Apple To Make iPhone 3GS Available For Free (With A Contract) Once iPhone 5 Launches This Fall

Just over two months ahead of an Apple Music Event, where Apple is expected to announce a future iPhone, the rumor mill has been on fire with alleged leaks and speculation from analysts (mostly the latter). An analyst is now alleging that Apple might continue to sell the already 2-year-old iPhone 3GS for free with a contract.

Common wisdom would suggest that Apple would be about to abruptly phase out the 2-year-old iPhone 3GS. The 2009 phone features outdated hardware any enthusiast should stay away from. Yet, Apple might have figured it could further broaden the iPhone market share by giving users a taste of the iOS experience with no upfront cost, according to RBC Capital Markets analyst Mike Abramsky:

While a $49 iPhone is already available (AT&T), psychologically a $0 iPhone provides a compelling offer,

Last year, when the iPhone 4 was introduced, the iPhone 3GS remained available for $99, down from the $199 it was previously being sold for. Back in January this year, the price was revised downwards yet again to a mere $49, an incredible bargain for the experience it offers. In order to figure out how much a "free" iPhone would sell, first we need to make it clear that the word "free" isn’t accounting for the long-term contract that AT&T customers will have to sign up for before getting their hands on their phones. Yet, as explained by this analyst, the "$0" price tag could be enough to appeal to deal hunters who might not be aware of the contractual costs at first, and the steep cancellation fees they’ll have to pay if they wish to end their contracts.
Unlike previous reports, iPhone 3GS support in iOS 5 remained largely intact, aside from a few advanced features such live photo editing in the camera app. Many expected support for the iPhone 3GS to be dropped entirely in this upgrade, as Apple prepares to unveil its next-generation iPhone. Could the iPhone 3GS be here to stay?
Analysts aren’t necessarily the most credible sources when it comes to predictions, unless they have inside informers, which very often they don’t. The iPhone 3GS will have to be phased out at some point, given its age, and supporting newer versions of iOS on a device this old won’t be worth the effort sooner or later.

Asus Transformer coming to India in July, Transformer 2 due out in October

The Asus Eee Pad Transformer has quickly made a name for itself ever since it was released early this year, and has unofficially earned the title of the best-selling tablet other than the iPad, or, best selling Android tablet. We can’t wait for it to hit India, and if reports are to be believed, the Honeycomb offering should arrive here by the end of July.

Featuring a 10.1-inch IPS display (1280x800 pixels) that compares with the iPad 2 and Galaxy Tab 10.1, as well as a dual-core Tegra 2 processor and 1GB RAM, the Asus Transformer is no slouch. It also comes with the optional accessory that gives the tablet its name – a full sized keyboard with a trackpad and battery pack – transforming it into a laptop/netbook.

Battery life is rated at roughly 8 hours, going up to 14 hours when attached to the keyboard dock. The Transformer also has a 5MP autofocus rear camera, without flash, capable of shooting 720p HD video. The tablet, unlike many others in the market, also comes with a full collection of ports, from a mini HDMI port to a microSD and SD card slot, to 2 USB 2.0 ports on the USB host for the keyboard dock.

The Taiwanese giant has captured the market by pricing the tablet exceptionally low, with a $399 price for the 16GB version, and $499 for the 32GB version. Asus is supposedly just breaking even at such prices, making its money off the $150 dock. For now, no Wi-Fi + 3G versions have been released. Hopefully, when the Transformer arrives in India, Asus will maintain the sub-Rs. 20K price point.

In the meanwhile, Asus is apparently hard at work developing the Transformer 2 for an October release. It is said to be based on Android Ice Cream Sandwich (2.4 or 4.0), and the quad-core Nvidia Tegra 3 Kal-El processor. Asus has yet to release its Eee Pad Slider and MeMo tablets, which should arrive before the Transformer 2.

Samsung v.s Apple!!

Mobile Grudge Match - Samsung Galaxy S II vs Apple iPhone 4!!

The mobile phone segment is bursting at the seams with sophisticated, smarter and faster handsets, at this very moment. Choices are getting harder and harder to make as the competition is heating up. But, even with all of the Android goodies making their way out from the likes of LG, Samsung and HTC, Apple’s good old iPhone is still somewhere at the top of the list. With that in mind, we recently reviewed Samsung’s latest and possibly greatest offering, i.e. the Galaxy S II and while it definitely impressed us, the “big” Apple still manages to loom over the little Green robot to quite an extent and queries have been flowing in with regards to making choices. So those of you with deep pockets looking for the ultimate powerhouse smartphone and tossing between the iPhone 4 and the Galaxy S II, we pitted them against each other and here are our findings.

Samsung Galaxy S II – Rs. 30,500 (16GB)
Let’s forget about the fact that, as of now, the Galaxy S II is the slimmest Android phone in the market with a large display sporting the all new Super AMOLED Plus visual enhancement. Let’s also leave aside the fact that the S II is super light weight at just 116 grams. The Galaxy S II is designed and built for ease of use with high end components packed into this sleek body and that includes a Dual-core 1.2GHz ARM Cortex-A9 processor with a GPU to boot.

Super slim and sleek

Samsung’s TouchWiz UI version 4.0 has also undergone a few UI changes adding kinetic scrolling, tilt zoom etc. With support for full HD i.e. 1080 video playback with files sporting DivX and Xvid codecs there’s never the need to convert and then transfer data between your PC and handset. The S II even sports 1080p video capture via the 8 Megapixel camera and TV Out in HD via MHL (Media Hi-Def Linking). Speaking of the camera, the S II also offers face and smile detection, as well as an auto-stitch panorama mode amongst its array of features. There’s also support for Wi-Fi Direct and DLNA compliance for hooking the S II up to HDTVs that support the same tech, for media streaming. Another important feature to take into account is USB-on-the-go that was previously limited to just a few Nokia N-series devices.

So all of this in a very decently priced, sleek and comfortable looking device makes the Samsung Galaxy S II, a rather difficult device to avoid when choosing a high-end smartphone. It’s loaded with features and packs in 16 Gigs of internal storage plus support for 32GB more via micro SD cards.

Apple iPhone 4 – Rs. – 34,500 (16GB)
When one looks at the Apple iPhone 4 for the first time, one is easily impressed by its looks alone. The iPhone 4 sports a 3.5-inch Retina Display, the highest resolution in mobiledom today and is housed inside an elegant shell with brushed stainless steel bands at the sides. The phone is basically made up of two glossy panels of aluminosilicate glass. This glass is the same type used in helicopter and train windshields, so we’re talking about serious durability.

However, Apple shows that the iPhone 4’s looks are not just skin deep with it packing a 1 GHz ARM Cortex-A8 processor and an Apple A4 chipset which simply translates into performance and speed that few handsets can equal. The iPhone operates on iOS 4.3 and like all previous versions the operating system is really simple to use. One can get easily immersed in the wide range of apps available in the App Store from games to handy mobile tools. While there may be almost an app for all conceiveable mobile purposes, it's the sheer elegance of the UI that leaves you salivating. Though the iPhone has just a 5 MP camera, it is capable of capturing stunning high quality images and also has 720p HD video recording capabilities with touch focus extending into video capture, as well.

Elegant, refined and what a User Experience

While the cost of the iPhone 4 is somewhat on the pricier side, Apple has seemingly always targeted their phones at a selective audience. With all Apple products, it is more of a way of life than a handset and provides one hell of a mobile phone experience even if it does tend to empty your pockets.

Verdict
So based on the simple scores and our own in-house testing, we’ve come to the conclusion that the Galaxy S II is definitely the handset you should be investing in. Of course, it also depends largely on personal preference as both these handsets are very capable, but the differences in their user experiences are also big factors and we’ve taken that into account, as well.

As far as smartphones go, the S II offers the best possible mobile phone experience for the price tag it’s attached to. From functionality to ease of use and a plethora of features that are both built-in or downloadable off of the Android Market Place, rest assured, buyers remorse is not a feeling you’ll have to worry about. Sure the iPhone did provide us with the better overall user experience and with apps also looking and feeling more refined the fact is, as it is, the iPhone is still lacking in features. It’s undoubtedly a worthy contender but when it comes to absolute value for money the S II is the handset that wins hands down.

We’d also like to invite all you readers out there to send in your comments and user experiences for either of these handsets. It’ll help those looking to buy either one to make an even more calculated decision. Feel free to leave your thoughts below in our comments section or your can follow the same thread in our discussion board.

Buyers; No Lier

Anyone Interested In Buying Something??!!

Kinect Integration Coming To Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary, Confirms Microsoft Game Studios

Microsoft Studios, the developers behind the upcoming Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary, has confirmed that the remastered shooter will have Kinect integration when it releases this year in November.

In an interview with gaming website GameSpot, Microsoft Game Studios’ Phil Spencer stated, while talking about Kinect integration in this year’s video games: “Even games like Halo Anniversary has [sic] Kinect integration”.

Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary edition is an HD remake of 2001’s Halo: Combat Evolved which launched with the original Xbox. It’s the same Halo: CE that was called the original Xbox’s killer app back in the day, just with better graphics and an all new online co-op mode.

It is unclear at the moment how Kinect integration will work out. The games we’ve seen so far that claim “Kinect integration” simply tack on half-baked ideas that aren’t fun nor add much to the experience.

We’re hoping Halo Anniversary’s integration will be similar to Ghost Recon: Future Solider’s implementation wherein the player can customize their weapon, shoot, give orders, reload, move around and basically just play the entire game using just Kinect.

Whatever the Kinect integration ends up looking like, hardcore fans can rest assured that they will be able to play the game with just the controller as well.

Microsoft’s E3 conference was quite heavy on Kinect-related announcements. Games like Mass Effect 3, Fable: The Journey, Minecraft, Ghost Recon: Future Solider, Forza Motorsport 4 and Dance Central 2 were shown with Kinect support. Kinect-specific games like Star Wars, Ryse and Kinect Sports 2 were shown as well!

Nokia, Accenture settle Symbian agreement

Nokia Corp. and Accenture plc have finalized theiragreement for Nokia to outsource its Symbian software development and support activities to Accenture. The plan to outsource Nokia's Symbian activities was first announced last April.

Under the agreement, Accenture will provide Symbian based software development and support services to Nokia through 2016. Approximately 2,800 Nokia employees located in China, Finland, India, United Kingdom and the United States are expected to transfer to Accenture at closing, which is expected to take place in the early part of October this year.

"We look forward to partnering with Nokia as they continue to support Symbian and transition to the Windows Phone ecosystem," said Marty Cole, chief executive at Accenture communications and high tech group. "The highly skilled group of technologists and engineers transferring to Accenture will complement our current mobility skills and enhance the breadth, depth and scale of our capabilities, allowing us to meet the growing global demand for mobility services across many industries."

The agreement calls forÿAccenture toÿsupport and further develop Nokia's Symbian platform and to becomeÿthe preferred supplier to Nokia on their transition to Windows Phone. Accenture will seek opportunities to leverage transferring employee skills and capabilities to provide mobility software, business and operational services around the Windows Phone platform to Nokia and other ecosystem participants. Accenture will also seek to retrain and redeploy transferred employees.

"Our collaboration with Accenture allows us to meet our ongoing commitment to support our Symbian smartphone customers and continue to leverage the talent that has the deepest experience on the platform," said Jo Harlow, executive vice president for Smart Devices at Nokia. "As we move our primary smartphone platform to Windows Phone, we will look to explore potential opportunities to tap this talent pool as they develop and expand their knowledge and capabilities beyond Symbian."

Accenture will also work with Avanade, a technology service company that is majority-owned by Accenture and focuses on Microsoft technologies, to provide further services to Nokia.

The definitive agreement includes customary closing conditions.

RIM launches Blackberry Playbook, selects Salman Khan to promote the product

 

 

Another entrant in the burgeoning tablet market is the BlackBerry PlayBook which was launched yesterday in Mumbai. The PlayBook is a seven inch tablet which runs the QNX operating system which was acquired by RIM last year. The nifty tablet was unveiled by Bollywood actor Salman Khan, while also present at the event was Frenny Bawa, MD RIM.

The PlayBook features the same security features as BlackBerry phones and does not require a separate data or tariff plan. In other words the PlayBook would tether to your BlackBerry smartphone to access the BES (BlackBerry Enterprise Server) along with other office applications. RIM was focusing on the PlayBook's multitasking capabilities and while we were impressed by how the tablet handles multiple tasks without much stutter, we wonder how that is any different from the existing tablets, all of which boast of multitasking. The QNX UI lets you view the running applications without having to minimize them in order to switch and that's about as far it goes in offering a fresh approach to multi task.

On the specifications front the PlayBook features a 1 GHz dual core processor along with a standalone GPU. On the whole with the PlayBook RIM has ensured the tablet isn’t left behind on the specifications front. It feels pretty easy to hold and is light, weighing in at just 425 grams, however the only available screen size is seven inches. The PlayBook sports a 3 megapixel front and a 5 megapixel rear camera, both of them record in 1080p HD. It has a mini HDMI port to connect it to your LCD TV to view the tablet’s content on a much larger screen. This comes in handy while playing games or watching YouTube videos; incidentally it also has Flash support. We would’ve liked to see a few more colour options other than the plain old black that they currently have. After all, Blackberry boys are not all about the suits right?

Priced at Rs. 27,990 for a 16 GB Wi-Fi model the PlayBook is about two thousand rupees cheaper then the iPad 2. The other two models are 32 and 64 GB which are available for Rs. 32,990 and Rs. 37,990 receptively.

What we liked most about the PlayBook is its ability to sync with a BlackBerry smartphone which lets you perform all the tasks only this time on a bigger capacitive touch display, however the lack of GSM capability renders its use impossible without a BlackBerry phone.

You can leverage the power of BB messenger using Blackberry bridge, however the tablet doesn't have its own PIN and mirrors it from the BlackBerry phone it is connected to. PlayBook might serve its purpose for the existing BlackBerry smartphones users but it needs to be seen how the tablet fairs when it comes to acquiring new customers and markets. Locking it to a BlackBerry phone in terms of both usability and connectivity seems like a gamble for RIM.

Nokia unveils the MeeGo-based Nokia N9, with its first 1GHz processor

Nokia condensed the vapourware Nokia N9 at its Nokia Connection event in Singapore today, raising eyebrows all over the world. The first MeeGo-based smartphone, the N9 has been expected since MWC 2008, and is represents the first major step into the consumer space by the entire platform – jointly developed by Intel and Nokia.

No tentative release date or pricing accompanied the announcement, but based on previous MeeGo hints dropped by Nokia, the N9 will almost definitely be launched in 2011. However, details aplenty were available about the device’s specifications, and Espoo even released a video demonstration for us to get an idea of the brand new MeeGo interface (v1.2) in action.

A sleek all-screen device with a polycarbonate shell, the N9 bears a 3.9-inch AMOLED Gorilla Glass capacitive multi-touch (480x854 pixel resolution) display. The Nokia N9 is also the first Nokia phone with a 1GHz processor – a Cortex A8 CPU, coupled with a PowerVR SGX530 GPU, part of the TI OMAP 3630 chipset. Unfortunately for forward-looking and expectant MeeGo fans, this is still 2009’s hardware. We’ll have to wait and see just what the combination of 1GB of RAM, the SoC and the Linux-based OS and can do in terms of performance.

The N9 will apparently be available in two variants, with 16GB and 64GB of inbuilt storage. It comes with an 8MP wide-angle autofocus camera with Carl Zeiss optics and dual-LED flash, capable of 720p HD video recording. As for connectivity, the N9 supports only Micro SIM cards, and has quad-band GSM and penta-band WCDMA radios. It offers 3G speeds of HSDPA 14.4Mbps/HSUPA 5.7Mbps, Bluetooth v2.1, GPS (with A-GPS), Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n, TV out, USB-on-the-Go, as well as NFC.

In terms of dimensions, the N9 thins down to 7.6mm at the edges, up to 12.1mm at its thickest. It weighs 135 grams, and should be available in three colours at launch – black, cyan, and magenta. It has a 1450 mAh battery, rated to deliver up to 11 hours of talk time, 380 hours of standby time, and up to 50 hours.

The MeeGo 1.2 Harmattan OS supports QT 4.7 as well as HTML5 apps, supports OpenGL ES 2.0, and has a Webkit2-based browser. It will come bundled with a few apps, including a document editor and PDF viewer, Ovi Maps, Angry Birds Magic, Galaxy on Fire 2, Real Golf 2011, Facebook and Twitter. The interface has apparently been simplified a lot, with just three types of home screen views: apps, open apps, and events. Navigation is all in the swipe.

In the meanwhile, Nokia also announced three new phones in its C2 series - C2-02, C2-03, and C2-06. Stay tuned for more coverage. Check out Nokia N9's press shots and videos below:

Motorola Xoom tablet to arrive in India by July

In the meanwhile, we wonder just how well the tablet will do in the country, especially when we include the very popular iOS offering - the iPad 2.

Motorola has let us know that it will be launching its first tablet -  the Android Honeycomb-based Xoom tablet - in India by July. The lead platform device for Honeycomb, the Xoom was also thefirst to receive the Android 3.1 update. We've been expecting the Xoom for while, ever since it appeared on online retailers' listings earlier this month, but it has yet to make an appearance so far.

When it arrives in July, the Motorola Xoom will not be the only 10.1-inch Android Honeycomb tablet in the Indian market - theAcer Iconia Tab A500 is already here (check out our review), and the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 is expected by then as well. In terms of specifications, most of the Honeycomb tablets bear similar configurations - especially the choice of the Tegra 2 for the CPU-GPU SoC. Check out our previous coverage for more information on the specifications.

Microsoft releases beta of Kinect SDK for Windows

Kinect has seen a large enthusiast community around it despite the fact that till now it was limited to the XBOX 360. Open source drivers have been written, in so far that the upcoming Linux kernel will support the device.
Microsoft has only encouraged and embraced this hacking, and awhile back they announced the SDK that has been released today – albeit a little late. The SDK released now is completely free for non-commercial applications, and is intended for Academics and Enthusiasts.
While the Kinect's depth sensing and motion tracking prowess has been developed to make the next generation of games more interactive, its true potential lies beyond just gaming. In the time since the Kinect's release, even before the release of this free SDK for the Kinect, people have been hacking together innovative projects that show the true potential of this technology. It makes the Kinect seem like a worthy even if you don’t like the concept of playing computer games using your body as a controller. The Kinect has been hacked to do everything, from simulating a 'Minority Report' like interface, to helping the blind and rescuing earthquake victims.
Now the Kinect's reach is bound to increase even more thanks to he official SDK. As Anoop Gupta, a scientist at Microsoft Research said, “The Kinect for Windows SDK opens up a world of possibilities to developers who want to unleash the power of Kinect technology on Windows. We can’t wait to see what this community will create as we work together to build more natural, intuitive computing experiences.”
Microsoft is releasing the SDK with support for “Raw Sensor Streams” from the multiple sensors on the Kinect (RGB camera, depth sensor, multi-array microphone), “Skeletal Tracking” for up to two people, and “Advanced Audio Capabilities” that will allow developers to identify the sound source, and recognize speech.
The SDK also includes documentation, and is easy to install on Windows 7.
A commercial version of the SDK will also be offered in the future, and Microsoft is probably using this beta release a means to get feedback that can be incorporated before the final release.

Samsung Galaxy S II versus HTC Sensation: battle of the dual-core droids

Two dual-core super-phones are currently in the India market, the flagships of Samsung and HTC – the Galaxy S II, and the Sensation. While the Sensation is not here officially, we expect it to arrive very soon, as it is already available on online retailers such as Letsbuy.com. What makes the phones even more comparable, is that the prices are about the same as well – roughly Rs. 30,500.

We’ve reviewed the Galaxy S II, and found it to be a solid device with nary a flaw. We wonder how well HTC’s flagship will compare, and you’ll have to wait for a detailed review for that. In the meanwhile, we’ve compared the salient features, and identified some inadequacies that might just make or break the device. Take a look:

Phone	Samsung Galaxy S II	HTC Sensation
Dimensions	125.3 x 66.1 x 8.5 mm	126.1 x 65.4 x 11.3 mm
Weight	116 g	148 g
Display Size	4.3-inch	4.3-inch
Display Type	Super AMOLED Plus, 16M colors	Super-LCD, 16M colors
Resolution	480x800	540x960
OS version	Android 2.3.3	Android 2.3.3
CPU	Dual-core 1.2GHz Orion (ARM Cortex-A9) processor	Dual-core 1.2GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor
GPU	Mali-400MP	Adreno 220
Memory	1GB	768MB
Storage	16GB/32GB (not available in India), expandable via microSD (32GB)	1GB internal, expandable via microSD (32GB)
Camera	8 MP, 3264x2448 pixels, autofocus, LED flash, 1080p@30fps, 2MP front facing camera	8 MP, 3264x2448 pixels, autofocus, dual-LED flash, 1080p@30fps, VGA front facing camera
Ports	microUSB v2.0 (MHL / AV link), USB On-the-go, 3.5 mm jack	microUSB v2.0 (MHL / AV link), 3.5 mm jack
Sensors	Ambient light sensor, accelerometer, proximity sensor, gyroscope,	Ambient light sensor, accelerometer, proximity sensor, gyroscope,
3G	HSDPA, 21 Mbps; HSUPA, 5.76 Mbps	HSDPA 14.4 Mbps, HSUPA 5.76 Mbps
Wi-Fi	Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n, DLNA, Wi-Fi Direct, Wi-Fi hotspot	Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, DLNA, Wi-Fi hotspot
Bluetooth	Yes, v3.0+HS	Yes, v3.0 with A2DP
Infrared	No	No
NFC	Option available	No
Radio	Stereo FM radio with RDS	Stereo FM radio with RDS
Flash 10.2 compatible	Yes	Yes
Document editor	Yes	No, only viewer
Battery	Standard battery, Li-Ion 1650 mAh	Standard battery, Li-Ion 1520 mAh
Standby	Up to 710 h (2G) / Up to 610 h (3G)	Up to 350 h (2G) / Up to 400 h (3G)
Talktime	Up to 18 h 20 min (2G) / Up to 8 h 40 min (3G)	Up to 8 h 20 min (2G) / Up to 6 h 40 min (3G)

The screen resolutions and display types of the two phones differ, with the Galaxy S II featuring a 480x800 pixel Super AMOLED Plus display, while the Sensation has a 540x960 pixel Super-LCD screen. Until we see the two screens first hand, our opinion will be guarded about the display type – colour accuracy, brightness, sunlight legibility – however, the higher 540x960 pixel resolution might just improve the media and web browsing experience.

The same things applies to the processors and graphics chipsets, until benchmarks are run, it's anybody's guess whether Samsung's Orion-Exynos chipset will rule, or the Qualcomm Snapdragon of the Sensation.

Other differences are glaringly obvious - the Galaxy S II comes with 16GB of built-in storage, while the HTC Sensation has 1GB built-in storage. It does come with an 8GB microSD card bundled – but that has its own disadvantages, and advantages. Apart from having a bigger battery, it looks like the AMOLED is the main reason for the S II's comparatively massive battery life.

The weight of the two phones are also worlds apart, and while the Galaxy S II has drawn some flak for almost feeling cheap in its lightness, the difference in pocket weight will be a big deal for the user.

The Sensation's front-facing VGA camera is also of lower quality than the 2MP sensor of the Galaxy S II, making a difference to those wanting to use the devices for tele-conferencing.

In the meanwhile, not everything is so cut and dry in the smartphone segment, with few reports of a death grip Wi-Fi connectivity issue with the HTC Sensation, and a few AMOLED issues with the Samsung Galaxy S II

iPhone 5's Design too Similar to it's Predecessor ?!

iPhone

5 will have an 8MP

Camera with Panoramic

Photo Capabilities !!

Almost all the image sensors Apple’s will use for the new iPhone 5 will be provided by OmniVision. The report specifying this partnership also revealed that the iphone 5 camera will be able to shoot panoramic photos in 8MP quality.

Somewhere close to 90% of all the CMOS sensors will be provided by OmniVision, reveals DigiTimes. The rest (10%) will be managed by Sony.

This new report just shows how Apple is preparing for a massive production of new iPhone 5s. It also means that the American company will not miss this year’s release, clinging to the fiscal aspect of the new production line - which will surely begin until September.

Another worthy piece of news reveals that Apple is working closely with Avago Technology in order to get its hands on the latest power amplifiers for iPhone 5’s WCDMA version. There weren’t any more details regarding the rumored dual-mode, but only the actual GSM version. Avago is only one of the suppliers of the two who signed with Apple. TriQuint Semiconductor will get to supply a third of the amplifiers needed by the company.

DigiTimes’ article states clearly the fact that the new sensors and power amplifiers will be supplied by the above mentioned companies. It says: “|OmniVision has grabbed a majority of total CMOS image sensor (CIS) orders placed by Apple for the fifth-generation iPhone, market sources have claimed. Meanwhile, power amplifier (PA) supplier Avago Technologies has landed orders for the WCDMA version of the device for its first time, according to the sources. About 90 percent of the CIS orders for Apple’s new iPhone will be supplied by OmniVision, while Sony takes up the remainder, the sources said. The upcoming device will feature a built-in 8-megapixel camera, the sources added. TSMC will use BSI process technology at its Fab 14 to produce CISs used in the new version of iPhone, the sources revealed.”

Judging by the number of technologies and the full extent of the production process, the new iPhone 5 will dismantle any rumors regarding its design as being “too similar to its predecessor”.

Glasses Off, 3D On!

A SmartPhone that sees the world like you do, in 3D.

Now your photos can have as much depth as the moment itself. HTC EVO 3D captures your photos and videos in 3D, plus you can view them without the glasses. The stunning 4.3-inch qHD display gives you crisp websites, vivid images and incredibly fluid videos.

The evolution will be broadcast in 3D at 4G

More hardware, for less hardware
The EVO™ 3D doesn’t require you to wear anything special to get fully immersed in its 4.3” 3D QHD screen. From watching movies in 3D, to taking 3D pictures, to capturing your own 3D video, nothing more is needed by you. Except the desire to be WOW’d.

Built for capturing 3D
With its dual 5 MP cameras, giant 4.3” QHD screen for a viewfinder, and intuitive camera button, making 3D movies and taking 3D photographs with the EVO 3D couldn’t be easier.

Showier and tellier
Wirelessly stream photos, music and videos to your home entertainment system from phone. Feel like adding some dimension? You can share 3D videos via HDMI to your 3D HDTV. And when you feel like sharing for real, the front-facing camera allows you to wirelessly video chat with friends and family anywhere.

A foundation built for growth
Not content to stop at glasses-free 3D, the EVO™ 3D was built with a superfast 1.2Ghz Qualcomm® Snapdragon® dual-core processor running on 4G. Making downloading, posting, commenting, watching and playing faster than was ever possible.

Share more
Not only does the EVO™ 3D let you share like never before with it’s amazing QHD 3D screen, but it also allows up to 8 devices to wirelessly connect to it so that they can share in its internet access.

If you are an Android fan or "FanDroid" and a 3D Fan, Then this will be the best you can ever get. Price in India has not yet been Leaked, But in USA it is probably $199 with Contract and $499 without Contract. HTC Evo 3D "Falls" or "Rises" up into the category of "The Must Buys" of 2011!!

HTC Salsa now officially in India, we await the Flyer and Sensation

Cotillion

It would be an understatement to say a pattern is forming - Letsbuy.com lists HTC devices, and then HTC brings them to the Indian market within the week. So it would come as no surprise that we'd predicted this news last week, when the online retailer listed the HTC Salsa, for now, less than a week later, the HTC Salsa has been officially launched in India. Those who bought the phone at Letsbuy's Rs. 20,399 price will be happy though, for HTC has priced the 'Facebook Phone' for Rs. 22,000 (MRP) in India. This would also mean that prices would even out on the street.

For more details about the specifications of this 3.4-inch 800MHz CPU mid-range Facebook oriented phone can be found in our previous coverage. In the meantime, we await the official launch of the HTC Flyer and the HTC Sensation within the next couple of days, following as they did so closely to the Salsa on Letsbuy.com.

In the meanwhile, HTC has not confirmed the operating system of the Salsa on its site or launch press release, but we assume it is Android 2.3.4, from what we've been hearing ever since the Salsa was introduced back at MWC in mid-February. It would probably also be running Sense 3.0 UI.

PS Vita Starting at $249

HTC Flyer Android 2.4 tablet now available online in India, for Rs. 37,499

Not a day has gone by, and now we have another brand new HTC product making its way to Indian shores following the HTC Salsa, and this time it’s the exciting and apparently Android 2.4 Gingerbread (?) running HTC Flyer. We presume that does not mean Ice Cream Sandwich, which is due only by the end of the year. The device has made its way to the online retailer, Letsbuy.com, which gave a delivery time of 4-7 working days at the time of writing.


Related Stories

HTC introduces five new phones including Facebook duo, and its first tablet

HTC Flyer tablet to get Android 3.0 Honeycomb update [video preview]

HTC Sensation selling online for Rs. 30,699 in India?

HTC Salsa - the Facebook phone - now available online in India at Rs. 20,399

The 32GB Wi-Fi+3G version of the 7-inch HTC Flyer is available on the online store, for Rs. 37,499. Other specs include a 1.5GHz processor, 1GB RAM, 32GB microSD storage expansion, GPS, 5MP rear camera (capable of 720p HD recording), 1.3MP front-facing camera, and a 4000 mAH battery rated to deliver up to 1000 hours of standby time and 4 hours of video playback time.

HTC also recently announced magic pen/stylus support for the 7-inch 600x1024 pixel capacitive touchscreen tablet. With Letsbuy.com stocking the tablet, it is probably just a matter of time before the official launch and retail availability.

Rumour: Microsoft unveiling Xbox subscription TV service at E3

It's been roughly four years since talk of Microsoft deploying an IPTV service on its Xbox Live gaming platform first started making the rounds. And while eager gamers and home entertainment buffs can't exactly dial up The Soup across Xbox Live just yet, Microsoft has certainly been pushing toward building a complete living room experience into its gaming system.

While gamers have seen and appreciated the fruits of Microsoft's digital labors–ESPN streaming and on-demand content, Netflix integration, and last.fm and Zune-based streaming music, to name a few–the company hasn't made a great deal of progress on tackling the elephant in the room: Full-fledged television. But new rumors are surfacing that this year's E3 Expo will finally herald Microsoft's big push into streaming TV on Xbox Live.

The project, dubbed Xbox Live Diamond, will allegedly combine Microsoft's Mediaroom IPTV with Xbox Live itself. That could incorporate television streaming from various content providers (that Microsoft is allegedly in last-minute negotiations with in order to have its agreements in place prior to the service's alleged E3 demonstration). As well, the service could blend in the avatar and interactive-based functionality of Xbox Live (already present in Microsoft's ESPN offering) and the gesture-based controls of Microsoft's Kinect hardware (control your channel-surfing with a wave).

Microsoft's rumored proposal to media companies suggests that the company's Xbox Live service would become a "virtual cable operator" of sorts. Existing Xbox Live users would pay a premium to access the enhanced Gold service, which would grant them access to streaming shows and channels–though there's been no suggestion as to whether this would be a one-shot fee for all programming or whether Microsoft would employ a tiered pricing structure a la typical cable packages.

Microsoft is also allegedly considering delivering additional branded channels analogous to its current ESPN offering. These one-shot programming options–like an HBO channel, for example–could be sold on an a la carte basis to Xbox Live users.

The streaming television rumor-mongering was kicked up a notch earlier this week as the result of comments made by Microsoft corporate vice president Frank X. Shaw. He fanned the E3 announcement flames in a Tuesday post to the Official Microsoft Blog, where he noted that Microsoft was keenly aware of the fact that 40 percent of all current activity on Xbox Live isn't gaming.

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"The vision for Xbox is straightforward: All of the entertainment you want. With the people you care about. Made easy," Shaw wrote. "That is why you've seen us invest in partnerships with ESPN, Netflix and Hulu. That is why we've baked social directly into the experience with Xbox LIVE – connecting gamers, friends and families across the globe. That is why you'll see Xbox marketed more as an entertainment brand this year. And that is why we're investing so much in Natural User Interface technologies (speech, touch, gestures) to make the entertainment experience that much easier—and more fun."

At the very least, Xbox Live users can take solace in the fact that Microsoft's rumored television service will be a lot more fun than its previous attempts at an Xbox Live Diamond program.