Honest

Gmail Spruced Up With Themes Themes for the girlies and the geeks The bland, plain-Jane Gmail interface has been officially spruced up with Google offering theme support for Gmail. Google has started enabling the added functionality on select accounts and eventually plans to offer it to all Gmail users. Thus far, there were unofficial themes that were making the rounds on the web - usually browser plug-ins or user-scripts. On seeing the rising popularity of the themes, Google finally decided to rope them in. Nobody will complain about lack of variety. There are various options to suit all types of personalities, from girlie themes to those strictly for geeks. With more than 30 themes to choose from, there is something in it for everyone. If that was not enough, Google also states that they have changed the default view so that it has a crisper and sharper look. If you still don't see the option under Settings-> Themes, all you can do is to wait and pray that your account gets themified soon! Courtesy : Techtree

You Name It, Google SMS Has It ! Enhances India SMS features and services at no additional cost After launching its SMS services in India last year, Google has decided to not sit tight and is on its way to offer more features and services to its customers. In its first ever "update," Google SMS has added a variety of new searches and services along with a new access number. While users were told to send their queries to 54664 earlier, the number has now changed to 9-77-33-00000. So what other services does Google have in the offing? A host of interesting ones. From finding out about your railway PNR status to information about the nearest pizza joint or details about late night taxi services - in case you are stuck in a new city - Google SMS has all this and more. It also offers a dictionary service in case you are straining your gray cells to make sense of a new word that you have come across and there is no dictionary in sight! There is also an interesting converter application that does seem to work pretty well. While some services like information on pizza joints and restaurants are only available in select cities (34 ), the amount of data users now have at their disposal is phenomenal! - just an SMS away! To top it all, you do not have to pay premium SMS rates to use this service. Therefore, it's just another local SMS for you. To send a query, all you need to do is to type your query and send it to 9-77-33-00000 as a normal SMS. You will get an almost instantaneous reply with the relevant results. For further details on what you can do with Google SMS, click here Courtesy : Techtree

New Facebook Panel For Xperia X1 Contact your Facebook buddy with only the information stored in his Facebook account! Sony Ericsson recently released a new Facebook panel for its top-of-the-line Xperia X1 handset. This fully-functional panel will allow Xperia users to easily navigate Facebook. It adds almost all the functionalities that Facebook offers to the handset and does not present a "toned down" version of the site. Users can view profiles, send friend requests, change status messages, and upload and view photos. That's not all. You can also make a call to your Facebook buddy using the information stored in his account - even if your contact list doesn't have his phone number listed! According to some users, this even betters the Facebook iPhone application. Xperia users out there should definitely take a look at this. The panel can be downloaded here. Courtesy : Techtree

3G: Looking Beyond Mobile Phones GSM association, partners aim to bring more devices in 3G fold Until now mobile phones, laptops and data cards were the few ones reaping the benefits of 3G technology. But now it looks like the GSM association wants to extend the technology to many more devices. The association and its partners, including Vodafone and Huawei Technologies, are working on a new technical standard for devices that integrate chips so that they can work with the 3G technology. The possibilities and the integration of these chips seem to be endless. Right from a consumer electronics device to health equipments to even transportation, every device can use it. For instance, a car equipped with 3G could send its performance data to mechanics, digital cameras could wirelessly send photographs and videos to be instantly shared with friends, and even health-monitoring devices could send updates of the heartbeats, blood pressure to the assigned medical staff. Other partners like Softbank, Telecom Italia, Telefonica, KTF and Telstra are working on creating an API for device-makers so that their devices are compatible with 3G. Courtesy : Techtree

Lotus Notes Now on Nokia Phones Nokia and IBM have announced IBM Lotus Notes support for a number of Nokia's S60-based mobile phones. Lotus Notes Traveler provides real time access to email, calendar, address book, journal and to-do list data and will be available for Nokia devices in December 2008. "This is another strong affirmation of our business mobility vision, which is to establish partnerships with the world's leading enterprise vendors. This collaboration means nearly 90 percent of business email can be mobilized with Nokia devices, without needing to purchase additional servers, middleware or licenses. With the presence, position and technology that IBM have in the corporate email market, they are an essential partner for us in enterprise," said Soren Petersen, senior vice president, Nokia. "People need to be connected to their email, information and network when they are out of the office and that has to be done conveniently and on their terms. Lotus Notes Traveler for Nokia devices is a great example of that." Courtesy : Tech2

Just downloaded this game on my LG KG300 Dynamite GSM handset and its working fine. Its a good game my dear friends. Regards.

No move to cap number of players: Raja Business Standard l 21 Nov l New Delhi The government today ruled out limiting the number of operators in a circle and said that any such decision would need to be reverted back to telecom regulator Telecommunications Regulatory Authority of India (Trai). The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has so far considered applications for telecom licences that were received till September 25, 2007, and is yet to take a decision on those that came between September 25 and October 1. This had led to widespread speculation that the applications after September 26 would not be taken up at all and there would be a cap in that sense. Speculation got reinforced because of the scarcity of spectrum and there being about 12 players in circles (once new telcos start operations), which offers sufficient competition. "We have not taken such a decision.... I don't think the Telecom Commission has taken such a decision (either). If at all, it again has to be referred to Trai. I never asked the Commission to deliberate on the issue," Telecom Minister A Raja said. The DoT had received 575 applications, of which 343 were filed between September 26 and the cutoff date of October 1, 2007. There were 24 applicants in this period including AT&T, DLF, Moser Baer, Ispat, and Sterlite. A total of 46 companies had applied for telecom licences. Licences are given on a first-come-first-served basis.

Call rates may fall after new telcos start: Raja Business Standard l 21 Nov l New Delhi Telecom minister A Raja feels there is enough scope for tariffs to come down to a level of 20 paise per minute for local calls and 50 paise per minute for STD calls after new operators start services. “There is a scope for reduction once the new operators start rolling out (services). Tariffs for intra circle calls may come down to 20-25 paise and national calls may come down to 40-50 paise,” Raja said here. The minister also said the country needs another 300 million telephone lines, which can be given by both existing and new operators. There is a large scope for business to reach 750 million phone connections. There are 120 new licensees who have been allowed by the DoT to start telecom services. Unitech, Swan, Datacom and Shyam Telecom have already got spectrum and could start services once they get the network ready. Raja said Telecom Regulatory Authority of India has been following a practice of forbearance. As per this, tariffs are determined by market forces and are not fixed by the regulator. Justifying the presence of more players in a competitive market, the minister said, “We brought in a competitive atmosphere and that will bring down the tariffs. Is it not the responsibility of the government to introduce more competition?” At present local call rates vary from 40 paise (within an operator’s own network) to Re 1, and national call rates from Re 1 to Rs 2.65 a minute.

Jobhi hoga humdonoka ek hoga. Hmmm. Is it really.

^^^ My dear Ramesh, did you tried Opera Mini on your handset ? If not then you should try the same and I think your problem will be solved. Regards.

^^^ Oh, that could be really beneficial for many subscribers who lost their handsets my dear friend. Regards.

India witnessing new dawn of mobile banking 18 Jul, 2008, 0026 hrs IST, ET NEW DELHI: You can find pictures of Abhishek Bachchan, Aishwarya Rai and Shahrukh Khan at Suresh Photo Studio in West Delhi. Business has been unusually brisk at Suresh’s studio since last two months. And he can cope with the rush, thanks to extra hours that he’s been able to save from the ritual of queuing up at banks to withdraw money. Now, he withdraws money via his mobile phone. Opposite Suresh Photo Studio, adjacent to a temple, 38-year old Kamla sells roses, marigold and orchid garlands. Back home in Muzaffarpur, Bihar, Kamla’s mother now receives Rs 200 every week on her mobile sent by Kamla. India is witnessing a new dawn of banking with mobile phone. From a rickshaw puller, a florist, a pan shop vendor to a truck driver, cash transactions are going mobile for all and sundry. “Our target is to achieve 10 million mobile subscribers hooked onto mobile banking by end of this fiscal year,” says Bharti Airtel CEO Manoj Kohli. Four banks, SBI, HDFC, ICICI and Corporation Bank, have partnered with India’s largest operator Bharti Airtel to offer m-banking. RCOM has tied up with ICICI Bank, HDFC Bank, Axis Bank and IDBI Bank. Bharti Airtel has launched its mobile banking late last month and plans to rope in about 100 major banks in India by end 2008. “Over the coming months, customers will be available to open their bank accounts at authorized Airtel outlets just by submitting a photo ID proof. Subscribers can now deposit, withdraw, transfer, pay bills or remit money through their mobile phones,” Mr Kohli adds. A pilot phase has already been successful between HDFC and Bharti Airtel in West Delhi. Chemist shops, general stores, residents, NGOs, anybody can register to become an authorized outlet. ET spent a day with one such outlet, Gupta Medicals doubling as an authorized mobile banking outlet in West Delhi to find out how the system works. A customer (Kamla) comes to the shop in immediate need of Rs 200. She comes to the outlet and asks for withdrawal from her mobile bank account. Sumit Gupta, the outlet owner SMSes from Kamla’s mobile phone the following code, “*543*123*(the outlet’s mobile number)*200*Kamla’s 10-digit Pin code#”. He sends the SMS to 54321. Instantly, Rs 200 get deposited into the outlet’s account withdrawn from Kamla’s HDFC account. Mr Gupta hands over Rs 200 to Kamla with which she goes and buys fresh flowers for garlands. The transaction takes less than five minutes. In order to confirm the transaction, HDFC bank sends an SMS to Kamla’s phone, “Balance in your HDFC account as of 3/7/2008 is INR 900.” Kamla’s account is a no frills account. To graduate to a savings bank account she will have to submit additional documents. For remitting to India, one can just go to a Western Union (WU) outlet overseas and deposit forex. Instantly, a transaction ID will be generated on the receiver’s mobile which he can show to collect the amount at a WU outlet in India. While the SMS is free, for a person-to-person transfer, a fee of Rs 20 is charged which is shared amongst Airtel, VISA, Mchek (platform provider) and others in the chain. Airtel CEO Manoj Kohli declined to disclose the revenue share arrangements. With Mobile Money Transfer (MMT), the user can transfer funds to a mobile number, that is registered with mChek with a valid VISA card or to any 16digit VISA card number in the country. About Rs 20 is charged for a card-to-card transfer. In it’s draft guidelines last month, the RBI has mandated to implement a minimum four digit mPIN for such transactions. However banks like HDFC have gone ahead and implemented a six digit mPIN. ICICI’s Sachin Khandelwal terms mobile phone as more secure as in case of loss of a phone, there’s no way a person can use your cash. “In comparison, during loss of a card, there is always a risk of leakage,” he adds. The SMS receipt can also be treated as a legal document under the new IT Act. Overall, while operators seem gung-ho on the service, it remains to be seen how much popularity mobile banking will find amongst India’s 270 million odd mobile subscribers and whether it will encourage 90% of the population which uses no bank to open a bank account.

now this is what i call " creativity " Hmmm.... Creativity. Creativity along with CREATIVE headphone free. Just joking dudes. By the way, one of my friend also using the same Laptop and he is satisfied with the performance of the same. Regards.

My dear friends, just read the post number one again. It is clearly mentioned that Google has started enabling the themes on SELECTED ACCOUNTS. They will offer it to all Gmail users in the near future. By the way, Google Themes are working fine on my Gmail account from day before yesterday. Regards.

Microsoft to offer free software 19 Nov, 2008, REUTERS Microsoft Corp said that it will discontinue sales of its subscription PC security service and instead offer free software to help protect computers from viruses, spyware and other threats. With the move, the software giant appears to be taking aim at McAfee Inc and Symantec Corp, its chief rivals in the PC security market. Microsoft plans to halt sales of its Windows Live OneCare service on June 30. The service being discontinued costs $49.95 a year and covers up to three PCs. The new security programme, which the company has code-named "Morro," will be available as a free download in the second half of next year. Morro is designed to work with smaller, less powerful computers, the company said, which should make it appeal to a wide group of consumers. However, McAfee said the move is a sign of capitulation on the part of Microsoft. McAfee said OneCare managed to capture less than 2 per cent of the market in the two years it has been out. "Microsoft is giving up," a McAfee spokesman said. "They are now defaulting to a dressed-down free model that doesn't meet consumer security needs." Microsoft has a history of butting heads with its competitors in the PC security space. In 2006 and 2007, Symantec and McAfee raised concerns that Microsoft had designed Windows Vista to deny them access to the heart of the operating system, which they needed to protect it from certain kinds of malicious software. After negotiations, and some prodding from antitrust regulators in Brussels, Microsoft said it would provide the information needed. Shares of Redmond, Washington-based Microsoft closed up 43 cents, or 2.2 per cent, at $19.62. Shares of Cupertino, California-based Symantec finished at $12.40, up 24 cents, or 2 per cent, while shares of Santa Clara, California-based McAfee closed up 28 cents at $28.57.

It will settle down slowly and steadily my dear Ani. It will take some time. Regards.

^^^ Dear Amit, it seems to be a good deal @ Rs.20,400/- alongwith free creative headphone.

@Prawin Its a great initiative taken by you my dear friend. It will be in the benefit of Rimwebians to order through you instead of importing through unknown sources. You are a VERY OLD MEMBER of our beloved forum. And Rimwebians can definetely TRUST you, as you are regular on this forum from the last 4.5 years. We will support you for this my dear friend. If you need any help here in India, then you can ask for the same. WISH YOU THE BEST. Regards.

SearchMe Brings Visual Search To iPhone Upstages Google's voice search offering Search applications for iPhone are getting better by the day. If Google's Voice Search was cool, SearchMe's latest app is definitely cooler. It's the visual search that makes the SearchMe application a step ahead of Google's offering. SearchMe works by displaying a snapshot of all the search results in a "stack", thus saving a user's time. A user can flick through a result or zoom in or zoom out by using multi-touch gestures. The application is now available from the App Store. Courtesy : Techtree

Leaked: LG Prada II Specs Back in in April 2008, LG Electronics and Prada officially announced the LG Prada II, successor to the first LG Prada phone launched in 2007. The LG Prada II is rumored to sport features like 3-inch touchscreen, quad band GSM (850/900/1800/1900) and WCDMA (900/1200) support, 7.2Mbps HSDPA, a full HTML browser and microSDHC. The recently leaked photo shows the slide-out QWERTY keyboard which is similar to HTC's upcoming Touch Pro. SMS fanatics sure would be happy to discover the slide-out keyboard. Bear in mind that specifications are yet to be announced officially by LG. The phone is expected to release in the fourth quarter of the year, so let's hope to hear from LG soon. Checkout the specifications available via ePrice: GSM 850/900/1800/1900, WCDMA 900/2100 HSDPA with 7.2Mbps capabilities 3-inch WQVGA TFT Touch Screen, 400 x 240 resolution 5 megapixel camera 0.3 megapixel secondary camera for video call Sliding QWERTY keyboard MP3/ WAV/ WMV Player FM Radio TV-OUT HTML Browser SMS / MMS / EMAIL (POP3, IMAP) / IM USB 2.0 Bluetooth WLAN 802.11 b/g microSDHC card slot, support up to 8GB Courtesy : Techtree

LG Prada II Gets A Companion - Prada Link Read text messages on a watch LG has announced that their Prada II is ready to face the consumer and will hit the European markets in late November. For those who are unaware of its innovative features, Prada II now has a sliding QWERTY keyboard with a host of other features like HSDPA up to 7.2MBps, Wi-Fi, a multi-touch screen, and a 5 megapixel camera. It looks like LG is not content leaving the Prada phone out in the wide world alone. The phone will now get a new buddy in the form of a watch named Prada Link. The Link syncs nicely with the help of Bluetooth and keeps track of calls, and one can read text messages displayed right on the watch. Prada Link sports a stainless steel body with a genuine leather belt, and is capable of displaying the world time. You can also set an alarm! The phone and watch would be selling for 600 Euros (Rs. 37,570) and 299 Euros (Rs. 18,720), respectively. Courtesy : Techtree

Govt expects Rs5,000cr from one-time spectrum fee Press Trust of India l 20 Nov l New Delhi The government expects to garner about Rs 5,000 crore from the existing mobile operators such as Airtel, Vodafone and Idea by imposing a one-time fee on those who are holding spectrum beyond the threshold limit of 6.2 Mhz, a move which will raise the cost of radio frequency. "The Telecom Commission will announce within a couple of weeks the one-time spectrum fee for existing operators. I am told informally that it will be in the range of Rs 4,000-5,000 crore. It will be based on Rs 1,658 crore, which is the all-India licence fee," Telecom Minister A Raja said. He said this is over and above the annual charges. Even in course of time, TRAI will give recommendation to enhance the annual charges. The date to be taken into consideration is from the day of allotment, which is to be decided by the Telecom Commission. It will also depend on the amount of spectrum held beyond 6.2 Mhz and the circle. Raja, however, did not disclose the per Mhz charge, saying the commission would work on it. At present Bharti, Idea, Vodafone Essar, Aircel, and BPL are holding over 6.2 Mhz in many circles. They get spectrum as per subscriber-linked allocation. Earlier, Trai had recommended a one-time spectrum charge for 2G spectrum beyond 10 MHz for GSM operators and five MHz for CDMA operators. The regulator had suggested that for every additional MHz beyond 10 MHz in Mumbai, Delhi and category A circles, operators should be charged Rs 16 crore. But DoT's view is, since GSM spectrum allotment beyond 10 MHz is rare and there is no spectrum allotment beyond five MHz for CDMA operators, no substantial additional revenue would accrue to the government. Therefore, it was suggested that the TRAI mandated one-time spectrum acquisition charge be levied for any allotment beyond 6.2 MHz for GSM operators. Interestingly, the CDMA operators also want GSM operators to be charged extra for spectrum beyond 6.2 MHz. In fact, Reliance Communications Chairman Anil Ambani has written several letters to DoT and the Prime Minister in support of this demand.

Motorola Unveils Their New MINGs Motorola is in the news again with the unveiling of two more handsets that we've been keeping tabs on - namely the new MING handsets - the A1600 and A1800. Both handsets are categorized as business class devices running on the same Linux OS; only these new MINGs promise to offer a whole lot more than just a business class feel and features. Motorola MING A1600 The A1600 is a Quad-band GSM handset that comes equipped with a 2.4-inch TFT touch screen display (QVGA resolution) that can be used with the bundled stylus of course. It supports EDGE and GPRS but doesn’t seem to have 3G support. The A1600 will also feature a 3MP auto-focus camera that will be capable of shooting burst images in a GIF format and storing them as a single file. Like the A1200, the A1600 will also have a business card reader, but apart from that, this new MING handset will also feature a new option of taking pictures of signboards and having them translated with the help of an on board dictionary. Tourists will love this! The handset will also support external memory via microSD cards. With regard to other connectivity, the A1600 supports Bluetooth with an A2DP profile and Micro USB connectivity. It also has a media player and an integrated FM radio. What really makes this handset more attractive is the fact that it comes equipped with GPS capabilities with Geotagging as well. Motorola MING A1800 The second MING making its presence is the Dual SIM A1800. It's not too different from the A1600, with its 2.4 inch touchscreen display, 3MP camera, microSD support, Bluetooth A2DP, EDGE / GPRS support and built in GPS. What's different is its ability to support CDMA and GSM (Tri-Band) SIM cards. There’s no information yet on whether or not both SIMs will be active simultaneously though. The A1600 has been designed for the Chinese market but that doesn’t mean it won’t make it here. The A1800 will fit in the Indian market like a glove and would definitely do well here considering we have a large number of CDMA and GSM users. There’s no pricing attached to the handsets yet, so stay tuned. Courtesy : Tech2

Luxury Edition MING With Cartier Biz Card Holder Announced The latest MOTO MING from Motorola, the A1600 packed with GPS capabilities, was launched in India last month. For some inane reason though, apparently not taking into considering the current state of the world’s economy, the company has recently unveiled a new version of the A1600, a Luxury Edition in Gold that, according to reports, comes with a Cartier business card holder. The handset, that I’d like to call the Ming with Bling is available in Taiwan for an outrageous price of Rs. 42,995 ($867). I’m wondering if mobile manufacturers really get the word 'recession' with handsets like the INNOV8 and HTC Touch PRO being launched in the country. Since we have the MING A1600 sitting pretty in our labs, stay tuned to Tech2.com for the review that should be out real soon. Courtesy : Tech2

I too received the license today my dear friends. Cheers !