Author Archives: Deepak Dhingra

BlackBerry launches the Z10 in India for $800

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BlackBerry launches the Z10 in India for a cool $800

The BB10-toting BlackBerry Z10 has just been unveiled in India, priced at Rs 43,490 ($800) for an unlocked unit. Coinciding with the announcement, the BlackBerry Music Store has also gone live in the country starting today, offering a mix of local and international music. Support for local languages aside, the app offerings have been given an Indian flavor with the inclusion of country-specific goodies spanning various genres including news, banking, travel, entertainment and lifestyle. The subcontinent is quite important for the company formerly known as RIM, and its devices are still popular in the region, despite taking a beating in market share recently (see coverage), courtesy the BBM service that makes them the go-to smartphones for those hooked on to the instant messaging platform. However, the Z10's sticker price puts it in the same league as the 16GB iPhone 5 and HTC's full-HD Butterfly (both costing roughly $50 more), and it remains to be seen how the price-sensitive Indian market will react to the new entrant.

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Nickelodeon releases Nick app for iPad

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Nickelodeon releases Nick App for iPad

Kids have it all these days -- tailor-made gadgets, their own little corners in mobile platforms, and of course, loads and loads of content. The latest to hit the wires is the Nick app for the iPad, offering a slew of Nickelodeon programming wrapped in a swipe-driven, tyke-friendly interface. The goodies include animated shorts, videos, games, the ability to mark favorites, plus a smorgasbord of funny interactive elements and a "Do Not Touch" button that promises disruptive fun. Full episodes of the current shows can also be accessed if you've subscribed to Nickelodeon's TV package via any one of eight providers. Seems like a swell way to keep those tech-savvy rug rats occupied between outdoor adventures and some DIY action. The 45MB payload is waiting at the source link, yours for the hard-to-argue cost of free.

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Source: App Store

Netflix for iOS 3.0 brings the zoom icon back, adds more UI improvements

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Netflix for iOS v30 brings the zoom icon back, adds more UI improvements

Sony's now obsolete PS3 may be the Netflix streaming device of choice, but that doesn't mean the popular streaming service will ignore other platforms. The Netflix app on iOS, which saw its last big refresh back in September last year, has just been bumped up to v3.0 -- bringing with it a slew of UI changes aimed towards improving your movie-watching experience. The zoom icon that was removed previously is now back for easier access to full-screen viewing, while a tap displays video titles if you're using the app on the iPad. The three-point change log also includes a relocation of the playback controls. Nothing profound, but hey -- could be worth your while if it keeps you away from reality just a little longer.

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Source: App Store

Samsung outs cheaper, WiFi-only Galaxy Camera

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Samsung outs WiFi only Galaxy Camera

Leaning towards the Samsung Galaxy Camera but don't think that cellular connectivity is of much use for you? Well, Sammy's just taken the covers off a new variant, dubbed the EK-GC110, forsaking the 3G / 4G modem and making the device more affordable in the process. Other key specs remain the same as its sibling, the EK-GC100, including a 16.3-megapixel CMOS sensor, 21x optical zoom, 4.8-inch display, 1.4GHz quad-core processor and Android 4.1. The all-important pricing and availability information is still TBA, however. And while this WiFi-only iteration is even less likely to make you set your smartphone aside, hopefully it won't hurt your wallet so much.

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Source: Samsung

WSJ: Airbus to drop lithium-ion batteries from A350 to meet delivery schedule

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Airbus dropping lithiumion batteries from the A350 in the interest of timeliness

Amidst the ongoing brouhaha over rival Boeing's Dreamliner-grounding battery troubles, Airbus has decided not to use lithium-ion batteries in its newest aircraft, the A350, according to industry officials cited by the Wall Street Journal. The European plane maker is said to be making the change in an effort to stick to its plan of pressing the jet into commercial service by the middle of next year. While the craft's early test flights this summer will still make use of four lithium-ion batteries for on-ground electrical power and as backup in the air as originally intended, it will be delivered to airlines with conventional nickel-cadmium batteries instead. Safety considerations are undoubtedly part of the picture, but since the A350 is already behind schedule by a couple of years, its manufacturer can't afford any further delays -- anticipated in case regulators find fault with the use of lithium-ion packs in flights. As Boeing struggles to find a fix and get the 787 back into the air, it seems Airbus has taken the easy way out.

[Image credit: Airbus S.A.S / H. Goussé]

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Source: Wall Street Journal

Archos releases free version of Android Video Player, placates penny-pinching cinephiles

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Archos Video Player Android app now has a free version, pennypinching movie lovers rejoice

While there's no dearth of video playing apps available on Android, French outfit Archos' $5 offering stands out as an especially feature-rich option. For those that shied away from the Archos Video Player just because of the outlay involved however, there's now a free version up for grabs. Supported by ads, it provides all the functionality of its premium cousin, including hardware-accelerated encoding, ability to play network content and online retrieval of movie information like posters and subtitles. Entertainment aficionados can snag the goods at the source link for the unarguable cost of zero, and likely spend the saved scratch on some high-definition bird-slinging action instead.

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Via: Android Central

Source: Google Play

Nokia announces Asha 310, offers dual SIM and WiFi for a Benjamin

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Nokia takes covers off Asha 310 3inch, dual SIM, WiFi, 2MP ccamera

After being deemed smartphone worthy back in September last year, the S40 platform has just gained another member with the $102 Nokia Asha 310. The follow-up to the Asha 308 and 309, the latest handset rocks a 3-inch 400 x 240 capacitive touchscreen and touts support for a pair of SIMs along with WiFi -- the very first such device to come out of Espoo. Other specs include easy swap functionality, 128MB internal storage expandable up to 32GB, Nokia's Xpress Browser, a 2-megapixel camera and Nokia Maps navigation. Alas there's no 3G, but WiFi should at least come in handy to download the 40 free EA games on offer. No word on stateside availability just yet, but expect it to land in emerging markets in the Q1 of this year.

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Google Now widget leaks, gets the ‘now’ up front and center

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Google Now widget leaks, gets the 'now' up front and center

Mountain View has silently been updating Google Now for a while -- throwing in a pedometer, some travel tools and even limited desktop support. A premature update to the feature's support page has revealed what's next: widgets. The proposed tool promises to give your Now cards a suitable abode on your device's home or lock screens, presenting a summary of your card selection at a glance. A single tap will dive directly into the full Google Now experience, offering you a better look at the corresponding deets. We aren't sure when or even how this feature will land, but it's sure to be a welcome addition when it does. After all, it's all about getting the right information at the right time.

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Via: Android Central

Source: Google

5.3-inch Spice Stellar Pinnacle Mi-530 hits India with a piquant 5MP front-facing camera

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Spice Stellar Pinnacle Mi530 lands in India, brings in flavor with a 5MP front cam

The large phone juggernaut rolls on with word on yet another contender raising its head in India, this time from the Spice stable. While the headline-grabbing 5-megapixel front camera may not be a world first, the Stellar Pinnacle Mi-530 rocks some decent specs for its Rs 13,999 ($260) asking price. The 5.3-inch qHD (960 x 540) IPS display hides a 1.2GHz dual-core chip, 1GB of RAM, 16GB storage, a microSD slot, dual-SIM support and an 8-megapixel rear snapper, all powered by a beefy 2,550mAh battery. We'd have preferred a more recent version of Mountain View's mobile OS instead of the Android 4.0 that the smartphone ships with, but it does attempt to spice up the offering with a bunch of software tricks, including Popup Play and Direct Call. Hardly ground-breaking, but hey, at least self-portrait addicts can indulge themselves without their hands tied.

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ZTE U956 poses for pics, said to offer a 5-inch 720p screen, quad-core CPU

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ZTE's 'affordable' U956 poses for pics, reportedly offers 5inch 720p screen, quadcore CPU, 8megapixel camera

ZTE's no stranger to phones that provide more bang for your buck, so it's hardly surprising to see evidence of a new mid-range phablet from the Chinese outfit. The leaked images may not point towards another world first, but the U956 apparently runs Android 4.1.2 and is rumored to pack a 5-inch, 1,280 x 720 display and a quad-core MediaTek MT6589 SoC. There's also support for China's TD-SCDMA networks, while an 8-megapixel camera joins some China Mobile branding on the back. Some specifications are still missing, but if the pricing is as low as expected, the smartphone could likely be an option for penny-pinchers who can't afford its designer cousin.

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Via: PhoneArena, GizChina

Source: Sina Weibo