What’s New with Symbian Anna?

Nokia brought Symbian Anna to India along with their launch of the X7 and E6. Not that you haven’t heard of Anna before, but in case you’re wondering what the latest Symbian version is all about, Nokia had conducted an event titled “Get to Know Symbian Anna” and ZOMG gave a quick lowdown on what the new OS had to offer. One pretty apparent change is that the icons throughout the interface are rounded. Add to that, there’s real time scrolling so as you scroll, transitional animations will follow your touch. You can also scroll between the main homescreen panes. Rounded Icons look cool A much needed update this, Symbian Anna’s browser is updated giving the application support for HTML5, hardware acceleration for fluid CSS animations and the overall look of the browser looks quite clean without any unnecessary icons. Nokia has still managed to keep the more commonly used functions like a Back button and an address bar constantly available. Browser version 7.3 also has support for Flash Lite and multi touch. Obviously all this wouldn’t make a lot of sense without any improvement in performance, which has also been promised. Browser's got an update as well There’s a new virtual QWERTY keypad that has been incorporated and the older T9 keypad has been ditched. Also, unlike virtual QWERTY keypads found on most phones that have the digits on the first line only, Nokia has placed them over a few rows. The Ovi Maps have been improved, although it’s the same app available on Nokia Betalabs, where you can download full maps over the air. The email application has got an update albeit a small one. There’s more space to check mails and the UI has been improved and is a tad quicker than the earlier versions. There’s some change to the calendar app, with a Dual Pane layout in monthly view. So that’s about what the Symbian Anna has to offer. It cannot be termed as a major revamp to the user interface but even then, it seems to be a lot better than the current iterations of Symbian. The interesting bit however, is that Symbian Belle which will be the next update is going to be a different platform altogether. Nokia says, “If you like Android, you’ll love Symbian Belle.” Check out a video overview of Symbian Anna by Nokia India’s Product Manager below

Tata DOCOMO Introduces Rs. 2 Per Day 'Endless Music' Plan

Mobile service provider, Tata DOCOMO, has announced the launch of its music service, today. Called Endless Music, this service by DOCOMO is a part of their attempt to boost their VAS (Value-Added Services) segment. Beginning from today, users will be able to access a wholesome bank of music, complete with categories, sub categories of music, allowing users to listen to music endlessly throughout the day.

Now, get music endlessly..

Also, for a subscription charge of Rs. 2/- per day, devoid of any additional costs, the brand adds, users can download their favorite ring tones, and for a rupee extra, they would get access to download unlimited Call Me Tunes (CMTs). The service is being made available to users in both, the prepaid as well as postpaid segments. The service can also be auto renewed on a daily basis. To avail this customers will have to dial their IVR Short Code 59090, which is a toll-free number.

MTNL Launches Uniform Pay Per Second Plan in the Capital

Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Limited, or MTNL, one of the country's popular telecom services provider has now launched its latest scheme for its prepaid users. The scheme, called ‘Trump 3G – All in 1 Paisa’ prepaid pack for Rs. 97, currently available in the Delhi circle for MTNL’s GSM subscribers, comes packed with a lifetime validity clause, as well. The tariff plan The pack also includes a Pay per Second plan that is applicable to all Local/STD/Roaming (both, Video, as well as Voice services). This plan will remain active for a period of one year from the date of activation. The new prepaid subscribers will be the ones to benefit from MTNL’s uniform per second plans. MTNL, however, will roll the Pay Per Second plans for its existing users soon too. Users will be charged 1 paisa/ second for Local, STD, Roaming (details as per mentioned above), while users availing the 3G data usage services will be charged 1 paisa/ 10KB. SMS, on the other hand, would cost users 25 paisa for Local calls, 50 paise for National and Rs. 2.50 for International calls.

Crysis Coming to Consoles?

The success of Crysis 2 on consoles may have spurred developer Crytek to release Crysis on the Xbox360 and PS3, or so says the game’s listing on the ESRB’s (Entertainment Software Rating Board) official site. As of now it’s just the base game that’s showing up for consoles while its expansion, Crysis Warhead is still listed as a PC exclusive. Crytek have yet to officially confirm this listing. Maximum Awesomness Either way, this is one game you shouldn’t miss out on if it does end up (re)releasing not just because it still is a looker, but gameplay in my opinion was a lot better than Crysis 2. The game world was bigger, which in turn opened up a lot more options for gameplay be it stealth, all out action or a healthy blend of both. Plus unlike Crysis 2, the AI in this game was actually good, especially at the higher difficulty settings.

Samsung Galaxy Pro Going for Just Rs. 8,700 on Saholic

We are currently testing the Galaxy Pro and so far it seems like a great option for Rs.10,000. But what if we said you can now buy it for as little as Rs.8,700? Well, head over to Saholic.com where you’ll find the Samsung Galaxy Pro for this reduced price. Not only that, ‘Liking’ their Facebook page will avail you a further Rs.400 discount. Thanks to AndroidOS.in for the heads-up. We are not sure if this is a limited time offer, so you better act fast if you were planning on picking one up. A sweet deal! The Galaxy Pro (B7510) is powered by Android 2.2 and features a 2.8-inch capacitive touchscreen with 3G, Wi-Fi ‘n’ and Bluetooth 3.0. There’s an 800MHz processor running under the hood, which should easily run all your applications smoothly. The best part about this phone is that it sports a physical QWERTY keypad for easier typing. Other features include a 3.0MP camera, A-GPS and Samsung's TouchWiz UI. Stay tuned for our detailed take on the Samsung Galaxy Pro.

Micromax Launches the Van Gogh X450 Mobile Phone

Micromax didn’t really deliver with the Bling 2, but that’s not stopping them from continuing to release budget handsets in the country. Their latest addition is the Van Gogh X450, which they say is India’s first mobile phone to have a built-in Bluetooth Headset dock. An artistic creation? The X450 is a Java-based Dual-SIM mobile phone and has features like a swappable back panel. The specifications aren’t high-end, as you might have guessed by now, but Micromax has priced it pretty low as well. Here’s what the X450 has to offer: 2.6-inch TFT QVGA display screen Bluetooth 2 megapixel camera Memory expandable to 8 GB FM Radio 3.5 mm audio jack The phone has a multi-format audio and video player. It also allows you to access the internet through Opera Mini web browser and have instant messaging services like Facebook, Yahoo, MSN etc. through eBuddy. The battery looks decent for an entry level phone with the X450 having a 1000 mAh battery to juice it up. The X450 is priced at Rs. 3,499, and is available at your nearest mobile phone retail store.

LAVA Announces M30 Music Handset with Yamaha PA speakers

LAVA International Ltd., one of India’s fastest growing brands in the mobile phone industry have recently unveiled the LAVA M30 music handset. LAVA states that this latest offering is designed exclusively to bring a rich and exhilarating sound experience that proves to be a delight for music lovers. This handset features SRS WOW HD Technology and Yamaha PA speakers and can support music formats like MP3, MIDI, AMR, WAV and AAC.

The M30 handset with SRS WOW HD Technology and Yamaha PA Speakers

In addition to this the LAVA M30 also features a 3.5mm audio jack, whereby it can be connected to a variety of headphones, earphones or speakers. The phone also features IPS screen technology that allows users to have viewing angles and real colour pictures at a 178 degree angle.

Speaking on the M30 handset, Mr. Sunil Raina, CMO, LAVA International Ltd., said that they realized that consumers wanted to have improved audio clarity with reduced background noise to effectively maximize speaker output. They are thus thrilled to bring SRS WOW HD to the M Series mobile phones to deliver an unparalleled multimedia experience that is both impressive and natural.

The additional features of the LAVA M30 include:

• 2.2-inch QVGA Hi-brightness IPS Screen (178 degree wide viewing angle)
• 2 mega pixel camera
• Metallic Body
• Earphone sharing hub
• G-Sensor
• Dual Sim (GSM + GSM)
• Bluetooth
• Snaptu Opera Mini Web Browser
• Used as a web cam / PC Sync
• Auto call recording
• Java Enabled
• Micro SD Card support up to 8GB
• Privacy lock
• 1200Mah Battery

LAVA claims that to provide consumers a first-hand experience of superior music quality of M30, the brand has installed 1500 LAVA M30 Experience Zones pan India. The LAVA M30 is available at a maximum retail price of Rs. 4,499.