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Would you like to test drive the latest version of Google's Android OS without buying a new mobile device? Here's how you can run Android on your PC for free with the Android SDK Emulator. Android is the latest mobile OS to take the world by storm, but everyone doesn't have access to the latest mobile devices. Thankfully, there's an easy way to run Android on your Windows, Mac, or Linux computer. Google provides an Android emulator with their SDK, which is designed to let developers test their apps on Android before running them on handsets. We can use this to test drive Android on our computer, here's how to do it. Getting Started The Android Emulator requires Java to run, so if you don't already have Java installed on your computer, download it from the link below and install as normal. Then, download the Android SDK from Google (link below), and make sure to select the correct version for your computer. Once it's downloaded, unzip the files as normal. Download the Android SDK In Windows, run the SDK Setup.exe program to get started running Android on your PC. The SDK will check Google's servers for available packages If you see an SSL error message, click the Settings tab on the left in the SDK and AVD Manager window that opened in the background. Here, uncheck the Force https box, click Ok, and then reopen the setup. Now, the Package Installer will open. You can choose what you want to install, and then click Install to begin installing the Android emulator on your computer. By default, all of the SDK platforms, samples, and APIs will be selected for install. This can take quite a while to download, as several versions of Android are currently available. If you only want to play around with Android, choose the version you want. You'll want the SDK Platform Android your.version. Then click the Reject bullet on all the other entries, and click Install. We wanted to try out the latest Android 2.2 as well as the older 1.5, so we downloaded both of them. Once you've started installing, you'll see a window showing the download and installation progress. This may take a few minutes, depending on your Internet speed. You'll have some little Androids in your taskbar, but unfortunately they don't show the download progress. Setup an Android Emulator Once the download is completed, you can setup an emulator to test drive Android on your computer. Select the Virtual Devices from the left menu, and then click the New button on the right. Enter a name for your virtualized Android, and select the version of Android you want to use from the drop-down menu. This will only show the version you installed previously, so you may only see one version listed depending on your selection. Enter a size under the SD Card entry; this is a virtual SD card that's actually an IMG file that Android will use to store your settings and files in. Then, select a screen size from the skin options. The default is a standard, Nexus One-type display, while the others are different sizes including even a BlackBerry-style device. Click Create AVD when you're finished. The program may appear to freeze while it is creating the AVD, so just wait until you see the confirmation window. You're now ready to run Android on your PC! Select your new virtual Android, and click Start on the right. You can choose to scale the display if you've chosen a larger screen size than your monitor will fit, and then select Launch. Android will now begin to load in your emulator. Several command prompt windows may open, and then you'll see the emulator itself. Notice that the default, large screen size will display a keypad and virtual buttons on the right side of the emulated device. Android may take several minutes to load, especially on your first run. After a while, the boot screen will switch to an Android boot animation. Finally, you'll be presented with your new Android home screen! Use your mouse as you would normally, though remember that you don't need to double-click to open apps. You can open pre-installed apps from the launcher menu, though unfortunately these emulator images do not include the Android Marketplace. View your favorite websites in the browser, and they will render just as they would on an Android device. Note that you can enter text using the on screen keyboard in the emulator, or with your standard keyboard. Since this is an emulator, you may notice some lag in entering text. You can also install Apps that are directly available online. Default apps such as Email work great, and you can even see most of the device settings in Android. Click and hold on the home screen to change the background or try out widgets. You'll even see the nifty Android Lock screen if you leave your virtual machine alone for a few minutes. Just click the arrow and drag it to the other side of the screen to unlock. You can always repeat the steps later to create a new Android virtual machine. Here we've created an Android 1.5 virtual machine with the QVGA screen size. We did experience a few crashes in our tests, and the emulator felt somewhat sluggish, but in all, it's fun to try out a new mobile OS without spending money on a new phone. Launch Android Virtual Machines Later Anytime you want to launch your Android virtual machines in the emulator, just run the SDK Setup.exe as before, and select them from the Virtual Devices list. Alternately, you can launch an emulator directly from the command line. To do this, browse to your Android SDK folder and open the Tools folder. Press the Shift key and right-click, and then select Open Command Window Here. Now enter the following in the Command Prompt, substituting the name of your Android virtual machine for your_device: emulator @your_device Create a Shortcut For Your Android Alternately, right-click on the Emulator.exe in the SDK Tools folder, and select Create Shortcut. This shortcut would actually only run the emulator in Command Prompt and not load an actual virtual device. We'll need to change the properties to do this, so right-click and select Properties. Select the Shortcut tab, and then scroll to the end of the Target box. Enter the name of your virtual Android as before, as @your_Android after the emulator.exe, and then click Ok. Now you can launch your Android directly from your Desktop or Start menu. Conclusion Whether you're a developer who wants to write the next greatest app for Android or are simply are curious about Android and would like to try it out without buying a new phone, the Android Emulator is a great way to get started for free. It is also a great way to try out new versions of Android if you have an older device. We were disappointed that the Android Marketplace wasn't included. source: How to Geek

Smart Shortcuts To Improve Your BlackBerry Experience One of the greatest joys of using a BlackBerry is the number of shortcuts that a power user can use to get tasks accomplished in double-quick time. Want a one-click shortcut to lock your BlackBerry or toggle between vibrate and normal profiles? Or want to go to the bottom of a long e-mail in a single click--it's all possible with your trusted BlackBerry. Here's a list of some of my favourite BlackBerry shortcuts that can help you get started in case you aren't using shortcuts to improve your BlackBerry experience. Smarter BlackBerry Use Shortcuts Quick reboot: One solution during the rare occasion when my BlackBerry starts behaving as if it's under the weather (hanging, performing slowly, low on memory, etc), is to remove the battery and SIM card, wait a few seconds and reinsert. But that's not always easy, especially in a moving vehicle or when commuting. At such times, I prefer a software reset, much like a PC reboot. All you need to do is press your BlackBerry's 'Alt', 'Right Shift' and 'Delete' keys together. Not for folks with thick fingers though; they might prefer the harder option of removing the battery. Also, though I mentioned commutes, let me indemnify myself by mentioning that rush hour Bombay local trains are exempt from any such claims. 'Help Me!' Screen: Need a dashboard on everything related to your BlackBerry, ranging from memory to radio signal strength, uptime as well as identification information such as MAC ID, IMEI, OS version and more? The 'Help Me!' screen is the answer to your prayers. Simply press your BlackBerry's 'Alt', 'Left Shift' and 'H' keys simultaneously. One-key lock: Some newer BlackBerry smartphone have a dedicated lock key on the top, but for older devices (and even newer ones if you want to use it), the one-key option to lock your BlackBerry is to press the 'A' letter key for a couple of seconds. One-key vibrate mode: Need to quickly move to vibrate mode in the middle of an important meeting? Simply press the 'Q' key for a few seconds when you are in any alert profile other than 'Vibrate Only.' When you need to switch back, do the same and your BlackBerry reverts to the alert profile you were using earlier. If you find it cumbersome to type in a long name for a contact you can easily find contacts from your BlackBerry's home screen by typing in the first and last initials, with a space in between. Of course, if you have multiple contacts with the same initials you'll get a list of such contacts. Would you like to use a special or an accented character? Perhaps to personalise your BlackBerry Messenger (BBM) profile? You can get these by holding the character key and scrolling with the trackball or trackpad. Messaging and mailbox Shortcuts To compose a new message press 'C' when viewing the 'Messages' screen. To go to the top of a message press 'T' when viewing the message. To go to the bottom of a message press 'B' when viewing the message. To reply to a message press 'R' when viewing the message. To reply to all in a message press 'L' when viewing the message. To forward a message Press 'F' when viewing the message. To go to the next unopened item press 'U' when viewing the 'Messages' screen. Press the 'S' key to search for a sender or a word within a subject line, and any mail folder when viewing the 'Messages' screen. When you press 'S' when viewing a message, you can search within that message. To view your inbox press 'Alt + I' when viewing the 'Messages' screen. To view your outbox press 'Alt + O' when viewing the 'Messages' screen. To mark a message as opened/unopened press 'Alt + U' when a message is highlighted or when reading the message. To go to the top of mailbox press 'T' when viewing the 'Messages' screen. To go to the bottom of your mailbox press 'B' when viewing the 'Messages' screen. To go to the next date press 'N' when viewing the 'Messages' screen. To go to the previous date press 'P' when viewing the 'Messages' screen. Do remember though that this is by no means a comprehensive list, and you can get a device specific list by clicking here. Courtesy : BizTech2

Currently Google android is not announced for PC, but you can download and install it from http://www.android-x86.org/ Download: http://www.android-x86.org/download View the screen shots here :- http://www.android-x86.org/screenshot it is just like normal OS.

Everyone Be Careful and do enough research before doing this. Thought this is good info for Iphone users, so sharing. Probably the most easiest way to install Android on an iPhone 2G/3G is via iPhoDroid, which we did cover previously. But the problem with it is; you should have a computer to run the whole process of installing Android on your iPhone 2G/3G. But thanks to Bootlace 2.1, you can now install Android 2.2.1 Froyo on your jailbroken iPhone without needing to connect it to any PC or Mac! To kick things off, Bootlace 2.1 is only compatible with the following iPhones and iOS': iPhone 2G running iOS 3.1.2 and 3.1.3. iPhone 3G running iOS 3.1.2, 3.1.3, 4.0, 4.0.1, 4.0.2 and 4.1. And the jailbreaking tools which are supported by Bootlace 2.1 are: PwnageTool Redsn0w Blackra1n You can follow our guide for jailbreaking the iPhone 3G using Redsn0w here, Blackra1n here and PwnageTool here. iPhone 2G users can similarly follow the steps to jailbreak using Redsn0w here, Blackra1n here and PwnageTool here. If you don't meet the above requirements then you can't go ahead with the installation of Android on your iPhone 2G/3G. If you do, then proceed with the following steps. Step 1: Jailbreak your iPhone 2G/3G using the steps given in the links above. When you're done, run Cydia from your iPhone's springboard, and add "http://repo.neonkoala.co.uk/" (without quotes) as repository. Tap "Add Source", and then you need to install "Bootlace" as shown in the screenshots below. Step 2: Once you have installed Bootlace, fire up the app from the homescreen:. Step 3: From "Bootlace", you need to install "OpeniBoot". Step 4: Once "OpeniBoot" has been installed, tap on the "iDroid" tab in the bottom row to install iDroid. Step 5: Once iDroid has been installed on your iPhone, tap the "QuickBoot" tab in the bottom row, followed by tapping on the Android logo, your iPhone will now restart and boot into Android. That's it, you're done! You now have Android 2.2.1 Froyo on your iPhone. Please refer to Step 4 again if you want to check for Android updates in future. And it's highly recommended that you perform the whole feat over a WiFi connection. source redmond pie

I think they took PHOTO-COPY of Tata's tariff sheet and just written their name after striking the name TataIndicom.. Atleast they should have done any of the following changes, to look like their original tariff:- 1) Priced ONE RUPEE lesser than Tata say Rs949/Rs1099/Rs1499 or 2) Giving Rs200 discount for OLD customers also or 3) Giving Rs200 discount for TWO years or 4) Writing the speed as 153.6kbps instead of 153kbps.. Hmmm... May be, they needed these so many days to import a XEROX (PHOTO-COPIER) machine for their co...

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