The Google’s Android OS to be used in mini-notebooks known as – Netbooks

It is predicted that Google’s Android  mobile operating system could be running on 18 to 20 devices by the end of the year

According to Andy Rubin (Google’s senior director for mobile platforms) 18 to 20 phones from eight to nine manufacturers will come with Android OS installed on them by the end of the year.
Android will continue to be open source. Manufacturers will have the option of installing Android “obligation-free” onto their devices, which means the user will have access to the OS but not Google Apps such as Gmail, Google doc, etc.

A second option for manufacturers that sign a distribution agreement with Google will allow them to pre-install Google Apps onto their devices.

The third option knows as the Google Experience opens up the manufacturer’s devices to Google Apps and the Android Market. Phones which fall under the “Google Experience” will also be branded with the Google logo on the physical handset.

A number of companies have announced plans to roll out Android-equipped smartphones. HTC is currently preparing Google Android smartphones for the Chinese and Canadian markets for a June rollout.

On top of this, Android is also being ported onto mini-notebooks which also known as “netbooks,” as an operating system. With research firm IDC estimating that netbook shipments will grow from 11.4 million in 2008 to 22 million in 2009 hence the market represents a potentially massive growth area for Android.

Microsoft Modernize The Search Engine ‘Live’ as -Bing

Microsoft is re-branding its search engine currently called “Live” – as “Bing” as part of a range of steps to make its search technology more appealing to consumers.

Microsoft’s inability to organically increase its share in search was the key driver behind the company’s pursuit last year of Yahoo Inc. (YAHOO). Many investors think Microsoft needs to tap a much bigger audience in order to make its searches more relevant and to attract more advertisers.

Microsoft Chief Executive Steve Ballmer unveiled the new search engine at the All Things Digital conference in Carlsbad, Calif. The conference is sponsored by the All Things Digital Web site, which, like this newswire, is owned by News Corp. (NWSA). He also said that Windows 7, the next iteration of Microsoft’s ubiquitous operating system, might see faster adoption than Vista, the most current version.

Microsoft wanted to be better at Internet search but conceded that it might take years to gain market share, even with the new search product. A strong consumer brand for search was a good starting point.

Bing looks different from its predecessor and rivals’ search engines, with search results displayed on the left hand side of the Web page.
Bing targets four distinct categories of search: shopping, local, travel and health.

Each search will launch a more detailed range of search prompts by category, which attempt to narrow down the consumer’s choices.
Bing also introduces more non-textual content, such as video, to its user interface, And information such as customer service numbers more prominent in search results, and allows customers, by hovering over a search result, to preview a site. Introducing new categories to the search engine could help advertisers reach consumers more efficiently.

INTEX Hero mobile Comes with 45 days stand-by Battery Life Time

Intex Technologies has launched a mobile handset for rural India with 45 days battery life. The mobile handset comes with very useful features.

In rural areas where electricity outage is the norm, the 45 days standby time for the mobile phone is a feature that people cannot ignore. The mobile manufacturing companies are now devising new strategies to reach out India’s predominantly rural areas where mobile density is still low.

The newly launched mobile handset from Intex features:

*FM radio
*Camera
*Expandable memory
*MP3 audio player
*1000 contacts phonebook memory.

The phone comes equipped with a powerful 1800mAh rating battery the phone offers a talk time of 9 hours and 45 days stand-by battery life

This mobile handset is priced at Rs 2999 only.

Nokia 2730 classic Features

The Nokia 2730 classic comes Internet-ready, and works with Nokia’s range of emerging market services.

Today The power of the internet is undeniable. The mobile technologies catalyze the growth of the informal sector across the world, empowering local entrepreneurs and having an immediate and lasting impact on people’s lives.

Nokia 2730 classic supports Nokia Life Tools service. Nokia Life Tools is a service that enables people to make better informed decisions, find timely and relevant information, access learning opportunities and enjoy entertainment regardless of time or place.

Nokia 2730 classic is Nokia’s most affordable 3G phone offering faster access to the internet and a richer browsing experience. The Nokia 2730 classic is ideal for staying connected with friends and family.

This phone supports, SMS, Speed dialling for SMS sending, list of recently used numbers in message editor, multiple SMS deletion, EMS picture messaging (send and receive), MMS version 1.3, message size up to 300 kb, automatic resizing of images for MMS, Nokia Xpress audio messaging and common inbox for SMS and MMS messages.

The main features of Nokia 2730 classic:

– Dual-band UMTS support (either 900/2100 or 850/1900)
– 240 x 320 pixel display
– 2 megapixel camera
– microSD expandable memory (up to 2GB)
– BlueTooth
– comprehensive multimedia player
– FM radio
– 3.5mm audio socket
– Users can sign up for Ovi Mail on the phone
– maximum talktime from the 1020 mAh battery is up to 3.3 hours on 3G and 7.4 hours on GSM with around 17 days standby time
– Nokia 2730 classic is very lightweight just 88 grams.

Nokia 2730 Classic really does look very impressive. it is available in Black and Dark Magenta colour combinations. The Nokia 2730 classic is expected to start shipping in the third quarter of 2009.

Microsoft has released Visual Studio 2010 Beta and .NET Framework 4.0 Beta- Available For Downloads

Microsoft has released the first Beta version of its next-generation development platform and tools. Visual Studio 2010 Beta and .NET Framework 4.0 Beta are now available for download, in the first phase of broadening the testing process. For the time being, access to the Beta bits is limited to just MSDN subscribers.

The public downloads of Visual Studio 2010 Beta and .NET Framework 4.0 Beta are not that far behind. In fact, the software giant plans to start serving the Beta for the successors of Visual Studio 2008 and .NET Framework 3.5 tomorrow, May 20, 2009.

The .NET Framework is an integral Windows component that supports building and running the next generation of applications and Web services

The next generation of Microsoft’s development platforms and tools are synchronized with the evolution of the company’s software products. In this context, the focus with Visual Studio 2010 Beta and .NET Framework 4.0 Beta is on parallel programming, but also Cloud and web development. Developers will be able to enjoy an overhauled graphical user interface and leverage the results of Microsoft’s efforts to democratize Application Lifecycle Management via Visual Studio Team System 2010.

The Senior vice president in Developer Division S. Somasegar said that, if you are a MSDN subscriber, you can [already] download the Beta. For the rest of the world, the Beta will be publicly available on Wednesday. He also said that we have more work to do in terms of finishing up the feature work for some of the scenarios and getting to the right levels of quality and performance, but we have made enough progress that we wanted to start getting your feedback. As with any software development process, getting customer feedback in a timely manner helps us make better products. We are looking forward to hearing your feedback on this beta.

Bharti Airtel – The first Indian telecom to have 100 million users

Bharti Airtel, which launched its mobile operations in Delhi (1995). On Friday it announced that it has become the first Indian telecom to have 100 million users. Others which have achieved the milestone are China Mobile and China Unicom.

Bharti Airtel the country’s largest mobile phone operator looking at big-ticket acquisitions abroad in its quest to double its subscriber base, after it became the third Telecom in the world to have more than 100 million customers on a single network.

Bharti’s chairman Sunil Bharti Mittal said that If we focus on India alone, we will reach 200 million (users) in the next two-and-a-half years, but this will happen much faster if we make an acquisition.

The Singapore’s largest telecom operator SingTel, which owns 30% in Bharti, said that it would be happy to increase its holding in Bharti. Mr Mittal said he would play a global role within the company as it seeks to expand outside India. My job is to get 100 million from outside, while the Airtel team here will get the next 100 million from here. We want to take our success story, which is built on low cost, high volumes and high minutes of usage to the world.

On the ongoing controversy over the allocation of spectrum, the airwaves on which mobile signals travel, he said that the telco would have no objection if the government decided to allot this scarce resource through auctions.

Earlier this year, it hired German communications major T-Mobile’s chief technology officer Joachim Horn and just prior to that, it had roped in B Srikanth from Unilever UK and Shireesh Joshi from beverages and chips maker PepsiCo China. Bharti has been lining up top global talent of late and analysts say the hiring of these top executives could be an indication that the telecom is arming itself for a big-ticket acquisition.

Sony has announced the launch of the world’s thinnest LCD TV in India

Sony has announced the launch of the world’s thinnest LCD TV in India along with dozens of other new models to strengthen their current crop of offerings in the mid to high end segment.

The highlight of the launch was the announcement of the Bravia ZX1, which at 9.9mm happens to be the world’s thinnest 40″ LCD TV. And soon it will be on sale in India! Apart from being slim, this one is quite light as well, tipping the scales at just 15.5 kg..

The ZX1 features:

* Bravia Engine2
* Edge LED technology
* Motionflow 100Hz
* Image Blur reduction as image techniques to reproduce premium pictures with vivid and vibrant tonal range.
* TV supports a Full HD display resolution of 1920 X 1080 pixels.
* The Sony Bravia ZX1 actually consumes less power than a light bulb.
* For easy integration with compatible BRAVIA products, it comes with Theatre Sync and possesses outstanding audio enhancement features like a digital amplifier, S-Force Surround, voice zoom and Dolby digital plus.
* The TV comes packed with four independent HDMI inputs, a PC input, composite inputs, component inputs, USB connection, and a RGB compatible SCART input.
* Wireless HD enables the users to enjoy Full HD quality images without any messy wires or cables.

Apart from the ZX1, the company has also announced the addition of as many as fourteen new TV’s to the S, V, W and Z series. The new TV’s launched will be priced between the Rs. 16,000 and Rs. 2.99 lakh range and will range from 20″ entertainers to 50″ monsters. The price of the ZX1 is yet to be announced.

Sony has also announced that it will now completely stop the sale of CRT’s and is awaiting the exhaustion of stocks at its dealers to concentrate on LCD’s and large screen TV’s.

The company has also registered a considerable growth in the number of large screen TV sales over the past year.

New search tools For Google search platform – Google Squared

Google Tuesday unveiled search tools for its Google search platform which includes Google Search Options and Google Squared. And also quirky planetarium-type application for Google Android phones called SkyMap.

Google’s search products vice president Marissa Mayer told that Google’s Searchology event in Mountain View. Google was looking to make its search tools better, more specific and more sophisticated than ever before certainly a Google prerogative as the search giant looks to maintain its heavyweight status and put even more distance between itself and the competition.

Google’s new tools also might say a lot about what it perceives its market-share competition to be. Google Search Options, for example, allows users to “slice and dice” data according to different metrics, including how recently certain page results were updated. The flavor there? Realtime. And realtime, as everybody knows is something associated with platforms like Twitter and other social networking services. Last month, Google-to-buy-Twitter rumorl was churning at full speed, one of the key selling points, observers noted at the time, was that having a Twitter-like platform in its stable would push Google toward a realtime search engine capability.

Another new features is Google Squared which search, creates a spreadsheet of information on a particular topic, allowing the user a visual and line-by-line comparison of various results. Drawing together a broad collection of comparable data points, not just listing search results, is a key characteristic of WolframAlpha, the new search tool created by Mathematica idea man Stephen Wolfram. Google seems to fear competition from WolframAlpha about as much as it did Cuil, the sputtering search engine launched last summer by ex-Google employees. But Google’s interest in a similar approach to WolframAlpha also sends a clear message to potential Google challengers that they’d better get even more creative as Mountain View looks to stay ahead.

Hitwise also noted in its report that longer search queries are becoming more popular with the average search now employing three words or more – key piece of information to consider as Google and its rivals continue to tweak their search engines. The research firm Hitwise submitted search engine traffic data for April that suggests Google’s lead in the market continues to widen. According to Hitwise, nearly 73 percent of all online searches in the U.S. in April were through Google. Yahoo clocked in for April at 16.27 percent, Microsoft’s MSN Search claimed 5.68 percent and Ask.com claimed 3.95 percent.

Samsung- A touch for every lifestyle

The new Samsung Star S5230 and the Samsung Preston S5600 which have been launched. These phones join the popular line of touch screen cell phones. These phones are 2.5G and 3G respectively and both of them utilize Samsung’s TouchWiz GUI. The S5230 sports a 3-inch WQVGA display whereas the S5600 sports a 2.8-inch QVGA panel. They both brag of compact design and intuitive usability.

The Samsung Star S5230 measures a mere 11.9mm in thickness. It has a 3.2 megapixel camera for crystal clear pictures. It is capable of recording QVGA resolution videos at up to 15 fps. It has an internal storage of 50Mb which can be further expanded to 8GB via a memory card slot. There exists an accelerometer to flip between portrait and landscape orientations. The presence of an on-screen QWERTY keyboard aids texting and emailing. Additionally, there is handwriting recognition for ease-of-use. The Photo Contact option allows users to call a contact by simply touching an appointed image.

It also supports multi-format and DNSe to make it user-friendly and for better audio quality. Through Shazam’s Find Musicservice the phonefeatures music recognition. Browsing the Internet is easy with the accelerometer sensor for auto-rotation. In addition, the product arrives in several colors including Soft pink and Snow white.

Samsung expands its A touch for every lifestyle strategy .
The Samsung Preston S5600 shares many similar features with the Samsung Star S5230 such as camera, accelerometer and PMP functionality. However it has added benefits like 7.2Mbps HSDPA connectivity and 80MB of standard memory and also with an 8GB-capable card slot. Favorite applications can be accessed with ease. It features music recognition using Shazams Find Music service and Multi-codec support including H.263, MPEG4, and WMV. Samsung Preston will be available in an assortment of colors including Sweet pink, Snow white, and Charcoal grey colors.

People from Eastern Europe, Latin America, Middle East Africa, South East Asia and South West Asia will get to view a new television commercial for Samsung Star from end of May .It will be available in Europe and Asia from May. Again, there has been no mention about the pricing. However it is expected that the pricing will be reasonable considering the fact that high-speed data connection is not available. To add on to their pride, two million handsets have already been pre-ordered according to Samsung.
Focusing on consumer-oriented strategy, Samsung will deliver various full touch products for every lifestyle.

Facebook in Indian Language

In order to gain some more footing from Indian citizens, Facebook has launched the local language version (translated) in Hindi, Punjabi, Bengali, Telugu, Tamil and Malayalam. Users can change language settings through the ‘settings’ tab or through the language option on their Facebook homepage.

facebook1

Facebook looks towards expanding its over 200 million user base by reaching out to the vast Internet user community in local languages in India. Hindi, Punjabi, Bengali, Telugu, Tamil and Malayalam are the languages being offered.

However, Facebook is not yet enabled for transliteration ie conversion of English script into phonetics of other languages. The move is expected to bring in a substantial rise in Facebook users.

Orkut still leads the social networking race India, and with this Facebook hopes to connect to the Indian audience on a more local level.