Sony Xperia S

Sony Xperia S Sony Xperia S hands-on - nice new Android phone w/ great screen

5 Free IPL cricket apps for your mobile

The Indian Premier League or IPL as most of us know it as, is on in full swing. Now many of us are busy at work or are on our way home from work when most of these matches are played, so it’s hard to tune it on the action on TV. Many app development houses have been working on apps for various mobile platforms that let users stay updated with the latest happenings, scores, commentary and schedules of these matches. We’re looking at some of the free apps available for the most popular mobile platforms. IPL 5 Calendar and Live Score (Android)

IPL5 Calendar and Live Score is one of the more popular IPL apps on the Android Play store with a ton of downloads and votes. Like most of the other free apps, you’ll find an ad banner on both the app and also the Android desktop widget, that gives you a reminder of upcoming cricket matches. The scoreboard lists all the recent matches along with the team logos along with detailed scores and statistics. If you’re looking for records broken through the series, you’ll find those details too through the Series Stats menu. Live scores are updated automatically and you also have the option of entering the frequency of updates. Users can choose to be notified when a wicket falls as well. There’s also a commenting section for those who want to leave comments for other app users to see. The live scores along with the ability to interact with other fans makes it a rather interesting app to use on your Android device.

The IPL has its own official app out for Android and BlackBerry devices. The apps are pretty identical in terms of features on both platforms but there are a few differences as far as the user interfaces go - that’s it. The interface on the Android platform appears more colourful. There are detailed statistics and personal details of all the players from the various teams. You can also browse through the past few days and look at results of the matches held then. Users can also browse through photo galleries of matches and practice sessions being held at the different venues. Then, you have the list of all the matches being played at the different stadiums being clearly mentioned along with the teams. The BlackBerry app doesn’t have videos and the UI looks a little underwhelming. Nevertheless, it gives you the information you need.

Mobile Grudge Match - HTC One X vs Apple iPhone 4S

Mobile Grudge Match - HTC One X vs Apple iPhone 4S Today, we’ll be pitting two mighty titans against each other to determine which the best high-end smartphone in the market is if money was no object.

Today, we’ll be pitting two mighty titans against each other to determine which is the best high-end smartphone in the market if money was no object. We have the best offerings from both camps, the HTC One X from the Android camp and of course, the iPhone 4S from camp iOS. Both these handsets offer bleeding edge technology and are the absolute cream of the crop. Now, if you’re an Apple or HTC fanboi, then we don’t expect you to read this since you already own one of these handsets, but for someone who has this sort of budget and wants to know which phone to pick, read on to find out. HTC One X Hot from HTC’s stable is the One X, a quad-core, Android 4.0 running beast. HTC's ditched the unibody aluminium design for their flagship and have gone with a lighter, polycarbonate shell which makes it super light despite its gigantic proportions. The new ‘overflowing’ screen design looks incredibly sexy and gives it a fresh look. The phone features Sense 4.0, which isn’t as graphics heavy as their previous versions but manages to provide a familiar look and feel.

The One X also features Beats Audio for enhanced sound quality through the bundled music app. The interface is incredibly slick and with a good pair of headphones, the sound is rich with plenty of deep bass. The pièce de résistance of the One X however has got to be the processor and camera. It features Nvidia’s quad-core Tegra 3 CPU running inside which makes it the first quad-core handset in the market. Although many apps aren’t quite optimised for four cores yet, games like GTA III will definitely see a boost in performance. The camera fares well under low light as well and takes less than 2.5seconds from the time you open the app and capture the image. Apple iPhone 4S The iPhone 4S wasn’t quite what we were expecting after all the leaks and rumours but it wasn’t a terrible upgrade either. The distinguishable features of the 4S include the new powerful dual-core processor, beefed up 8MP camera with 1080p video capabilities and of course, Siri. Apple didn’t mess around with the design of the phone too much; in fact, it’s practically identical to the iPhone 4 from the outside. The faster CPU does allow for a better gaming experience and also multi-tasking is a lot smoother.

iOS 5 made its debut with the 4S and brought with it new features like notification centre, iMessage, reminders, etc. The camera in the 4S is able to capture a lot more detail thanks to the larger pixel count. That, coupled with the faster processor enables you to record in 1080p as well. Finally, we have Siri, the electronic assistant to help you automate mundane tasks. While getting it to work with a heavy accent can be a task, it works well if you speak in a neutral accent. Both these phones are great in their own right but there can be only one winner. Let’s go to the charts to find out.

The Bottom Line On paper, the HTC One X smokes the iPhone 4S and comes out as the clear winner. The hardware present in the One X is clearly better as you get four CPU cores to handle all floating point operations and twelve GPU cores for rendering graphics. Despite this, it’s really tough to clearly decide between the two and ultimately, it depends on how much flexibility you’re willing to live with. The One X is a great option if you do some heavy gaming while travelling as the Nvidia chipset is more than capable in this department. You also get the freedom to customize the look and feel of the phone to suit your liking and it’s also slimmer and lighter (albeit larger) than the 4S. Areas where you might face issues are the battery life, which is not the best, especially if you’re going to be stressing the phone out every day. Timely updates are another issue as even though Google may roll out new updates, it will be a while till HTC rolls it out to their customers. Apple on the other hand may have a very tight knit ecosystem, but that works in their favour as they only have one phone to worry about. You may not have the flexibility to customize the look beyond a point and transferring data to and from your device is not the easiest as it is on Android. However, once you make your peace with it, it’s not too bad. In the end, both of these handsets represent some of the finest mobile phones money can buy. We’d say go with the HTC One X if you like endlessly customizing the interface, do a lot of gaming on the move and need something slim and light. If you already own an older generation iPhone then I think the choice is pretty obvious.

Games of April 2012

Games of April 2012 April is the month most gamers flock to their favourite hobby because it’s usually break time at colleges and schools (if my memory serves me correct).

April is the month most gamers flock to their favourite hobby because it’s usually break time at colleges and schools (if my memory serves me correct). And even though this month isn’t particularly crowded with releases, there are a few games worth considering. Prototype 2 (Xbox360 PS3 PC) As Alex Mercer, a mutated resident of New York City, players used a plethora of devastating abilities to find out who caused the outbreak in this open world game from developer Free Radical. For the sequel, you’ll step into the boots of Sgt. James Heller, a retired war veteran whose family was slaughtered by Mercer. Now mutated and consumed by his lust of revenge, Heller must use his new found powers to hunt down the man responsible for ruining his life and wiping out half his city. The Witcher 2 (Xbox360) The Witcher 2 was a fine action RPG from Polish developer CD Projekt that only PC gamers have managed to experience till date. While that platform still remains the ideal one to experience this graphically intensive game, Xbox360 owners can see what the big deal is as developer CD Projekt prime the game for a console release. The Xbox360 port ships with a bunch of extras like the game’s OST as well as a ton of extra in-game content. Devil May Cry HD Collection (Xbox360 PS3) The Devil May Cry series has always been about over-the-top shenanigans and brilliantly choreographed fight sequences. In case you missed out on the older games due to the lack of a PS2, Capcom is now allowing new gamers to experience all of Dante’s adventures in HD with the DMC collection that includes all three last gen DMC games. As with most collections, this one is enhanced by HD visuals as well as Trophy support. Kinect Star Wars (Xbox360) Using Kinect to play a Star Wars game seems like a perfect idea on paper and hopefully Kinect Star wars will be the game fans of George Lucas’ sci-fi trilogy have been waiting for since forever. The game will allow players to step into the boots of an unknown Jedi as he experiences certain events from the Star Wars universe during the series’ prequel timeline.

Samsung launches Galaxy S Advance and Galaxy Pocket 

Samsung Electronics announced the expansion of its Galaxy smartphone range with the launch of the Galaxy S Advance (GT-I9070) and Galaxy Pocket (GT-S5300). For its Indian smartphone users, Samsung has made available several interesting apps in its application store. Through the My Reader app, Indian consumers can access over 3,00,000 books from Landmark, get 26 Newspapers and 28 Magazines, and access popular comic titles such as Amar Chitra Katha etc. The My Music app allows Samsung Smartphone users to download and listen to more than 1,00,000 songs from Hollywood and Bollywood as well as popular regional titles. Handy is a single point application where users can search, book and pay for flights, trains, buses, and movie tickets. Users can also create their own stock portfolio, get real time stock prices and stay updated on the latest in business news. Furthermore, users can search a restaurant by cuisine and even reserve a table for themselves. The Mobile TV app allows users to watch their favourite TV shows while being on the move while the My Movies app gives users access to movies, videos, and trailers of their choice. The S Advance is priced at Rs.26,900 and the Pocket is priced at Rs.8,150.  

 

The Samsung Galaxy S Advance features a WVGA Super AMOLED display and a large 4-inch curved glass screen and is powered with a 1GHz dual-core processor which offers fast booting, seamless internet browsing and smooth image processing. It is based on the Android 2.3 Gingerbread OS and users can access Google Mobile Services and download free apps from the Samsung Apps store. The device comes loaded with three content rich hubs - Readers’ Hub, Social Hub and Game Hub that redefine the mobile entertainment experience. Users can capture special moments through videos and photos using the device’s 5MP camera and can also tune in to their favourite MP3 songs or listen to their favourite programs on FM radio. There is also Find My Mobile, a lost-phone management system that enables users to track their lost phone via a web browser and allows remote deletion of data.

Some of the highlights of the phone include:

• Android 2.3 Gingerbread
• 4-inch Super AMOLED display with a resolution of 800 x 480
• 1 GHz dual-core processor
• 5 megapixel AF camera
• 8GB internal memory
• GPRS / EDGE / HSDPA 14.4 Mbps, HSUPA 5.76 Mbps
• Bluetooth 3.0 + EDR, Wi-Fi 802.11 b / g / n, DLNA, Wi-Fi hotspot
• 1500mAh Battery

The Galaxy Pocket is an easy to carry around at a depth of 11.9mm and weighing in at 97.0gms. However, despite its compact size, the Pocket packs in quite a punch with a powerful 832MHz processor and HSDPA 3.6Mbps with advance Wi-Fi connectivity, that enables fast data processing, advance multi-tasking and fast downloading of multimedia files. It is based on Android 2.3 Gingerbread OS and features 3GB internal memory (expandable up to 32GB). The TouchWiz interface of the device provides a smart and intuitive touch screen that provides smooth menu navigation through easy-to-access widgets.

The main highlights of the phone include:

• Android 2.3 Gingerbread
• 2.8-inch TFT display with a resolution of 240 x 320
• 832MHz processor
• 2 megapixel camera
• 3GB internal memory
• GPRS / EDGE / HSDPA
• Bluetooth 3.0 + EDR, Wi-Fi 802.11 b / g / n, Wi-Fi hotspot
• 1200mAh Battery

TRAI makes new regulations for mobile banking 

Starting with stringent measures to keep pesky calls and SMSes at bay, TRAI has been asking for several reforms for the betterment of mobile customers. They have been successful to a great extent at banning unsolicited calls/messages. It had even asked telcos to maintain tariff transparency by advertising mobile tariffs in newspapers. With the ongoing buzz about mobile money, wherein companies have been promoting how transactions through mobile are convenient and secure, TRAI has decided to come out with some relevant rules here too. It has issued new guidelines for mobile banking, as per reports. All service providers offering mobile banking have to adhere to and meet the quality standard that has been laid down by TRAI. Airtel recently extended its mobile money service to more cities, while Loop also has its mobile wallet services.

These new guidelines include that the access service providers have to facilitate banks for the use of text messages, unstructured supplementary services data (USSD) and interactive voice response (IVR), in order to provide banking services to its customers. Besides, the access service provider can also facilitate banks to use WAP, which is however optional. It has further added that the response time for the delivery of messages for mobile banking services generated by the customer or the bank has to be within a time frame of up to 10 seconds for SMS, IVR, WAP and STK and up to 2 seconds for USSD.

Earlier this year, TRAI had also issued some new customer service guidelines that need to be followed by service providers. It even ordered that call, SMS and data usage must be given to prepaid users. Basically, TRAI has been working hard at creating stringent rules to discipline the ways of telecom while maintaining transparency of mobile services. It had even laid down norms for simpler and secure acquisition of new numbers.

BlackBerry Curve 9220: New Bottle, Old Wine 

 REVIEW

One of the key reasons why BlackBerry rules the smartphone roost in India has been the entry-level Curve 8520, released way back in August 2009. A basic smartphone without 3G and specs like a 2 MP camera, the 8520 was a mega-success primarily because it was affordable and provided access to BBM, social media feeds and e-mail—different facets of the BlackBerry service. So, despite the smartphone’s low-end features, the price-sensitive Indian customer (and especially the youth) purchased the 8520 for BBM and the BlackBerry service.

Fast forward to circa 2012 and RIM is launching the Curve 9220, the successor to the 8520 with some incremental changes, and seems to be relying on the same business philosophy that made the 8520 a success, and the jury is now out on whether the same mantra will work almost three years later.

To say it in a line, the 9220 is a thinner, slightly sleeker 8520 with the new BlackBerry OS 7.1; it is the first BlackBerry to boast of FM radio and in what few will focus on but is perhaps the most important aspect in my opinion—has the best battery on any BlackBerry smartphone available today.

Form Factor
If you’re familiar with the 8520, the 9220 won’t take you by surprise. Like car makers who announce a ‘new’ edition of an old car by tweaking the headlamps or adding a dash of chrome, RIM has made the 9220 sleeker, which is primarily because it is 1.2 mm thinner than the 8520. It’s the same low-end 2.44-inch display with a resolution of 320 x 240, that Shayne Rana, the Tech2 reviewer who reviewed the 8520 said was “quite mundane” way back in 2009.

 

It’s the same trackpad too, but which performs just as well on the 9220 as on any BlackBerry, making navigation a breeze. However, frills like a lit-up border for the trackpad are missing, and that’s understandable on a low-end smartphone. The QWERTY keypad is quite good and there have been some minor changes from the 8520, including slightly larger keys and minor changes in design, which make typing on the Curve 9220 a pleasure—surely music to the ears of BBM addicts and e-mail warriors.

What’s missing is the 8520’s USP of media keys on the top. While a tiny pause button has been added to the volume/zoom keys on the right side, the media keys are sorely missed. The 3.5mm earphone socket has moved to the top, with the usual lock key. The micro USB slot for charging and PC connectivity stays on the left, while the hot swap slot for the microSD card is under the rear panel and closer to the top of the device.

You might notice that I haven’t mentioned anything yet about the ‘new dedicated BBM shortcut key’ that RIM is touting. Here’s why: Terming this feature ‘new’ is at worst outright fraud and at best marketing spiel. The left convenience key has been around on older BlackBerry smartphones, including the 8520. Granted, it came set by default to voice dialling, but the Settings menu allowed a user to change its use to other features (including BBM) in a few seconds. What really is new is that RIM seems to have finally realised that getting rid of the left convenience key on the whole range of OS 7 smartphones they released last year was a terrible mistake and hence they have wisely decided to bring it back.

On the weight front the 9220 feels a few grams lighter than the 8520, but is easier to hold and slip into pockets because of the slimmer profile. The Curve 9220 will also be released in a range of cool colours aimed at the youth segment, including red, violet, blue, white and of course the standard black.

Features and Performance
Interface
This is where the 9220 races ahead of the 8520. Running the spanking new OS 7.1, the 9220 offers a fresh user experience quite far removed from the one offered on the ancient OS 5.X on the 8520. We didn’t get details on the processor used, but I suspect it’s the same 800 MHz 32-bit Marvell PXA940 that powers the far sexier Curve 9360.
The Curve 9220 comes with 512 MB of RAM, four times as much on the 8520 and 512 MB ROM, which is double that on the 8520. Performance was smooth and the 9220 was very responsive though once in a while I did see the dreaded clock that signifies a lag in performance. However, overall performance was great.

The 9220 comes with the Premium version of Documents To Go, which offers document editing features as well as a native PDF document viewer. This makes it great for all sorts of office use and even students can make great use of this suite. Also pre-loaded is BlackBerry Protect, which allows you to back up and store personal data securely in the cloud, and can help locate a misplaced BlackBerry.

The Webkits-based browser that’s standard on OS 7 is light years ahead of the older one on the 8520. Web page rendering has improved vastly over OS 5.X and multiple tabs make Web browsing easier, though the lack of 3G means browsing is painful on creaky, choked 2G networks and is a joy only on Wi-Fi.

 

Media 

As with all BlackBerry smartphones, media remains a delight. The 9220 didn’t play 1080p videos but 720p was not a problem and it played a wide range of formats, though marred by the poor resolution. And audio quality is sharp and quite excellent and I especially loved the deep bass on the 9220.
And yes, the big one—the Curve 9220 is the first BlackBerry to feature FM Radio. Now, I’m not a big-time FM fan thanks to the lack of stations offering international music in Mumbai. However, on local trains, the lifeline of Mumbai, I see every second person listening to FM radio on the commute home and I know this will be a welcome extra feature in India.

Connectivity
This is the depressing part, since the 9220 offers nothing new as compared to the ancient 8520. The most glaring omission is the lack of a 3G radio. When the 8520 was launched in 2009, 3G didn’t really exist in India (yes I know MTNL did offer 3G then, but that hardly matters), but today carriers even offer daily packs for prepaid customers and it can be quite affordable when used on a short-term basis. Incidentally, Vodafone offers an unlimited 3G data option to BlackBerry BES users at just Rs 299 extra per month in addition to the Rs 899 per month charged for BES. So, 3G is quite cost-effective in India today and RIM has taken a step backwards here by leaving out 3G
In more bad news, despite running OS 7.1, the 9220 did not feature the option for Mobile Hotspot that is present on other BlackBerry smartphones running OS 7.1. Granted that the mobile hotspot feature is best used if you’re on a 3G network, yet I wish it part of the feature set. The standard support for BlackBerry Enterprise Server (BES) and BlackBerry Internet Service (BIS), which makes setting up e-mail accounts a breeze, continues.  Bluetooth has been upgraded to Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR. And Wi-Fi support now extends to b/g and n. But GPS is missing.

Camera
Nothing new here. Same fixed focus 2 MP camera as the old 8520. Pictures are grainy especially under artificial light. Passable for a 2 MP shooter, but one expected more in a smartphone which is supposedly an upgrade. Cheap Rs 3000 phones have better cameras than this one

Battery Life
As I said before, this is my favourite part of the 9220. The 1450 mAh battery is the best one on any BlackBerry today. To put it in perspective, a top-end BlackBerry smartphone like the Bold 9900 packed with 3G radio, NFC, touchscreen and a high-res display only has a 1230 mAh battery. In real life this meant that on BES I got over a day of juice (compared to the around 5 hours I get on the 9900) and on BIS I got nearly 48 hours of use before the battery died. That’s outstanding performance indeed and if there’s one reason why I would spend a couple of thousands more on the Curve 9220 as opposed to the Curve 8520, it would the amazing battery life the 9220 offers.

In the Tech2.com Video Test, the 9220 clocked close to 7.5 hours of continuous video playback with the mobile network on and e-mails from 5 different accounts pouring in. In the loop test (2 hours of video, 2 hours of music, 2 hours of streaming and a 1.5-hour phone call), the 9220 almost completed one loop. To be fair, I conducted the loop test at work when the 9220 was on BIS on the Tata Docomo network. Unfortunately Tata Docomo is very spotty at my workplace and offers merely 1-2 bars of network strength, which means battery was being sucked up at a far higher rate than usual.

OS 7.1 also offers a Battery Saving Mode and you can set threshold levels. However, while this feature is a must-have on other BlackBerry smartphones running OS 7.1, it will remain unused on the Curve 9220.

Misc. Features
The 9220 is also missing the very cool BlackBerry Tag feature support, which makes possible transactions, data exchange, and connections with a mere touch, is missing.

Bottom Line
At Rs. 10,990, frankly, the Curve 9220 doesn’t hold a candle to cheap Android devices that are now proliferating and which offer features like 3G, GPS and mobile hotspot at a lesser price. So, if you’re considering the 9220 for your first smartphone, only look here if all your friends have BBM and thus you have to go for a BlackBerry because of peer pressure. The other reason could be if you type a fair bit and touchscreen phones are the equivalent of smartphone hell for you. And also for BlackBerry USPs like e-mail.

If you’re thinking of an upgrade from the 8520, the 9220 doesn’t offer enough and the battery may the only key factor that might push you to upgrade—I’d suggest you wait for the 9320, which should release in May and will come with 3G support.

Overall, while I welcome the amazing battery and OS 7.1 with the boost in RAM and ROM, I wish RIM had more to offer on the 9220.