Nokia E90 Communicator Available

Nokia India has unveiled the first enterprise phone in the country, the Nokia E90 Communicator, which offers email access, Web browsing, and a Maps application, among others.

The E90 features two cameras: a 3.2 megapixel camera with flash and auto-focus, and a QCIF one for video conferencing.

The phone includes features such as an FM radio, a music player, a video player, 'active notes' for taking notes and tagging them to individual names, 'Quickoffice' for viewing, opening, and editing email attachments, Zip Manager, and Adobe Acrobat Reader.

The Communicator also has an integrated GPS and Nokia Maps application to help users find routes and locate services.

E90 offers fast connections over WLAN and HSDPA with enhanced 3G for mobile use of data and transmission of rich applications.

With the Nokia S60 browser with 16-million colors, the phone is capable of displaying the full width of a Web page at once.

Speaking at the launch, Chakrapani GK, country general manager of Nokia Enterprise Solutions, said, "The launch of Nokia E90 Communicator is the tipping point for business mobility in India. With the launch of Nokia E90, we are bringing an altogether new and expanded view of business mobility to the market place, as well as a culmination of power, performance, and productivity."

The Nokia E90 Communicator is available across the country for Rs 40,499 (inclusive of taxes).

'Carcassonne' Comes to XBLA

Microsoft reportedly today released Sierra Online's popular board game, 'Carcassonne' on the Xbox Live Arcade (XBLA).

The game is inspired by a real city of the same name, 'Carcassonne' located in the South of France, which is famed for its huge walls and fortifications that were originally built to ward-off potential conquerors and adventurers during the city's hey-days. Way back in the Middle Ages, the city witnessed a string of rulers come and go as it gained in strategic and historic importance.

In 'Carcassonne' the game, players start-off with an empty palate and one square tile, and then proceed to build a medieval walled city, earning points along the way.

While up to 4 people can play on the same Xbox 360, nearly 5 people can play over Xbox Live. Alternately, players can choose to go solo
if they so wish.

Game play kicks-off with a single tile placed face-up on the playing field. There on, players take turns to draw tiles at random, placing them adjacent to other similar looking tiles on the board. A city is created when players manage to connect wall pieces that enclose an entire area.

A sort of cross between puzzle solving and strategic planning, the game ends when all 72 tiles are placed on the playing field.

Apart from the 72-tile game, there's a 12-tile River expansion as well as other expansions to the basic game.

Players stand to win up to 200 gamerscore points and 12 achievements in this game.

Besides, Sierra Online has included support for the Xbox Live Vision camera, a tutorial mode, and online multiplayer.

The game 'Carcassonne' is available today onwards on the Xbox Live Arcade. It's been given an 'E' for everyone rating, and will be available for 800 Microsoft points which is about $10 or Rs 450 approximately.

Nokia's 'Computer Done Beautifully'

Can art meet intelligence? Nokia dares to say 'yes' with its new Nokia N76 that was launched in the capital today.

Sporting a sleek fold design, the N76 has 'Quick Cover Keys', and promises a premium mobile music experience among others.

The phone offers pre-burnt music videos from across-the-globe, including 'Hips Don't Lie' and 'Illegal' by Shakira; 'Crazy in Love' by Destiny's Child; and 'Get Right' by Jennifer Lopez; as well as our very own, 'It's the time to Disco' and 'Zinda Hoon Main', to name a few.

Speaking at the launch, Vineet Taneja, director multimedia, Nokia India, said, "The N76 is a perfect embodiment of leading-edge technology in a stunningly new sleek form factor. This latest addition to the Nokia Nseries portfolio brings a wide range of multimedia experiences to consumers, enabling them to create, consume, and connect, using music, videos, images, and the Internet."

The N76 features a 2 megapixel camera, 2.4-inch QVGA display with up to 16 million colors, dedicated 'Quick Cover Keys' for capturing those special moments without having to open the phone, 2GB memory card for holding up to 1,500 tracks, and MicroSD card slot.

N76 supports music formats including MP3, WAV, MIDI, WMA, M4A, AAC, AAC+, and eAAC+, and works with standard 3.5mm headphones.

The Nseries phone packs Adobe Photoshop Album Starter Edition, and allows users edit pictures and transfer to compatible PCs.

Other features of the phone include: Nokia Web Browser with MiniMap, and the ability to access popular Internet services such as Flickr and Amazon for searching/shopping/sharing.

Based on S60 3rd Edition software on Symbian OS, the N76 supports Quadband GSM networks, and comes with data connectivity features like EDGE, GPRS, and 3G. It is also enabled with Bluetooth v2.0 for data transfer.

Available in two colors, Metallic Red and Black, the Nokia N76 is available for Rs 21,500 approximately.

The Web's Ten Most Irritating Words

Can you believe that the World Wide Web has actually spawned words that might make users want to pull at their hair in frustration?

British pollsters, YouGov, conducted a poll for Web publisher Lulu.com, creator of the Blooker Prize that converts Web diaries/Blogs into Web books or Blooks, and came up with a string of not so happening words on the Web...

Topping the list of irksome words is 'Folksonomy', a Web classification system, followed by 'Blogosphere' at second place.

'Blog itself comes in at third position, followed by 'Netiquette' aka Web etiquette at fourth place.

The fifth most irritating word is 'Blook' or a book based on a Blog. At sixth, seventh, and eighth place respectively are 'Webinar', 'Vlog' or video Blog, and 'Social Networking'.

Qualifying as the ninth most irksome word is 'Cookie', a file sent to a user's computer after he/she visits a Web site. At tenth place is 'Wiki', meaning a collaborative Web site edited by its readers.

Reportedly, a universe comprising about 2,091 adults was questioned by the poll pundits to come up with these results.

Bob Young, Canadian founder of Lulu.com, expressed the view that the World Wide Web tirelessly continues to churn out new words so much so that there is now possibility for a new language aka Web-lish which could well be the new English.

Previously, even the Collins English Dictionary had announced that a string of words inspired by the Web would be given pride-of-place in their ninth edition. These include: 'me-media'; a term for personal content Web sites like Facebook and godcast, which is a religious service that has been converted into an MP3 format.

BlackBerry Curve Makes India Cut

The RIM (Research in Motion) "BlackBerry Curve" was today launched in the India market.

Measuring about 107-mm x 60-mm x 15.5-mm, and weighing-in at 111 grams, the "BlackBerry Curve" sure looks like the smallest and the lightest Qwerty smart phone from RIM. It is a smooth-edged phone with chrome highlights having a large display and RIM's trackball navigation system.

The "Curve" comes with a 2 megapixel camera with 5x digital zoom, built-in flash, self-portrait mirror, and full screen viewfinder. The phone is equipped with a powerful media player and integrated speaker, and comes with a 3.5 mm stereo jack.

The smart phone also packs a new desktop media manager based on the Roxio Easy Media Creator 9. The media manager allows users easily search, view, and organize media files on the PC; create MP3 music files from CDs; add audio tags; create play lists; and automatically copy or convert pictures, music, and videos for optimal playback.

The phone's integrated media player has been refined, allowing users to search for music by simply typing the title, genre, artist, or album name.

During the launch, Norm Lo, vice president of RIM Asia Pacific, said, "The BlackBerry Curve combines consumer-friendly multimedia capabilities with industry-leading email and messaging experience in an elegant new smart phone design. The BlackBerry Curve will appeal to business professionals and consumers alike with its unique design, full Qwerty keyboard, robust email, full-features, Web browsing support, and powerful entertainment capabilities."

Featuring an ultra-bright 320 x 240 display, the "BlackBerry Curve" integrates light sensing and noise cancellation technologies.

Meanwhile, the "Curve" also includes other BlackBerry features such as integrated browser, speaker-independent voice recognition (SIVR) for voice activated dialing (VAD), Bluetooth 2.0, and dedicated keys for easy operation.

Supporting microSD expansion of up to 2GB, the "Curve" once again features both Internet service and the enterprise server, and is available from Hutch and Airtel at an approximate price of Rs 24,990.

Download DJ Mixer on Nokia Nseries

Nokia Nseries recently launched its 'DJ Mixer' remixing application that is downloadable on Nokia Nseries Music edition devices.

The application can be downloaded on Nokia's N70 Music Edition, N73 Music Edition, and N91 8GB Music Edition by sending 'Nseries DJ Mixer' as an SMS to 5555.

Once downloaded, 'DJ Mixer' helps users record and remix sounds/songs, and create their very own sound tracks. According to Nokia Nseries, 'DJ Mixer' is all about becoming a DJ on-the-go.

Incidentally, 'DJ Mixer' was launched as part of a bigger initiative by Nokia Nseries dubbed 'Nfusion'. 'Nfusion', a music competition, was inaugurated in February this year, and saw the likes of DJ Whosane!, DJ Nasha, and DJ Kris recording natural sounds on Nokia Nseries devices. They then remixed sounds and created their own sound tracks.

Users were invited to participate in the music competition via the 'Nfusion' Web site. Participants were required to create their own sound tracks, basis the ones created by the three DJs. Three winners were announced on the Web site, and a combination of their winning tracks and the tracks created by the DJs was rolled into one universal 'Nfusion' album by Nokia Nseries.

Nokia Nseries devices have always put a heavy premium on 'music-on-the-move', according to the company.

Nokia's N70 Music Edition, N73 Music Edition, and N91 8GB were all launched on the India market sometime in January this year. The new remixing application, 'DJ Mixer' is downloadable on these three Nseries devices only.

The N70 Music Edition features dedicated music keys, and a music-optimized headset with remote control, among others. Up to 700 songs can be enjoyed with the phone's 1GB memory card. This phone is available for around Rs 16,000.

The N73 Music Edition also features dedicated music keys and integrated stereo speakers, and supports a wide range of music formats. With this phone, users can enjoy up to 1,500 songs with its 2GB memory card. The phone is priced at about Rs 22,000.

Meanwhile, the N91 8GB features an 8GB hard drive for up to 130 hours of MP3 music and 500 hours of eAAC+ music. It includes dedicated music keys, an inbox music-optimized headset with remote control, Bluetooth stereo support, and wireless music transfer, among others. The N91 8GB is available for approximately Rs 27,000 to Rs 29,000.

Moto Latest is Optimized for Music

Motorola has launched its latest music-optimized handset, the Motorokr Z6.

Sporting a metallic slider design, and weighing-in at one ounce, the phone features a Linux/Java music platform with Windows Media technology. It allows users to plug and play with any personal computer running Windows Media Player 10 or 11.

Music can be accessed seamlessly with fast PC direct connectivity via High Speed USB 2.0. The phone's integrated music player supports multiple audio files, and has 64MB of on-board user memory, and a removable MicroSD memory card slot for up to 2GB of music, pictures, and other media.

For a quality picture- and video-capture experience, the Rokr Z6 comes with a built-in 2 megapixel camera along with a 320 x 240 resolution
262K color TFT display.

Besides, every Z6 comes pre-loaded with a full-length 2-hour music video titled "Roger Waters, The Wall, Live in Berlin".

The user interface (UI) provides rich layouts, ease-of-use, more personalization options, and improved predictive text input, amongst others.

Malcolm Dawe, vice president & general manager of Motorola Mobile Devices India, said, "With clean lines, an appealing silhouette, and a rich music experience, the Rokr Z6 provides an incredible experience."

The phone is powered by Music ID, a song identification service that enables users identify both the artist and album of songs being played in the vicinity. And it features Bluetooth wireless technology enabling users enjoy a wireless mobile stereo experience with compatible Bluetooth-enabled stereo headphones.

The Motorokr Z6 is available at all Motostores and participating retailers. The deluxe pack is available for Rs 11,999 whereas the premium pack that includes the Rokr S9 is available for Rs 15,499.

GTA IV Content on Xbox 360 only!

While Rockstar Games' much-hyped Grand Theft Auto IV is scheduled for release both on the PS3 and the Xbox 360 later this year, Xbox 360 owners appear a tad luckier of the two...

Take-Two Interactive, owners of the Grand Theft Auto (GTA) franchise, have confirmed that they will be delivering exclusive episodic downloadable content of GTA IV on the Xbox 360 version of the game.

Besides, additional game levels and missions will be made available for download over Xbox Live.

Going by reports, Microsoft has paid around $50 million to Take-Two Interactive to crack this deal.

With the first $25 million for the first episodic content package to be made available in March 2008, and the second $25 million for the second package to be made available later in 2008.

With this move, rumors that exclusive GTA IV episodes would be made available on the PlayStation network seem to have been put to rest.

Meanwhile, fans can expect GTA IV to release on both the PS3 and the Xbox 360 simultaneously on October 16, according to the company.

Yahoo! Mobile Portal in 12 Countries

Yahoo! has reportedly announced it will be launching its new generation Internet portal for mobile phones in as many as 12 countries.

The portal will be launched in India, Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Indonesia, Malaysia, Italy, the Philippines, Spain, Thailand, and Vietnam, the company said.

Yahoo!'s portal will be pre-installed on all new Nokia, Motorola, Samsung, LG, RIM (Blackberry), and HTC mobile phones.

Yahoo! Go Mobile 2.0 will be pre-installed on most of the new models coming to the market in the coming months, Christophe Parcot, director general of Yahoo! France, said.

Besides surfing the Internet, Yahoo! says its new portal can be used to access email, search roads and satellite maps, and access other Internet services.

Meanwhile, according to reports, Google and Microsoft too have been aiming for new services in the mobile phone market.

Microsoft to Modify Windows Vista?

In response to an earlier complaint that Windows Vista's computer search function puts Google and other potential rivals at a disadvantage, Microsoft has finally agreed to modify its Gen-Next operating system.

This was reportedly announced by Microsoft and the US Justice Department yesterday.

A few months back, Google had filed a complaint with the Justice Department alleging that Windows Vista's desktop search feature does not leave sufficient room for rival search programs, including those of its own. That as such, users are finding it difficult to turn-off the Microsoft program.

As per Microsoft's latest agreement with the US Justice Department, 17 state attorneys general, and the District of Columbia, made public late yesterday, Microsoft will modify Windows Vista by building into it an option that allows users choose a default desktop search program.

With the new feature dubbed 'Instant Search', users will be able to enter search queries, and get result lists from their hard drives.

A source within Microsoft even said that the company will place links inside of Internet Explorer and the 'start' navigation menu to make it easier for users to access the default desktop search service.

And, these changes to the design and function of Windows Vista will be folded into a beta version of a service pack by end this year, the source said.

Commenting on the development, chief legal officer of Google, David Drummond, said the remedies are a step in the right direction but that they should be improved upon further to offer consumers greater access to alternate desktop search providers.

Meanwhile, Microsoft's making changes to Vista is being lauded as a step towards enforcing the consent decree that requires the company to help rivals build programs that run smoothly on Windows.