HTC Sensation XL Launched In India For Rs.39,990

Last week, HTC launched the HTC Sensation XE smartphone in India. It is the company’s first smartphone to sport the Beats Audio tag. Today, HTC launched another smartphone in its popular Sensation family, the HTC Sensation XL. This handset runs on the latest Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) Operating System and the device is bundled with the Beats audio headphones.

“With Beats Audio, the HTC Sensation XL continues HTC’s commitment of delivering the best audio possible on your phone whether you’re listening to music, watching a movie or playing a game,” said Faisal Siddiqui, Country Head, HTC India.“This is an amazing example of why our partnership with Beats makes so much sense for customers today and into the future.”

HTC Sensation XL features a 4.7 inch WVGA display, sporting a resolution of 480 x 800 pixels, 1.5 Ghz Qualcomm MSM 8255 processor, Adreno 205GPU, Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) OS, HTC Sense 3.5 UI, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, 8 megapixel camera with two LED flash, HD (720p) video recording capabilities, 1.3 megapixel front-facing camera for video calls and so on.

It also comes with a 3.5mm headset jack, stereo FM radio with RDS, 768 MB RAM, 16 GB internal memory, microSD card slot, 32 GB expandable memory, Android Market, Bluetooth 3.0, HTC Sync, GPS with A-GPS, 3G Connectivity and a 1600 mAh battery.

HTC Sensation XL integrates HTC Watch, an application and service that allows you to watch an entire library of the latest premium movies and TV shows. HTC Sensation XL comes with a price tag of Rs.39,990, but you can easily get this handset for a Best Buy price of Rs.38,799.

Smartphone on Four Wheels: Fun Vii

Toyota has unveiled the Fun Vii. It’s a fun concept car that has brought in a new twist into the conservative auto industry. Vii stands for “Vehicle Fun Interactive Internet.” Though media is a very impotrant part of our culture today, being inspired  by these social media concepts that define the very world that we live in is nothing new. But apply these concepts on a car and you have some zing. The Tokyo Motor Show 2011, which is just around the corner, has given its theme as  ”Mobility can change the world” that was used as an inspiration by Toyota for the Vii.

Toyota based its car on a smartphone for this project, which has allowed them to make radical changes on our normal perceptions of a “car”. So it still runs on four wheels and all that, but there are these few cosmetic changes that will affect our perceptions. For example, consider the touch-screen door.

Ready for more? No more one-color only for your car. With the Vii, you can customize the car’s exterior aka the wallpaper.

The Vii brings the network inside your car. You will be able to communicate with everything fromlocation services for instructions to other smart phones (the ones without four wheels) using the Vii’s inbuilt assistant. For example, you can turn on the air conditioning before you enter the car.  How cool is that?

It could have been just another electric car produced by just another very fuel-efficient company. Toyota’s hybrid cars have been a hit all over the world for their fuel-efficiency, cost, and reliability. The Vii is an example of how we can look at a standard a bit differently. Though, there are no official plans from Toyota about the launch of the Vii, the public reaction to their concept car will be a likely litmus test to determine just how soon the Vii will hit our roads. That day is one that I do look forward to with much anticipation.

Nokia 603 To Soon Get A Firmware Update

Nokia will soon start rolling out a new firmware update for its recently released handset, the Nokia 603. This is the first firmware update for the handset since its release, so users should not expect some major changes. In all probability, the update is aimed at fixing some bugs with the firmware the phone released with.

The new firmware update carries the version no 111.030.0607, and will be rolled out via OTA (Over-The-Air) and Nokia Suite.

Nokia 603 owners are recommended to create a backup of their phone’s data, even though the handset supports User Data Preservation, just in case things go wrong.

According to Symbian Tweet, a new Symbian Belle firmware update will also be available for all other Belle running handsets. At the moment the change-log is still unknown, so not much can be said about the changes these new firmware updates will bring.

Nokia will soon be also rolling out firmware updates for the N8, C7, C6-01 and the E7. The new firmware update will bring the latest version of Symbian – Belle – to these handsets. The update is scheduled to be released sometime before 2011 ends.

Nokia C7′s Symbian Belle Firmware Leaks

After the launch of the iPhone back in 2007, Nokia which is one of the largest mobile handset manufacturers in the world, has been having a pretty rough time.  Symbian OS, which has been powering the Finnish company’s handsets for quite a few years now, came under heavy criticism.

Earlier, the company tried to somehow adapt the non-touch Symbian OS with the S60v5 OS release. However, after heavy criticism the company went back to the drawing board and released Symbian^3. The new OS was much faster than its predecessor, but still lacked some basic functionalities and had an inconsistent UI. Nokia followed Symbian^3 with Symbian Anna, which brought some much needed changes including a faster browser, and more consistent UI.

Symbian Anna was succeeded by Belle, which brings a new notification bar, new keyboard, an improved camera UI and some minor UI tweaks. While Nokia has already released some Symbian Belle running handsets, the company has promised that it will update its older Symbian^3 handsets like the C7, N8 and the E7 to Belle as well.

The Belle update is scheduled to be released sometime before 2011 ends. While Nokia N8, C6-01 and E7 owners still need to wait patiently for the Belle update, curious C7 owners can enjoy the latest Symbian update on their handset by flashing a leaked Belle firmware for their handsets. C7 owners need to use the Phoenix tool to flash the leaked firmawre file on their handset.

Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 Android 3.2 Honeycomb Update Rolling Out Again!

Samsung has again started rolling out the Android 3.2 Honeycomb update for the Galaxy Tab 10.1 Wi-Fi edition in the United States.The company had originally rolled out the update last week, but had to pull it back since it broke Wi-Fi functionality for most users who installed the update.

The Android 3.2 Honeycomb update does not bring much visual changes, but does bring a noticeable improvement in the performance stability of the Tab. Google has also tweaked the GPU drivers in this update, so Tab 10.1 owners should expect to see a notable improvement in the gaming department and benchmarks as well. Other than this, the update also brings a compatibility mode for unsupported apps, ala the iPad’s 2x mode for iPhone specific apps.

The update is rolling out via OTA (Over-The-Air), and should hit all Tab 10.1 owners in the next couple of weeks. Tab 10.1 owners, who have installed the previous broken Honeycomb build, need to download the update manually via KIES and then install it on the tablet manually.

This is the last Android 3.x related update for the Galaxy Tab 10.1. Tab Owners should expect the latestversion of Android, Ice Cream Sandwich, to land on their tablet sometime in late-Q1 of 2012.

Samsung Galaxy S Gets A Working Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich Based ROM

With the Ice Cream Sandwich code going public a few days ago, it was just a matter of time before Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich ROMs were available for some of the popular Android phones. Yesterday, we reported that the Samsung Galaxy S2 got its first Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich based ROM, and today, its predecessor, the Galaxy S gets a working ICS ROM.

The ROM is still in alpha stages, but the developers are working very hard on making the ROM stable enough so that it can be used as a daily driver. Compared to the Samsung Galaxy S2 Ice Cream Sandwich ROM, most of the stuffs are working in the Galaxy S ICS ROM.

Calls, SMS, Hardware Acceleration, Audio, Touch, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and Android Market work flawlessly on the ROM. What does not work though is GPS, Camera, Ext. SD and video recorder.

Interested Galaxy S owners can find the download link, and the installation instructions here. They can also find more information about the ROM here.

Sony Ericsson Confirms Its 2011 Range of Xperia Handsets Will Get the Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich Update

Sony Ericsson has confirmed in a blog post that their 2011 range of Xperia handsets will be getting the Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich update. The 2011 range of Xperia handsets include the Arc S, Arc, Play, Neo, Neo V, Xperia Mini, Mini Pro, Xperia Active, Xperia Ray and the recently released Live with Walkman. The company did not mention as to when the update will be available for the handsets. Users should not expect the update to be available anytime before early next year.

All Sony Ericsson handset owners out there will definitely appreciate this move from the company. It is also nice to see that Sony Ericsson have learnt from their mistakes in the past. The company was heavily criticized for launching the Xperia X10 back in 2010 with an outdated version of Android, and then taking ages release the Android 2.1 Éclair update. Finally the company stop providing further Android updates for the phone, while the handset was clearly powerful enough to run Android 2.2 FroYo and Android 2.3. After a lot of criticism, the company did a U-turn and released the Android 2.3 Gingerbread update for the X10, but only for the unlocked and un-branded variants.

Nevertheless, it is nice to see Sony improving on its disastrous image of Android OS updates for their handsets. Now, only if the company could match other Android manufacturers in terms of raw hardware specifications!

LG Optimus 3D Android 2.3 Gingerbread Update Coming Next Week!

LG Optimus 3D finally gets the Android 2.3 Gingerbread treatment

It's hard to believe LG's Optimus 3D still hasn't joined the 2.3 Gingerbread party after all this time, having spent the past few months getting cosy with 2.2 Froyo. That all changes today, with the Optimus 3D getting a much needed Gingerbread 2.3 injection.

With HTC's Evo 3D rocking Gingerbread flavoured innards since its launch, we just can't believe it's taken LG this long to update its first third dimensional, glasses-free smartie – allowing HTC to take the lead in the 3D smartphone race.

Now that the long-overdue Gingerbread update has taken place, Optimus 3D users can expect improved multimedia capabilities, enhanced power management and network speed, improved web browsing, as well as handy copy and paste capabilities. Its 3D features have been given a bump, too, with a 3D video editor for creating and editing both 2D and 3D videos on the phone, which also throws up full-screen preview modes and improved video stabilisation. 

With this new bevy of features Optimus-bound, it'll almost make your phone feel brand new. But with Ice Cream Sandwich about to flaunt its wares on Google's Galaxy Nexus and Motorola's RAZR, you'd be forgiven for thinking of your new Gingerbread OS as being pretty old hat. Still, just be thankful your 3D phone isn't still mired in Froyo.

Windows Phone Apps of the Week

Every week I pick three of my favorite Windows Phone apps. I include both paid and free apps as well as games. If you are an app developer and want me to feature your app here, drop me a line.

Yammer

If you are on Yammer, you really wanted this app. If you aren’t, you still won’t bother. Yammer is a private, secure social network for your company. We, at Techie Buzz, are big fans of Yammer and we use it to connect with other authors and editors to share ideas and broadcast information. Plus we bitch about other blogs.

The Windows Phone app works well, and includes Live Tiles notification for new messages. The performance could be better and you’ll note sluggishness if your network is fairly active with frequent posts. One big annoyance of the app is the inability to view files attached with the posts, including images and documents.

Business | Free | 1MB | Download

Jet Car Stunts WP

Jet Car Stunts is an addictive, 3D driving game with massive jumps, mid-air hoops, floating platforms, spiral roadways,and outlandish maneuvers in impossible environments. Jet Car Stunts for Windows Phone features over 70 levels spread across three game modes:

• Platforming – Just get to the finish line
• Time Trial – Race against the clock
• Freestyle – Perform stunts for score

Jet Car Stunts is not the usual car racing game but tests your stunt skills. The game gets interesting as you figure out new moves and stunts to execute, and of course needs a lot of patience. While the controls are pretty good, the game graphics are nothing to write home about. Great game, and worth the price.

Sprint’s Epic 4G Android 2.3 Gingerbread Update Rolling Out Now

Sprint has finally started rolling out the Android 2.3 Gingerbread update for the Samsung Epic 4G. The update comes weeks after Google announced the much awaited successor to Gingerbread, Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. The European version of the Galaxy S also got its Gingerbread update nearly 5 months ago. Better late than never, eh Sprint and Samsung?

Apart from the bump in the Android version, the update also brings some bug fixes, and other Gingerbread goodies like a Download manager app, improved copy & paste functionality and much more.

Below is the full change-log for the update -:

Enhancements/Fixes:

- Upgrade of the Google OS from Froyo to Gingerbread (Android 2.3)

- Audible Sprint AIRAVE™ notifications when answering call

- SMS messages sent without area code

- PRL and Profile update

- EAS (Exchange Activesync) email displaying HTML

- Bluetooth headset sound improvements

- Fully visible date on device lock screen

Sprint is the first U.S carrier to roll out the Android update for its variant of the Galaxy S. AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon’s variant of the Galaxy S are still stuck with Android 2.2 (FroYo), with no official time frame as to when they will get the update. An Android 2.3.4 based firmware did leak for the AT&T Captivate and the T-Mobile’s Vibrant, confirming that the update is under works for these handsets.

Nokia N9 PR1.1 Update Is Now Live!

Nokia has started rolling out a new software update – PR 1.1 – for the recently released N9, as it promised a couple of weeks ago.

The new PR1.1 update brings with it a noticeable improvement in the performance of the phone, along with improved memory/RAM management. It also includes the popular swiping keyboard - Swype. There are also some visual changes including music controls for lock screen, shadows for toolbar and much more.

There are a lot of system level changes including low power mode enhancements, NFC and connectivity improvements, and an improved color profile for the AMOLED screen. The PR 1.1 update also brings with it lots of bug fixes including the popular notification LED bug. The camera app has also been updated and now includes  color filters.

The update is available via OTA, and N9 users will be notified when the update hits their phone. Alternatively, they can manually check for the update by going to Settings->Applications->Manage Applications.

Nokia is also working on a PR 1.2 update for the N9, which will bring some much needed features like system-wide copy and paste functionality, more visual changes, and deeper integration of Nokia Maps with the core system apps like contacts etc. Nokia has not specified anything as to when the PR1.2 update will be rolled out to N9 owners.

Asus Transformer Prime Unveiled; World’s First Tegra 3 Tablet

Asus has just unveiled the successor to the Transformer, the Transformer Prime. The Prime will be the first ever tablet in the world to feature Nvidia’s Tegra 3 quad-core, technically ‘five cores’, processor. The Prime is one of the slimmest Android tablet around at only 8.3mm thick, and weighs only a mere 586gms.

 

The Prime wil also boast of a 10.1-inch Super-IPS+ LCD display, with 1280×800 resolution. Asus promises that the display will have a viewing angle of 178 degrees, and will also provide up to 600 bits of brightness when at max brightness. The display is protected by Corning’s Gorilla glass, and there is also an oleophobic coating so as to prevent fingerprints. Other key features of the Prime include 1GB of RAM, 32/64GB of internal memory, a microSD card slot, Bluetooth 2.1, Wi-Fi b/g/n, GPS with A-GPS, micro-HDMI port, and a bunch of sensors.

Even though its a tablet, Asus has installed an 8MP camera with F2.4 aperture at the back, with an LED flash. There is also a 1.3MP camera in the front for video-conferencing. The Prime is physically smaller and lighter than its predecessor, and yet manages to pack in bigger speakers. Asus quotes the battery life of the Transformer at a staggering 12 hours while continuously playing back 1080p videos, which increases to a whopping 18 hours when the keyboard dock is connected.

The Prime will ship with Android 3.2 Honeycomb on-board, and will get the Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich update shortly after its launch via an OTA update. The 32GB version of the Prime will cost $499, while the 64GB version will cost $599. This makes the Prime $100 costlier than its predecessor, but it is also lighter, slimmer and much faster than the Transformer.  The Asus Transformer Prime is expected to hit the shelves sometime next month in the U.S.

Google TV vs Internet Ready TV

Google has always maintained an edge over every domain it gets it’s hands on, be it gadgets, apps or devices. Now it is time for TV. Internet ready TVs have been available in the market for a long time. Google, in a collaboration with electronics manufacturer Sony Inc, microchip maker Intel, and computer component giant Logitech, announced the launch of Google TV last October. Read on for our guide to help you choose from a variety of Internet ready TV sets and Google TV.

Features of an Internet ready TV

1. Internet Access:
The newly minted, technologically advanced television sets in stores now have Internet access for sure, but the best ones come with an inbuilt Wi-Fi set up. Every single television offers different apps from other. So, a user needs to be pin point his specific needs. For example, if you are a frequent user of social networking websites like Facebook or Twitter, you need to select a television that offers those apps.

2. TV specifications:
Even being an Internet ready TV, it is still a TV and one needs to select among specifications like screen resolution, screen refresh speed, audio and picture quality.

3. Perfectly synchronized:
An Internet ready TV should be able to synchronize television features smoothly with Internet options. Some companies offer two remotes, one for TV and other for Internet options. A single fully functional remote is also offered by some, which might keep some users happy but confuse others.

Features of Google TV

1. Google TV leads on:
Google TV incorporates all the above features that are offered by Internet ready TV and adds the following features.

2. Television meets search engine:
Google has integrated its search engine competency with television features better than anyone else in the market. They have made it easy for users to browse the entire web at the press of a button.

3. Apps are apt
Most other Internet TVs can’t match the list and number of apps that Google offers in its television.

4. Mobile: the new remote
You can control your TV with an application installed on your mobile phone. Google has synced mobile with your TV as a remote. You can operate with a traditional remote too.

5. Personalize your Internet
‘In Private’ browsing option offers you a private session over internet, so that your browsing history is not saved. The home screen is customizable as well. You can set your homepage, favorite apps, channels and websites. You can also save bookmarks and manage history.

6. Dual view
This is for those people who wish to keep their hands and eyes on both Internet and TV simultaneously. This feature allows you to do a web search and chat while watching television.

7. Search and record
Dish network subscribers are offered a premium feature which allows them to search for a television event. It will be recorded at the time of broadcast.

Asus Transformer Gets a Software Update

Asus has started rolling out a new software update for one of the most popular Honeycomb running tablet – the Transformer. The update is aimed at mainly fixing the bugs found in the current software of the Transformer, including the abnormal battery consumption issue. The update also introduces an application named ‘App Backup’, which allows users to backup their installed apps and games.

One handy feature of the app is that it allows you to restore the backup on another Asus tablet. Looks like Asus wants to make sure Transformer users are easily able to upgrade to the Transformer Prime. Below is the full change-log of the update-:

Performance Improvement:

• Improve Wi-Fi connectivity
• Fix 8.6.5.13 mobile dock abnormal battery consumption issue

App Updates:

• Latest version of Google Books, Maps and Market
• Asus Sync – Ability to turn on/off Asus Sync
• Email: Supports .Zip download
• MyNet: Improves Device Search
• Browser: Improves Compatibility
• MyCloud: now supports remote desktop within different network
• Update Italian Input method
• Supernote: Improves performance and bug fixed
• Polaris Office: supports large file loading, improve compatibility

Next week, Asus will also announce its much anticipated successor to the Transformer, the Transformer Prime. The tablet will be powered by Nvidia’s quad-core SoC, dubbed Tegra 3.

Recently, some preliminary benchmarks of the Prime leaked on the Internet. The tablet blew its competition out of the water, by scoring more than 10k points in the AnTuTu benchmark.

The 10 Best Mobile Apps for Saving Money

Can you remember a time when you bought something in a store, only to find it cheaper in a shop further down the street? Have you ever driven to more than just one gas station, trying to find the cheapest fuel for your car? Enter the world of mobile apps. Whether you have an iPhone or an Android based smart-phone, there are tons of apps to choose from that are designed to save you money.

 
For those who drive:
Gas Book for the iPhone has an ever expanding database of thousands of Gas Stations in the US. It can do a search within 50 miles of your current location and find the cheapest stations nearby. The same application allows you to log your fuel usage and suggests way to be more efficient. There are similar apps for Android users, namely Gas Buddy, which works in the US and Canada. In the UK, there is My Gas for the iPhone and there are many other similar country specific apps available. Most of these apps are based on community feedback, where users report the prices they see. Some offer incentives such as fuel coupons to encourage users to report the latest price movements.

Best Price Shopping:
If you’re already a customer of the huge online mega store, Amazon, why not install their app? You can be standing in your local high street store, comparing prices with Amazon offers – in real-time. Other apps allow you to use the camera on your phone to scan the bar-code of a product for on the spot price comparison with other stores, or even supermarkets that offer the same product. On most devices you can try Google Shopper, which not only lets you scan the bar-code, it can also recognise a picture of the product or you can even type in the product. From toothpaste to Nike cross trainers you will easily hunt down the best price in town. For the iPhone there is ShopSavvy where they claim to be close to having every product in the world. The latest version also features product reviews and prices for stores nearby. Also the RedLaser app which also does store price comparisons; is available on both Android and the iPhone.

Cheap Communication:
If you haven’t heard of Skype and free calls to other users around the world, then I’d like to welcome you to the 21st century. Lesser known however is that you can get the Skype App for most smart-phones. It allows you to make free calls wherever you have a data connection. The Skype app can even be run on freely available wi-fi hot-spots. While you’re at it, why not check out PingChat for the iPhone, Android and BlackBerry devices. It lets you send free text messages, photos and even video messages. The only thing you are charged for is the bandwidth you use and it’s your lucky day; there is an iPhone app for this as well. Onavo compresses data before sending or receiving. Their website claims up to an 80% reduction in bandwidth in some cases. It can be used while surfing the web or even when using other apps like Facebook. There is also a version for the bandwidth-hungry Android devices.

With all this mobile smart-phone technology, there is no need to be paying top dollar anymore. This list is just the tip of the iceberg and with new apps emerging almost on a daily basis, a quick scan at the app stores will reveal many more. There are similar apps for restaurants, hotels and flights for even more ways to save.