Google Chrome OS Netbook Specs leaked

Some details about the upcoming Google Chrome OS based netbooks has leaked and the specification look delicious indeed.

The Google Chrome OS devices will be powered by an NVIDIA Tegra chipset with an ARM processor which uses less power and gives better performance than current Intel Atom chipsets. The Tegra chipset is also what powers Microsoft's Zune HD.

Google Chrome OS, which was announced back in July had been the center of some rather wild speculation until finally Google unveiled the OS and made the bitter sweet announcement that Chrome OS would not be released by Google as an installable operating system for current netbooks but would be a device in itself. The Google Chrome OS netbook were meant to be used a companion devices, not intended to replace current computers but to be seen as more of a browser-on-the-go.

For more detail on Google Chrome OS Netbook log on to http://www.thinkdigit.com/Mobiles-PDAs/Google-Chrome-OS-Netbook-specs-leaked_3868.html

Samsung Corby Pop C3510 for Rs. 7,000 - cheapest touchscreen phone?

Samsung, it seems, is determined to bring the cheapest touchscreen phones to the Indian market. The Samsung S3650 Corby saw moderate success even at its cheap price tag of around Rs. 10,000. Samsung has now decide to launch a scaled-down version of the extensively marketed Samsung S3650 Corby phone - The Corby Pop C3510. It is speculated to have most of the features of its predecessor and a retail price tag of around Rs. 7,000. This will take the low-budget touchscreen phone battle to a completely new level.

For more detail on Samsung Corby Pop C3510 log on to http://www.thinkdigit.com/Mobiles-PDAs/Samsung-Corby-Pop-C3510-for-Rs-7000_3865.html

Creative launches new PMPs, headphones and HD camera

Creative, best known for their soundcards and speakers, introduce a number of new products in the market. Addressing media at the launch, Mr. Ernest Sim, Regional Manager Indian Subcontinent said “Creative was founded with the vision to revolutionize the way people interact with their PCs. Since launching its phenomenally successful Sound Blaster sound cards and setting the de facto standard for PC audio, Creative has been able to leverage on its leading-edge audio technology, fan- base and strong brand name to expand into the exciting area of lifestyle Personal Digital Entertainment (PDE).”

Native Webcam Support to Come with HTML5

HTML5 seems to be tackling plugins head on! Nearly all new features which have been introduced for HTML5 seem to tackle one or the other common scenarios where plugins are usually required.

With localStorage, geolocation, pluginless video and audio, canvas support, nearly everything is covered. However Flash still has a lot more to offer, and it seems HTML5 is going to slowly steal a larger piece of the cake.

For more detail on Native webcam log on to http://www.thinkdigit.com/Internet/Native-webcam-support-to-come-with-HTML5_3834.html

Google Phones in the wild

Till just a short while ago, the Google phone was nothing but a rumour, but with Google's coy admission, it has just become much more real. The dogfood is out there.

As Google says while mentioning the phone for the first time:
"Unfortunately, because dogfooding is a process exclusively for Google employees, we cannot share specific product details. We hope to share more after our dogfood diet."

For more detail on log on Google Phones to http://www.thinkdigit.com/Mobiles-PDAs/Google-Phones-in-the-wild_3827.html

Motorstorm Arctic Edge

After bringing much mayhem and chaos on the PlayStation 3, Motorstorm now makes its presence felt on the PlayStation Portable. Even though MotorStorm Arctic Edge retains the essence made Motostorm popular on the PlayStation 3; it is certainly affected by reduced availability of processing power. The grandeur and scale of the game’s visuals— something that is MotorStorm’s hallmark on the PS3— is sorely missed on the small PSP screen with reduced details. However, if the game’s visuals are not something that primarily draws you towards the series, then you should enjoy playing Arctic Edge.

For more detail on Motorstorm Arctic Edge log on to http://www.thinkdigit.com/Gaming/Motorstorm-Arctic-Edge-Review_3801.html

A look at creating iPhone applications with Flash CS5

During Adobe MAX this year, Adobe revealed a surprising new feature that was to come with Flash CS5, the ability to target the iPhone. While Apple seems to have declined to work with Adobe to bring the Flash Player to the iPhone OS, Adobe found a way around it.

It is important to note that Flash content will still not work on the iPhone browser as there continues to be no version of Flash Player for the iPhone. However what will be possible come Flash CS5 is the ability to create native iPhone application from the Flash IDE.

A new tutorial by Lee Brimelow -- who is a Platform Evangelist for Flash, Flex, and AIR at Adobe -- is now available at gotoandlearn.com which showcases the workflow for creating iPhone application in Flash CS5, and demonstrated a simple application which uses uses the iPhone's Accelerometer sensor data to move around a circle on the screen.

For more information log on to http://www.thinkdigit.com/Features/A-look-at-creating-iPhone-applications-with_3802.html

Samsung Launches Omnia II I8000 AMOLED Touchscreen Phone in India

Samsung is looking to make its presence felt in India’s touchscreen phone market with the launch of its latest handset, the I8000 Omnia II.

“Omnia II is designed to take user experience to the next level. It captures our vision to provide phones to the consumers which are not only great looking but provide even greater functionality and usability using latest technologies and messaging platforms,” said Ranjeet Yadav, Director IT and Telecom, Samsung Electronics.

The Omnia II is designed for the smartphone user who demands an enhanced and convenient multimedia experience featuring Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional (upgradable to Windows Mobile 6.5). Featuring the world’s largest 3.7-inch AMOLED display with crystal-clear WVGA resolution, the gadget claims to offers unbeatable screen clarity, even in day light.

Complete with larger icons and simplified navigation, Omnia II's innovative TouchWiz 2.0 user interface and 3D effects have been customised to provide touch-optimized usability. Advanced R Touch (Resistive Touch) enables faster and more accurate response for a touch experience.

The Samsung Omnia II ensures you capture life-like photographs of your friends and family through the dedicated 5-megapixel camera with dual LED flash. Users can enjoy and share these images and videos through a super-fast internet access of HSUPA 5.76Mbps and 3G.

And if the massive 8GB of internal storage isn’t enough, you can always expand that with a microSD card of up to 32GB.

Nokia Maemo only a side-project, to continue focus on Symbian

It may be no iPhone killer, but knowing India’s love for all things Symbian, we have chronicled rumours, launch dates, and specs for the the RX-51 internet tablet, aka Nokia N900 that runs on the Linux Maemo platform. As a wire story tells us, this is going to be a trend of one, with only one new Maemo based phone being released each year. Nokia will stay “fully committed to Symbian”, and will try to upgrade the operating system to bring it up to level with its competitors in the next year and a half.

If this is true, then the GSM Nokia N920, featuring a 4.2-inch capacitive touch screen powered by a 600MHz ARM Cortex processor and 32 GB of storage will be the only Maemo phone to be released in 2010.

“Nokia plans to install Linux software on just one new smartphone next year, a source told Reuters on Monday, dampening prospects of a quick makeover of the Finnish group's struggling product line-up.”

For smart phones, the Symbian OS is considered regarded as a laggard, and even Nokia’s must hyped flagship release the N97 got poor reviews for its scant app support, stylus-based resistive touchscreen.

When it comes to comparing the Android, iPhone and Ovi app ecosystems, the iPhone is many years ahead of its compeititors. A few key killer apps released recently might reverse that sentiment. Nokia promises full integration of Qt technology in 2010, which helps developers port versions of the apps automatically to Symbian, Windows Mobile, and Maemo 6.
According to a recent news release from Nokia, “Since May 2009, Nokia has received over 400 contributions into Qt and Qt-related projects, which has helped ensure that Qt remains a stable, robust framework for developers to innovate on.”

Starting tonight, cellphones are going to DIE

Or less dramatically, if you have a Chinese mobile -- most of which do not have IMEI numbers -- there is need to worry, as the ICI (Indian Cellular Association) will be imposing a ban on the use of such cellphones starting midnight tonight.

IMEI numbers or International Mobile Equipment Identity numbers are unique numbers assigned to each handset. In case of loss or theft of cellphones, these can be used to track your mobile.

Often, stolen phones are sold with their IMEI number erased, or using an IMEI number from another cellphone. As such, ensuring that each cellphone which is operational is using a unique IMEI number has obvious benefits.

Additionally, terrorists can take advantage of blank or cloned IMEI to make their phones difficult to track. This is a good move for the security of the country, and will additionally aid in reduction of cellphone thefts too.

If you are not too sure about your phone (and even otherwise) you can test the authenticity of your IMEI number by sending a message to 53232 "IMEI " You can find out your IMEI number by pressing *#06# on your cellphone.

BlackBerry Curve 8520 for under Rs 16,000!

Well, this one caught us by surprise. Research In Motion usually has a price tag of Rs 20,000 or higher on all their new BlackBerry handsets launched in India. So when a press release from Bharti Airtel landed in our inbox and said the new Curve 8520 would be available for Rs 15,990, it was reason for a double take.

The phone sports a 2.64-inch TFT screen (65K colours, 320x240 pixels) that offers the latest version of the wonderful BlackBerry OS. The popular ‘pearl’ trackball, however, is missing and has been replaced by a standard trackpad. BlackBerry Curve 8520

The full Qwerty keypad stays intact and holds 256MB of memory underneath. Of course, this can be increased by a further 16GB provided you have a microSD card of that size.

In a perplexing move, the handset is adorned with dedicated music keys. We say perplexing because a standard 3.5-mm audio jack seems to be missing! So RIM wants you to play your music, but just not use your own headphones while you’re at it.

The 2-megapixel camera on the back is not going to impress anyone, nor is the standard connectivity options such as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth with A2DP, microUSB port, GPS and A-GPS (with BlackBerry Maps). And no, there is no 3G on board.

For what can only be a phone targeted at the office-going professional, a reported talk-time of 4 hours and 30 minutes seems a bit less to us. Still, for that low price tag, we guess the company had to cut corners somewhere…

Interested readers can grab the handset from any Bharti Airtel showroom from August 7 onwards.

Silverlight invited to Apple's temple of sanctity

Soon we will have silverlight content on the iPhone! Well not really. However, apparently Microsoft has "worked with Apple" to bring one of the most important functions of browser plugins today to the Apple iPhone, web video.

Web video has rightly become the domain of the Flash player, and is one of it's claim to fame an ubiquity. Now Microsoft's Silverlight is treading on Flash Player's turn by providing playback of video content in Silverlight on the iPhone.

It is by no means the full Silverlight browser plugin, however Microsoft has used a combination of server side features and client side support for video playback in the iPhone safari browser to enable video content delivered using Silverlight to also work on iPhones.

Open-source Google Chrome OS will be available only on closed line-up of devices

All right, so TechCrunch was off about Google launching the much-hyped Chrome OS this week; but what Google has done is make the source code for it available for download to anyone interested. So basically, the people at Google and external coders can now work on the underlying operating system at the same time, said Sundar Pichai, Vice President of Product Management.

In a demonstration of the new Chrome OS at the Google headquarters at Mountain View, California, Pichai mentioned a few things that are worth noting. First, that the operating system is, as expected, a glorified version of the Chrome browser itself. The look and feel are pretty much the same, with just more eye-candy and features in the Chrome OS.

Also, the Chrome OS will work only on Solid State Drives, said Matthew Papakipos, Engineering Director for Google Chrome OS. That’s right, no hard disks with moving parts will be supported. So if you planned on running this on your computer with a dual-boot system, think again! More importantly, Pichai said that the amount of hardware supported will be selective and Google will support only ‘referenced hardware’. The company will be tying up with hardware manufacturers to offer the new Chrome OS on selected devices – netbooks, tablets, laptops or anything else. An open-source operating system on a closed line-up of devices? Irony, thy name is Google!

One extremely impressive factor of the demonstration was the boot-up time. From a cold boot on what looked like an Asus EEE netbook PC, Chrome OS was at the login screen in seven seconds. Google said it will take only another three seconds to be on the Web and browsing. Quite cool, that…

Wirefree and Cool

Studies in human psychology have shown that the way we carry ourselves is what decides our level of appeal to the opposite sex. A small poll of the fairer sex, conducted by a notable tech publishing company, has revealed that this applies to not just what we wear, but also what we carry.

For more detail on Wirefree and Cool log on to http://www.thinkdigit.com/General/Wirefree-and-Cool_3723.html

The Google Phone is real and it’s coming early next year

Leading technology news blog TechCrunch has some solid Google sources. Its past successes in Google-related information include talking about Android before anyone else, about the Chrome OS and its ‘coming this week’ tag, and several other manufacturer-related Android news. So when they stick their neck out and say that the ‘Google Phone’ we have all dreamed of is real, we would tend to believe them.

The article states that some of the information is from solid sources, while some of it is currently in the ‘rumour’ phase.

Now, Windows 7 on a phone! And ViewSonic is set to launch WinXP phone…

It seems like Windows XP is actually being looked at as an operating system for cell phones now. We have previously featured ITG’s xpPhone, which claims to run Microsoft’s operating system with a custom UI. Now, ViewSonic might be opting for the same to make its entry into the mobile phone market.

ClonedInChina is reporting that the renowned LCD monitor manufacturer is coming out with a new handset that runs on Windows XP. Called the VCP08, the device will be powered by an Intel ULV processor, have 8GB of memory, 512MB RAM, 4.3-inch touchscreen, full QWERTY keyboard and a 2-megapixel camera. The flip phone will have a smaller 2-inch display on the top, complete with a numeric keypad for normal phone operations.

ClonedInChina is quoting the price of the phone at $800 (Rs. 37,000 approx).

Windows 7Phone

Icons of Trust - 2009

In this fourth instalment of Digit’s Icons of Trust survey, we’ve listened to some of the lakhs of Digit readers out there, heard their opinions, tabulated everything, and come to conclusions. The results are out, and it’s time to hear what India’s most influential technology community has to say to all the brands out there

more information about Icons of Trust log on to http://www.thinkdigit.com/

Did Nvidia CEO Just Reveal the Apple Tablet?

Well, well, well, what have we here! The gesturing man with the funny expression in the above picture is Nvidia CEO Jen-Hsun Huang, talking to Shufflegazine, an Apple fans magazine. And right in front of him is a wonderful little tablet device that could perhaps be the first look we have at the upcoming Apple tablet.

Huang talked about Apple a lot with the magazine, saying: “Apple uses the best technology for their [computers]. Apple says to their customers: if you buy a computer from us, you can be sure we have selected the best technology inside for you. That is their promise to consumers. Their promise to consumers isn’t ‘we’ve selected the best technology for you with the exception of what Intel allows us to use’. That’s not their promise. And that’s why Apple uses the best technology where they want whenever they want. And that’s why I’m all Apple! At home, it’s just Macs everywhere. It’s Nvidia’s technology in all of them, but I use Macs. My son has two Macs, my daughter has a Mac, there’s an extra Mac just in case and my wife has a Mac. It’s just Mac, Mac, Mac! Because I know it’s got the best stuff inside.”


HP Compaq 2510p | ACi Impression M11 | Dell XPS 420 | Lenovo ThinkCentre A61e | Acer Aspire 3684NWXCi | Lenovo Y410 | Lenovo 3000 N200 | Zenith Admirale | Dell Inspiron 1720

iPod Touch 32GB

Apple’s intent behind the iPod Touch was simple – take the much praised (and admittedly brilliant) interface on the iPhone and design a PMP around it. Thus was born the iPod Touch. It’s built exceedingly well and feels very solid in-hand. The screen is a glorious 3.5-inches and everything from the menu and usability, to its interface and the screen clarity, is top class. We noticed the first generation of iPod Touch had a screen with a noticeable blue tinge, the newer models have a noticeable yellow tinge that is not as bad, but the colours are not neutral and there’s nothing you can do about it. Being based on flash memory, transfers are slower than the Classic – a shame.

The latest firmware (3.1.1) slows things down a bit and the once snappy Touch’s menus have gotten slower after this upgrade. The new firmware also brings a lot of nifty little additions to the device and we’re happy to report most of the additions, while minor go a long way in enhancing the experience of using the Touch. The screen is excellent for movies although the trauma associated with using iTunes leaves lasting mental scars. Colour and crispness is very good and this is highly suitable as a video PMP

Apple iPhone 3G | Blackberry Bold | LG KC550 | Motorola MotoYUVA W230 | Nokia N96 | Nokia E51

Acer launches three new touchscreen phones in India, starting at Rs. 11,900

Mobile phones with touch-sensitive screens seem to be getting cheaper by the day. Nokia, Samsung and LG have already joined the bandwagon, and it seems that it’s Acer’s turn now, with the launch of three new phones – two in this lower segment and one premium model.

The company has tied up with Tata Docomo to offer initial buyers free download data of 500MB per month for the first six months.

beTouch e101
The lowest end of the new series is the beTouch e101, which comes with a 3.2-inch resistive touchscreen TFT (65K colours, 240x320 pixels), complete with a scroll wheel under it for easier navigation. Running on Windows Mobile 6.5, the device comes equipped with a 2-megapixel camera (albeit without flash or autofocus), 256MB RAM, 512MB ROM (expandable via microSD), and the complete Pocket Office suite. Since it doesn’t have 3G or Wi-Fi, EDGE and Bluetooth will have to suffice for connectivity. The 1140mAh battery claims to last for 5 hours of talk-time and 400 hours of standby time.

The Acer beTouch e101 retails at Rs. 11,900.

Sony Ericsson Xperia X1 | PalmOne Treo 600 | ASUS P525 |Palm Treo 750 | LG Black Label Series KE970 | BenQ-Siemens Q-fi EF71 | N85 8 GB | LG KU990 Viewty

Windows 7 still needs anti-virus, susceptible to 8 out of 10 viruses

During the launch of the new Windows 7, Microsoft had a lot to say about the safety features it offered, and especially protection from viruses and malware. While it was always meant to be taken with a pinch of salt, the guys at security firm Sophos decided to put the operating system to the test.

Chester Wisniewski of Sophos writes that they loaded up a machine with a fresh version of Windows 7, and left all the User Account Control options at default. Then, they grabbed the next 10 unique virus samples that arrived in the SophosLabs feed to see how well the newer, more secure version of Windows and UAC held up.

“Unfortunately, despite Microsoft's claims, Windows 7 disappointed just like earlier versions of Windows. The good news is that, of the freshest 10 samples that arrived, 2 would not operate correctly under Windows 7,” Wisniewski writes.

Lesson learned? You still need to run anti-virus on Windows 7. A viable option could be the new, free Microsoft Security Essentials suite that the company has launched recently. Ars Technica reported a few days ago on an antivirus comparison by AV-Comparative that puts Microsoft Security Essentials as the best free anti-virus solution out there, ahead of names like AVG, Avast and Avira.

Windows 7 debut is a hit
Meanwhile, market analysis firm NPD has released a report that says Windows 7 has done extremely well since its launch on October 22. According to NPD’s weekly tracking service, Windows 7 software unit sales in the U.S. were 234 per cent higher than Vista’s first few days of sales.

“Microsoft’s program of early low-cost pre-sales, high visibility marketing, and aggressive deals helped make the Windows 7 software launch successful,” said Stephen Baker, vice president of industry analysis at NPD. “In a slow environment for packaged software Windows 7 brought a large number of customers into the software aisles.”

Motorola Droid vs. Apple iPhone

Motorola Droid vs. Apple iPhone: So the Motorola Droid – the ‘Google phone’ we’ve all been waiting for – is finally here and ready to take on the undisputed king of the hill, Apple’s iPhone.

Thankfully, price watcher BillShrink has already declared that the end cost of usage for both the iPhone and the Motorola Droid, over two years, would be the same: approximately $2800-$3800, depending on your tariff plan. Keeping that in mind, the only thing left to compare between the two are the phone’s functions itself.

A lot of websites have started the comparisons, so here’s a quick round-up for your benefit.

Windows 7 Review

Over time, any Windows user is sure to find their documents, music and videos scattered all over their computer. Earlier versions of Windows provided users with the facility to relocate their personal folders, but were restricted to just one folder for documents on one partition. Often, people do not want to clutter their Windows partition, and chose to store their documents elsewhere, usually without pointing their document folder locations. Furthermore you were stuck with the categories of Music, Pictures, Videos,and Documents that Microsoft decided you needed. Some might like a dedicated folder for their Music Videos rather than clubbing them with their Music, or Videos folder, for example.

In Windows 7 this entire concept has been revamped with a new system called Libraries which allows you to create aggregations of similar content which may be located in different partitions or even different computers!

Imagine a scenario where you have a collection of eBooks in a folder on your D: drive, your personal documents in your "Documents" folder, and downloaded documents in a folder like "C:DownloadsDocuments". Here a single Documents Library could be created (one is available by default in Windows 7) which could then include these locations. You could even include any documents you have in folders at external locations such as a network share, a pendrive or an external hard disk.

First Google Android netbook ships with Firefox, not Chrome!

A few days before the launch of Windows 7, Acer has released the first netbook to ship with the Google Android operating system. And a juicy tidbit has come out of an early review: Android comes with Mozilla Firefox for Web browsing, not Google’s own Chrome browser or the Android browser that comes on mobile phones.

Google has previously announced its intentions to get into the netbook game with Chrome OS, but with Android’s ready availability, it was always going to be first onto machines. Acer had said that it wanted to get Android onto its netbooks soon, and last week, the company launched the popular 10-inch AOD250 mini-laptop for this purpose. Full specifications and features can be found here.

However, the AOD250 isn’t solely an Android device. Acer has included the option of dual-booting into Windows XP – a much-needed option, according to a review of the new system by PC Mag.

iPod Nano

The new Nano is very sleek and much lighter than the previous gen widescreen Nano. Of course there is a newer version than the one we tested that also features a video camera but we’ll be testing that next month in the magazine, since it reached us late for this test. But on to this Nano – it’s cute with a nice curved profile. It’s long but very slim – perfect for those who want something feature-rich and with a screen while working out or jogging, since it won’t weight down your pocket. Its screen is good, although the text font doesn’t look as crisp as the iPod Classic or the iPod Touch. The clickwheel is still going strong and although it’s not the best for menu navigation it works quite well and is pretty accurate.

Apple iPhone 3G

Apple’s design sense has always been splendid; the iPhone 3G doesn’t break conformity. The first time you look at it; you’ll think iPod Touch on a high-fat diet. It’s better looking than its predecessor (the iPhone 2G). The black model we received was beautifully finished; thankfully the rear resists normal smudging and scratches. It’s not a very thick device but feels large to hold; although with a 3.5-inch screen this isn’t exactly a design flaw. Build quality is excellent. Quality of buttons and switches on the device are top-class. Even the SIM tray fits flush; attention to detailing is very good.

The buttons on the sides, top and the headphone jack are chromed, and the black bezel and chrome trim add further visual appeal. Apple’s menu system is excellent with the single main menu button being perfectly functional. The Apple iPhone 3G is appeal lies in its blatantly simple and usable interface and the sheer joy and funkiness of a touch and finger swipe navigation system that works flawlessly. The proximity sensor and low-light sensor work flawlessly.

The Apple iPhone 3G menus work well, but the on-screen keypad is a little small and you will make a few incorrect key taps for a month or so, which won’t please SMS junkies. The phones number pad is huge though; and you’d be a clod to goof up dialling numbers. SMS’ sent and received to and from a single number show up as a single entry with the last message exchanged as a preview; the rest of the messages are displayed in small green conversation boxes that become visible on selecting the relevant entry; a novel concept that takes getting used to. There is still no way to delete or select multiple messages. For some, the text entry box may also appear too small for practical use. If you try to edit a message after typing it out; the inbuilt magnifier helps as it magnifies the spot where your finger touches, but cursor navigation within the text body remains a tricky affair. You also cannot save a typed out SMS as a draft, and the inbuilt email option allows you to save multiple email IDs and password information for quick use; though the on-screen keyboard raises its ugly head again to spoil the party.

Nokia's new 8MP N86

Thought the 5MP on the Nokia N97 is enough? Nokia now bests it best with its new 8MP N86.

The Nokia N86 has a large 2.6” OLED screen and in contrast to Nokia N97's total lack of buttons this one has the plenty with the usual 5 button navigation, call / end keys, and menu and clear keys. A dual slide out design unveils even more keys, with the standard numeric keypad, and shorter slide-out with media keys.

With Samsung and LG coming out with phones having 12MP cameras, the 8MP camera may seem like an underplay. However for most people not looking for mobile that doubles as a decent camera, rather that a decent camera that doubles as a phones, this will indeed be impressive. The 8MP camera has Nokia's usual Carl-Zeiss lenses. Additionally it supports auto-focus with dual stage image capture, and a dual Led flash. The camera also supports video capture at VGA resolutions at up to 30fps.

Like the N97 it too comes with a GPS, digital compass, ambient light sensor, and proximity sensor. With almost the same feature set, it is quite a match for the N97, except for it's smaller screen, and lack of touch sensitivity.

With the recent release of the N97, this might just steal some competition away from the bigger beast, especially those attracted by its camera. Either way though the ball's in Nokia's court.

BenQ-Siemens Q-fi EF71

Sporting a stylish brushed aluminium exterior, the BenQ-Siemens Q-fi EF71 looks elegant and has a pleasant feel. The hinge of this ruggedly-built phone allows little play and feels very strong. When opened, it’s all jet black; only the 4-way rocker and the border of the keypad sport a metallic finish.

The blue backlit keys are well-spaced and extremely comfortable when SMSing. The icon-based UI is easy to use and the colour LCD is good, as is the external white OLED display used for various status messages.

The Q-fi range is music-focused, and this is one of the first phones in this series. Media playback keys are present on the lid, and there is also a music button at the side to start the media player. The 10-band equaliser makes listening to music a pleasurable experience. The 2.0 MP camera does not feature auto-focus, but still does a good job. You can’t zoom while taking still photos at the highest supported resolution.

The phone has a paltry internal memory of just 24 MB, so adding a microSD card becomes compulsory. The memory is not hot-swappable—you need to open the phone and remove the battery to access the slot. PC connection has three modes: mass storage device, Modem / PC Sync, or Webcam.

Nokia N96

Nokia’s N95 8 GB was, perhaps, one of the most balanced Symbian-based smartphones we’ve ever had the pleasure of reviewing. Most people look at such high-end phones as a sum of their feature set. For us, a cellphone is a more personal device, and the operation, ergonomics, intuitiveness of menus and ease of use are equally important as the features — especially when one is shelling out over Rs 30,000.

The N82 was thought to be a replacement for the N95, but without the slick two way slider, and a smaller screen, it was never an N95 killer. Now Nokia faced a dilemma — how to improve upon near perfection? Simple — improve the few noticeable flaws. And thus was born the N96.



Livered in a slick satin black facia with metallic silver all round the sides. The rear is satin black, with fine grey lines between — very similar to the finishes on the Nokia N82 and N78. Some may like such finishes — we personally don’t, and the N95 8 GB looked much more a serious phone than a rich boy’s play-toy.

The screen remains the same (2.8 inches) although it’s now become glossy, which gives the appearance of better contrast, but in reality this isn’t so. The speaker grilles are now much better looking. The revamping of the menu buttons isn’t successful however, and the four-way joypad is now much harder to use.

The menu button isn’t bevelled any more and its flush fit and closeness to the call accept button may lead to a few false key presses — very annoying. The volume and camera buttons on the side are now a lot harder to use, and feel tackier than the N95s keys. The number pad now has flat keys and their close spacing means using them is a pain — the N95 8 GB had bevelled keys — Nokia should have stuck with that.....

Nokia N96

LG KU990 Viewty

LG Touch?
Every company has a touch screen operated phone and the KU990 is a 3-inch, 3G touch screen phone from LG. The metal plate and the glossy front with chrome borders give the phone a stylish-yet-sturdy look.

You will soon realise that the main menu interface looks and feels a lot like the HTC / iPod Touch and iPhone. You can use either a finger or stylus to slide through menus. There’s no place to store the stylus on the phone though.

There aren’t too many buttons on the phone, primarily because of its touch screen functionality. There is a jog dial on the back of the phone around the camera lens which can be used to scroll through items or change sound volumes. However, this is inconvenient to use, and scrolling through menus using it is especially difficult. Scrolling using the touch-screen is a little cumbersome as well—those with shaky hands might accidently launch an application off and on. There’s a full keyboard on the touch-screen, and it works well with either your fingers or the stylus—our only complaint is the awkwardly-placed spacebar.

There is a 5 MP camera with a flash, and a standard VGA camera for video calls. The 100 MB internal memory is paltry, but can be supported by the Micro SD card slot. The earpiece is perfect, but the microphone quality is strictly average—expect some minor crackling. The speakerphone is fine, but gives out a high shrieking sound at times. The earphones that are bundled with the phone... err... just get the job done. LG KU990

Sony Ericsson XPERIA X2

It’s been a long time coming with numerous leaks and sneak peeks, but now, Sony Ericsson has officially launched the new XPERIA X2, and the big news is that it will be running on Windows Mobile Phone 6.5. And Engadget has got some hands-on time with it, with a full video of the same.

Like its predecessor, this one is packed with so much stuff that the company probably didn’t have space to write ‘kitchen sink included’. The one big disappointment from the last model persists, though, as the X2’s 3.2-inch TFT touchscreen (65K colours, 800x480 pixels) is still resistive (probably to make a stylus work with WinMob 6.5) and does not come with an accelerometer. Switching from portrait to landscape mode is still activated by sliding out the keyboard. Really, Sony, what are you thinking with this one?

The Panel UI has gotten a makeover, and now you can go for a new bubbled layout apart from the 3x3 grid, as well as get the option of setting panels according to the time of the day. Aaron Duke, a product manager on the X2, has come out with a video explaining the changes:

Another significant change is that Sony has dropped the plastic menu buttons and gone with an optical trackpad for the same, giving the phone a sleeker, sexier look. Nice one, that!

The camera gets a huge boost as the X2 comes equipped with an 8-megapixel sensor with autofocus, LED flash, touch focus, geo-tagging, image stabilisation, face detection, smart contrast and video light for VGA footage. Sony Ericsson XPERIA X2 | Mobile Chargers | Sony Ericsson P1i

Nokia N900 and Maemo 5 Finally Official; Preview Video Makes us Drool!

We’re tired of talking about potential iPhone killers. It’s been three years now and no one has come close enough to challenge the Apple of our eye, so while the new Nokia N900 has finally been officially unveiled and looks like the best bet so far, we will hold of on being soothsayers till the phone is actually in our hand.

In terms of hardware, the Nokia N900 matches or betters the iPhone in every segment, other than the thickness due to the physical Qwerty keyboard, which stands at 18 mm as compared to iPhone’s 12.3 mm. The height and the width of the N900, though, are lesser than Apple’s flagship device: 110.9 x 59.8 mm to 115.5 x 62.1 mm.

The screen size remains the same at 3.5 inches, but the N900’s resistive touchscreen offers a much better resolution of 800x480 pixels. In a video preview by the Nokia press team, the screen seemed to be quite responsive to thumb-based navigation, which has been a point that a lot of Nokia users have complained about. Perhaps it’s the Maemo interface, but either way, it looked quite good. Still, it’s a public relations video, so we will wait till we have the actual device in our hands before we believe the hype.

N85 8 GB

Nokia’s has always been known for solid albeit unattractive phones. Their latest phones try to solve the latter issue, and the N series has been a forebearer in this regard. Their N85 8 GB follows the latest design trend of being sleek, compact and sports the same kind of glossy, two-tone finish that we’ve seen from the newer N series phones like the N78, N82 and such. While some like the new colours, others may prefer the suave black of the N95 8 GB to the glossy mocha brown of the N85 8 GB. We feel that looks aside, these new finishes are longer lasting; this is noticeable after months of regular use. The N85 8 GB is built like a small tank and feels extremely solid in hand; much better than the N95 8 GB; full points to Nokia here.

For more detail on N85 8 GB log on to http://www.thinkdigit.com/Mobiles-PDAs/N85-8-GB_2675.html

Nokia E51

If you are an executive in the market for a suitable cell phone, Nokia’s E series offers the best bang for the buck. The Nokia E51 is the latest from the venerable E series, and an apt successor to the hugely popular E50 model, which it will eventually replace. The E51 brings in new features at a price that’s hard to beat.

The keypad is completely revised, with dedicated keys for Contacts, Calendar,

E-mail and Home. The soft menu keys, however, are too small for comfort. The rest of the keypad is a delight—good tactile feedback, and key spacing is immaculate. The rubberised keys for volume up / down, push-to-talk and power are hard to operate, though.

For more d on Nokia E51 log on to http://www.thinkdigit.com/Mobiles-PDAs/Nokia-E51_2111.html

Twittera N Facebook Go down Emptiness of Lives Revealed

Thursday saw a real-life recreation of the scene from The Truman Show, where once the plug is pulled on the show, people search about aimlessly for something else to do – a commentary on how television has taken over our lives. Only this time, TV was replaced by social networking site Facebook and micro-blogging service Twitter, as both sites crashed after a malicious attack.

The attack came so suddenly that Twitter did not even have time to put up its ‘fail whale’ error image. Co-founder Biz Stone said on the site’s blog that they were the victim of a denial-of-service attack, a technique in which hackers overwhelm a website's servers with communications requests. More information log on to : http://www.thinkdigit.com/Internet/Twitter-Facebook-go-down-emptiness-of-lives_3278.html

NVIDIA unveils Tegra

Amidst the hype about Intel's processor platform for MIDs called Moorestown, NVIDIA has unveiled an answer of its own, its Tegra Processor.

They unveiled 12 high definition capable MIDs powered by the Tegra chip which are capable of delivering a desktop like browsing experience complete with Flash. As can be expected of any NVIDIA product, it has powerful graphics support with animation acceleration, flash video support, and the capability to play back video at full 1080p.

Since it is targeted for portable devices, it is also optimized greatly for lower power usage and may give as much as 5 times the battery life that we can see in the netbooks of today. It is capable of 25 days of playing music on a single charge, and 10hrs of full HD 1080p video playback.

According to Michael Rayfield, general manager of mobile business at NVIDIA, “These new Tegra-based products combine excellent Internet and media capabilities, always-on operation, and wireless connectivity for the un-tethered Internet experience consumers have been craving.”

For more information log on to http://www.thinkdigit.com/Mobiles-PDAs/NVIDIA-unveils-Tegra_3111.html

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