IBLOG SPACE

In my possession I have HTC’s latest attempt at a slider. This here is the myTouch 4G Slide running over on T-Mobile with those super fast 4G speeds. It takes everything you liked about the myTouch 4G and adds those few features we liked in the 3G slide and poof — we have the myTouch 4G Slide. This bad boy has a dual-core 1.2 Ghz CPU and a slide out QWERTY keyboard to keep you all busy. I must admit though, the camera is pretty neat too. Head on past the break for more details! So you guys can get a quick idea of the hardware I’ll start with the unbox video and then move on to the good stuff. myTouch 4G Slide hands-on and unbox video: Hardware This phone comes to you with the same great build quality HTC is known for. As soon as you handle it for a few minutes and truly get a feel for it you will already feel like you’ve got your moneys worth. It might be slightly heavy but you should be expecting that with a hardware slide out keyboard device. Now down to the good stuff. This phone pa

Time to grab your Androids and equip them with pistols, all you cyber-attack ladies and gentlemen, because the Pentagon has decided to tap the ON button on when it comes to defending the United States Government when it comes to hacking. On Thursday, Pentagon officials announced that it would begin treating “cyberspace” as an operational domain, the same as land, sea, and air. This comes amid, but not directly in response to, an announcement that the Pentagon had very recently lost 24,000 files in a major network breach. Earlier this year we spoke of how the Pentagon was setting the stage for military action against cyber attacks. That column contained the now-infamous military official spoken line: “If you shut down our power grid, maybe we will put a missile down one of your smokestacks.” At the time, the Pentagon had many issues to deal with such as finding the origin of attacks made and decisions including how to decide if an attack is serious enough to be considered an act of war.

Recent reports suggest that Sony’s PlayStation 4 may already be in the works with suppliers revealing that production could start by the end of 2011 with Foxconn and Pegatron at the helm of assembly. In the wake of the PlayStation Network disaster, many believe that Sony will need the PS4 to turn things around ASAP. But what might the PS4 look like? Designer Joseph Dumary has conjured up a very futuristic-looking PS4 concept that’s also very eco-friendly—but what design concepts aren’t these days? He imagines the new console to be composed of 60% recyclable materials, to use 0 watts during standby mode, and to have a ECO Restart function that saves games, turns off the console, and can resume exactly where the user left off without a need for a full reboot. His PS4 concept would also have the console automatically shut off primary power after each 30-minute period of gameplay to draw energy from a rechargeable battery for 5 minutes. The console connects wirelessly to any DPConnect TV a

Earlier this week, Apple filed a new complaint against HTC with the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) in a second attempt at alleging patent infringement. Today, the ITC, which has the power to ban the importation of goods into the U.S., ruled that HTC has been infringing on 2 of the 4 patents asserted by Apple. This development has greater implications that could affect other Android device makers. According to Florian Mueller of Foss Patents, the ITC decision today was an “initial determination” that would still require review by a six-member Commission. The original complaint involved ten patents but has been whittled down to four, with now two found as being infringed. Although specific infringing devices were called out, mainly HTC models released prior to the new roster announced at February’s MWC 2011 conference, the patents involved appear to be at the core of Android making it highly likely to be infringed by all Android devices. The two patents are No. 5,946,647, a “s

Apple has a lot of rumored revamps coming up, including new MacBook Airs, new Apple TVs, and even new LED Cinema Displays. This could mean a lot of the older models will start to be discounted, which could be partly why Amazon UK has just dropped pricing across the board for almost all of their Apple products. As of this writing, a search for Apple products on Amazon UK reveals many Apple products with prices cut back, even if only by a few British pounds. Considering the exchange rate, however, that translates to quite a bit more in savings when it comes to US dollars. Unfortunately, a similar search on the US Amazon store doesn’t show quite the same savings. Several items do have the prices reduced but not by nearly as much. This is an interesting development since Apple recentlyraised app prices in the UK.

Early Friday saw a surge in share prices for the internet giant Google after a rather important earning’s call the day before. This Q2 earnings call saw several announcements burst forth including $9 billion in revenue, this beating their expected $8.6 billion in earnings by a significant among. This revenue growth, being a 32% jump from just last year, had investors toasting on Friday as Google shares (GOOG) jumped as much as 13.5 percent. Shares of Google’s stock grew to as much as $600.25 early in the day on July 15, this being pre-2011 levels on the Nasdaq. If this gain stands by the end of the day, it will be the largest single-day gain Google has had for shares since October of 2008. Certainly something to be joyous about, this right aside announcements of monstrous early growth in the company’s brand new social networking site Google+. This site, it was reported yesterday, already has 1 billion items shared per day by over 10 million users. On the Google Mobile front, Android wa

HP’s first flagship webOS smartphone, the Pre 3, which is oddly being released months after the HP Veer, is tipped to launch on July 21 on both Verizon and AT&T. That’s only a week away, and now the company has updated their website to reveal a spec boost for the handset. This fuels rumors of a price bump and a possible delay until August. We first got our hands on the device back in February when it was slated to run on a 1.4GHz Qualcomm Scorpion single-core processor. But the new specs posted by HP now list the handset as running on a 1.2GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon dual-core processor. It’s believed that this could be the cause of the delay, as the device was slated for a July 8 UK launch that didn’t pan out. Other specs remain the same, so don’t be expecting a major revamp like we’ve seen with the Motorola DROID Bionic, which had a complete facelift. The Pre 3 will still have a 3.6-inch WVGA (800×400) display along with a slide-out QWERTY keyboard and will ship with WebOS 2.2.

Now that AT&T is finally ramping up it 4G LTE network to catch up with Verizon, you might think that you’ll soon have more carrier options or roaming freedom if you pick up a 4G LTE handset. This, however, is not true. Verizon recently confirmed that its LTE phones will not be compatible on other LTE networks in the US. Although the new 4G LTE system runs on SIM cards much like how we’re used to with GSM networks, which leads one to think that its possible to simply swap one LTE handset for the other, the incompatibility has to do with differing frequencies between the two carriers. Verizon’s LTE network runs at 746-787Mhz while AT&T’s LTE network runs at 704-746MHz. There is some overlap, but not much. Additionally, Verizon still uses its 2G/3G system for routing voice calls while AT&T uses GSM/HSPA. This means that both networks will also have to transition to fully using voice-over-LTE before they can be compatible. It’s possible for carriers to build phones that can acc

RIM had just announced earlier this week that it will be launching seven new BlackBerry OS 7 smartphones this year in an attempt to assuage the concerns of shareholders. They include the BlackBerry Bold 9900, theBlackBerry Monza, and the BlackBerry Torch 2, which has just passed through the FCC. The BlackBerry Torch 2 is listed as model number RDM71UW in the FCC documents where it’s shown to support GSM 850 an 1900 bands along with WCDMA bands II and V. This confirms that the device will be heading to AT&T, which isn’t too surprising since its predecessor was also carried by AT&T. However, there’s no mention as to whether the device will support HSPA+ or have NFC. Images and specs for the device have turned up before, including a hands-on video. It’s said to be a big improvement on the original BlackBerry Torch, now with a 3.2-inch touchscreen display that has a 640×480 resolution, running on a 1.2GHz processor with 768MB RAM, 8GB internal memory, and a 5-megapixel camera.

Rumors for an upcoming MacBook Air revamp alongside Mac OS X Lion are so prominent that we’ve pretty much accepted their launch next week as fact. However, other rumors on upcoming Mac Pro, Mac Mini, and even a revamped white MacBook keep flip flopping. The part numbers leaked earlier in the week are now believed to be new Apple LED Cinema Displays. The part number MC914LL/A-J59 was originally thought to be that of a new white MacBook with a Thunderboltport. But now Apple has partially confirmed that it is actually a new Apple LED Cinema Display after it posted a new image of the display to its product page and identified it in the URL as “MC914.” The new display looks identical to the current model except that the promotional images show it displaying a Lion desktop rather than a Snow Leopard one. And the biggest change is that the mini display port on the back is now replaced by the blazing fast 10Gbps Thunderbolt connector port. Additional images spotted by MacRumors show a MacBook

Google’s Android Market was just revamped this past week with a new layout, easier navigation, and the addition of books and movies. But still missing, was a music offering. However, delving into the resource files for the updated marketplace revealed evidence of an upcoming Google music store. After months of delays from unsuccessful negotiations with record label companies, Google seemed to have launched a very incomplete music service, which they aptly labeled as beta. It launched during the I/O conference back in May, but has since generated very little buzz—quite the opposite from its Google+ social platform. Without record label support, the service could only function as a music locker unable to sell music. But is that about to change? Some files discovered in the Android Market update are either signs that Google may have finally swayed record labels or are simply planning ahead. In the resource files where the Market app calls its graphics, there are various items including sh

Apple today released the iOS 4.3.4 update for the iPhone 3GS, both the GSM and CDMA versions of the iPhone 4, both generations of the iPad, and the third and fourth generation iPod touch. The update came as promised to fix the PDF security loophole and to block the JailbreakMe iPhone unlocking tool. The PDF vulnerability issue was brought to attention by Germany’s national IT security agency. They warned that downloading infected PDF files could allow hackers to take control of your entire device, which includes accessing your email, texts, and even listening in on phone conversations. The JailbreakMe tool was another issue that Apple was planning to nix. Since the iOS 4.3.3 update the once blocked iPhone unlocking tool was accessible again via the Safari mobile web browser of your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch. Simply navigating to the website and following the directions will let you jailbreak your iPhone. iOS 4.3.4 is categorized as a security update and does not include any new featu

This upcoming Sunday will be a major day for women’s soccer as the US team advances to the World Cup finals to play against Japan. Never before has women’s soccer generated as much excitement as with last few intense wins that brought US and Japan face to face for the final showdown. And to keep up with it all? There’s an app for that. To prepare and brush up on the women’s World Cup stats, make sure to check out the Women’s Soccer 2011iPhone app. It will give you all the women’s soccer news, scores, team info, and even video highlights leading up to the finals. To watch the game live you can download the WatchESPN app or get updates with the ESPN ScoreCenter app. If all the views of Germany are piquing your interest for an overseas vacation, you can check out apps like theGermany Travel Guide. Or, if you want to improve your own game by learning from the best, you can try apps like Get in the Game. But if you’d rather stay on the comforts of your couch, you can still play some soccer

There is me, and there is you. There is also that guy over there. The one looking at us. He’s watching us and listening to our conversation. I have friends. You have friends. He’s on the phone. Maybe he’s talking to his friends, telling them all about us. Here are some pictures I took. Let me see pictures of your baby. Why is that guy looking at my pictures? Aren’t you creeped out that he’s checking out pictures of your baby? Maybe you shouldn’t show them to me here. It’s not very private. Why don’t we take this discussion online. [Original image: Nikos Providakis] There is Facebook, and there is Twitter. Now, there is also Google+. LinkedIn is hanging around somewhere, and he just hit the lottery, so he’s buying drinks. There is Foursquare, wandering around outside. There is Reddit. She’s kind of a know-it-all. MySpace is standing in the corner, jamming on a guitar, but nobody is listening. I think Friendster has moved to Asia, but I can’t be more specific. Haven’t seen him in a long

Yesterday was yet another dark day for most Mumbaikars as they journeyed home in the evening with blasts at certain key populated areas, the resilient Mumbaikar was put to the test yet again.  Apnadesi  takes a look at how some of our filmi folk responded to the terror. Amitabh Bachchan:  "Prayers! And more prayers! Is that all we can ever do in situations like this...? Feel helpless and frustrated ...!" Ram Gopal Varma:  "When he heard about last nites blasts I wonder what kasab felt?" Priyanka Chopra:  "I'm so saddened by whats happened in Mumbai... My heart wrenches at the thought of what the families of the victims r going thru...its so wrong. Why do we have to always accept this terrorism...why are we always told to move on. I WONT STAND FOR TERROR ANYMORE...and I WILL NOT FORGET! I wish I was back in my city to share this grief... MUMBAI MERI JAAN..!" Tarun Mansukhani:  "Mumbai bleeds yet again! We're all angry... But I pray that

Wearing shorts and a T-shirt that reads, "Powered by Tofu", Amrita Rao appears in a sexy new pro-vegetarian ad for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) India. In the ad, which was shot by Gaurav C Bhat and styled by Swapnil Shinde, Rao proudly proclaims, "I Am Amrita Rao, and I Am a Vegetarian". Rao is best known for her girl-next-door appeal and for her role in the film  Vivah , in which she stars opposite fellow vegetarian and PETA supporter Shahid Kapoor. "I call being vegetarian the 'Wow Rao' diet. Wow because I know that being vegetarian is the best thing I can do for myself, the animals and the environment," says Amrita, "Pulses can get pulses racing, while corpse cuisine slows you down. Kick the meat habit and you'll look and feel better than ever." Why is Rao leading the charge to go vegetarian? "For one thing, vegetarians are, on average, fitter and trimmer than meat-eaters are, so the best thing th

'Shake You Out' is the headline that actually catches you by your eyeballs... in the latest issue of Maxim. And they have all the reasons to have a headline like that, for the simply sultry Anushka Sharma is on the cover. Need to say that the pictures are as hot as the standards of Maxim...and Anushka does full justice to the same. And for all you guys out there, this is what she said about the qualities that she looks for in a man. She wants to be with someone who is extremely secure as a person. That person has to be someone who can deal with the success of his woman and doesn't get upset seeing her accolades! And for those who dream to go out on a dream date with this dream girl, here are the certain dos and don'ts! She would like the guy (means the 'date') to dress well, smell good and be courteous. In all, she is looking for that 'total gentleman'! And for all of you who always yearned to know the secret of her smoking hot looks, she reveals, &q

After  Bheja Fry 2 , director Sagar Ballary is back with his new outing  Hum Tum Shabana . The romantic comedy stars Tusshar Kapoor, Shreyas Talpade and Minissha Lamba along with Sanjay Mishra and Satish Kaushik. From the first look, it seems that this is yet another fun ride in which both Tusshar and Shreyas and vying for Minissha's attention. Tusshar and Shreyas had the audience in splits the last time they shared screen space together in  Golmaal Returns  and  Golmaal 3 . If they can once again tickle the audiences' funny bone with their antics,  Hum Tum Shabana  may be well worth your ticket price. The film releases on September 23rd 2011.

Saif Ali Khan would have to hold on to his thoughts for a while. That's because before him, it would be Imran Khan proposing love to Kareena Kapoor. He has chosen just the appropriate moment for that as well. It would happen on the weekend leading to the Valentine's Day when he would indulge in a  Short Term Shaadi  with his leading love. "It couldn't have been a better day than this to release this young rom-com", informs a source, "This is for the first time that Imran and Kareena are coming together and the day of their arrival was always supposed to be special. Now after much deliberation, Karan Johar and his director Shakun Batra have formed up plans for the film. It would make for a romantic Valentines outing." For the uninitiated, we had broken the news around a month ago that how the film, which was originally slated for October release, was all set to be moved since Kareena couldn't have afforded two films in a single month (her  Ra.One

It's not even twenty four hours and all Imran Khan fans are going mad. I'm not even considering the nationwide and worldwide Katrina 'beautiful legs' fans! But hey, when you have a double whammy, it doesn't get more interesting, cheesy, entertaining and filmy as Yash Raj Film's next. A couple of days ago, I met Imran Khan who was in an ecstatic mood for two reasons. For the moment, he'll talk about the reason two -  Mere Brother Ki Dulhan . "I just saw  Mere Brother Ki Dulhan  two days ago and it's the filmiest thing I've done. It's got massive 'dhinchak' music and it's filmy to the core. The style of the humour in  Mere Brother Ki Dulhan  is the exact opposite of what we've done in  Delhi Belly . Here we've over played everything. But overall, you should enjoy doing a little bit of both I guess", Imran tells me. From his suaveness to the one who is sexy, Imran hasn't spared any of the slimmest heroines from ou

Abhay Deol isn't a cliché. There is something that sets him apart - and it's not the fact that he is one of the many Deols we have in our industry. Abhay has cultivated-whether consciously or not - one of the most idiosyncratic careers in recent memory. In fact, 'remarkable' and 'complicated' are good ways to describe Abhay's body of work thus far. Clichés though, are defined by their predictability, and Abhay, now in his mid thirties, remains as inscrutable as ever. That's why you get a  Manorama Six Feet Under, Dev D, Oye Lucky, Lucky Oye, Road Movie , etc and amongst all these, he still makes way for his forthcoming road trip movie  Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara . Seated in his denims and black tee, Abhay looked rugged sporting a beard. He had just finished a television interview when I entered and immediately uttered, 'Gosh I need some lunch. I am starving. But let's finish the interview quickly.' Now that's where you can never trust Abhay

Karan Johar in conversation with Subhash K. Jha about Amitabh Bachchan,  Student Of The Year , working with new-comers and Ram Gopal Varma. What did you think of Ram Gopal Varma's abusive compliment for Amitabh Bachchan?  Absolutely disgusting. You can't talk about Amitabh Bachchan like that. If you praise him you praise him with utmost dignity. He has more talent in his toenail than all of us have in our entire being. I touch Mr. Bachchan's feet each time I see him. Even if I am undergoing an MRI scan I will get out and touch his feet if I see him. You do NOT call Mr. Bachchan such names. It's downright blasphemous.   You can't talk about Amitabh Bachchan like that   You're triggering off another war with Ramu?  You know, I don't want to say anything about that man. He may again start off. But I think he has become a victim of his own image. I wish Ram Gopal Varma would come back to form as a filmmaker. I want to say to him, 'Dude, you were bril