With this article, I am not trying to go against social networking websites. I am just trying to say that people are using social networking websites, especially Facebook, irresponsibly.

I totally agree that Facebook is a very good connecting medium, with Facebook one can stay in touch with thousands of people, share thoughts, photos etc. but does that mean a person should share each and every second of his time of social networking?

Certainly Not!

In one of my previous articles, 5 Deadliest side-effects of Social Networking, I shared 5 ways in which Social Networking can be harmful, but that article was written more than a year ago, a lot of things have changed in that time span.

In the movie, The Social Network it was stated that Mark Zuckerberg created Facebook as a place where people would log on to meet a girl. Even though the real Mark overruled that statement, people in India are using Social Networking, generously to stalk girls.

When I am sitting in my class, studying PCM (although I am not in the top ranker in the class, in short, I am not a very good student), I invariably hear someone saying, “Open your Facebook profile, I want to chat with that Girl.”

I don’t understand how people could even think that they are going find “true love” or whatever they are looking for on the Internet… it’s stupid, isn’t it?

In the movie, Zuckerberg said, Facebook is not a dating site but in reality it is not too different from a dating site.

But this is just one aspect of how social networking is making people stupid, and by stupid I mean, making people do stupid things. People you befriend on Facebook aren’t and can be your real friends, and in some cases they are not even real people.

Believe it or not, social networking websites make people say stupid things, because it is in our nature to be an expert commentator, we can’t stop ourselves from forming an opinion about things and Facebook & Twitter are two convenient places where these expert opinions are voiced on a regular basis.

Chetan Bhagat, a very popular fiction author tweeted,

“Mothers give birth, but ultimately, the coke belongs to the guy who puts the coin in the vending machine. Happy  father’s day ”

on Father’s Day.

This is what happens when you don’t give your thoughts, a second thought.

Updating statuses and Tweeting without considering the consequences might not look a “big deal” in the short-term but it can cause troubles and many people around the globe have weakened their relationships because of this.

There was a time in my life when I was very much attracted towards chatting, I used to chat with several people at the same time, which even then I knew was a waste of time, but I deliberately used Facebook as an escaping medium (procrastination).

Now, I very well understand that ignorance is fatal, even though Facebook escapes me from my real life for some time; it is never going to help me in my real life.

In short, chatting on Facebook, Instant Messengers, BBM or even Nimbuzz (which more and more people are using these days) is nothing but a shear waste of life.

Again, I am not saying that you don’t use Facebook at all, but don’t keep your brain on the back burner while using it.

I hope this article has warned you that chances of you doing stupid things increases when you don’t use your head while using social networking sites.

According to a new report released by comScore, iOS and Android ruled the fourth quarter of 2011 in terms of market share in United States. They gained 2.2% and 2.5% of Smartphone market share which brought their total to 29.6% and 47.3% respectively.

While Q4 2011 was a successful quarter for Apple and Google, it was not much of a delight for RIM, Microsoft and Symbian who lost a couple of points. In Q4 2011, RIM stood at third place with 16%, Microsoft stood at fourth place with 4.7% and Symbian stood at fifth spot with 1.4& of market share.

RIM’s BlackBerry Smartphones were once most sought after business devices but now it seems iOS and Android have overthrown its rule. RIM needs serious innovation and it seems Thorsten Heins, their new CEO has some plans for that.

comScore also released manufacturing statistics for Q4 2011 and according to that Samsung holds the first spot with 25.3% of market share, followed by LG and Motorola which have 20% and 13.3% of market share. But these stats also include several low-budget devices which don’t fall into the Smartphone category.

Apple and RIM, which only manufacturers Smartphone held 12.4% and 6.7% of market share in Q4 2011. The reason why Apple’s manufacturing share grew from 10.2% to 12.4% is undoubtedly iPhone 4S.

So, that’s it, now you know which Smartphone OS and manufacturers dominated Q4 2011. It is possible that Android’s market share would increase to 50+% in Q1 2012 because Google’s latest operating system – v4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich is set to hit devices across all platforms, and it is a really well-built mobile phone OS.

[source comScore | via Engadget]

The year 2011 saw the release several gaming titles, though most of them were sequels to already popular video games. It felt as if game publishers were not in a mood to take risks by publishing new titles.

Nevertheless, gamers gave these sequels hearty reception and their publishers bathed in money. Today, I am going to share with you an official list of Top 5 Bestselling video games of 2011.

#5 Pokemon Black Version

Pokemon Black was released on March 6, 2011 by Ninetendo and has been developed by GameFreak. Pokemon Black is the first instalment in 5^th generation of Pokemon role-playing games.

In Pokemon Black, you play as the lead character who has starter a journey to become the Pokemon Master in Unova region, this game along with its sister game Pokemon White offers 150 new Pokemon, which you have capture, train and use while fighting your opponents and to sabotage Team Plasma’s evil plans.

Even though, Ninetendo DS’s sales went down, Pokemon Black was a massive hit among people, majorly because of the brand. In fact, more than 5 million copies of Pokemon Black & White together were sold in the first month.

Buy Pokemon Black Version:-

#4 NBA 2K11

NBA 2K11 is an interactive basketball video games designed & published by 2K sports. It offers an interesting gameplay, superb graphics, sound effects, player details which are capable of luring any Basketball fan into buying this game.

In the game, you can play as Michael Jordan and relive most enticing matches in history of Basketball. According to official date, this game sold over 5.5 million copies worldwide, and a senior editor at G4tv said that this is not only the best basketball, but it is the best game across all sports genre.

Buy NBA 2K11 Online:-

#3 Pokemon White Version

Pokemon White Version has mostly the same story as Pokemon Black Version with subtle differences, like you get different Pokemon at different route, trainers have varied Pokemon, different legendary Pokemon and there are even some Pokemon which evolve only when they are traded with the Black version. This game secured a major chunk in those 5 million copies.

Buy Pokemon White Version Online:-

#2 Just Dance 2

Just Dance is the one of the most popular Wii franchise, and their second instalment Just Dance 2 was the second bestselling game of 2011, even though it was released in 2010.

Just Dance 2 is a fun game which 4 players can play simultaneously, like other Dance games, the better you perform steps choreographed in the game, the more points you’d earn and those points are going to rank you better in the online battles.

Just Dance 2 also has a “Just Sweat Mode” which basically uses dancing as a method of cardio workouts, you can measure your efficiency and the count of calories that you burnt while playing this game. In October 2011, Ubisoft release the third in the series which is selling hot at the moment.

Buy Just Dance 2 Online:-

#1 Call of Duty: Black Ops

Call of Duty: Black Ops is the seventh first player shooter game in Call of Duty series and was released by Activision in 2010. The game was massive hit; in fact, it sold about 5.6 million copies within 24 hours of its launch, 4.2 million in US and the remaining in UK. Even, though Activision launched Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 in 2011, Black Ops did sell the most of number of copies around the world.

Activision officially said that more than 25 million copies of COD: Black Ops were sold which brought them total revenue of $1 billion.

Buy Call of Duty: Black Ops Online:-

P.S. – All orders are powered by Amazon’s advanced shipping network, they would reach your door step within 2 days of placing the order, all your private data is encrypted, thus feel safe while shopping. Cheers!

Street Fighter is my second favourite 1 on 1 fighting game, after Tekken. When this game was launched, there were only 10 odd character, I somewhat remember playing this game on my NES when I was 8 or 9 years old.

With the passage of time, newer versions of this game came into the market with several new characters. Right now, there are more than 40 characters, and each of them is unique in their own fighting style.

Today, with this blog post, I am going to share with your my favourite Street Fighter characters.

#5 Dhalsim

He is not in my list because the game depicts him to be of Indian Origin but because his moves were really fantastic. Dhalsim plays with Fire, he blows it, throws fireballs and causes decent amount of damage to the opponents. Surprisingly, he can extend his arms & legs while punching and kicking. Though Dhalsim is not among the strongest characters in the game but his moves are definitely fun to play with.

#4 Guile

According to Street Fighter’s storyline, Guile is an American Soldier who has entered the fighting ring to take revenge of his dead military mate – Charlie who was killed by M. Bison. Guile is undoubtedly the best looking character in the game with perfectly shaped, heroic body and super cool hairstyle. Guile’s most deadly weapons are sonic boom & flash kick. The flash kick comes really handy when you’re fighting with a character that attacks from above, like Zangief.

#3 Chun-Li

Chun-Li was the first female character to descend 1 on 1 fighting games and what makes her even more attractive is that fact that her moves like Lightening Kick makes her better than several guy characters in the game. Chun-Li’s spinning bird kick and fireball are not as powerful as Ryu but when used properly, they do cause a lot of damage. Kicking some as* with Chun-Li’s powerful moves is very Pleasurable!

#2 Ryu

Ryu is the lead character of Street Fighter series, his dragon punches, powerful fireballs and hurricane kicks are stuff of legend. No Street Fighter game is complete without Ryu and his American partner Ken, every gamer knows that. Playing the game as Ryu is a pleasure because not only he is strong, he is also capable of winning in tight situations. It is the best character in Street Fighter series for many, but not for me because my favourite is…

#1 Ken

Even though Ken & Ryu share many of their moves Ken snatched the top spot because when it comes to face to face combats, he is the man. In my case, I have fought most of my battles as Ken and I am proud to say that I am an expert when it comes to playing as Ken. There are several reasons why I like Ken over Street Fighter’s Lead Character Ryu.

Buy Street Fighter Online:-

So… this was a list of my favourite Street Fighter character, or champions. Everybody who plays Street Fighter has a favourite character, tell which one is yours using the comment form below.

Samsung has officially announced the successor of Samsung Galaxy Ace which quite a Popular Android phone in India because of its features and price.

The new phone Samsung Galaxy Ace Plus doesn’t look very different from Galaxy Ace on the outside, though on the inside Samsung has tweaked a couple of things.

Samsung Galaxy Ace would sport a larger 3.65 inch HVGA (320 x 480 pixel) capacitive touchscreen display, improved 1 GHz single core processor, 512 RAM and 3 GB of internal memory which you can easily upgrade up to 32 GB using an external microSD data card.

One thing that disappointed me was its operating system which is the latest version of Android v2.3 Gingerbread. Google has official released the Source code for Android v4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich but neither does this phone comes with that OS, nor there is any indication of future update. It feels Samsung is going to keep ICS for its high end Smartphones.

This phone would also come with Samsung Kies Air for instant updates and Samsung ChatON for staying connected with your friend circle.

There is no camera upgrade in this device, like Galaxy Ace, its successor also has a 5-megapixel AF camera with LED flash and no secondary camera for video calling. I seriously feel Samsung should’ve added a secondary camera because 3G is getting popular in India.

It has all the necessary connectivity options and would come with several Google services pre-installed.

Galaxy Ace Plus’ pricing & release date for India are still under the veil.

In 1950, a 10-year old boy visited Michigan State University campus, entered the room-sized computer and lost the way out.

Read his story:-

In 1950, I was 10 years old, visiting the Michigan State University campus. The computer was on the ground floor, turned off, with the door open. It was perhaps half the size of a gym, with many rows of cabinets taller than me. I wandered up and down the rows looking at the vacuum tubes until I got bored. By then I couldn’t see the door, and didn’t remember how to get back out. I was literally “lost in the computer”. So I continued wandering, eventually found the open door back out, and left.

I knew, after studying history of computers in 11^th grade that early age computers like ENIAC & UNIVAC emitted a lot of heat, needed lots of space & cooling but I never knew that they had openings to fit a 10-year old boy.

Read the complete story along with other early age computer tales at The Next Web.

[via Gizmodo, source TNW]

Nokia Lumia 710 was released just about a month ago with a price tag of Rs. 20,000/- It seems Lumia 710 has been shaded by Android’s mighty influence and that’s probably the reason why e-commerce portals in India have decided to offer discounts on this Phone.

Lumia 710 is a Windows Phone 7.5 Mango OS powered device and comes with several other luring features. It has a 3.7-inch ClearBlack Display, 1.4 GHz processor, 8 GB internal memory, 512 MB RAM, 5-megapixel rear camera that supports HD 720p video recording and several connectivity options.

Saholic.com which is an e-commerce portal run by Spice Group, has further decided to cut prices of other Smartphones. Full list is given below:-

[Thanks, Abhishek]

These plans were unofficial from the beginning and now it seems that they were fragile too because Carphone Warehouse has removed that page from their website. It is possible that they might have removed that page to update it with more accurate information, though chances are slim.

It feels that tech enthusiasts in UK are very excited to receive next-generation of Nokia Lumia Smartphone and why shouldn’t they be, there are several features which makes Lumia 900 a well-groomed Smartphone.

Lumia 900 has a 4.3-inch AMOLED capacitive Corning Gorilla Glass touchscreen display, 8-megapixel AF camera with Carl Zeiss optics and dual-LED flash at the back, and a VGA camera in front. The rear camera can also shoot 720p HD videos at 30 fps. That’s not all; on the inside Nokia has a 1.4 GHz Scorpion Qualcomm APQ8055 Snapdragon processor along with Adreno 205 GPU to power Xbox Games.

In United States, this phone would be launched with AT&T’s 4G LTE connection and it is possible that Carphone Warehouse, might also add 4G LTE network to Lumia 900 for UK consumers, the Lumia 900 page on their website (which doesn’t exist now) didn’t suggest anything about 4G connectivity, but it is probable.

On the whole, neglecting the weight of this phone, Lumia 900 looks completely delicious. I hope Nokia brings Lumia 900 to India soon, after all, their Lumia 800 is quite popular here.

[via Engadget]

Heins, who has 23 years of experience with Siemens, believes that RIM is on the right track and is sure that RIM would stay in Top 3 Smartphone manufacturers in the world.

In an interview, which was posted on YouTube, he shared his vision for the company,

“We continue doing well what we’re doing; I see no problem with us being in the top three players worldwide.”

RIM suffered a few setbacks last year, especially in Asian Markets. Pointing out the scenario in the form of constructive criticism, Heins said that company can improve the way it executes.

Heins also added,

“We’ve learned to execute and, though we need to get better at execution, we’ve learned a lot. When we say that a product is defined, we must move decisively into execution mode and get the product done with good quality, on time and at good cost.”

Even though several tech enthusiasts believe that RIM should move to Android or Windows Phone 7.5 for their devices but Heins thinks otherwise. RIM’s latest operating system BlackBerry OS 10 would release soon, and according to Thorsten, it is capable enough to provide BlackBerry Phones with that competitive edge.

Heins also said that he would focus more on marketing active & improve the way consumers perceive BlackBerry Products through advertising etc.

A change at the top of a company seems to harbor changes all along the hierarchy. We’d have to wait to see whether Heins new vision for RIM brings restores brand’s slightly lost position in the world.

[via TNW]

With the introduction of Android Smartphones, the life of bloggers around the globe has become easier because now they are not bounded to laptops & computer. Now they can update their blog, share experiences and interact with like-minded people on the go.

If you are somebody who doesn’t own a blog but wants start one from his Android phone then following is a list of Best Blogging Apps available for Android Smartphone and Tablets. If you are already having a blog on these platforms, you can simply download its app from Android Market to free yourself.

#1 WordPress

WordPress is one of the most advanced blogging platform and the WordPress app for Android offers many of these advanced features. You can create new posts, edit old ones, view blog stats and add images, links, videos and other multimedia content. This app can be used for multiple blogs including the ones which are self-hosted like Wizard Journal.

The user interface may look pretty compact on Smartphones but is considerably well-organized for Tablets.

[Market Link]

#2 Blogger

Blogger is a popular yet very informal blogging platform, best suited for personal blogs. You won’t need to separately register an account for this app.

Blogger app for Android has been optimized for both Smartphones & Tablets. It allows you to create new post, add images, links, even YouTube videos to it and publish them under labels thus enabling you to create an organized blog. If you want to keep multiple blogs, this app would allow you to switch between them easily.

[Market Link]

#3 Tumblr

This is my favourite blogging platform for Personal Blogging because of its well-organized templates. It is a brilliant blogging app for Android, simply the best. It allows you to add text, photos, videos, quotes and chats to your Tumbelog. You can re-blog what other people have posted on their Tumblelog and follow your friends directly from your phone’s address book.

If you have multiple blogs, or want to create multiple blogs, you can easily manage all of them from Tumblr App for Android’s Dashboard.

[Market Link]

#4 LiveJournal

LiveJournal is probably the oldest blogging platform in the world, I came to know about it from The Social Network movie where Mark Zuckerberg blogs about his ex-Girlfriend. LiveJournal app for Android is a brilliant counterpart of its Desktop interface.

It enables you to add your experiences in the form of text, photos and videos to your online journal. With LiveJournal app for Android you can record your experiences and respond to comments on the go. Also, you can directly communicate with the groups that you have joined by adding text, creating polls etc. directly.

It doesn’t matter if you are LiveJournal veteran of newbie, you won’t be disappointed by it.

[Market Link]

#5 Posterous Spaces

I hope I don’t offend the guys behind Posterous but it is a derived blogging platform which offers the best of WordPress, Blogger and Tumblr. With Posterous app for Android you can share experiences in the form of text, photos and videos on the go.

You can manage multiple Posterous Spaces from this single app and also control their privacy settings. You can add private posts to these Spaces which won’t be shared with anybody.

[Market Link]

Blogging has emerged out to be a wonderful source of information; people are sharing their experiences which in many cases serve as an inspiration for readers. I don’t know if you are starting a new blog, or already have one, but I believe your blogging experience would enhance using these Android apps.

Samsung Series 7 Chronos laptop has a 17-inch 300 nits display that comes Full HD 1080p resolution. It would be shipped with Intel’s Second Generation of Core i7 processor a.k.a. Sandy Bridge, JBL speakers and 2 GB of dedicated graphics memory from ATI Radeon, the model wasn’t declared at CES.

This laptop, like Samsung Series 5 Chromebook & other Ultra-portable laptops from Samsung has SuperBright display which offered pretty nice viewing angles, but those were not as good as the ones found on ‘Expensive’ Series 9 laptops.

Releasing Date & Pricing of this super-cool desktop replacement is under the veil but it is expected that when Samsung Series 7 Chronos laptop is released, it would cost around $1499.

I am quite sceptical whether this laptop would ever make a trip to Indian markets because there is a very narrow market in India for expensive, heavy laptops. Maybe, that’s the reason why I couldn’t find HP Envy 17 anywhere in my city.

[source Engadget]

Let’s dissect the tech specs & features of Micromax A75 Smartphone and try to analyse whether it is a phone worth buying or not.

Build Quality

Micromax A75 comes in a plastic body and weighs around 135 grams. It has a large display but still, I believe, Micromax should have given a thought to its looks because – “Thin… is in.” Since it doesn’t have a slide-out QWERTY keyboard, this heavy appeal is unjustified.

In my opinion, Micromax A75’s build quality is not impressive.

Display Quality

Micromax A75 has a 3.75-inch capacitive touchscreen display that renders images at 320 x 480 pixel resolution. The large display is bliss for people who like watching videos & playing games on their Android Smartphone.

In my opinion, the large display screen that Micromax A75 has distinguishes it from other Android phones under Rs. 10,000/- since most of them have displays around 3-inches.

Processor, OS & Performance

Micromax A75’s 650 MHz processor is quite disappointing & incapable of providing snappy user experience. The phone takes a lot of time while opening even basic apps, and is not optimized for multitasking. Despite that, it can run several games from Android Market pretty well, that’s definitely a plus point.

It runs the latest version of Gingerbread OS i.e. Android v2.3.5 which extends the possibilities of this phone.

In short, Micromax A75 is not for those who can’t tolerate lags while operating their phone. For improving user experience of device, you can install a support custom ROM from CyanogenMOD but do it with caution, after taking back-up and learning how to uninstall the custom ROM.

Skype doesn’t work on this device and it doesn’t support the latest version of Adobe Flash. Sound Quality of this device is pretty lame too; however, you can improve it by using a good in-ear headphone.

Camera Quality

Micromax A75 has a pretty decent 3.15-megapixel camera with image stabilization & LED flash. It can capture good-looking photographs both at day & night times. Image stabilization does help in improving picture quality but shutter lag time is higher than other Android Smartphones, maybe because of lame processor.

It has a front facing VGA camera for video calling, it could have been used for Skype but this device is incapable of running Skype.

Connectivity

It is a dual-SIM device and has all the connectivity options that you can ask for. It has GPRS, EDGE, Wi-Fi with Hotspot, 3G and surprising Bluetooth v3.0 with A2DP. Micromax A75 comes with stock Android web browser but you can install Opera Mini & other free web browser available on Android Market.

Memory

Micromax A75’s memory can be upgraded up to 32 GB using a microSD card (Buy Memory).

Miscellaneous

It has a universal 3.5 mm headphone jack, supports MP4 video playback, and has a 1300 mAh battery that offers a talk time of about 5 hours.

Battery Life is pretty poor and you may have to charge this phone several times… in a single day. But that is the general problem in all Android Smartphones.

Final Words

On the whole, Micromax A75 is not a very bad device for the price at which it is available in market. It does have competition from HTC Explorer, but that phone costs a little more and has a smaller display. If I were to buy this phone, I would have straightaway ported CM custom ROM on top of Gingerbread so as to improve performance.

Do you own Apple’s most successful Gadget – The iPad?

If the answer to these questions is yes then Electronic Arts has a little gift for you. EA Sports is offering their latest Soccer Game – FIFA Soccer 12 which usually costs $9.99 for a 90% discount which means you can get this brilliant Soccer Game for just $0.99/-

FIFA 12 has broken several major records on Console Platform because the game offers several new features including Tactical Defending and Real-time Injuries. It is a fact that FIFA 12 is the most successful game in FIFA series published by EA Sports.

In addition to Realistic Gameplay, Superb Graphics & Terrific Clubs you get several new features designed specifically to improve, to make the Game more enjoyable on the iPad.

You can play FIFA Soccer for the iPad in Multiplayer mode. EA has release an app that converts your iPhone/iPod Touch in a Wireless Controller using which you can play the game in Multiplayer mode. I haven’t seen any iPad game having such brilliant features.

Usually this game for $9.99, and I quite surprised how EA is offering this game for just $0.99. I think you shouldn’t grab this deal right away because it may not exist tomorrow.

[App Store Link]

Though most people, including me, prefer playing Video Games on Consoles but it is fact that all those “Console lovers” started off Gaming on a Desktop.

If you haven’t bought a console yet then you should definitely check out Alienware X51 Desktop which offers Solid Gaming Muscle and looks very much similar to a console.

You can get Alienware X51 with hardware configuration that is suitable for you. It comes with Second Generation of Intel Core i3, Core i5 and Core i7 processors a.k.a. Sandy Bridge, Intel H61 Express Chipset Architecture up to 8 GB of RAM, 1 TB of storage (7200 RPM), 1GB GDDR5 NVIDIA GeForce GT 545 (upgradeable to GTX 555 graphic card), 7.1 channel Waves MAXX HD Audio, on-board Wi-Fi and a lot more.

Like other Alienware Computers, X51 comes with custom lighting which can be controlled using Alienware Command Center and no matter how you place this Windows PC on your table, whether horizontally or vertically; the Alienware logo would adjust itself to remind you that you have bought a Premium Gaming PC.

Alienware X51 can be bought in United States & Canada for $699 which is completely justified, like Apple, they don’t want to compromise on Quality to reduce cost. We’d have to wait for Dell to make some Official announcement regarding Alienware X51’s trip to Indian Markets.

Lenovo K800, unlike several other Android Smartphones launched at CES 2012, runs on the exclusive single-core Atom Z2460 chip developed by Intel. In fact, Lenovo K800 is the first Android Smartphone that runs on this processor.

Other features include a 4.5-inch capacitive touchscreen display that offers 720p resolution, 8-megapixel camera with 1080p Full HD video recording support, a front facing camera for Skype & video chat and runs on Android v2.3 Gingerbread.

One of the key highlights of CES 2012 were Ice Cream Sandwich powered Tablets and Smartphones. Although, Lenovo K800 doesn’t support ICS yet, it might get an update once it is launched in Chinese markets during Q2 2012.

If you’re impressed by features of Lenovo K800 and want to know when it would be launched internationally then you’d have to wait for the second half of 2012. On the whole, Lenovo K800 offers pretty decent specs, two factors that would determine whether this phone becomes a hit or flop in India is value for money quotient and battery life.

Typing and sending mails become a lot easier when you have a physical QWERTY keypad resting on your Android phone. Although, there are several apps like QuickType and Swype available on Android Market but they can never make typing on a touchscreen similar to typing on a Physical keypad.

Following is a list of Best Android Smartphones with Physical QWERTY Keypad which you can buy right now.

Let’s Begin.

Best Android Phones with QWERTY Keypad

#5 Samsung Galaxy Pro (Buy Online)

It is one of the most basic Android phones available in market. In fact, the only reason why it is quite popular is that it has a comfortable QWERTY keypad. It comes with a nice set of hardware that supports several lightweight Android apps and Games. Samsung Galaxy Pro is placed in this list of Best Android Smartphones with Physical QWERTY Keypad because Samsung is offering this Smartphone at a very nice price which makes buying this phone a great value for money deal.

Even before Social Networking became the norm, people used to chat a lot with their friends using SMS. If you feel that you can’t live without texting your friends, this phone is definitely going to empower you.

Key Features of Samsung Galaxy Pro

Samsung Galaxy Pro can be bought for around Rs. 8,000/-

#4 Motorola Fire XT311 (Buy Online)

Motorola Fire XT311 Smartphone comes with quite a bulky design which makes it a pretty average QWERTY Smartphone. Unlike several other Android phones with QWERTY keypad, Motorola Fire has a Vertical display. Motorola is pitching this decently powered phone with MotoSwitch UI on top of Gingerbread operating system which is plus point because not too many phones at this price support that OS.

On the whole, Motorola Fire XT311 is a great value for money Android device with QWERTY keypad and that’s the reason why it has gained a spot in this list of Best Android Smartphones with Physical QWERTY Keypad.

Key Features of Motorola Fire XT311

Motorola Fire XT311 can be bought for around Rs. 8,700/-

#3 HTC ChaCha (Buy Online)

HTC ChaCha comes in two unique colors which compliments HTC Sense UI which is a custom user interface designed HTC for its Android phones. HTC ChaCha feels awesome in the hand and is sort of style statement. Thought it was launched about a year ago but still it can support almost all the new apps & games that launched for Android OS (excluding the ones which have 3D interface).

On the whole, HTC ChaCha is a device for those who want a Smartphone that looks cool, since it earns top point in form factor and that’s why it has been placed at #3 spot in this list of Best Android Smartphones with Physical QWERTY Keypad.

Key Features of HTC ChaCha

HTC ChaCha can be bought for around Rs. 12,500/-

#2 Sony Ericsson Xperia Mini Pro (Buy Online)

It is a cute little Smartphone that feels really comfortable in the hands; in addition to form factor derived from Xperia Mini it has a larger display and powerful processor. This Smartphone can be really frustrating for people who have already used Android phones with larger display screenbecause they won’t be comfortable using the touchscreen of this phone even if this phone a slide-out QWERTY keypad.

The slide-out QWERTY keypad is quite comfortable to use, I generally prefer embedded QWERTY keypad but this one works fine too. If you are someone who loves texting but also needs a phone that has powerful hardware, you should consider Sony Ericsson Xperia Mini Pro. In most cases, Girls would prefer buying this phone over, let’s say, an Android phone with 4.2-inch display.

Sony Ericsson Xperia Mini Pro made it to this countdown of Best Android Smartphones with Physical QWERTY Keypad because of powerful performance packed in small package.

Key Features of Sony Ericsson Xperia Mini Pro

Sony Ericsson Xperia Mini Pro can be bought for Rs. 16,000/-

#1 Sony Ericsson Xperia Pro (Buy Online)

Sony Ericsson Xperia Pro is the giant of this lot; it is the most powerful Android operated Smartphonethat comes with a slide-out physical QWERTY pad. Physical slide-out QWERTY keypad does adds weight to this phone but still it looks pretty sleek and doesn’t feel that hefty in the hands. It comes with a micro HDMI port with which you can connect this phone to your HDTV and enjoy movies, games and internet.

On the whole, Sony Ericsson Xperia Pro is the Smartphone Android phone with QWERTY keypad. Like Sony Ericsson Xperia Mini Pro, this phone also runs on TimeScape UI on top of Android operating system. While most of its competitors are using dual core processor, this one runs on single-core, but there’s no reason to worry because the user interface has been optimized and this phone is planned to get Ice Cream Sandwich update soon.

In short, Sony Ericsson Xperia Pro is truly an awesome Android Smartphone with QWERTY keypad and thus deserve the top spot in this list of Best Android Smartphones with Physical QWERTY Keypad.

Key Features of Sony Ericsson Xperia Pro

Final Words

The term “Smartphone” became popular because of business phones from BlackBerry which, till date, features the signature QWERTY keypad. Unlike BlackBerry, Android sells because of its flexibility, custom mods and lakhs of interesting apps.

It can’t be universally stated that which sort of Android Smartphones are the Best, it actually varies from person to person. I know a lot of people who don’t like typing on a touchscreen whereas I am very comfortable in typing on touchscreen with Swype add-on.

So, what do you think about my list of Best Android Smartphones with Physical QWERTY Keypad. If you have any other phones which you think deserve to be placed in this category, do mention them in the comments section below.

If you need any help in buying a Smartphone, you can always consult me using the comment form below.

Call of Duty is, undoubtedly, one of the most successful first player shooter franchise ever. Anybody, who is interested in Defense and Weapons, loves this video games. Although, Call of Duty games are filled with bloody and gory scenes, their storyline is filled with a message of peace – “War is an inevitable evil.” But this article is not aimed at just praising Call of Duty games but this article aims at sharing with Top 5 First Player Shooter Games like Call of Duty Series.

I personally like playing Call of Duty games and I think, this game has set a big standard for all video game developers who are working on first player shooter games. I hope you are going to like Top 5 First Player Shooter Games like Call of Duty Series which are listed below.

Top 5 First Player Shooter Games like Call of Duty Series

Battlefield 3 (Buy Online)

Battlefield 3 is very closely related to Call of Duty series, both in terms of Storyline and Gameplay. In the game you play the hero which has been given the task to lead his men and battle in some of the most hostile regions in the world, including Iran.

The game is currently available for Microsoft Windows, Xbox 360 and PS3. EA Mobile has confirmed that this game would also be ported to iOS platform. Battlefield 3 offers brilliant graphics, fantastic sound effects and some of the coolest weapons on this planet.

I believe it is better to use those weapons in the virtual world and never in the real world. Battlefield is the direct sequel to Battlefield 2 (Buy Online) and is 11^th installment in the Battlefield series. In short, it is a well deserving candidate in the list of Top 5 First Player Shooter Games like Call of Duty Series.

Crysis 2 (Buy Online)

Crysis 2 may not have a storyline similar to that of Call of Duty series but it is a brilliant first player shooter gamewith simple outstanding graphics and quite a unique storyline. It has a superb soundtrack to complement significantly long online multiplayer battles which makes Crysis 2 a truly fun game to play.

This game is also available for multiple platforms including Windows PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. In the game, you take up the role of Force Recon Marine called Alcatraz whose aim to battle for saving the city. New York has been converted to an “Urban Village.”

With pretty cool storyline, powerful and varied enemies and terrific weapons, Crysis 2 earns high point to become a part of Top 5 First Player Shooter Games like Call of Duty Series list.

Halo: Reach (Buy Online)

One first player shooter game that can easily tackle the commercial success of Call of Duty seriesis the Halo franchise. Halo: Reach is the latest installment from Bungie games and was launched in 2010. The storyline of the game is very predictable, In the year 2552, humanity is stuck in a War with alien covenants and you have to take control of Noble Six to defeat these alien covenants for the sake of mankind.

Halo games are very popular among people around the world, not only because of the gameplay, but because it enables games to play online with their friends/strangers online. In fact, there are several competitions held every year where teams participate to show their expertise in the game.

Halo: Reach is undoubtedly, the best game in the Halo series and it grossed $200 million on the first day of its launch. This game is an exclusive title for the Xbox 360 and is published by Microsoft Studios. Unlike Call of Duty series, the storyline of this game is entirely fictional, though the gameplay is supported by its brilliant visuals, action sequences and the soundtrack which ultimately makes it grab a spot with high point in the list of Top 5 First Player Shooter Games like Call of Duty Series.

Medal of Honor: Operation Anaconda (Buy Online)

Medal of Honor: Operation Anaconda, like Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 (Buy Online) is based on the War which United States waged against terrorist camps in Afghanistan. The single player campaign mode of MOH: Operating Anaconda is built using Unreal Engine, while the much cheered Multiplayer mode is built using Frostbite Engine.

It is the 12^th installment in the Medal of Honor series and is loaded with brilliant graphics, amazing soundtrack, and battle sequences inspired from real life instances, along with terrific adaptation of war scenes and a magnificent storyline. MOH: Operation Anaconda is available on various platforms including Windows PC, Xbox 360 and PS3. It is totally addictive and thus it secures a well deserved position in the list of Top 5 First Player Shooter Games like Call of Duty Series.

Resistance 2 (Buy Online)

Resistance 2 is a Sci-Fi first player shooter game developed by Sony and thus is PS3 exclusive title. In terms of story, it is very much different from Call of Duty series; the common aspect between these 2 franchises is the action, the survival and the gameplay (to some extent).

In Resistance 2, you play as the protagonist Nathan Hale who travels to US to fight Chimera (the alien who has launched an invasion to infect every human being living in US). Nathan belongs to a group of soldier called “The Sentinels” and has himself being infected by the Chimeran Virus. He has to use inhibitors from time to time in order to stay sane.

Most of the weapons used in Resistance 2 have the human touch, while there are a few which have been influenced from weapons used by alien enemies. The gameplay is quite different from Resistance: Fall of Man (Buy Online), not only this sequel has improved graphics & soundtrack; it comes with several tweaks like self-heal.

On the whole, Resistance 2 marginally grabs a spot in the list of Top 5 First Player Shooter Games like Call of Duty Series because of its adventurous gameplay and online multiplayer battles.

Final Words

All these first player shooter games are very engaging, once you begin playing these games, you would find yourself attached to it until you finish the final campaign. Most of the game mentioned above, like the Call of Duty series has multiplayer modes and that’s one reason why games never get bored with first player shooter games. On the whole, if you like Call of Duty games, you’d definitely like playing the ones mentioned above.

This was my list of Top 5 First Player Shooter Games like Call of Duty Series. If you have any other first player shooter like the Call of Duty series, mention it in the comments below.

The number is quite less but there are still many teachers (I hope!) who are driven by passion for teaching. It is possible that students who are not performing well in the class have some problem that doesn’t have anything to do with their behavior. If a teacher wants to guide her weak students, she can take the help of technology – iPad 2. This article aims at sharing Top iPad Apps for Teachers which they can use to improve their class’ performance.

I personally feel that it is the responsibility of the teacher to find out what’s the reason for the poor performance and then try to help the child in some way. Some students under perform in certain subjects because they are not naturally inclined towards that subject.

Following is the list of Top iPad Apps for Teachers which they can use for helping her weak students in understanding the subject.

Top iPad Apps for Teachers

gFlash Pro

Many students who perform poorly in certain subjects are those who very well understand what is being taught in the class but are not able to memorize that information for the tests. Memorizing information from notes is not the way they prefer to learn and for those students, teachers can take help of an app called gFlash Pro.

There is a full-blown database of over 50 million flash cards and multiple choice tests on a variety of subjects including Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics (Arithmetic, Algebra, and Co-ordinate Geometry), Ancient History, Biology and more. These sorts of flash cards are proven to be quite effective in organizing and learning raw data.

[Price: $3.99 App Store Link]

Lanschool Teacher’s Assistant

It is a great app for teachers who teach in a computer based environment. When students are connected to the internet, it is very easily to get distracted by certain websites (For example: Facebook & Twitter). If a teacher feels that website blocker is the solution then they have not properly understood the rule-breaking tendency that each student carries in his pockets.

With Lanschool Teacher’s Assistant app for the iPad you can monitor your student’s activities in real-time, limit the access of internet and even blank their screens. Also, this iPad app can be used to send personal messages containing advice regarding the lesson to students.

[Price: Free App Store Link]

Evernote

Providing students with printed notes is a thing of past, with Evernote a teacher can make intuitive textual, audible and even visual notes for the students. These notes can directly be sent to your student’s Evernote account which they can access on several platforms including Windows, Android, iOS, BlackBerry, Palm webOS, Windows Phone 7.5 Mango OS etc.

If a teacher feels that she missed any important point in the class, she can use Evernote to transmit that information to her students quickly. These notes can also be shared over the email, so even if a student doesn’t have an Evernote account, he can have access to the notes.

[Price: Free App Store Link]

Keynote

Keynote is the iPad version of PowerPoint. Teachers can use Keynote to create interesting, engaging slideshows of lessons which would help them to explain the topic in a much better way. Some subjects are naturally dull, for example History, in that case, a teacher’s presentation skills become a major factor in deciding whether her students would passionately study it or not.

Keynote is a flexible application; it comes with 12 unique templates which can be used selectively to suit topics. Presentation built using Keynote app for the iPad can be easily projected to a screen and it also offers teachers a unique feature i.e. they can edit live Slideshows.

[Price: $9.99 App Store Link]

Penultimate

With Penultimate app for the iPad teachers can make handwritten notes on the iPad. Although, I have already mentioned the potential of Evernote above, but Penultimate is different. Using Penultimate teachers can draw diagrams which can’t be drawn easily in digital format and then share those notes with her students.

In my opinion, it is the best education app available for the iPad. It can be used to make notes of organic chemistry, co-ordinate geometry etc. This app has a lot of a potential, a good teacher can do wonders with this app, in fact, a school or university can build custom notes using Penultimate and then archive those notes for future classes.

[Price: $0.99 App Store Link]

Final Words

Technology has changed the way we respond to different situations, it has had an enormous impact on our lifestyle and I believe it can bring a positive change in the education system and probably shift the mugging culture to learning & applying culture.

So, this was my list of Top iPad Apps for Teachers which they can use to adjust their teaching style such that maximum students benefit from it. If you know any other iPad Apps for Teachers, please mention them using the comment form below. I want you guys to comment below and make this article one of the most sophisticated resource for teachers around the globe.

Bloomberg has reported that Late Steve Jobs’ “path-breaking” tablet — iPad 3 may be launched in March, with an upgraded processor, a higher resolution display, LTE network support and probably a quad-core processor (At CES 2012, a tablet running quad-core processor has already been revealed). If we believe the report, the iPad 3 units would be ramped up this month and would hit US warehouses in February 2012.

Most probably, Apple would pitch the iPad 3 (if the rumor that it would have LTE support is true) along with 4G LTE network from Verizon and AT&T. Since, iPhone 5 is rumored to have LTE support, we might hear something about these 2 most anticipated Gadgets from the data carriers.

Anyways, this piece of news is just a rumor, it has no authenticity. I would personally like to see an improved camera and better looking design on the iPad 3. If this rumor has some truth to it, then we’d experience an Apple product launch soon.

Android is a very flexible operating system and that is the reason why most of the cell phone manufacturers have begun using Android for their Smartphones.

When you would go in the market to buy an Android Smartphone, you would be presented several phones with several unheard features which would just become a cause for your confusion.

In this blog post today, I am going to list Best 5 Android Smartphones for Q1 2012. Since these Smartphones are not – “One Size fits All,” thus before you buy a Smartphone, you should definitely test it out.

This blog post is a just an attempt of mine to give you a brief idea of the high-end Android phones which are currently dominating Indian markets.

So, let’s begin.

Motorola DROID RAZR XT912

Motorola DROID RAZR XT912 has a sleek profile, and its back has been coated with textured Kevlar jacket which looks beautiful. It is an expensive Smartphone because it is loaded with high-end hardware. Even though, it costs a lot, it is not a bad deal if you have an attraction toward premium Smartphones.

Key Features of Motorola DROID RAZR XT912

You can buy Motorola DROID RAZR Android Smartphone in India for about Rs. 32,000/-

Buy Motorola DROID RAZR XT912 Online

HTC Sensation XE

HTC Sensation XE is another Android Smartphone that perfectly fits the category of Premium Android phones but there is one more element which adds to its premium outlook and that is Beats Audio by Dr. Dre. Your whole definition of music would change when you are going to test Beats Audio. Even though, HTC Sensation XE is very expensive, you would not regret buying it.

Key Features of HTC Sensation XE

You can buy HTC Sensation XE Android Smartphone in India for about Rs. 32,000/-

Buy HTC Sensation XE Online

Samsung Galaxy SII

Samsung Galaxy SII is a revolutionary device because it is simply perfect. It offers a tremendous harmony of hardware, software, camera, apps and games. It is one of the most desirable gadgets of 2011 and thus it stands out in this list of top android smartphones which you can buy in India during Q1 2012. If you’re looking for an Android Smartphone which would live up to your expectations, always then Samsung Galaxy SII is the most suitable Smartphone for you.

Key Features of Samsung Galaxy SII

You can buy Samsung Galaxy SII Android Smartphone in India for about Rs. 28,000/-

Buy Samsung Galaxy SII Online

Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc S

Even though the Xperia Arc S looks like the Xperia Arc and also shares several hardware specs with it but still it is different from Xperia Arc because of a faster performing processor and an optimized version of Gingerbread operating system. Since Sony Ericsson Xperia ARC S, like the Xperia ARC has a curved design, it is one of the best looking Android Smartphones available in the market right now. It also comes with TimeScape UI which is a custom UI from Sony Ericsson for Gingerbread operated Smartphones and offers a better social environment.

Key Features of Sony Ericsson Xperia ARC S

You can buy Sony Ericsson Xperia ARC S Android Smartphone in India for about Rs. 27,000/-

Buy Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc S Online

HTC Incredible S

HTC Incredible S is less powerful than all the Android Smartphones mentioned above on a relative scale because it was launched earlier than Smartphones above but still HTC Incredible S is a great value for money device. HTC Incredible S looks like its elder brother – HTC Sensation XE and has a solid hardware backing its performance.

Key Features of HTC Incredible S

You can buy HTC Incredible S Android Smartphone in India for about Rs. 23,000/-

Buy HTC Incredible S Online

So, this was my list of best 5 android smartphones which you can buy in India right now. I know most of these Smartphones are expensive but they are still cheaper than the all new iPhone 4S. The smartphone market is moving away from Smartphone to Superphones and most of the Android Smartphones which we are going to experience in 2012 would be Superphones.

Anyways, if you have any queries, questions or suggestions for me, please leave a comment down below in the comments section. I’d be glad to help.