Even though Nokia Lumia 800 is all gorgeous in its design, its been terrible in battery performance and camera. And a few other bugs like the call bugs where in which the phone wouldn’t hang up an outbound call unless the user turns off the phone. Today, while we were confronting another bug on the phone where the phone refuses to turn on after connecting to power after almost two hours, we were advised to connect it to via USB to a computer. The phone turned on after a few minutes on USB charging and we realized that phone hasn’t charged even single mAh while it was connected to the power for two hours. We launched the Windows Phone Connector for Mac to see if there were any updates available. And we found one new update which we reported last week is now available. The update wasn’t available for our unit back then.
The new update has the following change-log:
* Fixes an on-screen keyboard issue to prevent the keyboard from disappearing during typing.
* Fixes a Gmail syncing issue.
* Fixes a location access issue. With this fix, the Me feature in the People Hub sends anonymous information about nearby Wi-Fi access points and cell towers to Microsoft only if you agree to allow the Check In function to access and use location information.
* Revokes digital certificates from DigiCert Sdn Bhd to address an encryption issue.
* Fixes an email issue related to Microsoft Exchange Server 2003. With this fix, when you reply to or forward a message, the original message is now included in your response.
* Fixes a voicemail notification issue.
Because updates are cumulative, when you install the latest update, you’ll also get all the previous updates we’ve released if your phone doesn’t have them already.
If you did not receive an update back then, try connecting your Lumia 800 to your computer now.
Apple today announced their financial results for its fiscal 2012 first quarter which was a 14 weeks period that ended on 31st December 2011. Apple made a record revenue of $46.33 billion and a record quarterly net profit of $13.06 billion i.e. $13.87 per diluted share. In the last year for the same quarter, Apple reported a revenue of $26.74 billion and net quarterly profit of $6 billion. International sales accounted for 58% of the quarter sales.
Apple managed to sell 37.04 million iPhones that denotes a 128 percent unit growth over the previous year. Apple also sold 15.43 million iPads during the quarter which is 111 percent unit increase over the last year. Mac sales saw a 26 percent unit increase over the last year with 5.2 million sales. Apple’s iPods saw a total sales of 15.4 million units which was a 21 percent unit decline from the same quarter a year ago.
Apple have generated a whopping $17.5 billion in cash flow during this December quarter. Apple is looking forward to $32.5 billion in revenue for the second quarter which will be a period of 13 weeks said Peter Oppenheimer, Apple Chief Finance officer.
On one side, Apple is suing Samsung in every possible country while Samsung is seriously making ads that pokes fun on Apple and its users on the other side. This is the third ad in which Samsung takes a direct at a hit at Apple. If you missed the previous one, don’t forget to watch it below.
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It all started first in 1999 when Nokia introduced the Nokia 7110 smartphone running S40. Since then Nokia has been releasing plenty of devices based on S40 including the recently launched Asha series. The 1.5 billionth device sold to a 21 year old Brazilian girl at a local store in Sao Paulo. This customer purchased a Nokia Asha 303 that features a touchscreen and a QWERTY keyboard.
Today, S40 phones feature the widely acclaimed Nokia Money and Nokia Life Tools which has been helping a lot of workers in remote parts of the world. Nokia’s Executive Vice President Mary McDowell expressed their pleasure in achieving this great milestone. Nokia may be losing high end mobiles’ marketshare. But this is an indication that their low cost cellphones department is still in full swing. The question is, will we see any cannibalization in this segment as well due to the devices from Samsung and other players like Micromax and Huawei who has been rolling out a couple of phones targeting the same segment.
Nokia’s recently announced Windows Phone the Lumia 710 has seen a major price drop since yesterday in most of the online stores like Flipkart, LetsBuy etc. The phone which initially retailed for Rs 21,000 came down to Rs 19000 immediately. Some sellers on eBay are still selling them for Rs 21000. This price cut wasn’t expected as most devices’ prices were going up due to shooting exchange rates. This is a good news to all Nokia enthusiasts out there. If you’ve been waiting to grab one, then this is the time. We don’t see anymore price cuts happening anytime soon. So get it while its hot. The units from Flipkart are priced at Rs 15,699 and you can choose to pay on delivery of the item. LetsBuy is selling it for slightly better price than Flipkart at Rs 15,490/-. Use the links below to jump to the seller’s page.
Nokia Lumia 710 is also available for Rs 14,474/- from NGPAY. However, the seller charges you Rs 15,236/- during purchase and refunds the Rs 762 within 5-7 business days. This is a very good deal. We’re unable to give you a direct link to the seller. You will have to use NGPAY clients on an Android or Symbian phone to see them. Links to download the client are given below.
There are plenty of Windows Phones in the market. And just like the Android phones, any person who is out there in the market to buy one will be clouded with lot of choices. HTC, Nokia and Samsung has some pretty good number of Windows Phones. If you were curious about HTC Windows Phones, here’s one of the best from their products. HTC Radar is an amazing phone. I call it amazing because it has the perfect mixture of style, price and functionality. These days its very hard to find something that gives real value for money. HTC Radar retails for $450(may vary in some markets). When I first received the phone, I was very curious to try the phone. It was my first Windows Phone experience. I have years of experience with iOS and a few months experience with Android. But I never got to try a Windows Phone until Radar arrived. It was after the release of Mango it got competitive with other platforms. That said, the Radar runs Windows Phone Mango on it.
Before we begin lets take a quick look at the underlying hardware in HTC Radar. The HTC Radar has a 1Ghz processor, 512MB of RAM, 8GB internal storage, 5MP autofocus camera with LED flash and 1520mAh battery.I It runs Windows Phone OS 7.5. It has 3G HSDPA, GPS, WiFi and Bluetooth, FM Radio as well.
Design & Hardware:
The HTC Radar feels very solid in hands. Its crafted from a single piece of polished metal. That gives it a premium feel and look. HTC Radar has a different design. It reminded me about the HTC Hero among the HTC’s range of Android phones. Hero had a different design from other Android phones. Similarly, Radar has a unique design as opposed to other Windows Phones out there. The Radar has rounded curves and through out which is the same as most HTC phones. However, at the bottom you’ll notice that it gets thinner and more curvy. You will also note that the case at the back, which is white makes an appearance on the front bring a mix of silver and white. The silver and white colours together add a lot to the looks of the phone. Like other many other phones that comes with plenty of connectivities which results in plenty of ports on the phone to collect as many dust as it can, Radar doesn’t offer too much. It has a standard micro USB port and 3.5mm headphone jack to connect the inbuilt or any third party headphones. It also helps to keep its design neat.
On top of the phone, you’ll see the 3.5mm headphone jack and the power button. The power button also acts as the Sleep/Wake button. But there are times when you wish if the button was bit more thicker. Sometimes its hard to press it as it almost aligns with the height of enclosing area. But that doesn’t mean its a deal breaker. A few days of getting used to and you’ll be ok with it. The 3.5mm headphone jack helps you connect the earphones that comes in the retail package. It plays music decently. However, if you plan to go for a better third party earphones, you can easily connect them to this port as all standard earphones are compatible with 3.5mm port.
To the right, you can see the volume rockr and the dedicated camera button. The dedicated camera is not usually seen all the models, however phones like Nokia Lumia 800 have a dedicated camera button. The camera button as you would expect launches the camera app and can also take shots once the app is launched. The volume rockr is a single piece with no separation. This may not be everyone’s favorite. However the extra long size of the rockr should prevent any wrong functioning while pressing it.
Towards the bottom you can see the dedicated camera button mentioned above. And at the button there are no ports or buttons. If you’re wondering if you can keep the device upright on the table, then its a no no. The smooth and curved bottom prevents it standing upright on any surface. On the left side you can see micro USB port thats used for charging as well as transferring data between your computer and phone. There’s no covering for the port like seen on the Lumia 800. But its not something thats too necessary either.
When you connect your phone to computer, you can use Zune software for PCs or the Windows Phone connector for Mac. Surprisingly, the Windows Phone connector for Mac does a great job syncing your computer with the phone. It syncs with your iTunes library bringing everything in your iTunes library with just one click. You can also update your phone from the same software. Yes, you don’t need to hunt for PCs anymore. The software also supports wireless syncing. If your phone and computer are connected to the same WiFi network, and if your phone is connected to a power source, then you can easily perform a wireless sync.
On the front you can see the giant 3.8 inch S-LCD capacitive display with approximately 246ppi. S-LCD may not be rich in colors as the AMOLED but its crystal clear, especially the text. The Windows Phone’s tiles look amazing on this display. Not to forget, it uses Corning Gorilla Glass which makes it resistant to scratches and scuffs. Besides the display you’ll also see the front facing camera which at the moment Windows Phone OS can’t natively use, but apps like Tango will help you make video calls over 3G and WiFi. To the left, you can see the proximity sensor for turn off during calls.
At the bottom of the screen, we have the default soft buttons, they are Back, Home and Search. The back button takes you back to the previous screen from any page. A prolonged press launches multitasking window to switch between applications. The Home key takes you to the home screen from any location. A prolonged press initiates the voice command screen that can make calls, text or search the web using Bing upon voice request. The search button initiates the Bing home page for web search. The search button is slightly confusing at times when you are running an app and if you want to search something you tap this search button to search something inside that app. However, this search button launches Bing search than the in-app search.
On the rear side of the phone, you can see the 5MP auto focus camera with LED flash. This is no Carl Zeiss, but it does shoot some decent pictures. And from our tests, most snaps proved better than the results from the Lumia 800 whose camera is not that appreciable at the moment. Videos looked dull from our tests. Especially in low light. We’ve posted some samples below. Check them out.
Camera Samples:
This is an indoor snap with zero external light but flash from the camera.
This is an indoor shot with external lights on(Close-up).
Here’s an outdoor video sample shot using the Radar.
Now here’s an indoor video sample.
Software:
Radar runs Windows Phone Mango 7.5 which is the latest version of Windows Phones. Unlike, Android phones, Windows Phones don’t suffer any update difficulties. Almost all phones gets update as and when they’re rolled out and no phone is denied any update. Atleast until now. Microsoft has also made a good record in bringing the updates to almost all the phones after the rollout which is impressive. The question is, how does Windows Phone stand up against its competitors. If you are really looking for a neck to neck comparison of Windows Phone with iOS and Android, then Windows Phone is not a worthy opponent at the moment. Its still a “Hero” in the making. However, if you are ready to get down into an average users shoes and look at it, then there’s a lot you can know and learn about Windows Phones. So if Windows Phone OS isn’t that great competitor yet, what is that hype all about ?? A question that might have popped up in your mind by now. Well, its the style and appeal of the OS that is speaking for itself at the moment. I wouldn’t put any OS any close to Windows Phone in this particular feature. Windows Phone is beautiful. No, its even better than that. The live tiles that updates itself, the smooth flow of the OS, the social network integration and the overall performance is just breathtaking. So lets take a look at the some of the default apps and see how they are. Since Windows Phones’ does not have an option to take screenshots, we have made a video for the software tour which will give you a better understanding. The video covers almost default apps, a few commonly used social apps etc. Take a look at it below.
So if you’re one of those guys, who’s into music, social networking and cares about style HTC Radar is definitely worth consideration. Android and iOS has been there for a while and if you want to try something new, then Windows Phone is the right choice. HTC Radar retails between Rs 23000 and Rs 24000 in the market.
Most of you might be using iMessages, WhatsApp or any other chat clients frequently and we all have been at this situation where we wanted to send some real emoticons than just combination of special characters. Well, here’s how to have them on your iPhone keyboard and spice up your chat.
First, Go to settings and choose General.
Then scroll down and choose Keyboard.
Now tap on International keyboards.
Tap on Add new keyboard. The keyboards listed in this page are the ones that are already active for your iPhone/iPad.
Here you can see a list of keyboards. This is where you change your keyboard to any other language. In this case, we’re going with Emoji. So tap on Emoji.
Huawei has caught the attention at CES by announcing the world’s slimmest Android phone. Huawei Ascend P1 comes with a 4.3 inch Super AMOLED screen which has a 960X540 resolution, a dual core 1.5Ghz T1 OMAP 4460 Cortex-A9 processor, 1GB RAM, 4GB ROM, 32GB Micro SD card support, 8MP camera with dual LED flash, records 1080p videos at 30fps, a front facing camera with 1.3MP, WiFi, Bluetooth 3.0, GPS etc.
What makes it even better is that it comes with Android Ice Cream Sandwich on board which is great. It also has a 1670mAh battery.
The phone is just 7.69mm thick which makes it the thinnest smartphone to date. With 1.5Ghz processor, 4GB ROM, Ice Cream Sandwich on board and the thinnest smartphone title, the Huawei Ascend is one of those smartphones you should really consider if you’re in the market to buy a new phone.
The Huawei Ascend P1/P1S will be available in Europe, Asia-Pacific, North America, Australia, Middle East and China from April 2012.
Apple has been launching iPhone in many countries lately. With the initial launch on October 14th in 6 countries, Apple launched iPhone 4S in 22 other countries on October 28th and is now gearing to launch the same in 15 more countries this November 11th. Apple also announced that it’s targeting to launch the iPhone in 70 countries by year end which means Apple is preparing to launch in 55 other countries besides the ones so far.
Before you read further, we shall make it clear that this news is not based on information from “sources close to the subject” or “people familiar with the matter”. This comes from someone who has been watching the Apple very closely. An Apple enthusiast.
As I said earlier, Apple launched the iPhone 4S on October 14th in US, UK, Canada, Germany, France and Japan. And on October 28th, Apple launched the iPhone 4S to 22 other countries (Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Mexico, Netherlands, Norway, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland.) Now that’s a clear 14 days gap from the initial launch. Apple later announced the next batch of countries to get the iPhone 4S on November 11th. They are Albania, Armenia, Bulgaria, El Salvador, Greece, Guatemala, Hong Kong, Malta, Montenegro, New Zealand, Panama, Poland, Portugal, Romania and South Korea. You might have already done the math and its another 14 days from the previous launch(Oct 28th). I also went through the list of launch countries for Apple’s iPhone 4 and it seems that all countries who got the iPhone 4 before India has already received an iPhone launch date except the middle east countries. If Apple goes by this trend, mark your calendar for November 25th which is another 14 days from the previous launch. We will see iPhone 4S launching in India.
Many users who’ve bought an iPhone 4S from other countries are not able to use the phone here despite being an unlocked unit. Even though carriers were unable to address the issue initially, operators like Airtel has said that an update to their system on November 25th will fix this issue and all iPhones will start working in the subcontinent. Lets not forget the fact that Airtel is one of the official carriers of the iPhone in the country.
Finally, as I said, this is not from any secret source that cant be revealed but from a Apple enthusiast just like you. We could be wrong too. But hey don’t we love rumours ?? So what do you think ? Will we see iPhone 4S in India on November 25th ??
Samsung India has launched the Galaxy Note in a special event today. Galaxy Note is the latest phone from the Galaxy series thats solely under Samsung branding. Galaxy Nexus boasts a monstrous 5.3″ Super AMOLED Display with 720p resolution. On the inside it sports a 1.4Ghz Dual Core processor, 1GB RAM, 8MP Camera with LED Flash, a secondary camera on the front, 16/32GB internal storage with support for MicroSD cards upto 32GB. A 2GB card is included in the retail box.
The Galaxy Note also comes with a S-Pen or in simple words, a stylus that helps you scribble data on the screen. In addition you can also draw on the screen, paint or simply tap and hold for taking screenshots and to perform other functions. If the giant screen gives you worry about the battery life, then you’ll be happy to know that it comes with 2500mAh battery. The price is of this amazing device is Rs 34,990/- which we think is decent enough. You’ll see even cheaper prices in the market very soon.
The launch was followed by a question time and the officials answered one of the attendees about the Galaxy Nexus launch saying that it will be released by year end in India. We have already seen that the Galaxy Nexus page has gone live here a few days back. If you are interested in the Ice Cream Sandwich goodness that Google unveiled a few days back, then we recommend you to hold yourself for the Galaxy Nexus. If you are in no hurry, then Galaxy Note it is. It will also get the ICS update very soon**.
So what do you think ? Will we see iPhone 4S in India on November 25th ??