Tech Point

Stay connected on your mobile !

2009-02-19T14:02:00.002+05:30

Today's hectic lifestyle has rendered social interactivity between people almost non existant. At such, the biggest problem is procuring the time to get in touch with friends across IM messengers

But now there is a simple solution to this problem. Just use Nimbuzz

There are various software's available in the market that let you login to various IM clients from one common software, but the one that offers a lot more features is Nimbuzz. It is available for PC and for your mobile.

You can download it from http://www.nimbuzz.com

Ofcourse you need to sign up on the site to get an account. The account iself comes very handy due to certain features listed below. One of the best parts about Nimbuzz is that its absolutely free and does not charge for usage. Ofcourse when using on the cellphone or on the PC you would have to pay for the data charges to your operator.

Nimbuzz allows one to connect with Skype, Windows Live Messenger (MSN), Yahoo Messenger, ICQ, AIM, studiVZ, GoogleTalk, Facebook, MySpace, Jabber and many more at the same time. You can chat with friends, share files and even make VoiP calls !. It even has an offline buzz mode that notifies your friend that you want to get in touch with them.

One of the best features is the online contacts backup. Nimbuzz allows one to backup their phone contacts into their online account. So if you loose your phone or switch to a new one, you can easily retreive your database.

The interface is clean and simple and its quite easy to use too.

So if u want to stay connected on the move, get Nimbizz mobile else go for the pC version.

Mumbai Burning

2008-12-01T10:20:00.006+05:30

As the attack on Mumbai get over, where do we Stand ??

One friend was confined to his apartment in Lokhandwala during these 60hrs of Mumbai Siege, One friend had left The Taj just 40mins before the terror strike, One friend had picked up an auto from Barakhamba Road just minutes before the bomb went off on Sept 13 in New Delhi..........

Watching the gruesome images of Mumbai blast, I felt vexed, agitated, restless, disgusted and probably any other adjective which would help me describe my feelings.
I felt pity..not on the hopeless politicians but on ourselves, as citizens of India, that how can we be so irresponsible in electing somebody who don’t even bother to care for the security and safety of their citizens. Are we so incorrigible that we cannot learn from our mistakes or is it we Indians suffer from amnesia and haven’t yet learned the lessons the hard way…after the 1993 bomb blasts, 2007 train blasts, Sept New Delhi blast etc. The list is endless. How many more incidents like these do we need to assure ourselves that the worst is yet to come. I think we have left no stone unturned to make sure that the world mocks at us.
The traumatic 60 hrs of blood and miseries made me think of the alternatives that can help us get away from such situations. Should we think like the Israelis - terrorists only need to be killed; should we get Biometric IDs for all citizens or worse put cameras at all intersections, roads, stations, airports - and integrate it with every city's security plans.

We're all still feeling the shock of the awful attacks in Mumbai. The attacks were aimed at our people, our prosperity and our peace. But their top target was something else: Our Unity. If these attacks cause us to turn on each other in hatred and conflict, the terrorists have won. They know that hatred and chaos feed on division. As radical extremists, their only hope of winning is by turning the rest of us against each other. Let's deny them that victory.
Let’s show them that we're more united than ever, united in our love and support to each other, determined to work together against terror and call on our leaders to do the same.

Now where is Raj Thackray and his "brave sena"?
Would Shivraj Patil’s resignation give contentment to the relatives of the deceased?
To Top it all, where is our President at this dire time of need ? There wasn't even a single comment anywhere from her, is she even alive ???

I do not want to blame the Government, BSF nor the intelligence team…as it is not going to make any difference… Its US…WE should stand up and react…The question which each Indian should ask themselves is..How can just a handful of people (albeit armed) can bring the commercial capital of the country on its knees. The mental and physical damage caused is irreparable.

I dread to think if these guys were not 20 or more, but say 500. What damage could they have caused to India???!!!! We definitely need to give a much better today and tomorrow to our children.

Nokia 5800 XpressMusic Hands on !

2008-11-25T15:59:00.004+05:30

The 5800XpressMusic is finally launched in India

Its at a great price, but one cant get it before January.

Today was the blessed day when the Nokia 5800 Xpressmusic has been offically launched in India, and after the long hour session of how mobiles have changed over the years,whats Nokia' future prospects for India etc and how the "comes with music" service is gonna shape up the industry, the price of this beautiful phone was announced.... and yes its gonna be priced at just Rs. 19,990 !!!!!

Yay... God bless Nokia people for the great pricing and may they rot in hell for making it available in the markets only in the end of Dec or in Jan... ( rumoured Jan 20th sadly)

Thats not it, the phone comes with an 8GB microSDHC card, a wrist strap, a stand, video out cable, a carry case and an extra stylus.

Coming to the phone build quality. The phone has a glossy display and due to that its prone to fingerprints as hell and they are quite visible too. The body of the phone feels sturdy and the sim card slot + card slot have got a nice latch lock onto it. The back of the phone has a smooth finish and overall the phone feels quite decent to hold. Although, to some people the thickness of the phone may be a turn off as it does not fall under the slim category. Its almost as thick as the SE W580.

The touchscreen of the phone is simply amazing. Not going into all the technicality of what it is made up of and how its better than the iPhone's etc etc. The display is a 3.2" with 640 x 360 resolution. This makes the display very crisp, the icons looked great so did the pictures. Video playback was also decent.

The responsiveness of the touchscreen is what amazed me, i seriously did not think that the phone would have such a great response. With the fingers, it worked great, with the stylus it worked better !! Typing messages was easy with the full QWERTY keyboard using hands, and the mini QWERTY worked fine with the stylus.

Another great thing was the sound output, it was loud, exceptionally loud actually. At full volume it felt as if i was holding a mini speaker in my hand. I am sure that with the headphones the output would also be great.

The camera is a normal 3.2 AF camera and i just clicked a few shots with it. It seemed quite decent enough.

The UI is fast, and in the time that i had the set for, it did not hang or gave any lag to me. Even while scrolling the menu, it was quick and worked very well with the touchscreen. Its just like the normal Series 60 UI,only that it uses touch now to work. The weird thing was that some places you need to single tap, whereas in some places you need to double tap to get the thing working.

The worst thing was that the stylus was a cheap plastic one which i didn't like at all.

One cool thing was the guitar pick that comes with the phone, it was great fun to use it with the touchscreen.

Overall, from the initial use, i am completely in love with the phone. The lucrative price and the accessory bundle has further more enticed me into getting the phone once its out.

The only other phone that i would even consider over this is the SE Xperia that too if it comes down to 20 - 25k...

Nokia 5800 XpressMusic Offical India price

2008-11-05T00:07:00.005+05:30

Today at the Nokia Evolving together Global Summit in New Delhi, Mr. Shivkumar from Nokia India revelaed that the 5800 XpressMusic would cost around 20k and would be launched at the end of Novmeber...

Many people like me have been waiting for the Nokia 5800 as it is an amazing device on papers and has got rave reviews on the net already....

At this price point Nokia surely has the advantage of price towards the 5800XpressMusic and no doubts that this gorgeous device would find lot of buyers.....

For those who dont knoew.....Key features of the Nokia 5800XpressMusic are

3.2 inches TFT touchscreen, 16M colors 360 x 640 pixels
Proximity sensor for auto turn-off
Accelerometer sensor for auto-rotate
Handwriting recognition
microSD (TransFlash), up to 16GB, 8GB included
81 MB internal memory
128 MB SDRAM memory
ARM 11 369 MHz CPU
GPRS, HSCSD, EDGE, 3G, HSDPA, WiFi, UPnP technology,Bluetooth v2.0 with A2DP,microUSB
Symbian OS v9.4, Series 60 rel. 5
3.2 MP autofocus camera with Carl Zeiss optics
Built-in GPS receiver
Stereo FM radio with RDS
TV out
3.5 mm audio output jack
Battery, Li-Ion 1320 mAh(BL-5J)

So, Nokia have one hell of a phone at one hell of a price out here.... i mean at 20k... hell even i am looking to own one if it performs decent enough.... :D

2008-10-16T14:49:00.007+05:30

The iPhone Killers

We finally have phones that kick the iPhone out of the picture

Finally, after almost a year and half of the launch of the iPhone, I am ecstatic to see a couple of phones that do have the right to be termed iPhone killers. Catching upto the iPhone was hard, especially cause of the beautiful touch screen and the multitouch interface that took everyone by storm. Where the iPhone failed was in terms of performance and high end features. The price of the iPhone in India just made it a more niche device. It gave the iPhone a demand in the India market as it is in human nature to want something that they cannot have. Being into Technology i loved the iPhone and hated it for my own reasons. After playing with my fair share of phones till date, i personally believe that currently there are two phones that can be termed as iPhone killers as of now.

1. Samsung Omnia - The Omnia i900 from Samsung is a great device. It looks like a modified, upgraded iPhone and has a great finish. The phone has a 624Mhz processor with 128MB RAM. It comes loaded with Windows mobile 6.1 and samsung has integrated there own touch interface onto it too. The Samsung interface has larger icons that add to the user friendliness a lot. It has a beautiful 3.2" display which is great for browsing the net or watching DivX videos onto it. The phone doesn’t have a 3.5m audio jack, but the bundled hands free takes care of that issue. The sound output is above average, not too loud. What’s impressive is the sound clarity of the sound. The phone runs fast, but if too many programs are open it tends to become somewhat sluggish. An issue is that it doesn’t have a stylus slot, the stylus has to be kept hanging on the side and this could lead to scratches on the phone. The auto rotation feature of the phone also has an issue. It rotates with an animation, this gets irritating in a while, thankfully you can switch it off. It comes with a5MP autofocus camera with flash which takes good quality snaps. Thanks to the image stabilizer that images are not blurry. The camera gives lot of setting options also. It records video in 640 x 480 pixels resolution too. It comes with 8/16GB onboard memory and Samsung has bundled a 16GB microSDHC card along with the phone. The phone is loaded with features - It has Bluetooth with A2DP, WiFi, 3G, GPS, TV-out and even FM Radio. It doesn’t use a standard microUSB port, rather Samsung’s proprietary port for charging and hands free .Selling in the market currently at a price of 33,000 for the 8GB Variant, the Omnia is an amazing device, much better than the iPhone in terms of looks and functionality. For those looking at a plain touch screen device that gives more power in their hands, the Omnia is simply a great phone.

2 . Sony Ericsson Xperia X1 - The Sony Ericsson Xperia is the true iPhone killer in all respects. Other than its weight and larger dimension, the Xperia has no other drawback compared to the iPhone. In my opinion it even surpasses the Omnia in terms of performance. Even thought the Xperia comes only with a 528 MHz processor, the 256MB RAM makes it run faster than the Omnia. It runs the same Windows Mobile 6.1 OS, though it features a unique new thing called X panels. These are more or less skins for the main screen with different themes, but they are interesting. The phone’s main plus point is its Arc Slider keyboard. The keyboard is great, though it takes a while to get used to. The phone comes with a stunning 3” display which has better resolution that the iPhone’s screen. Like the Omnia the Xperia is also loaded with features to the brim, it has 3G, WiFi, Bluetooth with A2DP, GPS, FM Radio and even comes with a 3.5mm audio jack. The phone comes with a 3.2MP camera which takes great images, though some people might feel that now with phones coming with 8MP camera, 3.2MP is passé. The sound output is great and the use of metal on the body makes the phone feel great in hand. Expected at a price point of Rs 36,000, the Xperia comes with 400MB onboard memory and is expected to come with a 8GB card bundled in the package

Nokia has also announced their first touch screen phone the Nokia 5800 Xpressmusic. It features a 3.2” touch screen display, a 369Mhz processor with 128MB RAM, 81MB internal memory and 8GB card included,3G, WiFi, Bluetooth with A2DP, GPS, FM ,TVout and even a 3.5mm audio jack. Sad to a certain extent that even it comes with a 3.2MP camera, but it would have symbian series 60 OS and a microUSB slot. The price point is expected to be between 25 – 30k. The initial reviews and videos make the 5800 seem like an impressive phone, so perhaps Nokia also has an iPhone killer in their hands.

Selling Online - a dilemma

2008-10-05T16:09:00.003+05:30

First of all, i am so sorry for not being able to post from the past month, i was caught up in a few things so didn't really had the time...
Now however, i would be posting regularly.... :)

Karan

Online Sales

One of the things that I have come across a lot while trying to sell thing online is that no matter how low you price a thing, people would offer you a lower price. You put up a thing for sale at a so and so price which you think is the best price for your second hand product due to its condition and working order. Of course this price is just slightly higher than what you would be getting if you sell your product in the local market. But as soon as you put it up for sale, you notice two things for sure.
a) Loads of people would say, what a great price the product is being sold at here
b) There would always be a group of people who would say something like “ Oh I just brought something like this last week, else I would have bought it from u”

Now, here comes the interesting part, even thought the price has been mentioned to be a great one for the product, the offers that you start receiving would be of a lower value. They would be easily 1000 to 2000 below the price you mentioned, with a small statement next to it “this is what I can offer, if interested please tell me”.

Perhaps it’s the mentality of the Indian consumer that one has to bargain no matter how good the price is, or is it just that they believe that the other person is trying to cash in over his second hand product and it’s not actually worth the price he is selling it for.
Now, why would the seller who is getting a higher price in the marker that being offered, sell it online?

I always prefer to sell things online myself, as the person on the other end can check the product before buying, satisfy himself then pick the product if he fancies. But all this lowballing of prices has made me wonder if it is even worth selling online, especially in India.
When an internet savvy person like me is having second thoughts about selling things online due to this scenario, where does a simple person stand????

Going Glossy >>

2008-09-02T11:56:00.008+05:30

Too much Shine

Love glossy shiny gadgets?? read on >>

Working with a Lifestyle and tech magazine gives me access to a lot of shiny new gizmos and from the past few months I have been noticing that more and more manufacturers are just pushing out products with glossy exteriors. At first I though that maybe this is just so that large devices such as TV’s that need to be put on a wall or on a table and then just be controlled via remote would give the place a classy look. It would stand out thanks to the shiny surface and attract attention easily. Fine, I understand and that is the only point that I can think of that makes sense in practical life.

But this is also true that Shiny glossy things makes one want to touch the shiny surface and just get a feel of the surface. This is where the problem starts, the glossy exterior attracts fingerprints, dust and scratches as much as it attracts attention. People tend to touch these shiny objects and once a couple of fingerprints get embedded, say bye bye to the device’s shiny look. In terms of TV’s and DVD players etc, I can understand, you just clean the surface off with a soft damp cloth and the exterior regains its smooth glossy texture. But what these manufacturers are doing now a days is totally uncanny.

Pick up any new device… be it phones, notebooks, net books, gaming consoles hell even LCD monitors now come with a glossy panel. Yes they look very nice…. Yes they look very shiny.... but only as far as the protective plastic cover is on them. Take it off and Walla your shiny new device is subjected to huge noticeable fingerprints. The general human perception is like I said… if its shiny one would want to touch it. So why handheld devices such as phones and notebooks are being pushed out with glossy panels. They would be kept in hands, and they would get tons of fingerprints on them…. Personally, I have started to get irritated with it… take the notebook out of the case, use it for a while, and then before keeping it back, wipe the fingerprints off so that the next time you take it out, it looks neat and shiny as ever. Why make the glossy panel in the first place if I would be spending half my time just cleaning it….

It gets worse in case of Cell phones, Phones from various manufacturers are also getting glossier by the day. It was one thing that you can save the display screen from scratches and fingerprints using a Scratchguard, but now what ? I have usedquite a few glossy phones myself and frankly speaking I kept cleaning them after every call I made and every sms I sent… I have to be extra careful because these phones are demo units and have to be sent back, but what about an average consumer, would someone spend so much time to clean a phone?

What worse that any scratches on devices with glossy panel stand out like a nasty scar. Think of it, a nice shiny surface, but there is a small line in a different color and without the shine… How bad it would look..

So what’s the best part… Get Scratchguard, screen guards or protective covers…. That would be effective for a while, but no matter how hard you try, your beloved device would get a fingerprint or scratch sooner or later during usage… I just Hope that the manufacturers would reconsider going glossy on every damn thing that they can churn out.. The consumer now is smart and knows that maintaining glossy panels is pain… that Is why more and more people are going for matte finish devices…. I wouldn’t deny the market for these shiny toys is not present, its present at a large scale, but once the shine fades away under scratches and fingerprints, it just feels plain sad seeing the once lively device so dull and scratched.

iPhone 3G in India >> Stupidity Glorified

2008-08-22T11:06:00.010+05:30

iPhone3G in India

The much hyped iPhone finally reached the Indian Shores, but gives a bitter taste

It is that auspicious day of the year that everyone has been waiting for. Finally the iPhone is available in India. All Hail the Apple, Vodafone and Airtel people for finally getting this device in India.

I do not like the iPhone for personal reasons - the camera is not autofocus nor does it have flash. Another wonderfully insane thing about the iPhone is that you cannot record videos. The battery cannot be changed and lasts just about a day at the max. In case your battery does die, then bid your phone goodbye, take it to the service centre and if god is on your side, you would get it back within a week. Just in case you did not know, the glass LCD display, once broken would cost you a bomb to be replaced and again it’s up to the service center people's mercy to fix it within a week's span.

Moving on, the iPhone has OSX... I mean come on, it’s a full functioning Operating system, so why did Apple choose to not allow third party application support? It’s not like they made the perfect User Interface for the iPhone. I agree its great, extremely user friendly and is quite fast too, but does that mean that they would now allow people to develop interesting software and games for the iPhone? The copy/paste functionality is still a distant dream. No forwarding of SMS and the problem that you cannot delete a single SMS out of the conversation is something that just makes the iPhone more of a show off device.
Push Email has been integrated, but what’s the damn use if I just can’t search for a particular email or hell even filter them as per my requirement. Office documents can be previewed, but cannot be edited. Bluetooth can only be used for headset use and that too is not A2DP supported profile. To top it all, Safari browser does not support flash or java which means that even if you connect the phone via Wi-Fi to the internet, half of the websites would just not work... What the HELL!!

Then there is the whole point of transferring data using iTunes. It’s an Apple thing from the starting, you have to use iTunes to transfer music or videos to your iPod's and they continued this functionality to the iPhone also. I always hated the part that I cannot just copy/paste a song into my iPod, but the same clause came with the iPhone too. After all Apple is Apple....

What good about the iPhone then /?? What good... no what’s absolutely spell bounding is the lovely huge touch screen. The screen is simply great... its huge, it’s bright, you can watch videos full screen in 16: 9 ratio. Then there is the multi touch user interface which is simply next generation. The multi touch thing is a thing that still amazes me... i had seen the multi touch functionality long ago on youtube when it was dislpayed by the developers... that was around 3 years ago. Apple getting the technology and then incorporating in a phone is a thing that actually impresses me to a large extent.

Coming back to the India Launch of the iPhone, I would like all to please turn Apple, Airtel and Vodafone around and kick them for doing perhaps the most idiotic thing they could have ever done in respect to the iPhone.
The iPhone 8GB is priced at Rs31, 000 which is roughly around US$775. Now in a country where in 2007 Reuters reported that nearly 80% of India lives on half dollar a day ... an iPhone priced at 775 dollars would find few takers. Yet there are people who bought the phone at 12 in the night as soon as it was available. Some idiot even bought 6 of them together... he was carrying almost 2 lakhs in cash... WOW.... someone get the Tax department to check his earnings. People do tend to show off a lot and that is the reason that iPhone would sell in India, atleast in the starting months.

“In India the product doesn't come with contract whereas in the US the product comes with contract where the phone is first subsidized and over the contract period the money is recovered from the user. Companies here usually don't encourage hand in subsidy,” says Deputy Director, Telecom Practice, Frost & Sullivan, and South Asia & Middle East. Girish Trivedi.

Apparently what Mr. Trivedi does not realize is that after removing all the subsidies and adding the $145 separation fee, the cost of the iPhone just comes over $500 in US. So where does the pricing of $775 or Rs 31000 come in for India??

Personally I would have understood a price of Rs 25,000 for the iPhone. Even I would have not raised so many issues if it was at Rs 28,000. It is an innovative product and a complete entertainment device, no doubt... I am saying a price of Rs 28,000 as that can be put in by an enthusiast. For Rs 28,000 a Nokia N958GB with a better camera, better functionality, third party application support and way better battery life would be a better option. If you are into the whole touch screen scenario, then an HTC Touch diamond would be a perfect option too.
But an iPhone 3G at Rs 31,000 is just absurd. Other than the reason to flaunt, which frankly speaking lasts for just about a month or so, there is no bloody reason to get an iPhone for someone who actually wants a decent phone.
Teenagers, especially girls would have flogged to get the iPhone if it was priced right. The reason being that is that the phone is user friendly, its sleek, has a huge screen, is easy to use and has a tremendous show off value. But at 31k even the girls would have a tough time getting their dads to agree on buying an iPhone for them.

To make the matters worse, both Airtel and Vodafone would be selling the iPhone with SIM lock i.e your iPhone would only work with one specific SIM card. If you take a new number its all good, you would get a new SIM locked to the phone, if you are an existing subscriber and are buying the iPhone, the customer care person would replace your existing SIM with a new one that would be locked to the iPhone.
Basically what it means is that if tomorrow you try to switch another SIM card into the iPhone, it just wont operate. Even if the SIM card is of the same service provider, the iPhone would not accept it. This is just the case with Vodafone.
With Airtel it is still network locked, so you can use any SIM card of Airtel with the iPhone >>

In case you are wondering why isn’t this guy commenting anything about the whole 3G thing then I haven’t even gone over to the whole 3G things with the iPhone 3G cause the 3G service in India are still 6 months away at least as per me.. Even when they would arrive I am sure Vodafone and Airtel would offer the services at an extremely high price adding another feather in their being stupid hat.

2008-08-20T20:09:00.001+05:30

The Creative ZEN X-Fi provides a breakthrough in sound quality for digital music with the X-Fi Crystalizer®, a Creative audio technology that greatly improves music quality during playback. It does this by restoring the highs and lows that were lost during ripping to MP3, WMA or AAC formats, allowing you to listen to your music at a higher quality than was previously possible on any MP3 player.

With the Creative ZEN X-Fi, you can really experience your music with the sound quality of the original recordings. To truly deliver the ideal music listening experience, Creative is including a set of premium EP-830 in-ear earphones with every Creative ZEN X-Fi. Alternatively, share your great-sounding music with your friends by using the built-in speaker.

The Creative ZEN X-Fi also features:

§ A built-in speaker so you can listen to favourite songs with friends

§ X-Fi Expand to move and expand the sound forward for a natural listening experience over headphones that simulates the sound from stereo speakers

§ An SD card slot so you can add more music, video or photos to the player

§ A vibrant 2.5-inch TFT display with 16.7 million colour support for an excellent viewing experience with videos and album art

§ Built-in FM radio with 32 presets

§ Built-in microphone for voice recording

§ The new Creative Centrale application for organising, CD and playlist creation, and transfer of a wide variety of video formats, including WMV, AVI, MJPEG, MPEG4-SP, DivX 4 and 5 and XviD

§ Using Creative Centrale, player syncs with Microsoft Outlook - contact, calendar, “To Do” list and more

§ Creative ZEN X-Fi Video Converter, which converts video files to formats suitable for wireless streaming, will be made available for web download early August 2008

A range of Creative ZEN X-Fi accessories will also be available, including:

The Creative TravelSound ZEN X-Fi Docking Speaker System
An elegantly designed leather case
A silicon skin to protect the player
An armband to hold the player
A three-pack of screen protectors

Pricing and Availability
Creative products are distributed in India by Cyberstar Infocom Pvt Ltd & India Digital Lifestyle Distributors Pvt Ltd. The Creative ZEN X-Fi (8GB) is priced at Rs.13,599.

NOKIA NSERIES PREMIERES THE NOKIA N96 IN INDIA

2008-08-19T18:19:00.004+05:30

Nokia Nseries, the premium multimedia sub-brand of Nokia today unveiled the Nokia ‘N96’, its most advanced converged device in India. Optimized for superb web access and entertainment, the dual-slide Nokia N96 has a perfect blend of style and cutting edge technology, and represents a whole new chapter in mobile technology. N96 is the first ever mobile device to offer a memory as huge as 16 GB expandable up to 24 GB through an external microSD card. It will be available across the country starting September 2008. Nokia also announced a pre-booking scheme, offering consumers the opportunity to secure their N96 in advance. The offer will be valid through 2000 Nokia outlets across the country starting August 20, 2008.

Big screen entertainment for Indian consumers The N96 in India will come pre-loaded with: - Full length Bollywood super blockbuster flick ‘Om Shanti Om’ - 50 music videos, a mix of 100 evergreen Hindi and 100 hot English soundtracks - 3 N-gage games including an unlimited license on an exciting 3rd edition of Asphalt3: Street Rules preloaded - 3 country Nokia maps preloaded (India, Singapore and UAE) with a 3 month navigation license for 8 cities across India (Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Chennai, Delhi & NCR, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Mumbai and Pune) - Points of interest across 52 categories such as bars, cafes, restaurants, hotels and more

Want to Pre book an N96.... simply do this >

4 Simple steps to book the N96 -

Log on to www.nokia.co.in/n96 pre-book to register -

Select your city and the Nokia outlet where you would like to Pre-Book your N96 at -

The concerned Nokia outlet will call you in an hour -

Deposit a booking amount of Rs 4000

5 yrs warranty on LG LCD Monitors now >>

2008-08-19T13:31:00.000+05:30

LG Electronics India Pvt. Ltd today announced a special FREEDOM OFFER its all models of 19" wide and 22" wide LCD monitors. Under this offer, on purchase of an LG LCD Monitor during 16 Aug'08 to 30th Sept'08, customers are entitled to avail extended warranty of 2 years. With this new initiative in place, the company becomes the first in the industry to extend such an offer.

The process of availing this offer is simplistic. The customers are required to login to www.in.lge.com and visit Consumer Promotion section to register themselves to avail the extended warranty. They will then get a registration number. The invoice copy of purchase and MRP sticker cutting from the carton box of monitor needs to be then sent on the address specified on the website to avail the 2 years extended warranty certificate.

The extended warranty can be claimed in future by producing the certificate to any of LG's service centre. The status can also be checked on the company's website.

GO Get yours now !!!

Nokia's next Navigator cometh >

2008-08-19T11:07:00.002+05:30

Taking navigation and maps to the next level, Nokia introduced Nokia 6210 Navigator the company’s first GPS-enabled mobile device with an integrated in-map compass for pedestrian guidance.

The Nokia 6210 Navigator comes with Nokia Maps 2.0 and offers real-time voice and visual turn by turn guidance using in-built GPS support, optimized one-box map search, 2D/3D and night mode map views, opportunity to tag and share your favourite locations, save and share routes amongst many other interesting features. The 6210 Navigator comes pre-loaded with maps of 8 cities in India and a 6 months navigation bundle

Key features of Nokia 6210 Navigator & Map 2.0 NOKIA 6210 NAVIGATOR

§ In-built GPS with assisted GPS (A-GPS) support

§ Preloaded maps of 8 cities in India

§ Integrated in-map compass for pedestrian navigation

§ 6 months navigation license

§ 2.4 inch display

§ 3.2 megapixel camera with auto focus

§ High-speed HSDPA (3.5G*) data connectivity for fast web browsing, email, widsets, downloading (* as and when available)

MAPS 2.0

§ Top of the line drive and walk navigation features

§ Optimised one-box search

§ Multi-point routing

§ Recording and sharing points of interests and routes

The handset will be sold in two variants: Nokia 6210 Navigator standalone: MRP Rs. 18, 219/- ; Nokia 6210 Navigator combo: MRP Rs. 20,039/

Spice X-1 – Live the game

2008-08-13T13:15:00.003+05:30

The swanky Spice X-1 comes pre-loaded with a variety of games that offer adrenaline-pumped gaming experience through the dedicated gaming console. Hook the handy gaming console and you are ready to live the game. You can also play without the console with its onboard dedicated gaming keys. The large 2.4 inch display has auto rotate feature. The Yamaha-amplified 3-D surround-sound, superb graphics and host of other features makes Spice X-1 the ultimate gaming machine, any gamer could have ever dreamt of. The dark handsome looks of the new Spice X-1 will take you to the new world of adrenalin adventures.

Available at a throw-away price of Rs.8899, the new Spice X-1 makes gaming geeks, play and live the game ……

Sony’s ‘Click’ Design New Micro Vault USB Flash Drives

2008-08-13T13:13:00.006+05:30

These drives will be available in varying capacities (1-8 GB) and within a price range of Rs 400-1,000

Sony's Micro Vault family has now three new members: two all-new Micro Vault ‘Click’ models and the latest Micro Vault Tiny. The Micro Vault Tiny highlights an expanded 8 GB storage capacity while the Micro Vault ‘Click’ models features an innovative ‘Click’ mechanism. The Micro Vault ‘Click’ USM-LX series is a high-speed USB flash drive boasts of a read-out speed of up to 31MB/s for quick and easy file transfer and storage.

Sony has also announced three upcoming drives that will be soon available in India. The drives are
‘Click’ (USM-16GLE), ‘Click’ (USM-1GLE) and Tiny (USM-H. All these drives will be available in multi-colours: Black, Blue, Green, Red, Purple, Pink etc.

Qick Glance at the announced prices of the drives
‘Click’ (USM-1GLE)--Capacity: 1GB available for Rs 400
‘Click’ (USM-2GLE)--Capacity: 2GB available for Rs 550
‘Click’ (USM-4GLE)--Capacity: 4GB available for Rs 1,060
‘Click’ (USM-8GLE)--Capacity: 8GB available for Rs 2,000

AMD Launches World’s Fastest Graphics Card

2008-08-12T20:40:00.002+05:30

ATI Radeon HD 4870 X2 delivers up to 80 percent more performance than award-winning ATI Radeon HD 4870.

AMD today announced the world’s fastest graphics card, the ATI RadeonTM HD 4870 X2, advancing visual computing ever closer to eye-definition computing gaming and cinematic experiences and delivering a whopping 2.4 teraFLOPS of processing power. Also announced today is the ATI RadeonTM HD 4850 X2 graphics card, delivering blistering performance at a compelling price point.

The ATI Radeon HD 4870 X2 delivers unsurpassed graphics horsepower, setting a new performance bar for visual computing with 2.4 teraFLOPS of processing power on a single card. It is also the world’s first graphics card to include 2GB of ultra-high bandwidth GDDR5 memory. The ATI Radeon HD 4870 X2 features two GPUs based on a second generation 55nm technology and clocked at 750 MHz, with a combined 1600 stream processors.

Engineered to be the world’s fastest graphics card, the ATI Radeon HD 4870 X2 was built with efficiency, scalability and performance in mind, delivering four times the performance efficiency AMD high-end GPU offerings released just one year ago.

Samsung Soul U900 review

2008-08-09T20:03:00.004+05:30

Samsung's Soul U900 is one slick phone. Its got an amzingly responsive touch panel for navigation keys and comes loaded with features too.

I 've always been an ardent fan of Samsung's slider phones-particularly the Ultra series, because they look good and have a clutter-free design. The latest addition to the Ultra series is the U900 'Soul', first showcased at the World Mobile Congress 2008. The U900 has had a love affair with brushed aluminium it seems; it's there everywhere. Right from the word go, it impressed with its solid build quality, snappy performance and dazzling screen.

Read the full review done be me here >> Living Digital

Sony Adds Music to your Life with its new Walkman Series

2008-08-08T16:06:00.003+05:30

The new series includes a powerful package, which blends supreme audio capabilities and compact design to appeal to the youthful audience and die hard music enthusiasts

Sony today launched the latest addition to its range of Walkman® MP3 players. Available in 1 GB and 2 GB variants, the NWZ-B130F comes in 4 attractive colors: Black, Red, Pink and Blue.

The NWZ-B130F series is made to boost a range of audio functions from MP3 playback to voice and FM recording as well as FM radio listening.

As a stylish visual indicator, the power illuminator’s four LEDs also flashing to the rhythm of the music.Sony has also added the Bass enhancer function for added oomph to fit consumers’ youthful lifestyle. It also features Sony’s Quick Charge function wherein just three minutes of charging provides 90 minutes of music playback, or 16 hours worth of music playback can be achieved with 70 minutes of charging.
Did I mention about the affordable prices of these players? The NWZ-NWZ-B133F that has a storage of 1 GB and is capable of storing 650 songs(approx) is priced at Rs 2,590. The other model NWZ-B135F which has a storage space of 2 GB and is capable of storing 1300 songs is priced at Rs 3,490. Not much for the quality that Sony delivers! Do have a look.

Sony's new 10Mp cameras

2008-08-08T13:33:00.006+05:30

The 10-megapixel T77 camera is Sony’s thinnest model at less than 5/8 of an inch with a 3-inch, 16 x 9 touch panel LCD screen. It features updated intelligent scene recognition technology, Smile Shutter™ and face detection technologies with child and adult priority, as well as high sensitivity shooting (up to ISO 3200), eleven scene modes, and in-camera image management.

The T700 model earns extra points as a “photo album in your pocket.” It has all the features of the T77 unit plus 4GB of internal memory that can store nearly 1,000 full-resolution or 40,000 VGA-quality photos; a 3.5-inch, wide touch panel Xtra Fine LCD™ screen for photo-like viewing (210 pixel-per-inch resolution) with high contrast and wide-angle viewing; and a thin profile (slightly more than 5/8 of an inch) so it can easily slip into a pocket or purse.

More info on > Sony Cameras

LG KP 106B---A phone for the masses

2008-08-07T12:07:00.013+05:30

At a price of just Rs 2000, this phone will certainly be a hit amongst masses

Known for its affordable range of mobile phones that come packed with features, LG has also announced the launch of LG KP106B, an entry-level feature-packed phone which is targeted at high capacity users who have high talktime requirement.

Priced at a mere Rs 2000, LG KP106 B comes in a nice candy bar form and in an appealing glossy black colour. It features a 1.5 inch LCD screen, is extremely sleek and stylish, weighs only 63 g, has FM, and can store up to 300 phone numbers and 100 SMS messages. It even includes an anti-theft mobile tracker through which one can track their stolen mobile phones, as soon as another SIM card is inserted

Commenting on the launch, Mr. Anil Arora, Business Group Head, GSM,PCs and DAV LGEIL said, "By introducing this new basic phone in the market, we intend to cater to the needs of our entry level consumers who are looking for a handset which has a perfect blend of looks, features and brand name. The KP106B has a great battery life and hence an exceptionally superior phone in its segment and we are very positive that it will delight our customers."

LG also claims that this GSM phone has the best in class battery. Whether the battery is that good or not, will update you as and we get hands on it.

Sony Ericsson Launches the C902 cybershot in India

2008-08-07T11:44:00.004+05:30

Sony Ericsson has announced the launch of its popular Cyber-shot phone range C902 Cyber-shot™. The phone, packed with the latest camera technology, makes it effortless to take perfect pictures of those spontaneous moments – day or night, at a bar or the beach – and instantly share them with friends and family.

Available in the choice of two stylish colors options- Swift Black or Luscious Red, the C902 will be available at an attractive price of Rs. 20995, at all leading mobile retail outlets and Sony Ericsson Experience Stores.

Sony Ericsson C902 Cyber-shot – The image and style statement
• Slim Cyber-shot™ phone with unique slide-out lens cover. Camera-ready in an instant . Ease of Use – is the core implication
• 5.0 megapixel camera with Face Detection and Auto Focus. Always capture the best shot possible
• Stand out design – slim phone with stand our iconic design
• BestPic™ with light
• Illuminated camera touch keys. Intuitive guidance around the camera

Check further details at - GSMarena

The new Sony Ericsson W350i is here >>

2008-08-07T11:38:00.003+05:30

The SE W350i is a Walkman phone that offers the perfect blend of style and function. Featuring for the first time from Sony Ericsson a flip phone that puts music first, the W350i offers a winning combination of ease of use, style and convenience.

This latest addition to the Walkman® phone is available at all Sony Ericsson Experience stores and other leading mobile stores in three cool colors – Electric Black at INR 6,995, and the Graphic White and the Ice Blue, available for Rs. 7,295

Did i meantion its just 10mm thick.

Check detailed specs at GSMarena

Airtel to Bring iPhone 3G to India on August 22

2008-08-07T10:48:00.000+05:30

Bharti Airtel today announced that it will launch the iPhone 3G in India on August 22. iPhone 3G combines all the revolutionary features of iPhone plus 3G networking that is twice as fast*, built-in GPS for expanded location-based mobile services, and iPhone 2.0 software which includes support for Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync and runs hundreds of third party applications available through the new App Store.

“iPhone has been the iconic technology revelation of this year, "said Sanjay Kapoor, president of Mobile Services at Bharti Airtel. “Airtel has been at the forefront of innovation and customer delight in the Indian telecom sector. Introducing iPhone 3G to India further underscores our commitment to enrich the communication experience of all Airtel users.”

Customers will be able to purchase iPhone 3G at Airtel Relationship Centers. Details of pricing will be announced at a later date. Airtel customers who wish to receive more information on iPhone 3G can log on to http://www.airtel.in/iphone3g/