IBLOG SPACE

RIM has launched BlackBerry 7 this morning, along with five BlackBerry handsets, but Messenger (BBM) remains at the heart of RIM’s OS push. The company claims to be seeing 48 new users signing up to the instant-messaging service every second. Meanwhile, RIM is also pressing home its minimal data footprint, suggesting that as carrier caps become more pressing, it’s even more important that phones use less data. ”Those [unlimited allowance] days are gone as we see the explosive growth in mobile data” the company suggested. What remains to be seen is whether BlackBerry 7′s charms will be sufficient to turn around the Canadian company’s slumping smartphone share. With Android and iOS sparring for the top spot, Symbian on its final legs and HP yet to make the most of its webOS acquisition, RIM will need to match its new platform with compelling hardware if it wants to remain relevant.

RIM has announced its new BlackBerry range, with five handsets (three models, five variants) including May’s BlackBerry Bold 9900/9930 , and the new BlackBerry Torch 9850/9860 and BlackBerry Torch 9810. Each smartphone runs BlackBerry 7, the company’s newest OS version, and has a new HTML5 compliant browser with what RIM claims is best-in-class performance. Full details on all the new hardware after the cut The BlackBerry Bold 9900/9930 pairs a full QWERTY keyboard with a 287dpi capacitive touchscreen in a chassis RIM says is, at 10.5mm thick, the thinnest so far. Like all five of the handsets announced this morning, it has a 1.2GHz processor paired with 768MB of RAM; it also gets HSPA+ 14.4Mbps wireless, a 5-megapixel 720p HD camera, WiFi and GPS. The BlackBerry Torch 9850/9860, meanwhile, is an all-touch device hoping to put bad Storm memories behind itself. It measures 11.5mm thick and has a 3.69-inch display running at 253dpi, a 1.2GHz processor, HSPA+, Liquid Graphics and 720p HD

Before we begin, note that we said this same thing back in June on the first. It appears that Texas Instrumentswill be first in efforts to graphically represent their support for Android’s newest operating system, Android Ice Cream Sandwich, a system Google promises will meld the handset version and the tablet version of the Android mobile OS together with two layers of lovely chocolate sandwich bits. What Texas Instruments has done today is show one frame of a slideshow (shown below) to publishers that its representatives are calling a promotional image that Texas Instruments will use for events “in the fall.” This more than likely means that Ice Cream Sandwich will indeed be released before the end of the year and that we’ll see some powerful new chipsets coming out with TI before 2012 arrives as well. Earlier today we also heard news of NVIDIA’s upcoming progression into the quad-core world of processors, certainly planning on chowing down on some tasty sandwiches in the process as

Motorola has has one other Android-based device in its potential ranks before, that being the seemingly very similar Tracy XL, this name being in place because it was to be aimed at the lovers of said last name of the original wristwatch-clad Dick Tracy, investigator deluxe. Now we’re seeing several watches of a slightly similar build come through – back in December of 2010 we saw the Sony Ericsson LiveView, just this June the first we got to see a glimpse of the Tracy XL in part of its lovely glory, then even so recent as this morning we’re privy to some hands-on feels for the WIMM Wearable Platform, again running Android. What this MotoActive has to offer is a tiny display (likely around 1-inch), touch screen, several physical input buttons around the edge, a single Android back button, and a cool red and black wristwatch band with which you’ll be sporting the new device in public. This device clearly has exercise in mind, a running made, some recent, running, and cycling options, an

It seems that the launch of iOS 5 and iCloud is soon approaching indeed as Apple has posted a job listinglooking for a new engineer in the area of iWork specifically. This person would “build the front and/or back end of scalable web applications,”noting that this will more than likely be an expansion to Apple’s already existing iWorl.com as well as future iCloud business expansions, all this as the applications continue to be improved for the native Mac OS X Lion as well as mobile versions. This job posting furthermore asks for someone who has strong programming skills as well as “commitment to delivering [a] great user experience.” This candidate, says the Apple job posting, “will be part of the core engineering team responsible for the design and development of the software system.” While existing MobileMe apps translate desktop apps into web-based equivalents at the moment, these being anything from Mail to Address Book, this does not necessarily mean there will be web-based versio

For the first time in the history of the internet, the FCC has collected a mass of data showing “real-world” speeds at which USA internet connections are working. If we can trust anyone to give us, the public, unbiased plain-number results, it’s the FCC, right? Georgia Tech professor Nick Feamster, working with the FCC on proper metrics for the test, noted that they “found that the performance of US ISPs more consistently matches their advertised promises than the ISPs in other countries—they do a pretty good job.” Of course, with numbers like what we’re seeing here and claims made by carriers around the US over the past few years, not everyone agrees. One of the most interesting quotes on the subject comes from the FCC itself in the report, they noting the following: “actual download speeds are substantially closer to advertised speeds than was found in data from early 2009.” How does this mean for you? Nothing much if you just consider the fact that on the whole, no internet carrier

The folks at OCZ have today revealed their latest bit of hardware in the Z-Drive R4, running at 2,800MB/sec, over 500,000 input output operations per second with one SuperScale controller. One as in single. Then there’s a dual version at 5,600MB/sec and 1.2 MILLION IOPS. These monsters are not aimed at private users, instead going for enterprise users, thusly the prices are not yet listed. You’ll find that these units are available with SLC / MLC NAND flash memory, customer-chosen configurations, and functionality based on the requests of those laying down the bucks. You’ll find that these units retain their predecessors PCIe-based form factor and beyond power choices, will be shipped in two standard configurations: one half height version for space constrained 1U servers and multi-node rack-mount servers and a separate full-height version. OCZ notes that their lovely new Z-Drive R4 is a unique combination of hardware and software solutions tied to integrated VCA 2.0. This VCA 2.0 bein

This Wednesday, Britain will signal its intent to legalize copying of CDs or DVDs onto computers and/or digital music players for personal use. This word comes from a government source speaking with Rueters this Tuesday, August 2nd, 2011. This move will be on a recommendation made to review Britian’s intellectual property framework as carried out by Professor Ian Hargreaves earlier this year at the request of Prime Minister David Cameron. Digital music converters around the country realize it’s been illegal all this time, say “oh dear me,” and continue on with their day. According to this same government source, Business Secretary Vince Cable will announce the government’s response to Hargreaves report on Wednesday. One of the most clear reasons why this set of findings done by Hargreaves, professor of digital economy at Cardiff School of Journalism, is that there’s room for 8 billion pounds (aka $13 billion USD) to be added to the economy. This change of law would shake up Britain’s 3

For the first time since the iPad 2′s launch, its supply seems to have finally caught up with its demand. Although the tablet appears abundant in stores, it has been plagued with a supply bottleneck that has caused a worldwide shortage since its debut. But now, Apple online stores in the US and Canada are listing the iPad 2 as shipping within 24 hours. The Apple iPad 2 was so in demand and so lacking in supply, that its initial ship times were around 4 to 5 weeks. That gradually dropped to 3-5 days in the beginning of July. By mid-July, it had dropped to 1 to 3 days. But today’s update is certainly the first time iPad 2s could be shipped out within a day. This should be a sign that Apple’s supply issues have been fixed. According to supplier data, the company is ramping up iPad shipments in Q3 to as much as 14 to 15 million units. But there are also rumors that Apple could be introducing an iPad 3 or an iPad HD that features a high-resolution Retina display. It’s believed that this new

It’s reported that Apple’s prototype iPhone 5 has already been sent to carriers for testing. But this isn’t any ordinary procedure, since the high-profile device must remain top secret. It’s rumored that the next-gen iPhone is being transported in highly secured boxes and that the phone itself is encased in a prototype shell to keep the real design under wraps. The news that the sealed iPhone 5 boxes have been transported to carriers for testing come from anonymous carrier sources and was reported by Charles Arthur of The Guardian. What’s interesting is that Arthur believes that the timing of this suggests that the iPhone 5 is indeed coming in September rather than the recently rumored October. With the new iPhones now in the system, Arthur says that it will only take a few weeks at most for them to get approval and be signed off for manufacturing. He also adds that the he believes the only reason Apple would delay the launch to October is if the company were to run into manufacturing

Although the iPhone 5, once rumored for a September launch, is now believed to hit in October. It’s still less than two months away, meaning retailers will need to get ready. It’s reported that some retailers, namely Target and RadioShack, have already begun to make room for the next-gen handset by slashing prices for the iPhone 4. RadioShack’s week-long sale ends this Saturday, offering the 16GB iPhone 4 for $169 instead of the regular $199 price tag. The 32GB iPhone 4 model is slashed to $269 from $299. With a $100 trade-in credit, an iPhone 4 could be had for just $70. These prices, however, are for a purchase with a new two-year service agreement. In some Target stores across the nation, the 16GB iPhone 4 is going for only $149, while the 32GB goes for $249. Similarly, the Target prices also require a new two-year service agreement. Prices at carriers, Verizon and AT&T, however, have remain unchanged.

A new Android malware has hit the scene that will surely cause some paranoia the next time you have a private—or at least you thought was private—phone conversation. According to researchers at CA Security Advisor, a new Android Trojan has been discovered that lodges itself in your phone when you download an infected app and then proceeds to record your phone calls. The malware mimics legitimate apps, but once installed, it secretly records all of your phone calls in stores them on your handset’s SD card. It also inserts a configuration file with parameters for a remote server, suggesting that malware can also upload recorded conversations to a remote server. It’s recommended that Android users exercise more caution and install only apps from trusted sources. Non-market apps can also be blocked by unchecking “Unknown Sources” in your Android device’s Application settings. Anti-virus type of apps for Android devices can also be used to help detect and prevent malware.

Tough as nails! You know it’s not entirely often that we show off a case for a laptop or a tablet, mostly because they’re so abnormally abundant. Last time we reviewed a case, it was the most excellent iFrogz iPad 2 Summit Case, yours truly’s iPad still being sitting in that case right this minute. The iFrogz case is excellent for holding the device aloft, but what about hardcore protection? What if we want to be able to toss our iPad 2 down a flight of stairs? Well then, it may be time for you to check out the brand new Pelican 1075 HardBack case. This case is the newest addition to Pelican’s already fantastically large set of hardcore cases. You’ve got the choice here of either the standard 1075 HardBack Case or the 1075CC HardBack Case with Netbook Liner. What’s that, you don’t have a Netbook anymore because it was foretold that the Netbook was dead? It may be time for you to check out the last of that breed (or perhaps the first in the resurgence:) the Verizon Compaq Mini CQ10-688n

SoC manufacturer NVIDIA announced back in February that they’d be releasing their next-level chipset somewhere inside the year 2011. This quad-core processor was and still is code named Project Kal-El and promises to take the power of their current dual-core chipset Tegra 2 and x5 the power. What’s being debated today is the release date of said project on tablets and handsets, it being inside Q3 2011, that being September 30th, inside August, or some third date – all of this being through third-party sources. What publishers at Fudzilla are calling their “Far East sources” are saying is that NIVIDA’s original statementthat August would be the time for quad-core tablets and the holiday season of 2011 would be the time for quad-core super phones is premature, saying that “this won’t happen and that it will launch at later date, probably when it gets colder in the northern hemisphere.” Further sources are noting that Kal-El definitely will be coming inside Q3, again Fudzilla saying this

Mod is a heartfelt, emotional love story between two completely mismatched people. Aranya, a "full-of-life" 25 yr old, lives in the sleepy and idyllic hill station, Ganga. The little town is the home of many colourful characters - Ashok Mahadeo, Aranya's whacky father who is the head of the local fan club of Kishore Kumar, the fiery Gayatri Garg, "GG", her aunt, friend, and confidant, who runs a ...restaurant and is a mother figure to Aranya, chubby Gangaram, the local shopkeeper who harbors feelings for Aranya and Ashok's music band, the ever present Kishore Bhakts. Aranya's mother left to pursue bigger dreams in the city when Aranya was a little girl and both father and daughter hope that one day she will return. They wait dutifully everyday to see if the lone train that passes by their house will bring her back. Aranya runs a watch repair store, a legacy handed down by her mother to support her father and herself. One day a total stranger, Andy

' Will to Live ' is inspired from a true story. It's the fight of a courageous father for his son ailing from Lymphoma (Cancer). Against all odds, an American father makes his adventurous journey into jungles of Himalayas in the quest of a rare herb that may cure his son's Cancer. He has been given a ray of hope for his son. Battling the depths of the jungles, greed, power and corruption and risking his own life, he tries to fight fate itself. The story explores the intensity of a father's love. How far will a father go to save his child's life?

Banner Maya Movies Status Under Production Color C Release Date September 30, 2011 Language Hindi Genre Comedy / Romance Producer Anup Jalota Ketan Mehta Director Deepa Sahi Star Cast Vinay Pathak Riya Sen Jagrat Desai Sasha Goradia Darshan Jariwala Sushmita Mukherjee

Google has today acquired Dealmap, a start-up whose main function is to aggregate discounts from hundreds of group-buying sites. This acquisition may well prove to add on to Google’s recently launched service in Google Offers or may stay a completely separate entity tied in to Google through simple check-ins. The terms of the deal have not yet been disclosed, but it is known that Dealmap will join Google’s local incentives and commerce group. Time to take on Groupon after all? Back in early 2011, Google aimed to acquire Groupon for $5.3 billion. Such a deal did not end up going through, and as their Groupon competitor Google Offers wasn’t meant to take on Groupon after all, supposedly, this new move may well prove to be a sweeping motion to name such a plan active after all. In a statement made to the press, Google notes the following: “We are impressed with what the Dealmap team has accomplished and excited to welcome them to Google. We’ve been thrilled with the early success of our c

The IdeaPad K1 is one of the first two Android tablets to come from Lenovo. It’s a competitive 10.1-inch Android 3.1 Honeycomb tablet with almost all the specs you’d anticipate from a slate equipped with the NVIDIA Tegra 2 processor, but attempts to standout with its own individual style, unique interface features, and a price tag that’s $100 less than its rivals. Hardware The Lenovo IdeaPad K1 sports a 1GHz NVIDIA Tegra 2 dual-core processor along with 1GB of RAM. Its 10.1-inch multitouch display has a 1280 x 800 resolution with a 16:10 aspect ratio and very good viewing angles all around as can be expected from an IPS panel. The internal storage of 32GB can be doubled with a microSD card of up to 32GB. All this sounds pretty standard, but this is about where the commonalities end. There is a front-facing 2-megapixel camera as well as a rear-facing 5-megapixel camera. Again, this sounds typical, but the rear-facing camera doesn’t support HD video capture. This is a bit odd for a table

Google has boosted its Gmail voice calling service, opening up support for making calls to 38 new languages. Launched in the US and Canada last year – and updated last month with support for multiple simultaneous calls - the freshly extended service will allow users to call landlines and cellphones at reduced rates. However, whereas in the US and Canada, calls within the country are currently free of charge – and, Google says, will stay that way “at least for the rest of 2011″ – it seems the new countries getting the service won’t be so lucky. While Google has reduced its call prices (you can find the new rates here) it doesn’t look as though in-country calls to landlines/mobiles will be free. Still, it could be cheaper to use Google’s VoIP than your existing landline or cellphone provider. For instance, calls placed to the US or Canada (from outside those countries) will be charged $0.01 per minute (or €0.01, £0.01, C$0.01 per minute). Google has added support for three new currencies

Bad news if you were holding out for ASUS’ 7-inch Eee Pad MeMO 3D tablet, with word that the glasses-free 3D slate has been delayed until 2012 at the earliest and may not, in fact, launch at all. An ASUS Netherlands spokesperson told TabletsMagazine that the MeMO 3D had been further delayed beyond the most recent September/October launch estimate, and that its future now hung in the balance. No reason for the new delay has been given, only the comment that “if the tablet is launched, it will not make its appearance until some time in 2012.” Originally, ASUS planned to get the Eee Pad MeMO on shelves earlier in 2011, having announced it back in January 2011, but delays involved in granting it 3D capabilities meant that first timescale was missed. ASUS isn’t the only company to have struggled with a 7-inch Android tablet. Various companies – including Acer, with its Iconia Tab A100 - intended to release models early this year, but issues with how Android Honeycomb, Google’s tablet-specif

Despite reports suggesting otherwise, it seems we may have to wait longer than this month to see Nokia’s first line-up of Windows Phones. Although the Finnish company has announced an August 17 event, co-hosted with Microsoft, at Gamescon in Germany, new leaks indicate that retail hardware won’t be making an appearance at the show. This is my next‘s source says that, instead, Mango will be the star of the show. Specifically, the two companies are reportedly planning to use the event to hobnob with developers and drum up support for Windows Phone, in the hope of boosting the content of the Windows Phone Marketplace. There’s a possibility – albeit speculative – that Nokia could bring along the “Sea Ray” device which CEO Stephen Eloppreviewed back in June, but the full range isn’t on the agenda. Instead, attention has turned back to Nokia World 2011 in October, the same month as CTIA Wireless. Considering the Nokia event – which this year will be held in London, UK, on October 26 and 27 –

Verizon Wireless has tossed the first netbook into its lineup that runs on the 4G LTE network with an embedded modem. The customer can expect to see download speeds in the 5-12Mbps range and uploads in 2 to 5Mbps range. The netbook is the Compaq Mini CQ10-688nr with a 10.1-inch screen and 1024 x 600 resolution. The screen of the machine has an anti-glare coating and the netbook uses the Intel Atom N455 CPU at 1.66GHz. The machine packs in a 250GB HDD and has 1GB of DDR3 RAM. The netbook also has a VGA resolution webcam for video chatting. Other features include WiFi and a media card reader. The netbook will sell for $449.99 with a new 2-year customer agreement. The buyer will also need a monthly data plan with 2GB of monthly data for $30, 5GB of monthly data is $50, and 10GB of monthly data is $80.

Iomega has announced a new Mac external storage solution called the Mac Companion Hard Drive with a high-power charge port on it for charging your devices via USB. The drive is small, designed to sit under the screen of an iMac, and has a pair of FireWire 800 interfaces for connectivity. The HDD inside the device is a 7200 RPM unit. The HDD comes in 2TB or 3TB versions and comes bundled with an Iomega Protection Suite with Mac specific software inside. The charge port on the front has 2.1A of power output so you can charge your iPad from the port. It has a single USB 2.0 port and it has an integrated two-port hub for connecting things like printers or more storage. The drive is formatted with HFS+ file system so it is ready for your Mac right out of the box. The software suite includes backup software and security software. The 2TB version for the drive sells for $195 with the 3TB version selling for $295. Both of the drives will hit the Apple store and other retailers later this month

Apple’s iPhone 5 will launch in Canada on October 1 2011, according to the latest carrier leak, with roadmaps apparently from inside Telus tipping a release on the first of the month. While it’s unclear whether Apple will release the fifth-gen iOS smartphone in Canada or the US first, or indeed both simultaneously, the information from BGR‘s “reliable source” inside Telus suggests the company will reveal the iPhone 5 in late September. An October release would fit in with a leak from yesterday, in which the frequent reports of a September launch for the new iPhone were denied by another supposedly water-tight tipster. “I don’t know why AT&T’s calling for all hands on deck those weeks,” the source apparently said, referring to earlier leaks regarding the carrier’s training dates, “but it’s not for an iPhone launch.” The two sets of rumors do not entirely line-up, however. Yesterday’s leak indicated a date roughly toward the end of October, whereas this Telus intel suggests it would