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Google Phone / Nexus One with Android 2.1  

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@ Review courtesy engadget

Well here you have it folks, honest-to-goodness pics of the Google Phone... AKA, the Nexus One. As you can see by the photos, the design of the device is largely similar to those we've seen, but the graphic on back is slightly different, and that piece of tape is covering a QR code (how very Google of them). Just like we've heard before, the updated OS features new 3D elements to the app tray, as well as an extended amount of homescreens, though it looks like the lock screen / mute is the same as in Android 2.0.1. Additionally, there's now a new grid icon at the bottom of the homescreen, which when pressed brings up a webOS card-style preview of all homescreen pages -- which raises some interesting possibilities. Apparently there's been a new software update for the device pushed tonight, and sure enough the phone is identified as the Nexus One on the system info page. Quite clearly this device is running on T-Mobile, and is also using WiFi, so there's two other questions you've got answers to. The phone also appears to come loaded up with Google Navigation (a bit of a no-brainer) and the brand-spanking-new Google Goggles. Hardware wise, the Nexus does look incredibly thin and sleek, and while there's not a slew of buttons (those four up front are clearly touch sensitive), there is a dedicated volume rocker along the side. Oh, and note this... no HTC logo anywhere to be found. We'll update the post as / if we get more info, but for now, feast your eyes on the gallery below!

Update: One item of interest. In the packaging there's a quick start guide which points users to a "questions" page at google.com/phone/support. The page is a dead end right now, but it certainly gets an eyebrow raise from us. If there is a real Google Phone in the offing, that seems a likely landing page for support.

Check out this link for more images of the Google Phone

- Search Music Mania First Crush to grab all the exclusive news and content

Apple’s tablet with 10-inch screen, iPhone OS coming on January 19 .. ?? [Rumour]  

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We always look forward to Apple products, since they have propensity to redefine the field they set foot in – the iPod and the iPhone serving as prime examples of this!

Rumours have been flying for some time about Apple working on a tablet PC, and now, iLounge has got what we will – as ridiculous as it sounds – call “the most detailed rumours yet”. Here's the big news up front: it will be introduced to the world on January 19, and subsequently released to retail in May or June, like the iPhone!

One of the significant pieces of information contained in this post seem to be the fact that it runs the iPhone OS! In fact, it even looks like an iPhone, with the same characteristic curved back. It will supposedly come in two versions, with and without 3G support, paralleling it further with the iPhone and iPod Touch.

The ‘iPad’ – as iLounge prefers to call it (and so do we) – will supposedly feature a 10.7-inch screen (up from 7-inch from the first prototype) and will have 5 to 6 times the resolution of the iPhone. It can quite obviously be expected to leverage the same multi-touch technology that has left the iPhone with no serious competitor.

Targeted more as a ‘media player and light communication device’, it is not a competitor to netbooks (if nothing else, it will undoubtedly be much more expensive!). iLounge is reporting that the device will be used for reading e-books, magazines and cropped newspapers.

While a bit of oomph is but expected in an Apple product, the bit about the iPhone OS is worrisome. On a device like the iPhone, 85,000 applications seem like a big deal, and the limited scope of the device means most people won't miss applications that don't make it to the store.

However, a device like the iPad is closer to a personal computer than a smartphone, and as much as Apple wouldn’t like to be compared, it’s akin to a netbook. In this case, the reliance on third-party applications will be greater, making the review process even more counter-productive.

Apple's policies like not being allowed to replace the browser, or using undocumented API, will be a much bigger hurdle here. The AppStore will certainly be a powerful source of applications to begin with, but a product of this nature needs a freer ecosystem.

Additionally, the lack of a good keyboard input (so far) is a bit unsettling. Sure, the iPhone has a wonderful virtual keyboard, but the same wouldn’t be quite as usable on a 10-inch tablet. Hopefully Apple will come up with something as revolutionary as the iPhone keyboard to make up for the lack of a physical one.

With a much larger screen and higher resolution, this device could serve as a competitor to the growing number of eBook readers. Asus has already talked of a dual-screen multi-touch EEE e-reader costing under $200, Microsoft has been reported to be working on the Courier tablet, and Michael Arrington has been hard at work on his CrunchPad, aiming to keep the price under $400. Unless Apple has a great pricing plan in store for the iPad, we think this one is going to be relegated to the shelves of Mac fanboys…

Source: Gizmodo

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Opera Mini 5 Beta  

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Opera has released the latest beta version of its popular mobile browser Opera Mini 5. Opera Mini 5 beta is a free mobile browser which comes with lots of new features like tabbed browsing, new password manager, speed dial, touch screen and keypad and all new interface. Opera Mini compresses pages by up to 90% before being sent to your phone, meaning faster page-load times than in other mobile Web browsers. It also features scroll at warp speed using your phone keypad or by dragging the page on a phone with a touchscreen.


We tested Opera Mini 5 Beta on our Windows Mobile powered XPERIA X1 and here are some of the screenshots and review of Opera Mini 5.
At first when you install Opera Mini 5, you will notice the difference in interface which is very much improved over the previous version. The new interface although in beta phase, looks really good. The buttons like back and forward, refresh, tabs and settings are very easy to use and responsive.


1. Tabbed Interface: This is one of the much needed feature in mobile browsers. Although Opera Mobile does have tabbed browsing, Opera Mini which is more popular was lacking it. The new Mini 5 has a very good tabbed interface which is easy to use. The tabs show a thumbnail of the website opened and you can directly close the tabs with the close button located.




2. Speed Dial: Similar to Opera for PC, Opera Mini 5 now features speed dial and you can save your favorite and most used websites to speed dials. To add a new page, simply click on an empty Speed Dial slot, and Opera will make suggestions based on your browsing history and bookmarks.



3. Password Manager: The new Opera Mini 5 comes with a full fledged password manager. Opera Mini 5 will remember your credentials, and you can log on to your favorite Web sites with just a single click. The passwords are stored on your phone for your convenience.

The settings, bookmarks and other options also have been designed well and easy to use and responsive.

Overall we liked the new Opera Mini 5 beta and its new features. Opera Mini 5 would definitely going to change the way internet is used in mobile phones. Having said about the good aspects, we found Mini 5 gets struck few times when we enter URL or click on the speed dial tab. This could be attributed to the fact that it is still under development.
So what are you waiting for, download the latest version by visiting the address m.opera.com/next, using your phone’s default Web browser or download to your computer.


Post your comments about Opera Mini here

Apple | iPod Touch New  

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Apple has announced the new iPod
touch lineup starting at Rs. 12,400. iPod touch features Apple's Multi-Touch user interface, a 3.5-inch widescreen glass display, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and a built-in accelerometer and speaker. The 8GB iPod touch is now available at an MRP of Rs. 12,400 along with new models which deliver twice the capacity for the same price, with the iPod touch 32GB model for an MRP of Rs. 18,400 and 64GB model for an MRP of Rs. 24,400.
"At just $199 the iPod touch is the most affordable gateway to Apple's revolutionary App Store with more than 75,000 applications that you can wirelessly download right into your iPod touch," said Philip Schiller, Apple's senior vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing. "You get a great iPod, a great pocket computer with the industry's best mobile web browser and a great game player, all in this super-thin beautiful enclosure."

The new iPod touch supports Genius Mixes, which automatically creates up to 12 endless mixes of songs from your iTunes library that go great together.

It comes with built-in accelerometer, Multi-Touch user interface, and access to over 20,000 game and entertainment titles on the App Store. iPod touch customers can add new game titles from the App Store over Wi-Fi anytime and anywhere.

Users can surf the web, email, manage their calendars, organize contacts, and use social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter. It comes with the latest iPhone 3.1 software including: Cut, Copy and Paste; Spotlight Search to search across iPod touch or within Mail, Contacts, Calendar and iPod; landscape keyboard for Mail, Notes and Safari; remote lock for MobileMe and anti-phishing features.

iPod touch features up to 30 hours of music playback or six hours of video playback on a single charge. The 8GB model holds up to 1,750 songs, 10,000 photos and 10 hours of video; the 32GB model holds up to 7,000 songs, 40,000 photos or 40 hours of video; and the 64GB model holds up to 14,000 songs, 90,000 photos or 80 hours of video. The 32GB and 64GB models also include up to 50 percent faster performance and support for even better graphics with Open GL ES 2.0.

- Review courtesy Tech2

Microsoft's One App | New Mobile Platform for the developing world  

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It won't work for the 40 million or so users of iPhones and iPod Touches, but Microsoft's new mobile app platform could reach some 800 million people using lower powered devices in developing countries.
Called OneApp, the software is debuting in the next few weeks in South Africa, where mobile services vendor Blue Label Telecom will use it to manage a set of services including an electronic wallet.
Phone companies and others may use the software to deliver mobile apps, including Facebook, Twitter, Windows Live Messenger and additional apps they develop. It runs on a tiny 150 kilobyte program that's installed on phones and accesses Web services through a cell network.
OneApp also handles the conversion of applications to run on the huge variety of phones less powerful than smartphones. A screenshot is below.
 
By the end of the year Microsoft will release a software toolkit for developers, but it doesn't intend for the OneApp to be offered in the U.S. at all for the time being.
Instead it's going after the wildfire growth of feature phones in countries such as India, where phone usage is growing 27 percent a year, according to Tim McDonough, a senior director on the team producing OneApp.
"We call it a reach play - how do you get to more users with apps and services,'' he explained.
OneApp was created by the Unlimited Potential group overseen by Microsoft's chief research and strategy officer, Craig Mundie, who has teams looking for huge, approaching market opportunities.
It's also going to enhance the stack of software that Microsoft offers governments. A country's health service could use OneApp to create an application that helps people diagnose an illness and decide whether to travel to a hospital, for instance.

Nokia Surge | 'Supercharged Smartphone' -  

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Nokia’s latest handset, the Surge (nice name), doesn’t look like it’ll be heading our way and that was the story when I first heard about it as it’s tied in to AT&T as of now. This cross between a mini MID and mobile handset is what Nokia is calling ‘a socially supercharged smartphone’ that’s designed to be the next best thing in mobile social networking with advanced messaging features and connectivity to social networking sites etc.

With a full slide-out QWERTY keyboard in a slim, stylish design and Symbian S60 multi-tasking capabilities, the Nokia Surge also intends to offer a powerful browsing experience, with Flash support to view most sites in full HTML or watch YouTube videos. Nokia Surge allows users to post messages, images, videos, and comments to web sites like Facebook on-the-go with the pre-installed JuiceCaster application.

 The Nokia Surge offers multimedia and entertainment features, including:
  • 2.4-inch TFT LCD with a 240 x 320 pixel resolution
  • 2.5mm earphone socket
  • 2.0 megapixel camera
  • 3G with HSDPA, EDGE/GPRS
  • GPS with A-GPS support
  • Bluetooth with A2DP
  • FM Radio
  • MicroSD card support
There’s no way of knowing the handset’s exact pricing as it’s tied in with an AT&T two-year service agreement and a cost of about Rs. 3,913 ($79.99). To be honest it seems like it could do pretty well here as well considering social networking is the ‘IN’ thing these days with the Indian community as well. Perhaps Nokia would consider it. Your thoughts readers...

Sony Ericsson Android Handset leaked  

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Just a little while ago information about a Sony Ericsson Android handset made the scene. The handset was being called the Rachael and bore an Xperia logo according to the images that were apparently leaked. According to new reports the handset has now been confirmed. A set of new images have also made it out and this time a white handset is being showcased.

 
It seems like Sony Ericsson has also customized the user interface, the same reports are stating. A few of the features that have also come to light include GPS and 3G capabilities. Still no word on pricing or availability and of course we’ll have to wait for an official press release to figure out what the actual specs are so stay tuned.

Nokia N86  

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Good audio player
Good camera
Plenty of multimedia features
Smooth slide
Slightly bulky and heavy design
No free games included

Nokia has taken its time getting into the 8 megapixel camera market and this, their N86 is the entry. It has a lot of catching up to do and the big questions are – will this one be worth the price? And will it have enough features to make you want to buy it? Take a look, here’s my opinion.

Form Factor
Nokia’s designs tend to be rather generic these days. The N86 doesn’t deviate from that too much. But the company is going to have to try damn hard to beat the likes the super slim ultra Touch. The N86 is a slightly bulky and quite a weighty device. The Indigo Black is definitely the way to go if you still want to buy the handset. The 2.6-inch AMOLED display is crisp and colors look really good on the same. The button system under it is well organized with a five way nav-pad and a dedicated menu key like with the N97. It has a micro USB port for charging and connectivity on top beside a 3.5mm earphone socket.

 
On one side are a set of volume/zoom keys and a dedicated camera button. On the other side is a slide lock for the keypad. This dual pop-slider is super smooth and takes no effort at all. The secondary keypad now has keys that double up for media, gaming and the camera. The main keypad is well laid out. I especially liked the color combo Nokia has gone with. A hot swap slot for the microSD card is located under the rear panel.
 A lens cover can be slid down to reveal the camera. It has dual LEDs for the flash. Around the camera is a small kick stand that can also be used to activate certain specific features when opened. It props up the handset rather neatly.
 
On the whole, the handset is no different from the N85 to be honest and maybe a couple of others but does have a certain feel-good factor about it. Build-wise, if you drop it the rear panel pops out but everything else will remain A-ok especially the display with its scratch-resistant surface. Need I say more?

Features and Performance
Interface
I don’t need to go into detail about the UI. The n86 runs on a Symbian OS (v9.3) with a S60 UI. That coupled with an ARM 11 434 MHz processor makes it a speedy handset even while multitasking. It has an accelerometer that smoothly changes screen orientation irrespective of what feature is running. It does tend to be a little too sensitive sometimes though. The only time the display doesn’t change is when you’re viewing Nokia Maps and this I found a little strange. The digital watch that shows up as the screen saver gives the handset a rather edgy look.

Samsung Marine- Waterproof Phone Launched in India  

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The 'Samsung Marine' (B2100), Samsung's first outdoor phone has been launched in the Indian market.

 
Showcased at Communicasia the 'Marine' incorporates various outdoor features, robust durability and a stylish design . With the launch of 'Samsung Marine', the newest submersible mobile phone, Samsung is virtually seeking to create a new segment in the mobile market in India . 

"Samsung Marine is the perfect companion for consumers who enjoy active outdoor activities," said Mr Sunil Dutt , Country Head ,submersible mobile Division. Encased in anti-shock urethane material, the 'Samsung Marine' is built to withstand the bumps, bangs, scrapes and even withstand dust and water. Featuring the IP57 certification, the phone provides perfect outdoor mobile experiences while supporting dust protection and water protection (under up to 1 meter of water for 30 minutes). 'Samsung Marine' is adaptable for even the toughest environment – including rain, fog, humidity, sand and extremely hot and cold temperatures, etc. – and is tested under specifications defined by the US Department of Defence with Military Standard 810F (MIL-STD-810F).

Samsung 'Marine' is equipped with external speakers, noise cancellation, a flash light, built-in camera, camcorder, FM radio, a music player and expandable memory (up to 8GB). The Samsung Marine is available in a choice of red and green colors and is priced at Rs. 7,030.

Omio - The Ultimate Phone Comparison Site  

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There are so many mobiles and talkplans in market nowadays which makes it awefully very difficult for a person searchin out 4 a mobile, everybody is on the lookout for a one stop shop for Mobiles. We just found one amazing site for you which has some amazing tools to help you out. The Comparer Tool on the site Omio.com is very unique in itself, Compare phones based on Monthly cost, Inclusive Texts and Monthly minutes and this site will find out amazing deals for you to buy mobile phones at monthly rates which are really very effective.

Just go ahead and scroll the bar for Monthly cost, Inclusive Texts or Monthly minutes and you will see the magic. The site pulls out thousand Mobile phone deals with Operators for you in a flash which suit you mobile usage needs. The Site strikes deals with several operators in a Flash and lets you find your best possible deal. It has tie ups with several networks such as Vodafone, T- mobile, Virgin mobile, Alcatel, 3 store and many more.

You can strike a deal for almost every mobile that you can think of be it HTC, Levis, i-Mate, Motorola, Sony Ericsson, O2, Sagem, Samsung, LG and Nokia phones. The only flaw perhaps that we figured out was that this site does not support Apple products, maybe apple wasn't giving away too many deals on those expensive iPhones, so this site is not for iPhone Maniacs, but it is a very cool site none the less.

I would perhaps give it a 4 star rating for trying out something outta d box, we always appreciate that. If you have time just go through it once, the interface is really really different and speedy deals pointer is one to watch out for ..

Kudos to the Omio team.

First Crush Rating: * * * *

Nokia Rover Preview  

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Nokia’s internet tablets are getting ready to make way for a new, smarter and from the looks of a it a much cooler device that is codenamed Rover or N900 (possibly). The device that reports are saying might be announced in June, which is just a few days away, is going to be a sleek device weighing in at approximately 180g with dimensions of 59.7mmx111mmx18.2mm.

The same reports are also talking about a few features that include a 3.5-inch touchscreen sporting an 800 x 480 pixel resolution (with an accelerometer) and even a 5 megapixel camera with a Carl Zeiss camera. The camera will have a sliding cover with dual-LEDs for a flash. It has support for Wi-Fi and could be equipped with GPS functionality as well. It would also feature 1GB of total virtual runtime memory (256MB physical RAM, 768MB virtual memory).

 
Nokia seems to be moving from their Internet Tablet space towards a more full service mobile device rather than an upgrade to existing technology. The internet tablet was designed for a specific purpose and the mobile to serve another, but their integration could mean that the day of the Tablet may be at an end in favor of an all-in-one mobile handset, with designs becoming more compact with newer models. The ‘Rover’ honestly appears to be just a higher end N97-like cell phone and not an Internet tablet.

Nokia India Launches The 6208 Classic  

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Nokia India has announced the launch of its first series 40 touch-input device Nokia 6208 Classic.


The Nokia 6208 Classic, priced at Rs. 13,259, features a pen input along with an alphanumeric keypad and handwriting recognition features. It also features a 2.4-inch QVGA display, 3.2 mega-pixel camera with dual LED flash, Stereo MP3 player and FM radio, 64 MB internal user memory (13 MB free) and a 5-way navi-key.

Vineet Taneja, Marketing Director, Nokia India said, "We are extremely excited to launch the Nokia 6208 Classic truly designed for convenience. This is our first series 40 touch input aimed to give our consumers an enhanced messaging experience. With a 3.2 megapixel camera, dual LED flash and 8x digital zoom, the Nokia 6208 Classic makes capturing memories and sharing moments simple, fun and easy."

The Nokia 6208 Classic is made from materials such as stainless steel and features larger fonts for messaging and browsing as well as viewing pictures and web pages. The Nokia 6208 Classic also supports optional microSD cards up to 8GB.

Apple Warns of Shock From iPod, iPhone  

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Apple is warning users of the iPod and iPhone that they could well receive a small and quick electrical (static) shock from their earbuds while using the devices.

 
Apple issued a warning on its site that goes something like this -

When using headphones in areas where the air is very dry, it is easy to build up static electricity and possible for your ear to receive a small electrostatic discharge from the headphones. Receiving a static shock from a pair of earbuds does not necessarily indicate an issue with the iPod, iPhone, or earbuds.

This condition is very similar to dragging your feet across a carpet and receiving a static shock by touching a door knob. However, instead of the static charge building up on your body, the charge builds up on the device that the earbuds are connected to. Likewise, instead of the static buildup discharging through your finger when you touch a door knob, it discharges through the earbuds.

It goes on to mention that this condition is not limited to Apple hardware and that static can potentially build up on almost any hardware and could be discharged using any brand of earbuds.

The warning then goes on to list the things iPod and iPhone users should do to avoid receiving a shock.

A discussion thread on the company's support shows a number of people expressing their concern over the issue and some even complaining of receiving those shocks.

MobileFun.co.uk - Everything Mobile  

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I just figured out an amazing website to find all kinds of accessories and add ons that are available for your mobile at a single place http://www.mobilefun.co.uk/.

The best part about this website is that it offers a very wide range of accessories and a variety of products to choose from alongwith their reviews and details attached, so even if you are unaware of all the accessories in market currently, you can gain knowledge on what the accessory is all about just by going through these precisely detailed reviews. You should definitely visit this site, just to experience the sheer range of accessories available for your mobile.



The wide range of accessories that this site has to offer includes Nokia, LG, Panasonic, Sony Ericcson, Samsung, apple iphone accessories and many more. All you've gotta do is select your mobile, figure out what all accessories are available and just go ahead and grab it based on the reviews that this site offers.

This site has some amazing iphone accessories to offer like the iPhone Docking Kit, Universal Car Phone holder, Clip and talk bluetooth Car kit etc. The site also offers a MicroFibre Cleaning cloth, made of extremely thin fibre which prevents scratches on your phone while cleaning it.
You can also buy contract and monthly mobiles from the site, which can easily be converted as EMI or monthly installments.

Apart from all of this amazing stuff that this site has to offer, the site also offers a hefty discounts on some accessories, the site has Promo Code feature for this purpose. The site accepts Mastercard, VISA and mostly all other credit cards apart from American Express.


Try it out yourself once, its a nice place to gain knowledge about what all accesories are available for your mobiles and shop if you are really amazed by it







First Crush Rating:   * * * *

iPhone OS 3.0 Improves Handset's Camera Quality  

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The latest news streaming in about iPhone OS 3.0 is with regards to the handset’s camera. Most of us who’ve used or are still using the handset have already established that the completely featureless camera on board the handset is pretty decent. Even without the frills the iPhone’s camera manages to perform quite well as very literal ‘Point and Shoot’ camera phone. However, Apple has apparently decided that wasn’t good enough and with the latest update of OS 3.0, the iPhone’s camera has been adjusted and upgraded to provide better quality images. I’m just a little confused as to why they couldn’t have developed this option sooner; I guess there just weren’t enough of complaints. Of course with a 3.2MP camera being loaded onto the next gen handset, everything’s going to change for wannabe iPhone users who just weren’t happy with a 2 megapixel shooter.

 

Motorola Aura Mobile Phone  

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While it pains me to see, what could be a totally frivolous use of money on a device like a mobile phone in times of recession, I can’t help but feel a little completely and utterly envious of anyone who happens to own a handset as gorgeous as the Motorola Aura. If I had the kind of money to actually buy this handset I’d buy the Tata Nano instead, then again if I did have the money for it I’d probably own a fleet of Nanos. However, the Aura, is designed for those looking for a handset that caters to their tastes and not just features. Exclusivity and teh fact that it's a work of art aside, the big question is the Aura really worth its Rs. 1,11,492 price tag? That’s what I’m here to tell you.

Form Factor
The Aura is the first and only handset to have a full 1.5-inch circular display that employs 16 million colors, 480 pixels in diameter and a 300 dpi resolution. This stunning display is safely nestling behind scratch-resistant 62-carat sapphire crystal. The curve of the glass makes the display even more visually appealing. Encased in Stainless steel with chemically etched textures, the Aura is a sophisticated handset that shows off class and although this may seem a bit off, a bit of distinction as well. The swivel outer panel is swung around by 130 precision ball bearings and Motorola guarantees the same grace at opening, even after 100,000 times of opening and closing it. While this may hold true, I did notice that the bottom of the keypad (lower level) seemed to loose a little color as it got scratched by the upper potion each time I opened the handset.
 
The scratched bottom of the keypad (circled).

The keypad is large and easy to use but sometimes the weight of the handset (141g) dopes make it a bit of an issue typing. The round navigation pad is only four way but all the relevant keys for activation and ‘returning’ to previous menus are close at hand. There are no other keys on the handset save the volume keys on the side that can also be used for zooming in with the camera. The other two viable buttons are merely for popping open the rear panel. 
The Aura is just a fancy phone that’s designed with a very unique blend of materials, a sophisticated look and feel and a brilliant display but underneath it's a pretty standard Motorola handset with very, very standard features.
 
At the rear of the handset a transparent casing reveals three tungsten-carbide coated gears that assist in the handset’s panel rotation. The 2 megapixel camera’s lens is also plainly visible. You can see the gears in action while rotating the panel. A micro USB all-in-one port is located at the top of the handset. 
 
Features and Performance
I imagined the Aura basking in the glory of that blinding price tag to have features that would rival any phone anyone could come up with. However, at the crux of it, the Aura is just a fancy phone that’s designed with a very unique blend of materials, as mentioned, a sophisticated look and feel and one of THE most brilliant displays I’ve ever seen. Underneath that stainless steel exterior is a pretty standard Motorola handset with very, very standard features.

Interface
Although the UI has been designed to suite the round display it’s horribly sluggish most of the time. Multitasking is a b*t*h. With the audio player on in the back ground typing a simple message became a cumbersome task. Even with Motorola’s auto-complete feature, which is quite remarkable as is, I had already hit keys worth three full words before I had to stop and wait for the phone to catch up. Without anything running in the background, I was able to stay at least one and half word ahead of the handset.
 
The interface is simple though and not all that jazzy. The main menu system has simple icons and the sub menus are just the names of features that scroll up or down. The desktop uses specifically designed wall papers or simply expands an image from the photo gallery to suite the round display by cutting out the edges and centering on the middle of the picture. It manages to do this quite well, just make sure that the picture has enough space around the subject you wish the focus to be on.
Digg!

Nokia E75  

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Nokia has finally launched one of their latest additions to the E-Series range of business class handsets, the Nokia E75 with Nokia Messaging Service (push email)m, which mobilizes email solutions on Nokia devices. The E75 is the first device from Nokia’s stable that offers complete integration of email and messaging services and provides an easy 3 step process for instant email set up and supports up to 16 email accounts

 
 Speaking at the launch, Vineet Taneja, Marketing Director, Nokia India said, “Business mobility is now a necessity. The prosumers and enterprises in India are fast realizing that mobile business solutions can help provide a competitive advantage. The power-packed Nokia E75 with Nokia Messaging Service is the definite efficiency tool that offers the complete mobile email functionality and gives consumers an enriched and easy to use email experience while on the move. Connecting to and using email now on will be as easy as using SMS giving people the choice of applications they want to use and when they want to use.”

 
The Nokia E75 boasts full desktop email functionality along with both a standard keypad and a slide out QWERTY keypad. Like the E71 and E66, the E75 also has a tweaked UI that offers two customizable home screen modes for business as well as personal mode. It also displays alerts for up to two email accounts on the home screen, ensures quick navigation and switching between email accounts and displays the first line of the mail under the subject line. The Nokia Messaging Service supports an array of third party email solutions, namely Gmail, Yahoo, Rediffmail, Sify, Indiatimes, Net4, Hotmail and In.com amongst others, thereby providing direct access to over 90 percent of the world's corporate inboxes as well.

The enhanced email UI includes folder and HTML e-mail support, expandable views and sorting capability by date, sender and size, as well as the most commonly used email functions just a single click away. The device supports full integration between contacts, email, home screen and calendar. It provides the ability to create and respond to meeting requests, contacts lookup and auto-complete.

Its other features include -
  • 2.4 inch TFT LCD (240 x 320 pixels)
  • 3.5mm earphone socket
  • MicroSD card support
  • EDGE/GPRS, 3G with HSDPA
  • Wi-Fi
  • GPS with A-GPS support
  • Stereo Bluetooth and USB 2.0 (micro)
  • 3.2MP autofocus camera with LED flash
  • Stereo FM radio
The Nokia E75 will be available at an MRP of Rs. 26, 299 (including an 8GB memory card) in two colors - silver black and red.

Digg!

Apple's iPhone OS 3.0 Brings Relevant Upgrades  

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Hang onto your headsets people, Apple has previewed their Apple iPhone OS 3.0 software and it’s a doozy!!! The beta software release to registered developers is going to be available immediately. The iPhone OS 3.0 beta release includes an updated Software Development kit(SDK) with over 1,000 new Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) including In-App Purchases; Peer-to-Peer connections; an app interface for accessories; access to the iPod music library; a new Maps API and Push Notifications.

Apple also announced over a 100 new features that will be available to iPhone and iPod touch users this summer including cut, copy and paste and here’s a good one - MMS!!!

Some of the other new features that 3.0 brings to the table will include –
  • Cut, copy and paste,
  • System-wide landscape keyboard,
  • Forward and delete individual messages
  • Text and Notes,
  • Stereo Bluetooth (FINALLY!),
  • Syncing Notes to the Mac and PC,
  • Password login manager for Safari
  • Shake to shuffle,
  • YouTube accounts and YouTube subscriptions available
  • Parental controls for TV shows,
  • Movies and apps from the App Store,  
  • Automatic login at Wi-Fi hot spots,
  • Voice Memo app,
  • Live video and audio streaming
  • Expanded search capability for all key iPhone apps
  • Spotlight search across the iPhone or iPod touch
“The new iPhone OS 3.0 is a major software release packed with incredible new features and innovations for iPhone customers and developers alike. It will keep us years ahead of the competition,” said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing.

The MMS feature will finally enable users to send and receive photos, contacts, audio files and locations with the Messages app; and also allow them to capture and send audio recordings on the go with the new Voice Memo app. Search capabilities will be expanded, allowing customers to search within Mail, iPod and Notes or search across all key apps by typing a key word or phrase into the new Spotlight search, conveniently accessed from the Home screen. The updated Stock app will add the ability to display recent company news and current trading information like opening or average price, trading volume or Market Cap, and will offer a landscape view to see a full screen of any stock chart. Customers will also be able to view shared calendars right on their iPhone with CalDAV support and sync their calendars with iCal, Yahoo, Google and Oracle.

 
Included in the APIs is the ability to leverage the incredible purchase model of the App Store within apps. In-App Purchases will allow developers to offer subscription content and provide the ability to sell new content and features in a simple and secure process. Developers can also more easily create peer-to-peer games for iPhone and iPod touch by using Bluetooth.

Another key developer feature in the iPhone OS 3.0 beta software is the ability for apps to interface with hardware accessories, creating a whole new element of control for iPhone and iPod touch accessory developers as well as a new ecosystem of solutions for customers. Developers will also be able to use Apple’s new Maps API to integrate Google Mobile Maps services within their apps which will offer Google Map tiles, current location, custom annotations and geocoding. The iPhone OS 3.0 beta software includes the Apple Push Notification service which provides developers with a mechanism to alert users with sounds, text or a badge.
 

The iPhone OS 3.0 beta software and SDK will be available for registered developers to download starting today from developer.apple.com. iPhone customers will be able to download the new iPhone OS 3.0 software for free this summer and iPod touch customers will be able to purchase a software update for Rs. 512 ($9.95 US).

All I have to say is that things are finally looking up for iPhone and iPod Touch users. For more screenshots click here. To view the video presentation click here.

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HTC Reveals New Android Powered Handset - HTC Magic  

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Vodafone and HTC Corporation have announced the HTC Magic smartphone, Vodafone’s first Android-powered mobile, which will be available in the spring. The introduction of the HTC Magic is the result of a successful relationship between Vodafone and HTC, and Vodafone’s joining, late last year, of the Open Handset Alliance.

 
“Delivering an unbeatable mobile internet experience for our customers is a priority for Vodafone, so we are very excited to be introducing our first Android-powered smartphone in the spring,” says Patrick Chomet, Global Director of Terminals, Vodafone Group. “Following our joining of the Open Handset Alliance, we have worked very closely with HTC to bring this cool new phone to the market. Our customers want to access a wide range of the most attractive mobile devices to help them make the most of their time - the HTC Magic helps meet that need.”

“The HTC Magic embodies the compact style and sophistication for which HTC has come to be known, with the powerful and intuitive internet experience for which the Android platform was designed,” says Peter Chou, president and CEO, HTC Corporation. “We are proud of our partnership with Vodafone and excited about making the Android-powered HTC Magic available to Vodafone customers in Europe.”

"The announcement of the HTC Magic is an important step for Android and the Open Handset Alliance," says Andy Rubin, Senior Director of Mobile Platforms at Google "With it, Vodafone is opening up the mobile web for consumers across Europe and giving more third-party developers a platform on which they can build the next wave of killer applications."

The HTC Magic has -
  • a 3.2-inch QVGA touch screen display
  • Features a trackball and navigational buttons for quick, easy access
  • Accelerometer sensor for auto-rotate
  • Handwriting recognition
  • MicroSD card support
  • Wi-Fi, 3G, EDGE/GPRS
  • Bluetooth only for mono headset, USB (mini)
  • 3 megapixel AF camera
  • GPS
The HTC Magic includes a variety of email options such as Google Mail, POP3 and IMAP. In addition, Android Market allows for quick and easy downloading of games and applications utilizing Vodafone’s  network.
 
The new handset is exclusive to Vodafone in the UK, Spain, Germany (Black) and France where it’s available in White. It’s also going to be out in Italy on a non-exclusive basis in both colors – Black and White. Customers can ensure that they are the first to receive information about the HTC Magic’s availability, pricing and pre-ordering by registering their interest via their local Vodafone website from today. Full details of availability and pricing will be available in the future in local Vodafone markets. 

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Nokia Announces Skype Integration in New Handsets  

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Nokia and Skype announced plans to fully integrate Skype into select Nokia devices. Kicking off with the Nokia N97, Skype will be part of the address book in the device. This will enable users to easily see when their Skype contacts are online. It’ll also enable them to use 3G and Wi-Fi to make and receive free Skype to Skype voice calls.

Scott Durchslag, Skype’s Chief Operating Officer said “Collaborating closely with Nokia to preload and integrate our software onto their devices will benefit the many Nokia customers who already use Skype, as it makes Skype easily accessible and simple to use on the go. It will also bring Skype new users who love Nokia’s Symbian Series 60 experience.”


 
This is in no way a new concept. Skype for mobile, across platforms is very easily available for free. Of course there are also plenty of alternatives like Nimbuzz or Fring. However the integration of the service and application into a handset as part and parcel of its UI and make-up should enhance it’s usage and make things a little simpler in terms of access and functioning of the same.

Meanwhile Jose-Luis Martinez, Vice President, Nokia N-series said “With more than 400 million Skype users worldwide, the integration of Skype on Nokia N-series mobile computer is a significant step in bringing converged internet experiences from the desktop to the world’s most advanced mobile computer.”

Skype will be rolled out on other devices after the Nokia N97 goes live in the third quarter. New Nokia N97 devices will have it pre-installed, whilst early versions will be able to get it through a software upgrade. Other select N-series devices are also likely to come with integrated Skype functionality which includes Skype contacts, Chat, VoIP and Presence.

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Nokia Express Music 5630  

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It’s been a while since Nokia has been in the news but that could also be because of  LG’s KM900 and Samsung’s plethora of handsets making their way to MWC. Nokia has in fact announced an addition to their music range of handsets – the 5630XpressMusic.

 
This candy-bar styled, rather simplistic looking handset runs on a Symbian OS with an S60 UI and is equipped with -
  • a 3 megapixel camera AF camera (LED flash)
  • 2.2-inch TFT LCD (240 x 320 pixels)
  • N-Gage Gaming
  • MicroSD card support (up to 16GB)
  • 3.5mm earphone socket
  • Wi-Fi
  • EDGE/GPRS, 3G (HSDPA)
  • Bluetooth 2.0, USB 2.0
  • FM radio with RDS
Apart from these, the 5630 will also feature Nokia’s 'Say and Play' function that will let users simply speak the name of the song or artist and the handset will locate and play the track. This handset is also bundled with Nokia’s 'Comes with Music' tag where it’s available already.
 
The Nokia 5630 XpressMusic’s new tweaked homescreen shows the Contacts Bar that allows direct access to up to 20 friends or business contacts straight from there and provides a full communication history with these contacts including recent emails, messages, phone logs and photos shared. A shortcuts bar at the bottom of the homescreen also gives quick access to the most frequently used applications including music, radio, Web, N-Gage and photos. This is all very similar to the 5800’s but in a more confined space of course.

The Nokia 5630 XpressMusic should start making its way to shelves by the second quarter of this year with a price tag of about Rs. 12, 575 (200 EURO) exclusive of subsidies and taxes and a bundled 4GB microSD card.

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