Golmuri » Gadgets

The patent war: Apple blames HTC

rohit — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 11:42:20 +0000

In a recent statement, Steve Jobs, head of Apple said that HTC had used around 20 of their patented technologies to fuel the growth of its competitors like Google. Therefore they have sued HTC whose products are used widely in the smart phone market. He emphasized on healthy competition which would create more value to consumers by means of better innovation. However, we have seen before that Apple is no saint in this regard. Nokia, RIM and Apple were already in a patent war which is yet to be settled. This case against HTC is just another brick in the wall.
What makes such huge organizations commit such mistakes? Is it an intentional mistake or an innocent mistake?

Rogues

Google Nexus One Vs iPhone – The review

admin — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 08:48:27 +0000

After a long wait, finally we are able to showcase the review of the much awaited Google’s Nexus one.

Google nexus one is a slim phone which would try to compete with iPhone. Here are a few specs which could surely give iPhone a run for it money.

Google nexus offers a 5mp camera compared to Apple’s current 3mp. But then again, the buzz is going around that iPhone too is coming up with a 5mp camera in the next release schedules in 2010. Also Google nexus is believed to be much faster than any other mobile available in the market.It also has a voice recognition software for writing mails and running applications.

Google would also provide close to 20,000 apps compared to the 115000 apps. Also google’s phone, which runs on Andriod can run multiple apps at once which is not possible in an iPhone.

Google’s major flaw in the entire success story (which is yet to be written) is the lack of external plug in devices which can connect to it. With iPhone has come several devices which can connect to it for better music environment.

But having said that, google connects easily to the web and is a treat for users who prefer to spend most of their time online.

Swipe and Read Credit Card on your iPhone – Apps by Morphie

admin — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 05:45:47 +0000

Morphie, one of the leading third party app manufacturer would be launching a credit card reader application that would facilitate the user to process credit card transactions on the move. Morphie claims that the application would use the wireless connection of the iPhone to connect to the payment gateway. The launch is expected to be a part of the upcoming 2010 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.

The complete details of the applications are still unknown but it is believed that the application would be competing against another mobile phone payment app called Square, which is being developed by the co-founder of Twitter, Jack Dorsey.

Critics believe that the success of the devices would largely depend on the pricing of the apps and could change the way transactions are done in the future.

Must have Free Apps For iPhone in case you are bored

Must Have Apps for Nokia 5800 and N Series SmartPhones

admin — Sun, 03 Jan 2010 13:00:06 +0000

Here is a list of some of the most popular apps which are compatible with Nokia 5800 and can be downloaded free from the Nokia OVI Store or from the internet. In case you don’t know how to download articles from the Nokia OVI store, please read the article.

1. Vlingo : This is one of most impressive apps we have seen which is available for free download from the nokia OVI Store online. Vlingo can take dictations and act as a voice recognition software. It can take voice commands and open other apps and search contacts by just saying the name of person. The downside is that it requires a GPRS connection to work.

2. Google Maps : Google Maps is a great software and a must in case you you are looking to use your mobile as a GPS device. The software can be downloaded free of cost from the Google website. All you need to do is enter your phone number and select the country you are in. Google will send you the link of the software as a message. Just open the link and download the app and install it.

3. Opera Mini: A must have for surfing the internet. Opera Mini is one of the most liked web browsers for mobile.

4. Labyrinth: A cool app that works on mobile tilt. Tilt your mobile to guide the ball to the end without running into obstacles.

5. Spin the Bottle: This is a cute little app that displays a bottle on the screen that can be spin using your fingers.

6. FreeCell , Solitaire, and Minesweeper : These are the same games you find as part of Windows OS.

7. Candle: It displays a little candle whose flame flickers just like a real flame.

Best gadgets of the decade – best of last 10 years

admin — Sat, 02 Jan 2010 12:27:59 +0000

Here is a list of some of the best innovations to have hit the technology world during the course of last 10 years.

Apple iPhone - When iPhone was introduced back in 2008, the world stopped for a moment and even competitors were left without answers. No one before that thought of providing the user with crystal clear display and a touch screen that could be operated without a stylus. It changed the mobile market forever with the mobile apps.

OpenOffice.org-MS Office domination in the office suite applications was unchallenged and Microsoft was sitting in an empire that was unchallenged. Then in July 2000 arrived OpenOffice.org, a free utility which made sure that MS Office and Microsoft were no longer number one

Microsoft Windows XP – When Microsoft launched Windows XP, it was a huge hit right away. Microsoft launched many Operating Systems after the launch of Windows XP, but people have been unwilling to let go of XP. While XP has been successful; it is ironical that XP has been the cause of people disliking the future versions of Windows.

Apple iPod- Before 2001, people never thought they could carry 1000’s of music in their pockets. In October 2001, the iPod name became synonymous with portable media.

Nintendo WII – Do you want to play golf like you do in real life. Just take a swing as if you are holding the club. This is what Nintendo WII gave the world. A simple design and innovative idea soon became a Gamers’ delight and outsold competitors like PS3 and XBOX 360.

Opera Mini – Opera Mini paved the way for mobile internet browsing by rendering desktop version of websites with ease on the mobile. What extra it gave was great download algorithms to speed up download. And guess what, it worked on every mobile. So how much did you have to pay for it? Nothing! It was free and has been one of the must downloads for any mobiles.

Gmail – Google brought the Gmail providing users with a clean and simple UI to access mails that was meant for just one purpose. Check mails at blazing speeds. The mails would open within seconds. Also the user would not have to worry about space any more with GMAIL providing unlimited storage. And what’s more it was free as well.

Sony Playstation 2 – Videogames seemed to be lost when PC arrived. But with the launch of Sony playstation boasting close to 2000 games and sales of close to 140 million units, gamers had shifted their interest back to the video games consoles. Playstaion offered brilliant graphics and amazing feedback.

Amazon Kindle- Do you want to read books digitally but don’t want to strain your eyes reading books on a mobile. Meet Amazon Kindle – a light weight eBook reader that would let you browse and download books without the need of a wire and needs to be recharged once very 14 days. You can read and store 1000 of eBooks and reading on it simulates the feel of reading a real book.

Apple to launch iPhone 4G in 2010

admin — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 19:38:00 +0000

The latest news surrounding Apple is that it is planning to launch the 4^th generation iPhone on June 28, 2010. It is being speculated that the new device will boast a 5- megapixel camera. The earlier model lacked the high resolution camera and photos on the previous models looked average when compared to other high end camera mobile phones. Apple has tried to correct this flaw of the earlier models.

It is also being speculated that Apple is estimating to sell around 40 to 45 million iPhones for the year 2010. According to speculations, Apple could be launching the iPhone 4 in a ‘Corporate Event’ which is scheduled to be organized from June 28 to July 2^nd, 2010 in San Francisco’s Moscone Center.

Zino Desktops by Dell India

admin — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 09:20:35 +0000

Dell India has recently launched the new Inspiron^TM Zino HD mini desktop computer. Small on the outset, yet it is packed with all the ammunition you need. Here is a review of the Dell Zino.

Performance:Can be upgraded till 8GB of RAM and 640 GB of hard disk space . So you can run all the applications you want.

Style: The user has an option to choose from 10 different interchangeable color lids. Its small size (7.8” by 7.8”)makes it convenient to fit it in even the smallest corners of the room.

Cost:It is pretty inexpensive with the models starting for Rs 20,000 with a 18.5″ Wide screen Flat Panel Monitor,2GB SDRAM Memory, and 320 GB hard disk space.

Advanced Users:Blue ray disk available.eSATA ports for more external storage

Pros:Fairly low power consumption (~20W idle with HD spun down). Easy to take apart for upgrades (Mac Mini is a pain to open)

Cons:Noisier than it could be (fan always runs while awake and vibrations not well dampened).Build quality isn’t spectacular (you get what you pay for).Bigger than Mac Mini.

Gallery:

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Nokia Ovi Store – Free Applications for Nokia Mobiles

admin — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 15:04:31 +0000

What is Nokia OVI Store ?
Often people used to wonder where they can buy licensed and free Nokia apps for their mobiles. Now Nokia customers can download various software, mobile games, applications, videos, images, and ringtones using this website. It caters to all Nokia mobiles and you can download the SIS or the SISX files compatible with the Nseries mobiles as well. There are some great apps for all the newly launched Nokia Mobiles including the Nokia 5800 Music Express.

How much do I need to pay ?
Amazingly you can find a lot of cool stuff for you mobile for free. All you need to do is register to the website and download the files to your system. Some of the stuff can be bought online as well.

What can I find on the OVI Store?
The site is well organized into various categories like Recommended, Applications, Games, Audio and Video, and Personalization. To make sure that only the software compatible to your mobile handset are displayed, Nokia allows you to select a mobile device from a list. This way the chances of mobile crashing are minimized.

How do I transfer files to my mobile ?
You need to have a GPRS connection to download the files to your mobile. Once downloaded , just open the file and installation will just a few clicks. Unfortunately, Nokia Store doesn’t allow the user to download the files to a PC so in case you pay for your GPRS , make sure you dont download unnecessary stuff and pay heavy GPRS charges.

What we liked:
In applications, one can find some cool apps like Playlist DJ , CandleLight, Vlingo, Opera Mini.

In games , some of the popular games were Spin the bottle, Labyrinth Lite, Sudoku.

In Audio and Video you can find trailers of movies like Ice Age 3, and some cool video tutorials on various languages.

The personalization feature supports various themes which can make your mobile look like an iPhone.

Bottom Line: It a great initiative by Nokia to compete in the application business with the likes of iPhone . iPhone has been far superior to Nokia in terms of look and applications but with the launch of Nokia OVI store, Nokia is sure to give iPhone a huge competition.

Nokia Vs Apple

rohit — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 13:53:22 +0000

Price wars, Political wars and now wars on patents. Today, with the world’s financial engine gaining momentum once again after the housing bubble, the coming years seem to be tough time for analysts.

Infringement of patents was seen as an integral part of emerging nations until recently when two top notch organizations from the developed nations jumped in the battle field arguing hard on the patent infringements.

In October, the lord of the ‘I’s (Apple) was accused by the King of ‘N’s (Nokia) for 10 patent infringements related to wireless data, speech technology, security and encryption technologies. Nokia, one of the largest player in the handsets market, has spend more than 40 billion Euros in the last two decades on R&D to develop such technologies. Nokia has agreement with more than 40 handset manufacturers world over for the usage of its technologies, however, Apple is an exception.

In early December, Apple counter attacked rival Nokia with 13 patent infringements!

And now Nokia has filed a case in International Trade Commission (ITC) against Apple.

Nokia experienced first quarter loss after a decade whereas Apple touched profits of $1.6 billion, thanks to the growth in sales of iPods and iPhones. Nokia is finding it difficult to digest this and doing all sort of analysis to find the root cause. In the race to satisfy the shareholders both these companies are compromising with their brand values which is built over decades. Who will win this patent war? Apple, Nokia or other competitors

Rogues

MapMyIndia – Bringing GPS Coverage in India

admin — Sun, 31 Aug 2008 18:25:31 +0000

MapMyIndia has recently announced coverage of maps of 174 cities covering every street. It also has coverage of smaller cities where a GPS could prove very useful.MapMyIndia also shows various points of interest like ATM, restraints, hotels etc. MapMyIndia offers two GPS devices priced at Rs 17,990 and Rs 20,990. In India currently MapMyIndia is the only provider of GPS in India to have made a mark. It also offers a 5 day trail of the mobile GPS. The software has a price range of Rs 1190 to Rs 3490.