Rumour: Google Maps for iOS 6 is under development

Good news for those iPhone users who updated to iOS 6 and had to live with the the default navigation tool which Apple had provided. A new report suggests that Google is preparing a new Maps app for the iPhone and it might soon it the iTunes App Store.

Since its launch in 2007 Google Maps had been the default maps and navigation app on the iPhone, however with iOS 6 Apple decided to replace it with its own solution. Many of us know that it didn’t go very well. Now a report on WSJ claims that Google is currently working on its Maps app for iOS 6 and they are working on its final bits before submitting it to the App Store for Apple’s approval. WSJ claims that source of this information is someone who has direct knowledge about the project. However, this person said that it was not clear when Google will actually make their submission to Apple. An Apple spokesperson refused to comment on an app that has not been submitted for approval; whereas a spokesperson for Google gave little in terms of new information.

Even Nokia recently submitted its own maps and navigation solution called ‘Here’ to the App Store, this will be available for free in a few weeks. The report also suggests that the new Google Maps app will features turn-by-turn navigation which was missing in the previous default versions.

Read More

Zebronics launches affordable Bluetooth headset at Rs. 449

Long conversations on a modern smartphone can be fatigue-inducing, especially if you're holding a phablet sized device. Zebronics has announced the availability of an affordable new Bluetooth headset that's retailing at the price of a wired hands-free unit, with a claimed wireless range of 10 metres and a built-in re-chargeable battery.

Weighing just 7 grams, the ZEB-BH500 integrates a rechargeable polymer lithium ion battery which the company claims can provide 2.5 hours of talk time and up to 85 hours of standby time. The unit provides stereo sound, includes a secure ear hook. The unit ships with a USB charging cable, and a 1-year warranty for Rs 449.

Read More

Nokia Lumia 920 will not launch in India in November

Nokia had previously announced that India will be included in the first wave of the Lumia 920 launch globally, however not it seems that this is not the case.

While Nokia had previously sent out a global press release stating that the Lumia 920 will launch in India in November. Apparently (as reported by BGR India), India was not supposed to be listed and it was an error.
Nokia India will announce the availability of the device once they have finalized a launch date and it also seems that the devices are currently being tested by Indian carriers before they hit the market.

Read More

Lenovo release new AiO, starts under 30K

Lenovo has a new entry-level All-in-One desktop in the ThinkCenter Edge series. Going by the specs, this model seems to be designed to be a web-access terminal, or a kiosk. The ThinkCentre Edge 62Z has an 18.5-inch (1366x768px) Intel Core i3-2120 Processor, 2.0GB RAM, 500GB HDD storage, DVD drive, and Wireless N radio. The AiO appears to ship without any USB ports or keyboard, but it does include an optical mouse. The Lenovo website has the starting price of ThinkCentre 62Z listed as Rs.27,973.

Read More

BBM service gets free VoIP calls

Research in Motion appears to be sharping its blades for the crucial Blackberry 10 release that is currently tracking launch date of January 30. The company has released an update that adds VoIP call option to its BBM service for all users. However, such voice calls can only be made over Wi-Fi networks, not the mobile carrier’s network. The update is currently available for BlackBerry v6 or higher, while v5 will get a similar update at a later date.

RIM hopes that this feature will be a welcome addition in developing markets, where the company is still making a decent buck. They appear to be doing brisk business in countries such as South Africa, Nigeria and Indonesia, which has helped increase the company’s overall subscribers. This bit of revelation came as a surprise during the latest earnings disclosure, and made the company’s overall situation seem that much more hopeful.

Read More

India ranks second at requesting user data from Google

When it comes to snooping on its netizens, India ranks second after the US, according to the latest stats disclosed by Google in its Transparency Report. Google complied with 2319 user data requests out of a total of 3,467 account requests from the Indian government. Google also complies with data removal requests from the court and police - between January and June this year, there were 20 court orders and 64 requests from executive/police that resulted in 596 items being taken down from its web properties. 

Google first launched the Transparency Report initiative in early 2010. Since then, there has been a rise in government requests to hand over user data, from 12,539 requests in 2009 to 20,938 inquiries from government entities around the world. As Google notes, Dropbox, Twitter, and LinkedIn are other notable web properties that publish user data and removal requests

Read More

Nokia PureView 808 now retailing under 25k

Nokia’s 41 megapixel camera smartphone called the PureView 808 has now received a major price cut. The device which has initially priced at Rs. 33,899 is now up for grabs for just Rs. 24,999.

The device was first announced at MWC 2012 earlier this year and arrived in India in the month of June. It features Nokia’s award-winning PureView technology with Carl Zeiss optics and a powerful Xenon flash. It also features rich record which helps record CD-like audio quality and full HD 1080p video recording.

Other specifications includes a 4-inch AMOLED ClearBlack display with Gorilla Glass protection, it runs Nokia Belle OS and is powered by a 1.3GHz single-core processor. The device is now up for grabs with the new pricing with online retailer Saholic.

Read More

Acer Chromebook on sale for under $200

Chromebooks may not the hottest thing right now, but Google does not appear to give up just yet. The company has teamed up with Acer to release the C7 Chromebook that is expected to go on sale for under 200 dollars, through the Google Play store. Acer may have skimped on the central processor to keep the price under $200, but otherwise the machine has respectable specs for what it is meant to be.

The laptop has 11.6-inch, 1366x768 screen, 1.1GHz Intel Celeron 847 processor with 2MB L3 cache, 2GB of DDR3 memory, and 320GB of HDD storage. The C7 comes with 802.11 a/b/g/n, three USB 2.0 sockets, HDMI and VGA connectors, and an SD card reader. In addition to Google Play, the Acer C7 is also expected to be available through Amazon (UK).

Read More