Gameloft is running labor day promo on their facebook page, giving away free games, also running $0.99 offer on all popular games. Android Games from Gameloft - http://pulse.me/s/1txPx
Sunday, September 04, 2011
Saturday, September 03, 2011
Exciting Labor day iOS game deals
Go nuts: Tons of iOS games are on sale now - http://pulse.me/s/1u0na
Ford Evos Concept Car Trailer
A concept car design that has made it's way to the Frankfurt Auto show 2011, looks sexy and appealing in design and aesthetics would prove to be a successful compact city sedan, hope ford stays true to the concept design as far as possible.
Sony's Wearable Personal Media Viewer
This one is currently on my wish list for sure, unless it really falls flat on the promises shown. Sony has displayed it's 3D enable Head Mounted Display at IFA 2011 event. What looks like a device right from the future it packs 720p OLED display which is capable of displaying 2D & 3D images and sports a virtual 5.1 surround sound headphones as a part of the single HMD device.
It's rumored to be priced around $800 (INR 36,000) so one can expect the price to touch INR 50,000 by the time it releases and IF it makes it to the Indian market. You can use this HMD with your television, gaming console, or laptop, check out the hands on video review by IGN below.
It's rumored to be priced around $800 (INR 36,000) so one can expect the price to touch INR 50,000 by the time it releases and IF it makes it to the Indian market. You can use this HMD with your television, gaming console, or laptop, check out the hands on video review by IGN below.
5 Amazing Interactive Billboards
Check out this collection feature of vids featuring innovative Interactive Billboards displaying clever marketing at play, engaging passerby's instantly.
1) Billboard campaign by a reality TV show in Japan.
1) Billboard campaign by a reality TV show in Japan.
Saturday, August 20, 2011
Useful Android Apps for Samsung Galaxy S2
Personalization
Windows 7 Launcher provides a nice interface of Windows 7 phone theme which can be customized to map your favorite apps to the home screen tiles, you can also customize the tile colors. Transitions work smoothly on Galaxy S2, There is a AD based free version and paid version for this App, check the video below for a demo.
Pops
Great app for setting animated notifications for your SMS, Gmail, Twitter and Facebook alerts, It is a free to download app which currently has limited set of animated packs you can download however you can set your own custom video clips for notifications too.
Music & Audio
Saavn Music
Saavn music app is free to download app that gives you access to vast library of Bollywood music, Bhangra, Bhajans and more. Creating customized play list is quite easy and the song library is extensive from tha tracks I tried checking out, I liked the App interface and the ease of searching tracks and adding to your customized play lists for listening music on the go which works seamlessly on 3G connectivity.
Photo Apps
Instagram is a very popular app for iPhone users and Android market does have some notable photo apps that allow adding image effects to your pictures and instant sharing options, check out some of them below which I have being using recently.
Little Photo Picplz
FX Camera MOLOME
More app features coming up on my blog, keep checking
Windows 7 Launcher provides a nice interface of Windows 7 phone theme which can be customized to map your favorite apps to the home screen tiles, you can also customize the tile colors. Transitions work smoothly on Galaxy S2, There is a AD based free version and paid version for this App, check the video below for a demo.
Pops
Great app for setting animated notifications for your SMS, Gmail, Twitter and Facebook alerts, It is a free to download app which currently has limited set of animated packs you can download however you can set your own custom video clips for notifications too.
Music & Audio
Saavn Music
Saavn music app is free to download app that gives you access to vast library of Bollywood music, Bhangra, Bhajans and more. Creating customized play list is quite easy and the song library is extensive from tha tracks I tried checking out, I liked the App interface and the ease of searching tracks and adding to your customized play lists for listening music on the go which works seamlessly on 3G connectivity.
Photo Apps
Instagram is a very popular app for iPhone users and Android market does have some notable photo apps that allow adding image effects to your pictures and instant sharing options, check out some of them below which I have being using recently.
Little Photo Picplz
FX Camera MOLOME
More app features coming up on my blog, keep checking
Times have changed: Music industry in last 30 years
Check out this animated transition of the way Music Industry has transformed in last 30 years
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
Rise of Android OS
Mobile handset and software market has undergone a major transition from the past year and the not so well known OS Android now captures 50% of the smart phone market globally, Nokia is pinning all it's hopes on windows OS to revive it's crumbling market share which still stands strong on top position in BRIC countries: Brazil, Russia, India and China. Samsung has good potential to rush ahead if Nokia provided it adapts to aggressive marketing and sales strategies in emerging markets.
Apple has grown from a market share of 14.2% to 19% with iOS it enjoys a stable growth in the US market and it does not see any immediate threat from Android considering the hype around iPhone 5 which is peaking amongst consumers eager to find out what Apple is going to come up with, Nokia is placed third falling from a lions share it had of around 41% of market share with Symbian which Nokia is now bidding farewell to and embracing Windows OS ahead seeking a new lease of life. RIM also is struggling to Android OS and iOS onslaught in American market which is visible by its market share falling from 18% to 12% from last yearThis situation was not the same last year in August 2010 which is reflecting from the graph below an article(via www.seekingalpha.com)
Google has woken up to a bitter reality of going easy on aquiring patents that are essential to safegaurd growth of Android OS, Apple is flexing it's muscles going hard after Android tablets and phones alleging manufacturers like HTC and Samsung of lifting designs meant for Apple phones and tablets. Luckily google also realised that it needs to act swift on unifying different versions of Android OS into one version touted to be named as Ice-cream Sandwich that makes it easier for developers to focus on developing apps for Android.
Indian Smartphone market would provide Nokia enough time to get their act straight with Symbian OS and its dream to build an ecosystem akin to Apple with Ovi services has not met desired success. Sony Ericsson once had the potential to come close to Nokia's market share in India lost the path midway with a series of mediocre phone launches which gave Samsung good chance to rise further with BADA OS and it started offering value for money products in different price segments. Samsung has also discussed options with google for developing desi version of Android OS in Indian market.
Thursday, August 11, 2011
iPhone 5 rumor mill stuff churned up to now
The Best and Worst of the iPhone 5s [Video] - http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/vip/~3/GcL1OHU03Pc/
Thursday, August 04, 2011
Galaxy Tab 10.1 TouchWiz UI video
Read more about it here Samsung Shows Off TouchWiz UX For Galaxy Tab 10.1 (Video)
Truly a Masterpiece: Samsung Galaxy S II Review
Here’s my review for Samsung Galaxy SII after using it almost above a month now, let’s find out if this new flagship phone from Samsung is a worthy contender to be amongst the best smart phone launches in year 2011
Content/Packaging: Almost all phone manufacturers have resorted to smart packaging, getting eco conscious and doing away with a thick manual booklet, unwanted CD’s etc, Galaxy SII packaging is no exception to this. Along with the phone you get a standard charger, USB data cable, Samsung headphones which I haven’t tried out yet they also come with spare headphone ear bud attachments, a KIES software mini CD, Black leather pouch and finally a 1650mAh battery.
Hardware and Design: A prominent wow factor that catches your attention while holding this phone is its 4.3” Super AMOLED Plus screen and weighing 116 grams it is way lighter than Nokia N8 I have used prior to owning this handset. With a minimalistic design Galaxy SII sports a touch interface based menu and back buttons, you’ve got a home screen button and on the sides you have volume keys with power on/off, lock button. Surprisingly Samsung has not included a button on the phone for camera.
Gorilla glass looks durable and I suppose it can resist minor scratches and smudges in general. The rear cover provided with the phone is made up of flexible plastic material which has a matte finish and though it has got a scaly look to it, it does not help in getting a firm grip. A Word of caution for slippery palms, please get a case as soon as possible to avoid any damage to your spanking new phone accidentally.
The overall design of the phone does not spell class instantly, what amazed me was the slim factor for a powerhouse phone like this one, weighing just at 116 grams against N8 I used earlier which I thought could be the least smartphones could get slim which weighs 135 grams.
OS / Phone interface
Current OS version of Android available on Samsung Galaxy S2 is Gingerbread 2.3.3, phone icons, screen layout etc. leave an instant impression of apple rip-off’s no doubt Apple has locked horns with Samsung on the legal front accusing them of lifting their iPhone designs/interface for upcoming Samsung phones.
Samsung has refined gyroscope function in the phone which I feel is slightly better in terms of response even compared to Ipad 2, adding option of motion based gesture control. Swiping through phone menu, home screens, working across multiple applications happens in a jiffy which goes to show what amount of processing power is really packed with 1.2 GHz dual core processor under its hood. I found Galaxy S2 offering ample features to customize the way you control power settings, using various applications which leaves a lot to be explored while using the phone. Videos look vivid and crispier and I have played some 720p HD videos which look amazing on the SuperAMOLED plus screen. I found the onscreen keyboard slightly difficult to operate while holding the handset vertically, on horizontal orientation it felt laid out properly and easy to use while composing text.
Using phone for navigation via Google Maps it latched on to GPS signal in no time and got my accurate position displayed on the screen, no difference in performance while using it over Wi-Fi or 3G connectivity. Flash support on the default Android browser comes with smooth integration and it just couldn’t get any better. It also allows you to view flash content on websites on demand in case you want to do away with flashing ads on a webpage and just focus on the content
Video/Music/Camera
Samsung Galaxy SII supports 1080p HD video recording at 30 fps, I have tried recording videos at 720p resolution (1280 x 720) which did not turn out to be jerky and 8 mega pixel camera captures images with different settings provided in the phone and I found camera performance satisfying enough for my experience moving away from N8’s 12 mega pixel Carl Zeiss lens. You can juggle between image capture pre-sets or define your own settings to click images.
I have not yet tested camera performance in low light settings yet however have tried macro, landscape and normal mode pics with some fiddling with outdoor visibility and auto contrast features. Digital zoom up to 2X does not land up in grainy images but 4X zoom does impact image quality and it would be better to resort to manual ISO settings to check the quality on pictures taken with digital zoom. Front end 2 mega pixel camera is suitable for video calling, not useful enough to snap pics.
Using apps like Juice Defender and getting the settings right for your phone display, Wi-Fi settings, Background data sync and 3G usage would make a lot of difference and I have seen improvement from 7-8 hours of battery backup improving to almost a day now on medium to heavy usage. As a blogger and social media enthusiast this phone is a boon for people like me as it provides you sharing options from browser, from various other apps falling into social media category and abundant options to play around with themes, widgets and screen customization features.
It does not stop there, Samsung has also provided Social, Game and Reader’s hub that aim to integrate your experience with regards to configuring twitter/Facebook notifications, listing popular news feeds, subscribing to magazine and book reading subscription based services from Kobo and Zinio and for Game downloads you would spot Game loft games available to try and buy.
Phone body tends to heat up around camera area for weird reasons at times you can keep a watch on battery stats through few free apps available to download from android market, Android marketplace is brimming with lots of apps available in different categories still it has a long way to go in meeting standards set by apple for their app store, the issue being around governance of the quality of apps that get launched on the marketplace, a technically not so savvy user can get confused checking if the app is really compatible with his/her android phone OS and device.
Samsung Galaxy SII has already crossed 5 million units in sales even before hitting US market and poses a good challenge to iPhone 5 which is about to release somewhere in Sept/Oct this year in USA. Android OS needs serious tweaks and bug rectifications in the upcoming Gingerbread 2.3.4 OS version that should address battery and heating issues to some extent and truly the phone has a galaxy of features you would have not imagined in a smartphone before.
*(more tips/ app suggestions / videos/ camera snap samples coming up)
Tuesday, August 02, 2011
Indian cricket team bashing
Losing 2nd test to England badly, I was surprised TOI writing off Indian team as a non deserving team for top spot in test rankings.
We raised toast to the same team on winning world cup, should we with play always charged bots thay would never fail instead of human players?
Possibly this series could be taken up as a learning lesson to re-look our bench strength of players which managed to grab success in west indies but struggling in england.
Now is the right time to experiment and fail which would help us prepare a new breed of quality players.
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