Karthik R

@ Rajan thanks again for your inputs. @ Parin I'll have those will contact you today itself for the details.

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Have a glance at the topics opened by members in the General Chat section and you will dazed by the multifariousness of discussions; from contemporary social issues, health tips to jokes and movies and the amount of interest and healthy participation it generates. We are not just tech enthusiasts This is what makes us different from the rest. Truly Remarkable.

@ Rajan find something for me too! My post got buried last page #2459 thanks

Read an article in pcworld titled 'Top 10 Android Phone and Tablet Concepts' yesterday. This phone was featured there.. This is just a concept which may or may not be realised so don't get your hopes high.

Airtel faces fine of Rs 50 crore for masking calls Source : ET

Now TRAI seeks info on 3G roaming deals Source : Times Of India

Brought one Motorola Photon 4G from the awesome guy Hetal in 'phone only' condition, now looking for accessories - 1. Otterbox Commuter Case 2. Original OEM / compatible wall charger 3. Desktop Dock 4. Surprise me! (any other useful stuff) Post the links for the best deals. Thanks!

HP gives CEO Leo Apotheker the boot following rampant speculation on his future with the company, Former Ebay CEO Meg Whitman takes over the top spot.

^ ^ The CDMA carriers in US - Verizon and Sprint have not adopted OMH standard. So getting an OMH Incredible 2 won't be of any utility to you.

Excellent work Hetal! Now we have a solid phone which abide by OMH standards. I am left wondering though, why isn't this guy on Qualcomm's payroll?

Cheers! Taking this moment to thank the forum Administrator (Arun, Punbros), the Moderators (Kamal a.k.a Honest, Hetal, Ashok Karkera, Sadikk, Puneet) and all the experts (no sufficient space to list them here) who organize the forum and answer all the questions we throw at them. And a BIG welcome to all our newbies! Jump in and have some fun!

In an official tweet posted today, AT&T announced that the Galaxy S2 will be available starting October 2nd.

Google+ switched from field test to beta and is now open to everyone, dropping the need for an invitation.

All Things Digital reports that upwards of 525 employees at HP's Palm division are slated to lose their jobs in the near future, as part of a layoff process that began this week.

@ Kunal Long time! wassup? Members are most welcome to post speedtest.net results from their workplace / outside India, but it won't be considered as an entry to the Top-Five list. Please turn back to Page 2 of this thread where I have mentioned the same

Request members to reserve this thread for the GSM variant of the S2 / AT&T Attain and discuss about the CDMA flavored one here : Samsung Galaxy S II Epic 4G Touch

Samsung Epic 4G Touch Review by Engadget Gallery : Click hereHardware If it ain't broke, why fix it? The original Galaxy S II earned one of our best review scores, topped our back to school guide and recently earned a mention in our smartphone buyer's guide for the second time in a row. Add in the stellar sales figures we mentioned earlier, and Samsung has surely found success in its top dog. So it shouldn't come as a surprise that Sprint mixed in the same secret sauce into its version of the worldwide hit handset, called the Epic 4G Touch. Whereas the phone's predecessor, the Samsung Epic 4G, was a radical change in look, feel and design from its global counterpart -- Sprint slapped a mediocre QWERTY keyboard on its version of the Galaxy S, for crying out loud -- this one fortunately doesn't depart far from the original design. Still, there's no mistaking the latter over the former, as the latest Epic found plenty of ways to not just stand out but enhance the global GSII. As preposterous as it may sound that an already wonderful phone may have been improved upon by a carrier, we think Sprint's variant may have done just that: beefing up the screen, adding an LED notification light, using a larger battery and adding a couple capacitive touchscreen buttons could indeed make the phone even more desirable than it already is, as painful as it may feel to admit it. Such enhancements are also likely responsible in part for the phone's extra heft. The Epic weighs in at 4.55 ounces compared to the original's breathtaking 4.09; it must've gained an extra mm when waiting in customs, too, as the handset ballooned from a svelte 8.49mm (0.33 inches) to a slender 9.65mm (0.38 inches) during its transition. This may be a letdown for anyone who absolutely must have the thinnest phone -- the original comes close behind the 7.7mm-thin NEC MEDIAS N-04C -- but it's likely that the vast majority of interested buyers will only see a marginal difference between the two. An adjustment that'll definitely get noticed, though, is the Epic's bump in display size to 4.5 inches, a full two-tenths of an inch of additional real estate on the screen to take advantage of Samsung's colorful Super AMOLED Plus technology. Adding a whole four mm to its width, the device doesn't feel much wider in our hands when compared to the original, contrary to our darkest fears; in fact, it nestles in our average-sized mitts quite comfortably, though we can definitely understand that anyone with more petite palms may not experience the same type of luck. Also sure to get some attention is the usual change in navigation buttons, with all three US models opting to use four capacitive touchscreen buttons here instead of the global's three-button layout consisting of a physical home key in between the capacitive menu and back buttons. The fourth button, missing entirely on the original, is the search key. Frankly, we were expecting to see this layout on the domestic versions -- the first Galaxy S phones launched in the US last year opted for the same setup, not to mention that devices launched in the US seldom depart from this four-button system. Sorry folks, if you loathe the search key that much, it appears that your only choice is the unlocked version. The Epic 4G Touch took some other liberties to spice up the Galaxy S II design. The corners are slightly more rounded, the speaker grill has been moved from right to left (and mic from left to right), the screen lock / power button has moved closer to the top right corner and the camera is shaped like an oval instead of a rectangle, with the lens and LED flash oriented up / down rather than left / right. And before we forget, the inclusion of an LED notification light -- not present in the original -- is a minor yet very welcome change, allowing us to quickly see that we have a new message awaiting us. There are a couple other obvious adjustments that had to be made underneath the battery cover as well; since the Epic 4G Touch is a CDMA-based phone with no global GSM roaming capabilities (a point that may dissuade international travelers from choosing it), the SIM card slot is notably missing and the microSD port has slid over to take its place. Completely unchanged in the Epic is the somewhat questionable build quality of the Galaxy S II. We love Sprint's decision to go with the same textured battery cover that serves well to protect the back of the phone from dings, fingerprints and scratches, but unfortunately the number of revolutionary changes in the global's flimsy plastic material can be counted without raising a single finger. You'd best be protecting your crown jewel if you're a clumsy dropaholic, because we could painfully envision it smashing into little pieces (in slow-motion, of course) when coming into contact with a tough-as-nails concrete floor. The Epic 4G Touch also retains the signature bump just below the battery cover -- for better or worse -- and doesn't deviate in its size. Moving around the phone, we also see the same 3.5mm headphone jack on top, a volume rocker on the upper left that has been given an indent in between the up / down and a microUSB charging port. Contrary to the original Galaxy S series, this particular port lacks the clever sliding door to keep dust and moisture out while the phone isn't charging, which was a small disappointment. Underneath the hood, Samsung and Sprint have kept the Epic true to its fraternal twin's roots, retaining the top-of-the-class 1.2GHz dual-core Exynos CPU and 1GB of RAM primarily responsible for the phone's buttery-smooth performance and amazing benchmarks (discussed later in the review). It features the same 8 megapixel rear camera and 2 megapixel front-facing cam; the Epic also has 16GB of built-in storage and its included microSD port is capable of extending that capacity out to 48GB. Its battery is also a fair amount larger at 1,800mAh, versus the Galaxy S II's 1,650mAh. Naturally, the UMTS / HSPA radio has been swapped with an EVDO / WiMAX one, though as we mentioned earlier, we would've preferred to see at least GSM for global roaming. Display We were rather bold in the original Galaxy S II review by stating that the device's display was spectacular enough to rival the iPhone 4's Retina Display -- say what you will about Apple's 15-month old flagship, that's still no easy feat to match. But it's a testament to the superior nature of the S-AMOLED technology used in Sammy's Super AMOLED Plus screens, which offers the deepest blacks, the most saturated colors and the best viewing angles that you can find on any other phone on the market. Head over to our Galaxy S II review, where we go into excruciating detail on why this is so. Suffice it to say for this review, the Epic 4G Touch doesn't disappoint in its display either. We say this with just a smidge of surprise, since it made the screen even larger but yet used the same WVGA (800 x 480) resolution. The pixel density is obviously lower in this case, as there's more screen space to pack the same number of pixels in. To our delight, however, the Epic's display looked just as beautiful in spite of the size difference. This was great news to us, since we were able to enjoy the same viewing experience and do so with more real estate on the screen. And what's better, we took the phone outside in the middle of a sunny day and were still able to see the screen clearly, despite being exposed to direct sunlight. To take things an extra step, we compared the Epic's Super AMOLED Plus side by side with the IPS WVGA display in the T-Mobile G2x, cranking the devices' brightness up as high as they could go. The G2x, which has a higher pixel density by nature of its 4-inch display, still appeared dimmer and more pixelated. Software Click here for Samsung Epic 4G Touch screenshots To many countries around the world, the Galaxy S II remains on the same Android 2.3.3 build it was released with, so it appears the Epic 4G Touch will have a leg up on the original's firmware at least for a short period of time, offering Android 2.3.4 straight out of the box. Unless you use the front-facing camera often, this probably won't make a huge difference since the primary enhancement in the update is the inclusion of gTalk video chat. TouchWiz 4.0 remains largely unchanged in the Epic with only minor UI and software tweaks. We've never kept our opinions about Android skins a secret, but Samsung's flavor does have its share of positive points, such as the extensive customizations and motion controls integrated into the skin. For more specific details on TouchWiz 4.0, check out our review of the Galaxy S II. The FM radio is conspicuously missing in this model. Not missing? Why, the bloatware, of course! What would an Android device on Sprint be without your usual dosage of Sprint ID, NASCAR, Sprint Zone, Sprint Mobile Wallet or game demos? We know that preloaded apps that are impossible to uninstall may be enough to turn bloatware haters away, but it's actually not so bad this time around -- a few of the multimedia-based apps can be uninstalled, such as NASCAR, Sprint Movies and TV and Sprint Radio, not to mention one customization in TouchWiz that we deeply appreciate is the ability to add folders within the app menu itself. This means we were able to tuck away all of the unwanted programs into their own depository and keep them completely out of sight. We doubt this is exactly what Sprint was talking about when it expressed a desire to scale down its bloatware, but hiding the apps is definitely a step in the right direction. Three of the four Samsung Hubs found on the original Galaxy S II have gone the way of the dodo, with the Social Hub remaining as the sole survivor and now being accompanied by a Media Hub that gives you the chance to buy or rent various movies and TV shows. Samsung and Sprint must've agreed with our original assessment of the Hubs, in which we surmised that they were all a waste of time since we could get to the same content via other means. We also appreciated the inclusion of Kies Air, which uses local WiFi connections to let you sync all of your pictures, ringtones, text messages, videos and music to your desktop or laptop. Upon entering the app, you're asked to open your preferred internet browser and type in a specific URL to establish the link between the two devices. Once you're in, you can peruse (and download) all of your phone's content through the browser. Likewise, uploading multimedia to your handset is incredibly easy. Services similar to Kies Air can be found in the Android Market... for a price. Kudos to Sammy for setting a precedent by offering a feature that should be free in every smartphone. Camera The Galaxy S II's camera has been lauded with a monstrous amount of praise (deservedly so) and the Epic 4G Touch comes equipped with the same lens, sensor, software and everything in between. Both sensors in the device are perched near the very top of the spec sheet, snapping images at a resolution of eight megapixels in the rear and an impressive two megapixels in the front. We say this is near the top, of course, as it's still eclipsed by the 13.2MP CMOS camera in the Fujitsu IS12T Windows Phone and the 12 megapixel sensor in the Nokia N8. Understandably, megapixel count isn't everything, but Samsung has an established history of making sensors for its mobile devices that are leaps and bounds better than the competition. We're very grateful that the camera UI has remained untouched on the Epic. The left menu column gives us three spots for shortcuts to features that we use the most, with two additional spots already taken (but still changeable). Virtually every possible menu option you can think of is included as a possible shortcut, such as ISO, scene and shooting modes, metering and other adjustments to exposure and contrast -- just to name a few. The right menu bar offers up the camcorder toggle switch, shutter button and a shortcut to return to the photo gallery. Click here for Samsung Epic 4G Touch camera samples Speaking of shutters, the phone's lack of a dedicated camera button may be disappointing, but at least Samsung makes up for it with a killer shutter button that mimics a double-detent focus. Pressing it will lock in the focus andexposure, and the image is taken as soon as you lift your finger off the trigger. Just like any double-detent camera, this gives us the ability to snap pictures at a moment's notice, increasing the likelihood of capturing a child or pet in the act of something cute (or at least not blinking). The fact that the exposure is locked in is an impressive feature few other phones have; oftentimes we run into issues snapping images of the sunset because phones like to automatically adjust the exposure, causing the picture to turn out incredibly dark. By pointing the camera away from the sunset (allowing the exposure to adjust to the low light rather than the direct sun), locking in the exposure and then turning it back to our intended target, our images turned out much brighter. We took some truly beautiful images with the Epic 4G Touch at full resolution, thanks to the plethora of various camera settings available: ISO, metering, focus modes, panoramic shots and other shooting modes were all graciously included. We had a lot of fun using the macro mode, which allowed us to take some amazing shots from different perspectives that we just haven't been able to do from very many other phones. Our images of flowers, grass, and even wheat fields turned out more finely detailed than we were expecting. Additionally, the overpowered LED flash on the device completely wowed us; not only did it take incredibly bright images in the dark, it also knew when to use the flash when taking the image and when to use it just to set the focus. As mentioned in the original review, the only real concern with the Epic's sensor is the fact that it uses a narrow dynamic range, causing a large contrast between well-lit and dark areas and creating blown-out highlights or deep shadows. We only ran into this problem occasionally -- such as when taking images around sunrise or sunset -- so the pros in this camera certainly trounce the bad by a long shot. Samsung keeps the max video resolution at 1080p HD, though the camcorder keeps 720p as its default mode -- this may be due to the fact that the lower resolution allows for 4x zoom, whereas the top setting does not.. However, if you plan on recording videos to be stored on your computer or watching them on your high-res HDTV, it's easy enough to make the change in the camera settings. In standard daylight our videos turned out crisp and smooth, catching motion without any lagging or efforts to refocus. We had a few concerns in lower-light scenarios, as there were deeper shadows that we couldn't clearly capture objects in. Sadly, we also wish image stabilization played a larger role in recording video, as our hands were shaky without using some type of support. Lastly, the Epic 4G Touch, much like its global twin, features an in-house photo editor which can be used to crop, zoom and add some nifty effects to your images. It's far from professional-grade, but it's one of the best free editing apps we've seen on a phone, and it's definitely a fun time-waster. Performance and battery life Another area where the Epic 4G Touch shines is in its performance, as predicted. We didn't think there would be enough of a difference between this device and its overseas version, considering the phone's components are virtually identical. Our evaluation of the 1.2GHz Exynos dual-core CPU show that it's in a class of its own, outmuscling competing processors in both our real-life performance tests and the usual less-than-reliable benchmarks, the scores of which echo almost exactly that of the original Galaxy S II: Quadrant scored 3244, Neocore and Nenamark stayed consistently at 59.8fps (which would likely be higher if it weren't limited by a 60fps software cap), and Linpack actually exceeded the original a fair amount, averaging around 55.1 MFLOPS for single and 79.5 MFLOPS for multi. For browser performance, the Epic outshone every other phone we've seen with an average result of 3475. The Epic 4G Touch's battery is stronger than the Galaxy S II, weighing in at 1,800mAh (compared to the GS2's 1,650mAh). We suspect the difference may be to support Sprint's WiMAX chip and ensure that its battery life doesn't suffer as much when using 4G consistently. We didn't see any improved performance here, but thankfully it wasn't any worse, either. Our standard video rundown test yielded 5 hours and 15 minutes before shutting off, and with 12 straight hours of moderate use (emailing, taking pictures and videos, social networking, playing a couple games, making a few calls and keeping 4G and push notifications turned on) we still had just over one-third of our battery remaining. You'll never have to feel uncomfortable leaving your charger at home for the day unless you plan to watch videos or play graphics-intensive games all day. This is still highly competitive with the latest Android devices on the market today. Our calls were absolutely solid. The phone's reception is on par with the best handsets around, and we never suffered from dropped calls or degraded quality. Our calls came in absolutely clear, and we think the speakers go to 11 because we had to actually turn down the volume to comfortably hear the other end of the line. The same thing could be said about the loudspeaker for calls and music, which both came out loud and clear without needing to strain our ears or feeling like we needed to break out the headphones. However, the sound seemed a bit limited when watching a full-length blockbuster movie, though we believe this had to do with the quality of the movie itself and not the phone. Last but not least, we double-checked the GPS to make sure it wouldn't have similar concerns to the Galaxy S series, and weren' t disappointed. In several locations -- including a basement next to a window -- the GPS pulled up our location in less than ten seconds. Needless to say, this is definitely a sound improvement, one we imagine had special attention given to it throughout the course of the phone's development. Wrap-up We were bracing ourselves for a disappointment with the Epic 4G Touch, but the outcome was actually just as pleasing -- if not even more so -- than the original Samsung Galaxy S II. Performance junkies and screen enthusiasts alike will be pleased to see that the same spirit lies within both devices, despite one of the two being tied down to a specific carrier. International travelers may be the most affected by the company's decision to leave out a radio for global GSM roaming, but otherwise it's a dependable, sleek, and enjoyable phone to use with very few negatives -- which is saying a lot for a handheld device. As the powerhouse on Sprint's network and an ambassador of the "Galaxy S II" title in the US, the Epic 4G Touch is definitely worthy to bear the permanent branding that sits on the battery cover. Source : Engadget

Earlier in June the folks at This is my next have been tipped off on all of the details on Sprint's third quarter (July-September) roadmap and although there aren't any specific launch dates included, there are juicy details about some upcoming handsets to be found. Here's what we can reportedly expect - Samsung Epic 2 will feature a 4-inch display, single-core 1.2GHz Hummingbird processor (likely the same as Verizon’s Droid Charge and AT&T’s Infuse 4G), 8-megapixel camera and a physical QWERTY keyboard. The earlier Epic 4G ran at 1 GHz, while the new one will run at 1.2 Ghz. The Samsung Epic 2′s screen will remain 4-inch with Super AMOLED Plus but its rear camera acquired 3 more megapixels (i.e., the Epic 2 will have an 8-megapixel camera). Is this a deserving successor, worth waiting for? Also forum members who have sticked to Epic for a long time, are you planning to upgrade to Epic 2? I don't see that much improvement other than in cam. Heck it isn't even getting dual-core like the Galaxy S II - Epic 4G touch! HTC’s EVO 3D succeeds last year’s EVO 4G in many ways — the dual-core processor and qHD 3D-capable display are both pretty big boosts. Well, the Epic 2 doesn’t sound like it’s going to be quite the same level of improvement over the original Epic 4G

2012 won't get here for several months but plenty of 2012 anti-virus tools have already arrived. Which one is the best? PCmag finds out here

@ Chirag You mistook the Epic 2 for Samsung Galaxy S II Epic 4G Touch. Both are different devices.

^ ^ ^ It will serve both purpose. I am dumping my BB 9650 and getting an Epic (have talked to Tushar) but don't mind waiting a month if the next iteration delivers more to the plate.

^ ^ ^ The Msg Alert Tone cannot be customized like the call ringtone. We are pretty much stuck with the default ones that Samsung provide.

Don't get wooed by the physical qwerty keyboard of the xperia mini pro, it has the smallest screen of the three (3 in vs 3.7 in). Its small size can hamper usability.

Qualcomm may lose wireless broadband service permits in India NEW DELHI: US-based chipmaker Qualcomm Inc may not get wireless broadband service permits in India as the telecom department has deemed its application to be invalid. The company was the sole technology firm to win wireless broadband airwaves (BWA) in the June 2010 auction and had shelled out Rs 4,913 crore for permits in Delhi, Mumbai, Haryana and Kerala. But a senior official said the DoT is of the view that Qualcomm's bid is invalid as it did not apply for and acquire licences within three months of the auction. The department claims though the BWA auctions ended in June last year, Qualcomm applied for permits as late as December 2010. After scrutinising its application, the DoT concluded 'this was beyond the validity period for applying and acquiring the relevant licence', said the official. He added Qualcomm has over the weekend been informed its application has been rejected. The cancellation of permits will result in Qualcomm forfeiting nearly . 5,000 crore it had paid for its permits. But, a final decision on this amount will be taken only after evaluating the company's response. Qualcomm rebuts telecom dept charges Besides, the telecom commission, the apex decision-making body in the communications ministry, will also need to endorse the department's decision, following which it will go to telecom minister Kapil Sibal. Qualcomm, however, says it has not received any communication from the government so far and has strongly rebutted the department's charges, claiming it had applied for mobile permits on August 9, 2010, well within the stipulated three-month window. The chipmaker also said it had invested $1 billion in India, one of the largest investments made by it so far outside the US. "Since we have followed all the stipulated rules in both letter and spirit, we believe DoT should grant us licences immediately," the company said. The telecom department has also alleged that Qualcomm applied for BWA permits under the names of four different companies, in violation of the auction guidelines that clearly said winners could 'nominate only one company for obtaining a licence'. But Qualcomm says, in their applications, these four companies explicitly stated that they were Qualcomm Inc nominees. "The DoT's letters dated November 30, 2010 and December 2, 2010 had directed these four companies to submit proof of them being Qualcomm's nominees, to which Qualcomm Inc responded on December 20. Thereafter, DoT's licensing wing has been in touch with the four companies towards licence issuance. Also, Qualcomm Inc and these four companies have written several letters to DoT and requested it to expedite the licensing process. Hence, we do not understand what this issue now is all about," the company said in response to an ET query. The Qualcomm spokesperson also said that auction conditions explicitly required new entrants to apply for separate licences in each of the specified service areas. "Since it has not yet issued us the licence, and in the interest of expediting the licensing process, we have written to DoT on September 9, 2011, requesting as a compromise that DoT grant one licence instead of four. Upon doing so, we would then merge the three other entities into the fourth, which would hold the licence," the spokesperson added. It was earlier reported that Bharti Airtel was likely to buy the yet-to-belaunched Indian wireless broadband business of Qualcomm. Source : Times of India