Ubuntu For Android Smartphones Coming For MWC

Canonical is preparing to show off Ubuntu for Android at Mobile World Congress next week. The Linux OS package will dock to a desktop and sync with the Android phones contacts and services.

Linux software distributor Canonical Feb. 21 introduced a version of its Ubuntu Linux operating system for Android, a platform tailored for multi-core Android smartphones that can dock with a keyboard and monitor.

The software, which Canonical will show off at Mobile World Congress next week, aims to let users sync their contacts, SMS/MMS and telephony services between the Ubuntu platform on their desktop computers and their Android smartphones.

When an Android smartphone is connected to a computer screen it launches a full Ubuntu desktop on the computer display, Canonical wrote in a press statement.

The company said this solution will provide the same desktop experience enjoyed by Ubuntu PC users, and includes hundreds of certified applications, ranging from office productivity to photography, video and music.

If some of that instantiation sounds familiar it's because Motorola Mobility (NYSE:MMI) likes to pair some of its high-end Android smartphones, such as the Atrix 4G, Photon 4G and Droid Razr devices, with a lapdock.

When the phone is connected to the lapdock, it launches a full Mozilla Web browser. Users may create and edit documents, make calls and conduct other productivity tasks through the phone/lapdock combination.

Similarly, Canonical said Ubuntu for Android provides corporate road warriors a "company phone that is also their enterprise desktop."

Canonical Founder Mark Shuttleworth further expects the desktop will actually be the "killer app" for phones powered by quad-core CPUs this year.

That's because Shuttleworth sees quad-core phones as powerful enough tpo drive desktop-like experiences when connected to monitors and keyboards.

The way Canonical constructed Android for Ubuntu shouldn't be a surprise at all. The company has essentially used Android as Windows in the mobile ecosystem. For example, Ubuntu on the desktop is also designed to support Windows applications, using thin client and desktop virtualization tools.

For Ubuntu for Android, the customized version of Ubuntu shoehorns in alongside the rest of Android. The software supports HDMI and USB, among other standard features in high-end handsets planned for late 2012.

Canonical also said Ubuntu for Android will dock with a tablet, and will include Ubuntu TV for entertainment aficionados.

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Intex launches 3D dual SIM Phone

Intex Technologies has launched a 3D touch phone called Intex Avatar. Sporting a handy sleek design, Intex Avatar is a dual SIM phone with a 2.8-inch screen.

The phone comes pre-loaded with popular games like Crazy Birds, Fruit Ninjia, Pentachess, Call of Atlantis and Yumsters. The phone also offers support for accessing social networking sites such as Google, Yahoo and Facebook.

The phone bundles a free pair of 3D glasses and comes with 10 pre-loaded films available in 4GB multimedia card. The phone also lets users to store and watch unlimited videos at the rate of 30 frames per second.

The handset supports both English and Hindi languages and includes a Intex Zone -- an eclectic assortment of various functions like Answering Machine, Mobile Tracker, Auto Call Record, Google, MSN, Yahoo, Facebook and Games.

Intex Avatar is priced at Rs 3690.

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Nokia 700 : How To Extend Battery Life

The Nokia 700 may be slim, but it still manages to cram in all the features you might expect of a smartphone twice its size. That means web browsing, social networking, instant messaging music all come natural to the Nokia 700. And as one of the first Nokia Belle phones, the Nokia 700 ushers in a new era of Symbian functionality, as the most intuitive Symbian phone yet.

Using the Nokia 700’s energy-saving features you can use the Nokia 700 for longer. Here’s how to do it.

First of all, there are many ways to save power on your Nokia 700. You could tap the menu, go into settings and turn down the brightness of the display, or switch off bluetooth and Wi-Fi when you don’t need it. However, there’s a much easier way to do so, should you find yourself in a charger-less state.

Activate power saving

A handy power-saving mode ensures that even when your battery is at its lowest, you can make it last for as long as you need to squeeze the Nokia 700’s charge.

To activate it, simply hold down the end call button lightly. A menu will pop up with several options. One of these is ‘Activate power saving’. Simply tap on it to activate. You’ll see that your screen has dimmed, and that your battery meter looks different.

You won’t be able to browse the web. The whole idea is to extend battery life enough should you need to make a call or send any emergency texts. It’s a handy feature to have, and you never know when you may need it. It's that easy. Don't forget to deactivate power-saving mode the next time you charge your Nokia 700.

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Nokia’s last Symbian smartphone, the 803: 4-inch AMOLED, Symbian Belle and the largest camera sensor you’ve ever seen

Information has been appearing in dribs and drabs about Nokia’s last Symbian smartphone, the Nokia 803, but a trusted source of ours has come through with some details that vary a bit from earlier reports. For starters, the Nokia 803 will run Symbian Belle and serve it up on a 4-inch AMOLED display instead of the smaller 3.5-inch screen that had been reported. An HDMI-out port, microSIM support and NFC are all a go as well. We have also been told that the Nokia 803 will feature one of the largest camera sensors — if not the largest camera sensor — ever seen on a mobile phone. The Nokia 803 is currently expected to be released in the May timeframe.

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Apple becomes third-largest Mobile Manufacturer

SAN FRANCISCO: An outbreak of iPhone fever made Apple the third hottest mobile phone maker worldwide at the end of 2011, according to the International Data Corporation (IDC).

Apple jumped into the third spot globally from fifth place in the final quarter of the year due to a record-breaking quarter for iPhone shipments, IDC said in figures available online Monday. 

Apple vaulted over South Korea's LG and China based ZTE in the mobile phone market rankings, IDC said. 

Nokia remained king, shipping 113.5 million mobile phones in the final quarter of the year to claim nearly 27 per cent of the market. 

Samsung was second with 22.8 per cent of the market, or 97.6 million handsets shipped. 

Apple sold 37.04 million iPhones in the quarter which ended on December 31, giving it a market share of 8.7 percent. 

A total of 427.4 million mobile phones were shipped in the final months of 2011 in a 6.1 percent increase from the same quarter a year earlier, IDC said. 

IDC warned that the growth rate in the fourth quarter of 2011 was weaker than the 9.3 percent seen in the prior three-month period of the year. 

"The mobile phone market exhibited unusually low growth last quarter, which shows it is not immune to weaker macroeconomic conditions worldwide," said Kevin Restivo, senior research analyst with IDC's Worldwide Mobile Phone Tracker. 

"The introduction of high-growth products such as the iPhone 4S, which shipped in the fourth quarter, bolstered smartphone growth," he said. 

"Yet overall market growth fell to its lowest point since the third quarter of 2009 when the global economic recession was in full bloom." 

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Review : Samsung Champ Deluxe Duos

The dual SIM phone has a 2.8 inch screen, Qwerty keypad, 1.3 megapixel camera, MP3 player and FM radio etc.
Samsung has a new dual SIM handset - Champ Deluxe Duos.

Deluxe Duos (C3312) comes with a 2.8 inch display with Smart Touchwiz user interface that is intuitive. Native apps for sites like Facebook and Twitter are also there, besides Samsung's ChatOn Multi IM feature that offers new ways of instant messaging on the mobile.

ChatOn connects everyone in a single easy chatting service as it supports multiple platforms including Android, iPhone OS, bada OS, BlackBerry OS etc. It also supports group chats and multimedia transfer.

Champ Deluxe Duos has a virtual Qwerty, Hindi language input, native Facebook and Twitter apps, and all messengers including Yahoo, MSN, GTalk, etc. In addition, it comes with Bluetooth 3.0 connectivity at 24 Mbps, push mail with Activesync and Opera Mini Browser.

"Consumers are increasingly using their mobile phones to share files, data and music in addition to accessing SNS from their phones. The large display of the Samsung Champ Deluxe Duos and its TouchWiz interface provide a superlative mobile experience to consumers while dual SIM support ensures that users get maximum benefit by choosing the relevant tariff plans and at the same time separate their personal life from their professional life," said Ranjit Yadav, country head, mobile and IT, Samsung India.

The 1.3 megapixel camera, MP3 player, FM radio and 3.5 mm earphones jack make sure that the user gets an entertaining multimedia experience.

The phone comes with an offer of unlimited free music and games along with hundreds of Smart apps. There is a 2 GB free data offer from Airtel as well.

The phone has the new TouchWiz 2.0 Lite with new graphics and a homepage that is expandable to seven pages. The dual SIM phone also comes with a dual standby feature that keeps both the SIM cards active at the same time.

The SIM switching key helps the user to switch between the two SIM cards with a single click and without rebooting the device.

Champ Deluxe Duos is priced at Rs 4,790.

With the launch of Champ Deluxe Duos, Samsung has a range of 9 dual SIM phones, with three of them being touchscreen devices.

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