional encasing. For the SIM card you will need to go past the battery cover and the battery itself. Objectively, this isn't that bad, considering the problem one had to access the the SIM card HSS. At least, this time you don't need to grow long nails to get it out. The memory card slot is round the bend on the left side.

The Touch Dual makes use of the MiniUSB interface (on the left), and on top you will see the volume keys. Having the USB slot, charging slot, and earphone jack all in one spot is a bad idea. You can't use one while using the other. The right side has only the camera key, while the back has the camera, self-portrait mirror and speaker.


The problem with having the speaker at the back is that when the phone is kept on a soft surface, the sound gets absorbed or muffled, so if you get a call when you phone is on the bed, you may not hear it in the next room. The front panel is equipped with a 2.6-inch screen that has a resolution of 240 x 320 pixels, and thats about it.



Design
First off, Apple has refurbished the design a bit and the iPhone 3G is now slimmer than the last model. They’ve also added a new color to the line up – White - but that’s only available with the 16GB model. The other models will now have a glossy black rear casing, and I’m tempted to wonder, why go with a finger print magnet? The earphone socket has also been adjusted to accommodate normal 3.5mm pins, so users can simply plug in any headphone of their choice. Instead of a simple flat back it now also tapers a bit to give it a sleeker look and feel. Everything else design-wise hasn’t changed too much. Considering the fact that the new handset supports 3G and should support Video calling there still doesn’t seem to be a secondary camera located in front, so i guess that's not happening anytime soon then.

Features
Not only is the new iPhone 3G going to be faster than the previous model it’s also going to have a better battery life, which according to Apple would be 5 hours of talk time. One of the few rumors I’m happy to say are true, is the fact that the new iPhone 3G is going to be equipped with an integrated GPS unit along with a few other location-based services to help enhance that feature especially with Google Maps live tracking and photo Geotagging.


Some of the ‘bugs’ that have been fixed include an option for deleting emails in bulk, a new Contact search feature for looking up names in the address book and complete support for viewing Microsoft as well as iWork documents. It will also have a new scientific calculator. But the best part with the handset, at least for the business users, is the total enterprise support that the iPhone 3G comes with. Besides just that, it will also support Push email, Push contacts, Push calendar, Auto-discovery of Exchange servers, Global address lookup, and a Remote Wipe security feature. Wowee!


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