As it stands, Facebook, the world’s third most populated ‘country’, after China and India, is going public by means of an IPO – Initial Public Offering. 

The social networking giant will start trading on the NASDAQ under the ticker FB. It has set a price range of $28 to $35 per share. However, it is expected that the stock will trade higher than the offering price, in the range of $34 to $38 per share.

In terms of pure numbers, Facebook is going to sell more than $15 billion worth of shares to investors. ATT Wireless, the current technology IPO leader, had raised more than $10 billion in 2010. As a result, Facebook’s valuation is expected to hit the $90 billion to $100 billion range – and may even go upward – depending on the actual price at which the stock trades. This offering of 421 million shares is likely to be the biggest venture-backed Internet IPO in history of all time. Shares are going to be priced today, on May 17th, with trading commencing from the 18th of May.

Facebook recently crossed the 900 million users mark, thereby giving credence to the opening factoid of this article. The company has not made its intentions clear about what it intends to do with the money, only mentioning that it may use the cash for acquisitions and expansion, to state a few.

However, this IPO is not as much of a golden egg as far as small investors are concerned. To get the shares at the offer price, you’ll need a lot of money – or friends in Facebook, high up the influential ladder – or a large account with one of the banks or brokerage firms which are directly involved in the IPO. Of course, you can buy shares once FB begins trading on the NASDAQ. Doing this would mean having to pay much more than the offering price.

Privacy Concerns

What needs to be understood is that this valuation is going to put tremendous pressure on the company to keep increasing sales and profits at a fast rate. This directly translates to more advertising on the site. Facebook has never been very forthcoming in terms of user privacy and has often found itself in the middle of privacy issues raised by users after Facebook had made changes to the site layout and various other account features.

The only real way to make money from advertising is by finely targeting its ads towards the user. To do this, it needs even more information about its users and make optimum usage of the information it already has. Facebook has practically all the details about a user, ranging from user demographic to the food outlets they prefer and the sports they like. Also, user-tracking off the website, through the omnipresent ‘Like’ button is another issue that has been raised in the past.

Advertiser concerns

Looking at the importance of ads for Facebook, it comes as a bit of a shocker when you realize that advertisers have actually been questioning the effectiveness of Facebook ads in garnering user interest. GM has already decided to take down its advertisements from FB, while maintaining its pages. The bitter truth remains, how many users actually click on ads? It is definitely not the majority.

FB on the go

Almost half of Facebook’s daily users log in from a mobile device. Mobile is one area where Facebook hasn’t made as much of an inroad as it would have liked. The mobile app is half decent at best, and mobile advertising is still in an infant stage. Mobile internet is pretty much a virgin when it comes to monetization on a similar note to the Web version, where ads are highly targeted and contextual.

Overwhelmed already

While there is no question that social media has become an essential part of our lives, it is also a fact that people are getting overwhelmed by its impact. There are a slew of social networking sites out there. There is a legion of people who use Facebook only for the bare minimum purpose of keeping in touch with friends. Twitter, Google+, Path, Pinterest etcetera are other sites which have added to the dilemma of Internet users. Add to that Facebook’s recent acquisition of Instagram for $1 billion, where it is still unclear as to how FB plans on using Instagram as a profit generating machine.

Money and future

A recently conducted survey showed that more than 50% of Americans think that the issue is over-priced. This also includes people who are regular traders. All this talk of money-making means the Facebook experience is going to become more commercial as the days pass. The latest feature which is being tested by Facebook, the ‘promoted status update’, involves users paying to have their updates made visible to more people in their friend lists.

Whether the shares will sustain in the long run is a very doubtful issue. Undoubtedly, tomorrow is going to be a great day for Facebook, its founder and its investors. However, the future of the company and how much it may further expand is a case of genuine concern, as the company is at a peak right now. More and more people are beginning to think that Facebook is a passing fad, and nothing more than that. Let’s wait and watch.

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Agreed you don’t have time to read newspapers any more, no time to read books. 

“Mate, I work 10-12 hours a day, you can bet your good money I have no time for all this.” Fine. But you still need intellectual stimulation. You still need to be in the know of what’s going around you. And of course you need a breather from work, a break from constantly staring at a flickering screen with boring documents, and numbers and figures. You need entertainment, a sort of power fun (like power nap), if you will, to rejuvenate yourself. So how do you get this? Blogs. They are interactive, informative and a lot of fun. Here are the top 5 blogs that we think you should follow, especially men:

Technology, Gadgets, Mobiles: Labnol, if you’re someone who likes to be on top of all the technology, gadget related development, this blog is your best bet. Digital Inspiration, founded and authored by Amit Agarwal, is one of the most widely-read tech and how-to blog. Through this blog he covers interesting topics like gadgets,web applications, tutorials, reviews of computer software and much more.

Dope on Auto industry: Carblogindia, This one is for all the automotive freaks out there. This blog is comprehensive and offers unbiased information on the Indian automotive scene. Car Blog India features news and reviews on vehicles. It also carries test drive reviews, car comparisons, and information on automobile technologies.

For a laugh: Cartoonistsatish, When you’re bummed at work and want to just relax, head to this blog page. CartoonistSatish is the brainchild of, well, Satish, who quit his MBA job to pursue cartooning. He must be good then, right? Check out his hilarious cartoons and have a good laugh.

For random observations on life, culture, offices, and travel, check Sidin Vadukut’s blog page, Whatay. He is also the author of Dork: The incredible adventures of Robin Einstein Verghese.

Books, yes, very important: Uread, This blog features book reviews, author interviews and special features. You don’t necessarily need to be a book buff to appreciate this. It features mostly Indian authors and their books, so it’s a great way of getting to know what’s cooking on the Indian literary front.

Get, set, cook: Whether you live alone or with your parents. Whether you want to impress your friends, girlfriend or wife, cooking is a great way of showing affection and love to those around you. So put on an apron and get into the kitchen. Follow the recipes on Finelychopped, and become the Masterchef of your home.

Blogs are a lot of fun, especially when you’re having a tough day at work. Who knows these blogs might even inspire you to start your own blog someday.

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Mumbai – May 4, 2012 – ZOTAC International, a global innovator and channel manufacturer of graphics cards,

mainboards and mini-PCs, today delivers a double dose of performance with the new ZOTAC GeForce® GTX 690 graphics card – an epic graphics card for extreme gamers seeking the ultimate PC gaming experience. The new ZOTAC GeForce® GTX 690 graphics card delivers out-of-this world performance that is unmatched by any single graphics card.

Featuring a pair of NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 600 series graphics processors, the ZOTAC GeForce® GTX 690 obliterates the latest Microsoft® DirectX® 11 games and benchmarks for superior frame rates and gaming smoothness. Each graphics processor is matched to 2GB of the fastest GDDR5 available for 4GB total of video memory on the ZOTAC GeForce® GTX 690 to let gamers crank up the eye candy and play the latest games at maximum detail settings.

“PC gamers are what push the gaming industry to advance visual realism beyond ‘good-enough.’ Our new ZOTAC GeForce® GTX 690 is the benchmark for how phenomenal gaming visuals and immersion can be,” says Carsten Berger, marketing director, ZOTAC International. “Just pair up the ZOTAC GeForce® GTX 690 with three 3D displays and the experience will blow you away.”

An enhanced cooling system enables the ZOTAC GeForce® GTX 690 to operate quieter than a pair of high-end graphics cards while maintaining optimum operating temperatures. Polycarbonate windows on the ZOTAC GeForce® GTX 690 reveal the intricate heatsink fins for an added touch of style that befits the premium flagship graphics card.

Three dual-link DVI outputs on the ZOTAC GeForce® GTX 690 are ready for the latest 120 Hz gaming displays or extreme high-definition 2560×1600 displays. Combined with NVIDIA® 3D Vision™ Surround technology, the ZOTAC GeForce® GTX 690 dishes out unmatched gaming immersion with triple displays.

A full copy of the ZOTAC Assassin’s Creed® 3-Game Pack is bundled to let gamers embark on an epic historical adventure through the first two Assassin’s Creed® and the latest Assassin’s Creed® Revelations with magnificent visuals and captivating storyline rendered beautifully on the ZOTAC GeForce® GTX 690 series graphics cards.

It’s time to play with the ZOTAC GeForce® GTX 690.

General details

• New ZOTAC GeForce® GTX 690 graphics card
• Dual NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 600 series GPUs
• 3072 SMX unified shaders (1536 per GPU)
• Engine clock: 915 MHz (base), 1019 MHz (boost)
• 4GB GDDR5 memory (2GB per GPU)
• Memory clock: 6008 MHz
• 512-bit memory interface (256-bit per GPU)
• 2 x DVI-I, DVI-D mini-DisplayPort outputs
• PCI Express 3.0 interface
• NVIDIA® GPU Boost technology
• NVIDIA® 3D Vision™ Surround capable
• NVIDIA® FXAA technology
• NVIDIA® TXAA technology
• NVIDIA® Quad SLI™ ready
• NVIDIA® Adaptive Vertical Sync
• DirectX® 11 technology Shader Model 5.0
• OpenGL® 4.2 compatible
• Hardware-accelerated Full HD video playback
• Blu-ray 3D ready
• Loss-less audio bitstream capable
• TrackMania 2 Canyon 3-Day Game Pass included
• ZOTAC Assassin’s Creed® 3-Game Pack

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Samsung has finally come out with its much-awaited flagship phone, the Samsung Galaxy SIII.

Riding on the success of the ‘20-million-device-sales’ Galaxy SII, Samsung is expecting sales of the S3 to surpass that of the S2. As expected, the device has a slew of improvements over the S2, in terms of size, processing power and an improved display resolution – not to mention various new features implemented by Samsung to make the user experience more pleasurable and intuitive. It is being billed as the official smartphone of the London 2012 Olympics.

The phone weighs at 133g and measures 8.6mm at its thickest. The device is rounded off at the corners, similar to the Galaxy Nexus. The real show-stealer is the 1.4 GHz Exynos 4 Quad processor – with 1 GB RAM to keep the phone running as smooth as ever. The further addition of a Mali 400MP GPU, which is about 60% faster than the GPU on the S2, ensures that the device remains as sleek as possible.

The device sports a 4.8” HD Super AMOLED display, with a pixel count of 1280×720. Very obviously – the device runs Android 4.0, or Ice Cream Sandwich as it is known. It has been skinned with Touchwiz 4.0, as can be seen in all Samsung phones. It is available in 16, 32 and 64 GB versions.

Design, Display and Interface

Samsung says the device is ‘inspired by nature – it sees, listens, responds, and allows you to share the greatest moments’. For such a catchy statement, it is clearly visible every time you look at the phone, as it is available in choices of ‘Marble White’ and ‘Pebble Blue’. Sized at 136.6 x 70.6 x 8.6 mm, the design is more in line with the first device, Galaxy S rather than the Galaxy S2. Rounded edges, minimum bezel and a beautiful screen – the S3 still features a physical home button, compared to the capacitive keys found on the Galaxy Nexus.

As you may have noticed, the ‘Plus’ is missing in the Super AMOLED Display. This means that pixilation is still going to visible to the naked eye, as the display is PenTile. However, the HD resolution does a brilliant job of wowing users, with a higher pixel density of 306 ppi and an improved contrast ratio. Gorilla Glass is a standard nowadays and can be seen on the S3 too.

As we mentioned earlier, the Touchwiz 4.0 interface may prove to be a slight deterrent for Android purists, as it deters from the stock Android experience. However, Samsung has reworked the Touchwiz interface to integrate its ‘inspired by nature’ theme. The sounds of water drops and the water ripples on the screen make the user experience very pleasing. The dock at the bottom also holds five items now.

Camera

Samsung has not been known for going overboard with a high megapixel count in its camera or sporting high end optics like the Carl Zeiss lens found on Nokia devices. The S3 has a standard 8MP rear camera and a 1.9MP front camera; the former capable of full HD video recording, while the latter can do 720p video. Samsung has focused on photography sharing features, making connectivity and social enhancements easily available to users.

Accessories and features

Every smartphone can benefit from having a variety of accessories. With the S3, one can expect a flip cover, a battery charging stand, spare battery, a car dock and an HDMI adapter. However, the real show-stoppers to come out with the S3 are the AllCast wireless dongle (which allows for wireless streaming and presentations), an S-Pebble MP3 player – and hold your breath – a Wireless Charging Kit! This is a revolutionary feature which could change the smartphone game for the time to come.

Another service which will be exclusive to S3 users is a free 50GB Dropbox account. Yes, you read that right. This is in direct competition to HTC Sense 4’s offering of a free 25GB. The free cloud storage has a validity of 2 years, after which the users will have to register and pay to make further use of the 50GB Dropbox space.

Smartphone, really

The Galaxy S3 is equipped with two new features, which are definite improvements on the software side and aim at making the phone more user-friendly. The SmartStay feature makes use of a sensor to detect when the user is looking at the screen – and dims the display when you don’t look at the screen. Another interesting feature is S Voice, which is by far the best competitor to the iPhone Siri. Samsung touts Natural Language Processing as the key to its success. S Beam is another feature, which uses NFC to connect between phones and then uses WiFi Direct to transfer files between them – at speeds of up to 300 Mbps.

All these features would make one cringe at the thought of how much juice would this beast of a device require, but Sammy has kept that well in mind. With a 2100 mAh battery, a longer battery life is guaranteed by providing enough energy to the quad-core processor and the large HD display.

Overall, the device has all the hallmarks of a Samsung best-seller. We are more than confident that Samsung has come out with a device which will prove to be a very worthy successor to the extremely popular Galaxy S2. It is expected to hit international markets by June.

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Is Samsung Galaxy Note the ultimate offspring of the tablet and the phone, or a 5.3 inch pain for whichever pocket you keep it in? Let’s find out.

In the papers, Galaxy Note comes out as a screamer. It boasts of a 1.4GHz dual-core processor, an 8-megapixel camera and 16GB of internal storage, along with 4G capabilities which, as of now, is of no use in India. With a huge 5.3 inches screen the Note is closer to the tablet than the phone. It dwarfs the iPhone and Android beats around it.

I will start with the positives about the phone –

Samsung has modelled the Note on its highly successful Galaxy S II platform. Though it did the same with the Nexus, the Korean giant has added some noteworthy upgrades. The Galaxy Note has a greater battery, a higher-resolution display, and a cool S Pen stylus, thus, making it a lot more versatile than a simple oversized handset.

Playing games, watching videos and reading ebooks is quite a pleasure on the device. The HD Super AMOLED screen, which is large and bright, requires more power to run. However, since the Note is a lot bigger than regular phones, it could easily slip in a 2,500mAh battery. On one run of battery, you can watch more than 4.5 hours of videos, which is very good by any smartphone standard.

S- Memo Lite

One of my favorite features on the device is memo lite. Just double tap on the screen with the stylus and a small note app opens (good for using that stylus to scribble “date tonight at 8PM”).

Drawing or sketching

Now this was a feature which Samsung literally harped on, pushing in advertisements and developer’s kits. I was honestly let down by the feature as it was slow and kind of dragging. Lines and designs were unable to match up with my strokes and to add to that, it still lacks good sketching apps. The best one is Skitch by Evernote where the stylus and sketching features do come in handy if, by profession, you are an artist or a boss who loves to make those red circles.

Switch back to reality

Pretty girl who I met the other night and whose number I scribbled down on my Note – called me up. It was one long phone call which made me realize two “big” problems about the phone. First, it’s too big to hold in your palm and be on a call, not to forget it just looks funny that half of your face is covered by your phone. Secondly, like all the other smartphones, even the Note heats up when you go on a long phone call. So basically, it just heats half of you face (not a ‘positive’ warm feeling).

The phone call was followed by exchanging some messages with the pretty lady and that is when problem of typing with one hand occurred, you have to use two hands on the Note to type. Most of us will not prefer that considering the number of things we juggle are too many, and only two hands to manage them.

I did like the stylus on the phone, but one drawback is that the buttons on the phone are not mated to stylus, which means you have to use your fingers in between if you need those keys to go back in a browser or home screen.

I would have said “Happy Noting” but for the final nail in the coffin – Size. I can keep the phone in my shirt pocket but it won’t fit in completely and there will always be the danger of it falling off or being flicked out. Slipping it into your jeans or trouser pocket will make you uncomfortable while walking. Hence, unless you wear jackets all the time or you are ok with the idea of holding your phone in your hand like your girl holds that clutch (purse), the Note is not for you. Thank you Samsung for a wonderful device, but I will still buy an Ice-cream sandwich loaded Galaxy Nexus or Tab instead of the Note.

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Slowly but steadily, the iPhone has changed the way we look at mobile gaming.

The game development industry was given a serious wake-up call looking at the manner in which Apple came up with touch enabled games. Let us take a look at the top 10 games available today for the iPhone. These are a must have on any iPhone.

1. Temple Run

This game defines addiction. Introduced on the iPhone, this app has also made its way to Android now. Run, turn, jump and slide – all with a swipe, to avoid getting caught. Collect power ups, coins and characters; all with a single aim – to keep running for as long as you can.

2. Angry Birds

This franchisee needs no introduction. Rovio has struck a jackpot with the introduction of Angry Birds. Be it Angry Birds Rio or Angry Birds Space, this game will never leave you unoccupied. Go do your bit in helping the birds win the war against the pigs!

3. Draw Something

This is the latest addition to the list of mobile games that has gone viral within a few days of its launch. It is undoubtedly the most popular drawing-and-guessing game available for the iOS. Play with your Twitter or Facebook friends; or you can opt to be automatically partnered with other online gamers.

4. Clear Vision

You play Tyler, a supermarket cleaner turned professional hit-man in this first person shooter. Follow his journey through life as he makes kills, in the meanwhile losing friends and getting caught up in a web of lies. Trust does not come lightly in this game. The game is available in 2 versions – a censored version for 12 years and above, and an uncut version for 17 years and above.

5. Cube Runner

This game is a good way to give your iPhone accelerometer some much needed workout. Steer your ship across a landscape while trying to avoid the many cubes that create obstacles in your path. The game has various difficulty levels, and has downloadable level packs too. You can also create your own designs and share them with your friends.

6. Asphalt 6: Adrenaline

The latest version of the Asphalt series is undoubtedly one of the best racing games out there. A great selection of cars, challenging driving controls and a good variety of locations make this a must have game for all racing lovers. Add HD graphics to the package, and your mind will be blown away by this thrilling game.

7. FIFA Soccer 12

The name says it all for this game. Developed by ES Sports, FIFA Soccer 12 has vibrant graphics, extremely realistic animations and highly responsive controls. Play in over 22 leagues having about 500 licensed teams. Play club, country or even the ever popular Manager mode – and lead your team to glory.

8. Doodle Jump

If this game needs any introduction, we’re going to have to ask which planet you come from. Insane addiction is what the Doodler spreads as he jumps from one level to another. Springs, jet packs and balls will aid you on your tiring quest to the top, as you look to avoid the bad guys on the way. The iPhone version also has complete features – not found on the Android version.

9. Prince of Persia: Warrior Within

The famous console game is also available on mobile gaming platforms. If you’re playing on the iPhone 4, then you’re in for a visual treat thanks to the Retina display. Beautiful levels and fluid, intense fighting moves will keep you glued to the screen.

10. Paper Toss

Paper Toss is another one of those ‘oddly satisfying’ games. It actually feels like crumpling up a ball of paper and throwing it in the trash can to test one’s shooting skills. It also isn’t as easy as it sounds – there is an electric fan to make things tough – as it blows away the paper from its trajectory. It is also a free app.

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Open source has been the biggest blessing when it comes to availability of apps and games for Android.

We have reached a stage where we are spoilt for choice when we have to decide which app to install and which game to play. Let us talk about gaming. Being on the move with a smartphone has made it obvious that we need some form of entertainment – befitting that of such a device. There has been a flurry of activity among game developers trying to churn out game after game to please the users. Let’s take a look at 10 games that really made it mainstream.

1. Angry Birds

This franchisee needs no introduction. Rovio has struck a jackpot with the introduction of Angry Birds. Be it Angry Birds Rio or Angry Birds Space, this game will never leave you unoccupied. Go do your bit in helping the birds win the war against the pigs!

2. Temple Run

This game defines addiction. After a long wait, the Android version of this immensely popular game is finally out. Run, turn, jump and slide – all with a swipe, to avoid getting caught. Collect power ups, coins and characters; all with a single aim – to keep running for as long as you can.

3. Draw Something

This is the latest addition to the list of Android games that has gone viral within a few days of its launch. It is undoubtedly the most popular drawing-and-guessing game available for Android. Play with your Twitter or Facebook friends; or you can opt to be automatically partnered with other online gamers.

4. Asphalt 6: Adrenaline

The latest version of the Asphalt series is undoubtedly the best on the Android platform. A great selection of cars, challenging driving controls and a good variety of locations make this a must have game for all racing lovers. Add HD graphics to the package, and your mind will be blown away by this thrilling game.

5. Grand Theft Auto III

Apparently having spent hours playing GTA on our desktops wasn’t enough. One of the most gripping games of all time has now made its way to the Android universe. As a part of its 10 th anniversary celebration, Rockstar Games has brought Liberty City at your fingertips. The usual, dark storyline with HD quality graphics, make sure you have your charger with you at all times.

6. Drag Racing

This is one genre of racing which will never get old. Realistic controls, 50+ cars and millions of online players make this one addictive game. Win races, tune and customize car with the winning money, after racing over a quarter mile, half mile or a full mile. Do you have it in you?

7. Fruit Ninja

Try out your Ninja skills on the most unlikely opponent of all – fruits! Fruit Ninja is an excellent alternative to while away your time. With different modes of game play, rest assured that this is one game you will not get bored of. It also saves you the trouble of having to slice open fruits in real life.

8. Sonic CD

Sega is back with its timeless classic. Sonic the hedgehog now runs at the command of your touch screen. Released last December for Android, Sega leaves the mission of saving the Time Stones from the evil of Dr Egghead. It uses on-screen controls, to maintain the classic style of game play in the olden days.

9. Shadowgun

This is a third person shooter game. It brings excellent graphics and game play to Android users. The graphics are the real show stealers, comparable to those found on handheld consoles. The game packs a real punch under the visually appealing exterior – a solid action game. The game represents a new step in mobile gaming. Here’s hoping to see more user friendly, third person shooter games similar to Shadowgun.

10. Doodle Jump

If this game needs any introduction, we’re going to have to ask which planet you come from. Insane addiction is what the Doodler spreads as he jumps from one level to another. Springs, jet packs and balls will aid you on your tiring quest to the top, as you look to avoid the bad guys on the way.

A lot of deliberation went into picking and leaving out games while making this list. It is a mix of free and paid games. There are endless games out there, but we’ve tried to include games across as many categories as possible. Here’s wishing you happy playing!

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Android probably is the best thing to have happened in the field of Mobile OS platforms.

Thanks to its open-source nature, there are plenty of apps to be found which can satisfy practically every need that a smartphone user would have. However, picking the right app can be a serious headache, owing to the large number of choices. So let’s take a look at what we think are the top 10 apps – from social networking to file managers. These apps are a must have on your Android.

There are a myriad of apps out there, so we decided not to include some absolute no-brainer apps like Gmail, Talk, Whatsapp and etcetera. It is also impossible to cover apps from every category, so we’ve picked the 10 best apps in terms of utility.

1. AirDroid

If you’re using your Android over a Wi-Fi connection that you share with your laptop, then AirDroid is a must have app, especially if you like keeping messy cables out of sight. The app is very simple to use, as you can access your device’s file system from a browser on your laptop.

File transfer has never been this easy.

2. ES File Explorer

Think of it as a Windows Explorer, but for your Android. It has a sleek interface, is user friendly and highly functional. The best part is that ES Explorer is ad-free. It is a great alternative for the default Android File Manager that comes bundled with the phone.

3. Dropbox

Everybody knows about Dropbox – the insanely popular data-sync application. The Android app is out, and it fulfills its basic purpose, allowing you to back-up data from your phone so that you can access it on your desktop at a later time.

4. Evernote

Evernote is the next best syncing app after Dropbox, and for a different purpose altogether. Share your voice memos, to-do lists, text notes and files on your phone, and access them from your desktop. It also has a neat voice to text feature, which enhances functionality. It is an excellent way to keep track of all your ideas from any platform.

5. Google Goggles

While text search is indeed a necessity, Google Goggles offers the fancy features of taking a picture and doing a Google search after analyzing the image. It comes up with search results of what it thinks you’re looking at. It also doubles up as a QR code scanner, which lets you read barcodes and gives you quick results related to product specs, prices and the like.

6. MX Video Player

It is the first video player which performs multi-core decoding, thereby practically nullifying any lag in video playback. It can also deal with any video format you throw at it. The UI is extremely user friendly, allowing brightness, volume and seeking controls merely by swiping across different sections of the screen. Get this app as soon as possible.

7. 8Tracks

If you’re one of those people who like listening to music over the Internet, that too which has been ‘mixed and made’ by other people, then 8Tracks is the app for you. In today’s world when streaming music has become the status quo, 8Tracks provides an excellent and free alternative to expanding your music genre.

8. Tweetdeck

A list of top 10 apps would be incomplete without mention of a social networking app, and Tweetdeck takes that spot. The app went so viral after its launch that Twitter just had to buy it. It has a beautiful, dark UI, which makes using the app a delight. It combines your Twitter, Facebook and Foursquare feeds in one place, making it easy for you to keep track of all activity, no matter wherever it is happening.

9. QuickPic

QuickPic is the best photo gallery and picture viewer for Android. The Stock gallery which comes bundled with Android feels downright lazy compared to QuickPic. Moreover, it also plays videos and gifs. Going through your pictures was never easier and faster. It also has better folder organizing functionality than any other picture viewer out there.

10. Dolphin Browser HD

The native Stock browser bundled with Android does its work, but Dolphin Browser HD just does a better job of it. It is the first gesture, voice-control and add-on enabled app for Android. What more do you want in a browser? Browsing is lightning fast, and with the option of tabbed browsing, you’ll never ever have to switch between windows again.

So what do you folks think of this list? If you think we’ve missed out on a couple of apps, do give us a shout. Do keep in mind that making this list is like finding needles in a haystack. Besides, there’s only space for 10 apps, after all!

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Research In Motion, the struggling smartphone manufacturer, launched the Blackberry Curve 9220 in Delhi earlier today.

The Curve is an entry level phone, by which RIM hopes to capture a significant section of the low-budget smartphone category. It is priced at INR 10,990. Apps worth INR 2,500 will be made available to buyers from App World, till June 30.

The phone boasts of very basic specifications, and is a good option for buyers who are looking for basic connectivity and internet access. The 9220 runs on the Blackberry OS 7.1 and, according to RIM, has the longest battery life among all Curve smartphone models. It supports quadband GSM. However, there is no 3G support, which could be a major factor working against the phone.

Curve 9220 has a 2.44″ TFT screen, with a 65k colour (QVGA) display. That means, at a resolution of 320×240, this amounts to a pixel density of approximately 164 ppi. It has 512MB of RAM, and 512MB of phone memory. It has an external microSD support up to 32GB. However, a significant improvement has been seen in the form of Wi-Fi connectivity, FM Radio and a dedicated BBM key. These features will definitely enhance the user experience. The 9220 also has a primary 2MP camera.

The device features the standard BlackBerry business functionality. It will first hit Indian shelves tomorrow, the 19th of April. The device comes in 4 colours – black, teal, fuchsia pink and pure white. It will be made available in other regional markets in the coming weeks.

It remains to be seen whether buyers will be attracted to the device. RIM has recently announced a major price slash in India, in a desperate bid to recapture the lost market segments. The primary reason for its decline has been the inability of BlackBerry OS to keep up with the pace of the Android and iOS platforms.

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With the release of the Windows Phone 7.5 update, or Mango,

as the codename goes, mobiles running the Windows Phone (WP) OS have emerged as serious competitors in the smartphone market. Mango brings new features and better functionality. More buyers are looking at Windows Phone as their preferred platform. Phones running WP are slowly entering all the budget segments in the market. Let us take a look at the Top 5 Windows Phones currently available in the market today.

1. Nokia Lumia 800

One of the positives that had to come out of the Nokia-Microsoft partnership was the availability of this classy OS on an equally classy and sturdy device, something that Nokia has always been known for. This Nokia phone is the best WP out there. Killer looks, a snappy Qualcomm Scorpion processor clocking 1.4 GHz, 16GB internal memory and an 8MP primary camera with Carl Zeiss optics (exclusive to Nokia devices), 720p video recording and dual LED flash make it one of the most powerful WP devices out there.

It sports a 3.7” AMOLED capacitive screen, with a resolution of 800×480. The 1450 mAh battery also does a good job providing juice. The 512MB RAM does well at running anything that Mango has to throw at it. The only drawback is the lack of an external microSD slot and a front facing camera. It is currently priced at INR 24,999/-

2. HTC Titan

This device is a close second to the Lumia 800. It looks great and has a powerful 1.5GHz Qualcomm Scorpion processor. The other specs on the Titan are almost the same as the Lumia 800 – 16GB internal memory, 512MB RAM, an 8MP primary camera with dual LED flash and 720p video recording.

The Titan edges out the Lumia 800 in the areas of a 1.3MP front facing camera and a much bigger S-LCD capacitive screen at 4.7”. However, with a resolution of 800×480, this gives a pixel density of merely 199 ppi, as compared to the 252 ppi that the Lumia offers. It also doesn’t offer external memory capacity. The device is priced in the INR 29k-30k range.

3. Samsung Focus S

No ‘top devices list’ would be complete without Samsung making an entry. A 1.4GHz Qualcomm Scorpion processor, 512MB RAM and an 8MP primary camera with LED flash and 720p video recording, make the Focus S a great device to have. The Focus S has a brilliant 4.3” Super AMOLED capacitive screen, with a resolution of 800×480. This amounts to a pixel density of 217 ppi, in between that of the Titan and the Lumia.

It is available in 16GB/32GB versions. A few hardware specs apart, this phone practically looks like the Samsung Galaxy SII, only running WP instead of Android. It also features a 1.3MP front facing camera. The 1650 mAh battery packs a lot of juice. Once again, no external microSD slot.

4. Dell Venue Pro

While Dell may not be as popular a mobile handset manufacturer as Samsung, HTC and Nokia; it has packaged a great device in the Venue Pro. It runs on a 1GHz Qualcomm Scorpion processor, has 512MB RAM, 1GB ROM (application memory) and 8GB/16GB of internal storage. This phone differs from the others in providing microSD support up to 32GB. It is also the only phone having a physical sliding QWERTY keypad.

It has a 4.1” AMOLED capacitive screen with a WVGA resolution (800×480) – which amounts to a pixel density of 228 ppi. It lags behind the top 3 candidates with a 5MP primary camera with LED flash and no front camera. It makes for a good mid-budget device, priced at a modest INR 15490/-

5. Samsung Omnia W

The Omnia W narrowly edged out the Lumia 710 to take 5th spot in these ratings. Both devices boast a 3.7” capacitive screen with a resolution of 800×480 – which is a pixel density of 252 ppi. They have the same 1.4GHz Qualcomm Scorpion processor, 5MP primary camera and 720p video recording.

The Omnia W however beats the Lumia in terms of the quality of the screen, as it sports a Super AMOLED screen, compared to a TFT. It also has a VGA front camera, which the Lumia doesn’t have. The real killer punch though, is the battery. Samsung packs a 1500 mAh, while the Lumia only has a 1300 mAh. A long battery life is a key factor to any phone’s success. Both phones are priced at about INR 15k.

In this article, we’ve only focused on phones that are currently available. The HTC Titan II and the Nokia Lumia 900 announced for this year would surely be hot rivals for the top spot.

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