IndiaRant

Nokia N95 Review

2008-03-24T19:16:00.003+05:30

The best feature that will strike you about N95 is when you slide the display up, the number pad is visible and it can be used like any other phone and when you slide the display down, the music buttons show up with the display changing to landscape with all the audio features.
It has the standard music player which can be controlled by the slide-out buttons or you can use the directional pad and other front-side buttons to control the music playing action.
The album art is a bit difficult to get started with for someone who is not used to digging into the file system and moving things around, but it can be fixed.
You might run into a little bit of a problem while browsing or viewing a ton of photos or videos might break while the music player is playing at the background.
SanDisk has proclaimed on its web site that its 4 GB micro-SDHC card is compatible with this phone.
Photo gallery is pleasantly user-friendly interface. The Gallery program lists all the photos and videos that can be found in the phone’s internal memory and on the memory card.
The messaging option is a bit of a master-of-all kind of application. It can do SMS and MMS message, and can also be configured to grab your email from a POP or IMAP account.
You might run into a little bit of a trouble with GPS unless you have a firmware update. Battery life will suffer when using the GPS, but then again, if you are not in a car, you won’t need it.

Source[Nokia]

PS3 Firmware update

2008-03-20T17:28:00.002+05:30

PS3 firmware v2.20 update!!! What now? This update will make your PS3 Blue-ray Disc Profile 2.0 (aka BD-Live) compliant. Another AWESOME feature is Resume Play - begin playing a DVD or BD disc from the point where you previously stopped it, even if you eject the disc and insert a different movie or game. I will love this feature!!!! And another interesting feature is that the Internet browser now displays some web pages faster. In addition [Save Target] has been added as an option under file. This option lets you save a file that is linked to a web page to your PS3 hard drive or storage media.

According to Sony, the update should be available in a few days

Source[Sony]

Flash the Iphone

2008-03-19T19:37:00.004+05:30

Despite Steve's "HELL NO!", Adobe is developing a Flash player for the iPhone. Adobe's CEO, Shantanu Narayen said to the WSJ that they have evaluated the software developer tools and they think they can develop an iPhone Flash player on their own. A Flash player plug-in for Safari, however, would be much more difficult, if not impossible with the current SDK. But there are other possibilities, from a development point of view, which could actually be better for iPhone users.
[Editor's note: The iPhone SDK limits what applications can do, and doesn't provide with a plug-in architecture for Safari, which is an application that Apple wants to keep as lean and stable as possible. There are, however, many possibilities open that could make this happen.
First, perhaps the most unlikely, Apple could provide Adobe with the framework they need to do a Safari plug-in. Even while Apple doesn't want to develop or license Flash from Adobe, they could be happy to enable the possibility. It won't be the first time that Apple has given Adobe this kind of special treatment: in the past, the Cupertino company had provided with special code to accomodate the migration of Photoshop into Mac OS X, and one could argue that Flash on the Internet is as important as Photoshop on the Mac.
The other possibility—which could be closer to reality—is that Flash in the iPhone could be a stand-alone player, just like Quicktime is now: a player that could be launched when you click on Flash content in Safari. While it may not sound perfect, as some Flash content works alongside HTML, this will easily put the majority of Flash content in the hands of iPhone users. And instead of having to work within the limitations of Safari, the player will fully enjoy the possibilities of running stand-alone, with a dedicated interface, and full access to the the hardware, running at full screen.
This last option will not require any major changes on Apple's part. The acknowledgement of Flash and Shockwave content in pages will be enough, adding a play button over it to launch the player which will grab these resources, being video or fully interactive applications. —Jesús Díaz] [WSJ]

Google Search, now a button away on S60

2008-02-25T09:22:00.005+05:30

Move over Yahoo, Google is here. This might sound welcome to many, including me, but sour news for Yahoo indeed. What makes this even more alluring is the tighter integration of Google than Yahoo, which can be accessed simply by hitting the "pencil" key, used normally for copy/paste functions on most S60 devices. The new application will place a search box shortcut on the phone's idle screen and pressing the pencil key will bring up a search box. Sadly, this application is only available right now for a handful of cell phones like the N78, 6210 Navigator, 6220 Classic, and the new N96. But there is hope as Nokia promises to progressively implement Google search in over 100 countries around the world.

Edit: Forgot to add the URL. Head over to mobile.google.com on your supported device to get it!

new ads for mastercard

2008-02-15T19:19:00.001+05:30

hi

here is the transcripts of some new mastercard priceless moments ads.

two roundtrip tickets to the uk 1,30,000/- rs.
limousine ride from the airport to the hotel 1700/- rs.
two tickets to the amusement park 2000/- rs.
watching the expression on their faces when you introduce them to your gay spouse, priceless.

one pair of cricket pads 1200/- rs.
one pair of cricket gloves 600/- rs.
one protective helmet 3000/- rs.
the painfull lesson learnt from saving money on the abdomen guard, priceless.

one bottle of vodka 460/- rs.
half a bottle of whiskey 140/- rs.
fine at the court for drinking and driving 1300/- rs.
watching the expression, when you blow your alcohol scented breath, on cops face, priceless.

5 days stay at a holiday resort for 30 mla's 10 lakhs.
flight charges from bangalore to delhi for 30 mla's 15 lakhs.
money spent on bribing mla's 30 crores.
watching the expression on yeddyurappa's face, priceless.

money spent on kaho naa pyar hai 5 crores.
money spent on gadar ek prem kahani 4 crores.
acting lessons for amisha patel, useless.

one metre of rope 100/- rs.
one roll of duct tape 20/- rs.
to see the rope tied around sidhu and his mouth taped, priceless.

one plate of mutton biriyani 80/- rs.
one plate of chicken kabab 65/- rs.
one plate of ginger chicken 60/- rs.
the constipated look your face the next morning, well i can put a price on that.

here is some food for thought, what do men fear more than vd (venereal disease). scroll down for answer. Hint : it is also an acronym.

ed (erectile dysfunction).
chet

CK800, Sonim XP1's rival from China

2008-01-05T09:17:00.000+05:30

Sonim Technologies released the indestructible XP1 some time ago, but the Chinese look to give it some serious competition with their CK800. The CK800 strongphone, if you can call it that, can take falls, remain underwater, and come out of all that unscathed and still working. Another welcome feature would be its ability to be charged with a portable AA-battery charger. It is the perfect phone if you are the outdoor-kinda guy and can't handle a cell phone without breaking it.

No word on pricing and availability though.

CameraPhonePlaza

Tech2's PS3 Contest

2008-01-01T20:08:00.000+05:30

Tech2 is known to have been generous in handing out a few goodies to us deprived and it's keeping that tradition alive with "Win a PS3" contest, where you get to win a 40GB Playstation 3 and a copy of the PS3 game, Uncharted: Drake's Fortune!

To win, like always, decrypt the code that is hidden in three articles on Tech2 about Uncharted: Drake's Fortune, a cool new game for the PS3 and head over to the contest page to fill a form and you are all set to while away your precious time in 2008 being lazy and playing games!

Good luck! Head over here for the details and here for the contest page.

Source: Tech2

Happy New Year!

2008-01-01T19:14:00.000+05:30

IndiaRant wishes a Happy New Year to all its readers and anybody who sees this. Sorry about not posting for the past three days, was out on vacation. We had a good time and hope you guys are having fun too!

Here's to hoping that 2008 will be a good year for IndiaRant. As a step forward, I would like to invite any writers out there who are interested in contributing to IndiaRant. If you have a good sense of humor and a passion for cool gadgets, mail me and we can take it further.

Have a good year guys!!

ASUS readies M930W, no E90 killer

2007-12-27T10:09:00.000+05:30

ASUS's foray into to the mobile market might be recent but it's gaining more steam and is starting to give some serious competition to the already established players in the mobile industry. You might remember the phones already available in India from ASUS, all based on Windows Mobile. The latest product from ASUS's loins is the M930W with its sleek, a la communicator looks. Although it looks almost similar to the Nokia's successful business phone, E90, the basic and the most important difference is its operating system, namely Windows Mobile 6.0 Professional compared to E90's Symbian S60 operating system. It also sports the similar flip-open form factor with both an external and internal screen.

It boasts a powerful Marvel PXA270M 520MHz processor, 256MB ROM, and 128MB RAM. On the connectivity side, it passes the test with Triband GSM (900/1800/1900) network compatibility, GPRS, EDGE, UMTS, HSDPA at 3.6Mbps, Bluetooth 2.0 +EDR, WiFi in b and g flavors, and miniUSB. Expansion is possible by way of microSDHC slot. The full QWERTY keypad is welcome and the D-pad looks promising.

The biggest and most significant drawback is its internal screen, which is just a wee bit bigger than the external display. Why ASUS decided to waste so much space inside is anybody's guess.

There is no information on its availability or pricing yet, but be sure that this baby will hit Indian shores after it takes a trip to Europe or the USA.

Source: Symbian Freak

Pymoneta, make money roll

2007-12-26T09:42:00.000+05:30

The ubiquitous accelerometer Nokia put into its N95 and N95 8GB makes yet another appearance, this time in the form of Pymoneta. Of no real use except to show off a coin trick to impress friends, if you are below 14.

You can download it here

Source: Mobiles News

Christmas Time!

2007-12-23T08:35:00.000+05:30

'Tis the time to celebrate life and gadgets! And what better way to celebrate and spread the joy than with lights and some geeky Jingle Bells music? Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays folks! :D

Source: Spluch

Is this the Nokia N96?

2007-12-21T09:04:00.001+05:30

Pictures of what is purported to be Nokia N96 have surfaced on the net. It doesn't look much different than N81, except may be a bit bulkier. The pop-up stand in one of the pics is intriguing, a digital TV tuner included perhaps? Also, looking closely at the pics of its behind, you can make out that it houses a 5-megapixel cam. The UI looks similar to the upcoming S60 3rd Edition, Feature Pack 2. Even if this is the real N96, we will have to wait for Nokia's official announcement to be enlightened about its specs and the mysteries under its hood.

Sources: SlashPhone & IntoMobile

Nokia 6300, now available in black

2007-12-19T10:27:00.000+05:30

Nokia's popular 6300 is now ready to woo you with it's all-black sleek look. The specs will mostly be the same with S40 operating system, mini-USB support, EDGE, FM Radio, and a 2-mpx camera. Incidentally, 6300 was the highest selling mobile from Nokia in 2007.

Source: Mobiles News

Outrageously Funny Commericals

2007-12-18T11:15:00.000+05:30

You are gonna love every one of these! :D

Source: Spluch

Nokia planning a triple slider?

2007-12-18T10:29:00.000+05:30

A three-way slider with a full QWERTY keyboard is a great idea, if they could really get it work. Nokia has filed a patent application for a "layered mobile device," which would enable the keypad to slide either way like the N95 and another QWERTY keyboard similar to many of the HTC designs. Nokia could well be on the way to create a true multimedia computer, just like they have been proclaiming all along, if this design ever get off the papers.

Source: UnWiredView

Student punished being smarter than teacher

2007-12-18T10:24:00.000+05:30

Being smart does have its perks, but then there are those times when you have to put up with less smarter people who have a lot more authority. This was the case for a class 11 student of Big Spring High School in Newville, Pennsylvania, USA. The student got detention for using Firefox instead of Internet Explorer and trying to persuade his teacher that Firefox was just a better browser and he wasn't doing anything wrong. Click on the pic below to enlarge it.

Source: BoyGeniusReport

emTube for N95

2007-12-18T09:43:00.000+05:30

After By Samir's YTPlayer, emTube is another application that has surfaced on the net, specifically designed for YouTube and Symbian OS 3rd Edition devices.

With emTube, you can now watch YouTube videos on the move provided you have a better connection than GPRS. Of the two versions available, one makes use of the N95's useful accelerometer to orient videos to landscape on tilting the device, and the other version lets you just watch videos. It is known to work flawlessly with the latest devices such as the N95 or E65. I tried it on a N73 and could not play back videos with the application. There is an option to download the videos to your mobile phone, but when I tried to download a video, I get an "error during network operation: 303." This might have been due to my crappy EDGE connection (we Indians have got to get 3G soon!!!) Once downloaded, you can watch them with your flash player hopefully. According to All About Symbian, there were no problems like these on the N95.

You can download both the versions here.

Source: All About Symbian

Chinese iPhone

2007-12-15T10:52:00.000+05:30

Those nifty Chinese people can't seem to control their urge to reverse-engineer just about every gadget released. The long list includes Nintendo Wii (called Vii), Nokia N95 (called NokLa N95), PlayStation and more recently Meizu's M8, which blatantly rips off the iPhone. Now, another Chinese manufacturer looks to take it up a notch with yet another iPhone copycat, with an almost similar user interface, a touchscreen display, the same kind of accelerometer to switch from portrait to landscape mode with just a tilt. One dandy feature we could appreciate is the shake to answer a call feature.

Source: Gizmodo

Android, the first ever video demo!

2007-12-14T16:49:00.000+05:30

A funny video showing how Google could you know screen our calls and insert ads there too! :D

Source: UnWiredView

TV on the go by Spice

2007-12-14T14:15:00.000+05:30

Spice is offering up to 13 TV channels to its subscribers including NDTV, Times Now, Zoom, Bindaas, and Cartoon Network. Spice customers can also watch the forthcoming ICL Cricket matches live on their mobile phones. It supports up to 50 mobile phones including the Nseries, S60v2 devices, and Sony Ericsson's K, Z, W series phones.

By messaging "SPICE TV" to 50789 or calling *789#, users can get the Spice TV app on to their mobile phones, although I don't see a point in watching TV at GPRS speeds with all the buffering and other delays while actually watching it.

Source: TechGadgets

Make Money with Moola

2007-12-14T11:17:00.001+05:30

Moola is a cool new site with a twist, you get paid for playing games and winning them.

There is also an option to earn play money by using their own customized Google Search Engine. Have fun and make money at the same time!

I have got a 100 invites to give away so click here to register

Video recording now possible on iPhone

2007-12-14T10:14:00.000+05:30

Only Jobs knows what he was thinking while releasing iPhone without the standard video recording feature, but iPhone hackers save the day once again continuing the work where Apple left off. Granted, it's much now recording at a mediocre 15 frames per second but hey, this only means things will get better :D

Start drooling iPhone fanboys, here is the video.

Let your mobile buy your clothes

2007-12-14T09:59:00.000+05:30

Imagine a mobile phone that helps you buy clothes, without getting into a busy store? Nice huh? How about furniture too?

Nokia is trying to make this a reality with a new phone they are developing, which uses image recognition to identify the picture of an item clicked a pic of in a store. The phone then loads the store's internet site and you can buy the item online. This item will then be delivered to you in 24 hours. Another handy feature could be its built-in translator which scans menus and helps you decipher all those foreign dishes for you.

Source: Spluch

MOTOMING2 released

2007-12-14T09:50:00.000+05:30

MOTOMING2 (A1600) is going to hit the shelves in February with a few improvements over its predecessor, the original MOTOMING (A1200).

The A1600 Linux-based smartphone gets a faster processor, a 3.2mpx cam with LED flash, GPRS (huh!?!), Assisted GPS, and the ever-welcome addition of Wi-Fi. There are also three games thrown in for your itchy fingers.

Make it yours in February 2008.

Source: UnWiredView

Get YouTube on your Symbian phone

2007-12-13T08:31:00.000+05:30

By Samir seems to working wonders on a daily basis. After Nokmote, YTplayer is another amazing application that lets you watch YouTube on the go, on your phone. You will need to have Flashlite 3 installed on your Symbian phone for this to work as it's a .swf file. It's still a beta project and limited in functionality but leave it Samir to finish it pretty soon!

Let's hope By Samir continues to churn out more Symbian goodies and as always we will gobble them the moment they are online!

You can download the beta version here.

Source: AllAboutSymbian & By Samir