All posts by Udit Malhotra

Udit Malhotra is fond of Technology, Music, Event Management and Social Media. He has studied in-depth about Mobile & Desktop Platforms and Software Applications thereof. A keen Learner, he draws inspiration from his work experience from a few small businesses and leading global organizations including DELL where he has worked directly at the front-end with Consumers of Technology Products. He enjoys sharing his knowledge by helping other Users. You can also find him on Google+ ! +Udit Malhotra
Computer Software

Firefox Aurora

Leave a comment

We’ve heard about Beta and Alpha Testing , an initiative by The Mozilla.org community is now taking Web Browser Development a step ahead to enhance user experience such the end user gets the best out of their Firefox Web Browser.

Although this posts seems to be a bit late but yet it seemed quite informative for people who would like to experiment, test, and provide feedback on your favorite web browser. Firefox Aurora an interesting platform involving the core user himself to help deliver the best version of Firefox ever made.

For folks who are interested to contribute to both Firefox and The Mozilla Community, download Firefox Aurora to get a pre release of the upcoming newer version of the browser version being developed. Major benefits that one draws is an experimental environment where one can see, feel, and provide feedback on bugs, likes, dislikes and overall improvements, also getting an access to a vast range of developer tools which are planning to be implemented.  Focus on newer and distinguished web technologies i.e. HTML 5 are a few to name of.

This Initiative is also keeping in view the developmental cycle for Firefox, the cycle for a new release stands still with a 6 week developmental process and 12 week stabilization process rather than an yearly release as it used to happen, keeping in view competitors like Chrome and IE.

So Are You In?  For Peeps With a “Yes”

Checkout: http://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/aurora/

 

Updates and Information of current implementations and activities  on pre test versions can also be found on the Mozilla’s Future Release Blog : http://blog.mozilla.com/futurereleases/

Users also have an option to subscribe by email for updates, pre-releases (Aurora Releases) , Beta Releases, Final Version.

Android Tablets

Kindle Fire and Barnes & Nobles Nook Tablets : Quick Comparison

Leave a comment

Kindle Fire and Barnes & Nobles Nook Tablets have been launched back to back. However, the competition between these Products does not seem to be tough at all.

Kindle Fire comes at a low cost of $199, Nook is priced slightly higher at $249.

Compare the Features and Specifications of both these Products and you will realize, it is worth spending 50 Dollars extra for buying the Nook.

A quick comparison of the Features and Specifications of both the Products is given below:

Features and
Specifications		 Amazon
Kindle Fire 		Barnes & Nobles
Nook
Screen Size 7”. IPS
1024 x 600		 7”. Vivid View IPS
1024 x 600
Processor 1GHz TI OMAP 4
Dual Core		 1GHz TI OMAP 4Dual Core
RAM 512MB 1GB
Internal Memory 8GB Total
~6GB for Amazon Content		 16GB Total
13GB for B&N Content2GB for System Apps
Available Memory ~2GB 1GB
Home Screen Button No Physical Button Has a Physical Button
OS Android
Gingerbread 2.3
Customized for Amazon		 Android
Gingerbread 2.3
Customized for B&N
SD Card Slot No
Storage on the Cloud with Amazon EC2 Technology		 YesSupports SD cards for up to 32GB Storage
Applications
Downloadable from		 Amazon AppStore Nook Apps
Dimensions (Size) 7.5 x 4.7 x .45” 8.1 x 5.0 x .48”
Streaming Services and
Applications		 Netflix, Hulu Plus, Pandora, Amazon Cloud, Media Player, Amazon Prime, etc. Netflix, Hulu Plus, Pandora, etc.
Document formats Kindle (AZW), TXT, PDF, unprotected MOBI, PRC natively, DOC, DOCX ePub, PDF, LS, DOC, PPT, TXT, DOCM, XLSM, PPTM, PPSX, PPSM, DOCX, XLX, PPTX
Media Playback Audible (Audible Enhanced AA, AAX), JPEG, GIF, PNG, BMP, non-DRM AAC, MP3, MIDI, OGG, WAV, MP4, VP8 MP4, Flash, 3GP, 3G2 MKV, WEBM (Video Codecs: H.264, MPEG-4, H.263, VP8), JPG, GIF, PNG, BMP, MP3, MP4, AAC, AMR, WAV, OGG (Audio Codecs MP3, AAC, AMR, LPCM, OGG Vorbis)
Battery Backup
(With Wi-Fi Disabled)		 8 Hrs.
of Reading Time
or
7.5 Hrs. of Video Playback.		 11.5 Hrs.
of Reading Time
or
9 Hrs. of Video Playback.

OS

Symbian Belle – Buzz All Around !

Leave a comment

Symbian Belle is the buzz that has been around for while with many devices already been launched and  some models due for an upgrade. The  Nokia 600, Nokia 700, and Nokia 701 are the devices that are ready to use with Symbian Belle.

Why does one need to migrate from Symbian 3^(Build Anna) to Symbian Belle?

The UI has changed to a reasonable extent considering the Symbian development cycle is finished. Nokia has still made an attempt to make sure that it cares of its existing users.

Tops Visible Changes Include:

  • Flexible Widgets
  • Smooth Sweep
  • Notifications Bar
  • Toggle Widgets
  • Modernized Menu
  • Contacts
  • Flexible  Widgets

If we compare the home screens of a Symbian Anna and Belle based device, the widgets on a Belle based device are more flexible and easy to customize leaving the user with ample space and adjustment options and making the phone more personal. The image below is an example of the customization options.

  • Smooth Sweep

The Overall improvements have led to a smoother interface where once can switch between home screens at a faster speed without an inconvenience, although this might vary on handsets depending on display type and the overall  hardware performance.

  • Notifications Bar

The Notifications Bar  is similar to the Android operating system, the top swipe displays a menu providing access to Mobile Data, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Messages and Missed Calls which is comparatively much better than Symbian Anna.

 

  • Toggle Widgets

Toggle widgets are a great way to make things easier which includes Wi-Fi On/Off , NFC, GPS, and Packet Data widget. Toggle between services to enable or disable them.

  • Modernized Menu

The menu design is similar to the Nokia N9. Folder based navigation is no longer a part of the menu, all menu items are accessible within the main menu.

  • Contacts

Contacts have been given a good space and room within the widgets area of different home screens one can add various contact widgets, it includes contacts with larger image and better visibility also the ability to drag an individual contact from one home screen to another.

 

Still Waiting for the Symbian Belle Update for My Nokia E6-00, will keep you posted with an interactive post or a video once I’ve experimented more.

Blackberry Mobiles

RIM Launches 3 New Blackberry Smartphones in India

Leave a comment

Research in Motion (RIM) has launched three new smartphones powered by the Blackberry OS 7. These are the Blackberry Bold 9790, Blackberry Curve 9350, and Blackberry Curve 9380. The Curve 9350 is identical to Curve 9360, the difference being that it is a CDMA phone. The Curve 9380 is Blackberry’s first complete touch phone with an elegant optical track pad and navigation keys, an initiative to attract existing customers and new users to adapt and switch to the all-new multi-touch interface.The Curve 9380 sports a sleek, stylish, and slim design. The Bold 9790 is a touch and type smartphone both offering both a QWERTY keypad a touch interface. A quick review of technical specifications, features and pricing for all newly launched models is found below.

Features

Blackberry Bold

9790

Blackberry Curve

9380

Blackberry Curve

9350 (CDMA)
Display Size

2.45-inch

(480 x 360 pixels)

3.2-inch

(480 x 360 pixels)

2.4-inch

(480 x 360 pixels)
Processor

1 GHz

806 MHz

800 MHz
RAM

768MB

512MB

512MB
Camera

5MP Auto-Focus

With Led Flash

5MP

With Led Flash

5MP

With Led Flash
Video Capture

VGA

(640×480)

VGA

(640×480)

VGA

(640×480)
Expandable Storage

Yes

Micro SD Card Up to 32GB

Yes

Micro SD Card Up to 32GB

Yes

Micro SD Card Up to 32GB
Internal Memory

8GB

512 MB eMMC

512 MB eMMC
Wi-Fi/Bluetooth/3G

Yes/Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes/Yes
A-GPS/GPS/NFC              

Yes/Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes/Yes
HSPDA

Yes

7.2 Mbps

No

No
OS

Blackberry OS 7

Blackberry OS 7

Blackberry OS 7
Media Playback

Multi format audio and video player

Multi format audio and video player

Multi format audio and video player
Talk Time

Up to 5.3 Hrs.

Up to 5.5 Hrs.

Up to 5.5 Hrs.
Dimensions (HxWxD)

110 x 60 x 11mm

109 x 60 x 11mm

109 x 60 x 11mm
Weight

107g

98g

99g
 Price (INR)

27,490

20,990

20,990