ASUS India recently launched two new laptop computers – the N56VM and the G75VW. First one is an addition to ASUS’ N series multimedia range, it features an all new zinc alloy casing, 15.6-inch LED-backlit Full HD display with wide viewing angles, 2.6 GHz quad-core Intel’s 3^rd generation “Ivy Bridge” processor with eight-thread processor with 6MB of cache along with SonicMaster Premium sound. The device also uses ASUS’ Super Hybrid Engine II technology giving it a 2-second instant resume and a 2 weeks standby time.

The G75VW however, is a full-blown 17.3-inch gaming notebook. The device offers Full HD display resolutions with Non-Glare 3D Panel. It is also powered by a 3^rd gen Ivy Brigde processor and nVidia’s latest GeForce GTX 670M (3GB DDR5) standalone graphics. It also comes loaded with 16 gigs of RAM, 1.3 TB of Hard Drive and Blu-ray combo drive.

Both laptops feel lavish but they are not gonna come cheap. You’d have to pay a hefty sum of Rs. 89,999 for N65VM and Rs. 1,39,999 for the G75VW.

[source IBN Live]

A teenage Indian Schoolboy from Agra named Rahul Agrawal would be mentioned at Apple’s World Wide Developers Conference (WWDC) 2012 for having developed a “security lock” for the third gen iPad. NewsX’s coverage didn’t reveal much information about the program but it seems that it won’t be downloadable app but lines of code that would be integrated within iOS operating system.

Rahul sent Apple his program on 22^nd of March which was accepted almost instantly. On 24^th of March, Apple sent Rahul an email telling him that his account with Apple has been upgraded to Apple Developer Premium. He also received a Developer Series third-gen iPad, iPod Touch 4^th Generation, and a $2200 Apple gift card.

We’ll have to wait till WWDC 2012 to learn more about this security feature which is going to happen from June 11-15 in San Francisco.

[via NewsX]

Facebook developers just can’t settle for a layout that works; they are constantly fidgeting to add new features in order to make user experience better. This time around they have tweaked the “Notifications” dropdown.

Earlier, you could only see a few of the recent notifications by clicking the “Notifications” dropdown, if you wanted to see more, you had to click on “See All Notications” which took you to a history of all Notifications that you’ve received from other people, pages and apps.

Personally, I had found previous layout (sans images) pretty boring. Now however, with this minor tweak, you would be able to read all your recent notifications by dragging the scroll bar or using “Up” and “Down” buttons, similar to Ticker and Wall.

After months of keeping T-mobile users on the edge, Samsung finally confirmed that they would release Official Android v4.0 ICS update for phones and tablets running on T-mobile 4G networks. The South Korean group confirmed that the Galaxy S II, Galaxy S Blaze 4G, Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus, and Galaxy Tab 10.1 would receive ICS update with TouchWiz 4.0 user interface.

Earlier, Samsung had hinted a date but they couldn’t back it up; this time around Samsung said nothing regarding the date, when you’d see a pop-up upgrade notification on your device. Since T-mobile’s upgrading HTC Sensation 4G to the latest version of Android this week, you can expect Samsung to roll out the same within a few months.

[Samsung via The Verge]

Lenovo has announced the successor to its ThinkPad X1 ultra-portable laptop; this new thin and lightweight beauty is called ThinkPad X1 Carbon. There a couple of improvements in this new edition, for one, ThinkPad X1 Carbon is a 14-inch device and is now being marketed as a Ultrabook. In spite of its increased display size the ThinkPad X1 Carbon has managed to stay ultrathin and ultra-portable; it weighs 3 pounds and measures 18mm in thickness (complete credit goes to Carbon fiber build).

Lenovo has beefed up its display resolution from 1366 x 768 to 1600 x 900 pixels, the keyboard is island-style, backlit and spill-resistant. Under the hood, it’s got Ivy Bridge processor, Intel’s vPro management technology and most probably Intel’s HD integrated graphics. Like the previous model, this Ultrabook would also feature Lenovo’s RapidCharge tech which will charge the device up to 80% of battery life within 30 minutes; right now, Lenovo is silent about the battery life, I think it will be around 8-10 hours because anything less than that would slaughter ThinkPad X1 in the hands of MacBook Air.

Lenovo hasn’t said anything about its pricing or release date as well but it might go on sale sometimes this summer.

[source Engadget]

For some time now, Microsoft has been interacting with its Fans via their official Facebook page. Now however, they have found a special way of treating those loyal fans. Microsoft unveiled on their official page that they have tied up with Amazon for several exclusive One-Day deals that would be featured in Amazon’s Gold Box. Because of this generous action from Microsoft, you’d be able to buy Windows-based Ultrabooks, Tablets, Operating Systems, Office Tools and other Computer accessories at a discounted price. But remember, the amount of products that can be purchased in each deal is limited, therefore, bag the deal as soon as possible, though you can by unlimited copies of the Software — Microsoft Office Home and Business 2010.

[source Microsoft's Facebook Page]

Scientists and Engineers have created a lot of interesting stuff over time and Makey Makey is one such example. A dream project of two MIT researchers – Jay Silver and Eric Rosenbaum, Makey Makey is one of the coolest inventions I have ever seen. It might not be able to do something really useful as of now (fun is rarely counted as “useful”), but it has a bright future because it is an invention kit for anyone who is “creative, inventive, and imaginative.”

With Makey Makey, you’d be able to use any web application with anything that can conduct even the slightest of electric current. Once the device is connect with your computer via USB and the bananas via alligator clips, you can play web-based Piano by tapping the bananas, and that’s not all. You can play Pacman, and even update your Facebook/Twitter using custom-made alphabet soup keyboard.

Following diagram explains how Makey Makey works, when you touch the object connect to the Makey Makey device, it forms a circuit which is sends electric signals which is then received by your computer and it processes it like a regular keyboard/mouse signal, doesn’t it sound really innovative, yet extremely simple?

Let me tell you once again that it’s a tool kit for inventors. People can make thousands of cool web apps that use Makey Makey, the possibilities are seriously beyond our Imagination.

Guys behind Makey Makey have teamed up with SparkFun to “manufacture safe, environmentally responsible (RoHS compliant) circuit boards.” Right now, these Makey Makey is not available in the market and this idea won’t be realized without initial funding which Jay and Eric believe to touch about $25,000. To generate initial funds, they have put this project on Kickstarter and need you to support them.

To learn more about the Makey Makey project, you can visit their page on Kickstarter, and if you’re interested in supporting the project, you can back it up starting from $1. If you back the project with $35 or more, you’ll get Makey Makey(s) when it released, sometimes in August.

Watch the Makey Makey video below.

Update (15/5/2012 1:35 AM IST) – Makey Makey already got $10,000 of $25,000 at Kickstarter.

[source Kickstarter]

Your favorite orange-flavored media player has reached a new milestone. Video Lan unveiled that their free VLC media player has hit 1 billion downloads; if you’re a Windows user, you’d be happy to know that 90% of the big million came from Windows platform. The reason why VLC player is so loved by us — Windows users — is that it is lightweight and flexible, I mean, I don’t have to add additional codec packages to run (.flv) Flash videos. If you’re interested in the exact numbers, you can hit the source link below that will take you to VLC’s website. By the way, they didn’t reveal the breakdown of downloads that came from Linux, because of the distros.

[source Video Lan]

At the May 12th WestLicht Photographica auction in Vienna, Leica’s rare 0-Series camera was sold for a whopping $2.79 million which makes it the most expensive camera in the world; earlier this record was held by the same camera which was sold at this very auction, last year.

The reason why this camera bagged such a high price is that it is an ultra-rare piece; only 25 of these 0-series (or null series) cameras were produced; these were prototypes, launched to test the markets for Leica A which was released a couple of years later.

Bid for this fully working photographer’s desire started at about $386,000 but shot to €1 million within a minute.

Watch the record-breaking moment, below.

For more coverage, hit the source link below.

[Leica Rumors via The Next Web]

Samsung Galaxy Note (GT-N7700) has now started receiving Android v4.0.3 ICS upgrade via Samsung Kies software. The new update will bring several new features to your Galaxy Note including TouchWiz 4.0 user interface, improved one-hand navigation, enhanced network settings, ICS multitasking and advanced power settings.

Once you will install ICS on your Galaxy Note, you will also see a considerable difference phone’s speed. If you’re thinking that updating your device might make using it difficult, then let me tell you that there’s nothing to worry; TouchWiz 4.0 user interface is similar to what you have used till date; it’s only a little smoother.

If you’re using the international version of Galaxy Note, then you will be able to update your device using Samsung Kies software. For detailed instructions, visit XDA developers post.

[via Pocketnow]

According to reports published by All Things D, Google may acquire Meebo, a web service that has evolved from being a web-based instant messenger to social bar for webmasters and now an “interest profile generator.” If we believe the rumors, Meebo will get a whopping $100 million for this acquisition.

Meebo has been quite successful in luring webmasters into using its social products like its social bar that not only makes website more engaging but also generates revenue with advertising. Both companies have been silent about this deal so far. Also, I am not sure how Meebo services would fit into Google’s web services.

Meebo has been around since 2005 and has racked nearly $60 million in funding which includes $25 million Series D round led by Khosla Ventures in 2010.

[All Things D via The Verge]

The latest leak from LG i.e. LS970 Eclipse suggests that they have been working to produce a direct competitor of high-end, Quad-core Android devices which are going to dominate the Smartphone market in 2012.

This new Smartphone Superphone would provide users with loads of memory to run multiple high-def apps simultaneously. Both HTC One X and Samsung Galaxy SIII features 1 GB of RAM but LG LS970 is rumored to feature 2 GB of Random Access Memory.

What makes me say it is a high-end device is its processor; the device is rumored to feature Qualcomm APQ8064 Quad-core Snapdragon S4 chip along with Adreno 320 GPU. Other features include 4.67 inch WXGA display, 1280 x 768 pixels resolution (that’s quite odd!), 16 GB internal memory, 13-megapixel autofocus rear camera and 1.3 megapixel front cam.

Since it supports LTE Band 25, it might land US markets with Sprint’s 4G LTE connection.

[Brief Mobile via Pocket Now]

Several Indian companies have started to believe that “tablets for education” is a Gold Mine because there couldn’t any other explanation for cheap “education oriented” Android tablets that are popping up in Indian markets every single day. This time around Kobian has brought a cheap, sub-Rs. 5,000 tablet to the table that is intended to assist students.

This new tablet weighs 500 grams, runs Android v2.3 Gingerbread, has a 1 GHz processor, 512 MB RAM, 4 gigs of internal memory, and a 0.3-megapixel front cam. Kobian would also be offering several additional accessories with this tablet including a case that would convert iXA Tab into a mini Netbook.

The device would be up for pre-order in India from 23rd of May at a price point of Rs. 3,999. I have no doubt that this tablet is some Chinese/Korean/Taiwanese product that has been re-branded as Mercury iXA Tab.

In a letter written to Muggles (non-magic people), Jeff Bezos announced that Amazon is bringing all the seven books in the Harry Potter series to Kindle Owners’ lending library.

From June 19, guys subscribed to Amazon’s Prime service would be able to borrow any of the Harry Potter books as frequently as once a month. Amazon has taken an exclusive license from J.K. Rowling’s Pottermore to add these seven, super-famous titles to its lending library which currently features nearly 145,000 premium books. All the seven books would be available in languages like English, Spanish, Italian, German and French.

Read the full letter by following the source link below and if you have decided to go Prime on Amazon; it costs $79 per year and you also get to stream nearly 17,000 movies and television shows.

Have a merry journey back to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft & Wizardry.

[source Amazon, photo-credit bibicall]

Samsung has started to roll out Android v4.0 ICS update for its fantastic 5.3-inch phone tablet i.e. Samsung Galaxy Note. The new update would not only bring a new firmware to the phone tablet but also the “Premium Suite,” which is a Galaxy Note exclusive feature.

The premium suite would take your phone tablet’s productivity to a whole new level. With apps like S Note, Shape Match and My Story, you would be able to do amazing things with your phone. If you don’t believe me, check out the official premium suite video, below.

As of now, the company hasn’t confirmed the launch but several Galaxy Note users, living in European countries have received a bite of the delicious Ice Cream Sandwich and other countries are expected to get the same, soon.

[via Engadget]

Microsoft Research has taken gesture control to the next level by using sound waves to detect in-air body movements. To be precise, the new system would work on Doppler’s effect which was proposed by an Austrian physicist named Christian Doppler in 1842. This technology works somewhat like Kinect but it won’t need additional hardware; any device with a speaker, Windows operating system and a microphone would be able to use this technology. As of now, Microsoft is calling this new technology – SoundWave.

The Working

Any Windows computer with SoundWave software installed would be constantly emitting inaudible tones whose frequency would be ranging from 18 KHz to 22 KHz. When you’d wave your hand in front of your computer, these frequencies would get reflected and then detected by your computer’s microphone. The software would then analyze the frequency shifts in emitted and received frequencies and convert that data into specific actions.

For example, if you’d wave your hand upwards and downwards, it would enable you to scroll through a page upwards and downwards, respectively.

Watch the official video below to learn about this technology’s possibilities.

SoundWave is interesting but I am quite doubtful whether it would good enough to replace a physical keyboard, mouse or even a touchscreen. Touchscreen displays are widely used these days but still there are millions of people who prefer a physical keypad instead of a touchscreen input. As of now, SoundWave is in its primitive, experimental stage, and Microsoft hasn’t said anything about its commercial launch.

[via ZDNet]

Acer has announced a new Netbook called Aspire One 725 that would be placed under its “visually stunning, high performing” series of Netbooks. The device is powered by AMD E450 APU processor that is enriched with AMD’s fusion technology; it will run high-def videos smoothly but don’t expect to run games that demand even mid-range graphics.

Acer would launch Aspire One 725 in two colors – Caribbean Blue and Volcanic Black. It would measure just 1-inch in thickness and weigh a mere 1.2 Kg. You can call it a refreshed competitor of high-end Netbooks like the one which I own – HP Pavilion dm1-4003AU.

Apart from that, the Netbook would offer an 11.6” high-brightness Acer CineCrystal LED-backlit display with 16:9 aspect ratio and HD resolution, a HDMI port, and Acer HD CrystalEye webcam. Acer hasn’t revealed its pricing and release date yet; my guess is, this device would cost somewhere around $450 for the base model i.e. 2 GB of RAM and 320 GB of HDD storage.

[source Acer]

HP Envy Spectre XT is the stylish boy of the lot, it is covered in an all-metallic frame that is 14.7 mm thin and weighs a mere 3.07 pounds. Spectre XT would have a 13.3-inch display, 128 GB SSD storage, Ivy Bridge Processor, USB 3.0 and HDMI ports, Quad speaker system with Beats Audio and complete versions of Adobe Photoshop Elements 10 and Adobe Premiere Elements 10. Spectre XT is slated to hit US on June 8 with a price tag of $1,000 for the base model.

Both HP Envy Ultrabook and Envy Sleekbook would be offered in two sizes – 14.1 inches and 15.6 inches, Ivy Bridge processor, mSATA SSD storage drives and dual speaker + sub woofer system with Beats Audio. The 14.1 variant of Envy Sleekbook would feature Intel integrated graphics processor while the 15.6 variant would have AMD accelerated display.

Both models of Envy Ultrabook and 14.1 inch model of Envy Sleekbook would hit US markets today priced at $750 and $700 for the base models, respectively. You would have to wait till 20^th of June for 15.6 inch Envy Sleekbook which would be priced at $600 for the base model.

The last Ultrabook that HP unveiled was HP Elitebook Folio 9470m; it has a 14-inch display, is just 19 mm thick, weighs 3.6 pounds and features full-sized Ethernet port, VGA display port, USB 3.0, and an optional 4G connectivity. HP hasn’t revealed its pricing yet but it is expected to release in States around October.

[via Electronista]

Rovio’s financial results for 2011, which it revealed on Monday suggests that 2011 was a great year for the Angry Birds franchise. The company generated a total of $106.3 million in sales which includes the revenue generated from selling three Angry Birds games viz. Angry Birds, Angry Birds Seasons and Angry Birds Rio and official Angry Birds merchandise.

The three games were downloaded about 648 million times across platforms with about 200 million users playing the games actively each month. Rovio is expecting the business to grow even further this year. With Angry Birds Space out already, I believe Rovio is going to make a lot of money from it. Rovio has been promoting its games with several Android phones and tablets, offering premium version of Angry Birds Space with the device (check out Samsung Galaxy Note promo).

[via BGR]

Almost every telecom provider in India is promoting its 3G service claiming it to be ultra-fast but we all know how fast it really is. If you’re looking to experience really fast internet experience, you should subscribe to Airtel’s 4G data plans which are currently limited to Kolkata and Bengaluru. The plans starting from Rs. 999/month going up to Rs. 2,999/month offers download speeds up to 100 Mbps.

Airtel is also going to bundle a movie catalogue of about 35 movies with each of the 4G packages which would enable you to stream full movies without any pixilation or lags on your mobile phone. In the first month, as an introductory offer, Airtel would provide 10 movies for Free, if you want to continue the service, you would have to pay Rs. 149 per month.

3G services in India claim to offer 3.1 Mbps download speeds but people rarely get that; the 4G service would definitely be a lot faster but whether it would be able to touch the 100 Mbps mark is still a very doubtful claim.

Hit the source link below to learn more about Airtel 4G and how you can subscribe to the service.

[source Airtel 4G]