AT&T Restructures International Data Plans and Rates

AT&T announced its new international mobile data plans on Thursday that will be available on June 1. Customers who travel abroad will have three new data packages to choose from: $30 per month for 120MB of data, $60 per month for 300MB of data and $120 per month for 800MB of data. AT&T will charge you an additional $30 for 120MB of data if you exceed your initial allotment, which isn’t too bad considering that AT&T’s old setup charged $10 per additional 10MB.

“We want our customers to experience the same level of wireless connectivity while traveling abroad as they do at home,” said Mark Collins, senior vice president, Data and Voice Products, AT&T Mobility and Consumer Markets. “Whether they choose to surf the Internet, use GPS on their device, respond to emails, or update their social network status, we are making it more affordable than ever for them to enjoy data services internationally.”






Source:- TechnoBuffalo

Softbank Releases World’s First Smartphone With Radiation Read-Outs in Japan

Softbank has put out a new category of mobile product — the smartphone-slash-radiation-meter. Known for being the first to bring the iPhone to Japan, the company has now released the Pantone 5 (model 107sh), a new device that features a simple and very intuitive one-touch interface: The user simply presses the soft button on the front to get the radiation reading for their location.

It’s not quite a radiation detector — that would be prohibitively expensive — but it does give people access to pertinent data quickly and easily. And if that can ease minds, then it’s a good thing.


Radiation is still a touchy subject in Japan — so much so that the company doesn’t appear to be promoting the feature very heavily. And so it tiptoes around the subject, all while trying to generate some buzz around the phone’s release in July.




Source:- TechnoBuffalo

Microsoft Windows 8 Release Preview Available to Download Now

Microsoft has made available the latest Windows 8 Release Preview for public download earlier than expected.The latest Windows 8 Release Preview went live in the early hours of the day and is the third such pre-cursor for the final finished operating system slated for launch in the coming months. Microsoft had released Windows 8 Developer Preview back in September last year, followed by the much recent Consumer Preview of Windows 8 launched in February.

The final pre-release includes a look at Microsoft’s famous (or infamous) Metro UI, along with a tiny glimpse at some Windows 8 apps, such as Hotmail, SkyDrive and Messenger. The Release Preview also introduces a number of performance and stability fixes over the earlier glimpse folks got.


If you want to toy around with a preview version of Windows 8, you can head on over to Microsoft’s site to pick it up for yourself.


Below are the system requirements to get the preview up and running, according to Microsoft:

• Processor: 1 gigahertz (GHz) or faster
• RAM: 1 gigabyte (GB) (32-bit) or 2 GB (64-bit)
• Hard disk space: 16 GB (32-bit) or 20 GB (64-bit)
• Graphics card: Microsoft DirectX 9 graphics device with WDDM driver

Additional requirements to use certain features:

• To use touch, you need a tablet or a monitor that supports multitouch.
• To access the Windows Store and to download and run apps, you need an active Internet connection and a screen resolution of at least 1024 x 768.
• To snap apps, you need a screen resolution of at least 1366 x 768.
• Internet access (ISP fees might apply)

To download Windows 8 Release Preview,  click here.

Facebook phone may run on Linux and Opera

Facebook phone is coming soon, as early as next year and there have been reports that it will run on Linux and Opera. Facebook did hire a couple of Apple engineers in order to design hardware and software and with the rumoured buying of Opera, it’s pretty easy to put two and two together to concoct up a new Facebook Phone. The XDA Developers site is laying its bets that the official Facebook handset will be running a Unix OS and will feature Opera’s mobile browser. Taking a look at Facebook’s current inroads in the technology genre, this could well be quite true. 

  
The number of users accessing Facebook on their mobile phones and smartphones has surpassed those who access it on their computers. This trend, however, gained momentum only over the last couple of years, especially since smartphones featuring a dedicated Facebook app came into the picture. These allowed one to easily access the social networking site on-the-go with all the possible features neatly packed into what most would consider a user-friendly app. Facebook, has made a few attempts already to introduce a social networking-friendly handset in the past and tied up with a few companies, like HTC to develop and release "Facebook Phones". Devices like the Android-powered HTC Salsa and HTC ChaCha, didn't quite receive as much success as hoped and so it was back to the drawing board. The most recent attempt at cashing in on their mobile fame came in the form of the Vodafone Facebook Phone the Blue 555. The Java-based QWERTY device, although not a smartphone, integrated a great deal of the social network into a simple, yet chic looking handset. Unfortunately it seemed that its popularity too had passed. 

With this new project, Facebook is not publicizing this smartphone project and everything is being kept under wraps, instead of going ‘door-to-door to find the right talent.’ HTC might be on the list as well as the manufcaturers again, with the code name "Buffy" project. The news about project Buffy surfaced last year, when reports came in stating that Facebook was planning to launch a smartphone with social networking at its core and not merely a handset with a dedicated Facebook button, as found on the HTC ChaCha. Following the acquiring of Instagram, Facebook recently announced the Facebook Camera, which in retrospect appears to be the brand's attempt at paving the way for a heavily customized camera app for smartphones. 




Source:- Tech2

Govt.abolishes roaming charges; India to be roaming free

The Union cabinet has approved the National Telecom Policy 2012 .The policy attempts to focus on providing secure, reliable, affordable and high quality converged telecommunication services anytime, anywhere for an accelerated inclusive socio-economic development. The latest National Telecom Policy for 2012 will replace the older regulation, which has been in effect, since more than 12 years now. According to the new reforms brought about by this policy, mobile users will be able to enjoy free roaming and will be allowed to keep their phone numbers, even if they plan to change their service providers anywhere across the country, as per the Nationwide Intra Circle MNP that has been proposed. 

Image for Representative Purpose Only

There will now be a One Nation, One License policy across services and areas that will effectively eradicate roaming charges. As a result of this, difference between local and STD calls in the country will no longer be prevalent. Abolishing roaming charges certainly looks like the one thing that would appeal to the masses a lot, since those traveling will not have to worry about steep bills. 


The following norms have been brought forth in the policy: 

• Increase rural teledensity from the current level of around 39 to 70 by the year 2017 and 100 by the year 2020
• Repositioning of Mobile phone- as an instrument of empowerment
• Broadband –“'Broadband For All” at a minimum download speed of 2 Mbps
• Domestic Manufacturing- Making India a global hub
• Convergence of Network, Services and Devices
• Liberalisation of Spectrum - any Service in any Technology
• Simplification of Licensing regime- Unified Licensing, delinking of Spectrum from License, Online real time submission and processing
• Consumer Focus - Achieve One Nation - Full Mobile Number Portability and work towards One Nation - Free Roaming
• Resale of Services
• Voice over Internet Protocol
• Cloud Computing, Next Generation Network including IPV6

As far as telecom operators and mobile operators are concerned, separate liceneses for different parts of the country will not be required - a single one will be more than enough. 

Intel announces low voltage Ivy Bridge chips

Intel today announced the ultra low voltage (ULV) and Standard voltage (SV) mobile Ivy Bridge chips which will be used in laptops, ultrabooks and hybrid devices.

Unlike the quad-core desktop chips, the ULV chips are mostly dual-core. Intel has only announced the more expensive Core i7 and Core i5 parts today, whereas the cheaper Core i3 parts will be announced in Q3.


The pricing of these Ivy Bridge ULV processors is expected to over $225 (approx Rs. 12,600)
The specifications of the newly announced ULV chips are given in the table below:

Model	i7-3667U	i7-3517U	i5-3427U	i5-3317U
Cores / Threads	2/4	2/4	2/4	2/4
Base Clock (in GHz)	2	1.9	1.8	1.7
Max dual-core Turbo (in GHz)	3	2.8	2.6	2.4
L3 Cache (MB)	4	4	3	3
iGPU	HD 4000	HD 4000	HD 4000	HD 4000
Max Supported DDR3	DDR3-1600	DDR3-1600	DDR3-1600	DDR3-1600
Max TDP (in Watts)	17	17	17	17

The specifications on the Standard Voltage mobile Ivy Bridge chips is as stated below:

Model	i7-3520M	i5-3360M	i5-3320M	i5-3210M
Cores / Threads	2/4	2/4	2/4	2/4
Base Clock (in GHz)	2.9	2.8	2.6	2.5
Max dual-core Turbo (in GHz)	3.4	3.3	3.1	2.9
L3 Cache (MB)	4	3	3	3
iGPU	HD 4000	HD 4000	HD 4000	HD 4000
Max Supported DDR3	DDR3-1600	DDR3-1600	DDR3-1600	DDR3-1600
Max TDP (in Watts)	35	35	35	35

Source:- ThinkDigit

Microsoft Leak Reveals Windows 8 Release Preview Coming Today

A Microsoft blog post that was published — and then quickly pulled — yesterday, May 30, reveals that the company’s first Windows 8 Release Preview is scheduled to arrive today. The post was dated May 31, but seems to have been published a day early accidentally. According to a report by Neowin, Microsoft had accidentally posted on their Windows Hardware and Driver Developer blog that the build will be available on the 31st of May, 2012.

Chuck Chan (left) with Steve Ballmer (right)

The post was written by Chuck Chan, Vice President of the Windows Development team, and posted to the new Windows Hardware and Driver Developer blog:


We’re very excited to make available today the Windows 8 Release Preview on the Windows Dev Center. Windows 8 represents a leap forward for the Windows platform, the development tool set, and the device experiences you can build for Windows.


We’re launching this blog to give you some insight into how we designed and built Windows 8, and to explore the best practices for developing great hardware and drivers, as you enter the new world of Windows 8 development.


Welcome to the Windows 8 Hardware blog! I’m Chuck Chan, Corporate Vice President on the Windows Development team. We’re very excited to make available today the Windows 8 Release Preview on the Windows Dev Center. Windows 8 represents a leap forward for the Windows platform, the development tool set, and the device experiences you can build for Windows. We’re launching this blog to give you some insight into how we designed and built Windows 8, and to explore the best practices for developing great hardware and drivers, as you enter the new world of Windows 8 development.


The people contributing to this blog are the engineers building Windows 8 and the tools and kits that support it. Our goal is to help you get started by focusing on the “why” and “how” of building amazing PCs and device experiences for Windows 8. Each blog post will present a development topic and tie together information from the Dev Center, Forums, MSDN Library, and where it makes sense, samples from the Windows Hardware Code Gallery.


We designed the Windows 8 platform and tools to help you create high-quality drivers and Metro style device apps using an integrated, modern tool set. Using the Windows Driver Kit (WDK) and Visual Studio, you can write, build, sign package, deploy, test, and debug your drivers and apps directly from Visual Studio. With the new Windows Hardware Certification Kit, you can ensure the compatibility and reliability of your devices, and provide a great overall user experience.


To get started, download and install Windows 8 Release Preview, the Windows Driver Kit 8, and Visual Studio Professional 2012. The Windows 8 SDK is also included with Visual Studio. As you begin using Windows 8, you’ll notice that we’ve added new features and improved existing ones. In addition to providing a modern tool set, we’ve also been hard at work improving power management and refining the way you provide a great user experience for devices with Metro style device apps. We’ll share more details in future posts.


The Windows Development team will post to this blog once every one to two weeks until the release of Windows 8. Commenting is encouraged, and we are looking forward to a lively conversation. Please apply common courtesy and stay on topic with your comments. The Windows Hardware Community Forum is also a great place for hardware-related questions and discussion about Windows 8.


We can’t wait to see the amazing devices and experiences you’re building for Windows 8 come to life!


Chuck Chan, May 31 2012


If you’re itching to get your hands on the Release Preview, be sure to keep an eye on the blog today.

Galaxy S III launched in India at Rs.43,180

Samsung has finally launched the Galaxy S III, in India. The design is heavily inspired by pebbles, which is reflected in the curved design of the phone. It measures just 8.6mm in thickness and weighs 133g, making it thin and light. The screen size is slightly larger, as compared to the One X at 4.8 inches and will sport a resolution of 1280 x 720.  

Some of the key specs of the Samsung Galaxy S III:

• Android 4.0 with TouchWiz
• 1.4 GHz quad-core Exynos 4212 processor
• 4.8-inch HD Super AMOLED display with a resolution of 1280 x 720
• 8MP camera with AF, LED flash, BSI sensor and 1080p HD video recording
• 1.9MP front camera with a resolution of 720p for video chat
• 16/32/64GB Internal memory, expandable upto 64GB
• 1GB RAM
• NFC, Wi-Fi, DLNA, GLONASS, micro-USB 2.0, HDMI, Bluetooth 4.0
• 2100 mAh battery 

One of the main features of the S III is the Siri-esque voice recognition system, called S Voice. It also features Smart Stay, a technique that uses the front facing camera to track your eye movement, so it keeps the screen on as long as you're looking at it. Pretty cool. Social Tag uses face recognition that scans the faces in your gallery and maps them to your friends on Facebook or other social media sites. S Beam lets you bond and share data instantly between two S III devices using a combination of NFC and Wi-Fi Direct. AllShare Play uses DLNA to share your photos and videos on compatible TVs. Coming to the camera, it’s an 8MP shooter in the rear with a BSI sensor and a 1.9MP front facing camera. The camera also features new modes, like Burst Mode and Best Buddy mode. The S III will have TouchWiz running on top of ICS, so extra multimedia features, like DivX playback is possible out-of-the-box.

Google+ Local pages introduced with Zagat and user ratings

Google acquired Zagat guide, a three-decade old restaurant ratings firm, back in September last year. The internet giant is now finally integrating Zagat’s reviews and guides into its new Google+ Local tab.


Users of Google+ will have access to Zagat ratings and guides of over 35,000 businesses (not just restaurants) across the world, in more than 60 languages. The information will be available not just on the new Google+ Local pages, but also via Google’s Search, Maps, and Mobile pages. The service will soon be accessible via iOS devices as well.

Speaking at an interview, Marissa Mayer, Google’s Vice President of Location and Local Services, said: “One of the things that became very clear is that reviews are a cornerstone to any local strategy. Social is local. When people are picking something for a birthday dinner or an important event, they want a recommendation they can trust.”


Introducing the new feature on Google's official blog, Avni Shah, Director of Product Management at Google, said: “Finding the best places to go is an essential part of our lives, as are the people and resources that help us make those decisions. In fact, the opinions of friends, family or other trusted sources are often the first we seek when looking for the perfect restaurant for date night or the cafe that makes the best latte ever.”


Google+ Local is supposed to be a simple way to discover and share local information, complete with Zagat scores, as well as recommendations from people you trust on Google+. You can search for specific places around you, or browse across categories. Each establishment, from restaurant to museum, will have its own local Google+ page with location and contact information, photos, ratings, summaries, and reviews.


The Zagat scores are quite comprehensive, with a 30-point scale for food, décor etc. User reviews will be on a scale of zero to three. Users will also be able to share their opinions and upload photos. The Google+ Local service will get more updates in the coming months. Business owners will be able to manage their local listing information via Google Places for Business, which is also going to become easier to use and manage.  




Source:- ThinkDigit

Leaked images show Apple's iOS 6 3D Maps feature

Apple is set to announce iOS 6 at the WWDC 2012 event this year and one of the major talking points at the event will be iOS 6. As of now, details about what Apple will include in the next major operating software is scarce but reports are floating around that Apple plans to revamp the Maps app and unveil a new app for Maps without the Google backend. As per a report by BGR, there are now leaked images to give us a glimpse of what this revamped app will look like.


To read the full coverage, click here.

Disney Channel to launch 'TV everywhere' service

Walt Disney Co. plans as early as next week to launch a mobile application to let Comcast Corp cable TV subscribers watch the Disney Channel on the go, Chief Executive Officer Bob Iger told investors on Wednesday.

Comcast customers will be the first to make use of the app, which would be similar to Disney's WatchESPN service, which allows cable subscribers receive ESPN programs on mobile devices, Iger told a conference sponsored by securities firm Sanford C. Bernstein. 

The service would be limited at the outset to subscribers of Comcast, who would be "authenticated" to use the mobile service through their TV subscriptions.

The cable industry calls mobile services "TV Everywhere," and uses the concept to keep subscribers from dropping their service to get TV programming online or through other outlets. Disney is launching first on Comcast, Iger said, because the cable giant secured expanded TV rights as part of an agreement in January to renew a 10-year contract for Comcast to carry the Disney Channel, ESPN and other channels provided by the media company.

WatchESPN was first offered by Time Warner Cable Inc, Iger said. In early May, Comcast began offering the sports service for mobile and online use to most of its 22 million TV subscribers, which doubled to about 40 million the numbers of people with the capability to receive it.

Iger said Disney also intended to offer apps for some of its other TV properties, including its ABC network and ABC Family cable channel, but did not say when those would be available.




Source:- Reuters

ICS updates for Xperia Arc and Neo out now

Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc and Xperia Neo are now getting updated to Ice Cream Sandwich and the update has started appearing for these handsets in batches. The phones are getting updated to Android 4.0.4, but will remain on the 2.6.32 kernel. 

Sony has put up a post on their official site stating that, The Ice Cream Sandwich software update for 2011 Xperia™ Smartphone’s is now being rolled out. The update is released in batches, and below you will find links your phones list of all the currently released ICS software’s. Since there are minor differences in the software depending on product, country and operator we have a unique identifier that we call Sales Item (SI). The SI is identified by an 8-digit number in the format XXXX-XXXX. To find out what SI number your phone has, please take off the back-cover and take out the battery. Under the battery you will find your SI number”.

The phone model with their SI numbers can be found below: 

• Xperia Arc (LT15) 1246-7111 
• Xperia Arc (LT15) 1246-7138 
• Xperia Arc (LT15) 1246-9195 
• Xperia Arc (LT15) 1246-9496 
• Xperia Arc (LT15) 1246-9497 
• Xperia Arc (LT15) 1246-9533 
• Xperia Arc (LT15) 1246-9534 
• Xperia Arc (LT15) 1246-9779 
• Xperia Arc (LT15) 1246-9780 
• Xperia Arc (LT15) 1246-9781 
• Xperia Arc (LT15) 1246-9782 
• Xperia Arc (LT15) 1247-0077 
• Xperia Arc (LT15) 1247-0079 
• Xperia Arc (LT15) 1247-0085 
• Xperia Arc (LT15) 1247-0193 
• Xperia Arc (LT15) 1249-1680 
• Xperia Arc (LT15) 1249-4998
• Xperia Arc (LT15)  1252-5809
• Xperia Arc (LT15) 1252-5837
• Xperia Neo (MT15) 1246-9897 
• Xperia Neo (MT15) 1246-9898 
• Xperia Neo (MT15) 1246-9899 
• Xperia Neo (MT15) 1246-9900 
• Xperia Neo (MT15) 1246-9901 
• Xperia Neo (MT15) 1246-9902 
• Xperia Neo (MT15) 1246-9903 
• Xperia Neo (MT15) 1246-9904 
• Xperia Neo (MT15) 1246-9909 
• Xperia Neo (MT15) 1246-9910 
• Xperia Neo (MT15) 1246-9911 
• Xperia Neo (MT15) 1246-9949 
• Xperia Neo (MT15) 1246-9950 
• Xperia Neo (MT15) 1247-1216 
• Xperia Neo (MT15) 1247-1217 
• Xperia Neo (MT15) 1251-2051 
• Xperia Neo (MT15) 1251-2052 
• Xperia Neo (MT15) 1251-2053

Samsung launches new Chromebook and Chromebox

Samsung has announced the release of a new Chromebook and Chromebox, both of which coincide with Google's updates to Chrome OS.The newly launched Chromebox is a desktop PC, without of course, a keyboard and mouse. If you want those accessories, you can buy them as an optional accessories. The Chromebox is available on Google’s web site through a couple of retailers. Amazon and Newegg are the big names on the list and the product is only available in the US and the UK as of now for a starting price of $329 (roughly Rs. 18,000).

Samsung Series 3 Chromebox

Some key specs of the Samsung Series 3 Chromebox are:

• Processor Intel Core series
• Memory: 4 GB RAM
• Wirelesss connectivity: Dual-band WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n, Bluetooth 3.0
• Ethernet: 1000Mbps
• USB: 6 USB 2.0 ports
• Video out: 2x DisplayPort++, DVI output 

Google and Samsung also unveiled a new Chromebook, called the Samsung Series 5 550 . It comes with a 12.1-inch (1,280-by-800 resolution) screen, weigh 3.3 pounds, and be powered by an Intel Core processor. The system comes with Gigabit Ethernet and either 2.4/5GHz dual-band Wi-Fi alone or a combination of Wi-Fi and 3G wireless. The Chromebook boasts six hours of battery life under constant use and over six days of standby. Other specs include 4GB of memory, two USB 2.0 ports, a 4-in-1 memory slot, HD webcam, Kensington lock port, and a DisplayPort++.  The Chromebook uses more battery in the long run and it’s evident from the specifications. The Samsung Series 5 550 Chromebook is priceed at $449 (approx.Rs. 25,000).

The Samsung Series 5 550 Chromebook

Some key specs of the Samsung Series 5 550 Chromebook are :

• Screen size: 12.1-inch (1280x800) display
• Weight: 1.48 kg
• Claimed battery life: 6 hours of usage
• Processor: Intel Core series
• Memory 4 GB RAM
• Network connectivity: Dual band Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n, Gigabit ethernet, and 3G modem (opt) 1
• Webcam: Built-in HD camera
• USB: 2 USB 2.0 ports
• Memory card reader: 4-in-1 memory slot
• Video output: DisplayPort++ Output (compatible with HDMI, DVI, VGA)

The Chromebox and Chromebook will boot faster than previous Chrome OS systems, and feature better overall performance because of their Core-based processors with integrated HD graphics. It will certainly be an improvement over the Atom-powered Chromebooks from 2010-2011. The Chrome browser in Chrome OS syncs with the Chrome browser on your Windows PC or Mac, so you can continue browsing where you left off, including bookmarks, docs, and open sites. The Chrome Web store is an integral part of the ChromeOS experience, featuring apps like Angry Birds and Netflix. Over 500 schools are using Chromebooks in daily use, and you'll start seeing businesses deploying Chromeboxes in call centers, retail stores, and clinics.

How to install ICS on Samsung Galaxy S2

To see another method, follow this link:
How to install ICS on Samsung Galaxy S II ( 1st method ) 


This method is applicable to those who have the official Android Gingerbread OS that came preinstalled with the phone. Install the Samsung Kies utility on your PC, plug in the SGS II using the USB port and update it to the new firmware. 

Download Kies and install it on your PC. If you don’t have Kies, you can download it from the Samsung website or click on this link. Once done, connect your SGS II to the PC’s USB port. Make sure you had your phone’s battery charged to at least 80 percent before attempting any updates. This will ensure your phone does not lose power while updating, and you don’t end up with a bricked device. 

Once you connect your phone to the PC, the phone’s notification bar will highlight 'MTP connection enabled'. This ensures that the drivers are successfully installed and the phone is recognized by the Kies software. Next, the Kies software will check your phone’s current firmware (OS) and highlight it on the screen that a new firmware (ICS) is available for your phone and to start the updating procedure. Before you choose to move ahead, you should ensure a backup of all your data from the phone. Press the cancel button and then click on the ‘Back-up/Restore tab in the Kies window. This will allow you to take your necessary data backups before proceeding. Choose the ones you need to back up by checking the required fields (contacts, messages, memos, call logs, etc.) and hit the back up button. Once done, you are ready to install ICS on your phone.  

Head back to the ‘Basic Information’ tab in the Kies window and click on the ‘Firmware Upgrade’ button. Follow the onscreen requirements and start the upgrade. The initial stage of the upgrading procedure involves downloading the necessary updates, which are more than around 350 MB in size. 






Source:- Tech2

How to install ICS on Samsung Galaxy S II

To see another method, follow this link:
How to install ICS on Samsung Galaxy S 2 ( 2nd method )


This method involves using a third-party utility, called Odin. This utility is developed by open-source developers and helps flash the firmware directly to the Samsung Phone without the need of the official Kies software. However, you will initially need to install the Kies software for the necessary drivers to be installed.Warning: If you are using this method, do it with a lot of caution, and if you are doing it for the first time, read up on related articles on the XDA forums before proceeding. The method of using Odin for flashing the ICS firmware is for those who have migrated away from Samsung’s official firmware and are making use of third-party ROMs for their SGS IIs.  

Before you proceed, you will need the following:

• The Odin utility which can be downloaded from here
• The ICS firmware for SGS II which can be downloaded from here.  Alternatively, you can hunt for different versions from the XDA forum. 

Take all necessary backups of your phone’s data using respective apps and utilities. Next, download the utility and the firmware (links mentioned above) and save them on your desktop. Once you have the two files, create a folder and decompress the downloaded files within that folder. You will be left with a few files, out of which the most important one is Odin (.exe) and the firmware (.tar.md5) files. Next, you need to switch your phone into the download mode. To do this, you need to switch off your phone and then press the following buttons—‘Volume_Down + Home + Power’ and your phone will display the download mode. Now connect the phone to your PC and let Windows install the necessary serial drivers for your phone. Once done, start the Odin utility. If your phone has successfully been detected by Odin, you will see the box with the header ‘ID:COM’ turned yellow and highlighting the phone connected via a COM port. This states that the SGS II is now ready to be flashed with a new firmware. Next, go ahead and check the box next to the ‘PDA’ and then hit the ‘PDA’ button and choose the ‘.tar.md5’ file you decompressed from the downloaded firmware file. Note: Do not check any other boxes and leave all settings as they are.

Once done, hit the ‘Start button’ and your SGS II will be flashed with the new firmware. After a successfully firmware flash, the phone will automatically restart. You are now ready to use your SGS II with the ICS firmware.






Source:- Tech2

Nokia launches 808 PureView at Rs. 29,999

 Nokia has finally launched their 808 PureView Symbian smartphone at a price tag of  29,999. According to Tech2 “Although the smartphone has reportedly been launched, it is not yet up for purchase on Nokia India's official store, nor in regular retail stores, but our sources tell us that it will be soon. There has been a lot of back and forth lately, regarding the pricing of the Nokia 808 PureView, which is the more anticipated Symbian handsets to be talked about in recent times. The price of this handset became the topic of intense discussion when it first popped up. Nokia, later rubbished reports citing the dummy price. However the dummy price, as it turns out, was indeed accurate. “  

Some key specs of the Nokia 808 PureView are:  

• 4.0-inch AMOLED ClearBlack display with a 360 x 640 pixel resolution
• 1.3 GHz ARM 11 processor, 512 MB of RAM
• Nokia Belle OS
• 16GB internal storage
• 3G, EDGE/GPRS, Wi-Fi
• GPS with A-GPS support
• Bluetooth 3.0 with A2DP, USB 2.0
• 41 megapixel camera with Xenon flash, 1080p@30fps video recording
• Stereo FM radio with RDS
• Memory expandable up to 32GB via microSD card
• 3.5 mm handsfree socket
• 1400 mAh Lithium - ion battery

As I read in Tech2, according to their sources, Nokia has not yet officially launched the PureView 808. They have not confirmed the exact date of the launch, either, but have told them that it will be arriving in stores soon. The Price that seems to have been listed as 29,999 is also unverified by Nokia and it is very possible that it could quite different. We will have to wait awhile till Nokia makes an offcial statement.

Milagrow launches TabTop 7.4 tablet series starting at Rs.10,990

Milagrow has launched their TabTop 7.4 series with 4GB and 16GB models. The company calls it the most potent and slimmest 7-inch tablet in India, at 6.5mm thick. The tablet runs on ICS and has a 1.2 GHz ARM Cortex A8 processor coupled with Dual Mali 400 MP. It has an aspect ratio of 4:3 and claims the largest utilizable area of 23.54 sq. inches as compared to the regular 15.63 sq. inches of all other 16:9 7-inch tablets. 

It offers 2G, 3G and 4G compatibility, along with support for Wi-Fi, LAN, VPN, and Ethernet, and also an external hard disk drive of up to 500GB. Moreover, it allows plugging in three digital devices via the USB hub. The TabTop touts to be India’s first dual screen HDMI ready tablet with support for 2160p Super Quad HD playback. Milagrow adds in an offline e-mail client that allows e-mails access without Internet, along with online email instant push notifications and Office Drop with free cloud storage of 1GB. The tablet features a 4000mAh battery that can stretch user usage up to 11 hours. There’s a preloaded battery saver application to extend the battery life further


Some key specs of the Milagrow TabTop 7.4 -

• 7-inch capacitive touchscreen display with LED backlit and a 800 x 600 pixel resolution
• 4G/3G via external dongle, EDGE/GPRS and Wi-Fi capabilities, HDMI
• USB, can connect up to three digital devices
• 1.3 MP front facing camera for video chats, stills and video recording
• 4GB and 16GB internal memory, expandable up to 32GB

The 4GB and 16GB Milagrow TabTop 7.4 models are priced at  10,990 and  13,990, respectively.

Bitly gest updated

Bitly, a popular link shortening service, updated their service.The site has now undergone a major design and feature refresh and you can now do a lot more in addition to just shortening links. Bitly said in a blog post - “We want this to be the single best place for you to save and share your links and to discover interesting things from your friends and the entire web,” now allows users to save their favourite links (Bitly now calls them bitmarks, like bookmarks), be it of their favourite recipe, an interesting review, etc. and share them with their contacts across Facebook  and Twitter. 

To begin with, Bitly now allows you to save and share bitmarks that as aforementioned are essentially links, which you might want to keep for going back to in the future. After a basic log-in, through either Facebook or Twitter, or a sign-up, one can find the ‘Add the bitmark’ option on the top right corner of their page. Here users need to paste the URL to the article, video, song that they want to add. Once done, the saved bitmarks appear below on their page. 

Users can then either ‘Add a note’ to this bitmark, or ‘Share’ it with their contacts and/or get a shortened link to the bitmark by clicking on an icon that resembles an ‘i’. Users, in addition to this can also add their bitmarks to a bundle. Users can create several bundles, comprising several links and organize them, and/or share them with their contacts. Additionally, users can decide if they want to share their bitmarks publicly, or keep them private by changing the settings, accordingly. 






Source:- Tech2

Fedora Linux 17 is now official

Fedora Linux 17 a.k.a. ‘Beefy Miracle’ system has finally been announced . Fedora 17 comes with more than 60 new features and projects like oVirt, JBoss Application Server 7 and improvements in OpenStack with additional support for latest releases of desktop environments.  Robyn Bergeron said that there is a greater emphasis on not just the under-the-hood and desktop features but also starting to see a greater influx of other large open source projects as well.   

One of the features of Fedora 17’s desktop featurs include GNOME 3.4 which comes updated with search capabilities, improved themes. GIMP 2.8 is another that has got a couple of enhancements in tow. They’re planning to bring in some interesting updates in the next couple of releases as well. Along with these features, JBoss Application Server 7, which is a pre release of Juno Eclipse SDK and Java 7 for developers, is also being introduced.

The software can be downloaded on Fedora’s official site where the complete list of features are available for viewing.

Assassin’s Creed III and Ghost Recon headed to the Vita

Assassins Creed III and what looks to be called Ghost Recon: Final Mission have been spotted on the market and are headed to the PlayStation Vita.


A user of NeoGAF posted that the two games were found on the sites of game retailers Zavvi and Game UK available for pre-order. Naturally, these listings have since been removed from their respective leak sites.

We already knew that Ubisoft was working on an Assassin’s Creed title for the Vita. What we weren’t sure of is if it was going to be the same as the console versions or a Vita franchise spin-off, such as what we saw with Uncharted: Golden Abyss or Resistance: Burning Skies. One thing is for certain: after playing Uncharted on the Vita, we’re extremely excited to use the Vita’s new control scheme to bounce around rooftops in Assassin’s Creed. Hopefully, Ubisoft doesn’t disappoint.




Both of these large scale franchise titles would be great for the Vita. The biggest knock on the powerful little portable thus far has been its lack of solid games. While that can of course be argued, adding Assassin’s Creed III and Ghost Recon: Final Mission will be sure to sway some opinions.






Source:- TechnoBuffalo

Esko Aho to leave Nokia management

Former Finnish Prime Minister Esko Aho, who has headed government and public affairs at Nokia (NOK1V.HE), will step down from his position on the management team to take a position as Senior Fellow at Harvard University.

Aho, who joined the struggling Finnish cellphone maker in 2008, will continue to represent Nokia and work on its governmental affairs as a consultative partner.


He will step down from the management team in August, Nokia said on Wednesday.
Under the management of chief executive Stephen Elop, who took over in September 2010, more than half Nokia's 14-person management team has been changed.


Aho is overseeing the company's global policies and activities regarding sustainable development and social responsibility.




Source:- Reuters

Never Be Late For a Meeting Again With Sedan Magic

Sedan Magic, a free app for iOS and Android devices, hails car service for New Yorkers on company business. The sister app to Taxi Magic, Sedan Magic is clearly geared toward business users. The service accepts mobile payments, offers pre-booking estimates and sends e-receipts to the user, making those expense reports super simple to fill out. Users simply hit up the intuitive UI to request a car, and the vehicle shows up when you need it most.

The only thing that would make it better are vertical thrusters that could lift the car out of the city’s traffic jams. Well, at least Sedan Magic cars pack GPS onboard, so you can tell if your ride got hung up in traffic or other road blocks.