When it comes to hardcore gaming, every gamer needs a mouse that fits more than perfectly for him. But there is a group of people that can’t find that perfect mouse easily. The guys I am talking about here are left handed gamers. They often have to use sub-standard left-handed mouse or just switch to a hardcore gaming mouse built for right-handed guys. Do you lefties feel left out? Well, not any more.
Razor, the hardware manufacturer known for its gaming peripherals, has introduced a gaming mouse built for lefties. The mouse called DeathAdder Left Hand Edition boasts of all the features that a normal gaming mouse has. These are 1000Hz ultrapolling, always-on mode, 3500dpi sensitivity, and on-the-fly sensitivity adjustment. Along with the left and right click buttons, the mouse consists of a scroller and two programmable buttons. It can track accurately at 60-120 inches per second with 15G of acceleration.
DeathAdder Left Hand Edition is available for $59.99.
Google might have to look for different names for its super phone, now since the US Trademark Office has rejected its application to trademark “Nexus One”.
The reason for the refusal is that the name conflicts with another Nexus mark, given to Integra Telecom back in Dec 2008. The mark owned by Integra refers to “the provision of telecommunication services and the transmission of voice and data”. But Google might argue that theirs is a product and not a service.
Nokia has launched the Design By Community project wherein Nokia is inviting anyone across the globe to give their input for the “smartphone concept device of the future”. The 8 week project would involve a new design widget every week and users can give their input for the design. The design widget also takes care of the feasibility of your design through a needle hovering in three zones – Red, Yellow and Green. Where Green obviously means ‘Perfect Mix’. Not exactly like the Sony Ericsson Dot, but seems like crowd-sourcing is the new mantra.
Week 1 of the project involves design aspects related to the phone’s display and UI, covering features like screen size, screen type, screen ratio and secondary buttons. The entire 8-week schedule is as follows – (more…)
Videocon IMO would need to brand itself harder to be a cellphone player. Nothing wrong with manufacturing phones, but the only problem is that no on expects you to pull out a Videocon from your pocket. That aside, the V1675 is a well priced blackberry clone (at least in design). Videocon has somehow managed to deliver a QWERTY, Dual SIM smartphone with an optical trackpad for Rs 5500. While you will find many local china pieces at better price, mind you this one comes with a brand name like Vodafone with it. So is the V1675 really cool?
Well not really. Had Videocon thought a little about innovating and creating a real product instead of just copying Blackberry design, UI (icons etc) and attach to that a Nokia charging slot; I would have appreciated this product lot more. Yes the phone works with a Nokia charger and while you would say that its good for compatibility, its actually no better than a silly Chinese counterfeits who bundle in a Nokia charging pin (why not a MicroUSB that’s the industry standard?). Seems like the innovation and real product creation in mobile field is left to new entrants like Notion Ink only.
Opera has released the final versions of its mobile web browsers – Opera Mini 5 and Opera Mobile 10. Opera Mini 5 is the mobile web browser for Java and BlackBerry handsets while the Opera Mobile 10 is for Symbin S60 and Windows Mobile devices. Opera Mini 5 was recently released for Google’s Android OS too. An iPhone version of the browser is also in the making. (more…)
The God of War (GOW) series reaches its climax in a few hours with the Spartan warrior Kratos invading Olympus, the abode of the Greek Gods. Just in case you have been on a planet where gaming has been banned, the series of games revolves around a series of battles between Kratos and a number of legendary Greek Gods, including the mighty Zeus himself. Of course, gamers all over the world are already lining up to get copies of the game and figure out what happens in the climax.
With the game being released on the PS3, one can be assured of cutting edge graphics and terrific effects as Kratos smashes his way through Olympus. However, one really wonders if these alone are going to be enough to make the game a huge success. This may sound harsh but, all said and done, the GOW series has largely been a hack and slash affair with some doses of puzzle-solving thrown in. What’s more, three years have elapsed since God of War 2 was released and three years is a very long time in gaming. The period has seen games like GTA 4 ,Unchartered 2, Assassin’s Creed 2, Devil May Cry 4 and Dante’s Inferno pretty much redefine what gamers expect from their consoles. GOW’s exceptional graphics (more…)
Having traveled to Hyderabad last week for the HeadStart – ITsAP startup showcase, we happened to run into Hyderabad based Notion Ink who were one of the startups selected for an onstage demo and exhibition at the event. We met two of the company founders Sachin Ralhan and Rajat Sahni and also saw a dummy build of the Adam (no prototype . )
During the Notion Ink presentation we didn’t have too much new to listen to, but we had a long conversation with the founders on how they started (the story should come up on the HeadStart blog soon). A few things that we learnt were: (more…)
Aircel has launched “Peek” – a physical QWERTY handset made specifically for emails. Aircel claims that Peek is the thinnest email device ever. Peek can support upto three email accounts at a time. The email clients supported are Gmail, Yahoo!, Hotmail and all POP3 or IMAP accounts.
Peek supports PUSH email which allows automatic retrieval of new mails. The attachments supported are Microsoft Word, Excel, PDF and all image files. The screen on this device is 2.5″ QVGA with no touch support. The battery on the device is good to last for 2 to 3 days on a full charge, for ‘average’ email users. Aircel Peek is priced at Rs. 2999 which sounds quite affordable. Other charges involve a Rs. 897 for email access for first 90 days and Rs. 299 per month hence. The device would be available in two colors – Red and Black.
The rental charges per month might happen to be a deal breaker as Aircel charges only Rs. 98/month for unlimited GPRS on mobile. Mobile users can easily configure multiple email accounts to their handsets, which BTW is also used for making calls (unlike Peek)
It started out as a low-cost touchscreen device and is now spiralling into a rather vast family that has everything from total touchscreen to a non-touchscreen and touchscreen-QWERTY avatars. Samsung’s Corby might have boosted the company’s handset sales and redefined what people expect from devices in the lower-middle price segment, but it seems to be in danger of spinning out of control. As of now, we have close to half a dozen different Corby handsets and while the ones on the lower end will appeal to the value-for-money crowd, the higher-end affairs, like the Corby Plus and the Corby Pro, are getting into smartphone territory.
Some people would say there’s nothing really wrong with that, but I think that Sammy might just need to rethink its strategy here. A high end phone coming out with a lower cost version (like all the Minis seen nowadays) might appeal to consumers but try the same thing in reverse and the stark fact is that high-end users are unlikely to invest in a brand that is associated with a value-for-money proposition rather than high performance. And that is exactly where the Corby range could stumble – there are already users who are opting for Samsung’s own (more…)
Opera has announced its Mini 5 browser for the Google OS. Opera for Android is a beta version that allows tabbed browsing, ’speed dial’ bookmarks, power scrolling with touchscreen as well as physical keyboard support. The browser provides upto 90% compressed webpages that allows faster browsing. The Opera link feature allows the user to sync bookmarks between the mobile phone and desktop computer. It also features an in-built password manager. The browser can be downloaded free from HERE. It is also available through the Android Market.
After Nintendo revolutionized the gaming industry by introducing motion gaming through Wii, Sony and Microsoft started catching up for the same. While Microsoft’s Project Natal is yet to be released, Sony has introduced its – Playstation Move. Sony introduced its motion gaming controller at the Game Developers Conference or the GDC 2010.
The motion gaming controller is an upgrade to the Playstation eye camera. Playstation Move is compatible only with (more…)
Amid rumors doing the rounds for apps specifically designed for the iPad; Barnes & Noble have confirmed that they would be releasing an eReader application. They would be releasing the application around the time the iPad becomes available. The application has been designed exclusively for the iPad and would give iPad users access to millions of eBooks, magazines and newspapers. Existing customers can also access their Nook ebook content through their Barnes & Noble digital library. B&N have announced that the application would be available free, although the cost for the content has not been announced.
The wait for iPhone 3GSs official unveiling in India has been way too long and event the most die hard Apple fans that I know have given up and purchased a 3GS from the grey market already. However we now hear (or rather our friends over at Fonearena ) that the iPhone 3GS would be launched by Apple in India tomorrow i.e. 15th March 2010 with 4 operators. To my surprise Airtel has been dropped off according to this rumor. Last year we had seen Vodafone actually pushed iPhone aside and promoted Blackberry, but then given the market size you never know if Airtel dumped iPhone or its Apple taking the call! This time around Vodafone, Reliance, Aircel and Bharti would carry the phone officially in India (remember its still a rumor).
The issue now isn’t what price Apple would launch the iPhone 3GS for or if Bharti would offer 3G plans for the same or not – the iPhone 4G expected in June motivates people to wait a little more (you can’t blame them for their patience, Apple!). Just yesterday (before I heard this rumor) I happened to discuss with a friend about the iPhone 4G and he immediately shelved his 3GS plans . Does Apple really expect to sell 3GS in India with the iPhone 4th generation expected to be out (atleast in US) by June end?
The IEEE fest of Student Branch of BVCOE, FERVOUR, is organized on an annual basis. This extravaganza witnesses some truly eye catching events and is held on a large and magnanimous scale. With a wide spectrum of activities, the fest draws massive participation not only from numerous Delhi and NCR colleges, but also from premier institutes all over the country.
The fest encompasses events ranging from technical to managerial, from literary to informal; thus providing the students with a perfect opportunity to portray their vivid capabilities and showcase their talents in various fields of learning.
LG is out with a refresh to its successful touchscreen series Cookie. Its amazing to see how companies like Samsung and LG have seen a great market in the low end touchscreen market after the iPhone came and swept the smartphone industry. The LG Cookie Pop would give competition to the Corby range and hopefully keep up the momentum that Cookie KP500 had set (yes the Cookie range has got new blood after a little delay IMO).
Design:
In this segment, what sells more than the features is the looks. LG has gone with a very simple bar shaped design, but managed to keep the phone housing a 3.0” screen very handy and compact. This thing weights just 87 gms and you will actually feel that when handling the phone. The buttons on the side have some chrome and all of them are pretty clickable and neatly placed. Press the camera button the the right once to open up favorite apps and long press to go to the camera mode. The button on the front enables a lot of single key operations like return to home screen, answer or disconnect a call etc. On the top you have the power button which also performs the wake / sleep function.
As this is Oscar week, we will just start this post with an instance from Jerry Maguire in which football star Rod Tidwell tells his agent Jerry Maguireto shut up and “show him the money!” Well, we can understand how he felt after hearing Sony Ericsson make YET another comment about the Xperia X10. We first heard of the Android-driven device in early November when we were told it would be available in Q1 2010. At the recent MWC in Barcelona, we were shown Mini and Mini Pro versions of the device and told it would be coming a bit later.
And NOW we have a Sony Ericsson spokesperson telling CNET that it could come in the second half of the year with a new version of Android. Honestly, we were very impressed by the specs of the X10 (a 8.1 MP shooter, 4.0 inch touchscreen, and every connectivity option in town) but the inordinate delay in its arrival is really making us wonder if like the original Xperia, it would be actually outdated by the time it arrived. It must be one of the few smartphones in cellphone history to have three different avatars, none of which happen to be in the market.
So allow us to paraphrase Rod Tidwell and say, “Enough talk, Sony E. Show us the X10 in the market. Please!”
When technology advances and we develop simpler mechanisms, the devices keep getting more economical. But what about those who can’t think simple and go on developing complicated designs for simple things? They end up making what is called as exclusive luxury goods . 4N is a similar unaffordable luxury watch from designer François Quentin. (more…)
Samsung has announced that it would be releasing its slider eReader this spring. Samsung E6 would be released in partnership with Barns and Noble. The Barns and Noble partnership would give E6 users access to more than a million e-books, e-magazines and e-newspapers.
Barns and Noble already has its own eReader – the Nook in stores. The difference between the two eReader lies in their pricing. While the Nook is priced at $259, Samsung E6 would be retailing at $399. Below is a quick look at the specifications of the Samsung E6 – (more…)
The God of War (GOW) series reaches its climax in a few hours with the Spartan warrior Kratos invading Olympus, the abode of the Greek Gods. Just in case you have been on a planet where gaming has been banned, the series of games revolves around a series of battles between Kratos and a number of legendary Greek Gods, including the mighty Zeus himself. Of course, gamers all over the world are already lining up to get copies of the game and figure out what happens in the climax.
. )
) that the iPhone 3GS would be launched by Apple in India tomorrow i.e. 15th March 2010 with 4 operators. To my surprise Airtel has been dropped off according to this rumor. Last year we had seen Vodafone actually pushed iPhone aside and 
