Tata Indicom launches unlimited plan for subscribers

CDMA service provider, Tata Indicom has announced the launch of a new plan for its postpaid customers in Delhi. Named as the Unlimited 1299, the new postpaid plan offers unlimited benefits to its customers allowing them to make unlimited local and national calls on any mobile/ fixed line network across India along with 3000 SMS and unlimited roaming benefits within home network circles only.

The pack also comes with bundles Internet data access as well with up to 3 GB of free usage. Post 3 GB, data will be charged at 30 paisa per MB to the users of the Plan 1299. Also post the limit of 3000 messages, users will be charged at Rs 1 for local and Rs 1.50 for national SMS, while international SMSes will be charged at Rs 5.00.

Commenting on this product offer, Ajit Chaturvedi, hub head, Tata Indicom (Delhi), said, "The move comes from a strategic intent of making the brand relevant for the high value customers. Tata Indicom in continuance with offering value for money offers and distinct approach has liberated the consumer from the conditions that used to limit an unlimited plan."

This is a plan application only for new customers only and older users cannot migrate to this plan.

Lenovo Ideapad A1000 launched for Rs 8,999

The Lenovo tablet Ideapad A1000, has just joined the legion of voice calling slates thronging the Indian marketplace. It sports a pretty reasonable price tag for the specifications it boasts of even if the plain exterior may look less than inspired.

The A1000 Ideapad runs on Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean and a dual core MediaTek processor moving at a clock speed of 1.2GHz. Its front panel is mostly given to a 7-inch capacitive multi-touch screen which delivers visuals in a 1024 x 600p resolution. The manufacturer has only dropped one camera onto the device, a 0.3MP front sensor that sits above the display. The back of the A1000 hides a 3500mAh battery which will apparently render more than 8 hours of browsing over Wi-Fi.

For people who prefer a super sized handset over a regular smartphone, this Lenovo Ideapad may be a tablet at heart, but it has voice calling to offer. The system works on 1GB of RAM and features 4GB of onboard memory. To keep users from feeling the pinch when it comes to storage space for their entertainment content, the company has also thrown in a microSD card slot for allowing up to 32GB of additional locker room.

The Lenovo A1000 can be purchased for a price of Rs 8,999 whenever it is back on shelves. We’re wondering whether the quickly nailed up ‘Out of stock’ sign on the company’s store has anything to do with an oversight. What are the odds of the device having been sold out in India so fast? Even Flipkart is only accepting pre-orders for the tablet at present.

WhatsApp goes free on iOS, gets new features

Popular mobile messaging service, WhatsApp, has finally gone free on iOS. While it was always free on Android, WhatsApp used to cost $0.99 on iOS, which also made it among the all-time top 10 revenue grossing apps on the App Store. Despite growing competition in the mobile messaging space, WhatsApp has maintained its leadership, claiming over 250 million monthly active users with more than 27 billion messages processed in a single day.
The move of making WhatsApp free on iOS is particularly interesting considering its paid status would have been a barrier for a big chunk of iPhone users especially in emerging markets who don’t buy paid apps from the App Store. However, WhatsApp is not exactly free as it would charge $1 every year after the first year. That’s the same case with Android, though we are yet to hear of anyone who’s been charged after the first year and the free period automatically gets extended.
WhatsApp remains one of the few free services that doesn’t make revenues by serving ads to users. (WhatsApp’s co-founder Jan Koum explains why WhatsApp doesn’t sell ads here.) It also does not advertise its services anywhere, unlike rival WeChat that has roped in football star Lionel Messi as its brand ambassador.
Setting the iPhone app free could be WhatsApp’s way of responding to competition for the moment while it prepares to release new features. The latest update, for instance, adds the ability to share multiple photos and backup chats on iCloud. We here the company is also working on features like push-to-talk, which could be released in the near future. You can now download WhatsApp on your iPhone for free from here.

HP launches new touch-enabled notebooks, PCs in India

Hewlett-Packard India today announced the launch of six new touch-enabled consumer personal systems products, including notebooks, detachables and all-in-one PCs.

HP SlateBook x2 and HP Split x2 offer the full functionality of a notebook with a removable screen that transform into a tablet. The tablet part is powered by the Android, while the notebook is powered by Microsoft Windows 8 operating systems.

HP SlateBook x2

The HP SlateBook x2 has an advanced magnetic hinge design and dual battery system, one battery in the base and one in the tablet, which helps users to switch from notebook to tablet and back, even while on the go.

The SlateBook x2 features Android Jelly Bean 4.2.2. Equipped with an NVIDIA Tegra 4 mobile processor, the SlateBook x2 enables people to access the TegraZone app and experience Tegra 4-optimized games. The 10.1-inch HD touchscreen device also includes up to 64 GB of storage. The HP SlateBook x2 is available in India at a price point of Rs 39,990

HP Split x2

The HP Split x2 is a two-in-one detachable PC that has Windows 8 operating system and an Intel Core processor. The vibrant 13.3-inch diagonal HD touchscreen display makes it easier to view and share content with friends and family and play games.

A hard disk in the base expands storage capacity while dual batteries allow people to stay mobile.

The HP Split x2 also offers a 2-megapixel HP TrueVision Full HD webcam. The device is priced at Rs 64,990.

HP ENVY Rove20

The HP ENVY Rove20 mobile All-in-One PC is the company's first mobile all-in-one PC, which frees the desktop PC from the desk and allows users to enjoy a shared entertainment experience with a built-in battery and advanced touch technology.

The device can easily move from upright to completely horizontal for a tabletop entertainment experience. Multiple people can interact with games and more at the same time. Multiplayer games such as Monopoly and JigsWar Puzzle can easily be played when the PC is laid flat.

The 10-point touch enabled 20-inch diagonal IPS widescreen HD+ (1600 x 900) LED backlit display that enables wide viewing angles. Powered by 4th generation Intel Core processors, Intel HD graphics and 10-point touch, the device has been priced at Rs 69,990.

HP Pavilion 11 TouchSmart Notebook

The HP Pavilion 11 TouchSmart Notebook is thin and light to carry. With a quad-core processor, the notebook features an Ano silver lid finish that opens to reveal a midnight black metal interior. It is priced at Rs 31,990.

HP ENVY TouchSmart 14 Ultrabook

HP said that the ENVY TouchSmart 14 Ultrabook has up to nine hours of battery life. With dual speakers, and a subwoofer, the ultrabook is designed for a rich audio experience available on a PC. The product boasts excellent graphics thanks to NVIDIA discrete graphics and 2GB of video memory. It is priced at Rs 64,990.

Multi OS devices

The HP Slate 21 All-in-One offers a large 21.5-inch full HD diagonal reclining IPS touchscreen with wide-viewing angles. The product is priced at Rs 24,990.

Nokia Lumia 1020 online pre-orders sell out for AT&T

On Tuesday, AT&T started accepting pre-orders for the Nokia Lumia 1020. Demand was so heavy for the camera-centric smartphone that someone who ordered the device shortly after the online site went live, found out that he was too late as the phone had sold out. As early as 8:42am Tuesday morning, AT&T had sent him an email to tell him that the model was now on backorder. 

It surely seems as though Nokia and Microsoft have a winner here (the two are definitely intertwined in a way that Samsung and Google never will be), and the unsaid notion is that this is another nail in the coffin of BlackBerry. After iOS and Android take their slice of the pie, there is a limited amount of dessert left over. If Windows Phone picks up market share, it probably will be at the expense of the Canadian manufacturer whose only response to the Lumia 1020 is the rather tepid BlackBerry A10 Aristo.

The Nokia Lumia 1020 will ship on July 23rd for those lucky enough to get their order in before supplies were all accounted for. An AT&T rep told us on Wednesday night that new orders will be shipped on or around July 25th. The 32GB model of the phone is $299.99 with a signed two-year pact.

The Nokia Lumia 1020 is already sold out at AT&T

source: WMPoweruser 

Exclusive: This Is The AT&T HTC One Mini

The HTC One Mini has been a pretty poorly kept secret for some time now, and while it has previously been rumored as an upcoming AT&T handset, we can now all but confirm this fact - with pictures! This is the AT&T "HTC One mini," (the model name in the settings menu has 'mini' in lower-case) as leaked to us by an anonymous tipster.

  

  

Now, as you'll notice, these photos have various areas blacked out. That's because this is likely a pre-production tester device, and as such, is not 100% exactly what the final handset will look like. Things like Android and Sense version are blurred out, but benchmarks quickly revealed the presence of Android 4.2, and this is obviously Sense 5, likely with the added features the normal One received in its 4.2 update.

  

 

As far as specifications, they're in line with much of what has been leaked to date. A 720p display (presumably 4.3"), dual-core Snapdragon 400 processor (a dual-core Qualcomm CPU with an Adreno 305 GPU makes it the only possible chip), 1GB of RAM, probably 16GB of internal storage (with roughly 11GB usable), Android 4.2 with Sense 5, and LTE connectivity in this particular variant. Our tipster reports that the heft and feel of the handset is largely like that of the normal One, meaning the same mostly-aluminum construction is probably present.

How do we know this is an AT&T handset? Take a look at the "4G LTE" logo above the signal bar in the one photo with a SIM card inserted below - it's a dead giveaway for an AT&T Android phone.

 

So there you have it - the HTC One mini is definitely coming to AT&T, and everything we're seeing here closely tracks previous leaks of the handset. Now it's just a question of when, but we shouldn't have to wait too long - it seems like HTC is slated to announce the One mini tomorrow.

Exclusive first look: Pics of the new Nexus 7

LG makes it official, Optimus is out; LG G2 is coming next

In the middle of last month, we passed along the word that LG was going to remove the Optimus name from its high end models and use it for its low to mid-range devices. That has been made official as word from Seoul reached around the world. Starting with the LG G2, future models in the series will use the letter 'G' to denote that it is a high-end LG model.

LG has already announced, in tandem with Qualcomm, the the latter's Snapdragon 800 will be powering the Korean manufacturer's 'G' series of smartphones. So that means that Qualcomm's top of the line silicon will be under the hood of the LG G2. Additionally, the device will support LTE-A which means a theoretical speed as high as 150Mbps. 

"Our vision is to make LG’s newest G devices synonymous with excellence, raising the bar even further for the ultimate in user experience. The new G2 will build upon the excellent reputation established by previous G Series products."-Dr. Jong-seok Park, president, CEO, LG Electronics Mobile Communications Company

LG also announced that the LG Optimus Vu line, known for its 4:3 aspect ratio, will be simply called Vu. In the U.S., you would know the device as the LG Intuition, which actually got to play a starring role onCelebrity Apprentice this year.

LG's next top shelf model will be the LG G2 as expected

source: LG

Google Play Music All Access and Books expand to new regions

Content stores can be pretty tough work, mostly because of all the licenses that need to be acquired for all of the different countries of the world. While Google Play has done well to get on par with iTunes as far as its app store, Google is still lagging a bit behind in terms of international support for other media like Books and Music.

But, today Google has expanded the reach of Google Play Books as well as Google Play Music All Access. Play Books can now be accessed in Denmark, Czech Republic, Finland, Greece, Hungary, Netherlands, Poland, and Romania. These countries join a respectable number of countries that already had access to books including many major regions like the U.S., Canada, Japan, U.K., France, Italy, Spain, Germany, Brazil, etc. 

Although, the Play Music store has been available in Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Portugal, Spain, and the U.K., Google Play Music All Access has been exclusive to the U.S. so far. But, All Access has finally made it to Australia and New Zealand. That's about another 27 million people that can now get in on All Access.

Yep. That's the whole list. We mentioned that media licensing is tough, right? We're sure Google is hard at work on bigger regions, but it's still good news for some.

source: Google Play Support

Tumblr users on iOS devices urged to update app and change password

To err is human, and in this case with the Tumblr app for iOS, it was a pretty big err. Derek Gottfrid, Tumblr Product Vice President posted on the site’s blog last night urging users of the official iPhone and iPad app to update right away and to update their passwords.

He also noted that the update addresses a problem which might have allowed passwords to be compromised in certain circumstances while providing minimal detail by way of a footnote that read: “’Sniffed’ in transit on certain versions of the app.”

Gottfrid then admonishes users to not use common passwords across different services and suggests using apps like 1Password and LastPass to help manage different passwords for different services without having to memorize everything.

One might think there was some kind of hack or something that prompted the update, but sadly it was not anything so exotic. No, it turns out that the iOS apps for Tumblr were not encrypting or securely transmitting username and password data, meaning anytime you lagged in with iOS app on a public connection (like at an airport or Starbucks) it could be captured with a simple sniffer program.

That the gaping security hole should not have been there in the first place is another discussion, at least Tumblr set things right, however it does not help those whose passwords and user data may have already been sniffed out to this point.

So, get on with things, update your credentials and remember, do not use any of these as new passwords.

source: Tumblr via BetaBeat