Fly C250 CDMA Phone Lands in India


Fly Mobiles has announced the launch of its latest CDMA mobile phone, the C-250, in India. The phone, based on the 800Mhz CDMA frequency, is being touted as an entry level device with a decent array of features.

The phone uses Qualcomm's QC1110 chipset which, the company claims, will offer longer talk times and an overall better power management. In fact, the phone touts a talk time of 8 hours, which sounds good and is more than adequate. The C-250 also happens to be the first phone to be announced that is based on the aforementioned chipset. It is a BREW (Binary Runtime Environment for Wireless) capable phone and for the same reason, supports the application development platform created by Qualcomm that can download and run small programs for playing games, sending messages, sharing photos etc.

Maruti Suzuki: Expect Sales to Grow 10%-12% Next Year

Maruti Suzuki India Ltd. expects sales to grow 10%-12% in the next fiscal through March 31, 2011, its chairman said Wednesday.

"The sales base will be much higher this year, but we still hope next (fiscal) year we should get something around 10%-12% growth," R.C. Bhargava told CNBC-TV18.

He said the company expects sales to grow 18%-20% in the current fiscal year through March 31.

Mozilla to launch web browser for cellphones

Mozilla, the world’s second-largest Internet browser firm, is all set to release its Firefox web browser Fennec for mobile phones next
year, in order to compete with existing rivals including Opera Mini, Safari, Chrome, Nokia, Netfront and Internet Explorer for mobile. The war for browser market share is set to be shifted to the mobile market, experts say.

Globally, on the mobile front, Opera commands the largest market share—about 26%, followed by Safari (22%), Nokia web browser (19%) and iTouch (10%). Other web browsers which may face competition from Fennec will be Netfront, Android, Blackberry and Sony PSP.

However, on desktops Mozilla’s Firefox browser commands a global market share of about 25%. Internet Explorer, commands a majority share of almost 63% while Safari has a market share of about 5%. In India, however, Opera is the clear leader on the mobile with a market share of 63%, followed by Nokia at 26%.

The statistics may change next year as Firefox launches Fennec. On the desktop side Firefox has already captured a market share of 30% in India after Microsoft’s Internet explorer which has a market share of 50%.

Indian market is also quick to adopt new technologies. It’s evident from the fact that relatively new Chrome already has a share of about 11% in India, compared to 5%, globally.

Firefox mobile is expected to be available for most open environments like Android, Nokia’s Maemo, Symbian and Microsoft’s Windows Mobile. Apple’s Safari for iPhones will however be in safe territory as Fennec may not be available on iPhone.

Fennec is expected to include touchscreen support, pop-up blockers with a tabbrowsing interface. Mozilla’s Fennec may also be available for desktops based on Windows and Linux, but the prime focus of it will be the mobile phone, for which it will be optimised.

The earlier browser wars were fought from 1995 onwards when Internet Explorer made Netscape vanish from the marketplace by its sheer dominance in operating systems. The years following 2000 saw erosion of IE’s market share by Google, Opera and Firefox and extinction of Netscape Navigator.

Microsoft has still got the largest market share on desktops. But mobile phones being a generally non monopolistic environment may see more upheaval.

India has launched the D3S, a 12.1 megapixel image sensor camera aimed at professionals. Built upon the Nikon D3, the D3S betters low light photography, courtesy seven stop ISO range of 200 - 12,800. When needed, the D3S expands to the ISO equivalent of 102,400, says Nikon. It also claims to offer new creative options for multi-media movie shooting.


With this camera, users can capture movies at 720p/ 24fps in motion JPEG with stereo sound using the input jack. The file format enables a 'Save Selected' frame option that enables the user to shoot video freely. Also, the D3S contrast detection AF system has also been tuned to provide autofocus support during movie capture and Live View.

Users can watch movies captured on D3S's 3-inch, approx. 921k-dot color, 170" viewing angle LCD monitor.

D3S's start-up time is approx. 0.12 seconds and release time lag is minimised to approx. 0.04 seconds, exactly as fast as the D3, but the D3S's increased buffer memory is twice as large as that of the D3's.




The camera offers five options for Active D-Lighting when shooting high contrast or high key subject matter. Alongside a new Auto setting, users now have four manual control levels; Extra High, High, Normal and Low.

There's also a nifty new Quiet shutter release mode that enables the photographer to mitigate the sound caused by the mirror return. Suitable for wildlife photography and other situations where shutter noise might distract the subject, this innovation again reflects and responds to practical feedback from photographers using Nikon's D3 series cameras.

The D3S uses the EN-EL4a rechargeable batteries that claim to offer a longer battery life in certain shooting conditions, wherein it is capable to shoot upto 4,200 images per charge.

The camera will be sold in India at a MRP of Rs. 2,89,950.




Key features of the Nikon D3S:

* ISO performance: ISO 12800 as standard, expandable to ISO equivalent of 102400
(Hi 3)
* 12.1-megapixel FX-format New and improved D-Movie function
* Improved image sensor cleaning function
* Lateral chromatic aberration reduction: edge-to-edge sharpness
* Active D-Lighting: rescuing tone in highlights and shadows
* Picture Control: custom-tailored tone and color
* Speed and readiness throughout the workflow
* 9-frames-per-second shooting rate in FX-format, 11 fps in DX crop
* Scene Recognition System: enlightened accuracy and intelligence
* 51-point AF: fast and accurate subject acquisition
* Sophisticated AE with highlight analysis
* Informed auto white balance
* Approx. 100 percent frame coverage
* Superior durability
* Twin CF card slots
* Easy-to-access Live View mode
* Quiet Shutter-release mode for nonintrusive shooting
* 3-in., approx. 921k-dot color, 170" viewing angle LCD monitor

Apple iPhone hacker hired by Australian iPhone app developer Mogeneration!

After his high profile ‘stunt’ of creating the first iPhone worm in the world, 21-year-old Ashley Towns, a Wollongong TAFE student, has been hired by Australian iPhone app developer Mogeneration – a move that is being widely despised by security experts!

Towns, the so-called ‘Ikee’ worm creator, caught international attention for developing a program that re-set the wallpaper of a phone to feature a picture of the 1980s pop star Rick Astley. Towns said that theworm he created affects only the ‘jailbroken’ iPhones – the modified iPhones that run applications not approved by Apple.


However, the Ikee worm, though not a malicious one, has supposedly provided the template for the more ominous ‘Duh’ worm, which is designed to steal online banking credentials.

Boasting of his latest accomplishment of having found a job, Towns recently wrote on his Twitter feed that the firm which has hired him touts itself as the “leading iPhone development company” in Australia.

Confirming Towns’ appointment, a Mogeneration spokesman told the BBC: “We interviewed Ashley, assessed him with our iPhone developer test - which he passed with flying colours - and we employed him today.”

Meanwhile, Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant at security firm Sophos, has expressed his disgust at the Mogeneration decision to hire Ashley, and has argued that by giving job to a known hacker, the company is sending out the wrong signal.

India's Tata Group says it is planning to produce hybrid versions of its Nano, billed as the world's cheapest car.

Ratan Tata, the chairman of both Tata Group and Tata Motors - the biggest vehicle producer in India - made the comments on a visit to South Korea.

A hybrid vehicle typically uses two or more distinct power sources to move it, usually petrol or diesel and a battery.

Mr Tata also said that low-priced goods would drive sales faster than high-end ones in India.

And he predicted this so-called price revolution would also continue to spread across the world.

The chairman did not provide any further details on the possible launch of cheap hybrid versions.

The Nano, whose basic model costs 100,000 rupees ($2,155; £1,306), was first delivered in India in July this year.

A British company has unveiled the world's most expensive mobile phone -- a gold iPhone encrusted with nearly 200 diamonds that retails at a hefty 1.92 million pounds, or Rs 14.7 crore.

he phone, designed by Stuart Hughes for the Liverpool-based Goldstriker International, is made from 22-carat gold.

It has 136 diamonds in the front bezel and an Apple logo made out of no fewer than 53 diamonds.

The phone's front navigation button comprises a rare diamond of 7.1 carats. The phone, which took over ten months to make, ships with a seven kg chest crafted from a single block of granite, offset with Kashmir gold and lined with Nubuck leather on the inside.

Called the iPhone 3G Supreme, it was reportedly commissioned by an anonymous Australian businessman.