Samsung India launches Windows-8 based ATIV Smart PC, ATIV Smart PC Pro

Samsung has introduced its ATIV Smart PC and ATIV Smart PC Pro devices in India. Both these 'hybrid' devices feature a 10-finger multi-touch screen and are powered by Microsoft's latest Windows 8 operating system.

The Samsung ATIV Smart PC features a 11.6-inch touchscreen full-HD LCD, S-Pen, Intel Atom Z2760 processor, and USB 2.0. It is 9.9mm thick and will be available in the market for Rs. 53,990.

On the other hand, ATIV Smart PC Pro, is powered by an Intel Core i5 processor. Other features of Samsung ATIV Smart PC Pro include USB 3.0, S-Pen, and an 11.6-inch touchscreen full-HD LCD. This device is 11.9mm thick and will retail for Rs. 75, 490.

Samsung ATIV Smart PC and Samsung ATIV Smart PC Pro will be available in Indian along with a detachable keyboard docking system (included with both devices), which allows users to switch between a tablet and traditional laptop mode.

According to Samsung, though Smart PC and Smart PC Pro come with Windows 8 on-board, they are also fully compatible with Windows 7. Samsung's applications such as S Note and SPlayer come pre-installed in both devices.

Announcing these products, Jin Park, Vice President of IT Solutions Business at Samsung Electronics said, "Our smart devices like ATIV Smart PC and ATIV Smart PC Pro and Samsung Notebooks deliver seamless user experience through convergence technologies across multiple devices. With our leadership in design and technology and Microsoft's leadership in operating systems, we are able to provide customers with smart devices that have the most beautiful design, powerful performance and ease of use."

Uday Bhatt, Director, Samsung IT business said, "Samsung has had a great year so far with its products being accepted in the market. We have established a strong foundation and we will continue to bring in innovative products and new user experiences to delight our Indian consumers".

Nokia introduces 'Slam': A new way to share content over Bluetooth

on Monday(26/11/12) Nokia announced Slam, a new way to share content over Bluetooth. The Nokia Asha 205 and Nokia 206, also announced on Monday, are the first Mobile Phones devices to include Nokia's exclusive Slam feature.

Slam allows consumers to share multimedia content like photos and videos with nearby friends almost instantly. Nokia says Slam works with "most" Bluetooth-enabled mobile phones without the need to pair devices, and without the recipient needing to also have Slam. Where by most Bluetooth-enabled mobile phones Nokia means Android-devices are Slam-compatible, since Nokia's website notes Slam is "currently not compatible" with iOS and Windows Phone devices.

"The latest Nokia devices give super-social consumers new ways to express their personalities through design, color and innovative new features like Slam," explains Timo Toikkanen, Executive Vice President, Mobile Phones, Nokia. "Both devices are built with the trust and quality people have come to expect from Nokia, and offer smarter Internet experiences that help save money today and tomorrow."

There are not many details of the technology available as of now other than the brief mention in Nokia's press release announcing the launch of the Asha 205 and Nokia 206 mobile phones. We'll share more information as and when it becomes available.

Samsung is still the top handset maker in the U.S.

comScore on Friday released a new study that takes a look at the U.S. mobile landscape revealing that Samsung and Apple are the top handset makers in the region. The company analyzed mobile data for the three-month period ending in October 2012 and surveyed over 30,000 American mobile subscribers in the process.

Google Finally Rolls Out Play Store Updates

Google is finally all set to release the new updates to its Play store that is accessible on all Android devices. As per the latest reports, this update will be bringing a lot of new features to the Android app store. The most obvious change that you’d see will be in form of a pop-up screen that comes right after you install any new app. This is a transition screen between the previous step of the installation process and the current one showing progress of download and the final installation. This newly included screen also helps in showcasing some less popular Android apps on the app store through a segment called “Users Also Installed.”

A new Remove icon is yet another inclusion in the latest Google Play update. It can be seen in the “My Wishlist” section, which appears pretty identical to what was earlier included in “All” tab section of “My Apps.” The updates will also include a dedicated translation button in the section of app descriptions that help in changing the language of the description.

There are few more changes worth noticing in the new updates. Google Play now requests 2 new permissions: ACCESS_COARSE_LOCATION and ACCESS_FINE_LOCATION. A new app named keyczar contains a new library bundle by Google. The Wallet app too bundles the new Google library. The section of “Recommended for You” shows a new button called “Improve these recommendations,” which allows the users to add more people to their friend circle of Google+, which possibly helps the algorithm of Google in making recommendation of new apps.

About a month ago, the search engine giant announced that its Play Store housed over 700,000 apps. Both App Store of Apple and Google Play are now far ahead of Windows Store in terms of number of apps. Microsoft announced few days ago that its Windows Store had close to 120,000 apps.

Earlier Google released one of the updates for Google Play, which didn’t have too many big difference, but the latest update allows the users to manage the list of All Apps and remove apps seamlessly. This list keeps record of all the downloaded apps to date, along with location in the lists, and newer icon for any notifications and the apps that are installed.

I’m quite happy to see Google putting some quality time on improving the Play Store, and just can’t wait to receive the update, and see what else has changed.

LG Optimus L9 expected to hit the Indian markets this December

LG Electronics has become one of the most trusted consumer brands in India, and is ascending towards an intense state of elation for making an extremely successful run this year in the highly competitive smartphone arena. This milestone achieved among its fierce smartphone competitors is clearly reflected in its quarterly earnings of $138.57 million, with the companies mobile sales recording an increase of 5.4% this quarter compared to its previous quarter figures.