Iphone India

Google has launched a new Android comparison Web page this week, giving would-be consumers a place to compare all the current Android smartphones against each other before making a purchase.

You can check the site at google.com/phone and search through a “showcase of Android-powered devices.”

Adds Ben Serridge, product manager for Android: “There are tools that make it easy to compare phones side by side: you can filter phones by country, manufacturer, and carrier; view and compare technical specifications and features; and find where each phone is available for sale.”

You can sort the devices alphabetically or by “newest devices” first. The last listed phones are the Motorola Charm, Samsung Epic 4G, and the Droid 2.

Each phone has an “add to compare” button and a “buy from” link. You can compare up to three devices side-by-side at one time.

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Source: Pradeep Rao

An RIM executive has apparently confirmed today that upcoming BlackBerry smartphones will no longer run the BB operating system but will instead move to the open-source QNX OS that was revealed with the PlayBook tablet.

Speaking at the BlackBerry Developer Conference, an unnamed RIM VP confirmed the move towards QNX.

The move will take time however, and BlackBerry OS 7 will likely be a “transitional” operating system.

RIM remains the top smartphone maker in the United States at around 40 percent, followed by Apple and Android which account for another 40 percent combined.

Although they have the most share, growth has slowed and even gone negative over the past few quarters while Android’s has exploded and Apple’s has grown steadily.

RIM launched the BlackBerry 6 OS last month with the release of the Torch slider.

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Source: Pradeep Rao

20th Century Fox and Lucasfilms are set to re-release Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace in February, 2012, this time in converted 3D.

George Lucas, the man behind Star Wars, says releasing the film early in the year and not during the summer blockbuster season will give the movie a chance to run at the box office.

Furthermore, subsequent Star Wars films will be released annually during the same month.

Although unconfirmed, Hollywood Reporter expects the release date to be February 15th.

The Star Wars films are expected to hit Blu-ray next year and most likely in 3D Blu-ray the year after.

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Source: Pradeep Rao

Google has finally added Arabic to its YouTube language list, giving hundreds of millions of native Arabic speakers a chance to change their YouTube interface to their native language.

Arabic is now the 36th language available to YouTube fans.

Reports have claimed the new interface is still buggy, however, and lacking compared to the English version.

Last year, telecom executives in Jordan said a full 40 percent of all Internet traffic in Arab nations goes to YouTube.

Google is releasing six new languages this month, including Lithuanian, Slovenian and Vietnamese.

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Source: Pradeep Rao

The United States Senate has passed a bill this week that will limit the volume of TV commercials, effectively putting the FCC in charge of regulating the new limits.

Dubbed the Commercial Advertisement Loudness Mitigation Act (CALM), the bill passed the House last year and will return there for a final vote before President Obama signs it into law.

For decades, avid TV viewers have complained about the lack of volume control on commercials which can sometimes be much louder than the program you were watching.

“Every American has likely experienced the frustration of abrasively loud television commercials,” adds Senator Sheldon Whitehouse. “While this may be an effective way for ads to grab attention, it also adds unnecessary stress to the daily lives of many Americans. Last night’s action in the Senate will help end this annoying practice.”

Whitehouse introduced the bill in the Senate.

“It’s about time we turned down the volume on loud commercials that try to startle TV watchers into paying attention. This is a simple step that will keep ads at the same decibel level as the programs they are interrupting,” notes Senator Charles Schumer, a co-sponsors. “TV viewers should be able to watch their favorite programs without fear of losing their hearing when the show goes to a commercial.”

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Source: Pradeep Rao