Budget Sony Xperia E Jelly Bean smartphone goes on sale for £129.99
Android Jelly Bean goodness without the premium costIf you're seeking a slice of Android Jelly Bean without parting with too many pennies, Sony requests you direct your attention to its new, budget xperia E handset. TheSony Xperia E has now gone on sale in the UK through independent retailer Clove, for the rather sensible SIM-free price of £129.99. The lower-end (by today's standards) handset was scheduled to go on sale in February, but at least it's here now, complete with its 3.5-inch HGVA screen, a 3.2-megapixel camera and 1GHz processor. There's
also 4GB of on-board storage (boosted by a MicroSD slot) and 512MB of
RAM, so it's not going to break any records, but will provide ample
power for some users along with access access to Google Play and ony's
entertainment goodies.
A little bonus
Of course, the
device isn't going to compare with Sony's
all-singing-all-dancing-all-swimming (because it's waterproof... sorry.)
Xperia Z, but it does come with a little added bonus for the technically inclined. Sony announced at MWC
that it had released a Firefox OS ROM for the Xperia E, so if anyone
fanices a play with Mozilla's new mobile OS, get buying and get modding.
Last week, Indian intelligence agencies intercepted a call made
from Karachi to Dubai. The Karachi caller was discussing millions of US
dollar worth investment in the United Arab Emirates with his Gulf-based
counterpart.
A quick match with known voice samples revealed that the
caller was a certain Shaikh Dawood Hasan Ibrahim, none other than the
mastermind of the 1993 Mumbai blasts and India’s most wanted criminal. Twenty years after the Mumbai blasts, Dawood continues to elude
justice. Questions have been raised on the Indian government’s will to
get him. Indian agencies apparently don’t even have his recent
photograph.
“But I don’t think the Indian government has given up its efforts to
get Dawood,” Arun Jaitley, leader of the opposition in Rajya Sabha, told
HT on Thursday. “We have failed since all evidence reveals he is in the protective
custody of our neighbour. Perhaps more bilateral and international
pressure needs to be put on Pakistan." The Dubai business details discussed in last week's intercepted call
were shared with revenue intelligence agencies. It was evident Dawood
was playing big in real estate, fertiliser and shipping, and his area of
operation stretched from Mumbai to the US via Dubai. In the same call, Dawood's wife Mahajabeen is heard chatting with one
of her two daughters based in Dubai about an upcoming Bollywood movie
based on the life of her husband. Official sources admit despite keeping a constant tab on Dawood and
his associates like Chhota Shakeel, Fahim Muchmuch, Ahmed Langda and
Javed Chikna, they have been unsuccessful in nabbing him or cracking
down on his India operations. Indian intelligence believes Dawood is the
force behind circulating fake Indian currency, drugs smuggling and many
real estate deals in the country. During his meeting with FBI director Robert Mueller in Washington in
September 2009, then home minister P Chidambaram discussed ways to get
the terrorist. Mueller told him Dawood's business footprint was
expanding in the US and the time had come for both countries to share
information on him. Last May, home secretary RK Singh handed over a list of '49 most
wanted fugitives from justice' to Pakistan. As many as 18 of the 49
fugitives belong to D Company. Dawood has three Pakistani passports,
three houses in Karachi, and keys to ISI safe houses on Islamabad-Muree
Road and the Pakistani capital's Margalla Road.
Lenovo ThinkPad Twist price in India stands at Rs. 71, 000, available now
A price for the ThinkPad Twist in India has been proclaimed by Lenovo
and it has been established at Rs. 71,000, inclusive of all taxes. The
convertible device, which can be used as a tablet or a laptop, will also
go by the name of Edge. It is an HYBRID NOTEBOOK
that enables users to make the most of it through four distinct ways.
Apart from being interchangeable between a laptop and a tablet by simply
folding the flap, the device can be propped up to adopt the ‘stand’
mode. This would be ideal for professionals to explain out their
presentations. The last form that it takes on is when the flap can be
adjusted so that the result is an emulation of a tent. This element was
incorporated into the design keeping in mind the needs of consumers who
make use of Evernote Skitch and touch-based games. The ultrabook
will be sold to customers preloaded with the Windows 8 OS and the base
model will contain an Intel Core i3 CPU to enhance performance. The
higher end version will have an i5 processor
running in it. An aspect that should please users is 500GB of onboard
HDD memory and a 24GB SSD. The embedded battery will keep the device up
and running for a good 6 hours, or so the manufacturer claims. Moving on
to the external specifications, the display spreads across 12.5 inches
on the front panel. It might surprise a few that all these elements have
been fitted into a body that weighs just 1.58 kilograms and is as thin
as 20 millimeters. Corning
Gorilla Glass safeguards the touchscreen and the full-size keyboard has
been constructed in such a manner that makes it resistant to
inadvertent spills. The maker asserts that the device would take a
minimum of 2 seconds to wake up from its stupor and can last as long as
30 days when left idle. Potential buyers can get hold of the
Lenovo ThinkPad Twist from the line’s exclusive stores as well other
retailers that house multiple brands, in India. The Edge S230u 334734Q
with a Core i5 processor can be obtained by making a payment of Rs.
74,687 plus tax. Other devices which have had this particular
amalgamation incorporated into them include the LG Tab-Book Z160 and the MSI Slider S20 that fall in the same retail bracket. Specifications of the device are as follows: - Display: 12.5″ HD IPS touchscreen - Resolution: 1366 x 768 pixels - Memory: 500GB HDD and 24GB SSD - Processor: Up to Core i5-3317U - Platform: Windows 8 64-bit - Camera: 720p HD webcam - Connectivity: Bluetooth 4.0, Wi-Fi
Jaxtr Inc, a company co-founded by Hotmail-fame Sabeer Bhatia, today
launched Jaxtr SIM, a global SIM card with an eye on increasing number
of international travellers out of the country after rolling out the
product in the US recently.
"There are around 12 million international passengers annually
who come and go out of the country with 86 per cent of them having a
mobile phone. They, being price-sensitive, look for cost-effective
solution during roaming. Our global SIM card is designed for such
needs," Jaxtr Inc co-founder and Chief Executive Sabeer Bhatia told
reporters here after the launch.
Priced at Rs 600, the card is 70 per cent cheaper than other
existing solutions, he said, adding that with the Jaxtr SIM, travellers
to the Europe including Britain, US, and Canada can make inexpensive
local and international calls by using a local number, while in other
markets, they can availof this facility at cheaper tariffs.
Jaxtr aims to sell around 1 million cards to Indian travellers over the next two years, he said.
Sony Xperia Z models suffering from random shutdowns and deaths'
Some people who’ve purchased the Xperia Z, the latest flagship Android phone from Sony have complained on sony forums
that their brand-new Xperia Z’s have been randomly crashing. While some
of these users were able to fix the issue by doing a hard-reset of the
device by pressing the volume up and power buttons together, others
complained that their phones still continued crashing randomly while
some even said that the hard reset was unable to restart their phone.
A support representative from Sony did eventually respond
to the complaints saying that the reason for the problems had been
recognized and that Sony would issue a fix along with the next software
update for the Xperia Z. However, there was no mention of a timeframe
for the update.
The Xperia Z was launched earlier this month and WE were quite impressed by phone. The phone is capable of resisting dust and even being immersed in water and sports an excellent display and camera.
For the time being, we’re not sure if this problem extends to Xperia Z
users in India too and we didn’t suffer from these issues on our review
unit but if you’ve been facing similar issues, do let us know in the
comments section below ..
Katju pitches for Sanjay Dutt, appeals to Maharashtra Governor to set him free
New Delhi: Following the upholding of
the sentencing of film star Sanjay Dutt to five years imprisonment by
the Supreme Court in 1993 Mumbai blasts case, Press Council of India
chief Justice Markandey Katju has appealed to Maharashtra Governor K
Sankarnarayanan to pardon the actor. In a statement issued in New Delhi,
Katju sought pardon for Dutt under Article 161 of the Constitution
saying that he had not been found guilty of having played a role in the
1993 blasts and had suffered a lot.
Katju said the Supreme Court, having found that Sanjay Dutt had
in his possession a prohibited weapon without a licence, awarded him the
minimum imprisonment which was prescribed under law. "Section 25 (1(A)
of the Arms Act states that if a person has in his possession a
prohibited weapon without a licence, he shall be awarded punishment of
not less than 5 years imprisonment and not more than 10 years," Katju
said.
He added the power of pardon under Article 161 by the
Constitution is different from judicial power as the Governor or the
President can grant pardon or reduce the sentence of the court even if a
minimum is prescribed. "Hence, there is no doubt that the Governor can
grant pardon/reduce the sentence. For example, in the case of Commander
Nanavati who was held guilty of murder, the Governor gave him pardon
although the minimum sentence for murder is life sentence," Katju said.
He
said the Supreme Court had not found Dutt guilty for the 1993 bomb
blasts but only found him guilty of having in his possession a
prohibited weapon without licence. "Surely, this is a lesser offence
than murder. When the Governor of Maharashtra granted pardon to
Nanavati, surely he can grant pardon to Sanjay," Katju said.
He added though Dutt had committed an offence there are
extenuating circumstances like that the event happened 20 years ago.
"During this period, Sanjay suffered a lot and had a cloud hovering over
his head throughout. He had to undergo various tribulations and
indignities during this period. He had to go to court often, he had to
take the permission of the court for foreign shootings, he could not get
bank loans, etc," Katju said.
The PCI chairperson said Dutt had already undergone 18 months in
jail. He added the actor had got married and they have two small
children. "He has not been held to be a terrorist and had no hand in the
bomb blasts. His parents Sunil Dutt and Nargis worked for the good of
society and the nation. Sunil Dutt and Nargis often went to border areas
to give moral support to our brave jawans and did other social work for
society," Katju said.
Katju further added that Dutt in this period of 20 years has
through his films revived the memory of Mahatma Gandhi and the message
of Gandhiji, the Father of the Nation, an apparent reference to
"Gandhigiri" in Munnabhai films. "In these circumstances, I respectfully
appeal to your Excellency to pardon Sanjay Dutt and set him free,"
Katju said in his letter to the Maharashtra Governor and referred to the
speech of Portia in Shakespeare's Merchant of Venice that justice
should be tempered with mercy.
Sachin Tendulkar on cusp of breaking more records against Australia
Sachin Tendulkar (3597 runs) needs another 40
runs to overhaul the existing record run aggregate against Australia of
3636 by Jack Hobbs of England.
several records against Australia at home. Some of the statistical
highs include highest run-getter, most fifties and the maximum number of
centuries. Ahead of the fourth and final Test at the Feroz Shah Kotla,
here is a look at the approaching milestones:
# Sachin Tendulkar
(3597 runs) needs another 40 runs to overhaul the existing record run
aggregate of 3636 by Jack Hobbs of England against Australia. If he gets
these runs, he would then have the most runs against Australia.
#
Tendulkar requires three more runs for his 3600 runs against Australia.
If he gets them, he would become the second batsman in the annals of
Test cricket to amass 3600 runs against Australia. Hobbs has scored 3636
runs against the Aussies.
# Tendulkar has scored 27 fifties
against Australia and share the record for most fifties against
Australia with Hobbs, who also has scored 27 fifties. Tendulkar requires
one more fifty to own the record for most fifties against Australia.
#
Tendulkar has scored 11 hundreds against Australia. One more century
will enable him to equal Hobbs' 12 tons against the Australians.
#
Tendulkar has scored 1788 runs against Australia at home and requires
212 runs for his 2000 runs. If he gets them, he would become the first
Indian batsman and also the first batsman to aggregate 2000 runs on home
soil against Australia.
# Tendulkar, Graham Gooch and Herbert
Sutcliffe have scored nine half centuries at home against Australia. One
more half century will make Tendulkar to share the record of most half
centuries at home against Australia. Michael Atherton of England has
scored ten half centuries at home.
# Ricky Ponting, Tendulkar,
Jacques Kallis and Mahela Jayawardene share the record for most hundreds
on home soil. All the four batsmen have scored 22 hundreds. One more
hundred for Tendulkar would give him his 23rd hundred and with it the
record for most hundreds on home soil.
# On the flip side,
Tendulkar has been dismissed bowled on 27 occasions on home soil. One
more bowled dismissal would be his 28th bowled dismissal which would
make him to share the record with Rahul Dravid, who has been dismissed
bowled on 28 occasions. Allan Border holds the record with 31 bowled
dismissals at home.
# Interestingly, Tendulkar has been dismissed
bowled on 54 occasions in his Test career. One more bowled dismissal
would make him to share the record with Dravid who has been dismissed
bowled in 55 occasions.
