TechGazing

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.

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.

A pretty reliable source (and we have many of those, believe you us), has informed us that Microsoft will be releasing the latest version of its bestselling office suite, MS Office 2010, in India on Thursday, May 13. We have no details of pricing, but we have been assured that the price tag of the office suite will surprise us. We just hope it is one of those good surprises, really.

The MSOffice 2010 suite will contain an improved interface and greater integration with the cloud (read “you will be able to save and edit work on the Web”) and cellphones. Of course, it will feature new versions of some of the most popular software applications in the world such as MS Word, MS Excel and MS PowerPoint. Although the office suite has easily been one of the most popular in the world, it has been facing a number of challenges of late, especially from the likes of free office suites like OpenOffice.org and IBM’s Lotus Symphony. Will this version of MS Office batter the opposition into submission? Ah, we will find that out on Thursday, we are sure.

Watch this space for a review, folks.

Asus could be on the verge of launching one of the most interesting tech products of the year, if rumours are to be believed. The EEE Keyboard PC is in fact an entire computer in a keyboard. You can just plug it into any display to get it working, or can even do some basic tasks on a 5inch capacitive touchscreen that is a part of it. In essence, even as other desktop PC manufacturers are attempting to merge the CPU (the tower-like component)into the display to make computers more compact, Asus has gone the other way and merged the CPU into the keyboard! Of course, the specs of the device are nothing to really rave about - Windows XP Home, an Intel Atom N270 processor, an Intel 945GSE / ICH7-M chipset, 16GB SSD upgradable to 32GB storage, 1GB memory, GbE Ethernet, Wireless LAN, HDMI, and Bluetooth - but the form factor is impressive, and the device looks very sleek indeed in aluminum (shades of the Macbook, eh?)

All of which is expected to cost in the vicinity of Rs 27,000. A bit on the expensive side, but then the first edition of innovative products always do cost a bit. No, we do not know when it is coming to India (or the world, for that matter), but the chances are that we will be seeing it this year.

There has been a stir in India tech town for the last 24 hours, ever since a few websites reported that BSNL is offering a Huawei phone in Tamil Nadu for as little as Rs 6,500, and for Rs 6,750 with a 3G connection thrown in. There is some confusion over whether it runs Android or Brew, but most of our sources confirm that the phone does indeed exist. Called the U7510, it comes with a full touchscreen, has 100 MB internal memory (expandable to 8 GB), Bluetooth and two cameras - a 2.0-megapixel main camera and a front facing VGA one for video calling. All of which makes it sound like a terrific deal, even if it is just limited to Tamil Nadu.

The only problem is that we have seen no official confirmation of the offer from BSNL - the phone is not on the service provider’s website. Still, if the news is true, then it is surely one of the best value for money offers we have seen on any phone in India (if it runs Android, it becomes the best value for money deal, ever!). We are keeping our fingers crossed that it is true and that such offers will come all over the country shortly.

It is getting close to a week since it hit the market, but the buzz around Apple’s iPad refuses to die down. Now, unnamed sources have claimed that Apple is working on a smaller version of the gadget, to be released next year. The rumoured iPad “mini” would have a 5-7 inch screen as compared to the 9.7 inch screen seen on the current one. The price of the device will also be slashed, bringing it closer to USD 400, as compared to the USD 499 that it commands right now. The reason for this minitiarisation (is that a word?) evidently is the fact that some users have found the existing iPad a bit too big to use comfortably.

So, will Apple shrink the iPad? As with most things from the Cupertino company, we cannot really say. However, we do think it is a tad unlikely as a 5-inch iPad would be dangerously close to one of Apple’s best selling products, the iPod touch. Seven inches? Well, that does seem a bit more likely, but would it make a significant size change? Hmmm…pardon us, but we are a tad cynical about this rumour. Still, one never knows with Apple, does one?

It has been rumoured to be on its way for months now, but it finally seems that the iPhone 3GS is now only days away from being released in India. While rumour mills are buzzing about the imminent release on the phone any time this week, what gives the entire affair an official touch is the fact that Airtel has posted a press release saying that it would be bringing ” iPhone 3GS, the fastest most powerful iPhone yet, to India in the coming months.” A mini website for the device has also been put in place at http://www.airtel.in/iphone3gs/. Unfortunately, no details about prices, plans or dates are mentioned, but still, at least it is official now that the iPhone 3GS will be coming to India.

While all iPhone fans will be cheering at the news, we are just hoping that the device is launched soon. After all, if past trends are any indication, it is very likely that Steve Jobs will be showing us a new version of the iPhone in a few months, which would pretty much make the iPhone 3GS appear like an old lady.

Now that it is official that the Apple iPad will be hitting stores in the US on 3 April (no news of an Indian release yet, alas), interest in the device is reaching new dimensions. Every person with the slightest interest in technology is full of questions about Apple’s latest gizmo. If you too have a query or two about the iPad, we suggest you pay a visit to CNet’s All About the iPad (FAQ) in the Circuit Breaker section, written by Erica Ogg and Donald Bell. It pretty much answers most queries, barring that one about an Indian launch (and price). But then, ah, no one is perfect. Definitely worth a look for everyone interested in the iPad.

It was supposed to be the phone that got Nokia back into the mainstream phone marker, offering a whole stack of features, including a touchscreen and GPS for under Rs 10,000. And it has been advertised heavily too, in the Dil Ki Baat Ek Touch Se Sunao ad campaign. But we have just heard a rumour that Nokia has actually withdrawn the Nokia 5230 handset and that work is underway to even remove its mention from hoardings and advertisements, where it had been mentioned alongside the Nokia 5233. A cellphone dealer in Connaught Place, Delhi, says that Nokia pulled the product out because of multiple software problems which kept slowing down or crashing the phone. However, the cellphone is very much on Nokia’s website- check it out here. Continue reading »