TechGazing

One of the biggest problems a lot of users have with mostly-touchscreen Android devices is typing text at a decent clip. Well, given the recent release of Google Voice Actions and the free version of Vlingo for Android, the folks at PC World have come out with a list of six applications that will let you type faster on Android devices. Yes, both Vlingo and Google Voice Actions are very much there, as as are four very interesting apps - Android’s basic voice-to-text, the Swype onscreen keyboard, the text-predicting SwiftKey and the yet-to-be-released yet fascinating BlindType which evidently has a keyboard that adjusts to the way you type. Pretty fascinating, we think, and definitely worth a read. You can read the article here.

It is boom time for Android phone users who do not like typing text in. Depending on their device, they can now choose between two applications that will let them control their phones by their voices. And that too without paying a penny.  While Google introduced its Voice Actions for Android devices running Android 2.2 (or Froyo), Vlingo made its app for Android devices running Android 2.0 and 2.1 free of cost. Both applications let you do a host of things on your handset, from sending texts to checking mail to searching the Internet, by just talking to it.

While Google Voice Actions seems to be the faster to adapt to your voice, we must confess to being very impressed with Vlingo which has some very interesting features, such as the option to update your Twitter status by just speaking to your device. On the flip side, we love Google Voice Actions’ ability to head to a website when you speak to it. As we said, it is a terrific time to be using Android.

FarmVille might be a rage all over the world, but there are a quite a few Facebook users who find nothing more annoying than seeing messages about wandering cows and flowers pop up on their walls. Well, they can now strike back, thanks to an app called, very appropriately, Farmvillain. The app is available on Facebook (just head to http://apps.facebook.com/farm-villain/) and even on the iPhone/iPod touch. Basically, the app is designed to spoof everything that happens on Facebook. So you can send people stories about how how you have successfully shot 10 intruders on your farm, or how the cows on your farm have caught mad cow disease, or (if you really do not like cows) how you have successfully butchered more than a thousand cows in the previous 24 hours.

In essence, it is the total antithesis of the cutesy feel of Farmville that sets lots of users teeth on edge. Yes, some of it tends to be a bit gross and might offend some sensibilities, but some people just might like it, and most will be hard pressed not to laugh. Definitely worth a look, we think.

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 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 »

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 »

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.

We have no official word on it, but market rumours indicate that Nokia will be releasing its much-talked about N900 in India. And joy of joys, it might actually be at a relatively low price - we are hearing rumours that it might cost between Rs 25k-27k. The N900 is considered by many to be Nokia’s best device in recent times. It actually is a smartphone, even though Nokia refers to it as a “Mobile Computer.”

The N900 runs on Maemo, a version of Linux, rather than Symbian Series 60 that is seen on most Nokia smartphones. It is a faster, more web-friendly operating system that many tech pundits feel is comparable with that of the iPhone and Google’s Android. Apart from that, the N900 comes with a 3.5inch touchscreen, a slide-out QWERTY keyboard, a 5.0-megapixel camera and just about every connectivity option in Celltown.And if its price is really around Rs 26,000, rather than Rs 30,000 as anticipated by just about everyone, it could prove to be a great option for smartphone lovers in the country.

Rarely has any brand come under as much fire in the past few weeks in India as BlackBerry, with every Tom, Dick and Harry brand claiming to have a BlackBerry-type of phone that costs lest than the real thing. Nothing could be more cruel than these comparisons. For all the talk about their being overpriced, there is more to BlackBerry phones than just that traditional QWERTY layout and those widish displays. So, even as the pretenders clamour to being better, here is our take on six reasons that make BlackBerry devices the legends they are. Continue reading »

Facebook users on some networks will be able to access the social networking site totally free of cost, thanks to the launch of a new website called Zero Facebook. The site can be accessed at http://0.facebook.com on most handsets and works at the rate of knots as it focuses on displaying text, pushing video and images to the background, although users can access them through links if they wish (viewing pics will incur data costs, though). In essence, the site lets you do everything you can on the regular mobile Facebook site (http://m.facebook.com) like updating their status, viewing their News Feed, commenting on posts, sending and replying to messages, etc., without your having to pay even data charges.

The catch, of course, is that not all mobile service providers in India support the site yet - at present, only subscribers of Videocon and Reliance can access Zero Facebook. Facebook, however, has assured us that it is looking to tie up with other operators too, so it might not be too long before one can access Facebook on one’s handset without incurring a penny of data costs.

There is good news for all those who use Peek, the handy and extremely affordable QWERTY device that lets you access e-mail on the move. According to a mail that we have received, the Peek service is going to get upgraded on May 18. Improvements include “faster email delivery for many users, and the ability to view PDF attachments as images on your Peek.” The service will not be available for three hours (from 0730 hrs to 1030 hrs, Indian time) on May 18, while the upgrade takes place. Also, the upgrade will not let users view attachments of old mail downloaded before the upgrade. Still, if it delivers what it promises - the speed boost and the PDF handling - most Peek users in India, some of whom have been complaining about the service being a tad on the slow side, will be more than delighted.

Now, we just hope the folks at Peek can do something to bring down that Rs 299 per month rental for using the service, which we maintain remains on the high side, considering that Aircel (the network that offers the Peek) has an unlimited Mobile Internet access package of Rs 98 per month!

Yes, you read that right. There’s a new mobile e-mail app in town and it claims it can deliver get e-mail to your handset, without your even needing a mobile Internet or GPRS connection.  Called BlacMail, it is an offering from Bangalore-based Fifth C Solutions, and while we have not tried it out as yet, seems incredibly promising.

Evidently, all you need to get BlacMail working on your handset is to download the software from www.blacmail.in - you can download it directly to your phone (if you have a GPRS connection) or to your PC and then transfer it to your handset. That’s all there is to it. The app claims to support not only popular mail services like Gmail and Yahoo! Mail, but also corporate mails. Round that off with the fact that it can also let you access social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter and Orkut, and you will see why we are so impressed.  It does not come free, though. Rates for the service begin at Rs 49, although details  are sketchy at the moment. However, it runs on most handsets and by all accounts, works a charm.

Very, very promising, we think. We intend giving it a once-over in the coming days, and would advise you to do the same if you are the type that likes to get their mail on the move.

It came in unheralded, like most Google updates, but could prove to be one of the best from the search behemoth. Most of us tech followers know that we can get a 3D perspective of the earth by downloading and using Google’s Google Earth software - well, now you can get a somewhat similar experience in your browser itself, without having to download anything big. All you need to do is go to http://maps.google.com and opt for the “Use Earth View” link that appears on the left of the screen and you will be able to see the earth in 3D, panning and zooming from various angles using your mouse and your onscreen controls. Of course, it does not work well in ALL areas - we would advise you not to try seeing your neighbourhood in 3D, for instance - but when it comes to famous buildings and monuments, it is nothing short of awesome. We are still stunned at how amazing Big Ben and Mount Everest looked, and “stunned” does not quite sum up how we felt when we discovered that we could actually dive underwater to see the wreck of the Titanic.

All you need to get all this and much more is the Google Earth plugin for your browser which is, of course, available free of cost, in best Google tradition. Now, if you will excuse us, we have a planet to explore on our browser. And in 3D too!

Yep, you got that headline right. The folks at DataWind (the same gents who gave us the PocketSurfer) have come up with a netbook with an Internet package for a year (30 hours per month)   - all for a piffling Rs 7999. Called the UbiSurfer, the device comes with an inbuilt modem and a sim card that will connect users to Tata Indicom’s CDMA network all over India. On the spec front, it has a 7 inch display, a full standard 80-key keyboard, Wi-Fi and Ethernet connectivity, a USB port, 128 MB RAM, 1 GB onboard flash memory storage (and 50GB online), dual speakers and an onboard office suite, all powered by Windows 6 CE(an OS seen in GPS and other mobile devices running Windows Mobile) - all that in a sleek package that tips the scales at around 700 grammes. And that’s not all - the company claims that thanks to its data compression technology, the device will be able to access the Internet at very high speeds, even on slow networks. Finally, if you think that 30 hours a month is too little for your Internet needs, go ahead and take an unlimited package that will let you surf the Net as much as you want - for Rs 99 per month! Continue reading »

Those wishing they could access mail and instant messenger (IM) on their handsets must be cheering. Nokia has announced a newer version on Nokia Messaging, serving up push mail on all compatible Nokia Symbian users for Indian users - for free. In simple terms, that means that anyone who wants to use push mail on their Nokia device can now access up to ten mail accounts (including the likes of Gmail, Yahoo, Rediffmail, Sify and Indiatimes) on their handsets, without having to pay a penny. Continue reading »

As the number of Android phones in the country increases, a rather disturbing trend is becoming evident - a number of smartphone manufacturers are selling their devices with older versions of Android and what’s worse, are not providing any option to the user to update them to newer versions. In simple terms, just imagine that someone not only sells you a computer that is running an older version of Windows (say Windows 98) but also prevents you from updating it to a newer version. Sounds ridiculous? Well, that is exactly what seems to be happening. Of all the Android devices in the country, only two - the HTC Legend and the Motorola Milestone - are running the latest version(2.1) of Android. Of the rest, only one - the Samsung Spica - has been updated to the latest version. The others - HTC Hero, HTC Tattoo, HTC Magic, Sony Ericsson Xperia X10, LG GW620, Samsung Glaxay, Acer Liquid - are all running older versions of Android (either 1.5 or 1.6). Continue reading »

Apple managed to deliver every tech lover’s dream yesterday - better machines at lower prices - when it announced its latest range of MacBook Pros. While most attention has been focused on the fact that these notebooks come with more powerful processors, better graphics and better battery life (upto a staggering ten hours in the case of the 13 inch MacBook Pro and nine hours in the 15 and 17-inch models), what a lot of people seem to have missed is that Apple has actually cut the prices of the entire range - some models are now more than Rs 20,000 cheaper than their previous versions. Continue reading »

It went on sale officially over the weekend, and has sold more than 3,00,000 units in next to no time. And the reviews are coming in as well. We are, of course, referring to the latest ubergizmo in town, Apple’s iPad. While we are still waiting for it in India, here are some reviews from leading tech pundits to help you make up your mind:

Walter Mossberg (Wall Street Journal): “The iPad is an advance in making more-sophisticated computing possible via a simple touch interface on a slender, light device. Only time will tell if it’s a real challenger to the laptop and netbook.”

Engadget:” Does the iPad evolve the personal computer in a significant way? Yeah, actually, it kind of does. Despite what you think right now, and despite the limitations Apple has put on some aspects of this device, what it says to the market is significant. The iPad is powerful, elegant, and largely unlike any computer you’ve ever used.” Continue reading »

Want to find out what’s happening in the Indian Premier League (IPL), but do not have a television at hand? Well, just dial 08 123 123 123 on your cell and you will get access to live ball by ball coverage and even access video footage. Making all this happen is July Systems’s MIX platform, which serves up live ball-by-ball updates, action replays, video scorecards, cheerleader videos, and many more exciting features. Best of all, you do not need a smartphone to access this service - just about any cell with Internet connectivity at any location will do (there are more than 6,000 models supported) and you do not even need broadband or 3G, as it works fine over EDGE and GPRS. Best of all the service is totally free - even 08 123 123 123 is a toll-free number. You just end up paying data costs for using the Internet. Incidentally, if you do not feel upto dialing numbers on your handset, just open its browser and head to m.ipl20.com to get a slice of the IPl action.

Think we are sounding over-effusive about this? Well, ’tis because it really works pretty well. Just try the service and then join us in the applause!

It looks like a BlackBerry. And handles e-mail like a BlackBerry - letting you view and reply to mails the moment they arrive in your inbox. But unlike a BlackBerry, it does not do anything other than that. And before you start complaining, we should point out that it costs a fraction of a BlackBerry. We are talking of Peek, the e-mail-only device released by Aircel. It is a device that lets you access your mail on the move with a bright 2.5 inch screen and a very spacious QWERTY keypad. And all at a price of Rs 2,990, with unlimited mail access at the rate of Rs 299 per month, available on both prepaid and postpaid. It allows you to configure up to three e-mail accounts on it, including most popular Web mail services like Gmail, and also allows you to  view (but not edit) MS Office and most popular image format attachments.

And that’s it  - it does no calls, no texts, no music, no games, no photography….just e-mail.

Convergence fans are going to frown at a device that is dedicated only to e-mail, but it could prove to be a very economical deal for those who like to send and receive mail on the go, without busting a hole in their pockets. And there is something to be said for simplicity too - as the Peek is dedicated to e-mail, it has a staggering battery life that runs well into three days. So you can have your mails in a pocket-friendly QWERTY device that weighs around a 100 gms, has great battery life, costs about Rs 3000 (and Rs 299 per month), and looks sleek as hell in the bargain.

Hmm…we can see people being tempted. We certainly are.

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer unveiled Windows Phone 7 at the Mobile World Congress 2010 at Barcelona some hours ago. While we are not likely to see any devices running the new OS until much later in the year, our brief look at the presentation told us quite a few things about the new phone OS. These were the seven we thought were the most notable:

Continue reading »

Posted by Varun Aggarwal

Gmail app for mobile phones has been there for a while and to be honest, it was pretty useful too. But as they say, all good things come to an end! Trying to offer more features in its Gmail mobile app, Google started offering push e-mail. The new service offers offline e-mail access but only to a limited number of mails-irrespective of how many mails you retrieved from the server. It still does not allow to send attachments and enables downloading only a few types of files from the e-mails to the phone. E-mail alert is offered but only a vibration alert–no sound! I guess Google doesn’t like to make too much of noise these days. Continue reading »

Posted by Morpheus

Nokia’s top Marketing officials recently gave the crown for today’s most successful phone to Nokia E71. Being an early user of the device, I felt that this might mean more apps available for the device. Usually you get an endless number of apps for most Nokia phones, but apprarently this particular handset, because of its uncommon screen size, is not supported by most apps. However, getting this positive sign from the company, I went to Nokia’s Web site to check out the apps available for E71.

On the Nokia E71 page of the Web site, all the apps available are still the same ones that came preinstalled with the phone, that too in the same version. While, I have already discussed my misadventure while trying to upgrade this device in an earlier post, I realised that perhaps Nokia has diverted all its attention to the N series as far developing apps is concerned. Continue reading »