What would you do if you had a day off from college? Scratching your head for answers? Well, I, for one, wouldn’t need to think about the answer at all, for I have unlimited power in my hands. Yes, quite literally. When one has a Vodafone internet connection on his mobile, he really does hold the key to a treasure laden world and fun is almost guaranteed.

Citing one recent experience about the same, almost a year back, I was supposed to go to college but the tumultuous weather forced me to change my plan & stay indoors instead. Rather than cribbing about my would-be missed classes, I was cherishing this opportunity that provided me with some quality time to spend as freely as I wanted to. As is the case with almost any college going guy, browsing the internet seemed to be the best option, so I quickly logged on to my PC & decided to have a crack at some of the most popular games on Facebook (as you can well imagine, they were none other than Farm Ville & Texas Hold’Em ).

But alas, all my excitement vanished away as the home electricity was switched off by the power department, courtesy the frequent & dreadful lightning that threatened to cause major havoc in the area. It was then I realized the power of internet connectivity on mobiles. Though I wasn’t too sure whether the Vodafone internet would work in such a weather, I decided to give it a try nonetheless. And to my surprise & amazement, it worked! Yes, I was able to access my favorite social networking website (no prize for guessing, Facebook it was!) and connect with all my friends who had bunked the college & stayed at home!

After chatting with them for over an hour, it was time to head over to play the games mentioned above. Farmville got me hooked as always & it was only after a couple of hours that I managed to satisfy the gaming freak inside me. It was now time to explore something new & watching videos on Youtube seemed to be a good enough option. Well, I can just say that I had a helluva time there watching loads of videos, right from latest movie trailers to some of the classic rock n roll stuff.

A quick glance to the wall clock just proved how much fun Internet on Vodafone can be. I had spent well over 5 hours since the time I logged on to the internet and I wasn’t even finished yet!

This entry is a part of Internet is Fun on Vodafone contest on Indiblogger. Thanks to Vodafone & Indiblogger for providing me the opportunity to jot down this experience.

Recently a number of free online classified sites have come up and are going great guns as far as buying and selling stuff is concerned. The categories are almost unlimited, ranging from vehicles to watches to phone accessories. Name it and you’ll get it on these sites.

The best part about online classified sites is that buyers are directly dealing with sellers and hence you can get in touch with the seller directly using the details mentioned on the classified in case you have any queries or questions. Also if you tend to look for second-hand stuff in order to save a few bucks, you can get great deals via these sites since a lot of second-hand material (especially books, mobiles, vehicles etc.) are generally listed on these sites.

However the question is whether these sites are safe from a customer’s point of view. Yes you can get various items at discounted prices but is it safe? Take my word, yes it is, but only if you choose to shop from a reputed classified site that you have heard about before. Though it’s not that the recently opened classified sites are unsafe, but you should generally try to buy from the ones that have been going around for a while since they are the tried and tested ones.

Another suggestion before shopping for anything from these sites is to read the description offered by the seller carefully since a number of times misleading descriptions can lead to great confusion in the end. So it’s always better to make sure the item is the one you are looking for and in case you are not sure about something or if the description doesn’t seem too clear, it’s always best to clear your query by contacting the seller directly so that he can give you all the details you require before purchasing the item.

Recently Huawei had released their all new high-end android phone named Huawei U8860 Honor and now Huawei has decided to tap the growing tablet market in India by launching their latest Mediapad tablet that supports 3G connectivity.

Though the tablet was launched a while back in 2011 in most of the developing countries, it somehow couldn’t be launched in India due to some issues. Since this tablet won’t be as easily available in the market as yet, you can grab it online at discounted prices on Flipkart.com

The best part about this tablet is that unlike the affordable Penta tablet launched by BSNL recently, you can use the MediaPad as a tablet as well as a phone. It also supports 3G connectivity so you can use it to browse the web at extremely fast speeds using a 3G internet connection.

Huawei MediaPad is powered by a powerful dual core 1.2 GHz Snapdragon S3 MSM8260 Qualcomm processor with Adreno 220 GPU which is definitely better than Ubislate 2 or BSNL Penta. The tablet runs on Android Honeycomb operating system and sports a conventional 7-inch capacitive touchscreen with 1280×800 pixels resolution.

Another great thing about this tablet is that it comes with 8GB internal memory and 1 GB of RAM. It also comes with a 5MP primary camera with LED flash and 720p video recording along with a secondary front camera for video calling.

Coming to the price, Huawei MediaPad Tablet is available at a rather hefty price of Rs. 18,000 which is definitely a bit high.

Nokia had launched its new affordable Asha series a while back and now it has added yet another mobile to the pack, Nokia Asha 202 which is another budget friendly phone.

The phone sports a decent 2.4-inch touchscreen display and offers a unique touch and type experience for users. A 2 megapixel rear camera is also present in it. Some other features are also supported, including music player, FM Radio etc. The good thing is that the storage can be expanded up to a decent 32GB via microSD card.

To make things easier for users, Nokia has partnered with five of the leading operators – Aircel, Airtel, Reliance, Tata Docomo, and Vodafone and is offering 100 MB of free data per month for six months on the purchase of this phone.

Nokia has also tied up with EA Games, thereby offering users a 40 EA Game pack worth Rs. 4000 free for 60 days. Coming to the price of this handset, Nokia Asha 202 is available across the country at a price tag of Rs. 4149.

The advent of “texting” continues to transform human communication, even causing the emergence of a new vernacular based on abbreviations, acronyms, and emoticons. The activity’s popularity has shaped the development of novel mobile platforms meant to facilitate text messaging efficiency, accuracy, and speed. And while the term texting originally referred to communication of text by Short Messaging Service (SMS), the term has broadened to include the transmission of various multimedia (i.e. images, sounds, and movies). Different manufacturers have diverged in their approach to the development of mobile technology to facilitate the rapidly evolving needs of an increasingly tech savvy population. As such, it is important to engage in discourse about the comparative benefits of the various texting platforms in order to drive production appropriately.

The iPhone is the most prominent example of a generation of phones characterized by full touchscreen control without a distinct, physical keyboard. As is typical of any Apple product, the iPhone’s text messaging platform is aesthetically pleasing. The display is meant to simulate a conversation visually by distinguishing messages from each individual engaged in the text conversation by color and position on the screen. The “predictive text” feature was included to promote increased speed of messaging by eliminating the need to type in entire words or phrases. Unique to the iPhone and other Apple products is the ability to iMessage: this form of text and multimedia conversation is not subject to the same mobile carrier constraints as conventional text messaging. Moreover, “iMessaging” allows a group of individuals to communicate with each other to form a sort of text and multimedia conference. Inherent in the need to use a touchscreen to text message, however, is a relative increase in the susceptibility to typing errors caused by the proximity of the letters on the keyboard and the imprecision of the the phone’s tactile interpretation.

Research In Motion (RIM), on the other hand, manufactures the BlackBerry line of phones, several models of which continue to employ a distinct, physical keyboard. This particular feature is a point of attraction for a considerable group of “texters” who will cite a lower susceptibility to texting error. BlackBerry instant messaging, or BBM, is similar to iMessaging in its restriction to BlackBerry users. However, BBM users may take advantage of the ability to communicate internationally at no additional charge. You can’t count on these services during BlackBerry outages, of course, but BlackBerry service is generally very reliable.

While various texting platforms offer unique benefits, a consumer’s ultimate choice must rely on personal preference.

Asus has finally started shipping its latest Transformer Pad 300 Tablet in the US, which comes with a powerful Quad-core processor and is predominantly a gaming device as pitched by the company.

Asus Transformer Pad 300 has a 10.1 inch screen and is powered by a 1.2 Ghz Quad-core Tegra 3 Nvidia Processor that is perfect for multi-tasking as well as gaming. The device runs on the latest Android 4.0 Honeycomb operating system.

Transformer Pad 300 comes with a 8 megapixel rear camera and a 1.2 megapixel front camera for video calling. It also features a micro-HDMI port for easy connectivity to HDTV’s and a microsd card slot for expandable storage.

Though the tablet comes with nearly the same amount of features as its predecessor the Eee Pad Transfomer Prime, there are a couple of feature additions such as GPS capability and preinstalled new Android OS.

The best part is that its price is lower than Transformer Prime, even though it is certainly ahead of its predecessor by a couple of notches. The starting price of the tablet has been kept around $379.99 for the 32GB version though its availability worldwide is still kept under wraps.

As a consumer, one of your biggest worries might be identity theft and fraud and rightly so.  Criminals and thieves are becoming more and more advanced everyday.  There are a number of risks involved in online banking, but these are progressively lessened with advances in technology to combat identity theft and fraud.  Here’s a look at some of these technologies and what you can do to keep your money safe.

The Risks Involved in Online Banking

Online banking is one of the great conveniences of the Information Age.  It allows you to pay your bills from the comfort of your own home, transfer funds, and keep an eye on your balance.  Free checking accounts can make it even easier, since you don’t have to pay for your account; but with this convenience comes risk.

While Internet banking itself is extremely secure, consumers fall prey to criminals all the time, usually through phishing scams.  Such scams involve spoofed emails that trick consumers into providing sensitive login and financial information to these thieves.  More advanced thieves have spoofed product packaging, rebate offers, and other official-looking items.

What the banks are doing to protect you

Because it is the bank’s job to keep you and your money safe from thieves, they are constantly developing and implementing technologies intended to combat cybercrime.  For many of us, some of these technologies seem light-years ahead of our time, but they work.

• ATMs of the Future – Banks are now using biometrics at the ATM to combat fraud.  The technology here goes beyond simple fingerprint scanning, since prints can be easily lifted and copied.  Some of today’s ATMs actually identify consumers using infrared scanners on the irises and fingertip capillary patterns.
• Crime-Fighting Cellular Phones – There are a number of apps and services that can help identify and block fraudulent financial transactions all through the cellular network.  One fraud control application can actually pinpoint a person and determine if the transaction is legit or not.
• Mobile Alerts – Sure, the bank can send a text if it sees an unusual transaction, but there are other kinds of alerts as well.  You can have your bank or credit card issuer send you an alert anytime a transaction is made. This way, you know exactly what’s going on.
• Traditional Measures with a Twist – Banks are now using highly secure and controlled base paper for their checks and other documents, which are highly mimicked by criminals.  This goes beyond the watermark.  In fact, such documents are produced and issued in highly controlled, secure environments.

What You Can Do

The technology the banks are using is quite effective, but there are some simple steps you can do to help stay safe.  Here are some simple tips that can mean the difference between falling victim and staying in control of your money:

• Never share your online banking PIN number or password.
• Always type in the bank’s web address – don’t click a link within an email you receive.
• Be aware of email scams and phishing attempts.  If you suspect one, ask the bank directly.
• Make sure your Internet browser and computer operating system is secure and up-to-date.
• Use a firewall.
• Get the most recent anti-spyware and anti-virus software.
• Be vigilant!

Lenovo, the mega electronics brand, mostly famous for its stylish laptops has decided to tap into the growing Android television market and is all set to start selling 42-inch Android Smart TV’s in China.

The pre-order for the same will start from April 10 onwards though the launch date is not confirmed yet. The TV would run on the latest Android Ice Cream Sandwich 4.0 operating system and is powered by a strong 1.5Ghz dual-core processor. The TV supports 3D and Wi-Fi and comes with a remote control to facilitate playing high-definition Android games on the TV itself.

Lenovo is expected to release a few other models along with this TV in a variety of price segments to target all prospective customers. Coming to the price, the K71 Smart TV from Lenovo would cost around 6499 Yuan (just a bit over $1000).

This is for sure a surprise move from Lenovo but as they haven’t touched on the international release of their smart TV.

Facebook games are so popular these days that it’s hardly a surprise people want are looking to get rid of their conventional desktop boxes and go for a stylish new tablet PC instead. While I would say it’s not that tablets can compare with the tried & tested desktop PCs on each and every aspect, yet tablets can deliver an extremely fun & interactive user experience.

If you like playing Facebook games on a daily basis, then there are not too many options to choose your tablet PC from. While there are cheap android tablets in the markets these days, they do not stand a chance against some of the mighty names such as iPad or Samsung Galaxy Tab. The performance especially while playing facebook games is quite slow, for lack of a better word. For the most part, the tablets just freeze and the gameplay is horrible indeed, with slow loading times and lagging performance.

However recently a high-performance tablet called Asus Transfomer Prime has been released which is just a brawny tablet that overpowers nearly all of the other tablets in the market currently. Playing games on the Transformer Prime is quite fun actually and the performance can be vouched for, since it comes with an option to attach a keyboard and start playing games as if you were playing them on your laptop or netbook.

Asus Transfomer Prime TF 201 currently runs on Android™ 3.2 Honeycomb (Upgradable to Android™ 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich) OS and is powered by an extremely powerful NVIDIA Tegra 3 Quad-core CPU that can smoothly play any game, including 3D games. The only downside is its rather hefty price tag of close to $600, but if you are fine with it, then there’s no reason not to buy it.

Though Internet Explorer used to be the mainstay as far as browsers are concerned, it is no more the most preferred browser on the internet. Instead its place has been taken over by Google Chrome, which has notched up the ranks slowly over the years as it is a lot more reliable & secure and allows users to choose from thousands of extensions to make their life easier and save a lot of precious time while doing various tasks right from within Chrome itself.

As bloggers we often find ourselves searching for the right tools & softwares in order to increase our productivity as we need to do a number of things at the same time, and often find ourselves craving for some more time in our hands. So in this article we are going to discuss the top three Google Chrome extensions that will be especially useful for our blogger friends.

1. WebRank SEO

WebRank SEO is undoubtedly the number one Google Chrome extension for SEO purposes since it not only helps you analyze a blog in terms of SEO but also provides you with a number of metrics concerning the blog, incuding the Google Pagerank, Alexa, Compete and Quantcast rank all of which help you gauge a lot of things about it. You can also check the backlinks and indexed pages of the blog in Google & Bing to find out what kind of strategy is being employed by your competitor. A Whois Lookup feature is also offered in the tool that lets you who the owner of that particular blog is. All-in-all, one of the most recommended tools for any blogger out there.

2. Awesome Screenshots

Bloggers often need to add images to their blog posts in order to express themselves more clearly and make it easy for the readers to understand certain things as it is often said that a picture is worth a thousands words. However adding an image often ends up taking a lot of time since we need to manually take a screenshot and then edit it to improve it on various aspects. Wouldn’t it be so much easier if we could get a tool that would easily let us take a screenshot and then edit it without taking up much of our time? Well, Awesome Screenshots is just the tool you were looking for. It is an excellent handy extension that lets you capture screenshots from any window and then annotate them in a number of ways, including adding text and a variety of shapes. You can also crop the images and blur any part in case you want to hide some information.

3. Feedly

If you are fond of reading blogs in your niche, Feedly can turn out to be a handy time-saving tool as it’ll help you track all the blogs you want by turning them into a fun, magazine like start page thereby making it a lot more fun to read them when you like. A great thing about it is that it can integrate with Google Reader, Google +, Twitter & Facebook, allowing you to sync all your feeds and view them in a variety of interesting formats.

Earlier when iPad didn’t support the PDF format, users really had a difficult time trying to figure out a way to read their PDF files on their iPad’s. That’s when they started searching for ways to convert PDF files to the ePub format as Apple iPad offers native support for ePub files.

That’s where the ebook management tool Calibre comes into play. Calibre is a free open source ebook library management software that can do a variety of tasks related to ebooks. Not only does it provide easy conversion of files from one format to another, it supports a whole set of other features as well.

Calibre Ebook Management Tool

Calibre can help you organize your ebooks by sorting them on the basis of many things, such as Title, Author, Date added, Date published, Size, Rating, Series etc. This is almost like the way you sort songs in your Windows or personal playlist.

Imagine how much easier organizing becomes if all of them are sorted in a logical fashion, allowing you to choose which ebook to read and finding it easily among the thousands (well in my case it’s thousands) of other ebooks in your PC or other device.

In addition to this, you can even add tags to your collection along with comments that can act as ebook descriptions or personal reviews of sorts. Coming to the conversion of ebooks, Calibre can convert from a number of well-known ebook formats to any ebook format you like.

Input Formats: CBZ, CBR, CBC, CHM, DJVU, EPUB, FB2, HTML, HTMLZ, LIT, LRF, MOBI, ODT, PDF, PRC, PDB, PML, RB, RTF, SNB, TCR, TXT, TXTZ

Output Formats: EPUB, FB2, OEB, LIT, LRF, MOBI, HTMLZ, PDB, PML, RB, PDF, RTF, SNB, TCR, TXT, TXTZ

The best feature of Calibre according to me is that it can automatically fetch news from your favorite websites or RSS feeds and compile them into an ebook for you. Major websites such as The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Economist, Time, Newsweek The Guardian and many more. Since I love reading news from popular newspapers, this feature helps me a lot in compiling news from top sources and devouring it for free!

Another highly impressive feature in Calibre is its ability to sync to various ebook devices, which means that it can automatically sync a ebook with the device you use. For example, if a book has more than one format, then Calibre will automatically choose the best format according to the device. If no format is suitable for that particular device then Calibre will automatically convert the ebook to a suitable format for that device. How awesome is that!

Currently Calibre is available for download for Windows, Mac OS X and Linux. You can also download Calibre portable which can be run on any windows computer with least Windows XP SP3.

Click here to download Calibre

Did you like this software? Do let us know your thoughts.

Mozilla Firefox is one of the most widely used browsers in the world, with millions of users using it for browsing the net. Though there’s no doubt that Firefox is much faster and more reliable than other browsers and supports thousands of useful add-ons, it still doesn’t come with an built-in RSS feed reader, which is the reason why external RSS reader extensions have to be installed in order to read feeds on Firefox.

In this article we’ll take a look at some of the best RSS readers for Firefox that function without the need of any online service. Though there are full-fledged feed readers as well as a few toolbar scrollers available, we’ll only cover the former as there’s no need for the latter once you install a proper RSS reader. We have provided a screenshot along with an overview of each of the readers so you can decide which one to install as per your preference.

Sage

The oldest and all time favorite RSS reader extension for Firefox, Sage is a handy & lightweight RSS cum Atom feed aggregator. What I like most about it is its tidy user interface and the simple way of presenting feeds. There are also a variety of other options you can change to customize it according to your needs. Users don’t need to worry about disproportionate images in the feeds since the images are automatically scaled to fit the width of the content area. There is also a search bar that lets you search your feeds if need be. You can even organize the feeds into folders for better feed management.

NewsFox

Another highly popular RSS reader that delivers your feeds in news like format. It also allows you to group your feeds as per your choice and update feeds manually whenever you want. The aggregated feed content is made available for viewing offline so you won’t have to connect to the internet each time you want to read your feeds. Apart from this, another impressive features is the one-click subscription to any feed using the icon on the Firefox URL bar. While you are updating your feeds, you can continue to read other feeds and won’t be interrupted because of the update in progress. The only thing missing in NewsFox is the synchronization feature which means you cannot read your feeds from any other computer.

Beatnik

A relatively new RSS reader extension though it is being liked by all those who are using it. It doesn’t come with any fancy features; rather it’s just a simple yet sophisticated news reader that can be used to read RSS as well as Atom feeds from your favorite sites. However you might not be too glad to use it if you want a reader that can be configured the way you want. This handy reader also offers a feature to automatically pull in feeds from your Live Bookmarks making it easy for Live Bookmark users to import their feeds into the reader.

Do you know of any other feed readers for Firefox that can make their way into this list? In case you do, then let us know using the comment form below.

Uninor is the latest entrant into the telecom industry in India and so far it has done a remarkable job in establishing a decent user base thanks to its enticing offers, low tariff charges and cheap internet plans.

Uninor has various GPRS plans in different regions & cities in India including Andhra Pradesh, Bihar (Including Jharkhand), Gujarat, Karnataka, Kerala, Kolkata, Mumbai, Orissa, Tamil Nadu (incl. Chennai), UP East, UP West and West Bengal. However most of the plans are almost similar though there might be a few that may be customized for that particular region. Also please note that some of the plans listed below might not work in your city.

• MyInternet 5 – Rs. 5 Plan – 30MB Free Browsing – 1 Day Validity
• MyInternet 9 – Rs. 9 Plan – 60MB Free Browsing – 3 Day Validity
• MyInternet 14 – Rs. 14 Plan – 200 MB/day for 3 days – 3 Day Validity
• MyInternet 24 – Rs. 24 Plan – 200 MB/day for 7 days – 7 Day Validity
• MYInternet 47 – Rs. 47 Plan – 100 MB/day & 100 SMS [Local/STD]/day for 30 days – 30 Day Validity
• MyInternet 90 – Rs. 90 Plan – 200 MB/day for 30 days – 30 Day Validity

Extra usage charges in all of the above packs is 20p/20kb after free usage limit. As you can see, some of the plans listed above are even cheaper than those offered by Airtel, Aircel, Vodafone, Docomo etc. Apart from these, Uninor also offers a number of Combo packs (Internet + SMS) which we will cover in some other post.

In order to activate a particular plan, you need to locate a Uninor store nearest to you and get an easy recharge done.

Videocon offers two types of internet settings that let you access internet from your mobile, PC and Laptops. The two of them, known as VLive and VInternet have different data plans and are chargeable at different prices depending upon the plan you choose.

The same goes with the GPRS/WAP/MMS settings of both of them. In Vlive, browsing on Vlive Page is FREE although whatever content you download including latest wallpapers, ployphonic ringtones, videos, games, themes and apps would be charged as per the plan. Also browsing to any site webpage other than the Vlive Page would be charged @ 10 paise per 10 kb, which is quite decent.

Although you would have receive the settings to access Internet right after you activate your SIM or change your handset, if for some reason you haven’t received them or have altered them accidentally, you can use the manual GPRS settings. The GPRS/WAP/MMS settings will be the same for all mobiles, including Nokia, Samsung, Micromax, LG Mobiles, iPhone etc., however only a few extra options in connection settings might be present or absent depending on the handset.

Navigate to Settings > Connection in your mobile (may differ from mobile to mobile) and create a new access point. Then enter the following:

Account Name: Videocon GPRS (or any other name you wish)

Data Bearer: Packet data

Username: Leave as it is (None)

Password: Leave as it is (None)

Authentication: Normal

Network Type: IPV4

Access point name: vinternet.com (vpgprs.com for Wap)

Homepage: http://www.google.com or http://wap.live.in (for Wap)

MMS Settings:

Connection Name: Videocon MMS (or any other name you wish)

Data Bearer: Packet data

Username: Blank

Password: Blank

Authentication: Normal

Access Point Name: vgprs.com

Homepage: http://10.202.4.119:10021/mmsc/

If you are addicted to Facebook and cannot stay without checking your updates every few minutes whether in school. college or office but don’t have an internet connection on your mobile phone, then there’s a good news for you. Facebook has recently joined hands with Fonetwish and started offering a new service. Facebook By Fonetwish, which is an USSD based interactive service that brings the power of internet to every mobile phone.

Now you can access Facebook from your mobile offline even if you don’t have internet connectivity or any data plan enabled. You just need to dial *325# or *fbk# in your phone and a facebook menu will appear. Simply enter your username and password to login and you will be able to perform all the normal operations in your Facebook account like updating your status, accepting and sending friend requests, reading notifications, posting on your friends walls and so on. Thanks to push notifications by fonetwish, all notifications of your Fb account will automatically be sent to your device in real time.

However before you can use this service, you will need to activate it by verifying your phone number from this link. After the verification is over, you can make use of the steps listed above to access Facebook from your mobile without internet connectivity.

Charges for this Service

Although updating your status is free, using other features such as checking notifications, sending friend requests, posting on walls etc. is chargeable. However the cost is pretty nominal and only Rs. 1 per day will be deducted from your balance for unlimited usage.

The service is currently available in India with the following mobile operators: Idea, Airtel, Aircel, Tata Docomo, Videocon and Loop Mobile. If you want to unsubscribe from the servie at any time, you will need to send an dial *325*22# from your mobile.

If you have any queries regarding this service, feel free to ask it using the comment form.

So you have lost the PC Suite driver CD that came along with your Micromax mobile or it has got corrupted or whatever the reason may be and now you are having trouble in transferring photos, videos and other files to and from your PC to your mobile. Well, you need not worry since Micromax has made sure that users can download the PC suite of their particular Micromax mobile models directly from their website.

Even if you have the recently released Micromax mobiles, you will still be able to download its specific drivers from Micromax’s website. Among the various mobiles whose driver softwares, service guides, PC suites and user manuals are available on the website include Micromax X1i, X1i+, X100, X111, X114, X116, X2i, X2i+, X215, X220, X225, X250, X260, X280, X310, X360, X500, X510 Pike, X550 Qube, X600, X800, X900, w900, GC275, GC360, GC700, Q2, Q2+, Q3, Q5fb, Q55 Bling, Q6, Q7, Q75, H360, C2i and C112.

How to Download PC Suite & Driver Software:

1. Simply head over to the download page of the official website of Micromax and select your phone from the drop-down menu on the page.

2. After you select a particular phone model, all the available downloads for that phone will be listed on the right hand side of the page.

3. Select the item you wish to download and you will be able to download it for free.

4. Now simply navigate to the folder where the download was stored on your PC and install the software.

Although iTunes 10.5 was released recently, after an influx of a number of beta releases (9 to be exact!) over the past few months, most people are still using the previous versions of iTunes as they are not aware of the fact that the final release of iTunes 10.5 for Windows & Mac is now available for download. If you are among those people and would like to download the latest iTunes, then you can download it from either Apple’s official website or other download websites such as Filehippo and Softpedia. You can also install the update directly by launching the Apple Software Update app on your PC/Mac and clicking on the install button next to the available update.

This new version of iTunes integrates a number of changes, including addition of some new features. The most prominent among them is the likes of iTunes Match and iCloud, both of which have the users excited about this latest update. Users can also now sync interactive iBooks to their iPads. Although you might get along by using any other version of iTunes you may have installed on your PC, it is highly advisable to install iTunes 10.5 if you want to run iOS 5.

Following the first iTunes 10.5 update, subsequent updates such as iTunes 10.5.1, 10.5.2 and 10.5.3 have also been released, which come with minor changes over the previous versions. The latest version, i.e., iTunes 10.5.3 allows users to sync interactive iBooks textbooks to their iPads. These multi-touch iBooks can be purchased from the iBookstore or from the iTunes Store on your Mac.

Internet Download Manager, often referred to as IDM is one of the most popular download managers on the internet and is used by millions of people all around the world for managing their downloads effectively and efficiently. Though IDM is compatible with most browsers, including Internet Explorer, Google Chrome, Opera and Mozilla Firefox, most users generally have difficulty in intergrating IDM with the newer versions of Firefox, i.e. Firefox 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12.

Although you can just install IDM on your PC and directly download stuff from here, the benefits of integrating it with Firefox is that you can seamlessly download youtube or flash videos and even files from online file hosting services such as Rapidshare, Megaupload, Filesonic, 4shared and so on. So In this tutorial I will enlist the steps using which you can easily integrate and use IDM with any version of Firefox on your PC.

1. Download the latest version of IDM (6.07) Silent Installer from this link.

2. Head over to the official website of IDM and see the instructions for integrating it with Firefox.

3. If it still doesn’t work, then look at the buttom of the page and click on the Install button.

4. A confirmation box will appear which will confirm from you whether you want to allow IDM.com to install software on your computer. Click on the Allow option.

5. After the downloading of the add-on is complete, a new window will appear. click on the “Install Now” tab.

6. Restart Mozilla Firefox so that the changes can be saved.

Voila! Now you won’t have any problems in using IDM with Firefox.

Nokia Lumia 800 Price in India. Nokia has recently launched a stunning new smartphone that comes intergrated with a variety of interesting and intriguing features. The phone sports a decent 3.7-inch AMOLED ClearBlack TFT Touchscreen display with 800 x 480 pixels screen resolution that guarantees amazing picture clarity.

Nokia Lumia 800 runs on Windows 7.5 Mango operating system and is powered by an ultra-powerful and probably the best among the smartphones, 1.4 Ghz processor. If you are a photography freak, you will not be disappointed with the phone since it features a strong 8-megapixel autofocus camera with dual LED flash and Car Zeiss optics that will let you click stunning pictures whenever on the go.

As far as the specs are concerned, Lumia 800 comes supports HD video recording and features a multi format music player featuring MixRadio and FM Radio. The phone is provided with 512 MB RAM and comes with 25GB free cloud storage along with 16GB internal memory for storing a large number of files, including documents, images and videos. XBox live hub for gaming has also been provided in the phone.

Coming to the connectivity options, the phone supports Bluetooth, USB, WAP and Wi-Fi connectivity. Social networking and instant messaging support are also provided. The 1450 mAh battery claims a decent talktime of up to 13 hours. The only slight negative about this phone is that its supposedly a bit bulky – weighing around 142 grams.

Nokia Lumia 800 latest price in India in 2012 is around 28,450, which makes it one of the most expensive phones in the Indian market.

Just a few days back Apple had announced that it would be releasing the latest version of its Mac operating system – Mac OS X Mountain Lion. Though most people were surprised with the move, it is expected that Mountain Lion will feature a number of interesting changes that are definitely going to make the Mac experience even more exhilarating.

It appears that Apple is truing to bridge the gap between its desktop & mobile platforms and is going to incorporate some ioS features into its computing devices as well. Some of the most exciting changes that the Mountain Lion will come with is Mac versions of loads of iOS apps such as Reminders, Notes and Game Center. Mountain Lion will also make life for iCloud users easier as it will allow them to set up iCloud and access documents across devices. The Apple ID can be used to set up Messages, Contacts, FaceTime, Calender and Mail.

It also appears likely that a messaging system (or application) might be making its way to the Mac, thereby enabling users to send as well as receive messages on their desktop systems. Another interesting feature in Mountain Lion is “Share Sheets” which basically allows users to share content such as photos, videos and even links from supporting applications.

As far as the release date of Mac OS X Mountain Lion goes, it is widely expected to be released somewhere in the summer of 2012 since the last version (OS X 10.7 Lion) had also been released in summer last year. Mountain Lion will also be sold through the Mac App store on Apple desktops as well as laptops. Although there is no official word on the price, it is expected to be around the $29.99 mark just like the OS X Lion.

HCL ME Tablet X1 Price in India. HCL has recently come up with a stylish new Android tablet that runs on Android Gingerbread v2.3 operating system. The tablet is powered by a powerful 1 Ghz Cortex A8 processor and comes with a 7 inch capacitive touchscreen with 800X480 WVGA resolution. It comes loaded with some decent specs such as 512 MB of DDR3 RAM, 4 GB ROM and a 2 mega-pixel front camera for video calling.

Although the tablet supports most connectivity options including the likes of Micro USB, Mini HDMI and WiFi 802.11 b/g/n, the only disappointing fact is that it lacks basic 3G support. This means you can either use the 2G network for connecting to the internet and look for a Wi-Fi hotspot to access the net. However the microSD slot enables users to expand the storage up to 32GB with microSD cards.

HCL Me tablet also features some interesting applications like Office tools, ME applications and social networking support. Another good thing about the tablet is that it supports adobe flash based applications and allows full HD playback (1080p).The battery is quite decent as well, with the 3500 mAh battery promising up to 8 hours of battery backup.

As far as the price goes, although the launch price of HCL ME tab X1 was close to Rs. 11,000, it is now available at a slightly reduced price of around Rs. 10,390 (the lowest price currently on the internet).

Nokia E7 Price in India. Nokia E7 is often touted as the top business phone in India owing to its spectacular & sophisticated design along with the plethora of business oriented features it comes loaded with. Apart from some highly impressive specs, the USP of the phone is its large 4 inch AMOLED touchscreen and a full tilt slider QWERTY keyboard.

Though Nokia E7 was launched in India about a year back at a price tag of around Rs. 30,000 and has been selling in large numbers ever since, if someone is still interested in buying the phone, they can get a pretty good deal. The exorbitantly priced phone is now available at a highly discounted price not more than Rs. 25000 or so.

The best deal on the phone is currently being offered by online stores such as Sulekha and Indiaplaza which are selling it for an even cheaper price close to Rs. 23k. The other e-stores such as Infibeam and India’s most popular online store, Flipkart are offering it at a comparatively higher price tag of 25,000 or so.

Coming to the features, Nokia E7 runs on Symbian^3 operating system and is powered by a 680 MHz ARM 11 processor that lends it superior processing power. The reason why E7 is often referred to as a business phone is because it comes with a number of features that would be useful for business purposes. Some of these include Real-time work and personal emails, IMs and live updates from social networks.

The phone also features an impressive 8-megapixel camera with dual LED flash along with internal memory of 16Gb which can be used to store literally unlimited documents, files and media. The battery life of the phone is pretty decent as well, with the 1200 mAh Li-Iion battery offering close to 9 hrs talktime on 2G and 5 hrs talktime on 3G.

Samsung Galaxy S2 Price in India. Samsung Galaxy S2, soon after its launch, has established itself among the most popular smartphones in India. Although when it was first launched it was available at a rather hefty price, now the price has been slightly slashed as often is the case with most mobiles.

The latest price of Galaxy S2 is now around Rs. 29,000, although this price may vary a bit depending on the place you buy it from. If you are interested in buying it, I would advise you that buy it from an online store such as Flipkart, letsbuy or sulekha where it is available at the cheapest possible price.

Since most of you are already aware of all of its features and specifications, I would just like to point out a few points about the phone that would help you in making an informed decision as to whether to buy it or not. You may consider this as a mini review of sorts since I would not go into the details but point out some finer details about the phone.

1. There are two models of Samsung galaxy S2 – S2 I9100G and S2 I9100. I’m sure you must not be aware of this but let me tell you that there are a few differences between the two models and you’d better get to know about them before buying any model the seller hands to you.

2. Though both the I9100 and I9100G have similar features, the only difference is that of the processor and GPU. While the I9100 runs on 1.2GHz ARM CortexA9 Exynos 4210 and ARM Mali-400 GPU, I9100G uses Texas Instruments OMAP4430 CPU and PowerVR SGX540 GPU. So all in all the I9100 has a slightly better CPU and GPU.

3. The number of ROM’s available for I9100 is a lot more than that for I9100G. However, I9100G takes care of the battery issues with the I9100 and also doesn’t heat up as much as the former. Another plus point with I9100G is that there is no wake up lag or yellow colour problem that people faced with the I9100.

Although all of us like to log on to Facebook and check the latest updates from our friends, family and relatives, accessing Facebook is generally banned in most schools, colleges and offices since it is viewed as an addictive distraction more than anything else. But there must be a way to overcome this somehow and access Facebook freely, right? Well, yes there are. Not one way, but rather lots of them. Although all of the methods I’m going to discuss in this article work, sometimes you may have to try them one by one to find out whether they work on the PC you want to access Facebook on.

Here are some of them:

1. Using Gmail

However high the security features in the PC, Gmail will never be blocked. So let’s see how we can use Gmail to get an access to Facebook. You just need to log on to Gmail and add a gadget by opening Gmail Settings > Labs. Now look up the Add any gadget by URL option. Click on save and return to the settings page. Now click on the Gadgets tab that was added and entering this URL in the ‘Add a gadget by URL’ option.

http://hosting.gmodules.com/ig/gadgets/file/104971404861070329537/facebook.xml

When you’ve added this gadget, a Facebook gadget will show up near the bottom-left part of the screen. Now you can easily login to Facebook and access it without any hassles.

2. Opera Mini

Another very simple method to access Facebook. Simply download Opera Mini Simulator which is basically the web version of Opera Mini browser. Once you’ve downloaded and installed it, just visit http://m.facebook.com using the browser and you’ll be able to access Facebook, just like you do on your mobile phone.

3. ScrapBoy

A simple desktop application that once installed allows you to access Facebook, Orkut and Myspace right from your desktop. Simply enter your Fb login details and start accessing your Fb account. For more customization, you can change the Notification settings according to your preference.

Keep monitoring through HTC Sensation XL

High Tech Computer Corporation known as HTC is a smartphone manufacturing company. HTC introduced the world’s first touch-system smartphones. Most of the HTC mobile phones are supported by Android OS and Windows Phone OS. It has launched several advanced devices but HTC Sensation XL is the most used mobile having unique features. This mobile model is based on Android 2.3.3 and also includes HTC Sense 3.0 UI.

Features of HTC Sensation XL

HTC Sensation XL is supported by 2G and 3G Networks and has touch-sensitive controls. There is no card slot in it but it has 16 GB internal storage and 768 MB RAM which enhances its speed. Wi-Fi 802.11 system helps you get better communications. You can capture your unforgettable moments through its high-resolution 8 MP camera. Autofocus and dual LED flash improves your photo quality. MP3, MP4 players and stereo FM radio with RDS gives music lovers the best chance to listen to their favourite music. This mobile phone is also loaded with Google Search, Maps, Gmail, YouTube, Calendar, Google Talk, Facebook and Twitter.

Need of software

A mobile phone cannot be operated without particular software. The latest applications are hitting the market shelves to help the users solve their problems in an easy way. HTC Sensation XL supports multiple software applications which further boost its performance.

StealthGenie

There are a great number of software applications used by the mobile phone users. Spy software is one of the most common applications which allow its users to detect a particular device. StealthGenie is a cellphone spy application which has charmed the cell phone users. This spy application can be used in BlackBerry and Android smartphones. HTC Sensation XL is one of the smartphones which supports StealthGenie.

Features

There are a lot of features in StealthGenie which help the users monitor their targets from anywhere in the world without any interruption. This cell phone monitoring software enables its users to:

• Record all the incoming and outgoing calls of their monitored devices
• Get alerts when a call is made to or received from a triggered number
• Intercept a live call any time
• View all the SMS and Emails
• Get an alert when an SMS message is received or sent with a trigger word
• Monitor the exact location of their target through GPS and Geo Location Tracking system
• Record surroundings of the targeted person
• Get access to the Internet browsing history, bookmarks and other data saved on the monitored device
• Get alerts when the SIM card on a targeted device is changed
• Read or save appointment book, calendar and schedule entries
• Record Google Talk messages

Usage

These marvelous features make StealthGenie the most reliable cell-phone spy application. It allows the users to monitor their targets secretly through its remote control system. Nobody can find out that they are being monitored.

StealthGenie is fully loaded with sophisticated features which help you remove your doubts. Thousands of people have become mentally ill because they cannot get rid of their doubts on their loved ones or workers etc. StealthGenie is made for the people who want to live a happy life without doubts.

With Playstation 3 Move gaining immense popularity, especially with kids, we thought it’s a good time to check out the best PS3 Move games of 2011 that you can enjoy playing alone or with your whole family. As most people are quite confused about which games they should buy and which were the ones that hit the top of the charts last year, we have compiled a list that includes some of the top bestsellers of 2011. So here goes the list:

1. Dead Space 2

A sci-fi horror game that promises some thrilling action that makes users deal with aliens that have invaded the land. Fun and absorbing, it is one of the highest selling PS Move game in 2011.

2. De Blob 2

An action adventure game that requires users to return color to a world where all the color has been stolen, by absorbing colors and then paint everything that needs painting.

3. LittleBigPlanet 2

A highly innovative puzzle game that has over 50 levels of engrossing gameplay and allows users to build new levels and expand the environment, collecting various tools and objects along the way.

4. Killzone 3

A game involving intense action along with brilliant visuals and engaging gameplay. It is a first person shootout game that makes you feel as if you are on the battlefield as you play the game. Highly recommended for action lovers.

5. Sports Champions

A collection of 6 sports titles that you can enjoy with motion gaming. The games include Archery, Disc Golf, Bocce, Table Tennis, Volleyball and Gladiator.

Do you enjoy playing any other games on your PS3 Move that you think deserves a mention here? Do share it with us.

Rise of Nations 2

One of my favorite games over the last decade or so has been Age of Empires, arguably the best strategy game of all time. Whether it be Age of Empires 1, 2 or 3, each one has continued to provide unmatched entertainment, especially for strategy games lovers like me. Although there are similar games like Age of Empires in the market, most of us are not aware of them. So in this article we are going to check out the best 5 strategy games which can serve as great alternatives to this classic game.

1. Rise of Nations

A thrilling strategy game from the best in the business, Microsoft, that lets you experience the journey of your city from medieval times to the modern age. There are four areas (military, science, commerce etc.) where you need to make progress in order to advance to the next age. Undoubtedly it is the best game like Age of Empires.

2. Empire: Total War

An impressive game with an interesting storyline that lets you command the seas, control the land and conquer the globe. The characters & weapons available in this masterpiece from SAGA are absolutely mind-blowing, and once you start playing it, you will surely get addicted to it. Highly recommended for Age of Empires fans.

3. Warcraft III

Another highly popular game from a highly successful gaming series, with decent graphics, awesome storyline and impressive gameplay. What makes this relatively old game stand apart from the rest of the strategy games is the plethora of unique characters & weapons, which are definitely the best asset of this game.

4. The Settlers 7 – Path to a Kingdom

A wonderful strategy game based on medieval times where the user is in charge of a rustic town, and is responsible for the building and establishment of kingdoms based in ancient Europe. There are many campaigns and skirmish levels that captivate the interest of the user right from the start till the end.

5. Stronghold Crusader

The most successful of the popular Stronghold strategy game series, and the successor to Firefly Studio’s 2001 game Stronghold. Set in the Middle East during the Crusades, the game contains features various real-time strategy campaigns, and allows users to purchase new Arabian units in a special building, the mercenary post. All in all, it’s definitely worth playing.

Do you like any other strategy game that is at par with Age of Empires? Do let us know.

With Android OS gaining unprecedented popularity in the last year or so, the demand for quality Android apps and games has increased manifolds. In this article we are going to check out the best 5 Android RPGs (role playing games) that provide fun entertainment on the go. So here goes the list:

1. Parallel Kingdom (Age of Thrones) - A highly engrossing game (MMORPG) that uses live GPS to track your current ocation and changes the game location subsequently, allowing you to fight off mobsters in your own backyard (though a virtual one ).

2. Chrono Trigger – Another superb SNES (Super Nintendo Entertainment System) game designed for Nintendo but you can enjoy it on your Android Mobile afer installing SNESoid, which is an emulator for Nintendo games.

3. Zenonia – An amazing Japanese RPG with lots of interesting characters & scenic locales to provide hours of fun on the go. Features real time combat and exploration and requires the user to choose from many quests and complete them in order to explore the rest of the world.

4. Final Fantasy (I and II) – You can now enjoy this legendary game (with over 16 titles in the series) on your Android mobile using an emulator. Comes with a superb storyline and engrossing character role which makes it a must play for all gamers.

5. GameBold – Though it is not a game in itself, it is actually a GBA Emulator that you can download and install from the Android market onto your mobile phone. This emulator allows you to enjoy hundreds of GBA games right on your Android mobile.

Tablet computers have been selling like hot cakes ever since they were launched and as its Christmas time there can be no other better gift than a tablet computer to someone you love. So here go the top 10 tablet PC’s in the month of December 2011:

1. Kindle Fire, Full Color 7″ Multi-touch Display, Wi-Fi

2. PanDigital 72-70FW 7-Inch Tablet Computer – White

3. Coby Kyros 7-Inch Android 2.3 4 GB Internet Touchscreen Tablet

4. MID 7 inch Android 2.2 VIA8650 ePad Tablet

5. Samsung Galaxy Tab (10.1-Inch, 16GB, Wi-Fi)

6. HP TouchPad Wi-Fi 32 GB 9.7-Inch Tablet Computer

7. Acer Iconia TAB A100-07U08U 7-Inch Tablet

8. Samsung Galaxy Tab (10.1-Inch, 32GB, Wi-Fi)

9. Apple iPad 2 Tablet (16GB, Wi-Fi)

10. Blackberry Playbook 7-Inch Tablet (16GB)

Paypal is undoubtedly the best online payment system, with millions of users successfully using it to send money over the internet. However due to the strict regulations imposed by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on Indian users registered with Paypal, looking for alternatives has become the need of the hour.

Earlier this year, following a series of disputes between RBI and Paypal, the RBI finally took the decision to stop Indian users from making payments on the internet for goods & services using Paypal and limiting them to only receiving payments for their freelance works. So let’s check out the 5 best Paypal Alternatives in India:

1. Alertpay – A popular online transaction medium that allows transactions from more than 190 countries across the globe. Though it is not all that readily accepted by major shopping websites on the internet, you can securely use Alertpay to receive payments & withdraw funds to your bank account without any hassles. The fees associated with the transactions are quite low as well.

2. Google Checkout – A relatively new and rather unknown alternative to Paypal, which had recently been launched by Google. Google Checkout searches products for you from major shopping websites and allows you to buy with your credit or debit card. Also, a directory of all e-commerce websites that accept their payment system is available on Google, so you can conveniently choose among them.

3. Xoom – A highly popular online payment system that has been successfully running for many years. It allows you to send money from any country to India. The good thing about this Xoom is that it accepts every type of credit cards and also debit cards, so using it to receive money for your freelance works is a good option. However, the withdrawal option is check by courier service and not direct transfer to bank account.

4. 2checkout – An international payment processor system that has completed a decade of online presence. It serves as an authorized reseller of physical as well as digital products and accepts all sorts of credit cards, online checks, debit cards and paypal. Their USP is their strict fraud detection & protection services. The only downside to 2checkout is their rather high transaction charge and commission on each transaction.

5. Moneybookers – An e-commerce transaction medium that has a whopping 21.2 million members registered with them. The service is easy to use, allows instant payments and the charge levied on each transaction is very low indeed. A great alternative to Paypal, which you can use to send & receive payments online.

Which Paypal alternative do you like the best? Do share your views with us.

Reliance Communications (RCom) had announced the launch of its 3G services in mid December and it achieved the unique distinction of being the first telecom provider to offer its 3G services in all of the top metro cities in India – Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata.

If you compare its 3G plans with those of other telecom providers like Airtel 3G or Idea 3G, you can see the pricing is quite similar. There are a variety of plans – both prepaid and postpaid. There are other plans for Mobile TV and 3G Combo bundles (A combination of talktime minutes, SMS and 3G Data Usage).

First of all, you have to purchase a Reliance 3G Data Card (SIM based) to acces 3G services. There are two options available:

7.2 Mbps USB Data Card: Rs. 2,599

21.6 Mbps USB Data Card: Rs. 4,499

Then you have to select a plan from the following:

3G Mobile Broadband Plans (Phone as a Modem)

Prepaid Plans:

Although the basic plans start from Rs. 100 for 100MB data usage, there aren’t any worthwhile plans overall, as most of them are quite expensive. The only one which seems a bit reasonable is the Rs. 749 one, which offers 2GB data usage for 30 days.

If you are one who likes to download stuff from the internet, you should go for daily prepaid packs which offer 2GB data usage for Rs. 98.

Postpaid Plans:

These are much better and offer some amazing plans (though not too reasonable). These are best for those that want more than 10GB of data usage at high speeds. The cheaper plans hardly offer any data usage so it’s best to go for the higher plans that offer some seriously good usage limit.

Broadband on USB Data Cards: Postpaid Plans

These allow you to access Reliance 3G using USB data cards. The pricing is the same as those of the 3G mobile broadband postpaid plans.

Last month we’ve covered nearly all types of Mobiles in the list posts, right from the Best Smartphones to the Best Android Phones in India. This post is one more addition to that series, more specifically to the Android mobiles series. With the Android market growing at an astonishing rate, there is a lot of competition among mobile manufacturers to sieze the opportunity early. In a bid to capture the middle-class consumers, they have launched many affordable Android mobiles as well, mostly around 10k or so. So let’s take a look at the Best 5 Android Phones Below Rs. 10000 in India:

1. Micromax Andro A60

A 3G enabled Android phone featuring a 2.8 inch Full Touchscreen With Swype Support, Andro A60 has grown in popularity ever since its launch. This is probably due to the fact that it offers a wide range of features at an affordable price of close to Rs. 6000. Runs on Android 2.1 Eclair OS and is powered by a 600Mhz Qualcomm processor.

2. Spice Mi-270

An entry level Android phone and currently the cheapest one in India, Spice Mi-270 delivers brilliant value for money. Offers dual SIM connectivity and runs on Android 2.2 Froyo OS. Though it doesn’t support 3G, it offers enough features to justify its Rs. 5800 odd price tag.

3. Spice Mi-310

Although the design isn’t particularly appealing and the 2MP camera could have been better (though it offers HD recording), Spice Mi-310 has a few special features : USB Tethering, Wi-Fi Hotspot Functionality, GPS with A-GPS, high-speed HSDPA and proximity sensor. The memory can be expanded up to 32GB via microSD. Costs around Rs. 7500.

4. Motorola Charm MB502

A fascinating Android phone (almost a Blackberry look-alike) featuring a full QWERTY keypad. Runs on Android v2.1 OS and is powered by a strong TI OMAP3410 600MHz processor along with 512MB RAM & 512MB ROM . Sports a 2.8 inch touchscreen display and supports expandable memory up to 32GB. Costs Rs. 8500 odd.

5. Samsung Galaxy 551 I5510

A full touch phone with a slider keypad, Galaxy 551 I5510 packs quite a punch when it comes to the performance. The battery life is the USP of this exciting mobile, with the battery offering a staggering 9.1 hours of talk time. Boasts a 3.2 inch full touch display and comes with a 3MP camera. Priced at around Rs. 9500.

For those of you looking for affordable touchscreen mobiles under 5k, here’s a list of the top (best) 5 touchscreen mobile phones below Rs. 5000 in India :

1. Karbonn K1212

This one steals the show due to the sheer amount of features it offers at an affordable price. Sports a 3.2 inch touch screen display with 5MP camera, Music Player, Video Player, Bluetooth, USB and WAP. Supports expandable memory up to 8GB. Costs around Rs. 4,500.

2. Lava A10

This is one mobile that has been on the bestselling list for quite some time now. And why shouldn’t it be! Sporting a 3 inch display, this Dual SIM mobile comes loaded with many useful features including a 3.2MP camera, Music Player, Mp4 Player, Bluetooth, USB and Social Networking options. Costs nearly Rs. 4.5k

3. Samsung Corby S3653

Finally the leader of touchscreen mobiles, Samsung, is here. Talking about Corby S365, it dons a 2.8 inch TFT capacitive touchscreen. The features include 2 MP camera, Music & VIdeo Player, Radio, GPRS, EDGE, USB, WAP and Bluetooth v2.1 with A2DP. Supports expandable memory up to 8GB and costs nearly Rs. 5k

4. Micromax X600

Considering the low price of around Rs. 4000, this Dual SIM mobile sports a host of useful features, some of which include a 2MP camera, Music Player, Stereo FM Radio, GPRS, EDGE, USB and Bluetooth 2.0 with A2DP. Dons a large display screen of 3.2 inches. The memory can be expanded up to 4GB. A value buy.

5. Alcatel OT880

This stylish mobile features a QWERTY keypad along with a 2.4 inch touchscreen display. The other features include a 2MP camera, Music & Video Player, FM Radio with RDS, GPRS, EDGE, USB and Bluetooth v2.0 with A2DP. Social networking integration is also provided. Supports memory up to 8GB. Costs around Rs. 4500. A great buy.

Tata Photon plus, which seems to a favorite among consumers these days, comes with many high-speed internet plans, with both prepaid and postpaid options. In this article we are going to focus on Postpaid plans mainly, since I am going to cover the prepaid plans in another article.

Anyways, talking about the postpaid plans, you have a variety of options to choose from – including normal tariff plans, plans with cashbacks and device bundled offers. In each of these categories, there are several plans to choose from, each providing a unique combination of data usafe, price, discounts, benefits etc.

Tariff Plans:

Starting from Rs. 250 per month onwards, these go up to Rs. 750 per month. The plans are not really attractive, and lag quite a bit behind when compared to Airtel broadband plans.

Cashback Plans:

These are the plans in which you get a part of your monthly rentals back as cashbacks. The best one seems to be the Rs. 950 per month unlimited plan with 5GB data usage at speeds of up to 3.1 mbps and unlimited usage at speeds up to 155 kbps onwards thereon.

Device Bundled Offers:

These are the offers which come bundled on purchasing the device , meaning you get the device and your chosen data usage for a discounted price.

Which one of these plans do you like the most? Share your thoughts with us.

MTS Mblaze is soon gaining popularity as more and more people are exploring the wide range of broadband devices & their tariff plans in India. They have a long list of data plans to choose from, along with many unlimited & add-on data plans as well.

MTS MBlaze Data Card:

MTS MBLAZE Data Card Price (Premium) – Rs.1,599

Speed upto 3.1 Mbps

Plug & Play enabled

Fastest uploads at a speed to upto 1.8 Mbps

Micro SD card slot for data storage

Stylish swivel modem for flexible usage

MTS MBLAZE Data Card Price (Standard) – Rs.1,549

Plug & Play enabled

Speed upto 3.1 Mbps

Fastest uploads at a speed to upto 1.8 Mbps

Prepaid Plans:

Although there are quite a lot of plans, the most attractive one seems to be the Rs. 798 plan which offers 6GB unlimited data usage, with a validity of 30 days. This is how it works – Till 6 GB you get up to 3.1 Mbps speed, till 10 GB — upto 144kbps and after 10 GB — upto 64kbps speed.

Postpaid Plans:

Although iPad is a fascinating & best-selling tablet which is loaded with some high quality features, it lacks the in-built capability of reading one of the most popular files – PDF documents. However there are many apps available in the iTunes store (though most of them cost a few dollars) that can act as PDF readers for your iPad. So let’s discuss the 5 best PDF Reader Apps for iPad :

1. FileApp

A terrific app that lets you open not only PDF files but a variety of files, including MS Office, images, html, zip, audio and video as well. Allows you to easily transfers your file through Wi-Fi and is pretty fast to load up as well. Although free, the pro version comes at a price of $4.99.

2. PDF/Comic/eBook Reader Bookman

Another free app that acts as an Ebook reader and supports PDF files as well as Comic Archive files. Comes with exciting features like large thubnails, double-page browsing type, URL detection, keyword search, history and books with a folder function.

3. Stanza

Perhaps not the best app for reading PDF’s but a pretty decent one indeed. The best part is that its free to use, so you have to shell out any moolahs for it. Allows you to sync your documents directly to your iPad via iTunes. Comes with page turning effect as well.

4. ReaddleDocs for iPad

Though it costs $4.99, it allows you to read large PDF files with links, search and text reflow. Comes with useful features like highlighting text and making notes in the pdf, copy documents to your device over USB, Wi-Fi & 3G and also to upload and download files to iDisk, Dropbox and Google Docs.

5. GoodReader for iPad

Has the ability to open many types of files (mostly documents). Features PDF Reflow mode that extracts the image out of PDF document and lets you read only the text, which makes reading and loading much better. Comes at a price of $2.99.

Which one among the above five do you think is the best? Do share your thoughts in the comment form below.

A couple of days back we talked about the prepaid & postpaid internet plans from MTS Mblaze. Now let’s check out its unlimited data plans which offer unlimited data usage at affordable prices, though there are some variation in the speeds which you need to look at.

There are 3 unlimited plans available, starting from Rs. 799 onwards. These are mainly meant for users who like browsing the net all day long, and also download quite a lot of stuff from the internet. If you are a normal user, then there’s no need to go for any of these plans and look at some of the cheaper prepaid or postpaid plans instead, though they offer lesser data usage.

As you can see in the image above, the most attractive plan according to me is the Rs. 899 one, which offers 12GB free data usage at fast speeds – up to 3.1 Mbps. Beyond that, you can use as much internet as you want, though the speed will be reduced up to 144 Kbps only.

Do you like MTS Mblaze unlimited plans? Do share your thoughts with us.

A while back we looked at the the 3g tariff plans of major telecom companies in India, including BSNL, Tata Docomo, Reliance, Airtel, Aircel and now it’s time to check out the 3G tariff plans of the world’s largest mobile telecommunications company in terms of revenue and second largest in terms of subscribers, Vodafone.

The coverage of Vodafone 3g is present in nearly 12 states, covering most of the major districts & cities in these states. It is only in West Bengal that the coverage is not up to the mark, present only in Koklata and Siliguri as of now. The most extensive network is in Andhra Pradesh, where nearly all cities are covered.

Here are the video call tariffs :

Home Video Calling rates for Local and STD calls are Rs 3/min.

Roaming originating Video calling @ Rs 4/min

Roaming terminating Video calling @ Rs 3/min

Prepaid 3G Tariff:

As you can see the prepaid tariffs are quite high, though the best deal seems to be Rs. 850 plan that gives you 3GB of free data usage and is vaild for 30 days. Another plan you could go for is the Rs. 500 mobile internet plan that gives 500 MB data usage + 500 (Local + STD) Mins + 500 (Local & National) SMS.

Postpaid 3G Tariff:

The postpaid plans are nearly identical to the prepaid plans, so the ones I talked about in the prepaid plans holds good for the postpaid plans too.

MTNL has launched a variety of 3G data plans which you can avail using their 3G Data Card which is called 3G Jadoo. MTNL provides affordable 3G services though it is limited to only a few areas, mainly Delhi and Mumbai.

Talking about their 3g data plans, they have two options availabel, just like other 3g service providers – Prepaid and Postpaid plans. Here are the details for both of them:

3G Prepaid Plans:

In the prepaid segment, the most attractive plan seems to be the Rs. 850 one, which offers 3GB of free data usage along with talk value of Rs. 53. The validity, as expected, is 30 days and you also get 20 mins. of free local video calls as well. Alternatively, if you don’t use the net that much, there are a variety of cheaper plans available as well, which you can see in the image below.

3G Postpaid Plans:

The postpaid plans cost almost the same as prepaid plans and offer exactly the same data usage, talk value and video calling minutes as well.

Tata Photon Plus, which has been heavily advertising about its fast internet speeds of up to 3.1 mbps, has become a popular broadband service among consumers in India though there been a lot of criticism about its performance, coverage, network, speeds and so on. Anyways, in this article we are going to talk about the various prepaid plans offered by Tata Photon Plus.

For starters, you’d have to buy the Tata Photon Plus device that acts as an USB and lets you connect to the internet. The cost for the device is Rs. 1849 currently, though it tends to decrease during festive seasons and other important occasions. The best part is that after purchasing the device, you get 5GB bundled data usage by paying just Rs. 125, with a validity of 30 days.

After that, you can recharge according to the various data plans, and choose the one which suits your needs & budget. There are also unlimited data plans available for users who spend a lot of time on the internet, either browsing webpages or downloading data. The only downside to the unlimited plans is that after the bundled data usage, you get to use the unlimited internet, but at much lower speeds – up to 155 kbps.

Do you like the prepaid plans offered by Tata Photon Plus? Do share your thoughts with us.

We’ve recently covered the best Android phones in India and now it’s time to discuss the 5 best 3G enabled Mobile Phones in India.

1. HTC Flyer

Although it is definitely the best 3G phone in India, it costs a whopping Rs. 38000 odd. Sporting a huge 7 inch touchscreen, this tablet-cum-mobile features a 5MP primary camera (+1.3 MP Secondary Camera) and is powered by a powerful 1.5 GHz processor with 1 GB RAM. Comes with 32GB internal memory but whether justifies the heft price tag is up for debate.

2. HTC Sensation

An extremely popular smartphone (and one of the best-selling ones) that runs on Android OS 2.3 With HTC Sense. Powered by a powerful 1.2 GHz dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon MSM8660 processor, with the graphics part taken care of by an an Adreno 220 GPU. Sports a fairly large 4.3 inch SLCD display and costs around Rs. 30000.

3. Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc

One of my personal favorites when it comes to the design. Xperia Arc sports a 4.2 inch display powered by Sony Bravia Engine and runs on Gingerbread (Android 2.3) OS. Powered by 1 GHz Snapdragon MSM8255 chipset and features a 8.1 megapixel HD enabled camera with LED flash and auto focus. Priced at around Rs. 28000 or so.

4. BlackBerry Torch 9800

Mostly popular in the US and UK (and slowly making its mark in India), Blackberry Torch 9800 runs on the latest BlackBerry 6 OS. It is the first slider phone from the RIM manufacturers, and features a QWERTY keypad along with a 3.2-inch capacitive touchscreen. Though the screen might be smaller than most high-end smartphones, its the USP of Blackberry that pushes it into the list. Costs nearly Rs. 27000.

5. LG Optimus 2X P990

While LG is a master in the low-cost touchscreen phones segment, it doesn’t quite match up to big names like HTC, Blackberry and Sony when it comes to high-end smartphones. Yet Optimus 2X P990 deserves a place in this list, not because we haven’t covered LG uptil now, but because it packs quite a punch as far as the features & performance are concerned. Sports a 4 inch screen and is powered by a ultra-powerful NVIDIA Tegra 2 Dual Core 1GHz Processor. Costs around Rs. 26000.

Which according to you is the best 3G mobile phone in India? Do share your thoughts with us.

I’ve recently been covering all types of mobiles in the Indian market currently, right from the Best Smartphones to the 5 cheapest Android mobiles in India. Though in these posts, I have always focussed on mobiles that give the most value for money, this one covers the 5 best android mobiles regardless of their price. Lets take a look which phones make the cut to our list:

1. HTC Flyer

Currently the most expensive mobile phone in India, HTC Flyer comes with some humongous features, including a magnificent 7-inch touchscreen display. This mobile-cum-tablet is powered by a 1.5 GHz processor with 1 GB RAM and comes with 32GB internal memory. Costs a whopping Rs. 38000 plus.

2. HTC Sensation

One of the highest selling mobiles in the American market, HTC Sensation is powered by a powerful 1.2 GHz dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon MSM8660 processor along with Adreno 220 GPU to deliver stunning graphics. The best features include a 4.3 inch display, HD enabled 8MP camera, HDMI, DLNA, and Wi-Fi tethering. Priced at Rs. 30000 odd.

3. Samsung Galaxy S2 I9100

Galaxy S2 I9100 is one of the most popular Android smartphones in India, with the features being almost exactly the same as those offered by HTC Sensation. Runs on Android 2.3 Gingerbread OS and sports a 4.3 Inch Super AMOLED Plus Display. Comes with 16GB internal memory and costs around Rs. 31000.

4. Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc

My personal favorite due to the stunning design and an eye-catching 4.2 Inch Display Powered By Sony Bravia Engine. Powered by Qualcomm MSM8255 Snapdragon 1 GHz processor, with the memory being capable of being expanded up to 32GB. Priced nearly Rs. 28000.

5. LG Optimus 2X P990

Although LG has a number of low cost touchscreen mobiles, the only smartphone in the high-range segment that makes it to the list is Optimus 2X P990. Runs on Android 2.2 Froyo OS (upgradeable to Gingerbread OS) and powered by a NVIDIA Tegra 2 Dual Core 1GHz Processor. One of the special features is the HDMI mirroring which allows Optimus 2X to act as a motion-sensing gaming controller. A nice smartphone and even better for gamers. Costs Rs. 26000 or so.

The mobile market in India is expanding at a monstrous rate and so are the types & varieties of mobile phones. While a decade ago basic phones used to be a hit among consumers, the tastes have obviously evolved and the expectations of consumers have drastically raised. Smartphones are rapidly gaining popularity and so we decided to cover 5 of the best smartphones in India in 2011:

1. Samsung Galaxy S2 I9100

Priced at a whopping Rs. 30000+, Samsung Galaxy S2 I9100 sports a large 4.3 inch Super AMOLED Plus display and comes loaded with some brilliant features, some of which include 8 MP Camera With Full HD Recording(1080p), 3G, DLNA, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 3.0 and support for VoIP calling. Powered by a powerful 1.2 GHz Dual Core Processor and runs on the latest Android 2.3 Gingerbread OS.

2. Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc

Boasting some awesome specs & an elegant design, Xperia Arc is currently one of the best smartphones in India. Sports a large 4.2 inch display powered By Sony Bravia Engine and runs on the latest Android 2.3 Gingerbread OS. A powerful 1 GHz Snapdragon MSM8255 chipset with 512MB RAM, 8.1 MP Camera With HD Recording, Social Networking Access, Motion Gaming, Google Maps and HDMI support are some of the top features. Costs Rs. 28000+.

3. Motorola Defy

A spectacular looking 3G smartphone with 3.7-inch TFT display screen fitted with Corning Gorilla Glass, Splash & Dust Proof Chassis and Swype Texting Support. Runs on Android OS 2.1 – Eclair and is powered by TI OMAP 3610 800 MHz processor with 512 MB RAM. Probably the highest selling smartphone right now! Costs around Rs. 11k approx.

4. HTC Wildfire

Considering HTC is a leading smartphone manufacturer, one of its phones ought to be in the list. But we’ve not included it just for the sake of including it, this one really deserves its place. Priced at around Rs. 11k (which is decent for a smartphone), it comes embedded with a 5 megapixel camera, social networking integration and HTC Sense UI along with Wi-Fi, GPS & 3G connectivity.

5. Samsung Google Nexus S

Another highly popular smartphone sporting a classy design and large 4 inch Super Clear LCD display. Runs on the latest Android Gingerbread V2.3 OS and features some cool features – 5 MP Camera With Flash, Google Maps 5.0 With 3D Navigation, Social Networking Integration, 16GB internal memory and Adobe Flash V10.1 Support. Priced at Rs. 21000 approx.

Did you know you can create professional looking and beautifully designed signatures right inside your Gmail account! No need of any external software, browser add-on, patch, script or download. Making these signatures is pretty easy but you just gotta follow some simple steps, which have been given below in this tutorial.

Step 1:

Go to Gmail Settings and then click on the Labs tab. Now enable Canned Responses option along with Inserting Images option too.

Step 2:

Now compose a new message in Gmail and customize your message with your preferred signature. You can try different ways to make it look even better by uploading any number of image or icons from your computer or use any other image from the web. If you want to permanently embed the image into your email signature, then you need to upload the image directly from your computer.

Step 3:

When you are finished and are happy with your layout, you need to go to the Canned Response menu and save it using any name you like.

How to Select A Signature While Composing an Email:

Whenever in future you need to compose an email and want to attach your customized signature, then you can select one from the Canned Responses drop-down menu and that particular signature will get inserted in your email.

TheWindowsClub.com has come up with yet another freeware utility for Windows, this time a Windows 7 Start Button Changer that lets you change your start button easily without having to deal with any technicalities.

It is a freeware portable app that you can download using the link provided below in this article. There are a variety of start button icons you can choose from but it is always recommended to set up a system restore point so that if there’s any problem you can always revert back to your previous backup point.

Although there a whole lot of softwares you can download to change your start button, this one seems to be simplest to use and it’s a freeware unlike many of the other softwares available on various software download websites. But make sure to read some notes about the software here.

Download Windows 7 Start Button Changer

I’m sure you must have thought rotating a video required great efforts, and a lot of time and hard work. The fact is that it’s really quite simple to rotate any video you want by any angle using the most popular media player – VLC media player.

Here are the steps you need to follow to rotate any video easily:

Step 1:

Open a video file using Ctrl+O or Media -> Open File in the options (menu) bar of VLC media player.

Step 2:

Go to Tools in the Menu bar and then click on Effects or Filters. Alternatively, you can also type Ctrl+E to launch it directly.

Step 3:

A new box will open up which has three tabs – Audio Effects, Video Effects and Synchronization. Head on to the Video Effects tab and check the Transform option. Right below it, you can choose the angle by which you want to rotate the video – 90 degrees, 180 degrees, 270 degrees, Flip horizontally or Flip vertically. Voila, it’s done!

Did you like this method? Do share your views with us.

A lot of people have been searching for BSNL 3G data plans, probably thinking that must be providing the cheapest 3G plans. And the fact is that BSNL indeed has the cheapest 3G prepaid data plans in India, though there is not a significant difference in rates among various 3g service provides like Aircel, Airtel, Tata Docomo and Reliance.

Anways, talking about BSNL’s 3G prepaid data plans, the cheapest plan starts at Rs. 100 and gives you 250 MB’s, which is pretty decent. The best plan that appears to be the most attractive is the Rs. 606 plan, which gives you 1GB free data usage and 5GB of night usage as well, which means the total bundled free usage is 6GB. That’s indeed a great deal, which no other telecom company offers as of now. The validity of this voucher is 30 days. The night time we are talking about goes from 11 PM to 7 AM, which is again quite good, and much unlike the free night usage in BSNL broadband, which used to start from 2AM to 8AM in the morning.

There are also short term validity offers available, having validity of 1 day, 3 days and 7 days and costing Rs. 10, Rs. 25 and Rs. 50 respectively with the corresponding free data usage being 20MB, 50MB and 100MB respectively.

What do you think about BSNL’s 3G Prepaid Plans? Do share your thoughts with us.

Many people are having problem uninstalling Samsung Kies, which is a software suite from Samsung that allows users to transfer files, back up data, manage multimedia content etc. However uninstalling the software is pretty easy, thanks to the official Kies Uninstaller from Samsung.

May be because many users used to complain about the problem of uninstalling this software that Samsung decided to launch their official uninstaller, which removes all error messages like ““the installation source for this product is not available” etc.

Using the Kies Uninstaller, you can completely remove a.k.a. uninstall it from your desktop PC. If you were unable to remove the software by conventional method and recieved error messages, now you can simply use the uninstaller to remove it.

Download Samsung Kies Uninstaller

Ubuntu used to be available in all three versions – Desktop edition, Server edition and a Netbook edition as well. As you know the netbook edition was the one which was especially optimized for smaller screen and brought all the advantages of Ubunty to a netbook.

However from Ubuntu 11.04 onwards, which is the latest version of Ubuntu, there will be no netbook edition at all. The company has decided to do away with it since Ubuntu 11.04 can be used on all types of PCs, be it a notebook, desktop or netbook.

According to Canonical “The introduction of the new shell for Ubuntu means that we have a user interface that works equally well whatever the form factor of the PC. And the underlying technology works on a range of architectures including those common in netbook, notebooks, desktops or whatever you choose to run it on. Hence the need for a separate version for netbooks is removed”.

Did you like the netbook edition or are you happy with the simple PC version of Ubuntu? Do share your thoughts with us.

Though Apple had come out with the newest model of its popular MP3 cum video player, iPod Nano 6th generation quite a while back, I couldn’t find the time to write a detailed article about it, covering its specifications, features, price and a short review.

iPod Nano 6th Generation comes in two storage capacity options, namely 8GB and 16GB. You can choose from a variety of splendid colors including Blue, Green, Orange, Pink, Silver and Graphite. (Though Pink and Blue are best suited for Girls and Boys respectively).

iPod Nano 6th Generation Key Features:

1.54-inch color TFT display

8 GB capacity for about 2,000 songs

Up to 24 hours of audio playback on a single charge

FM Radio with Live Pause

Clip-on for walking, jogging, running and gymming

VoiceOver (Gesture Based Screen Reader)

Nike + iPod Support

Support for AAC, Protected AAC (iTunes Store), MP3, MP3 VBR, Audible, Apple Lossless, AIFF, and WAV audio formats

One-year limited warranty

iPod Nano 6th Generation Specs:

Model: MC688LL/A

Storage: 8GB/16GB

1.5-inch color TFT display

240X240 pixel resolution

Width: 1.6 inches

Depth: 0.4 inches

Weight: 0.7 Ounces

FM Radio

3.5-mm stereo headphone jack

USB-based charging

Lithium-ion Battery

24 Hours Battery Life

iPod Nano 6th Generation Price:

The official price of Apple iPod Nano 8 GB Graphite (6th Generation) is $149.00 but in India it costs in excess of Rs. 10,500! The 16GB version costs around $160.

Overall, it’s a great little device that you can use to listen to your favorite songs anywhere and the best part about it is the clip-on which lets you clip it to your clothes, which is great if you go for walking, jogging or gymming everyday.

Apple iPod nano 16 GB Graphite (6th Generation) NEWEST MODEL