Nokia Play To- DLNA Streaming app for Lumia phones enters Nokia Beta Labs

If you like being a guinea pig and you’re a fan of Nokia, there’s every chance you’ve already signed up to Nokia’s Beta Labs and the latest app to enter this unique testing area is Nokia Play To, which is hoping to make it as the native DLNA client that’ll grace the Lumia Windows Phone family.

The Play To app already offers the ability to throw pictures, movies and music onto various connected devices around the home, with plans for Media Server support in the near future adding Xbox 360 and PS3 friendly functionality in due time.



Along with the current lack of Media Server support, Sony BRAVIA internet-connected TVs don’t appear to play ball with Play To either and high resolution videos are said to stutter in the current incarnation of the app. These flaws are expected however as it’s not called Beta Labs for nothing.


DLNA technology is nothing new of course, but as with similar services seen from the likes of HTC in the form of Media Link, Nokia know that it’s an increasingly popular piece of functionality on modern smartphones, and one which they would be foolish to overlook. Nokia are saying that console support is next on the agenda and with such an addition, popularity is like to grow at an ever-quickening pace.


You’d think Microsoft would have been the ones to push this functionality to market first, but Nokia have beaten them to it by the looks of it, adding yet another string to their Windows Phone bow in the process.


Follow this link if you’re a registered Beta Labs user itching to add your input to the process or to sign up and get involved.

Instagram for Android gets a Pre-Registration page.

Founders of insanely popular social photo-sharing iOS app, Instagram made no bones about it at SXSW this year stating that an Android version was on its way and it will be “better than our iPhone app“, in fact they went as far as to say “it’s one of the most amazing Android apps you’ll ever see.”

With the creators drumming up hype for the Android release and talk of the app’s existence stretching back into last year, one question still remains; when is the official launch date? The answer is still, it would appear, very very soon.



Although not exactly the answer fans of the service or those intrigued by its iOS fame will be hoping for, Instagram’s creators still have yet to set out any official date in the calendar for the Android app’s launch. They have today, however put up a pre-registration page which prospective users can punch in their email to, granting them the ability to then be notified as to when the app does finally break cover.


In my book, this looks the be a sign that the app is a matter of weeks or maybe even days away from launch and as such, iPhone-deficient mobile shutterbugs everywhere won’t have to hold their breath much longer in order to give it a try.


Instagram already caters for some 27 million registered users with 12 million joining in just the last three months, however as we mentioned before, in the time it’s taken for the app to make it to Android devices, this has given rise to a host of similar photo shooting and sharing applications, ones which in some cases, offer more functionality and more flexibility. Whether or not this will greatly affect the Android launch is yet to be seen, but like we said, you shouldn’t have to wait too long to find out.


Hit up the source link to add yourself to Instagram’s Android app mailing list.

RIM to offer BB10 prototypes to developers

RIM is preparing a new OS - called BlackBerry 10 - to replace the two current OSes that it uses (BB OS 7 on phones and Tablet OS on the PlayBook). The BB OS 10 will launch late this year, but app developers can look forward to playing with it sooner - 2000 developer prototypes running a version of the OS will be given to the attendees of the BlackBerry Jam conference taking place in early May.




RIM’s VP of developer relations, Alec Saunders, says that the prototypes will have a very different user experience compared to the finalized BlackBerry 10 OS as they are intended to be just tools to help developers port their apps to the new platform.
The BlackBerry PlayBook‘s OS is reportedly similar to what BB 10 will be and that will make porting PlayBook apps to the new OS easy. Saunders says his goal is that “every single PlayBook app works on BB10”.
That‘s good, but what’s with RIM’s reluctance to show what the finalized OS will look like? Saunders says this is intentional as they want to take time and build up interest before launching the OS.

Mythbuster-Using mobile phone while a take-off won`t affect the flight

Smarter communication devices those are available today do not cause any interference with the Aircraft's navigational equipment.


Cellphones do not cause any problem with aircrafts' communication or navigation system, a top executive of Cell Antenna - a company that provides cell phone signal enhancement services, has said.
Comments of Howard Melamed, the chief executive officer of Cell Antenna, is in contrast to the long held belief that use of cell phones during take off or touch down of aircraft's as mobiles can disturb aircraft's navigational system.

Substantiating this, Melamed said that cellphones of yesteryears' were known to cause issues with the navigation systems but newer mobile phones do not interfere with the systems anymore. Therefore users must be allowed to use cellphones during flights as long as the planes stay in the coverage zone.
"It's ridiculous that Flight Attendants, who are not engineers, and have no knowledge of engineering make-up of planes, tell passengers to turn off their cell phone because it interferes with navigational equipment," stated Howard Melamed,. "It frightens passengers and it is unnecessary."
Most airlines worldwide have banned the use of cellphones during flights' take off and when the aircraft was about to land. But over the years as the cellphones have improved, regulators have failed to update the policies and rulings that are in a way causing problems to air travelers.
Whether this will cause any change in the policies of regulators is yet to be seen but if the claims are right then allowing passengers to use cellphones will come as a big relief to air travelers.

Reliance Netconnect offers 10GB Data + Antivirus free @ Rs. 1199

Intense competition in data market is compelling operators to introduce luring offers . Reliance Netconnect is running an offer for its EVDO data card Netconnect+ in Delhi-NCR region.
On purchase of Reliance Netconnect+ for Rs.1199/- a customer gets Antivirus worth Rs.1000/- free . Over and above that customer also gets free data downloads at very low rates for the first month only through FRCs (First Recharge coupon).

The details of the offer:

Buy Netconnect + data card for Rs.1199/-
Get 3GB data on recharge with FRC Rs.50 (data download valid for first one month only)
or Get 10GB data on recharge with FRC of Rs.300 (valid for first one month)
Free Antivirus worth Rs.1000/-
The banners on display in Delhi-NCR gives an idea as if Reliance has reduced the data rates substantially and 3GB data is available only for Rs.50. However closer scrutiny reveals that the offer is only valid for first month beyond that prevailing tariffs will apply.

Sony Xperia S coming to India in April

The Android smartphone comes with a 12 megapixel camera, 1.5 GHz processor and many features besides.

Sony Xperia S, the first smartphone to carry the Sony logo, will be available in India from the first week of April this year, and will carry a price tag of approximately Rs 30,000. Xperia S is the first smartphone that Sony released after it acquired shares of Ericsson.
While talking to The Mobile Indian, a Sony spokesperson confirmed to us that the Sony Xperia S smartphone will be available in India from the first week of April this year and that it will carry a price tag of about Rs 30,000. Sony Mobile recently announced the launch of its new Xperia S smartphone during the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, USA, earlier this year

Notably, Sony Xperia S is the second officially certified PlayStation device after Sony Ericsson Xperia Play. Hence, Xperia S will have access to the Sony PlayStation store and all the content that is available on it. Sony PlayStation provides games and entertainment resources to mobile devices and allows them to connect seamlessly to Sony PlayStation devices as well.

Xperia S is powered by a 1.5 GHz dual core Snapdragon MSM 8206 processor coupled with 1 GB of RAM for faster performance. Its 4.3 inch HD display comes with 1280 x 720 pixel resolution and runs Android 2.3.7 operating system, which will be upgraded to Android Ice Cream Sandwich 4.0 soon.
There is also a 12 megapixel camera capable of recoding full HD video which utilises Sony's Exmor sensor technology that helps in taking quality images in low light conditions.
Sony Xperia S, on the connectivity front, features 3G, WiFi, Bluetooth and NFC capability.

5 Portable Chargers to save your Smartphone battery from dying in the middle of the day

No need to worry about the dying battery for now portable power chargers are here to save your day.

Smartphones with greater hardware muscle and advanced mobile operating systems certainly require extra power to run longer. Whether it is business trip or a trek camp with the entourage, charging your gadgets is always a concern. It is frustrating to run out of battery in train or flights and equally fatal to be stranded on a highway or a jungle. Thankfully, such concerns can be taken care-off with the number of options that include crank chargers and portable chargers.

Portable power charger is one great and one of the must-have accessories for every gadget lover. Most new portable power chargers provide USB or micro USB port interface for connecting the power cables to charge the gadgets. These chargers are often referred as Juice Packs. In all fairness, these portable power chargers do save your day when your smartphone or gadgets are required to be used for longer time than usual.

The following list of portable power chargers that allow charging for selected smartphones, tablets and gadgets:

Sony USB Mobile Power CP-A2L (Rs 1,990)

Second generation USB portable power supplier - Sony CP-A2L promises extra battery power with an excellent pricing. With Sony's Mobile Power charger you can charge number of gadgets such as Xperia smartphones, Walkman players, Apple iPod, Apple iPad and even portable game consoles such as - PSP and PS Vita. This Portable Power Supply has a rechargeable Lithium-ion battery with 4000 mAh capacity which good enough to charge a smartphone twice or one and a half time.

Sony's CP-A2L portable charger offers two USB ports for simultaneous charging of two different gadgets. If you want greater output in terms of faster charging, then charge one gadget at a time. It comes with conventional AC input (100V-240V) for faster charging but it takes about six hours to completely replenish its charge.

This Sony CP-A2L also comes in another version CP-A2L which is practically the same product but bundles an extra micro USB cable. Sony CP-A2L portable charger weighs about 145 grams, as much as smartphones.

Nokia Extra Power DC-11 (Rs 2,400)

Usually Nokia accessories are quite popular and sort of omnipresent but the Nokia Extra Power DC-11 portable charger might be bit difficult to obtain.

This portable power charger is recommended for the Nokia mobile phone users for simple reason - the DC-11 offers a 2mm port ( standard charging port on Nokia phones) to charge alongside the regular micro USB port interface.

This Nokia Extra Power DC-11 portable charger has a rechargeable Lithium-Ion 1500 mAh battery and can charge in 2 hours 45 minutes depending on the charger. The LED indicator on the body shows charge status. This portable USB charger can be used with gadgets with a micro USB port. Not all smartphones would be compatible but this portable charger is just 11mm slim to carry in your pocket.

Despite the fact that Nokia mobile phones offer longer battery life, the company should seriously consider portable power charger with more battery capacity. This portable is meant for those with Nokia mobile phones.

iBall Portable Power Charger (Rs 2,499)

This iBall device is a multi-purpose portable charging pack with 8 connecters - micro USB, mini USB, Nokia 2mm, MP3 Player, iPhone/iPod, Sony Ericsson, iPad and Galaxy Tab. Hence it can accommodate eight devices, be it mobile phone, MP3 player, digital camera, or Bluetooth headset, at one go.

This portable charger comes with a retractable 75cm USB cable and has an Auto Power Saving mode built-in. As fancy it can get, this iBall portable power charger comes with a 5000 mAh Li-ion battery capacity and weighs about 140 grams.

The body of this iBall portable power charger comes with an LED indicator which highlights the usage indication - Low, Medium and High. This multi-purpose portable power charger is certainly the best package for the price and functionality it offers.

Cooler Master Choiix (Rs 3,680)

Small wireless mouse like appearance bearing CM Choiix comes in white and black colours. Compatible with smartphones and tablets, the Choiix comes with a number of crucial features such as over charge protection, over discharge protection and over current protection. So in any case of power fluctuations or inconsistencies, this portable charger will provide LED indications. In worst case scenario, the Choiix also offers short circuit protection.

The 5600 mAh Lithium-Ion battery bearing Choiix is capable of charging a smartphone two to three times with 500 recharge times. This power charger comes with a 2.1A output and thereby charges the smartphone faster and almost like from the wall socket. The battery can hold the charge for prolonged period even when the charger is not in use. The four LED indicators on the face show the battery life remaining. It does appear bit stubby but is certainly a smart investment considering the smart features it offers.

Genius Universal Power Pack ECO-U600 (Rs 4,750)

Highest battery capacity bearing Genius Universal Power Pack offers two USB 2.0 ports to charge two different gadgets at the same time. Compatible with smartphones and tablets, this power pack ECO-U600 also has LED indicator showing battery capacity.

Genius has not actually mentioned if it is compatible with all smartphones but we presume that the data cable bundled with the smartphones (USB to micro USB) can be used to charge most devices.

 Separate ports are provided for charging smartphones (5V/1A) and tablets (5V/2.1A). By default the Genius ECO-U600 has a 6800 mAh Lithium-ion battery. This portable charger is quite heavy at 182 grams. It is compatible with select Nokia, HTC, BlackBerry, Samsung, Sony Ericsson and Apple smartphones as well as tablets. Appearing like a slim slab, the Genius ECO-U600 comes with a heavy price and ideal for folks who keep travelling long distances.

Purchasing a portable USB power pack is a smart investment that will help you at any and every point of time. Do check the respective brand's web page for product listing and check if your phone is compatible with the power pack you wish to choose.