Sony Ice Cream Sandwich updates delayed to mid-April

With the roll outs beginning to gain momentum, brands are seeding Google’s latest operating software Ice Cream Sandwich to their range of handsets. The brand that has been at the forefront in dishing out the operating software has been Samsung and other brands are having a difficult time keeping up. Ever since Ice Cream Sandwich was announced, Sony, formerly known as Sony Ericsson had been providing regular updates as to when the brand will release Android 4.0 to their existing range of handsets. In December, the brand hadannounced through a blog post that the first 2011 Xperia smartphones will be upgraded to Android 4.0, starting from end of March/ early April 2012 and will include the Xperia Arc S, Xperia Neo V and Xperia Ray. However as per a recent report by Android Community, the website states that instead of the late March or early April release, the aforementioned handsets will receive Ice Cream Sandwich by mid-April.

Sony pushes back ICS update

As per the report, the website details, “In addition, Sony said that they won’t be sending out any updates over the air, as most Android manufacturers do in conjunction with mobile carriers. If you want an Ice Cream Sandwich update (when it becomes available), you’ll need to download it directly from Sony’s website and install it via their desktop clients, PC Companion and Bridge for OSX users. Sony says that they want to make sure customers make an informed decision before the major upgrade.”

In a related report by GSMArena, other handsets, which include Xperia Arc, Xperia PLAY, Xperia Neo, Xperia Mini, Xperia Mini Pro, Xperia Pro, Xperia Active, and Sony Ericsson Live with Walkman will have to wait a while more before they receive the official update of Android 4.0 from Sony. The owners of these handsets would have to wait until the end of May or the beginning of June to get a taste of Ice Cream Sandwich. 

Those using an Xperia Play, Arc S, Neo V or Ray can be a little brave and install the beta ROM of Android 4.0 but face the risk of nullifying their warranty.

Amazon App Store daily revenue more than Google Play

Astudy done by mobile analytics firm, Flurry, shows that the Amazon App Store generates more revenue per user on a daily basis than Google Play store. To perform the study, Flurry examined some top ranking apps across the iOS App Store, the Amazon App Store and the Android Market, which was recently rebranded as Google Play store. Combined, the apps averaged about 11 million daily active users. They calculated the amount of revenue those applications generated by comparing the apps in the Amazon App Store and Google Play store. Which means, they assigned the iOS App Store 100 percent revenue and found the Amazon App Store at 89 percent and Google Play at 23 percent of the App Store revenue. What this means is, for every dollar that the iOS App Store makes, the Amazon App Store makes 89 cents and Google Play makes 23 cents. Flurry had another report back in December, which showed that the Android Market generated 23 cents for every dollar that the iOS App Store generated.

Scoring more than Google itself

Flurry explains the dominance of the Amazon App Store over Google Play store by the strategy that the retail giant employs. For one, the Amazon App Store, like Amazon itself utilizes the one-click method of payment and purchase. Users of Amazon already have their credit card information stored on the retail giant, which by-the-by arguably pioneered the one click method, which makes it easier for users to purchase applications from the Amazon App Store. Furthermore, Amazon promotes apps for their 'quality' and usually has promotions to give users an incentive to come back to the App Store every day. Flurry says, "Amazon, who invented the one-click purchase, perfected online shopping with data, efficiency, and customer service." They also say that running a retail store is not one of Google's strong points.

Flurry believes that the success of Amazon with running an Android app store might convince other companies to get into the same game. They say that Samsung might be one such OEM that might use the Android platform to build a market of their own. 

NEWS / TABLETS Nokia Lumia tablet render lets us peek into the future

We just happened to stumble upon a brilliantly made design of a Nokia tablet running Windows 8 and we thought, why not gaze through the crystal ball. We couldn't stop wondering about what could happen if this tablet did come into existence in the near future. But wait, before we get our thinking hats on, we’ll mention an important development. As reported by My Nokia Blog, an interesting article was spotted in a Finnish newspaper “Kauppalehti Optio” that spoke about Nokia working on a revolutionary new device. Could be a phone, could be a tablet, could be anything. But here’s what the article spoke about. Basically, Nokia Design Chief, Marko Ahtisaari has been working in full swing on Nokia’s upcoming revolutionary new device (or technology) that could change the way user interfaces currently exist.

Drool!

With this device, "the user does not need to bend down and push their finger on the screen.” Are we seeing augmented reality? Are we seeing something similar to Sony’s floatation touch technology? Details are too crude to signify anything substantial, but here’s what he had to say about Apple’s iPhone and iPad design. He mentioned that they have been poorly designed. He also likened them to a poorly designed house where the road from the kitchen into the dining room is always going through the front door. Come to think of it, he’s probably talking about switching between apps and multitasking out here. He also mentioned that Android and Symbian were somewhat like doll houses, which means that you have your own furniture and you can use only that. As compared to that a WP7 interface is more natural.

While he may be right in his own regard, we would love to see a design like this in the near future. A brilliant polycarbonate outer shell, a crazy fluid UI, Microsoft Office integration and probably a lot more, would definitely make this tablet something worthy enough to look out for. A tablet by Nokia is definitely in the pipeline. Whether it’s going to be like this, isn’t something that we are really sure of right now. But since its all speculation, why not choose what you would want to see in Nokia’s next tablet! Let us know in the comments section below.

TRAI scores a biggie with ban on unwanted calls and SMS

Coming down heavily on the then common spate of unwanted calls and SMSes has been one of TRAI's most profound moves. The regulatory body's The Telecom Commercial Communications Customer Preference Regulations, 2010, which came into being from December 1st, 2010, had its regulations implemented only post September, last year and as of March 29, 2012, TRAI has had a victorious march. The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) had among other provisions, allowed customers who did not wish to receive unsolicited commercial calls and SMSes to register their preferences under what it referred to as the National Customer Preference Register (NCPR). Little did the body know the response it was to get from customers, who quite understandably were miffed with an endless stream of unwanted commercial calls and SMSes, citing promotional offers, new schemes, among others things. Now, in an official release, TRAI has let the numbers talk. The official statement details that as of March 29, 2012, a total of 161.66 million customers have registered their preference on NCPR.

Letting the numbers speak! (Image credit: Getty Images)

Additionally, TRAI had affirmed that those who sent such unsolicited commercial calls and SMSes from their individual numbers, would be served with a notice and the number would be disconnected on second violation. This move, too got TRAI good numbers. Quoting from the official statement, "Accordingly, after implementation of regulations on 27thSeptember 2011, 36156 subscribers have been issued notices and 22769 subscribers have been disconnected. In case of telemarketers, in 94 cases telemarketers have been penalized. Also, 4 telemarketers  have been blacklisted." Moreover, registered subscribers who're still receiving such unwanted commercial calls and SMSes can now lodge a complaint by dialing or sending an SMS to 1909.

Tightening the noose around the ongoing spate of unwanted commercial calls and SMSes, smooth adoption of mobile number portability, transparent functioning, more visibility of services to prepaid customers, among others have been the several issues picked up by the TRAI. The body, over the past year has been looking at radically changing the way services are being doled out to the customers, and with such numbers, it surely does seem that things are going their way. 

LG Display begins mass production of first ever plastic e-paper display

LG Display, a leading manufacturer of thin-film transistor liquid crystal display announced that it has started mass production of the world's first plastic electronic paper display (EPD) for use in eBooks. The 6-inch XGA (1024 x 768), e-ink, plastic EPD is expected to revolutionize the eBook market with its advancements in functionality and design. This new flexible display paves the way for a whole new line of eBook readers with new and unique form factors. The world's first mass-produced plastic EPD from LG Display will first be supplied to ODM companies in China, followed by completed products to be released in Europe at the beginning of next month.

A big leap for eBook readers

The new display offers users a paper-like reading experience with a plastic substrate that is as slim as a cell phone protection film, and a flexible design that allows bending at a range of 40 degrees from the centre of the screen. Compared to glass EPD of the same size and resolution, LG Display's plastic EPD realizes a super slim thickness of 0.7 mm, which is 1/3 slimmer than the existing glass EPD; as well as a weight of 14g, which is more than 1/2 times lighter. Traditional eBook screens are more prone to damage, if dropped from a height due to the type of display used, but when LG’s plastic EPD was put through repeated drop tests, from 1.5m above the ground or the average height of reading when standing, it was able to sustain damage a lot better. When put through a break/scratch test involving hitting the display with a small urethane hammer, no scratches or breakage resulted. As EPD gets thinner, lighter, and more durable with the introduction of plastic EPD, eBooks will be able to offer certain unique benefits, compared to smart devices and tablets, including reduced eye fatigue and more efficient electricity consumption in addition to lower prices.

The display is made using a unique technique to utilize the high TFT process, typically employed in general LCD manufacturing and with temperatures exceeding 350 degrees in the production of its plastic EPD. By overcoming the obstacles associated with applying the existing production process to heat susceptible plastic, LG Display achieved a breakthrough with the successful mass production of plastic EPD able to maintain strong durability in high temperatures. Expect to see a new wave of devices in the coming months.

Google Drive likely to launch in mid-April; will offer 5GB space

It appears that the initial rumours of Google’s online storage service are coming true, after all. We talked about a possible screenshot that showed the service in action. Now, there are fresh rumours that the service may be launched as early as next month. TalkAndroid has got their hands on a screenshot of the the new service. There’s a clear mention of 5GB of free space being made available with the service. There’s a Download Google Drive button as well, which suggests that a local OS installation is possible as well. Of course, the domain http://drive.google.com will also be accessible to mobile phones, tablets and desktop users using a web browser. The subdomain is currently active on Google’s site, but it throws up a 404 error, as of now. 

It's coming soon!

There was initial news that Google would be providing 2GB of space with the service, but that has clearly been upped to 5GB. The service should offer great integration between all of Google’s services as well as all the devices that their users use. Google should, however consider upping that space to above the 20GB mark as there are already services that offer much more storage space. Microsoft’s service SkyDrive offers 25GB of free space to its users. If Google Drive does launch in the next couple of weeks, it’s safe to assume that future releases of Chrome OS and Android - Jelly Bean will have Google Drive integrated into the OS.

Google’s Drive service should compete with other major free online storage services, such as Box.net and Dropbox. The last screenshot we had talked about included a software installation, which means that the service would be accessible directly from the desktop, possibly from Windows Explorer. The ability to quickly save files to the cloud without having to manually access a web page and use the web interface would be great. This would be a neat little feature to have on existing Google Android and Chrome OS devices. Being able to directly store documents and data directly through the operating system would be handy. 

TRAI refuses separate exit policy

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has been making some stringent policies. Last year, the company put in place several laws pertaining to mobile users and telecom companies. TRAI now recommends that companies looking to exit the telecommunication sector should not be refunded their entry fee and a separate exit policy isn’t required. So, it says that the fees paid by licensees should continue to be non-refundable. Telecom operators can give an advance notice of 60 days to surrender the permits. While TRAI put forth its suggestion on Monday, it awaits comments from stakeholders by April 5.

No exit policy

"The provision for surrender of license is already prescribed in the draft guidelines. As such, the Authority (TRAI) does not find any justification for a separate exit policy in case of Unified Licensing Regime," TRAI said. 

TRAI has disclosed the suggestions based on responses from stakeholders and the Supreme Court's February 2 verdict of cancelling 122 mobile permits issued in 2008. The telecom department had asked Telecom Regulatory Authority of India in December, last year to recommend an exit policy for all licensees. The exit policy was to be created for categories, such as the 122 UAS license given on or after January 10, 2008, licences given prior to January 10, 2008 and all other license and future licenses.  

"The notice period is 60 days in most of the licenses. The framing of exit policy for various telecom licenses essentially involves the issue of full or partial refund of the entry fee and bank guarantees," TRAI said. The Regulator has already declared that all future licenses will be Unified Licenses and entry fee for pan-India license is only Rs 20 crore.

Earlier this month, TRAI had given a nod to DoT for implementing free roaming across the country. TRAI has supposedly agreed to ‘one nation-one license’ proposal that has been in the pipeline, allowing for zero roaming charges being applied through the country.

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Install Official Android 4.0 XXLPQ on Galaxy S2 I9100

The Samsung Galaxy S II official Android 4.0 update is now available and its pushed region by region across the globe. Users can update to official Android 4.0 through OTA upgrade. For all the people who are eagerly in await of Ice Cream Sandwich now they can update with the same and this is the most stable ROM firmware of ICS. In this article we will go through on how you can update your Samsung Galaxy S II with official Android 4.0 XXLPQ firmware.

Pre Requisites for the Upgrade

Make sure you have gone through this pre upgrade instructions -

• Make sure that your devices is only Galaxy S2 GT I9100 and not any other model released by Samsung or any other variant.
• We advised you that you should have more than 80 % battery left on your phone. Disable antivirus or firewall on your PC and phone as well. Please make sure of this or else you are asking for trouble.
• Please make sure that you enable USB debugging on your phone. Follow the path Settings > Applications > Development > USB debugging and you would be able to enable it.
• Finally its important that you backup most of the things on your phone. Make use of the following –
  

  SMS – Use “SMS Backup & Restore app”,

  Contacts – Sync with the Gmail application,

  Call Log - Call Log and RestoreSongs, Videos & Files – Copy to internal / External SD Card,
  APN and MMS Settings – Note down manually via “Applications > Settings > Wireless and Network > Mobile Networks > Access Point Names”.

Once you are done this pre requisites, now you are ready for the firmware upgrade to Android 4.0.3.

Disclaimer : Neither we or the developers should be held responsible for any damage to your device. Users are instructed to follow the instructions carefully and its highly unlikely that there will be any issues with upgrade to this firmware.

Samsung Galaxy S2 XXLPQ Android 4.0.3 Firmware Upgrade Procedure

Follow the below instructions carefully to proceed with the update once you are ready with the pre requisites -

• First download the XXLPQ official version zip package on to your PC and also download Odin flashing tool as well. Once they are done extract the same on your PC.
• From the extracted files, open Odin flashing tool.
• Turn off your Galaxy S II and enter the phone in download mode. You can get Galaxy S II into download mode by pressing the Volume down key, center button and the holding both together you also need to hold the power button until you see a green robot with ‘downloading’ written below it. Once you get that you can release all the three buttons.
• Once you are in download mode, connect your phone to PC using the USB cable and once the connection is successful you will see the ID : COM section turns yellow.
• Make sure you have selected the options Auto Reboot and F Reset Time
• Now you need to press the PDA and select the file exactly in the same block.
  PDA  – I9100XXLPQ_I9100OXALPQ_I9100XXLPQ_HOME.tar.md5
• Once you do that you need to click on ‘Start’ button. During this process please don’t disconnect the cable or turn off the source device.
• Once that is done, you need to reboot your phone in the recovery mode. To enter into recovery mode, you need to press the volume up key + OK button and holding both together you need press the Power button together. Once you are in the recovery menu, release all the three buttons.
• In the recovery mode, select the option Wipe data/factory reset and then select Wipe Cache Partition and finally select Reboot system now. For selection you can make use of Volume Up and Down keys.

Congratulations that you have updated your Galaxy S II GT I9100 with Android 4.0.3 XXLPQ firmware. At any point of time you get stopped for any reasons, we advise you to restart the process again by re inserting the battery. Do let us know about this firmware on your phone via comments.

Web address controversy deepens after U.S. warning

Acontroversial attempt to expand Internet addresses far beyond the likes of .com, .org or .net has provoked a rare threat from the U.S. government to withdraw a key licence from the body that runs the Internet's core functions. The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) depends on its U.S. government contract to coordinate the unique addresses that tell computers where to find each other, without which the global Internet could not function. But this month the government warned that the non-profit body's rules against conflicts of interest were not strong enough and only temporarily extended ICANN's contract - which it has held since its formation in 1998 - instead of renewing it as many in the industry had expected. A failure to secure the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) contract would severely damage ICANN's ability to implement its address expansion programme, the most radical move in the organisation's history.

The conflict of interest concerns arise from the fact that some past and present board members stand to benefit financially from the liberalisation of Web addresses through ties to organisations that make money from registering new domain names or consulting on the expansion. Currently, organisations are restricted to a couple of dozen so-called top-level domains, such as .com, .org or .net, or country code domains such as .co.uk. ICANN wants to enable brands, cities or firms seeking to build new Internet businesses to apply to own and run their own domains, for example .apple, .nyc or .gay, giving them more control over their Web presence and a greater choice of names.

Freedom on the World Wide Web

"Not to award ICANN the IANA contract would be to completely knock it off its foundations," said Philip Corwin, who is legal counsel for the Internet Commerce Association, an organisation for domain name investors and developers. "ICANN needs that contract to have the authority they need to really make this programme work." The contract has been renewed until September. A whole industry has already sprung up to take advantage of ICANN's initiative. One of those is Top Level Domain Holdings , a London-listed firm set up to acquire and operate the new domains, whose chairman, Peter Dengate Thrush, was chairman of ICANN when it approved the change. TLDH has already put in 40 applications and intends to submit more for domains including .miami and .music.

Buzz

Many critics are sceptical as to whether ICANN will achieve its stated aim of boosting competition and innovation, pointing to previous experiments with the likes of .aero, .travel and .museum, which have gone largely unused. But convinced or not, hundreds of consumer brands feel forced to apply for their own domains - a costly and complex process that comes with obligations to actively operate the domain - fearing they will lose out to rivals if they do not. A three-month window will close on April 12, likely for years and possibly for ever.

A recent survey by Internet registry services company Afilias, which is applying for about 150 new domains on behalf of clients and already provides key infrastructure for .org, .info and .mobi, found considerable uncertainty about the process.

Of 200 major consumer brands it surveyed in the United States and Britain, 53 percent were either not aware that they could participate in the process at all or did not know that the application window was open and when it would close. Of those who were aware, however, 54 percent of brands were in the process of applying, and only 6 percent said they definitely would not. "There's a buzz about this now," said non-executive Afilias director Jonathan Robinson. Others with less of a stake in the process call such behaviour outright defensive.

"Of the people that I'm talking to, the vast majority of those that are moving ahead to apply don't have a concrete business initiative in mind for how they will use the registry," said Jeff Ernst of technology analysis firm Forrester.

"They're fearful of another organisation getting their string, or they're fearful that another competitor will buy its own and get first-mover advantage in doing something strategic." Stuart Durham, European sales director of consultancy Melbourne IT, which is preparing about 100 applications for customers, says interest is rapidly increasing as the end of the window approaches.

Financial Interests

Joshua S. Bourne, a managing partner and co-founder of FairWinds Partners, a consultancy that works with brands on their Internet strategy, said some of the world's biggest brands were refusing to apply. "I think we're going to be very surprised on May 1st when some of the world's biggest brands aren't included," he said. "They want to make a statement because they don't agree with the whole ICANN process, but in the end I think they'll regret it." Rod Beckstrom, ICANN's outgoing chief executive, told Reuters this week the expansion was going smoothly. "We're holding the course. There's not a single complaint about anything to do with the administration of the programme."

But at a major ICANN meeting earlier this month he warned it was time for the organisation to tighten up its rules. "ICANN must be able to act for the public good while placing commercial and financial interests in their appropriate context. How can it do this if all top leadership is from the very domain name industry it is supposed to coordinate independently?"  "Preserving ICANN's ability to act independently, in the public interest, is paramount to the future of the Internet and this institution," he said.

Nikon D7000 Review

The DSLR product refresh cycle in the recent past has gathered momentum at least for the entry-level DSLR cameras. However, the models for the more serious amateur and beginner-professionals are refreshed less often. Canon and Nikon are the biggest competitors in this field and both have competing products at different price brackets.

Large connectivity options on the left side

The Nikon D90 was one of the most popular DSLRs of its time and there have been quite a few models since then. The D7000 is a replacement to the D90 and there are the expected set of improvements made to it and it’s been around a while. Nikon has since then moved on to a newer naming convention - the D40X was replaced by the older D3000 and the D90, with the D7000. 

Design

When you first look at the D7000, you can’t help, but notice the similarities between it and the D90. They appear identical in dimensions. It’s clearly larger than the entry-level D3100 DSLR, if you’ve seen one of those, it’s also quite a bit heavier. The texture on the camera gives you a sense of confidence when you hold it, unlike the more entry-level ones, which feel slippery. There’s quality everywhere - the buttons are designed to last a while - they’re chunky and can handle some abuse.

Manual focus and VR controls on the lens

There are two jog dials, one at the front and one at the rear. The rear one flows smoothly, while the one at the front offers slightly more resistance. The lens too is large and has a good comfortable grip to it. The ergonomics of the camera are great, too. The large size means that the right hand grip has a deep groove in it, which makes holding the camera in one hand really simple. 

Features

The Nikon D7000 has an upgraded sensor that offers the user 16MP image shooting capability, while the D90 used a 12.3MP sensor. All these cameras - the D90, the D7000 and the D300S are based on CMOS APS-C size standard sensors. The new sensor and processor allow the D7000 more breathing space, in terms of sensitivity as well - the ISO range is extended upto 6400 on the higher side for better low-light performance and on the lower-end is stretched to 100, which presumably should allow more detail when you have plenty of light.

Nikon bundles a 18-105 VR lens with the D7000 just as they did with the D90 back then. Of course, you have the option of buying just the body and choosing a lens of your choice separately. We’ve always been fond of the 18-105mm lens, though - it offers a good amount of flexibility and is all rounder in the past.

The 18-55mm bundled with the more basic D3100 and D5100 feel somehow limited offering roughly 3x optical zoom. Video recording was one of the cool new features of the D90 - it could shoot 720p video, the new D7000 is more up-to-date with its 1920x1080 recording capability, at 24 fps.

Now space for two memory cards

The D7000 adds two SD memory card slots, so you can shoot more and not have to shuffle between memory cards. There’s also the 3-inch display that’s handy while focussing during photo and video shooting. There’s also a top view display that lets you quickly access controls and settings without having to look back at the larger display over and over again. In terms of connectivity, there’s a mini HDMI port, a microphone in port and even one for an external GPS module. File transferring is done using the mini USB port, but if you buy an Eye-Fi capable card, you’ll be able to transfer data over Wi-Fi.

An additional ring for choosing shooting styles on the left

The controls are a bit more complicated. There’s the standard mode selection dial, which includes the PSAM (program, shutter priority, aperture priority and manual) shooting modes, along with a second dial that allows quick switching from the single shot mode to the burst modes, and so on. This is bound to be a tiny bit confusing at first, to any entry-level DSLR user. In the long run, however, switching to different shooting modes becomes simple. The primary mode selection dial has two settings reserved for customizable settings.

Pretty identical to the D90 on the rear

Operation is relatively simple like it was with the D90. The two jog dials make switching parameters and settings easy. The menu itself is colourful and self-explanatory. There’s also a neat little Help button on the side, which lets you get a quick brief of each feature. There’s plenty of firepower as far as effects and filters are concerned. 

Video shooting is simple. The settings for the video recording appear in a separate camera menu, but the shooting can be started by simply pressing the dedicated video record button. There’s also a notch, which lets you turn on and off the Live View feature. 

Focussing is quick, all thanks to the 39 focus points and 3D tracking features. The lens doesn’t work particularly well for macro shots, but playing around with the zoom helps you do the trick. There’s hardly any delay between you pressing the shutter release button and the photo being captured. Image clarity and performance is fantastic. It performs very impressively across the ISO range, right from 100 to 6400. At ISO 6400, there’s visible noise, but the image is still very usable, especially when you resize the image. At lower ISO settings, such as 1600 and 800, the image is still pretty flawless. At 400 right down to 100, it’s pristine. Image colours are fairly natural and there are no clear issues visible.  ISO sensitivity test