Google Voice - managing phone calls made easy

Many of us have different phone numbers like home phone, business phone, personal phone, etc and handling the calls to those numbers simultaneously is a difficult job. Moreover, searching for something important from those number of voicemails is a real nightmare. Google is trying to simplify all those tasks with it's new service. Dubbed as "Google Voice", the service is aimed to improve the way we use our phone. With Google Voice, you pick a new phone number from Google, when someone calls that number, you can route the call to any of your other phone number as per your requirement. For example, calls from your spouse can be routed to your personal number and official calls can be routed to your business number and so on. Even if you change any of your phone number, you just have to update the new number in your Google Voice and everyone will still be able to reach you in the same old number which you picked from Google.

Another interesting feature is voice mail transcription. Whenever you recieve a voicemail, Google Voice immediately transcripts the message as plain text and sends it as an email to the account holder. The new service offers many more cool features such as, call screening, listening before taking a call, listening to voice mails on PC or mobile, recording calls and so on. Everything can be configured right from the browser in an easy to use interface. What's very interesting is, the Google Voice will be available completely free of cost. Now if this is service is integrated and synchronized with Android and many other Google apps, we might have a killer app from Google. Unfortunately, the service is still in beta stage and currently available through invites only. General availability of the service is expected very soon. Until then, check out the official site for the full list of features and a demonstration video.

Read - Here comes Google Voice

HTC announces it's next Android handset - HTC Hero

The smartphone market has turned out very competitive this June. While Palm and Apple are busy shipping their Pre and IPhone 3G S respectively, HTC made a surprising announcement last week. Meet "Hero", the third Android based handset from the HTC corporation. Though Hero is an Android based phone, the UI is very different from the previous Android based phones from HTC. The UI looks like an upgraded version of the TouchFlo 3D with a new HTC Sense widget-based interface. While personilazation has been heavily revamped, synchronizing and combining local data with social networking sites seems to be the central focus for this device and possibly for future devices form HTC. Check out this video for more info on the OS tweaks.

The Hero checks in with a Qualcomm® MSM7200A™ 528 MHz Processor, 3.2-inch screen with 320x480 resolution, 3.5 mm audio jack, 5.0 mpx camera with auto focus, Digital Compass, Quad-band GSM, 900/2100MHz HSPA, Trackball, GPS, 802.11b/g WiFi and so on. The most exciting new feature announced is the support for Adobe Flash. That's right, HTC Hero is the first Android based smartphone to support Adobe Flash out of the box. That's not all, Hero is also the first phone to get a Teflon coating to make sure the phone is always clean and shining without finger prints. With all the new features and the decent spec sheet, HTC seems to have a real hero here. The only drawback here is the under-powered Qualcomm® processor. Otherwise, this phone could have been a serious threat to both Apple and Palm. Hit on the read link for the official page on HTC.com.

Read - HTC Hero: Be Brave Be Yourself.

IPhone 3G S gets reviewed

Iphone 3G S which mad it's debut on WWDC, is now available in retail stores across various countries in the US and Europe and reviews of Apple's new device has already been posted by major web sites. As expected, the device is getting mixed impressions from all the reviewers with many pros and cons. A short highlight of the different reviews:

Engadget.com: "while it's tough to argue with the package Apple has put together (a stellar device with just enough new to make it nearly perfect), we couldn't help feeling a bit let down by the 3G S. Maybe we've been spoiled by devices like the Pre and Ion, but the additions of video recording, a compass, and a speed bump just don't seem that compelling to us", Full review.

Gizmodo.com: "as a whole, the iPhone 3GS is the best all-around smartphone available. If you're looking for a refined, augmented version of what you already know, a phone that, not for nothing, runs all the tens of thousands of apps on the App Store, choose the iPhone 3GS", Full review.

NYTimes.com: "the usual 10 rational objections to the iPhone have been whittled down to about three: no physical keyboard, no way to swap the battery yourself and no way to avoid using AT&T as your carrier. In short, the substantially improved, still elegant iPhone 3G S makes it dangerously easy for your heart and your head to agree", Full review.

WSJ.com: "Both the new iPhone and iPhone OS are packed with features that make a great product even better. But, for many users, the software may be enough of a boost to keep them from buying the new model", Full review.

It's very clear that IPhone 3G S is not a revolutionary upgrade to IPhone 3G and Apple never intended it to be. Instead, IPhone 3G S is the same phone with some fine tweaks here and there which might definitely please new customers and at the same time, will fail to impress existing IPhone 3G owners. The truth is, even with minor improvements, IPhone 3GS is one of the best smartphones available in the market today and there is absolutely no need for a harware revision at this time. Is the IPhone 3G S a must buy? Definitely yes if you are a new customer and if you are fine with AT&T's network. Otherwise, you can very well stick with your IPhone 3G and simply go for the OS 3.0 upgrade. Check out the links provided for an in deapth review by various critics.

Opera Unite - a new service from Opera, aimed to reinvent the web

Opera has announced a new service today which might possibly change the way we do a lot of things in the internet today. The new service dubbed as "Opera Unite" can change any computer or device, running the Opera browser into a web server. By doing so, users can share their data with anyone connected to the internet without the need for a third party web server. Imagine sharing your photos without having to upload them to Flickr or Picasa. "Our computers are only dumb terminals connected to other computers (meaning servers) owned by other people — such as large corporations — who we depend upon to host our words, thoughts, and images. We depend on them to do it well and with our best interests at heart" says Lawrence Eng, a product analyst for Opera Software. By using their new service, Opera believes that users no longer have to rely upon third party companies for many popular services such as, e-mail, instant messaging, social networking, photo sharing, file sharing, web hosting, etc.

The technology looks very promising and available right now for anyone who would like to give it a try. Don't expect anything mind blowing so soon as the service is still in alpha stage and will take a long time to deliver it's full potential. As expected, the technology is fully open source and as a result, tons of new features will be added throughout it's lifecycle from various developers across the globe. It's really very interesting that browser manufacturers are coming up with such innovative ideas and thereby giving a wide range options to both consumers and developers. First it was Google Wave and now it is Opera Unite, who knows what Microsoft, Apple and Mozilla are working on to prove that their browser is the best available browser in the market? Hit on the read link for more details on the official page.

Read - Opera Unite: a Web server on the Web browser

Nokia announces E72 and 5530 XpressMusic

It's good news for Nokia fans. The company has announced two new phones during the Connection 09 event in Singapore. The first phone is E72 which is the succesor to the company's popular E71 and includes an array of new features such as optical scrolling, five-megapixel camera, slim 10mm frame, 10.2Mbps HSDPA, 3.5mm audio jack, active noise cancellation for improved sound quality on calls, digital compass and many more. The device is expected to hit the retail shelves in the third quarter of 2009 with an estimated price tag of about $489. The phone definitely seems to be a solid upgrade to the E71 and the price tag also doesn't hurt when compared with similar models. Check out the video on the read link for a short glimpse on the device.

The second phone announced in the event is the Nokia 5530 XpressMusic which is a stripped down version of the popular 5800 XpressMusic. While the phone looks very similar to the 5800, some features like 3G support has been removed to bring the cost down. However the phone still packs some nice features like a large touch screen with tactile feedback, 3.2-megapixel camera with LED flash, Bluetooth, WiFi, and EDGE for connectivity, 3.5mm audio jack and some minor tweaks here and there to the OS. This device is also expected to hit the retail shelves in the third quarter of 2009 with an estimated price tag of about $278. Sure, E72 is the hot announcement here, but I'm sure 5530 will definitely please the budget minded Nokia fans, for it's relatively low price tag. Hit on the read link for the official pages for both the phones.

Read - Nokia E72

Read - Nokia 5530 XpressMusic

EU vs Microsoft - The battle continues

While Microsoft is threatening the US government that the company will be forced to move jobs overseas, things arent so good for Microsoft in Europe. "The European Union Microsoft competition case," brought by the European Commission of the European Union (EU) against Microsoft is going on for a long time and a short recap can be found here at Wiki. While the previous case is still under investigation, EU came up with another case against Microsoft on Jan 2009 stating that, "Microsoft's tying of Internet Explorer to the Windows operating system harms competition between web browsers, undermines product innovation and ultimately reduces consumer choice." In order to avoid any further complications with the EU, Microsoft announced that all European versions of Windows 7 will ship without Internet explorer. "Given the pending legal proceeding, we’ve decided that instead of including Internet Explorer in Windows 7 in Europe, we will offer it separately and on an easy-to-install basis to both computer manufacturers and users," said Dave Heiner, Vice President and Deputy General Counsel for Microsoft. While the move was really smart form Microsoft, it wasn't enough for EU.

The European Commision demands that instead of stripping Internet Explorer, Microsoft should bundle popular browsers like Firefox, Chrome, Opera, Safari, along with Internet Explorer with it's upcoming version of Windows. By doing so, EU believes that consumers will have a genuine choice of browsers. But Microsoft is not willing to do so, as it might result in incorporating third party browsers with windows components such as windows explorer, which may lead to some serious issues related with support and security. Though this might not mean anything to the consumers, all these means a lot to the competitors and they must be very happy with EU's efforts. However, it's still a mystery that Apple is not bothered by the EC, while they still ship their OS with one browser(Safari). Do consumers really need a choice of browsers during Windows installation? You may think that it's not going to be that useful. But according to EU, "The development of new online services makes web browsers an increasingly important tool for businesses and consumers, and a lack of real consumer choice on this market would undermine innovation" - a statement which we cannot deny. Will Microsoft comply? This is the EU we are talking about, they have and they will continue to dictate Microsoft on how they would do business in the Europe. Hit on the read link for the official EU memo.

Read - Commission statement on Microsoft Internet Explorer announcement

Microsoft's CEO opposes Obama's tax plans

The entire tech industry was scocked when US President Barack Obama annouced that there will be higher taxes for US companies that send jobs overseas. The new plan proposed by Obama would generate about $190 billion USD over the next decade for the US government. Though this may be a good news for US citizens, it's definitely not a good news for everyone. The plan, if approved may lead to serious problems to many companies in the US and to many other companies outside the US. Since the major source of revenue for many companies in developing countries is through outsourcing, this plan may put a lot of such companies in jeopardy.

While the plan still remains a mystery, Microsoft's CEO, Steve Ballmer on a recent interview has said that, “It makes U.S. jobs more expensive. We’re better off taking lots of people and moving them out of the U.S. as opposed to keeping them inside the U.S.” The statement is a direct attack on Obama's plan and a bold move from Microsoft. However, Microsoft is not alone in this, companies like Symantec Corp, Bentley Systems, an Exton and a few more also opposed the tax proposals in the roundtable discussions held on June 3rd. While Microsoft's voice has really given hope for all those companies in fear, only time will tell if this will have any effect on the congressional approval of the plan. Hit on the read link for the actual news on Bloomberg.com.

Read - Ballmer Says Tax Would Move Microsoft Jobs Offshore

Google Apps Sync for Microsoft Outlook - The Exchange killer?

It's true that Google Apps is a huge success among the general web users across the globe. But, when it comes to enterprise users, it's undeniable that Microsoft is the worldwide leader in managing emails, calendar, contacts and tasks with it's Exchange server. Many corporate users would love to use Gmail, but they didn't because they cannot easily stop themselves from using Outlook. But Outlook can no longer be a barrier for business users who wish to use Gmail. Google has recently announced "Google Apps Synch", a plugin for Microsoft Outlook. After installing the plugin, users can connect to Google Apps and synchronize their emails, contacts, calendar, tasks, etc using Outlook. Transferring existing data from Exchange Server is also pretty simple.

Available right now, can Google Apps Synch be a real Exchange killer? With all the same features and a low cost, can Google really beat Microsoft in the corporate application space? Not so soon! Though Google's effort is really promising and poses a real threat to Microsoft's offering, it woluld take a long time for companies to migrate from Exchange server to Google Apps and it's obvious that Microsoft would come up with an equivalant or even a better solution before that might happen. Google surely has set a spark, now we have to wait and watch how the Industry and Microsoft responds. Hit on the read link for the official news.

Read - Use Microsoft Outlook with Google Apps for email, contacts, and calendar

WWDC 09 – Apple fails to impress

While consumers and developers were expecting a revolutionary announcement, Apple failed to impress the tech industry on the WWDC, which commenced on June 8th. Though a number of new products and services were announced in the event, nothing was revolutionary or innovative. Instead, all the announcements were updates to the existing software and hardware products from Apple. Some of the highlights of the event:

IPhone 3G S: Just a speed bump to the processor, slightly improved camera, more storage and few more additional features. Availability: June 19th. More Info.

IPhone OS 3.0: Again, just a bunch of improvements to the OS and nothing mind blowing. Availability: June 17th. More Info.

Snow Leopard: Not a huge leap from Leopard, but still a worthy upgrade for $29 instead of the usual $129. Availability: September. More Info.

MacBook Pro: A new 15 inch MacBook Pro with non removable battery and SD card reader. Speed bumps to all other MacBooks out there. More Info.

Safari 4: Apple claims this to be the fastest browser, which is not entirely true. However the browser is out of the beta stage and available right now for those who want to give it a try. More Info.

Price cuts: IPhone 8GB now available for $99 with contract. An unbelievable price cut ranging from $300 to $700 for all the MacBooks.

It’s clear that Apple is feeling the heat of the economy and the price cuts are inevitable. However, even with those huge price cuts for their MacBooks, they are still very expensive when compared with Windows based notebooks. With every other company announcing some revolutionary product or service this year, Apple really did fail to impress. Hit on the read link for the the streaming video of the entire keynote address of WWDC 09.

Read – Apple WWDC 2009 Keynote Address

Apple announces it’s next phone - IPhone 3G S

WWDC has kicked off and as expected, Apple is making a lot of announcements about upcoming products and services. One of the most awaited announcement was an update to the year old IPhone 3G. Apple calls the new phone as IPhone 3G S where the ‘S’ stands for speed. According to Apple, the phone features a faster processor and updated 3D graphics which delivers an improved performance and incredible gaming performance. The company claims that everything will be at least 2X faster when compared with IPhone 3G.

Other new features include, 3 Mpx camera with auto focus, VGA video recording, full voice control, built in digital compass, Nike + iPod support and many more. For internet usage, battery life of up to 5 hours on 3G and up to 9 hours on Wi-Fi has been promised. The 16GB and 32 GB versions are priced at $199 and $299 respectively and both are expected to hit the retail shelves on June 18th in the US and 80 more countries in August. There isn’t anything revolutionary here except the improved speed and few added features. We have to wait and see how the device holds up with the recently launched Palm Pre and many other smart phones including the Touch Diamond 2. Hit on the read link for the official page and the demonstration video.

Read – Introducing IPhone 3G S

Sony unveils its motion sensing controller

Shortly after Microsoft demonstrated it’s revolutionary Project Natal, Sony took the stage on E3 to demonstrate their own version of motion sensing controller. Unlike Microsoft, Sony feels like some experiences require a controller, especially in FPS games. The controller looked like a magic wand with a ball on the top which changes colour under different situations during game play. It should be noted that the device is in prototype stage and Sony has promised that the final version will be different.The demonstration was mind blowing as the controller features sub millimeter precision. With such precision, the possibilities are limitless and with the right pricing, Sony might have a real winner here.

Is it better than Wii? Definitely! Is it better than Natal? Not really! Sony has tried to strike a balance between both Wii and project natal, by addressing the limitations of both the technologies. It’s true that Microsoft’s Natal and Sony’s new controller, has set a new trend in the gaming industry and now it’s the developer's job to bring out the true potential out of these new technologies. With the technical capabilities of both the Playstation 3 and the Xbox 360, it’s clear that Nintendo Wii may get into serious trouble next year when actual playable games start to show up. Until then, hit on the read link for the demonstration video.

Read - Sony demos its own motion controller

Palm Pre finally goes on sale with mixed reviews from critics

After months of announcements, sneak peaks, hands on and more, Palm Pre is finally available for sale in the US. As expected, the device has been taken for a spin and has been getting mixed reviews from critics across the web.

Engadget.com: “Some of the ideas and concepts at play in webOS are truly revolutionary for the mobile space…..The Pre is a great phone, and we don't feel any hesitation saying that.”

Gizmodo.com: “The software is agile, smart and capable. The hardware, on the other hand, is a liability……..The Pre may have hardware that's worse than the G1/G2, but the whole package, the software and the hardware isn't bad. It's good. It's different.”

It’s quite clear that the webOS is the real innovation in the device and manages to beat both the iphone and android phones in the software front. Though the hardware design is pretty impressive to look at, it doesn’t seem to live up to the expectations with a few design flaws and cheap build quality. Moreover, while there is a huge potential for the webOS platform, it’s disappointing that Palm hasn’t released the public SDK yet. All said and done, Palm Pre is a great phone with a lot of room for improvement. Highly recommended! Hit on the read links for the entire review.

Read – The Engadget Palm Pre review

Read – Gizmodo.com’s Palm Pre review

PSP Go officially announced by Sony

We knew this was coming and as expected, Sony officially announced it's PSP Go on E3 2009. The new design looks very next gen and is 50 percent smaller and 40 percent lighter than the original PSP when it was released on Dec 2004. Such a reduction in size and weight was the direct result of the removal of UMD drive from the device. Instead, users can now load and play games directly from their memory stick or through Playstation Network using the 16 GB of internal storage built in. Other specs include, a 3.8-inch display (480 x 272 resolution), built-in stereo speakers and microphone, 802.11b WiFi, bluetooth 2.0+EDR, analog video out, etc.

With all said and done, do you think that the days of UMDs are about to end? Definitely not! Sony has confirmed that games will be released simultaneously on both UMDs and as online downloads throughout the life cycle of PSP. The new device is expected to launch on October 1 in th US with an asking price of $250. Now this is the worst part of the entire announcement. Even with such a sleek design and a few added features, $250 for a 5 year old console is really very disappointing. Only time will tell if this device can be succesful with such a steep price. Hit on the read link for the official press release.

Read - Everything you need to know about PSPgo.

Another big announcement from Microsoft – “Project Natal”

E3 kicked off yesterday and one of the biggest announcement so far is Microsoft’s Project Natal. The entire gaming industry was stunned when Microsoft unveiled this upcoming product on it’s press conference held on Monday morning. Natal is a small black device which the user places under the TV and once connected to the Xbox 360, the device can capture and recognize your full body motion, using a group of sensors built in. That’s right, full body motion sensing without any wires or strings attached. The technology looks like a major upgrade to the Nintendo Wii. Apart from gaming capabilities, the device also features advanced facial recognition, voice identification and more.

By announcing Project Natal, Microsoft has really unleashed a new trend in the gaming industry, the same way Nintendo did a few years ago. But, even with the revolutionary new technology, will Microsoft finally be able to beat Nintendo Wii? I feel that, it’s too early to draw any conclusion with just an announcement. We have to wait and watch how Microsoft has planned to bring this amazing product to the retail market. No info on pricing and availability yet from Microsoft. SDKs have already reached the developers and hopefully we’ll see a working game title on next year’s E3. Until then, hit on the read link for the official demonstration video.

Read – Project Natal announcement trailer