Motorola Droid Razr Maxx’s Comes With Battery Life

Motorola's Droid Razr Maxx is a smartphone breakthrough for one single reason -- battery life.
In about a week and a half of testing the Razr Maxx -- making calls, surfing the Web, checking email and using apps throughout the day -- I found myself only needing to charge the phone about once every two days.

What makes this so amazing is the Razr Maxx, like its predecessor, is a 4G smartphone with a 4.3-inch touchscreen. In fact, aside from the battery, the Razr Maxx is essentially the same phone as the original Droid Razr -- they each have the same 960 x 540 screen resolution, 1.2-gigahertz dual-core processor, 1 gigabyte of RAM, 8-megapixel/1080p rear camera and 1.3-megapixel front-facing camera. Both phones run on Google's Android Gingerbread operating system, though an upgrade to Android Ice Cream Sandwich is on the way.
No 4G phone I've ever used, and many 3G phones I've used as well, haven't been able to go two days before a charge. Motorola pulled this off by outfitting the Razr Maxx with a 3,300 mAh (milliampere-hour) battery that is just under twice the size of the original Razr's 1,780 mAh battery.
Along with a bigger battery, of course, comes a bigger phone. The Razr Maxx is 0.35 inches thick and weighs in at 5.22 ounces. The original Razr is 0.28 inches thick and weighs 4.48 ounces. Thankfully, the slick styling of the original Razr is carried over to the Razr Maxx, with a stylish and grippy kevlar-coated back and metallic grey chassis. Up front, both Razr models are covered in Corning's scratch resistant Gorilla Glass.
If you can deal with not having to have the thinnest 4G phone on the block, then there is no question -- the Razr Maxx is a better smartphone than the Razr. For this reason, I could see some early adopters of the Razr, who do value battery life, feeling pretty burned by Motorola's release of the Razr Maxx just a few months later.
While the Razr Maxx is thicker than the Razr, it's still only about as thick as an Apple iPhone 4S -- which is still a very thin phone. I found the Razr Maxx's added weight and thickness resulted in a phone that felt solid but never heavy.
Motorola claims that the Razr Maxx can hit about 21 hours of continuous talk time and 8.5 days of standby battery life -- two figures I wasn't able to reach myself in testing because I was using the phone daily and not talking nonstop for nearly a day. But the performance that I found in the Razr Maxx makes me think this would be an ideal smartphone for someone who travels or is often out of the office and doesn't have an outlet nearby at all times.
Check out my review of the original Razr for my take on the other details of these two phones -- as they really offer the same user experience.
The Droid Razr is a Verizon exclusive and sells for $299.99 on a two-year contract, with 32 gigabytes of storage (16 gigabytes built in and 16 gigabytes on an included microSD card). The original Razr, which launched at the same price and storage size, has fallen to $199.99 on a two-year contact and is now down to 16 gigabytes of storage

Why your MP3s sound bad: high-resolution audio explained

There's more to digital music than MP3 and AAC files, as Neil Young recently reminded us. Here's why high-resolution audio is important.

 

Neil Young made waves this week with some comments about digital music files—first at the Sundance Film Festival, and then later in an All Things D interview. But lost in the media frenzy is his real point. Young wasn't putting down all digital music. Instead, he was referring specifically to the compressed MP3 and AAC files most people listen to today. Truth is, they just don't sound all that good.

 

It also turns out that despite helping to popularize digital music, Steve Jobs was a closet audiophile. Young said Steve Jobs was working with him, among other artists and engineers, on a method of delivering higher-quality files to consumers. This in and of itself isn't new; about a year ago, CNN learned Apple was in talks to make available 24-bit uncompressed music files in iTunes. But interestingly, Young also said Steve shared an interest in vinyl records, which have recently gained a new generation of fansdespite the format's overall impracticality.

 

It's All About the Music—But It's Really About the Data

The renewed focus on audio quality in some circles has a sense of déjà vu about it. Some of it recalls the 1970s, back when the term "high fidelity" was thrown around to indicate quality stereo recordings. We also saw this go around again at the turn of the millennium with the introduction of SACD and DVD Audio formats, which brought 24-bit fidelity and surround sound to audio mixes, although neither took off at the time.

 

So what's going on here? In a word, it's about data. More data translates to better-sounding audio files—but those files are largely unavailable to most consumers. Granted, to the casual listener, Amazon MP3 and Apple iTunes Store sound pretty good, as they're encoded as 256Kbps MP3 and AAC files for the most part. Amazon has some MP3 files encoded at variable bit rates, but most of them center around the 224Kbps to 256Kbps range. AAC generally sounds slightly better than MP3 when encoded at the same bit rate, although recent improvements in MP3 encoding algorithms have largely rendered this academic.

 

Aside from music purchases, 256Kbps is also iTunes' default encoding rate for when you rip audio CDs in iTunes (although you can change it), and it's the size iCloud uses to deliver tracks to other PCs or mobile devices on your network if you're a subscriber. I'm just using Apple products here as an example; Windows Media Player, Winamp, and countless other apps do similar things. Any way you cut it, 256Kbps files sound a lot better than ones encoded at 128Kbps, which is what Apple used years ago before it removed DRM from its iTunes Store tracks. Granted, 256Kbps files take up twice the space as 128Kbps files, but on today's devices, that usually isn't a problem, and the improved sound quality is worth it.

 

The thing is, 256Kbps still isn't enough. Higher-resolution, uncompressed, 16-bit audio files match the sound you get on an actual CD. 24-bit sound files even sound better; the increased headroom matches the format most artists and mix engineers have been working in over the past decade or so.

 

Cheap consumer electronics manufacturers abused the phrase "CD-quality" for many years, but in this case it still has meaning. True CD-quality files take up anywhere from three to 10 times as much as space as an MP3 or AAC file, depending on the latter's bit rate; 24-bit files take up even more space. They come in several formats: FLAC, WAV, AIFF, and Apple Lossless. (FLAC and Apple Lossless contain some data compression but only in a method that doesn't affect sound quality. FLAC is much more widely supported than Apple Lossless, though.)

 

At this point, there are two main issues with uncompressed audio files: space and bandwidth. Hard drives are getting cheaper by the day. But mobile devices are still constrained by the capacity limits of flash storage, and the recent move towards non-mechanical, solid-state drives in ultrabooks also puts a pinch on available space. Download times are also a concern; it takes much longer to download an uncompressed album than it does an MP3 file, straining broadband connections and putting a damper on the recent surge in cloud-based sync services from Amazon, Apple and Google.

Google kills Menu button, brings action bar on the fore

As Ice Cream Sandwich begins rolling to more devices, you will not find the Menu button on Android devices anymore. Honeycomb 3.0 had reduced users’ reliance on physical buttons and now Google has decided to kill the Menu button and get its ‘action bar’ on the forefront. Now, action bar isn’t something new and was there, even before Honeycomb.

 The Android developers’ blog states, “You might worry that it’s too much work to begin using the action bar, because you need to support versions of Android older than Honeycomb. However, it’s quite simple for most apps because you can continue to support the Menu button on pre-Honeycomb devices, but also provide the action bar on newer devices with only a few lines of code changes.” In the blog post, Google also tells its Android developers to start using the action bar, which is a dedicated space to the application and actions that users can perform. The app is recognized and gives it users several actions to choose from.

It tells developers that apps should stop relying on the hardware Menu button, and they should also stop thinking about activities using a menu button. The activities should provide buttons for important user actions directly in the action bar (or elsewhere on screen). Those that can’t fit in the action bar will end up in the action overflow. Basically, those actions, which don’t need to be on the screen can overflow off the screen. The action overflow is a three dotted icon found on the extreme right. Users can reveal the overflow and other options by touching an overflow button that appears alongside the on-screen action buttons.

So, even if an app supports older Android versions, it won’t display the Menu button for versions Honeycomb 3.0 and beyond. Those with apps developed for Android 2.3 and lower, and when running on the Honeycomb tablet of Google Nexus will see that the system adds the action overflow button besides the system navigation.

 

TRAI exempts limit of 200 SMS a day which are sent to, generated by machines

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has exempted the daily SMS limit of 200 for machine to machine and person to machine messages. TRAI restricted mobile users from sending more than 100 SMS / day per SIM starting 27th September 2011, to prevent pesky marketing SMS. Later they increased the limit from 100 to 200 SMS / day per SIM.

TRAI exempted the limit for these business houses after they received representations from the stakeholders that they were not able to send machine to machine and person to machine SMSs which are sent by them to initiate process or application for their operational requirements.

These services include providing details of driver or taxi on booking of Radio Taxi, tentative date of delivery of goods, tentative date of attending complaint, contact details of person attending the complaint etc

Galaxy Nexus India launch postponed to March

The latest Googlephone, the Galaxy Nexus is yet to make its debut in India with many potential consumers eagerly anticipating its release. Back in December, it was reported that the Samsung Galaxy Nexus was slated for a January launch, after already being pushed back from a possible December release date. The reason for the delay, cited by Samsung was that there were many product launches in December; hence the brand had decided to delay the product from hitting the shelves. As per a Twitter post from Samsung India in reply to a comment by one of their followers, the company states, “Nexus is expected to be launched in March but we do not have the exact dates. Will update you once we get that information.” So one can expect the handset not to be launched officially any time this month.

One should not get their hopes too high, though as the brand does not confirm this information as anything concrete, with Samsung in a follow up tweet stating that, “We do not have the exact dates. So would update you about the same once we get more information.” The official registration page of the handset does not seem to be updated; with the status still reading ‘Coming Soon.’

Here is a look at the highlighted specifications of the Samsung Galaxy Nexus

• Android 4.0, Ice Cream Sandwich
• 1.2GHz Dual Core Processor
• 1GB RAM
• Dimensions are 135.5 x 67.94 x 8.94mm
• Weighs 135g
• 4.65-inch 1280 x 720 HD Super AMOLED display
• 5 Megapixel AF with LED Flash with zero shutter lag and fast shot2shot
• 1.3 Megapixel front facing camera for video calling
• 1080p Full HD video recording at 30fps
• 1080p video playback at 30fps
• Bluetooth 3.0,USB 2.0, Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n, NFC
• 16GB or 32GB internal storage
• HSPA 21Mbps/HSUPA 5.76Mbps 850/900/1900/1700/2100
• EDGE/GPRS 850/900/1800/1900
• LTE version is region specific
• 3.5mm audio jack
• 1,750mAh battery

As of now, this is still the only handset that is launched with Android Ice Cream Sandwich onboard, but with the Mobile World Conference just around the corner; one would expect Samsung to launch the follow up to the highly successful Galaxy S II, which is the S III at the event. Will this deter potential consumers from purchasing the Galaxy Nexus or would one wait a little while longer and purchase the Samsung Galaxy S III? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

TRAI to block bulk international SMSes next

In a move, which proved to be a benchmark of sorts, last year, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) declared that users troubled with an endless stream of calls and SMSes from telemarketers could put an end to it by registering their number under NCPR. The National Customer Preference Register or the NCPR allowed users to block 'unsolicited commercial calls and/or SMSes'. While this clearly meant that the registered numbers would never receive SMSes, and calls from telemarketers, it also put some bars on the limit of SMSes that could be sent and/or received. However, riddance seemed a better bargain. Soon, however, it seemed that the relief was shortlived, since some telemarketers used a different ploy to continue sending messages to battered users - they moved to servers located overseas. Soon enough, in an almost replica of their previous situation, despite being registered under NCPR users began receiving scores of SMSes.

New guidelines should put an end to pesky SMSes (Image credit: Getty Images)

Now, after careful contemplation and planning, TRAI issued an official statement following which, all Access Providers and International Long Distance Operators will be expected to block all bulk international SMSes. When the TRAI began receiving complaints from irate users about receiving scores of SMSes, despite having registered, it decided to look into the matter. Here's what it found - It was seen that generally such SMSes originated from locations within Germany, Sweden, Nauru, Fiji, Cambodia, Bosnia, Albania, Grenada, UK, Jersey, Sint  Maarten, Tonga, Vanuatu, Namibia, Panama, Antigua and Barbuda, among others. Additionally, SMSes from these locations were found to come with alphanumeric headers or began with +91 or numbers with international codes, further rousing their suspicion. Soon, the regulatory body held meetings with telcos and ILD operators to discuss at length about this menace. It was decided that there is, indeed the need to have a stronger framework of guidelines in place, which could keep such unsolicited communication in check, especially ones which come from foreign-based servers. Given below is TRAI's 3-point plan to effectively tackle the issue:

• All international SMS containing alphabet header or alphanumeric header or +91 as originating country code should not be delivered through the network. 
• If any source or number from outside the country generates more than two hundred SMS per hour with similar ‘signature’, the same should not be delivered through the network. However, such restriction shall not be applicable on blackout days.
• Only valid codes associated with the network of those entities with whom agreements have been signed by the Access Providers shall be allowed in the network.

Considering that to put the above mentioned guidelines to work effectively, the telcos and operators need time, TRAI has issued a 30-day duration. What do you think of these new guidelines? Do you think they would be effective in barring SMSs coming from foreign-based servers? Let us know in the comments section below.

Google to shut Picnik, Sky Map among others

Google has gone ahead and started the process of shutting down some more services. The search giant had decided late last year that it would disable the services that weren’t doing too well for them. The decision was taken and a bunch of services were disabled through the months. Late last week, Google disabled another bunch of these services. The most popular ones from the lot are Picnik and Sky Map. GMC (Google Message Continuity), Needlebase, Urchin and the Social Graph API are some of the other projects to go down under very soon. Picnick, was a fairly popular image editing service based on the cloud. Google had bought over the service back in 2010 and after close to two years in service, it will be shut on the 19th of April. Those who have been using Picnik all this while, have the option of downloading all their images together using a service called Picnik Takeout. Users also have the option to copy their images to Google+.

Google Sky Map, was a project for Android phones that allowed users to look up at the sky and pinpoint at the stars. Although nifty, it didn’t gain the popularity Google expected it to. Fortunately for the project, it’s being open-sourced and it will be developed and handled by the Carnegie Mellon University. Development may be in the form of student projects in the future.

One of many to be shut

Other projects, such as the Google Message Continuity were designed to be e-mail disaster recovery products meant for use with Microsoft Exchange. Google’s seen fair success in Google Message Continuity, but they’ve seen better days in the Google Apps space, where businesses have opted for it over other competing products. Urchin, which helped Google create the base platform for Google Analytics. The client version of the software was called Urchin Software and starting March 2012, it won’t be available anymore. Needlebase, a data management platform that was acquired recently will be evaluated and maybe integrated with other Google services.

Google’s blog post by VP of Product Management, Dave Girouard emphasised that taking these decisions is difficult as there are plenty of people who love these services. He said that Google would focus their resources and time on other services.

Anonymous Hack Warner, Universal Music Sites After Megaupload Shutdown

U.S. Senate majority leader Harry Reid has announced the vote on the controversial Protect IP Act will be postponed which comes as a major victory to Internet protest group Anonymous who were successful in "crippling government and music industry sites" Thursday, Jan. 19.

Their actions were in response to file sharing-site MegaUpload being shut down -- with seven executives, including MegaUpload's founder, being indicted -- by the U.S. government following the uprising and protest earlier this week over the PIPA and SOPA (Stop Online Piracy Act) bills.

"Within minutes of the site being shut down, and DOJ (Department of Justice) releasing its statement, Anonymous sprang into action and started taking down a ton of sites -- including websites for the DOJ, the US Copyright Office, Universal Music, the RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America), the MPAA and a bunch of other sites," a statement on Anonymous' site said.

"Many members of Congress have just changed their stance on the controversial Stop Online Piracy Act, or SOPA, the raid on Megaupload Thursday proved that the feds don't need SOPA or its sister legislation, PIPA, in order to pose a blow to the Web."

The post also listed the sites attacked, including Universal Music, the RIAA, Universal Music France, BMI and Warner Music Group. According to CNN Money, Anonymous used a "distributed denial of service" tactic where traffic floods to a site causing its servers to crash.

"justice.gov & universalmusic.com TANGO DOWN!" the group tweeted Thursday. "You should have EXPECT US! #Megaupload"

As of Friday morning (10AM EST), Universalmusic.com was still not properly functioning. "The site is under maintenance," a short message at the top of the page read. "Please expect it to be back shortly." Meanwhile Warnermusic.com had a "Forbidden 403" prompt when its URL was typed in.

According to Exclaim, a spokesman for the RIAA diminished the effect of the attacks. "The fact that a couple of sites might have been taken down is really ancillary to the significant news today that the Department of Justice brought down one of the most notorious file-sharing hubs," they said.

While few artists have commented on the developments, DJ A-Trak perhaps succinctly summed up the situation via Twitter: "War!" Perhaps more will share in the victory via Twitter given the announcement that SOPA/PIPA has been shelved.

Beware! Facebook Usage Makes You Sad – Reveals a Study

If you want to be happy in life, delete your Facebook account right now and cheer yourself up reveals a study.
According to the study by Utah Valley University, the more the people use the hugely popular social networking website Facebook, the more they will believe that others are much happier.
The study found that the carefully-chosen pictures of smiling, cheerful faces which Facebook users tend to plaster over their pages cumulatively convey a debilitating message to others.
While logging into Facebook account many times a day in office or at home may have turned an irresistible habit for a lot of people, particularly the young.
Sociologists Hui-Tzu Grace Chou and Nicholas Edge interviewed 425 undergraduate students about their happiness and that of their friends as the part of the study. Participants were asked how much they agreed or disagreed with statements such as ‘Life is fair’ and ‘Many of my friends have a better life than me’.
They then described their Facebook activity including their number of ‘friends’ and the proportion whom they actually knew. Ninety-five percent used Facebook, and on average they had been there for two and a half years and spent nearly five hours a week on it.
After allowing for gender, religiosity and whether people were single or attached, the study found that ‘the more hours people spent on Facebook, the stronger was their agreement that others were happier’. This was particularly true of Facebook users who stockpiled ‘friends’ they did not actually know.
Those who had used Facebook for longer were also ‘significantly’ likely to agree with the statement that  ‘life is unfair’.
Ms Chou argues that this Facebook-related dissatisfaction is the result of a common psychological process known as ‘correspondence bias‘, in which we draw false conclusions about people based on limited knowledge.
According to Ms Chou, ‘looking at happy pictures of others on Facebook gives people an impression that others are “always” happy and having good lives’.
While Facebook users will know that their real friends have ups and downs in their lives, all they have to go on with their fake Facebook ‘friends’ is a smiling picture.
When that distorting effect is multiplied by the hundreds of Facebook friends that people don’t actually know, it is easy to see how bitterness can fester, said the study.

Datawind to not test Aakash for water resistance

In a startling revelation, it has been stated that the makers of the Aakash tablet have reportedly refused to put the first version of the Aakash tablet to test under norms put forth by IIT Jodhpur. Datawind CEO, Suneet Singh Tuli maintained that the first version of their Aakash tablet will not be put through the test conditions to ascertain specs proposed by IIT, since they were, essentially military specifications of a rugged product - a little too high for Aakash, and hence did not make sense.
 Elaborating a little on what the test norms were like, the report stated that the tablet would be tested for water resistance. As a part of this test, the Aakash tablet will be "placed in a rain chamber supplying rain at a rate of no less than 4 inches per hour." Stating as another reason for the refusal, Tuli stated that the test specifications were proposed by the IIT after the tender document was submitted and were not a part of the original tender. At the moment, however, the Aakash makers hope to get some changes done to the test criteria put forth by IIT Jodhpur. We will keep you updated.

India to launch spoken web service for farmers

Indian government is planning to launch an innovative service called as spoken web service that will provide information on farmers queries related to agriculture and weather-related queries.
To launch this innovative service ministry of Earth Sciences has approached worlds leading IT giant company IBM to develope service for farmers. IBM has recently launched a service which connects farmers to milk supplier Amul Dairy.

“Through SMS and IVRS service, farmers only get updates but through spoken web service they can ask questions and get answers for their queries related to agriculture,”Spoken web service will be of great use to illiterate farmers who are not technologically equipped,”Shailesh Nayak, secretary in the ministry, told IANS.

Spoken web service is a project where farmer can ask their queries. Farmers can also dial toll free number and ask questions and get them answered.

According to a National Council of Applied Economic Research (NCAER) report, roughly 24 percent of farmers in over 550 districts are either aware or using the Agromet services, while two million farmers are availing themselves of the mobile SMS service which started over a year ago.The Rs. 50,000 crore figure could rise to Rs. 211,000 crore if the entire farming community in the country was to judiciously use the Agromet information and apply it to agricultural activities.

Convert your smartphone to laptop with LightPad

LightPad also works as a projector but its availability in India is not clear as of now.

A new device, named LightPad, has been launched at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, USA. With the device, its makers say, one can use his smartphone like a projector or a laptop!

LightPad is a pico projector (handheld projector) and comes with a Liquid Crystal display and a keyboard. If you need a projector just plug the phone into it, and the LightPad would project the screen of the phone on the nearest wall.
Once the users flip the LCD display up, it looks almost like a laptop and an in-built software of the LightPad supports a virtual mouse as well.
"The smartphone is becoming the primary computing device for consumers and professionals." stated James Lupino, vice president of business development, QP Optoelectonics, the company which makes LightPad. "But their small display and keyboard greatly limit their application for serious users, especially for those who are seeking to replace their notebooks. LightPad addresses the main drawbacks of the user-interface of smartphones by utilising dual mode projection technology."
The same concept has already been displayed in the Motorola Atrix as well, but this product has an LCD display as well. It comes with a 854x480 resolution based display whereas the next generation model is likely to go up to 1280x720 pixels.
LightPad comes equipped with a battery as well which will be able to supply power to the projector for about five hours and the next year's model will likely work up to two hours more.
The LightPad will reach the users by the second quarter of 2012 though it is not clear if it will be available in India or not.

KumoSync is a Windows application used to synchronize local windows and files/folders with Google Documents. You can sync any document/file format. KumoSync will automatically track your changes in Google Documents and your local Windows file system. It will synchronize these changes automatically on a regular interval allowing you to access your files on your computer, the Google Documents “Cloud” and other devices that can also access Google Documents. Download KumoSync Features Simple: Easy to use and configure. Multiple Accounts: Synchronize one or more Google accounts with yout loca Windows directory structure. Sub-Folders/Collections: Configure which local folders you want to sync and control if you want to sync sub-folders. Automatic: Automatically synchronizes changes in the background. Drive Letters (G Drive): Configure a Windows drive letter to access your local Google documents folder. Optional manual delete confirmation to track when items are deleted. Requirements Google Account Account Microsoft .Net Framework 3.5 Microsoft Windows XP / Vista (32 & 64 Bit) / Windows 7 (32 & 64 Bit) Before You Get Started First: Make a backup of your local files you plan to sync with Google Documents. You can additionally export your data from Google documents as well. This way as you work through how you want KumoSync to sync your local folders with Google documents you will not lose any files. Second: Many may notice that in Google Documents there are groupings called “collections” which appear to function like a typical folder. These “collections” not like local file folders are more like tags or categories used as a way to group or classify your documents. For example, a single Google document can exist in multiple collections whereas on the local file system this is not possible; the same file would need to exist as a _copy_ in each of the local folders. Configuring the Sync Process Once KumoSync is installed you’ll find a KumoSync icon in the windows system tray that allows you to control the overall sync process including manually performing the sync, editing your settings, and quick access to your local folders configured for synchronization. To start configuring KumoSync select the “Settings” option which will then display the main KumoSync settings dialog. From here you can configure the sync ‘mappings’ that link your folders with Google document accounts, set you general sync preferences, adjust any settings related to using a proxy server, review your registration information and find out about the current product. For the moment select “Sync Mappings” and then click the [NEW] button to create a new document sync mapping. A new dialog will appear allowing you to configure the sync mapping. The basic idea is that you will map a local folder to the Google documents “All Items” list or to a specific collection. To get started enter your Google username/password, select the appropriate Google Document list you want to sync with, select the local directory you want to sync with and then optionally configure a drive letter that you want to map the local folder that will contain your local/Google documents. Following this you can then adjust any additional settings on the sync options, permissions, and other tab as needed. In most cases these options can remain as defaults. On only option that may be of interest is the ability to control the sync direction. On the sync options tab you an set either one or two-way synchronization. At this point you are basically done and ready for syncing. You can either click sync from the KumoSync system tray or use the Sync Options panel on the KumoSync settings dialog to configure automatic synchronization.

KumoSync is a Windows application used to synchronize local windows and files/folders with Google Documents. You can sync any document/file format.
KumoSync will automatically track your changes in Google Documents and your local Windows file system. It will synchronize these changes automatically on a regular interval allowing you to access your files on your computer, the Google Documents “Cloud” and other devices that can also access Google Documents.
Download KumoSync 

Features

• Simple: Easy to use and configure.
• Multiple Accounts: Synchronize one or more Google accounts with yout loca Windows directory structure.
• Sub-Folders/Collections: Configure which local folders you want to sync and control if you want to sync sub-folders.
• Automatic: Automatically synchronizes changes in the background.
• Drive Letters (G Drive): Configure a Windows drive letter to access your local Google documents folder.

Optional manual delete confirmation to track when items are deleted.

Requirements

• Google Account Account
• Microsoft .Net Framework 3.5
• Microsoft Windows XP / Vista (32 & 64 Bit) / Windows 7 (32 & 64 Bit)

Before You Get Started

First: Make a backup of your local files you plan to sync with Google Documents. You can additionally export your data from Google documents as well. This way as you work through how you want KumoSync to sync your local folders with Google documents you will not lose any files.
Second: Many may notice that in Google Documents there are groupings called “collections” which appear to function like a typical folder. These “collections” not like local file folders are more like tags or categories used as a way to group or classify your documents.
For example, a single Google document can exist in multiple collections whereas on the local file system this is not possible; the same file would need to exist as a _copy_ in each of the local folders.

Configuring the Sync Process

Once KumoSync is installed you’ll find a KumoSync icon in the windows system tray that allows you to control the overall sync process including manually performing the sync, editing your settings, and quick access to your local folders configured for synchronization.
To start configuring KumoSync select the “Settings” option which will then display the main KumoSync settings dialog. From here you can configure the sync ‘mappings’ that link your folders with Google document accounts, set you general sync preferences, adjust any settings related to using a proxy server, review your registration information and find out about the current product.
For the moment select “Sync Mappings” and then click the [NEW] button to create a new document sync mapping.
A new dialog will appear allowing you to configure the sync mapping. The basic idea is that you will map a local folder to the Google documents “All Items” list or to a specific collection.
To get started enter your Google username/password, select the appropriate Google Document list you want to sync with, select the local directory you want to sync with and then optionally configure a drive letter that you want to map the local folder that will contain your local/Google documents.
Following this you can then adjust any additional settings on the sync options, permissions, and other tab as needed. In most cases these options can remain as defaults. On only option that may be of interest is the ability to control the sync direction. On the sync options tab you an set either one or two-way synchronization.
At this point you are basically done and ready for syncing. You can either click sync from the KumoSync system tray or use the Sync Options panel on the KumoSync settings dialog to configure automatic synchronization.

Samsung Wave Y with Bada 2.0 launched in India

The Wave Y S5380, one of Samsung’s three smartphones that were introduced last year running Bada 2.0 OS, is now available in India.

According to FoneArena, Indian customers can buy theSamsung Wave Y for 7,950 INR (about $150) – that’s about the same price you have to pay for the Android-based Samsung Galaxy Y.

If you get the new handset with a SIM card from Airtel (India’s largest mobile carrier), you also get 500MB of data for 1 month, and 100MB of data for 1 year on 3G.

The Samsung Wave Y S5380 features a 3.2 inch HVGA display, TouchWiz UI, HSDPA, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Wi-Fi hotspot capability, GPS, Samsung ChatOn, Bluetooth 3.0, 3.5mm headset jack, 2MP rear camera, 832MHz processor, and a 2GB memory card pre-installed.

RIM launches BlackBerry 7.1 OS upgrade with NFC support

The Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, Nevada, is focused on mobile technology as companies look to increase their market share is a sector growing exponentially.

On Monday, sessions discussed the mobile ecosystem surrounding tablets and smart devices and on Tuesday, the topic was expanded to include social networking and advertising in the mobile context.

Research In Motion (RIM) announced the launch of the BlackBerry 7.1 Operating System (OS) for their smartphones which have been under pressure in the US from Google's Android-powered devices, but dominate developing markets.

RIM said it would begin rolling out the new OS no later than today.

"The new releases of BBM, BlackBerry Traffic and BlackBerry Travel will be available on BlackBerry App World beginning today," the company said in a statement.
 

A new feature included in the new OS is BlackBerry Tag that allows instant sharing of content between BlackBerry users.

"By simply tapping their NFC enabled BlackBerry smartphone against another NFC enabled BlackBerry smartphone, users can make sharing easier than ever," RIM said.

The BlackBerry 7 OS recently met the security criteria for evaluation assurance level 4+.
RIM hopes that this certification will no doubt re-assure IT managers that BlackBerry devices are secure platforms for corporate communications.

To further entice business users away from competing devices, RIM also announced that the7.1 OS allows users to enable the BlackBerry smartphone as a WiFi hotspot that will be able to share its Internet connection with up to five devices.

"The 7.1 update also supports carrier implemented WiFi calling services (UMA/GAN where available), allowing users to make Wi-Fi calls from their BlackBerrysmartphone that don't eat into their airtime minutes," RIM said. 

Polaroid announces the Android-powered SC1630 Smart Camera

Polaroid shocked the Consumer Electronics Show on Tuesday when the company announced a new camera powered by Android. The Polaroid SC1630 Smart Camera is a 3.2-inch device, and it features a whopping 16-megapixel camera capable of 3x optical zoom on a 36-108mm lens. When connected to Wi-Fi, users can instantly upload their images to social networking sites and will also even have access to the Android Market. No specific release date or price has been announced, however Polaroid has said the SC1630 Smart Camera will land sometime this year. Read on for the company’s press release.

Polaroid Announces the SC1630 Smart Camera Powered by Android™

Fusing the Feature Set of a High-End Digital Camera with the Power of Android*, the Polaroid SC1630 Makes Snapping and Sharing High Definition Digital Images an Instant Experience

LAS VEGAS, Jan. 10, 2012 /PRNewswire/ — Polaroid today announced that capturing and sharing high-end digital images is now seamless with the Polaroid SC1630, an Android powered smart camera. The Polaroid SC1630 Smart Camera features a high definition 16 megapixel camera with built in 3X optical zoom, touch screen display and Wi-Fi, making uploads to social networks as easy as the touch of a button. Merging the optics of a digital still and video camera with the limitless power of the Android platform, the Polaroid SC1630 Smart Camera evolves the process of clicking, editing, uploading and tagging to an instant experience on one device.

With the Polaroid SC1630 Smart Camera powered by Android you will no longer need to choose between your smart phone and your point and shoot camera because it offers the best of both worlds. Delivering everything expected from a digital camera but powered by Android, the Polaroid SC1630 Smart Camera surprisingly packs all the features needed to conveniently capture, connect and instantly share beautiful HD digital images and video into one device, weighing a mere five ounces.

An ultra-portable, two-in-one instant sharing powerhouse, the Polaroid SC1630 Smart Camera leaves even the most powerful camera phones in the dust by combining an advanced imaging feature set with an unmatchable Android powered mobile platform:

Capture Like the Pros: Life’s quickest moments are no longer at risk to becoming blurry images from a basic camera phone. Built on a 16 megapixel CCD senor, the Polaroid SC1630 Smart Camera treats images to a 3X optical zoom – a feature not found in most mobile phones. Choose from 18 scene modes and then click and view crystal clear images – captured at 36mm or full 108mm magnification – on the Polaroid SC1630 Smart Camera’s 3.2” widescreen display.

Enhance Your Moments With Smart Features: The Polaroid SC1630 Smart Camera powered by Android takes the work out of being behind the lens with automatic face and smile detection. Also, gone are the days when digital images that never connected with a USB cord went unorganized and forgotten. The Smart Album feature of the Polaroid SC1630 Smart Camera automatically organizes photos by date, location and people. Plus, geo-tagging features can add longitude and latitude coordinates to photos.

Edit, Share and Save: Now there is no reason to leave the party – everything needed to edit, save and upload can be done anywhere right on the Polaroid SC1630 Smart Camera. On-board editing features include cropping, red-eye removal, resizing and color correction. Backed by the power of Android, the Polaroid SC1630 Smart Camera uploads images to social networks with the touch of one button and can hold up to 32GB of memory via a microSD card.

Instantly Connect to the World: The Polaroid SC1630 Smart Camera’s Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and optional cellular data connections empower digital images to be shared from anywhere in a snap.

Get Productive: Need to check-in on where friends are gathering, get directions or make the next move in your favorite game? Backed by the power of Android, the Polaroid SC1630 Smart Camera supports Google’s Android Market, making it truly like no other camera available today. Now you can snap, share and link up with more than 400,000 apps.

“Polaroid has helped the world bring stories to life through photographs for the past 75 years,” said Scott W. Hardy, President, Polaroid. “The newest member of the Polaroid family, the Polaroid SC1630 Smart Camera unites the beauty of high-end digital images with powerful Android connectivity features. The result is an instant experience of click, capture and share that enables social networks to see and experience the moment as if they were there.”

Designed to be just as fashionable as it is portable, the simple, clean lines and straight forward interface of the Polaroid SC1630 Smart Camera makes capturing and sharing effortless. Loaded with features that enable easy capture, connecting and sharing on the fly, the rechargeable battery can last all day on a full charge."

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Acer Unveils its Cloud Service AcerCloud.

The Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas is on and so is the Acer showcase. What's the hype? The company announced its service called AcerCloud which will be launched during the second quarter in North America and Greater China.
With its free cloud service, Acer users will be able  to connect content on Acer laptops, Android phones and other PCs. People will be able to upload all their images, videos, and documents to an online service hosted by Acer, and access them over the Web from any PC, mobile phone, or tablet running Windows or Android. That includes devices from other vendors. However, If you buy a new consumer PC from Acer, the service is free and includes unlimited storage. The service will be up and running worldwide by the end of the year.
Another cloud service like iCloud? Absolutely. This is just the beginning folks. With companies gearing up, resettling their architecture for cloud services and scouring the marketplace for cloud computing experts, Acer, has to get into the fray, albeit it is perhaps too little too late, according to some diehard critics and fans of Google, Apple and Amazon which are the coin of the realm and pure artists when it comes to being exceptionally savvy cloud trendsetters and users.
So Acer is trying to ride on the coattails of a matrix of services green lighted by giants in the business. Isn't its bid to "be like them" the sincerest form of praise and flattery? Maybe, if Acer can pull it off. 
The company tore its rabbits out of the hat when it demonstrated three services that will be available on AcerCloud for it's hopefully smooth landing in the marketplace. The first is PicStream which is a photo-sharing service. With the AcerCloud, one can take photos with a smartphone, and AcerCloud puts them on PicStream, which can push the photos back to an Acer PC. However the pictures have a limited accessibility of 30 days. During that time, an AcerCloud-connected PC can backup and access the images and documents as needed, making it an easier process for moving around and managing your media.

Gorilla Glass 2 Unveiled with 20% Reduction in Thickness

Corning introduces Corning Gorilla Glass 2, the next generation of the company’s widely accepted, damage-resistant cover glass for consumer electronic devices, at the International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas this week.
Corning Gorilla Glass 2 enables up to a 20 percent reduction in glass thickness, while maintaining the industry-leading damage resistance, toughness, and scratch resistance customers have come to expect from the world’s most widely deployed cover glass. The thinner Gorilla Glass 2 enables slimmer and sleeker devices, brighter images, and greater touch sensitivity. These benefits can provide electronics manufacturers with superior design flexibility as they address consumer demand for increasingly high-performing, touch-sensitive, and durable mobile devices.

Product qualification and design implementation for Corning Gorilla Glass 2 are underway with Corning’s global customers, a number of whom are expected to unveil new devices using Corning Gorilla Glass 2 during the coming months.
First introduced in 2007, Corning Gorilla Glass set the industry standard for damage-resistant cover glass. Today it is the most widely deployed cover glass, used by more than 30 major brands and designed into more than 575 product models, spanning more than 500 million units worldwide.As one of the company’s fastest growing businesses, Corning Gorilla Glass is expected to reach more than $700 million in 2011 sales, nearly triple 2010 results.

James R. Steiner, senior vice president and general manager, Corning Specialty Materials said:

“Corning Gorilla Glass has enjoyed tremendous market adoption in the high-growth mobile handset and computing device market, providing a replacement for plastic and legacy soda-lime glass as a protective cover and elegant design solution. We knew Corning Gorilla Glass could get even better. So, in response to our customers’ drive toward thinner form factors, we designed this new glass to enable meaningful reduction in thickness without sacrificing the outstanding glass performance for which Gorilla Glass has become highly recognized. This glass, along with Windows operating system innovations from Microsoft, will help deliver exceptional beauty, performance, and toughness for new Windows PCs. You will see this early this year with Windows-based PCs which we expect to be the first in-market laptops designed to leverage the performance of our new second-generation glass.”

Microsoft Celebrates the Demise of IE6 Browser : Good Riddance

Internet Explorer 6 is almost dead in the United States, based on the latest data from Net Applications. Use of IE6, Microsft’s 10-year-old browser in this country has dropped to beneath 1 percent.

Microsoft is happily announcing “good riddance” to its aging Internet Explorer 6 browser, which was one of its flagship products. Microsoft launched the IE6 Countdown site last March to help accelerate the process.

Austria, Poland, Sweden, Denmark, Finland and Norway are the other few countries which have also dropped below that 1 percent mark usage of IE6.

Microsoft is asking its users in a blog post to end IE6 and move to a modern browsers like IE8 or IE9.