IBLOG SPACE

Former Indian cricket captain Mohammad Azharuddin's son Ayazuddin, died on Friday, five days after being critically injured in a road accident. Confirming the news, doctors at the Apollo Hospital in Hyderabad said Ayazuddin had sustained critical injuries after a high-end sports bike he was driving skidded off the road at Puppalguda on Outer Ring Road (ORR) here last Sunday. Ayazuddin's cousin, Ajmal-ur-Rahman (16) who was riding pillion, succumbed to his injuries while undergoing treatment. Ayazuddin is the youngest of the two sons of Azharuddin from his first wife Naureen, whom he divorced to marry former actress Sangeeta Bijlani. In a medical bulletin issued on Thursday evening, Apollo Hospitals (Central Region) CEO Dr K Hari Prasad said, "Brain function tests conducted on Ayazuddin indicate brain dysfunction. And his status remains critical.

If you have been waiting for the Archos G9 tablets to hit stores so you can run in and buy one the time is near. Last time we reported, the tablets were set to launch this month. Now Archos has gone official and has announced that the G9 tablets will go up for pre-order on the 20th of September. They will hit stores in October for you to walk in and buy or order online. The G9 tablet has two members in the line with the 10.1-inch screen veriuson and the 8-inch screen version. The Archos 101 G9 tablet will come in two versions with a 16GB version that sells for $399. The 250GB version of that tablet will sell for $469. The Archos 80 G9 with 16GB will sell for $329 and the 250GB version will sell for $369. The 250GB version of each model use a HDD inside and the other version uses flash storage. There will be a third version of the Archos 80 G9 with 8GB of storage and a 1GHz processor for $299 that will be in stores on September 30. The tablets all use a 1GHz Arm Cortex A9 dual core proc

If you have a store and you need a merchant account and have been thinking to yourself that you really need a new AK-47 to boot we have a seriously good deal for you. Over at MerchantService.com you can sign up for a merchant account for your business and get a free AK-47. It’s not like they are doing anything weird like sending the gun to you in the mail once you process your first transaction or anything. They will send you a voucher that the account holder can take with them to any reputable gun shop and purchase the gun right then. The theory is you get a merchant account and a way to protect yourselves for the thieves that might invade your store. You also get special breach coverage insurance. The deal brings with it insurance coverage for the expenses relating to some sort of security breach with their merchant account like identity recovery and credit monitoring. The amount of your voucher depends on how many locations you sign up. With one location and $100,000, you get a meas

Voice Actions for Android has been updated to support British English, French, Italian, German and Spanish, after Google updated the voice-control app for the European market. Capable of transcribing a spoken text message, getting Google Maps directions or navigating to a website, all from voice prompts, the app also supports searching. Voice Search has been available in the US since last year, though its success has been patchy with those using different accents. The new UK, France, Italy, Germany and Spain version should hopefully address that, and supports the following commands: send text to [contact] [message] call [business] call [contact] go to [website] navigate to [location/business name] directions to [location/business name] map of [location] Commands can be prompted by tapping the microphone icon on the homescreen search widget, holding down a dedicated search button, or loading the app itself. A free download, the updated Voice Search app runs on phones and tablets runni

Google is readying a new socially-enabled news reader app, Google Propeller, which will take on well-known rivals like Pulse and Flipboard in addition to challenging Facebook’s recent news additions. Propeller is expected to be available both on Android Honeycomb tablets and Apple’s iPad, AllThingsD‘s sources reckon, and is one of a number of apps and services the search giant has in the pipeline. Earlier this month, Google killed its Fast Flip news reading system as part of what was described as a “spring clean” of the company’s various ongoing projects. Fast Flip took screenshots of news sites and presented them in an easily browsed flipbook format, “as quickly as flipping through a magazine,” with a tap loading the site itself. At the time, Google said that the concepts behind Fast Flip “will live on in our other display and delivery tools.” It seems that Propeller is likely to be one significant place in which those concepts will resurface. The exact functionality the app will offe

The Samsung EPIC 4G Touch has gone on sale, finally bringing a Galaxy S II variant to the US market. The 4.5-inch Super AMOLED Plus smartphone – which we reviewed earlier this week - packs a 1.2GHz dual-core Samsung Exynos processor and an 8-megapixel camera capable of Full HD video recording. There’s also WiMAX for high-speed connectivity on the move. That WiMAX, while faster than 3G, was one of our mild criticisms of the EPIC 4G, with our benchmarks spoiled by Verizon’s even speedier LTE technology. Beyond that, though, the EPIC 4G is a slick performer, just like its GSM predecessor, though without World Phone capabilities you shouldn’t expect to take it to Europe to meet the family and still make calls while you’re there. The EPIC 4G is on sale today, priced at $199.99 with a new, two-year agreement. You’ll obviously need both voice and data plans, and tethering – using the Samsung’s 4G with other devices via the mobile hotspot app – will be extra too. More details on the smartphone

BlackBerry manufacturer RIM has seen its stock price tumble in the aftermath of its dreary Q2 financial performance, and plans to slash prices of the BlackBerry PlayBook in order to motivate sales of the slate. After reporting earnings that mustered less than half of Q2 last year, RIM co-CEO Jim Balsillie attempted to rally interest by confirming that PlayBook OS v2.0 would arrive in October. However, it’s likely to be heavy discounting that prompts sales, if anything can. The exact amount that will be sliced off of the 7-inch PlayBook’s sticker price is yet to be confirmed, withBalsillie only saying that there will be rebates for individual customers. Enterprise sales, meanwhile, will be encouraged with an incentive program, though again it’s unclear exactly what that promotion will entail. RIM was expected to announce shipments of as many as 700,00 tablets in the most recent quarter; instead, the Canadian company admitted to having only shipped 200,000. Among the changes the new OS v

Apple’s A6 and A7 processor production will indeed shift to TSMC, sources claim, as the company continues to distance itself from Samsung Electronics. The two firms have recently signed a foundry partnership agreement,DigiTimes reports, which will see the next-gen Apple A6 chipset and its successor, unofficially dubbed the Apple A7, produced using TSMC’s 28nm and 20nm processes. Apple has until now relied on Samsung to produce the chips found in the iPad 2 and iPhone 4, co-developing the original A4 with the Korean company. However, increasingly strained relations and a number of ongoing legal battles have supposedly prompted Apple to look elsewhere for some of its components. While some analysts have argued that TSMC is unlikely to secure any production contracts from Apple until next year, the company is believed to have been working hard to prove its merit with the Cupertino firm. Test production of the A6 SoC is believed to have been underway as early as June this year, with Apple

A Microsoft exec has admitted that Kinect sales have proved disappointing in Japan, with the Xbox 360 still failing to grab market share as expected. Xbox Japan chief Takashi Sensui confirmed that sales of the motion-tracking peripheral “haven’t met our initial expectations in Japan,” MarketWatch reports, with the gadget “still not widely recognized.” The confession follows an admission earlier this week that Windows Phone sales were also unsatisfactory. Nonetheless, Sensui still holds out hope for a surge in Japanese Kinect popularity. “We have received good reviews from the people who have used it” the exec insists, perhaps suggesting that the peripheral needs to be experienced in order for gamers to add it to their must-have list. Meanwhile, he also points to Windows 8′s support for Kinect, and the growth in Windows gaming, as a likely motivator for sales. Previous reports have anecdotally suggested that Kinect’s vision-based tracking system could prove an issue in small Japanese ap

Apple’s iPhone 5 is “just weeks away” from being unveiled, according to an unnamed source at the company, with rumors still indicating that it will be a significant departure from the current iPhone 4. Though Apple is yet to confirm any plans itself, speculation has coalesced on a late-September or early-October announcement, something a Bits insider apparently confirms. Those sources also suggest that the Case-Mate cases teasingly posted then pulled by the accessory company “seemed potentially authentic.” It’s still unclear whether Case-Mate accidentally posted the images or did it as a PR stunt. The company’s teasing “We’ll have your cases when you have your new iPhone” message, which now replaces where the iPhone 5 case images were before, certainly implies it may have been a promotional move more than anything else. Nonetheless, Apple employees suggest the design is reasonably accurate, with the fifth-gen phone apparently being broader and flatter than the current model, potentiall

During RIM’s disappointing Q2 earnings call this evening, Co-CEO Jim Balsillie confirmed that a major feature update to the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet would be arriving next month. The update to version 2.0 will be shown off at the BlackBerry DevCon event in October and will be made available shortly thereafter. The BlackBerry PlayBook launched back in April and was immediately criticized for its half-baked firmware and a slew of missing native apps. The new version of the PlayBook’s QNX-based operating system will finally address most of these issues and will bring the long overdue native email, contacts, and calendar functionality. Additionally, the update will bring the promised Android App Player that will allow the PlayBook to run Android apps. RIM will also be adding a BlackBerry Video Store, which will bring over 10,000 movies and TV shows to the PlayBook.

During the Innovation Qualcomm event in Istanbul, the chip maker confirmed plans to launch 2.5GHz quad-core SoCs in 2012. The company will be using its next-gen Krait architecture for these chips that boast almost double the speed of what’s currently available on the market. The new details confirm what was leaked in Qualcomm’s roadmap. The new S4 class chipset based off the Krait architecture is built on a 28nm process. It will be available in single-core, dual-core, and quad-core versions with speeds up to 2.5GHz and will come with Adreno Graphics, 3D, full 1080p HD, as well as 3G and LTE connectivity as standard features. The S4 class will be the high-end line whereas Qualcomm will also be offering less powerful chips for budget and mass market devices with its S1, S2, and S3 classes. The chips will be available to manufacturers by year-end and can be expected to ship in consumer devices at the start of 2012. This means that we can expect to see the first 2.5GHz handsets launching a

T-Mobile may have accidentally leaked two upcoming myTouch smartphones from LG after the carrier uploaded a trio of videos to YouTube that appeared to be tutorials. The videos were quickly set to private, but that’s not before a snapshot was taken of one of the videos showing the two phones side-by-side. AndroidGuys caught a quick glance at the clips before they were set to private and noted that the file names indicated that one phone was an all-touch device while the other included a QWERTY keyboard. It’s believed that the devices will be called the T-Mobile myTouch by LG and the T-Mobile myTouch Q by LG. Currently, T-Mobile has the myTouch 4G Slide from HTC, which launched back in July. These two new myTouch devices may be the codenamed LG Maxx and Maxx Q devices referenced in the leaked T-Mobile roadmap, which indicates that they should be launching in early November.

BlackBerry maker Research In Motion made its Q2 earnings report today, and things are still looking dreary. Revenue for the quarter fell short of Wall Street expectations if $4.5 billion, falling 10 percent to $4.2 billion, down from $4.6 billion in the same quarter last year. Sales of its PlayBook tablet and BlackBerry smartphones have also been disappointing. RIM had just introduced several BlackBerry 7 smartphones during the second half of Q2 and was expected to ship 11.6 million units of the devices, but instead shipped 10.6 million units. As for its PlayBook tablet, which shipped 700,000 units in the previous quarter, only 200,000 units were shipped in Q2. It certainly didn’t help that the nations third largest carrier also canceled plans to carry 4G WiMAX versions of the PlayBook. Actual earnings came in at around only $329 million, down from $797 million in the same quarter in the previous year. RIM’s Co-CEO Jim Balsillie attributed the overall weak performance to the “lower tha

During Microsoft’s Build developer conference this week, the company unveiled its early prototypes for Windows 8 tablets and even gave away to attendees some slates built by Samsung that are compatible with the new operating system. This major update will be a unifying platform that works on both Windows desktops and tablets, but how is Windows 8 faring so far on a tablet in comparison to iOS 5 on the iPad 2? Winrumors‘ Tom Warren took some time to compare the two tablets side-by-side. Warren pitted the current market leader, the iPad 2 running a beta build of iOS 5, against a slate running the preview build of Windows 8. The extensive video runs just over 10 minutes long and compares almost every feature from lock screens to app integrations. However, certain features like Mail, Calendar, and App Store could not be compared between the two as these features are not available yet on the Windows 8 developer preview build. But overall, Warren feels that Windows 8 compares favorably to iO

When I look around the gaming industry right now, it’s tough to find any single company that really “gets” it. Nintendo has the Wii, which was performing well for quite some time, but that device’s popularity has started to wane. And the 3DS has pretty much disappointed everyone from Nintendo’s CEO Satoru Iwata to his company’s most ardent supporters. On the Sony front, the PlayStation 3 is slowly but surely starting to come out of the hole it dug for itself, but whether or not it will ever be able to catch on in a big way in the U.S. remains to be seen. And the PSP has, for all intents and purposes, been forgotten by the gaming community. But then there’s Microsoft. The latest entrant to the gaming industry out of the three big players, Microsoft has become, in just two generations, a powerhouse in the space. And if I had to choose any company that should be crowned the new king of the gaming business, it must be Microsoft. Let’s start with the Xbox 360. That device’s sales have been

There is a tablet out there right now, ladies and gentlemen, that has many faces, the most recent of which was the Windows 8 developer version of the new Microsoft platform. We’ve seen this tablet back at IFA 2011, then we saw it again when we got the opportunity to check out the Windows 8 version of it just this week at Microsoft BUILD developers conference. Now what we’re getting to see at the Pepcom Holiday Spectacular 2011 in NYC is this slate, once again using Windows 7, working flawlessly with the Samsung Central Station, a wireless display hub made to allow you the ability to mirror any device on its lovely large 27-inch screen Back at CES 2011, we got a very brief look at this Central Station device as it existed pre-final shipped edition. Now we see that the display, available in both 23 and 27-inch versions, is ready and out on the market, working with essentially any device that’s able to have a full-sized USB dongle plugged into it. What the Samsung Central Station offers y

The Sony PS Vita is now available for pre-orders at GameStop, where it’s listed with a release date of December 31. The next-gen portable gaming device, originally codenamed the NGP, was officially unveiled during E3 2011and is expected to launch first in Japan on December 17. The device has been available on Amazon for pre-orders since last week and has been listed with the same December 31 release date. Pricing on both Amazon and GameStop are the same with the WiFi-only version running at $249.99 and the WiFi + 3G version at $299.99. The latter version will require a data contract with AT&T to take advantage of the 3G connectivity. The PS Vita features a 5-inch 960 x 544 OLED touchscreen display with an additional capacitive touchpad on the back, GPS, Bluetooth, WiFi, two analog sticks, front-facing and rear-facing cameras, and various motion sensors. Sony has revealed that 26 game titles will be available for the handheld when it launches in December.

What you’re about to see is a video that actually contains a bit of hands-on time with three tablets, the ViewSonic ViewPad being the only one of the bunch we’d not yet gotten to see in-person before. The initial international launch of the tablet trio ViewSonic ViewPad 7X, 10pro, and 7E took place on the first of September, and this look at the set comes right beside the display-intensive company’s announcement of a release here in the USA. This isn’t the first time we’ve come across the 10pro for certain, the idea that a Windows 7 tablet would be able to also run Android being a rather enticing value proposition for developers. Have a look at what it’s all about and see if it’s the tablet for your dual-OS future. You can check out our ViewSonic ViewPad 7x Android Tablet Hands-on [Video] and our ViewSonic ViewPad 7e Android Tablet Hands-On [Video] as well. This trio, as presented in NYC at Pepcom’s Holiday Spectacular 2011, very much signifies ViewSonic’s intent on getting into the

Microsoft released a short clip today demonstrating the video calling feature of its upcoming Windows Phone 7 Mango update. The feature was demonstrated using a popular third-party video calling app, just so happened to be called Tango, and was shown in action on the gigantic 4.7-inch HTC Titan. The major overhaul that is the Windows Phone 7 Mango update does not come with a native video calling app. Instead, it supports third-party developers in creating apps that can use the front-facing camera on upcoming Mango devices. Hence, the demo in uses the Tango video calling app, which is already quite popular on Android and iOS. Windows Phone 7.5 Mango devices are set to launch in the coming weeks, with the HTC Titan having been unveiled earlier this month at IFA 2011 along with the HTC Radar. Both phones will be launching in Europe sometime in October, but no timeline has been revealed for a US launch yet.

The Google+ social network is about to get more interesting now that it’s opened up for third-party developers. In a post on the Google Plus Platform Blog, the company has just unleashed the much anticipated API, giving developers the tools to build apps for the platform. This initial API release is focused on public data only, meaning it lets developers create apps that can only read the information that people have shared publicly on Google+. It also uses existing web programming standards and includes libraries for Java, GWT, Python, Ruby, PHP, and .NET. Google encourages developers to experiment with the API, saying that “this is just the beginning.” They do lay down three simple guidelines for developer to follow and those are to put the user first, be transparent, and respect user data. The API can be accessed via Google’s developer portal.

Intel’s Cedar Trail processors for netbooks were originally aiming for a September launch that was pushed back to November, and now it looks like the platform will be delayed once again. Intel has revealed that Cedar Trail netbooks are still en route for 2011 but won’t be available in time for the holiday season, which means the new launch date is now in December. The last delay had to do with issues regarding the graphics driver on the Cedar Trail processor. The architecture is built on a 32nm process and has the GPU residing on the same die as the CPU. At the time, the platform failed to attain Windows 7 certification, likely due to media encoding problems. Now that issue should be fixed, but the platform has also added some new features. Cedar Trail will now support Intel Smart Connect Technology and Fast Boot & Standby, which uses Intel’s Rapid Start technology. The Intel Smart Connect feature lets your computer periodically check on web apps such as Facebook and Twitter while

The first press shot of the much anticipated HTC Vigor has leaked. The handset has been rumored as HTC’s next flagship phone and could be one of the first to offer Beats Audio technology. This leak follows several others, including the press shot for the HTC Bliss as well as some spec sheets on the Bliss and theRunnymede. Perhaps more details will continue to surface as we get closer to HTC’s press event on September 20, when the company is expected to unveil these devices. The HTC Vigor is believed to feature a 4.3-inch 720p HD display with 1280 x 720 pixel resolution, a 1.5GHz dual-core processor, 1GB of RAM, 16GB of internal storage, a 2-megapixel front-facing camera, and an 8-megapixel rear-facing camera. It should also be running HTC’s Sense 3.5 UI on top of Android 2.3.4 Gingerbread. It’s expected to feature Beats Audio technology as part of a $300 million exclusive partnership between HTC and Beats in the mobile phone sector. The HTC Runnymede, a whopping 4.7-inch handset also e

Intel may be particularly confident about its new ultrabook segment, predicting that the sleek ultraportables will account for 40-percent of laptop sales in 2012, but it seems Acer isn’t quite so confident. Speaking to SlashGear at the UK launch of the Acer Aspire S3, the company revealed that it expects ultrabooks to be a more conservative 25-percent of next year’s sales. The confirmation follows earlier leaks that suggested Acer and others were wary with their initial orders of ultrabook production, believing that Apple’s MacBook Air will continue to dominate ultraportable sales. However, they are also believed to be somewhat skeptical, behind the press hyperbole, after the underwhelming success of CULV notebooks. Acer’s Aspire S3 is already up for pre-order in the US, and will go on sale in the UK in mid- to late-October priced between £699.99 and £1,099.99 depending on specification. Models will be offered with Intel Core i5 and Core i7 processors – Acer tells us it expects to be t

Sony has upgraded its Streaming Player set-top box with a next-gen SMP-N200 model that now boasts the ability to stream 3D content. The device provides a variety of connection options, allowing you to turn any TV into a connected Smart TV. It was first unveiled at IFA 2011, where it was named one of the top ten new products at the show. The Sony SMP-N200 sports a sleek design in the form of a glossy black box that should fit well and discreetly into most decor. Its connection options include composite, component, HDMI, and WiFi, which will allow you to connect to almost any TV to add all the features and content access you can get from the Sony Entertainment Network. These features include live streaming TV shows, movies, music, and photos. There’s HD and 3D content, internet radio, and video and music on-demand services as well. However, the 3D streaming will require a 3D TV. Additionally, the Sony SMP-N200 now supports DLNA, which will allow you to easily connect and control a networ

Acer has officially launched its K330 projector, the first LED model to pack a 500 lumens LED lamp, and with a footprint smaller than a magazine. Running at WXGA 1280 x 800 resolution and promising a 4,000:1 contrast ratio, the K330 not only offers the usual HDMI, component and composite inputs, but PC compatibility, optional WiFi and even an SD card slot and USB port to bypass your Blu-ray deck or computer altogether. In fact, there are also VGA D-Sub and both regular USB and mini USB ports, as well as a stereo audio output. Acer reckons the LED light will last for up to 20,000 hours, while the K330 will supposedly sip a mere 1W in standby mode. It’s the size that’s the real surprise: it was only when we saw the size of the AC socket on the back that we realized quite how compact the K330 is. Acer is positioning it as an ideal home entertainment model but also ideal for traveling professionals, who’ll be able to run multimedia files – including MPEG4 – and presentations directly from

Images have leaked from the prolific accessories maker Case-Mate that suggest the iPhone 5 will indeed have a radical new design. The images show renderings of case designs that support a lot of the rumors surrounding the next-gen iPhone. The company has been designing cases for the iPhone ever since the original launched on AT&T, so they’re more likely privy to some insider info. The Case-Mate renderings show the next-gen iPhone with a slimmer profile and rounded, tapered edges. It also shows that the backing, which is peeking out from the cases’ camera openings is aluminum, which again aligns with previous reports. The overall shape of the cases look very similar to what we’ve seen in previously leaked case designs from other third-party accessories makers. We’ll likely be seeing more leaks like this as we approach the launch date for the iPhone 5, which is rumored for an unveiling on October 7 and shipping October 15. The major software update with iOS 5 and the iCloud is expect

AT&T’s LTE network will finally be launching on September 18, according to the carrier’s CFO John Stephens. The date was revealed by Stephens during his appearance at the Bank of America Merrill Lynch Media, Entertainment and Communications conference. The network was originally set to launch sometime this summer, and although fall doesn’t technically begin this year until September 23, we’re getting awfully close. Back in May, AT&T announced that its LTE network would first roll out to five select markets, including Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, and San Antonio. The carrier expects its LTE service to reach 15 markets by year-end and has already launched some LTE devices such as the Connect Momentum 4G modem and the Mobile Hotspot Elevate 4G. Additionally, the long rumored HTC Puccini tablet launched recently on AT&T as the HTC Jetstream and is expected to be the carrier’s first LTE tablet. AT&T also expects to launch an LTE smartphone before the end of the year. I

His latest home production  Breakaway  aka  Speedy Singhs  is all set for release, but we don't call him the Khiladi Kumar for nothing, Akshay Kumar will be donate Rs 2 crore to the Ice Hockey Association Of India ( IHAOI) in an attempt to promote the sport in the country. The decision of donating the amount to the IHAOI was made by Akshay and the makers of Speedy Singhs  to encourage the sport within India. The IHAOI in New Delhi is the national body coordinating ice hockey in India under the supervision of the International Ice Hockey Federation. Incidentally  Speedy Singhs  is also based on the sport of ice hockey. The film is slated to release on September 23.

Eight members of Pakistani singer-actor Ali Zafar's family, plus a couple of his close friends all flew down to Mumbai from Pakistan on Saturday for a special screening of  Mere Brother Ki Dulhan  in which Ali plays one of the leads. The show for Ali Zafar was organized by Yash Raj Films, who have constantly espoused the cause of Indo-Pak amity. Yash Chopra's last directorial venture  Veer-Zara  underlined the theme of love between the two countries. And now Ali Zafar says he has experienced nothing but love and hospitality in India in spite of the spectre of 9/11 looming ominously over the calendar and the latest terror attack at the High Court in Delhi. The screening was followed by a party that Ali threw for the crew of his film and his guest-entourage from across the border. Katrina Kaif, Imran Khan and his wife Avantika, the film's director and a huge crowd of revellers partied the night away. It was whispered that Aditya Chopra who never attends parties also dropped

There have been rumours doing the rounds that the 'Showman of Bollywood'- Subhash Ghai was admitted to hospital after suffering a heart attack. However, the news is completely false. Mr.Ghai went into the hospital for a routine check up, which he goes for regularly, but on checking, they found gall bladder stones which had to be removed and therefore he was admitted for this simple procedure. The procedure has been done and he will be out of hospital within the next few days. Commenting on the same, Meghna Ghai, daughter of Subhash Ghai said, "My father had been going for his regular tests and on checking they found a small surgical issue that needed to be addressed and therefore he was admitted for a simple elective procedure. The procedure has been done and he will be out of hospital within the next few days." We wish Mr.Ghai a speedy recovery.