India's Aakash Tablet Will Be Free For Students

Kapil Sibal, the Union Minister for Human Resource Development, Communications and Information Technology, Government of India, has announced that Aakash tablets will be free in the hands of every student in India.
Sibal at the India Semiconductor Association (ISA) Vision Summit 2012 further said that based on the feedback from Aakash 1, they would be launching Aakash 2 which is a much better, faster and more efficient version. The current cost of Aakash is Rs. 2,276, for one lakh units. The cost, however, will reduce to Rs.1,500 once the manufacturing numbers increase to one million. Sibal said that half of cost would be subsidized by the government and the remaining Rs.750 would be funded by educational institutions.

Speaking at the occasion Sibal said: “Today electronics is the largest and fastest growing manufacturing industry in the world. Current global hardware production is around $1.75 trillion and by 2020 it is going to grow up to $2.4 trillion. On the domestic front, electronic driven industry has emerged as the contributor to national economy. We can develop semiconductor manufacturing in India since we have the chip design services available here and enormous high quality human resource. We should be able to leverage that to ensure that we can develop the semiconductor manufacturing sector in India.”

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Waiting continues for Samsung Galaxy S III.

Waiting continues for Samsung Galaxy S III. Earlier there were roumers regarding the launch of S III in April 2012. Samsung have denied the rumors of a possible launch of their upcoming Galaxy S III smartphone in April, where ZDNet Korea reported the news after speaking with Samsung's marketing and ad agency, Chiel Worldwide, where rumors were spreading that the Galaxy S III would hit next month.

Samsung went directly to Twitter and denied said allegations, where they've stated that once they've decided on a launch date, they would notify the world through Twitter first. Korean website, MT, confirmed Samsung's side of the story, stating that Samsung have not yet decided on a launch date. They also reported that Samsung is planning on introducing a yet unknown, unnamed, LTE-sporting Android-based handset in April, with it not being the Galaxy S III.

Samsung's Galaxy S III is getting some serious air time, it seems, as it would be the biggest competitor to the unannounced Apple iPhone 5 (or whatever it debuts as). Samsung would want to keep it pushed back as long as possible, so they can attack the iPhone 5 closer to its launch.

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Samsung Galaxy S II Bobbi Brown limited edition launches in Korea

Good news for the samsung galaxy S II lovers. Just when we thought that we've seen the last of Galaxy S II variants, here comes Samsung announcing the Galaxy S II Bobbi Brown limited edition. In case you didn't already know, Bobbi Brown owns one of the most successfull cosmetics company and is considered a pioneer in the industry.

This Android handset isn't carrier-branded , but it is pink so obviously it's targeted towards women. Yes, I know that strong confident men can also wear pink, but you should know that this S II limited edition comes with a matching makeup kit. And strong men don't use makeup kits.

The idea behind this Bobbi Brown edition is to celebrate the sale of 5 million Galaxy S II smartphones in Samsung's home country of South Korea. For the time being, it's the only market where this pink handset is currently available, and there's no telling if Samsung plans to bring it to other countries, thus making more women happy.

It would probably be a good idea to issue a petition to Samsung, demanding that the Galaxy S II Bobbi Brown makes it to your neck of the woods. Ain't got nothing to lose. Starting tomorrow, there will also be a microsite dedicated to this limited edition smartphone. We're not quite sure what specs this particular variant sports, so we'll have to get back to you with these details.

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50-inch projector phone : SAMSUNG GALAXY BEAM

Samsung launched the Galaxy Beam at the Mobile World Congress, an Android 2.3-based smartphone that comes with an integrated projector that can project a 50-inch high-definition image.

This isn't the first time that Samsung has tried to convince consumers that putting a projector in a smartphone is a good idea. A similar product, which was also called the Beam, was launched in 2010.

The smartphone has a projector-dedicated application which is used to select content and activate projection in a few steps, according to Samsung.

Besides the projector, the Beam has a very ordinary hardware specification. The device is powered by a dual-core processor at 1GHz and it has 8GB of storage plus a MicroSD slot. It was a 4in screen and an 800-by-480 pixels resolution.

One part of the specification that does stand out is the Beam's 6GB of RAM.

For users that want to project their own content there is a 5-megapixel camera that can shoot movies at 720p, according to Samsung.

The phone weighs 145g and is 12.5mm thick.

SPECIFICATIONS

 -4-inch touchscreen (480×800 pixels)

-1GHz dual-core processor

-6GB RAM

-8GB internal memory +microSD slot

-5-megapixel camera

-1.3-megapixel video calling cam

-2000mAh battery

-Android v2.3 Gingerbread

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Make your Android smartphone work faster...

When you think of Android smartphones, 'productivity' probably isn't the first word that comes to mind. But you don't have to use a BlackBerry, Windows Phone 7 device or another boring 'enterprise-friendly' handheld to get a lot done in a little time - whether it be for work or play.

The following seven Android tips will help streamline your general Android navigation processes so you can move around your device and access your favorite apps, media and services, faster and more efficiently.

1) Customising your Android home screens

 

Customising the individual home-screen 'panes' on your Android smartphone is one of the easiest ways to make it your own, as well as reduce the time it takes to access your most frequently used applications. And you can move any application to any home-screen pane.

To move an app from either your 'app page', where all your Android software is stored, or from one pane to another, simply press and hold the application for a second or two until a coloured shadow appears beneath it. If you're moving an app from your app page to a home screen page, you'll immediately be returned to the last home screen page you were on before jumping to the app page.

Moving apps around an individual pane or between panes is as simple as dragging your finger to the left or right, up or down, after holding the icon for a second to select it. And you can ditch unwanted apps from your home screen panes by holding their respective icons until they're selected, then dropping them into the trash can, or another similar icon, that appears on-screen.

2) Create home screen widgets for favourite apps

One of the coolest things about the Android OS is the ability to use a variety of widgets, or icons that sit on your home screen and display information so you don't ever have to open the actual applications or services that they're associated with. Widgets can save time and show information you might have otherwise missed.

To assign an Android widget to one of your home screens, just press and hold a blank space on one of those home screens, i.e., a place with no other widgets or applications. Then choose the Android Widgets option for access to third-party app-widgets. On the following screen, scroll through all your third-party widgets and pick the ones you want to display on your home screen panes.

You should see another widget-option after holding your finger on a blank home-screen page, as well, for core system widgets. But its name will differ based on model, manufacturer and OS version. For in example, my Motorola Atrix 4G has another widget-option called Motorola Widgets that offers another set of widgets, including ones that let me toggle my various wireless-radios on and off as well as quickly start and stop music.

Not all Android apps offer widget-functionality, but many do, so be sure to check to see if your favorite app has a widget.

(Note: Android widgets that update themselves can drain a lot of battery power, depending on individual settings, so it's not a wise idea to pack your home-screens with widgets that you won't actually use.)

3) Create Android home screen shortcuts for favourites websites

Just as you can create home screen widgets for certain applications, you can also make home-screen shortcuts for your favourite web pages, so you never have to launch your browser and navigate to those pages.

To assign a custom Android shortcut to your home screen, navigate to the web page for which you want to create a shortcut, tap your Menu key to bring up additional options and then choose More. On the following screen, select the Add Shortcut to Home option. A new shortcut for the web page of your choice will appear on the home-screen pane you were on last, unless there's no more room for another shortcut, in which case you'll be informed that you can't fit a new shortcut on that pane.

You can also create a shortcut to certain Android system options, such as your Android Settings menu or your Contacts, by pressing and holding a blank space on a home-screen pane for a second or two. But instead of choosing one of the widget-options, as described above, pick Shortcuts. Then choose the specific shortcut you wish to add from the options on the following screen.

4) Quickly view and jump between your last used Android apps

One of the best ways to quickly jump back and forth between frequently-used Android applications is by holding your finger on the Android Home Button for a second or two, until a set of eight application-icons labeled Recent appear on screen. You can launch any of these eight apps by simply tapping their icons on the Recent page. The apps included will change based on which ones you've most recently used.

5) See all Android home-screen panes on one screen

The Android OS lets you quickly view miniature versions of all of your home-screen panes on one page. But the process for accessing this all-pane-view is different depending on your device and OS version. To access this view on my Motorola Atrix, I simply hold down the circular, on-screen Home button until all of my home-screen pages appear. From there, I can easily click on any pane to quickly access it, instead of scrolling through multiple panes first.

To access this multi-pane-view on the HTC Droid Incredible running Android 2.2, you must double-tap your Home button -not the on-screen 'key' but the actual button.

6) Employ custom Android folder to Organise apps

In addition to customising your home-screen panes and adding both widgets and shortcuts, you can add folders to your Android home screens to further customise and organise content on your smartphone. Create a new folder the same way you would a new shortcut by pressing and holding a blank space on your home screen until an options menu appears. Choose the Folders option and a new folder will be assigned to your home screen. You can then fill up your folders by dragging applications over the folder-icons and dropping them in.

7) Double-tap your Android home button for custom functions

Some Android devices, including the Motorola Atrix 4G, let you customise your home button, so it performs different functions when double-tapped. For instance, you can set the Double Tap Home feature to open up your camera or your phone's dial-pad, etc, whenever you double-tap your Home button.

To do so, open up your Android Settings, scroll down and click the applications option, then, on the following page, choose Double tap home launch. Next, pick the function you wish to launch after double-tapping your home button and you're good to go.

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"One day later... one million downloads of the consumer preview."

It was a dream beginning for the New Windows 8. Microsoft was not expecting such a huge welcome for their new venture.The Windows 8 Consumer Preview came out just a little over 24 hours ago, and has enjoyed an insane 1 million-plus downloads in those 24 hours. This is a runaway success for Microsoft, which is pretty much going all-in with their next-generation OS. 

Considering that over 1 million people downloaded the OS, the servers handled it pretty damn well. I personally had no issues with the download, with it maxing out my 8Mbit connection. I also didn't notice a single person on my Facebook news feed whinging, so that's a good sign, isn't it? Or maybe I don't have enough friends?

Microsoft broke the news on their Twitter feed, saying "One day later... one million downloads of the consumer preview."

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Samsung Galaxy Note reached 2 million units sold, aims for 10 million

We like to keep you informed about these barrier breakings as they appear, and now it's the Galaxy's Note turn again. Surely by know, you're all acquainted with this hybrid Android device, which recently got a big brother, the Galaxy Note 10.1 tablet. In the end of 2011 Samsung informed us that it sold 1 million Galaxy Notes, which was considered a decent performance, since the Note was a pioneer device at the time, and nobody really knew how customers will react.

Well, two months after it reached the 1 million barrier, and four months after the device's initial debut, the Korean company announced that the number of Galaxy Note units shipped has just passed 2 million. Not bad at all! This also means good news for LG, since it recently unveiled a similar Android handset - the LG Optimus Vu, which comes with a 5 inch display (1024 x 768 pixels, 4:3 aspect ratio), LTE, and a stylus. What's certain is that there is demand on the market for these kinds of phone-meets-tablet devices, but whether or not the Optimus Vu will live up to the challenge remains to be seen. Another interesting disclosure which Samsung made, states that it plans to sell another 10 million Notes during this year, but most likely we're talking about both the 5.3 inch Note and also about the new 10.1 Note. Anyway, Samsung will surely provide more updates on how sales went, so naturally we'll keep you informed.

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People spend 136x more time on Facebook than Google+ in January

If we listen to the latest data from comScore, Google+ users actually spent an average of 3.3 minutes per month on Google+ in January of this year. Comparing this number to Facebook, where they have an average of 7.5 hours last january, this is a whopping 136-times greater than the average Google+ visitor.

Google of course downplayed the super-low numbers, claiming that their own internal data shows much higher numbers, and that Google+ is actually growing. If we look at the other comScore data, LinkedIn, MySpace, and Twitter all beat Google+ in minutes-per-month spent on the respective social networking websites. We have 17 minutes, 8 minutes, and 21 minutes for LinkedIn, MySpace, and Twitter, respectively.

Just 7.5 hours a month on Facebook? Well, considering I'm on the thing for 8 hours-plus per day, what am I? A super non-average Facebook user? Am I addicted? Not as much as some, I have friends and family who literally spend those 7.5 hours, in a single day, on a smartphone, and not get bored. I'm bored of Facebook in minutes, I just have it sitting in a Chrome tab, waiting for that (1) to show up and haunt me to check it out.

What about you?

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Microsoft unveils Windows 8 "Consumer Preview," : Downloads starts..

Microsoft Wednesday released its "Consumer Preview" of Windows 8, and before Windows President Steve Sinofsky finished his presentation to reporters at Mobile World Congress 2012, downloads had begun in 70 countries.

Windows 8 fluidly combines keyboard, mouse, and touch: end users can use all three interchangeably, moving apparently effortlessly between them

This release is the first that non-developers can get their hands on. And "hands on" is literal: Windows 8 fluidly combines keyboard, mouse, and touch: end users can use all three interchangeably, moving apparently effortlessly between them. One of the Microsoft presenters talked about her experience of learning new ways to interact with her various computers, using a keyboard in some cases, but finding a growing numbers of ways to interact with touch (view a summary of gestures that can be used to navigate Windows 8 devices).

The demonstration laid great stress on the PC and the power and value of the Windows OS. But Windows 8 is clearly targeted at the exploding market for ultrabooks and tablets - for a new world of mobile computing, cloud services, always-on social networks, and pervasive wireless networks that combine cellular, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and near field communications.

As the Consumer Preview name implies, this announcement was focused on Windows 8 for end users. But Sinofsky said that Microsoft will detail the enterprise features preserved and created for Windows 8 at the upcoming CeBIT show in Hannover, Germany in March.

BACKGROUND:

Something like 20 device prototypes or reference designs were on display from Microsoft chip and OEM partners, but no one from the audience was allowed to touch them afterwards. The diversity was striking: for the first time, Windows is running on non-Intel silicon: the ARM processor. ARM partners for Windows 8 are Nvidia, Texas Instruments and Qualcomm.

The full suite of Microsoft Office 15 applications was showcased on the ARM devices, underlying the fact that Windows 8 on ARM will not be a compromise.

The devices themselves ranged from an 82-inch flat panel display, through an array of ultrabooks, convertibles, and tablets. Most of them featured small bezels to create a sense of seamless encompassing touch surface. Thin is in: some of the device makers had to figure out innovative ways to incorporate full-size peripheral ports in cases that were thinner than full-size ports. Some were in gleaming black plastic, others were metal. Vendors included Dell, Lenovo, Acer, HP, Samsung and Intel itself.

"This is Windows, re-imagined," an ebullient Sinofsky declared, repeating a phrase sounded when the Developer Preview of Windows 8 was unveiled about five months ago. This time, it seemed justified.

He said over 100,000 changes had been made for the Consumer Preview.

The most striking difference is the new user interface, Metro, based on the radically different user interface originally designed for Microsoft's re-launched mobile OS, Windows Phone.

Gone, or more accurately initially invisible, is the classic Windows Desktop. Instead, the Metro Start page shows the distinctive collection of brightly colored square and rectangular "tiles", each one representing an app or service. The tiles combine with another unique Metro feature: a strong reliance on text and typography to communicate and guide.

These tiles can be swapped and moved, and the screens of the PCs and tablets that will host Windows 8 create a much larger surface to organize your space. Each tile is "live" that is linked with notifications and other state changes to show continually updated information, such as a new email or Facebook update.

The Windows Desktop is still accessible, and can run onscreen side by side with pure Metro style apps.

A wide range of Microsoft apps have been Metro-cized and all partake of another key attribute of Windows 8: "contracts," which are a way for Windows 8 applications to automatically share information with each other. It's an important part of Microsoft's effort to make Windows 8 a platform that almost intuitively lets users integrate information. Within every Metro app, a user has a built-in search option for that app, without exiting to a separate browser.

DARK SIDE

A full-screen feature will cause a Metro app to fill up the entire display. A set of "charms" or icons can be pulled out from the side to take additional actions.

The collection of apps, data, settings and personalization in effect "follows" a user as he moves from a desktop computer to a notebook or a tablet.

Windows 8 offers a SkyDrive app, giving a Metro style interface to Microsoft's online storage and sync service. Windows 8 treats local and cloud storage seamlessly: one demo showed a user quickly attaching photos from SkyDrive and a local disk and sending them in an email.

Windows 8 is smaller than Windows 7, it runs fewer processes and threads, and there's closer resource management of background apps to optimize the user experience. The goal is to streamline Windows, and make it at the same time both tougher and more fluid. One laptop went from a cold start to full screen ready to use in just under eight seconds. The OS senses when you're not using an app and puts it to sleep, waking instantly when you return to it. The system itself wakes from sleep almost instantly.

A new concept of a "class driver" makes it much easier to simply plug in a new peripheral, and have it recognized and ready to run, without the current delays as the OS searches for and installs additional drivers.

Also demonstrated was Windows to Go: a USB stick with the full Windows 8 implementation was plugged into a notebook loaded with Windows 7, and started. Windows 8 booted just as quickly as it did on the bare metal, and coexists with Windows 7.

The Windows 8 Consumer Preview, available at preview.windows.com, comes with the Internet Explorer 10 Preview #5, the latest. Also available are a range of Microsoft and third-party applications already part of the download.

Microsoft has opened the previously announced Windows Store where users can download Metro apps. During the Consumer Preview phase, all apps will be free. The store home page features a 'spotlight' space at left for featured apps, and to the right categories or classes of apps which can be drilled into for details.

Sinofsky didn't give a firm date for general availability of the final OS. He did say Microsoft has moved into the next stage - moving toward Release Candidate, to be followed by release to manufacturing, and shortly thereafter, general release. The expectation still is that Windows 8 will be released well before the end of 2012.

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XPERIA Arc S

Apple's iPhone 4S seems to have started an odd trend in the mobile phone world. Motorola, HTC and now Sony Ericsson have all followed Apple's lead by releasing phones that look identical to previous models. Sony Ericsson's "new" effort is the XPERIA Arc S — it's basically the XPERIA Arc with a faster processor, slightly upgraded software and, of course, an 'S' tagged onto the end of its name.The XPERIA Arc S remains a nice phone, but doesn't offer enough improvements over the original model

Sony Ericsson XPERIA Arc S: Design and display

Everything you need to know about the Sony Ericsson XPERIA Arc S's design can be found by reading our original XPERIA Arc review. That's because the XPERIA Arc S looks exactly the same. To be fair, its still an extremely good looking device even though we've seen it all before. It's just 8.7mm thick at the thinnest part of its body, features a unique concave design, and is both thin and light. The distinctive shape of the XPERIA Arc S also means the phone hasn't aged as badly as many other smartphones might have.

 With that being said, its a shame the XPERIA Arc S hasn't corrected some of the more disappointing design decisions that plagued its predecessor. The build quality remains shoddy and could have been improved with the use of higher quality plastics, the shortcut buttons below the display are too thin and feel awkward to press, and the power and camera buttons are ridiculously tiny — so much so that they feel like a chore just to press. The back of the XPERIA Arc S is also one of the biggest fingerprint magnets we've come across and it creaks when pressed near the edges. Given that the Arc S comes almost seven months after the original model, its disappointing not to see these issues corrected.

 
The Sony Ericsson XPERIA Arc S has the same 4.2in touchscreen that adorned the original Arc. Sony Ericsson calls it a 'Reality display': it claims the screen technology used increases contrast and sharpness for image viewing and video playback. It's fair to say it does just that — the Arc S is bright and clear and displays crisp text, and it's also easy to see in sunlight. However, the lack of an ambient light sensor to automatically adjust the screen's brightness is another issue from the original Arc that has effectively been ignored on the Arc S.

Sony Ericsson XPERIA Arc S: Software and performance

The Sony Ericsson XPERIA Arc S's main claim to fame over its predecessor is a faster processor, upped from 1GHz on the Arc to 1.4GHz on the Arc S. It remains only a single-core processor in a world of competitors that sport dual-core processors, but if you're a run of the mill user there's no reason to be alarmed — the XPERIA Arc S offers good performance. We experienced little lag or slowdown during general use and would go as far as saying that there is absolutely no reason to discount the Arc S based on the fact it only has a single-core processor.

The XPERIA Arc S runs the2.3 Gingerbread version of Google's Android platform, and also has Sony Ericsson's Timescape UI overlay on top. The Arc S's software looks identical to the one on the original Arc: it has five home screens for live widgets, handy folders that enhance shortcuts and a main menu that can quickly arrange apps in various orders, including most used. Due to the skinny screen, the default on-screen keyboard is a little cramped but its something you'll quickly get used to. The Arc S once again includes Sony Ericsson's Timescape application, which groups social networking and phone communications into a single widget. Each communication event on the phone forms a 3D box that you simply flick your finger up and down the "spine" to scroll through. However, we don't feel Timescape offers anything compelling besides an attractive look: thankfully you can easily remove it from your home screen if you wish.

There are two new software features on the XPERIA Arc S that weren't included on the original. The first is what Sony Ericsson calls '3D sweep panorama'. It allows you to press the camera button and pan from left to right to capture a 3D panorama image. However, you can only view this 3D image on a 3D TV via the Arc S's HDMI-output. You can capture a 2D panorama image, though the quality of these images are of significantly less quality than a regular, non-panorama photo.

The second new software feature on the Arc S is 'Facebook inside XPERIA'. It integrates Facebook into commonly used areas of the phone including the picture gallery, music player, phonebook and calendar. As an example, Facebook albums can be accessed through the standard gallery app, without having to go into Facebook itself.

Sony Ericsson XPERIA Arc S: Camera, battery life and availability

The Sony Ericsson XPERIA Arc S has the same 8-megapixel camera as the original Arc and that's largely good news. The camera uses Sony's 'Exmor R' image sensor which claims to offer higher sensitivity and less image noise — Sony Ericsson says it the Arc S's camera will perform better in dim lighting than traditional mobile phone cameras. While our real world tests revealed it performed slightly better in low light than other phone cameras, the XPERIA Arc S still won't replace a stand alone digital camera, especially if you're looking to take plenty of night time photos. However, the Arc S remains an excellent camera phone and produces images with good detail and great colour reproduction with minimal image noise. Th Arc S also records good quality 720p HD video. Unfortunately, the camera lens remains impractically positioned: it's too easily covered by your hand when you hold the phone to take a photo.

The XPERIA Arc S has a microSD card slot, but Sony Ericsson has only included a paltry 320MB of internal storage. Sony Ericsson includes an 8GB card in the sales package

The Sony Ericsson XPERIA Arc S has below average battery life. Most users will get around 24 hours of life out of the XPERIA Arc's 1600mAh battery before it needs a recharge, but heavy users may need an injection of power before then. Our review unit often ran out of juice before the end of the day during testing.

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