Apple to receive $10 for every Android phone sold?

We all know that Apple is going all guns blazing in the war against patent infringement (read: Android). Now, as reported by Phone Arena, Kevin Rivette, managing partner at an intellectual property firm called 3LP Advisors LLC has mentioned in a conversation with Bloomberg that if things do go Apple’s way in this patent war, there’s a good chance that they might get $10 for every Android device that has been sold. This figure is close to twice of what Microsoft receives from its licensing deal with Android manufacturers. It seems like Apple is gearing to become foes with a lot of companies in the tech world.

 

Bring it on. NOT!

So, what do we think about this? For the love of technology, definitely not good, because these two are fighting like Optimus Prime vs Megatron! We, on the other hand, are peace lovers and have happily installed the MIUI iOS themed ROM on our Android phones. C’mon guys, just behave a little (no more patent infringements!) and let’s have a healthy competition here because if this goes on, chances are that one of you will only be allowed to make phones that look like this:

 

iPad 2 price to be slashed to $299?

We expect Apple to be launching their next iPad in the first quarter of this year and many rumours suggest that instead of launching a single tablet, they will announce two new slates. Rumours have been floating around that Apple will launch a high-end tablet and a mid-range tablet to compete with the increasing number of tablets available from other manufacturers. A report by Digitimes states that the brand will keep their iPad 2 model and retail their base Wi-Fi version of it for USD 299.

Image for representative purposes only  (Image credit – Techoologic)

 
The same report says that sources from Apple’s supply chain have informed them that there will be two new models this year with the higher-end model featuring a resolution of 2048 x 1536. The second one that is to be announced will be a mid range version and is believed to feature a resolution of 1024 x 768, which is the same as that of the iPad 2. However, a discerning factor between the two tablets and the present iPad 2 is that they will feature an A6 processor, as opposed to the A5 processor found on the current generation tablet.

The report ends saying that if the 16GB Wi-Fi only iPad 2 will sell at USD 299, the non-Apple tablet manufacturers could seriously be affected and this could even include the hot selling Kindle Fire.

U.S. Department of State will start answering your Twitter questions from the podium

Twitter is getting more involved with politics as it gears up for the 2012 elections. This time, the company has announced an official involvement.

In a tweet today, the official Twitter account dedicated to politics announced that the U.S. Department of State will start answering questions it pulls in from the micro-messaging service:

Twitter Government@gov

U.S. @StateDept to answer questions from Twitter at weekly briefings. Use #AskState. RELEASE: state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/20…

5 Jan 12

 

In an official announcement from the Department, it detailed plans to pull in questions globally that use the #AskState hashtag:

Beginning this week, the Department’s Spokesperson, Victoria Nuland, will take questions from the worldwide public selected from the Department’s 10 official Twitter feeds (Arabic, Chinese, English, Farsi, French, Hindi, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Urdu) and answer them at the podium during the Daily Press Briefing each Friday afternoon during the month of January.

If you’d like to ask the U.S. Department of State a question, it suggests that you direct them to the following accounts that handle various languages:

@StateDept (English)
@USAbilAraby (Arabic)
@USA_Zhongwen (Chinese)
@USAdarFarsi (Farsi)
@USAenFrancais (French)
@USAHindiMein (Hindi)
@USAemPortugues (Portuguese)
@USApoRusski (Russian)
@USAenEspanol (Spanish)
@USAUrdu (Urdu)

If you can’t catch the live press briefings every Friday, you can check out theYouTube channel that the department has set up, where it will post all of the sessions upon completion. This is a pretty cool initiative, since this type of access has only been granted to members of the press in the past.

This year might just be the year that sites like Twitter and Facebook actually make a difference in the election. Last Caucus night in Iowa yesterday, reports hit Twitter about how close voting was among the candidates, potentially swaying those who hadn’t participated yet in another direction.

1.4 million Aakash tablets booked, but where is the support?

Of late we have seen a flurry of low-cost tablets, ranging from the latest ClassPad to Beetel’sMagiq series. However, none matched the massive popularity of the Aakash tablet, also touted to be the world’s cheapest tablet. The Aakash a.k.a UbiSlate 7 sold out less than a week after it was released online. According to reports, bookings of the Aakash tablet have soared to 1.4 million units just two weeks after it was put on sale via shopping site NCarry.com.

The massive response from the public prompted DataWind, the makers of the Aakash tablet, to set up three new factories in the country to meet the demand. The UbiSlate 7+, the upgraded version of the Aakash tablet, has also got a similar response from the public. The upgraded tablet, also dubbed as the Aakash 2, sold out till February.

The ultra low-pricing of the tablet has definitely played a pivotal role in boosting the public interest. But it’s pretty clear DataWind never anticipated such a mammoth response. The company had delayed the delivery till mid-January after the booking for the Aakash continued to soar. Unfortunately, DataWind’s unpreparedness has caused a lot of problems to the users, who are struggling to track the status of their order or confused where and whom to contact.

Much of this was evident when users flooded our recent Aakash stories with their booking inquiries, seeking status of their pre-bookings. While many sought guidance on cancelling their bookings, several others looked for detailed information on the new device.

a screen shot from our comments section – users looking for information on Aakash

DataWind has two websites – aakashtablet.com and ubislate.com and a helpline number – 1800-180-2180 for assisting the Aakash enthusiasts. However, the help seems paltry and is apparently not reaching out to the public. It would have been really great had DataWind reached out to such users and provided them better support. The UbiSlate 7 is originally aimed at the young students, and without a proper support system it’s unlikely to fulfill its purpose.

The Aakash tablet has already seen various delays previously and is still hitting various obstacles. Though the delays haven’t slimmed down the volume of pre-bookings, a poor support system may dent the reputation of the Aakash/UbiSlate in the long-term.

Sony Ericsson Xperia Ray Review

This is a very unique phone, without a shadow of a doubt. Think of a slim phone, and then squeeze that imagination a bit more. Surprisingly good performance and a build quality that feels better than the price bracket this phone plays in. Will work for someone who wants a sleek phone, but those with slightly stubby fingers will find the slim display a bit tough to use. Doesn’t take away the fact that it is a smart looking phone.

Pros

• Good performance
• Extremely slim form factor
• Battery holds up well

Cons

• Slim display wont be comfortable for everyone
• On-screen keypad in portrait mode is uncomfortably cramped

Sony Ericsson thinks slim smartphones, and does visualize them well. Over the last few months, we have seen the Arc (read our review here), the Ray and the Arc S (read our review here). Among the three, the Ray brings in an additional dimension of slimness. The point is, does this design work for most people? We think it does, at least for quite a few people.

Look & Feel
The dimension numbers – 111 x 53 x 9.4 mm do make for interesting reading. Having just finished reviewing the Arc S, the Ray’s unique form factor is appreciated even more. From a slim phone to a two dimensionally slim phone is a big change. And will be even more so for anyone who is shifting to this phone.

The 3.3-inch display is accompanied by two touch sensitive keys – return and options. There is a semi-circle home key between the two touch keys, with a border that acts as a classy notification LED as well. To the left side is the micro USB port with a profound border, and so has the 3.5mm audio jack on the top panel. The power key is slightly easier to use on this phone than it was on the Arc or the Arc S.

Features & Performance
Looking at the spec sheet and experiencing the phone’s performance, you easily realize that it does have the entire gamut of features. A 1GHz single core Snapdragon processor powers the Ray, and 512MB of RAM means that the performance is fluid, for the most part. While it is competing with single core processors in this price bracket, it seems to perform slightly better than most. Timescape UI seems better optimized for performance with Android, than the likes of HTC Sense.

Speaking of which, the Timescape UI has been modded a bit to fit this display size, and for the most part, it does well. Widgets don’t seem to follow a usual size pattern though, and feels a bit stuffed at times.

The 3.3-inch LED backlit LCD has the brightness levels and the text sharpness bits going for it. However, the uniqueness as well as the problem lies at one place – the display. Someone with thin fingers will be able to enjoy it for the most part, but anyone who has slightly more filled up fingers or is very used to a big screen phone will find a problem getting used to this. The on-screen keypad is literally too cramped to use for most people, when in portrait mode. Well spread out in the landscape mode, but still not very conducive to typing out a message quickly.

While the 8MP camera is heavy on specs, it does translate that into impressive performance, at least when the ambient lighting is good. Colour spread is quite even throughout, and the images have a nice crispness to them. Doesn’t work well at night though, and the images are quite noisy.

Despite apps constantly updating in the background, and a heady mix of voice calls and messages, the Ray will last you two days on a single charge. Not a bad effort from this 1500 mAh battery.

Our Take
We have seen the Ray selling for around Rs 18k, and does offer a unique package coupled with good performance. However, the display width (or the lack of it), isn’t to everyone’s liking and comfort level. If you aren’t a fanatic about Android, you may also want to check out the Samsung Omnia W (Windows Phone 7.5), the Nokia Lumia 710 (Windows Phone 7.5) or the Blackberry Curve 9380 (BB OS 7).

Price: Rs. 19,000

Specs:
Platform: Android 2.3; Processor: Qualcomm MSM8255 Snapdragon 1GHz; RAM: 512 MB; Display: 3.3-inch (480 x 854 pixels); Camera: 8MP with 720p HD video; Storage: microSD slot (4GB Card included); Battery: 1500mAh

Ratings
Features: 7
Performance: 7
Build: 7.5
Value: 7.5
Overall: 7

Contact: Sony Ericsson India
Phone: 1800-111-800
Website: www.sonyericsson.com

Ice Cream Sandwich now running on 0.6% of all Android devices

Google has updated its Android Developers portal to reflect the state of all Android devices currently in use, noting that its new Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich software is currently in use in 0.6% of devices.

The search giant refreshes its Platform Versions page bi-monthly, charting the usage of each of its Android software releases, and today releases the first statistics for Ice Cream Sandwich usage since it launched.

Although 0.6% is a tiny figure, especially when compared to Gingerbread, which runs on 55.5% of the devices currently in operation, there are only a handful of devices officially running the software – two of them being the Samsung Galaxy Nexus and the Nexus S.

Combined, Android 4.0 – 4.0.3 counts for the same percentage as Google’s first release — Android 1.5 (Cupcake) — which is comprised of devices that have not been supported by the search giant or have not been offered upgrades by their carrier to a newer firmware.

The Next Web contacted Enders Analysis analyst Benedict Evans and asked his thoughts on just how many Ice Cream Sandwich devices have been activated in since its launch. He subsequently detailed a post on the subject:

Google is very vague (to the point of obfuscation) about Android, but Google disclosed 200m activated devices in the second week of November, and Andy Rubin tweeted 700k daily activations on 21 December. A straight multiplication gets to 230m or so activated devices today – not a very good number but better than nothing.

Now, activated devices isn’t the same as devices active today (which is the number to apply the ICS % to) because some old ones will have been deactivated. But in reality Android has only really been on sale since 2010 so very few devices are more than 2 years old, and we can ignore this today. In the course of 2012 I’ll have to start making an estimate of that.

So, 0.6% multiplied by 230m = 13m. (More or less: Google is only giving the percentage to one decimal place – so it it was actually 0.64%, for example, it would be closer to 15m, while the 230m number is also not terribly precise)

We have no way of knowing how this breaks down between upgraded and new devices (though Google presumably has that data) so it can’t be compared directly to iPhone sales.

Are there really between 13 million and 15 million Ice Cream Sandwich devices currently in operation? We know that the Galaxy Nexus has sold well since its launch in November last year and we also know that the Nexus S was a popular Android device. Samsung has also been launching Android upgrades for the Galaxy S II and other ports have made their way via Cyanogen releases.

We won’t know an accurate figure, at least until Samsung and other device makers share figures. Ice Cream Sandwich seems to be off to a healthy start and will only continue to grow given the support it has from Samsung, HTC, Sony Ericsson, Motorola and LG.

Samsung gets approval for NAND flash memory plant in China

Samsung has been given the go-ahead by the South Korean government to build a memory production plant in China. The move by the Korean electronics giant is in response to the growing demand for NAND flash memory globally, with the China plant expected to produce 10,000 12-inch wafers a month.

According to the South Korea’s Ministry of Knowledge & Economy, Samsung will now select a site for the plant, and is in process of acquiring the relevant Chinese permissions. Production is hoped to begin by 2013.

Samsung is the world leader in memory production, with a 45% share of the DRAM market, and a 39.1% share of the NAND flash market. Globally, the demand for DRAM is falling, linked directly to the slowing growth of the PC market. NAND flash memory market however – with chips used in tablets, smartphones, and SSDs – is growing dramatically.

The president of Samsung’s memory divsion, Jun Dong-Soo, said Samsung was banking on the new plant to meet the growing demand, and help maintain its leadership position.

RIL to provide 25 channels through its Live TV 4G service

Reliance Infotel has announced that it will be providing as many as 25 channels through a Live TV service under its 4G service, which is slated to be launched later this year. Reliance Industries, parent company of the Reliance Infotel, has partnered with ETV channels and Network 18 in this regard. As per the deal, Reliance Infotel will have access to the content of the 25 channels of the ETV network and Network 18 for its Live TV service.

According to reports, Reliance Industries (RIL) is working on ramping up its partnerships before it launches its 4G service in the country. RIL is reportedly in talks with RCom, seeking stake in the latter’s tower business. The company is also in talks various device vendors to provide devices bundled with the 4G network. Reports suggest RIL will be launching 4G tablets with a price tag of Rs. 3,500.

The exact launch date of the network or services has not been revealed yet. “While all the 25 channels will be available through our Live TV service, the pricing of the service is still being worked out,” a RIL spokesperson is quoted as saying. The Live TV service will also feature web content and other digital contents.

Reliance Infotel said in a statement, “Infotel is setting up a pan India world class 4th Generation Broadband Network using state of the art technologies. Infotel expects to take a leadership position in content distribution through broadband technology through a host of devices. Digital content from entertainment, news, sports, music, weather, education and other genres will be a key driver to increase consumption of broadband”.

Sony Ericsson coming up with ‘something big’ at CES 2012 event

With the CES 2012 trade show just around the corner, the Internet is abuzz with rumours of new devices from the major manufacturers. Adding to the hype for the CES 2012, Sony Ericsson has started teasing customers about “something big”.

On its official Google+ page, Sony Ericsson said, “Something big is coming! Stay tuned for some exciting news next week.” The company has also posted a Facebook photo, saying “We’re gearing up for some interesting news next week… what do you think it could be?”

It is being speculated that the new Sony Ericsson device could be the Xperia Arc HD a.k.aNozomi or Xperia Ion. These two devices have been repeatedly leaked ahead of the CES event, with some more details following now. According to reports, the Xperia Ion a.k.a LT28at sports a 4.55 inch HD display, 13MP rear camera, front camera with 720p recording, and LTE connectivity. The Xperia arc HD or LT26i Nozomi is likely to come with 1.5GHz dual-core processor, 12MP camera, 4.3-inch HD display (720 x 1280 pixels), 1GB of RAM, 32GB of ROM, and 1750mAh battery.

Sony Ericsson teases its unreleased smartphone on Facebook

Well, whatever the device is; we are hoping the forthcoming Sony Ericsson device comes with the latest Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich platform, giving a good fight to other ICS devices lined up for this year.

പതിനാലുകാരി സിഇഒ

നമ്മളില്‍ പലരും ഒരു കമ്പനിയുടെ ചീഫ് എക്‌സിക്യൂട്ടീവ് ഓഫീസറായാല്‍ കൊള്ളാമെന്ന മോഹം മനസ്സില്‍ കൊണ്ടു നടക്കുന്നവരാണ്. പലര്‍ക്കും അത് ഒരു മോഹമായി തന്നെ തുടരും. അത് നടക്കാതെ വരുമ്പോള്‍, ‘സിഇഒ ആകാന്‍ പരിചയസമ്പത്തും കഠിനാധ്വാനവുമൊക്കെ വേണം’ എന്നു കരുതിയാവും നാം സമാധാനിക്കുക.

ഇവിടെയാണ് 14കാരിയായ സിന്ധുജ രാജാരാമന്‍ വ്യത്യസ്തയാകുന്നത്. ലോകത്തെ തന്നെ ഏറ്റവും പ്രായം കുറഞ്ഞ ചീഫ് എക്‌സിക്യൂട്ടീവ് ഓഫീസര്‍ എന്ന അപൂര്‍വ്വ നേട്ടത്തിന് ഉടമയായിരിക്കുകയാണ് ചെന്നൈ സ്വദേശിയായ ഈ ഒമ്പതാം ക്ലാസ്സുകാരി.

ചെന്നൈ ആസ്ഥാനമായുള്ള സെപ്പന്‍ എന്ന അനിമേഷന്‍ കമ്പനിയുടെ സിഇഒ ആണ് ഈ കൊച്ചുമിടുക്കി. ഈ സ്ഥാനത്തെത്താന്‍ എന്തു യോഗ്യതയാണ് ഈ ‘കൊച്ചുപെണ്ണി’ന് എന്ന് സ്വാഭാവികമായും നമുക്ക് സംശയം തോന്നാം. അനിമേഷന്‍ രംഗത്ത് ഇതിനോടകം വ്യക്തിമുദ്ര പതിപ്പിക്കാന്‍ സിന്ധുജയ്ക്ക് ആയിട്ടുണ്ട്. ഐടി കമ്പനികളുടെ കൂട്ടായ്മയായ നാസ്‌കോം കഴിഞ്ഞ വര്‍ഷം ഹൈദരാബാദില്‍ സംഘടിപ്പിച്ച ഗെയിമിങ് ആന്‍ഡ് അനിമേഷന്‍ കോണ്‍ക്ലേവില്‍ ഏറ്റവും വേഗതയാര്‍ന്ന 2ഡി, 3ഡി അനിമേറ്ററായിരുന്നു ഇവള്‍. കോറെല്‍ കോര്‍പ്പറേഷന്‍ സര്‍ട്ടിഫൈ ചെയ്ത ഏറ്റവും പ്രായം കുറഞ്ഞ കാരിക്കേച്ചറിസ്റ്റും.

അനിമേറ്റര്‍ എന്ന നിലയില്‍ താന്‍ അഭിമാനിക്കുന്നുവെന്നും സിഇഒ എന്നത് ഒരു സ്ഥാനം മാത്രമാണെന്നുമാണ് സിന്ധുജയുടെ പക്ഷം.

”അനിമേഷന്‍ രംഗത്ത് പ്രായപരിധികള്‍ ഒന്നും തന്നെയില്ല. കഴിവുണ്ടെങ്കില്‍ ഏതു പ്രായക്കാര്‍ക്കും ഈ രംഗത്തേക്ക് കടന്നുവരാം. അത് കൊച്ചുകുട്ടിയാവട്ടെ പ്രായമുള്ളയാളാവട്ടെ”സിന്ധുജയുടെ വാക്കുകളില്‍ ഒരു സിഇഒയുടെ ഗൗരവം.

ഇന്ത്യയില്‍ അനിമേഷന് അനന്തസാധ്യതയാണെന്നും രാജ്യത്ത് വലിയൊരു അനിമേഷന്‍ ബൂം തന്നെ ഉണ്ടാവുമെന്നും അവള്‍ പറയുന്നു. ഇത് മുന്നില്‍ കണ്ടാണ് പല മുന്‍നിര കമ്പനികളും അനിമേഷന്‍ രംഗത്തേക്ക് ചുവടുവെയ്ക്കുന്നത്. എല്ലാവര്‍ക്കും അനിമേഷനും മള്‍ട്ടിമീഡിയയും വേണമെന്ന അവസ്ഥയാണ് ഇപ്പോള്‍. മത്സരം വെല്ലുവിളി സൃഷ്ടിക്കുന്നുണ്ടെങ്കിലും താന്‍ അത് ആസ്വദിക്കുന്നുണ്ടെന്ന് സിന്ധുജ പറയുന്നു.

ലോകത്തെ ഏറ്റവും പ്രായം കുറഞ്ഞ സിഇഒ എന്ന നിലയില്‍ ഉടന്‍ തന്നെ ഗിന്നസ് ബുക്കിന്റെ താളുകളില്‍ ഇടം നേടും സിന്ധുജ. അനിമേഷന്‍ രംഗത്ത് ഇനിയും പഠിക്കാന്‍ ഏറെയുണ്ടെന്ന് വിശ്വസിക്കുന്ന സിന്ധുജയുടെ ലക്ഷ്യം കാനഡയിലെ വാന്‍കോവര്‍ ഫിലിം സ്‌കൂളില്‍ അനിമേഷനില്‍ ഉപരിപഠനം നടത്തുക എന്നതാണ്. പിന്നെ ‘സെപ്പന്‍ അനിമേഷ’നെ വലിയൊരു അനിമേഷന്‍ കമ്പനിയായി വളര്‍ത്തണം. തന്നെക്കൊണ്ട് അത് സാധ്യമാണെന്ന് സിന്ധുജയുടെ വാക്കുകളില്‍ നിന്ന് വായിച്ചെടുക്കാം.