Wednesday, October 26, 2011

Happy Diwali To All My Viewers......

Diwali or Deepavali, popularly known as the "festival of lights," is a festival celebrated between mid-October and mid-November for different reasons. For Hindus, Diwali is one of the most important festivals of the year and is celebrated in families by performing traditional activities together in their homes. For Jains, Diwali marks the attainment of moksha or nirvana by Mahavira in 527 BC.
Festival of lights

Diwali falls on the one new moon night between mid-October and mid-November.This year it is on 26th October 2011.

Hindus have significant events associated with Diwali:
  • The return of Rama after 14 years of Vanvas (banishment). To welcome his return, diyas (ghee lamps) were lit in rows of 20.
Diwali Rangoli
For Sikhs, Diwali is particularly important which they celebrate after the celebration of "Bandi Chhorh Divas" (the Day of Freedom), celebrating the release from prison of the Sixth Guru, 'Guru Hargobind Ji', and 52 other princes with him, in 1619. Sikhs celebrate Diwali for a number of reasons:
Golden Temple(Amritsar)
  • Sikhs celebrate Diwali after celebration of Bandi Chhorh Divas. Sikhs celebrate Bandi Chhorh Divas to mark the return of the Sixth Guru, Guru Hargobind Ji, who was freed from imprisonment and also managed to release 52 Hindu Kings (political prisoners) at the same time from the famous fort of Gwalior by making clever use of Emperor Jahangir's orders to allow any who could hold on to the Gurus coat tails to leave the fort with the Guru (October, 1619). And so the Kings/rajahs were freed and the Guru became known popularly as the "Bandi Chhor" (Deliverer from prison). He arrived at Amritsar on the Diwali day and the HarMandar (also known as the "Golden Temple") was lit with hundreds of lamps to celebrate his return and hence the day came to be known as the "Bandi Chhor Divas" (the day of freedom).
Guru Hargobind Ji with 52 Hindu Kings
Diwali is an official holiday in India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Mauritius, Guyana, Trinidad & Tobago, Suriname, Malaysia, Singapore, and Fiji.

The name "Diwali" is a contraction of "Dipawali" (Sanskrit: दीपावली Dīpāwalī), which translates into "row of lamps".Diwali involves the lighting of small clay lamps (diyas or dīpas) in Sanskrit: दीप) filled with oil to signify the triumph of good over evil. During Diwali, all the celebrants wear new clothes and share sweets and snacks with family members and friends.

The festival starts with Dhanteras on which most Indian business communities begin their financial year. The second day of the festival, Naraka Chaturdasi, marks the vanquishing of the demon Naraka by Lord Krishna and his wife Satyabhama. Amavasya, the third day of Diwali, marks the worship of Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth in her most benevolent mood, fulfilling the wishes of her devotees. Amavasya also tells the story of Lord Vishnu, who in his dwarf incarnation vanquished the Bali, and banished him to Patala. It is on the fourth day of Diwali, Kartika Shudda Padyami, that Bali went to patala and took the reins of his new kingdom in there. The fifth day is referred to as Yama Dvitiya (also called Bhai Dooj), and on this day sisters invite their brothers to their homes.
Crackers all around

While the story behind Diwali and the manner of celebration varies from region to region (festive fireworks, worship, lights, sharing of sweets), the essence is the same – to rejoice in the Inner Light (Atman) or the underlying Reality of all things (Brahman).
Fireworks

Monday, October 24, 2011

Samsung, Google Unveil Galaxy Nexus with Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich

Simple, beautiful and smart, the Galaxy Nexus is more than just a smart phone unveiled by Samsung in Hong Kong today with some innovative hardware and the latest version of Google’s OS Android 4.0, Ice Cream Sandwich.
Here’s what you can expect when it comes to you in this November.
The phone’s specifications are impressive with 1.2GHz dual-core processor and 1 GB RAM giving you high speeds and multi-tasking abilities. The 4.65-inch screen is large without increasing the size of the phone as the hardware buttons replaced by software buttons are included inside the screen. It also boasts of a 1280×720 pixels Super AMOLED HD display. 1080p HD video capture is possible using the rear 5MP camera while a 1.3 MP front camera aids video chat.
Besides the phone specs, Google brings several advanced features and capabilities with its Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. Android 4.0 has given special attention to the practical aspect of aesthetics introducing Roboto, a font with geometric forms and clean curves doing away with the unnecessary elements. Some of the fascinating features in the new product include Near Field Communication (NFC) with Android Beam, Facial Recognition Technology, Speech Recognition and People app.
A new screenshot feature allows you to hold the power and volume buttons down to capture a picture of the screen.
NFC helps transfer of all your data (except apps, which transfer a link to the Android Marketplace) between devices by just bringing them close to each other. Facial recognition allows you simply look at the phone to unlock your screens. Speech to text converts voice into text instantly for sending emails and SMS messages. People app helps gets contact details from Google+, Facebook, Twitter etc.
With special attention to aesthetics, some improvements have gone into the Home Screen with resizable widgets, dragging dropping to create folders and favourite trays and better copy paste abilities making Android Ice Cream Sandwich more acceptable.
Other plusses include enhanced camera features, multi tab browser and redesigned calendar interface. Major advantage of Android 4.0 is that it can run both on tablets as wells as mobiles unlike its predecessors.
Google and Samsung had set expectations soaring and with the unveiling of Android 4.0 ICS and the Galaxy Nexus, they have delivered what they promised.
No pricing details are available as of now.

Motorola DEFY Plus – Defying Water, Dust and Scratches

Ideal for Indian conditions, Motorola Defy Plus was launched in Sept 2011 with unique features that make it sturdy and extremely resistant to damage. A Corning Gorilla Glass screen makes it scratch resistant. Water resistant and dust proof, Motorola Defy Plus is safe to use on rainy days, near beaches and on adventurous trails.

Not unbreakable but pretty rugged, Motorola Defy+ doesn’t lack any of the features or looks of a Smartphone. Available in black and white, it has a 3.7 inch 480 x 854 pixels display touch screen with Accelerometer sensors for UI auto-rotate as well as proximity sensors for auto turn-off. It has a Touch bar with 4 touch buttons.
This Motorola handset runs Android 2.3 Gingerbread OS and is powered by a 1GHz processor with 512MB RAM. It comes preloaded with CardioTrainer app, Document Reader, Adobe Flash 10 enabled Web browser and a digital compass. A 5MP camera with auto-focus, LED flash and digital zoom supports Geo-tagging, Image stabilization, effects and scene selection.
Connect to other devices or the Internet using either Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, 3G or a micro USB. It also features GPS with Google Maps 5.0 with Navigation. Connect to friends and family using SMS, MMS, Email, Instant Messaging using Google talk as well Facebook, Photobucket, MySpace, Picassa, Twitter, Google Search, Gmail, YouTube and many more. Access over 30,000 apps from the Android Appmarket.
Li-PO 1700 mAH Battery gives you a talk time of up to 7 hours.
IP67 standard certification ensures its resistance to dust, scratch, and water (for up to 1 m for 30 mins). Priced at Rs. 14,500, Motorola Defy Plus is the smart phone you would love to carry on a holiday trip.

Sony-Ericsson Xperia Mini

The new Sony-Ericsson Xperia Mini fits all the features of the best Smartphone into the palm of your hand. With the smallest dimensions of in the world, Xperia Mini incorporates HD video recording, social networking, music and gaming with great connectivity.

Features

A size of 3.5 x 2.0 x 0.6 inches weighing 99.0g, Sony Xperia Mini comes in several colours from black, white, blue and dark pink. It has a 2.55 inch capacitive touch screen with a resolution of 320 x 480 pixels displaying over 16 million colours. With a 1 GHz Snapdragon processor, 512 RAM and Android 2.3 Gingerbread operating system it has access to over 200 apps in the Android Market. Facebook, YouTube, Gmail, Google Browser, Google Maps, Music Player and a whole lot of preloaded applications are just a touch away.
Widgets can be organized on the screen according to your liking and used using just one hand. A 5 mega pixel camera with an LED flash with an 8X digital zoom allows you to capture high resolution pictures. The 400 MB internal memory is expandable up to 32GB with a MicroSD card. Proximity sensor disables touch screen when making a call while accelerometer sensor supports UI auto-rotate.
Having 1200mAh battery gives you a talk time of just over four hours and a standby time of 340 hours.

Connectivity

Use Wi-Fi to connect to the Internet. Bluetooth connectivity and USB port help you download music and photos. The handset supports GPRS, EDGE as well as 3G for Internet connection during your travels.

Awards

Boasting an alaScore 90/100 and being awarded the European Green Smart Phone 2011-2012, Sony Ericsson Xperia Mini which is priced at INR 13,000 is a real winner.

Cisco Cius – Tablet for Enterprise

Cisco Cius is a 7-inch touch screen Android based tablet aimed at corporate clients. This is an ultra portable device, which provides enterprise solutions for the business requirements of companies. Some of the capabilities include communications, collaborations and computing. Besides taking care of the business needs of the company it satisfies an individual’s mobile, social, virtual and visual requirements.

Powered by 1.6GHz Intel Atom processor the Cisco Cius has a 1GB RAM with an expandable memory up to 32GB and dual front and back cameras. Wi-Fi, 4G and Bluetooth capabilities give you several options to remain connected.
Cisco Virtualization Client (CVX) with Virtual Experience Infrastructure brings together high quality voice, video and virtual desktop functionality. HD Video capability allow for face-to-face video chat besides using it as a simple phone.
With eight hours of battery backup, you can get a full day’s work done without the need to recharge.
Cisco Quad, Cisco Jabber IM, Cisco Unified Presence and WebEx Meeting Center are some of the collaboration applications available. It has been made compatible with existing Cisco Wireless LAN infrastructure while Cisco AnyConnect Secure Mobile Client gives you highly secure remote connections.
Cisco AppHQ provides several apps designed for businesses besides offering tools to create new apps. Though it supports outdated Android 2.2 (Froyo), it can use the thousands of apps from the Android Marketplace. Hopefully Cisco will upgrade to Android 3.1 (Honeycomb) soon.
Though expensive at $750 with an additional cost of $100 for the docking station, Cisco Cius is extremely enterprise friendly.

Samsung Galaxy Note – The Smartphone and Tablet Crossbreed

Samsung applying all its imaginations and skills has come up with crossbreed of Smartphone and tablet – The Samsung Galaxy Note. Improving the features of a Smartphone and reducing the size of a tablet, the Samsung Galaxy Note is a midway product of both.

It has a big Super AMOLED capacitive touchscreen stretching over 5.3 inch of WXGA resolution (1280 x 800 pixels) offering 16 million colours with a stylus which makes reading, entering text and sketching much more fun.
It has a very powerful 1.4 GHz dual-core Cortex-A9 CPU with Android 2.3.5 Gingerbread as the OS. It has 1GB of RAM, Exynos chipset which enhances it performance. The performance of the Samsung galaxy note is lightning fast.
The amazing 8 MP auto focus camera with LED flash with capability of 1080p video recording boots the features of the crossbreed to the top, and its 2 MP front-facing camera enables superb quality of video calling and self picturing.
The Phone has amazing sleekness with dimensions of 146.9 x 83 x 9.7 mm weighting only 178 grams. The phone is available in two internal memory sizes of 16GB and 32 GB, expandable via a microSD card slot.
The Samsung Galaxy Note has a very powerful battery of 2500 mAh providing excellent battery backup. The Galaxy Note is expected to be released on the last quarter of the year 2011 with price tag ranging between INR 28000 and INR 32000.

Friday, October 7, 2011

Apple Announces iPhone 4S, Not iPhone 5

It is not the iPhone 5 that was eagerly waited for, but the Apple iPhone 4S is the new release announced by Apple, the leader in the Smartphone market. The iPhone 4S is an upgrade of the iPhone 4 in performance and its camera.
The iPhone 4S has 1 GHz dual-core ARM Cortex-A9 processor on Apple A5 chipset with iOS 5 operating system. The performance of the phone is much better than the previous iPhones with the processor upgrade.
The phone has 3.5 inch capacitive, LED-backlit, IPS TFT, touchscreen display with resolution of 640 x 960 pixels offering 16 million colours. The screen has oleophobic surface which means that it is scratch-resistant and it even supports the multi-touch input method. The handset also has Accelerometer sensor that supports auto-rotate, a three-axis Gyro Sensor, and for auto turn-off it has a Proximity Sensor.
The major upgrade is the camera. It has an 8 megapixel camera compared to the 5 megapixel camera in iPhone 4 with high definition video recording of 1080 pixels compared to the 720 of the older version. The camera is accompanied with LED flash, image and video stabilization, Geo Tagging etc. the phone has also a VGA front camera.
The dimensions of the phone remain same with that of the iPhone 4. It has dimensions of 115.2 x 58.6 x 9.3 mm. The phone weighs 3 grams more than the iPhone 4 with 140 grams.
The iphone 4S has included a new member in terms of memory. Along with 16 GB and 32 GB devices a 64 GB device will be available. The phone will be available in the two colours of black and white as usual.
The phone has little increment in its battery backup compared to its previous models. The iPhone 4S will be available from mid October with 3 different price tags, $199, $299, $399 for 16 GB, 32 GB, 64 GB respectively. The price in India will be released soon.

Thursday, October 6, 2011

Samsung to Launch India’s First Windows Phone Mango Device: Samsung Omnia W I8350

Samsung is all set to launch India’s first windows phone mango device with the incomparable Samsung Omnia W. With attractive features and looks the phone is ready to create uproar in the market.
The phone has Windows 7.5 mango operating system racing with a tremendous speed of 1.4 GHz. The phone has a 512 MB RAM which is more than enough to carry out the functions easily.
The Samsung Omnia W has a superb 3.7 inch Super AMOLED capacitive touch screen, with a resolution of 480×800 pixels and 16 million colours. The phone also includes accelerometer sensor for UI Auto Rotate, a Gyro Sensor, and a proximity sensor for auto turn off.
The handset includes two cameras – rear and front. On the rear is a 5 mega pixel camera with LED flash and autofocus. The front is a VGA camera for the purpose of video calling. The camera also has the facilities of Geo Tagging and Image Stabilization.
The phone has colossal 8 GB internal space with an expandable option of up to 32 GB. The handset is also very light weight and sleek in size. It has dimensions of 115.6 x 58.8 x 10.9 mm and weighs only 115.3 gms. It has a Li-ion 15 mAh battery providing nice backup.
The Samsung Omnia W is expected to be launched in India in the month of October with a price tag of around INR 20,000.

Samsung Enhances Its Tablet and Launches Samsung Galaxy Tab 750 (Galaxy Tab 10.1)

For the gadget freak there is good news.  Samsung Electronics launches the better version of its Tablet ‘The Samsung Galaxy Tab 750’. It has improved features in many areas compared to its predecessor.

Better design

Enjoy the unmatched as the Galaxy Tab 750 is now thinner and lighter. It is just 8.6 mm thick weighing just 565 grams.

Better screen

The Samsung Galaxy Tab 750 has a bigger screen and with much more screen sharpness. It has a 25.65 cm screen, 1280×800 WXGA display with an improved pixel density of 149 PPI.

Better web browsing

The Samsung Galaxy Tab 750 supports Adobe Flash Player 10.3, thus making web browsing much more exciting and lively as you can easily view any flash media content.

Better speed

The Samsung Galaxy Tab 750 now has both HSPA (21 Mbps) and Wi-Fi enabling you to be connected 24×7 where ever you are and enjoy fast and stable connection.

Better entertainment

The Samsung Galaxy Tab 750 has dual speakers surrounding the two sides of the screen providing a surround sound effect. It has dual camera facing both front (2 megapixel) and rear (3.15 megapixel) thus giving the benefits of better Google and Skype chat.

Better multitasking

With 1 GHz dual core processor The Samsung Galaxy Tab 750 takes multitasking to a higher level. Thus you can switch to different windows with very ease without interrupting other programs running in the background.
The Samsung Galaxy Tab 750 is tagged with a price of Rs. 30,000 in India and is one of the best Tablet to buy.

HTC to Launch a Low Priced Android Phone in India – The HTC Explorer

HTC is all set to launch its low priced Android phone in India, The HTC Explorer. The phone has very good features comparing the low price tag it has.
The HTC Explorer has Google Android 2.3 Gingerbread operating system with a single core processor of 600 MHz speed. The phone has 384 MB RAM and 512 MB inbuilt memory that can be expandable up to a massive 32 GB.
The phone has a 3.2 inch TFT capacitive touchscreen display with resolution of 320 x 480 pixels and 256K colours. The phone also has the features like accelerometer sensor for auto UI rotate, proximity sensor for auto turn off, HTC Sense and touch sensitive controls.
The phone has one 3.15 mega pixel camera at the rear side with facilities like LED flash, auto focus, Geo Tagging, Face Detection etc. Taking into consideration HTC standards the photo quality is expected to be great.
The phone comes with all necessary features found in the Samrtphones such as GPRS, EDGE, WLAN, Bluetooth, Micro USB etc. and has many inbuilt JAVA Applications like Digital Compass, SNS Integration, Google applications, Youtube, Picasa etc.
The phone has dimensions of 102.8 x 57.2 x 12.9 mm and weights only 108 g. It has a Li-ion 1230 mAh battery with expectation of providing a good battery backup taking into the account its specifications.
The phone is expected to be released in the last quarter of 2011 with a price tag of around INR 12,000.

Tuesday, October 4, 2011

With Phillips HeartStart Defibrillator You Don’t Have to Be a Doctor to Save a Life

Each year 1 million people gets Sudden Cardiac Arrest ( Heart Attack) and very sadly only 7% of them survive, mostly because immediate medical service is not available and cannot reach them in proper time. But with the Phillips HEARTSTART DEFIBRILLATOR you need not worry any more.

During Sudden Cardiac Arrest the electrical system of the human body stops working causing the victim to stop breathing and fall unconscious. A shock from the DEFIBRILLATOR within 5 minutes of the attack provides the victim with the best chance of survival.
The Phillips Heartstart Defibrillator has a very clean uncluttered design and is optimized for fast and efficient delivery of what is expected from it. The commands are very clear concise and streamlined for anybody to operate it in times of emergency. The Heartstart also has a very good battery backup and provides a minimum of 300 shocks once fully charged.
The effectiveness of the Phillips Heartstart is confirmed by more than 40 different studies and it ensures minimum side effects that might be harmful to a fragile heart.
The life saver comes at an affordable price of around INR 50,000. So keeping a Phillips Heartstart handy can be very useful for us in saving lives.

Sony PlayStation Vita

Redefining the rules of the game, Sony Computer Entertainment is about to launch its portable Play Station Vita (PS Vita), the next level of gaming with motion and touch based screens. The 5-inch OLED (organic light emitting diode) capacitive touchscreen gives stunning graphics while the dual analog Joysticks with six-axis motion sensors, front and rear touch controls and built-in stereo speakers take gaming to another level.


The powerful 4-core ARM Cortex A9 processor is the latest technology, which powers this handheld gaming device, improving performance. With various modes of connectivity like Wi-Fi, 3G, Bluetooth as well as GPS you can download games and music and play with fellow gamers anywhere, anytime at home or on the go.


Use ‘Near’, ‘LiveArea’ and ‘Party’ features to find out other PS Vita users in the vicinity, meet friends and players virtually, voice and text chat during online gaming and share your game information through the PlayStation Network. With a high battery life giving you up to 3-5 hours of game play and 9 hours of music listening with screen off, you can enjoy most of your travel time without the need to recharge.
Built-in front and rear cameras and GPS allow for a large variety of innovative triple-A games like Unchartered Golden Abyss, Resistance 3, New Killzone and Call of Duty. Backward compatibility will allow you to play older PSP games on the new PS Vita.
About to be launched in December 2011 in Japan and early 2012 in the Europe and America, this device priced at $245 for Wi-Fi and $299 for 3G is worth the wait.

The New and Exciting BlackBerry Curve 9360 Hits the Market


The BlackBerry, renowned for its elegant style and excellent service launches yet another stylish masterpiece series ‘The BlackBerry Curve ’. This stylish sleek lightweight phone completely reflects the brand BlackBerry as no phone has ever looked better.


The phone is very user friendly with features like onscreen QWERTY keyboard, 3G, Wi-Fi, and micro USB functioning in the latest BlackBerry 7 operating system. This new generation phone provides you the most powerful Graphics, much better browsing and is highly responsive.

The phone has powerful built in features such as 512 MB RAM, 512 MB ROM, huge 4 GB internal memory with option for expansion up to 32 GB and a high-speed single core 800 MHz processor.
It has a shinny 2.44 inch touch screen TFT display, optical track pad, a 5 megapixel camera with LED flash and auto focus adds to its features.  The BlackBerry Curve also provides strong internet connectivity with its 3G and Wi-Fi facilities.
Along with the basic features like messaging, MMS, voice and video calling it also provides all the special BlackBerry features like push mail, BlackBerry messenger, word viewer (Word,  Excel, PowerPoint), HTML Browser, JAVA MIDP, digital compass etc.
It also has specially built GPS and A-GPS Navigation system for its users. In short the BlackBerry Curve is the better than the best.
The Blackberry Curve 9360 is available in the market from August 2011 with a price tag of Rs. 20,000. For those who wants the best, the most stylish and don’t want to compromise the BlackBerry Curve is the best buy.

Google Wallet

Google Wallet is all set to replace your fat leather wallet with a super smart and completely safe Android app to help you make all your payments. You can go on a shopping spree with just your mobile loaded with Google Wallet and pay at any of the thousands of PayPass enabled stores. There is no need to carry cash or credit cards. It allows customers to make one-tap payments with their mobile phones and makes shopping quick and easy.

The Technology

Near field communication (NFC) chips installed in your phone, store and remit credit card and prepaid card information. The NFC is a technology that allows the transfer of information from one device to another in the near vicinity. NFC terminals available at stores checkout counters require you to simply tap your phone on it. This will transfer the desired amount from the buyer to the seller. Currently available only on Sprint Nexus S smart phone, Goggle will soon expand its support to other phones. You can pay with Citi Master Card and Google Prepaid Card with Google putting the first $10 into your account. After that, you can top it up with any of your major credit cards. Besides, Google offers and merchant loyalty cards can also be stored in Google Wallet.

Security

Google Wallet lets you set up a PIN, which needs to be entered every time you make a purchase, ruling out any unauthorised usage even if your phone is stolen. It uses a separate computer chip called the Secure Element, which stores encrypted information about your cards and allows only trusted programs to access it making money transactions safe.

The Future Promise

Eventually Google plans to expand this feature to other phones as well and include many other credit card companies, making way for a new way of e-commerce. Everybody carries a phone and now Google Wallet will let store everything you need to carry without increasing the size of your pocket. Convenient – that’s what today’s consumer is looking for.

Vodafone 555 Blue – Facebook Phone

Helping you remain connected with friends through Facebook is the new Vodafone 555 Blue with its dedicated Facebook button. Vodafone Blue is a basic mobile phone with 2.4 inch QVGA display and a 200 MHz MTK6235 processor. A QWERTY keypad is similar to your Backberry and is simply to use.


Even though this is an entry-level phone, it supports quite a lot of features like a 2MP camera with an LED flash letting you take clear pictures even indoors. Digital zoom, video capture and playback, a music player along with FM provides full entertainment. The screen has a 240×320 pixels resolution with an optical track pad. It also supports an Opera Mini browser and an Email client. With a long battery life, you can enjoy 10 hours of talktime and up to 20 hours of music listening.

Multiple connectivity options are given with GPRS, EDGE, Bluetooth and a USB port for plug-ins, though you may miss having Wi-Fi and 3G. This mobile runs on a Vodafone proprietary OS.
Besides having a dedicated Facebook button, the phone integrates user’s Facebook account and synchronizes the Facebook contacts with the phone’s own phone book. This means that all your messages – SMS and Facebook messages will come into a common inbox. Also, any updates you receive on Facebook will be automatically displayed on your screen keeping you in constant contact with your friends. The Facebook feature is in-built into the handset’s core and allows multiple chat via Facebook.
This phone is manufactured by TCL in association with Facebook and is priced at Rs. 4950 in India. Vodafone offers unlimited access to Facebook for one year with the purchase of its 555 Blue, giving you an affordable option to remain connected with friends.