arr.fans Android App

  I have always been amazed by touch based UI and devices. So when I got myself an android phone, I thought of making an app. Here it is. A simple android app for A.R.Rahman fans who would like to keep up with the latest happenings associated with ARR.

Features

•  Links to Official sites of A.R.Rahman
•  Recent posts in arrahmanfans Yahoo group
•  Recent news about ARR from Google News
•  Recent tweets mentioning ARR from twitter
•  Recent videos mentioning ARR from YouTube

Select one option from the home page and you get a list of links. Pick one and you get the original page in your browser.

Download the app from here.

Please be kind enough to let me know your opinion, suggestions and bugs in the app by posting in the official Facebook Page: arr.fans

Disclaimer  :)

        I have no responsibility for the links displayed in the app. I am just listing the contents provided by the websites. All trademarks and logos used in the app are the property of their respective owners.

Kinect-based Object Digitization

Kinect has been a ground breaking product in the technology arena. It is the fastest selling gadget ever as per Guinness World Records. Since the launch, Kinect hacking community has come up with interesting implementations of depth scanning. Meanwhile, Microsoft tapped MS Research to bring more Kinect based features to XBOX and introduced Kinect Fun Labs at E3 2011. It has a set of fun games utilizing the 3D models of real world objects.

The technology powering Kinect Fun Labs is named 'Kinect-Based Object Digitization' which has been developed by Microsoft Research Asia.

"The Kinect-based Object Digitization project enables the creation of 3-D objects based on just a couple of snapshots. Color/depth images of the front and the back of an object are registered quickly in two dimensions, and a GPU-based surface reconstruction results in a smooth 3-D model."

In the video below, the researchers reveal more details about this technology.

There is also another similar project called 'KinectFusion'. It is from the MSR lab in Cambridge, England. Check out the video below.

More Bling to Microsoft Bing with Video Homepage

Bing has enabled HTML5 video in their homepage today. Previewed long ago in the IE9 launch event, this feature had got so many eyeballs and users had been demanding the launch of HTML5 Bing since then. Eventhough all the HTML5 features previewed then have not been completely enabled, this is a welcome move. The HTML5 video in the homepage is a beautiful time lapse video from Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming. Bing has said in a blog post that it will be programming new videos only on special occasions. Today's video marks the occasion of the start of Autumn season in US.

This feature is currently available in the Bing US page only. You can access it here.

(HTML5 enabled browser required)

Check out the video below to see the evolution of Bing homepage and how the team chooses content.

To see what's in store for the Bing users in the coming months, make sure that you watch the video below.

Facebook Launches Timeline : Makes Changes To Profile

• Timeline is your collection of all the top photos, posts and apps that help tell your story- Facebook.

Facebook yesterday announced their new feature called 'Timeline' in their annual developer conference, f8. It sort of breaks down events, status updates, photos and everything else that you have on Facebook based on time and date, making it easier for people to find things in your profile in a bit more organized way like a blog archive. Also added is an ability to go back in time (no, don't too get excited about this) and add things you wanted to be there, like if you wish if you had posted something in your 1st birthday, you can just do it and it'll show up in your timeline. It kind of gets everything you have ever been doing with just a few clicks (stalking just got easier..way lot easier). Signup for the new feature here.

Check out the timeline promotional video:

Also take a look at the official keynote video:

Deals on Android Phones

Buying an Android powered mobile phone ? Don't...!!! until you read this. Dell has slashed the price of its android smartphone, XCD 35. It is now available for Rs.8499 in various websites (as well as in the shop near you). XCD 35 is a re-branded ZTE Blade marketed by Dell, India. The handset running on Android v2.2 (Froyo) offers one of the best in class resolution of 800 x 480 Pixels.

Specifications of Dell XCD35:

• Display : 3.5 Inches, WVGA, 800 x 480 Pixels, Capacitive Touch.
• OS : Android v2.2 (Froyo)
• Memory: 200 MB Internal, Expandable: upto 16 GB, 256 MB RAM, 512 MB ROM
• Camera: 3.2 Megapixel, AF
• Processor: 600 MHZ ARM11
• Battery:  Li-Ion, 1250 mAh
• Others: GPS,WiFi, 3G

If you like to get one, head over to flipkart (Price: Rs. 8499 ; Offer: Free Hipstreet Blue Tooth worth Rs.999 ) or letsbuy ( Price: Rs. 8499 ; Offer: Rs.7,649; after applying coupon code: icicilb ; Discount under the will be available to the customer making payment through ICICI Bank Card or Internet Banking during the promotion Period, May 1, 2011 to September 30, 2011).

If you are looking for something in the sub 15k bracket, then take a look at Motorola Defy. The water and dust resistant phone has scratch resistant gorilla glass too, making it a rugged android phone which can survive a bit of rough use.

Specifications of Motorola Defy:

• Display : 3.7 Inches, WVGA, 854 x 480 Pixels, Capacitive Touch.
• OS : Android v2.1 (Ecliar), upgradable to 2.2.
• Memory: 2  GB Internal, Expandable: upto 32 GB,512 MB RAM.
• Camera: 5 Megapixel, AF
• Processor: 800MHz Cortex-A8 processor, TI OMAP3610 chipset
• Battery:  Li-Ion, 1540 mAh
• Others: GPS,WiFi, Motoblur UI.

If you like the spec, Defy is available for Rs. 13,990 in ebay.

Mouse Without Borders

Having more than one PC or laptop? Ever felt the urge to easily transfer files between them or rather had a wish to control all of them using a single mouse and keyboard? Look no further, 'Mouse without Borders' has arrived. Developed by Truong Do, 'Mouse without Borders' is a software tool released by Microsoft Garage which enables you to use multiple computer screens as if it were part of a single desktop. It also helps you transfer files between computers by simple drag-and-drop. It also has some other features baked into it like customization of login screen and screen capturing tools.

Download it from here.

Update : Another software with similar functionalities: Synergy.

Windows Phone 7, Anyone?

Although not officially launched in India, several WP7 models have been making rounds in the Indian market like the HTC Mozart, HD7 and the latest Dell Venue Pro. Since Microsoft has confirmed that all the first generation WP7 devices will be getting the new ‘mango’ update and is all set to launch the WP7 market place officially in India, looking at a WP7 device isn’t particularly a wrong idea considering the dirt cheap price tags of the first generation devices (The RTM version of mango has been leaked and if you already own a WP7 device and can’t wait, look here).

So what makes WP7 a serious contender to android powered devices which have been raining in all sizes and prices since its launch in India? To start off  all WP7 devices needs to have a minimum spec as per Microsoft’s guidelines (not just that, even positioning and number of buttons have been set by Microsoft) so all devices should perform equally well. The Mango update brings the ability to multitask to the WP7 platform together with 500+ other features; so in the OS front it is pretty well set. Having said that, WP7 still can not support flash playback and you are still going to need Zune for everything, from backing up to transferring media to the phone (no copy paste here). But so does Apple, so we can keep those things aside.

Now what I really want to share is not how good WP7 really is. If you like WP7 or is not particular about the phone OS, then you are in for a treat. Samsung Focus is one of the first WP7 powered devices (but Samsung decided not to bring it to India L ) and is available for less than Rs. 13,000 on ebay (after using discount coupons, actual price:Rs.13,290/-). So if you are thinking about getting a new phone at sub 15k range, then seriously consider getting a Focus.

Here are the specs:

• 4" Super AMOLED, capacitive, multi-touch device, WVGA resolution (480x800)
• 5 MP Camera (720p video), 0.3 MP front camera
• 8 GB storage 
• microSD/SDHC memory expansion (upto 32 GB)
• Wi-Fi, microUSB
• 1 GHz CPU, Adreno 200 GPU
• 1500 mAh Li-Ion (6.5 h talk time, 300 h stand-by).

Honey, I Shrunk the PC

Gone are the days of your computer taking half the space in your room; Welcome the ‘all in one PC’. Although nothing new for anyone who has ever used a Mac, these computers are something to be happy for people who are tired of cleaning up the cluttered ‘desktop’ in their home and office. Almost all PC manufacturers have come up with their range of all in one PC’s and there is one for everyone. The budget models are powered with Intel Atom Dual core processors or AMD Athlon II X2 and runs on either Windows 7 Basic or Linux distros while the top of the line models are powered by Intel Core i5/i7 processors and runs on Window 7.

 

Besides the wired keyboard and mice on budget models, everything seems to be pretty ‘wireless’. Some top end models features touch enabled screens, inbuilt TV tuners and some even have 3D enabled displays but no such frills for the low end models. The downside of the ‘all in ones’ seems to be the lack of upgrade options like laptops since everything is built into one single frame. These are a perfect choice movie junkies and designers thanks to the large screen size offered by all of them, from the low to high end models. But if you have serious moolah and is open to Mac OSX, then consider buying an iMac instead.

If you are in for an upgrade soon and is short on ‘desk’ space consider buying an 'all in one PC. You can check out some of the models here. If you don't have the money to get one, but love the 'all in one',  you can build yourself one from an old laptop. Here is how: