To get low end smartphones, Nokia working on new Linux OS

Nokia is coming out with a Linux based operating system which will be used on smartphones costing less than $100 (about Rs 4,500). The new operating system from Nokia, has been codenamed "Meltemi" and the project leader for the company will be Mary McDowell, Nokia's executive vice president, mobile phones.

Nokia has been planning to refresh its low end smartphones segment for quite some time, and it has been looking for a replacement for the S40 phones as the users are leaving the S40 platform in favour of other smartphones. One analyst says it is good for the company to spread the risk.

                               
By going for the Windows Phone platform, Nokia has put itself in a difficult spot as far as low end phone segment is concerned. Android, the main competitor, is anyway pushing the smartphone prices way down than Windows Phone makers are comfortable with.

There is a gap in the product portfolio of Nokia. To address the situation, Nokia either needs to improve the S40 platform or come out with another operating system altogether and that's precisely what the company is doing with its new Linux based operating system for low end phones. The low end smartphone opportunity is so big even Apple is toying with the idea of bringing one low end Apple iPhone for the segment.

Micromax released Andro A60 and A70 mobile phones

Micromax is secretly working on SuperPhone A85, a smartphone that will feature a gesture control-based user interface and will be targeted at the high-end smartphone category.

"Micromax A85 will most likely feature an 8 megapixel camera and will be launched by year end at a price ranging between Rs 15,000 to Rs 18,000 in India," sources familiar with the development told The Mobile Indian.

Micromax earlier released Andro A60 and A70 mobile phones running Android 2.2 Froyo in India. These handsets created a lot of buzz and hence the company plans to make a mark in the Android space with a high end phone.
Micromax SuperPhone A85 may house a 3.7 to 4 inch capacitive (480 x 800 pixel) display with decent real estate for an improved mobile internet experience.

                   
Under the hood, the A85 will carry an overclocked dual-core Nvidia Tegra T20 processor coupled with 512 MB RAM to power the Android 2.3 Gingerbread operating system. This will be Micromax's first Gingerbread smartphone in India.

Micromax is said to be working on a gesture control supported user interface that makes use of the front facing VGA camera to navigate and scroll through the user interface. At the back will rest a 5 megapixel camera with auto-focus to capture high quality images and hopefully 720p HD video.

SuperPhone A85 will come with 8 GB onboard storage which can be expanded up to 32 GB. To power this phone, Micromax has used a 1650 mAh battery pack.

To compete with the best Android smartphones available in India, Micromax SuperPhone A85 will be priced around Rs 15,000 to Rs 18,000.

Experts recommend antivirus solutions for smartphones

Next time you buy that expensive antivirus software for your personal computer, take one for your smartphone too. Cyber security experts have cited a new threat, one where a hacker can hack your cellphone just as he would hack a computer. With 3G phones raiding the market, and gizmo addicts using phones instead of computers to access the virtual world, experts speak of handheld devices falling prey to security risks, especially since only less than 10% cellphone users are aware of anti-virus solutions for mobile phones and none of the world's leading antivirus vendors have specialised solutions for mobile phone malwares.

Cyber security expert Anshul Abhang said with mobile phones becoming as handy as personal computers, people tend to spend more time browsing on phones than computers. "Till 3G was launched, browsing speed was limited and people did not use cellphones for browsing and downloading. But now, with wide bandwidths on 3G phones, users tend to download everything on their smartphones. This, when they are not even aware of the fact that mobile phones too can fall prey to security risks," said Abhang.

Opera Mini 6, Mobile 11Out Now

Opera has released the latest version of two different mobile web browsers - Opera Mini 6 and Opera Mobile 11. Both new versions are now available for most mobile platforms excluding the Apple iOS versions. The Mini 6 is meant for feature phones while the Mobile 11 for the smartphones and tablets.

The latest versions of Opera mobile web browsers come with smoother operation, pinch-to-zoom support and also sport a share button to post it on Twitter or Facebook. Now if you are confused on why Opera has two different versions of mobile web browsers then read on to know the difference. 

Opera Mini 6 utilizes the Opera servers to squeeze the big web pages into small size using its patented data compression technology and then sends them to the mobile. Opera Mini 6 browser is meant for feature phones that support J2ME apps and also installable on Android, BlackBerry and Symbain 60 smartphones. 


While the Opera Mobile 11 is meant for the smartphones running on Android, Symbian, Windows 7 desktop (labs release), MeeGo (labs release) and Maemo (labs release) platforms. Opera Mobile 11 uses the Presto layout engine - the same one used in the Opera desktop browsers. Apart from that, the Opera Mobile 11 web browser is ready to smoothly function with the HTML5 based web pages and web apps.

Just remember that though the download of the latest Opera Mini or Opera Mobile is free, data charges do apply.