TechGazing

The e-book reader wars are really hotting up. As if slashing the price of its Kindle e-book reader to sub-$200 levels was not enough, Amazon has now released two new models of the Kindle.  The new models are sleeker, more slim than their predecessors, and more importantly, one of them comes at a staggering price tag - just $139.  This is the Wi-Fi only version of the e-book reader, which many expect to go head-to-head against Barnes & Noble’s Wi-Fi only Nook which costs $149 (we are waiting for a price cut there too, folks). The other model comes with a $189 price tag (same as the Kindle 2) and has 3G connectivity.

Both models are 15 per cent lighter and 21 per cent smaller than the Kindle 2, and sport the E-Ink Pearl screen recently displayed on the Kindle Dx (Graphite), which offers a 20 per cent faster refresh rate. Internal memory too has been boosted, allowing you to store many more books on the device, and battery life now can go upto a month with wireless switched off and ten days with it running. So will this allow Kindle to maintain its edge in the e-book reader battle? We think it will indeed. Our only regret is that the new Kindles are going to be available only in the UK and US from August 27 onwards. Come on, fellas, we in India read too!

Apple’s launch of a new display, iMacs and a much beefed up Mac Pro might have grabbed the headlines, but we must confess to being most intrigued by the company’s release of what it calls the Magic Trackpad. Quite simply, it looks just like the trackpad you see on a notebook, only it is a separate piece of hardware that connects to your computer using Bluetooth and well, then behaves exactly like a trackpad on one of Apple’s notebooks does (it’s even made of the same stuff - “same advanced touch-friendly and wear-resistant glass surface,” to quote them Cupertino fellas). You can swipe your way through pictures, scroll up and down using intertia scrolling, and of course, use the famed multi-touch pinch-to-zoom that the iPhone made so famous!
So you might say, what is so special? Nothing much if you use a notebook, but if you are using a desktop, we think this beats the pants off a conventional mouse. And heck, it is built of the same aluminum material that is used for Apple’s wireless keyboard and is of the same angle and height, making it a real sight for eyes that are sore and otherwise! Even if you do have a notebook, this would not be a bad idea, considering that it offer 80 per cent more area than the trackpads found on Mac notebooks. Well worth $69, say we! We are waiting for it to come to India already.

Hidden Reflex, an Indian startup company claims to have come out with a web browser specially designed for India. Called Epic, the browser is built on the Mozilla Firefox engine and comes with some interesting features, including an inbuilt word processor and a sidebar that can hold shortcuts to apps and websites. Pretty cool, you think? Well, what actually has us grinning in delight is the fact that the browser actually supports typing in Indian languages. Every time you type something in Epic, you will be given the option to transliterate your text into one of 12 supported Indian languages. Now, that is truly Indian, as it lets a user do just about everything on the browser from chatting to sending e-mails, searching and making posts on their social networking sites in their own language - something that can be a bit of a pain in other browsers. Thrown in a stack of Indian themes and the fact, that being on the Firefox engine, Epic pretty much supports all Firefox add-ons and we think that Hidden Reflex might have a winner here.

We are downloading it and really think you should take it for a spin (or rather, a surf too). You can get it from http://www.epicbrowser.com/.

Olive Telecom has unveiled India’s first 3G tablet. Called the OlivePad, it comes packed with some very impressive specifications. Its screen is a tad smaller than the iPad’s but on the flip side, it comes with high-speed wireless broadband (Tata), USB connectivity, WiFi, Bluetooth, GPS, two cameras (one at the back and one for video calling), and what we like most of all, the Android 2.1 operating system. The price, we believe, will be less than Rs 25,000 and the tablet itself will be seen in Indian markets in August. An iPad killer? We know not, but the specs are certainly very impressive.

We are not surprised at all, but must admit that the figure is imposing - social networking site Facebook has topped 500 million users. And to mark the occasion, the site has come up with an initiative called Facebook stories, which will feature entries by different users on how Facebook has changed their lives. To quote the release: “Stories submitted to the application can be browsed by theme, such as “Family” and “Sports”, or sorted by geography. The Application will also surface “Most Popular” stories based on the number of “Likes” a story receives.” Fascinating, huh?

Well, two Indian celebrities have already told their Facebook tales - Deepika Padukone and AR Rahman. We are sure others will join in. If you wish to chip in too, just head to http://stories.facebook.com/ and log in.

The iPad might not have arrived on Indian shores yet, but you can be sure of one thing - come Thursday, India will see its first 3G-enabled tablet device. Olive Telecom are the folks launching it - if we remember right, they were the first ones off the mark with the first 3G-enabled laptop in the country too. The launch is scheduled to happen in Delhi around noon on Thursday.

Of course, there are a host of questions that spring to mind at the announcement - what operating system will the tablet run on (Android, Windows, proprietary), what will be the connectivity costs (3G connectivity ain’t cheap from what we have seen), what will be the functions available on the tablet (will it be able to take photographs) and most importantly, what will be the price tag that it carries? Given Olive’s reputation for solid, value-for-money devices, we are hoping in our heart of hearts for an Android tablet that costs less than Rs 20,000, but we will know only on Thursday. Watch this space until then.

Microsoft is definitely in redo and revamp mode as far as its apps go this year. We have had new Windows Live apps, a new look Hotmail and a new MS Office, and now a whole new MSN homepage. While the entire design of the page has been given a thorough once-over, what has caught attention has been the integration of social networks like Twitter and Facebook on the homepage.

From now onwards, when you log in to MSN (http://in.msn.com), you will not only be told how many new mails are there in your Hotmail account, but you can also check out the latest updates in your Facebook and Twitter accounts on the right hand side of the page. All you need to do is provide your username and the next time you log in to the MSN homepage, you will be able to see the latest updates from both accounts. Even better, you will be able to do basic tasks like replying, commenting and tweeting from the MSN homepage itself without having to open any additional app or website. Now, that’s handy.

Honestly speaking, we are not too sold on the look and feel of the newly designed MSN page, but the social networking integration has us grinning from ear to ear. Here’s hoping for more networks being included and users being given the option to see their network updates right on top of the MSN page instead of having to look at a panel on the right!

Almost every cellphone manufacturer these days is coming out with devices with full keyboards - called QWERTY because of the arrangement of the letters - allowing users to type more conveniently. However, we have to hand to one of the newcomers, LAVA, for putting a spin on the concept and coming out with a full keyboard with a difference. Their recently launched B5 handset has a full keyboard, but not of the QWERTY type. Instead the alphabet is laid out in, well, alphabetical order (ABCD, etc.).

Now, this might be puzzling for keyboard veterans who have been used to typing on a QWERTY set-up on a phone or on a computer, but for those who have never really used either, this device is just perfect as they would not need to hunt for keys. And the phone does not cost too much either - Rs 4,399 is the official price. Not a bad deal for a device with full keyboard, 2.2 inch display, 2 MP camera and dual sim. An interesting spin, we must admit. We will let you know how the device actually performs when we get a review unit.

After a relatively slow start, the global positioning system (GPS) has become a standard feature of pretty much every phone in the Rs 10,000-plus category and some even below it. But having GPS on a device is not enough - you really need to use it to its fullest extent to make the most of it. And believe it or not, there is much more to it than just finding your way around town and geotagging pictures. The folks at PCWorld have come up with a great article showing just what one can do with a GPS phone, and we recommend it you give it a thorough read if you have one. Read it even if you do not have it - we are sure it will convince you to invest in one. Read the article here.

Vaseline has decided to cash in on the Indian psyche’s fascination for  gori chamdi (”white skin”). The company has come out with an application for social networking site Facebook, which lets users change their skin tone and preview their pics.The idea is clear: to promote the concept of fairness. Now, is that fair? We would rather not say (hey, we are just a tech blog, fellas), but yes, the app is definitely worth a dekko, even if you in your skin-altered condition are not.

After seemingly having stood and stared while the likes of the Samsung Star and Corby and the LG Cookie series grabbed the lower mid-segment share of the Indian cellphone market, Nokia now finally seems to be hitting back with some terrific devices in the high volume sub-Rs 10k segment. We were very impressed with the 5233 and now we have the C5, which packs in a whole stack of features at a price that seems way too good to be true. Continue reading »

The iPhone 3G kicked off the era of the mobile apps - software that you could install on your phone to get extra functionality. While smartphones (like those on Symbian Series 60 platform and on Windows Mobile or BlackBerry OS) might have an edge in the app business, it is entirely incorrect to assume - as some people do - that apps can be installed ONLY on smartphones. In fact, you can get a very decent array of mobile apps for most mid-segment (beginning from Rs 6,000) phones - “if it has a colour display and connect to the Net, it is a fair chance it will support apps,” as one app guru told us.

And we just went and cherry-picked six of the best that we think would even make the dumbest-seeming phone almost as good as a smartphone. Continue reading »

Even as the gaming community waits for Microsoft to release Kinect, its controller-free gaming system, the company has announced a significant cut in the price of the arcade version of its XBox 360 game console in India. Previously priced at Rs 16,990, the console will now be available at Rs 14,676. That makes it a very good deal indeed for those looking for a next-gen gaming console, making it an infinitely better deal than Sony’s PS3 which is selling for close to Rs 20,000 and Nintendo’s Wii, which is retailing at around Rs 19,000.

However, it would be sensible to point out that the arcade version of the Xbox 360 does not come with a hard drive and gamers will therefore have to shell out a few thousand  rupees more if they want to save their games. But even with that, the Xbox 360 now is an excellent option for those looking for a dose of console gaming, or preparing for the Kinect, which, of course, will be compatible with all existing Xbox 360 consoles.

One of the biggest grudges we have been nursing against gaming consoles - be it the Xbox 360, the PlayStation 3, or the Nintendo Wii - is the fact that none of them have a decent game of cricket on them. We have had a few versions of EA’s Cricket and one of Brian Lara Cricket too, but none of them have quite hit the right buttons. International Cricket 2010, however, is quite a different matter.

For one, the game is incredibly simple and intuitive to play. We have been messing around with the PS3 version and must confess to being impressed. Yes, it is very - and we mean VERY - similar to Ashes Cricket 2009 (heck, it is largely the same team of developers from Codemasters), but there are a number of refinements that stand out. Continue reading »

All right, we think this is definitely a case of Christmas coming early. Airtel has announced that all its subscribers can access the mobile website of Facebook on their handsets free of cost until August 31. In simple English, that means that all Airtel users can “post status updates, comment and write on walls, message others, and also be able to view or upload photos - all without any data charges” (yes, we got that from the press release, so now you know it is official). As if that were not enough, there is also the fact that in the coming days, Facebook mobile will also be accessible in five different Indian languages (Punjabi, Bengali, Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam) apart from English and Hindi. Now, that is what we call a terrific deal, with no strings attached (and we looked!). Continue reading »

The iPhone 4 might be attracting a lot of controversy over its signal reception, but it already has a fan in one of the biggest names in Bollywood - Amitabh Bachchan. The Big B made no secret of how much he likes the device when he recommended it to yet another Bollywood superstar, Shah Rukh Khan.

It all happened over Twitter with Shah Rukh tweeting: “iPad…iMac…nokia…kindle…so much wifi around me feel like a holographic 3d image of myself in space.Marconi we’ve come a long way baby.” Bachchan promptly responded: “shahrukh ! May I add to your wifi world of confusion - get the iphone4 .. It is just incredible ! Ha ha” Of course, we do wonder where Shah Rukh got a Kindle with WiFi (none officially exists), but even then, we doubt the iPhone 4 - or any tech device - has ever had a bigger endorsement. We do hope this will make Apple bring the device to India sooner than expected!

We love tutorials that talk about how to get the most out of a gadget without getting tangled into technical jargon, which is why we love PCWorld’s tutorial on how to make your travel photographs memorable. There are no references to complex camera settings or tech tweaks here, just a lot of simple common sense. Best of all, there is no talk even of the camera model you are using - these are tips that can be picked up and used even by someone using the most basic point-and-shoot in town. All right, we have said enough - now check out the entire tutorial (which is in the form of a slideshow) here.

You have to hand it to Google when it comes to making tutorials. A few weeks ago, we had  covered their superb section on Gmail, where the folks explained how one could make the most of Gmail and become a Gmail Ninja. Well, they have now come up with a super video tutorial on how to help your grandmother use video chat. Of course, we bet our wallets that it will not be only grandmothers who will be availing of the tutorial. Definitely worth a look for all those who find video chatting a bit intimidating. Of course, Google plugs its own services in video chat here, but heck, given the quality of the tutorial (and the services too), we are not complaining.

It is not really official, but the tech rumour market in India is abuzz with the news that the new iPhone, iPhone 4, will be seen in India in September. Both Vodafone and Airtel are expected to offer the phone to their users. The 16 GB model is likely to carry a price tag of around Rs 35,000, while the 32 GB model will cost about Rs 40,000. Those are stiff prices, in best iPhone tradition, and one can only hope that the service providers will come up with some subsidy, allowing users to get their hands on the phones for a lower price, while locking them in to a contract. Mind you, that did not happen with the iPhone 3G and 3GS. That said, there will be those who will be willing to shell out even Rs 40,000 for the latest edition of a phone that is being hailed as the best in the world, reception issues notwithstanding.

It is easily one of the most coveted gadgets in the world, having made the cover of both Time and Newseek,  single-handedly reviving the tablet industry, and adding a whole new dimension to accessing content on the move.We are talking of the Apple iPad. Such is its attraction that thousands of people in India are already queuing up for it, even though it has not been officially released in the country, asking relatives and friends abroad to get them a unit or simply picking one up from the grey market. If you are one of those swayed by the iPad and are itching to get one, our advice to you is simple: wait. And no, we are not saying that because we are jealous (hey, we do not have an iPad yet - there! we have confessed it), but because of some very valid reasons. Continue reading »

Google has updated its Google Maps application for Android devices and while there are some very interesting features, the one that grabbed our attention was that you can actually check the timing of the Delhi Metro service and when the next train is due along your route - the official screenshot above shows the San Francisco metro service details for a route but take our word for it, it works for the Delhi Metro too. Pretty cool, we think, making the application one of the best navigation options for those staying in the Indian capital (AND having Android devices, of course). Other new features include the option to share your location over Latitude as well as read reviews (and add your own) of notable landmarks and places. So now, you can not only search for a Cafe around you, but also find out what other people are saying about it.

There is a catch, of course - the new maps work only with phones running Android 1.6 and above. But then again, they are free, come with navigation options and heck, now we can find out when the next Metro train is due without having to go the station. Surely that counts for something.

Apple has just addressed one of the biggest complainst about the iPhone - the absence of multi-tasking. The latest update to the iPhone OS, called iOS 4,brings multi-tasking to the device they call the Godphone as well as a host of other features, such as the option to change wallpapers (yep, believe it or not, you could not do so earlier), get all your e-mail in a unified mailbox, and organising apps in folders (once again, this was not available earlier). There are also significant improvements in terms of speed and battery consumption, as well as the addition of iBooks, Apple’s new e-book reader, although you still cannot purchase books directly from the Apple iBookstore in India.

The update is free and works on iPhone 3GS and iPhone 4 and the 3rd generation iPod touch. While iPhone 3G users can also update their phones, they will not be able to access most of the new features, most notably the multi-tasking. Mind you, at 378 MB, it is not exactly a small download. Still, it is well worth it, given the features it adds to what we think is the best phone in town.

The world’s most popular e-book reader just took a step closer to affordability in India. The price of Amazon’s Kindle e-book reader has been slashed to $189, which when combined with shipping and handling and import fees, comes to about $ 283.92 if you place your order online: somewhere in the vicinity of Rs 13,000. Yes, we are sure that even that figure will make some of you wince, but when you consider that the device had been launched in India at a price of $279 in October, which translated into a total cost of almost $ 373 (Rs. 17,000), thanks to shipping and handling costs and import fees, it is really not that bad a deal, especially after the last software update, which included PDF support and a number of other very handy tweaks.

Of course, the price of downloading books directly on to the device remains on the higher side (thanks to the additional $2 slapped on to the price tags), but we reckon that more users might think seriously about the Kindle, now that it is closer to the psychological cut-off point of Rs 10,000, and now costs about as much as a mid-level smartphone, and comes with inbuilt data connectivity (which is currently limited to browsing and downloading books, but still…).

The grey market holds a lot of attraction for a number of people looking for tech products. In many cases, it provides people with products that have not been officially released in their countries (consider the iPad) and in others, allows them to buy a product at a much lower rate - a grey market iPhone 3GS for instance comes for around Rs 28,000 as compared to its prim and proper counterpart, which costs in the vicinity of Rs 35,000.  However, making a purchase from the grey market comes with its own set of pitfalls, some of which can be significant. Here’s a look at five of the biggest ones. Continue reading »

Almost a month after it was officially “revealed,” MS Office 2010, the latest version of Microsoft’s bestselling office suite is now available in retail stores in India. The prices of the suite have also become public - there are two versions of the suite, with the Office Home and Student version being priced at Rs. 4999, while the Office Home and Business retails for Rs. 10,999. Microsoft claims that the beta version of the suite attracted almost 1.3 million downloads in India, but then ah, that one was free.

While we are not doubting just how good MS Office 2010 is - we have used the beta and really think that it is the most powerful office suite we have ever seen in terms of features - those price tags might just stop some Indian consumers from buying it. Legally, that is.