Facebook invites media to "come and see what we're building"

Facebook has circulated a rather mysterious invite amongst the media fraternity asking all to join the social network at its headquarters in Menlo Park, CA on Tuesday January 15 at 10 a.m. PT.

The invite that comes amidst the on-going CES event, has suddenly attracted attention due to the curiosity element leaving little to guess. It just reads, "Come and see what we're building."

Considering that the social networking giant doesn't host many events at its headquarters, this ought to be something big.

Could it be the new Facebook phone, rumours of which surfaced recently? In a set of HTC device codename leaks, the list mentioned the Opera_UL more commonly recognised as the Facebook Phone. Talks of this phone have been around since November 2011, though HTC and Facebook have collaborated earlier and launched the ChaCha and Salsa phones with a dedicated Facebook button and deep integration of the social network.

Further reports from The New York Times in May last year mentioned that the social networking giant has hired more than half a dozen Apple engineers who worked on the iPhone and iPad to build a Facebook smartphone. Then Bloomberg reported that the phone will debut in mid-2013. In that case, an announcement now would make sense.

So, if it is the Facebook phone, then we'd say it was already playing on our mind. Last time Facebook hosted such an event at its Palo Alto headquarters in California about a year and a half ago, where Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg had announced the company's partnership with Skype. 

Updating Facebook status may make you feel less lonely: Report

Frequently updating your Facebook status can help you feel less lonely, according to a new study.
College students who posted more status updates on the social networking site than they normally did felt less lonely over the course of a week, even if no one "Liked" or commented on their posts, researchers found.
"We got the idea to conduct this study during a coffee-break sharing random stories about what friends had posted on Facebook," psychology researcher Fenne Deters, of the Universitat Berlin, told LiveScience.
"Wondering why posting status updates is so popular, we thought that it would be thrilling to study this new form of communication empirically," Deters said.
Deters and her colleague recruited about 100 undergraduates (all Facebook users) at the University of Arizona.
All participants filled out initial surveys to measure their levels of loneliness, happiness and depression, and they gave the researchers access to their Facebook profiles by friending a dummy user created for the experiment.
The students were sent an analysis of their average weekly status updates (online wall-memos) and some of the participants were then told to post more statuses than usual over the next seven days.
During that week, all completed a short online questionnaire at the end of each day about their mood and level of social connection.
Compared with the group of students who didn't adjust their social media habits, those who went on a status-writing blitz felt less lonely over the week, the team found.
"Their happiness and depression levels went unchanged, suggesting that the effect is specific to experienced loneliness," the researchers wrote.
A drop in loneliness was linked to an increase in feeling more socially connected, which the researchers believe is the cause behind the positive effects of status updating.
Interestingly, the team found that loneliness levels did not depend on whether the students' status updates garnered any comments or "Likes" from Facebook friends.
One might assume that a lack of response could be considered a form of rejection, but the act of writing a status update itself might help people feel more connected, the researchers said.
When crafting a clever status, Facebook users have a target audience in mind. Simply thinking about their friends (or at least their Facebook friends) can have a "social snacking" effect.
The study was published in the journal Social Psychological and Personality Science.

Nokia to build Android-powered phones? Blame the translator!

The Internet was buzzing Monday after Nokia CEO's alleged remarks about being open to the possibility of building Android-powered phones.
Nokia CEO Stephen Elop gave an interview to a French website and not long after the following translation started doing the rounds:

In the current ecosystem wars we are using Windows Phone as our weapon. But we are always thinking about what's coming next, what will be the role of HTML 5, Android... HTML5 could make the platform itself-being Android, Windows Phone or any other-irrelevant in the future, but it's still too soon to tell. Today we are committed and satisfied with Microsoft, but anything is possible.

Needless to say, the Interwebs were on fire, excited that Android-powered phones from Nokia, once everybody's darling, were even a possibility. The craziness went on for quite a while, until Nokia clarified that the translation floating around wasn't an accurate one and issued the 'correct' translation.

So, the way I think about it is, in the current war on ecosystems, we are fighting with Windows Phone. That's what we're doing. Now, what we're always doing is asking, how does that evolve? What's next? What role does HTML5 play? What role does Android or other things play in the future? We're looking further into the future, but it terms of what we're bringing to market, and what we're immediately focused on, we're focused on Windows Phone.

Needless to say, Nokia is committed to the Windows Phone platform. File this one as another non-news that caught on like wildfire.

Nokia to launch Lumia 920 and Lumia 820 in India on January 10

After much delay, Nokia is finally set to launch its Windows 8 flagship devices, Nokia Lumia 920 and Lumia 820 in India. The company has already sent out invites for a January 10 event. Additionally the Finnish handset maker is also running small teaser television ads featuring a yellow Nokia Lumia 920 with a yellow wireless charger to help create buzz around the smartphones.

Nokia introduced Lumia 920 and Lumia 820 at a gala event in September 2012. Nokia Lumia 920 is a Windows 8 smartphone, which features a 4.5-inch PureMotion HD display. It is powered by dual-core 1.5GHz Snapdragon S4 CPU with 1GB of RAM. It has 32 GB of internal storage, 8.7-megapixel rear camera and a 1.2-megapixel front shooter. Nokia Lumia 920 has a 2000mAh battery and supports wireless charging.

Nokia Lumia 820 on the other hand is a mid-range smartphone. It features a 4.3-inch Clearblack display and is powered by 1.5GHz Qualcomm S4 dual-core processor. It comes with a 8-megapixel rear shooter and a VGA front camera. Nokia Lumia comes with 8GB of internal storage and runs on Windows 8. The India price for both these smartphones is not known so far.

Nokia Lumia 920 first started shipping to markets like France and UK markets in October, and it was earlier speculated that Nokia Lumia 920 will be launched in India by November. However, that did not happen, perhaps because the device was in short supply in some markets.

The smartphone has received a warm response in United States mostly due to the aggressive pricing strategy adopted by Nokia in this market. Even in a price sensitive market like India, Nokia will have to price the smartphone attractively to make sure that it generates keen interest amongst Indian consumers.

Sony stops making PlayStation 2 in Japan

Japanese electronics giant Sony said it has stopped producing its PlayStation 2 consoles in Japan, fuelling online rumours a PlayStation 4 is in the pipeline.
Since launching in 2000 the PlayStation 2 (PS2) has sold more than 150 million units worldwide, making it the best selling console of all time and was so popular it outsold the its replacement for the first three years.
Shipments have been "completed" for the hardware of PS2, the Japanese website of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. said with no further comment. The firm did not say what its plans were for production in other parts of the world.
Software for the console is expected to continue being produced.
The announcement sent gamers posting messages online, with some surprised the PS2 was still being made.
The news has sparked rumours that embattled Sony, which has been hit by falling sales owing to the popularity of games on smartphones, is planning a PlayStation 4, more than six years since launching the PS3.

Government banks on auction, customer-centric moves for telecom sector

The government is banking on the second round of spectrum auction and customer-centric moves such as free national roaming to rebuild the telecom sector, impacted by controversies and court judgements that have shaken investor confidence.
The tremors of official auditor CAG's last year estimation of Rs. 1.76 lakh crore presumptive revenue loss to the government in the allocation of 2G spectrum continued to be felt in 2012 with Supreme Court cancelling as many as 122 telecom licences in February.
What followed was foreign investors either shutting shop or threatening to seek damages for the investments they lost.
Caught in the melee were lakhs of their subscribers who had benefited from telecom user charges coming down with increased competition.
To compound the woes, the auction for 2G spectrum freed from licence cancellations flopped as bidders shunned high reserve price the government had set based on the methodology used by CAG in determining the humongous loss.
The radiowaves not picked up at the auction are now being planned for sale in the second round this fiscal after the lowering of the base price with the hope of attracting bidders.
Minister of State for Communications and IT Milind Deora told PTI that government has tried to give a message of resetting and reviewing economic agenda for the country.
"At telecom sector level, I believe that people will have certain concern, there may some tinkering here and there but broadly there is consistency, continuity, clarity in what the policy framework going forward for the licensee (telecom operators) which is largest investor in the sector," he said.
The Minister said the new amendments to the policy may hit some and suit some, but decisions that government is now taking are long-term oriented and have clarity.
"Outlook for the sector, not just 2013 but next foreseeable future may be difficult, challenging. I am not denying it but (now has) clarity. I think this much clarity has not existed for long time in the sector," Deora said.
The year 2012 began in the lap of 2G scam with Supreme Court cancelling 122 2G licences and continues to reverberate and has taken away focus of foreign investors from it.
Post this judgement, UAE based Etisalat, Bahrain telecom firm Batelco and domestic company Loop Telecom announced to shut down their business in India. Russia's Sistema has warned to seek "billions of dollars" in damages from India if licence cancellation issue of its Indian telecom venture Sistema Shyam is not resolved in time.
Sistema and Russian Ambassador to India, Alexander Kadakin, have said that failure to resolve the SSTL case could threaten India's broader diplomatic interests with Russia.

SBI launches mobile wallet 'Mobicash Easy'

State Bank of India (SBI) Monday launched 'Mobicash Easy', a mobile wallet in Mumbai and Delhi with service offerings like funds transfer and bill payment among others.
"We have launched mobile wallet service in Mumbai and Delhi which will offer services like balance enquiry, mini statement, funds transfer, mobile top-ups, DTH recharge, bill payment among others. We will roll out this service in other centres in near future," Deputy Managing Director (Corporate Strategy and New Business), R K Saraf told reporters Mumbai.
SBI launched mobile banking service 'State Bank Freedom' in 2009 and has around 54 lakh users as of now with about 10,000 users adding per day.
Following the success of its first product in this space, the bank has now launched 'Mobicash Easy'.
"We see significant opportunities in the mobile banking space, which will emerge as a major business line going ahead," Saraf said, adding that transactions through this route stood at around Rs. 1,000 crore from April 2012 till date.
He also said the bank would soon launch a KYC (know your customer) enabled mobile wallet service with higher transaction limits.
Referring to growth in mobile banking customers, Saraf said the number of customers using mobile banking could go up from 54 lakh now to around one crore in the next one year.
The bank said it would target migrant labourers and youth to use the wallet service.

Samsung Galaxy S III, Galaxy Note, Galaxy S Duos, Galaxy Ace Duos India prices slashed

Samsung seems to be looking at spreading some New Year cheer for its patrons in India. According tofonearena.com, the Korean smartphone maker has dropped the prices of Samsung Galaxy S III, Samsung Galaxy Note, Samsung Galaxy S Duos and the Galaxy Ace Duos.
Samsung had launched its flagship smartphone Samsung Galaxy S III in May 2012 for Rs. 43,180. This smartphone had got a sharp price cut in September 2012 and was retailing for Rs. 34,900 and is currently available for Rs. 31,990.
Similarly, Samsung Galaxy Note, which was retailing for Rs. 29,990 from September onwards, is now available for Rs. 27,500.
The 4-inch Samsung Galaxy S Duos which was launched in September for Rs. 17,900 is available for Rs. 14,900 after the price revision. The other features of this smartphone include 1GHz processor, 5-megapixel rear camera and VGA front camera. It runs on Android 4.0.
Lastly, Samsung Galaxy Ace Duos is now retailing for Rs. 10,900. This smartphone was launched in India in the month of June for Rs. 15,090. It is a dual-SIM smartphone, which has a 3.5-inch TFT touch screen display with a 320x480 pixel resolution. Samsung Galaxy Ace Duos is powered by 832 MHz processor, has 512MB RAM and 3GB internal memory, which is expandable up to 32GB via microSD card.

Samsung reportedly ready to launch two Galaxy S II Plus variants in Jan 2013

2012 witnessed the launch of plenty of interesting Near Field Communication (NFC) smartphones and looks like 2013 is going to be no different in this regards. About fortnight ago we had reported that Samsung is working on Samsung Galaxy Grand Duos and Galaxy S II Plus.
According to Unwired, Samsung is expected to launch two variants of Samsung Galaxy S II Plus - GT-i9105, and GT-i9105P. The only difference between these two Samsung devices will be that GT-i9105P will support NFC while GT-i9105 will not.
Samsung has launched Samsung Galaxy S Plus in August 2011 as an upgrade to Samsung Galaxy S. However, this time around Samsung Galaxy S Plus II does not seem to be much of an upgrade. Reason being Samsung Galaxy S Plus II is speculated to have the same 4.3-inch screen with 480X800 pixel resolution like Samsung Galaxy S. Moreover, instead of 1.2GHz processor, Samsung Galaxy S Plus II is expected to have just a 1GHz processor.
On the positive side, Samsung Galaxy S Plus II will most likely be running on Android 4.1.2 (Jelly Bean)
It is being speculated that Samsung Galaxy S II Plus will be launched in January 2013 and Sam Mobileclaims that it will be available in two colour options - Chic White and Dark Blue. However, there is no information available in regards to what could be the price of this smartphone
There are also speculations that Samsung will be launching an upgraded version of Samsung Galaxy Pocket, which will be dubbed Samsung Galaxy Pocket Plus S5301.

Samsung Galaxy S III mini shipping with Android 4.1.2 for Asia users

Apart from getting three new colours, Samsung Galaxy S III mini users in Asia can rejoice the new year with some more good news.

Prominent Samsung blog SamMobile is reporting that the Korean giant is now shipping the Galaxy S III mini with the latest version of Android Jelly Bean, v4.1.2 in Vietnam and Indonesia. Other Asian regions should soon be getting the good news as well. Initially when launched, the Galaxy S III mini devices came out with Android 4.1.1.

Whether or not the latest Jelly Bean version on the Galaxy S III mini includes all features from the company's Premium Suite, is something users will have to find out on their own.

For those unaware, the Galaxy S III mini was launched in October this year and is a miniature version of the company's current flagship smartphone the Samsung Galaxy S III. It features a 4-inch screen and runs Android 4.1 Jelly Bean. The smartphone inherits Galaxy S III's features like S Voice, Smart Stay, Direct Call and S Beam.

The compact S III version is powered by a dual-core 1GHz processor and features a 5-megapixel camera. It has a 1500 mAh battery and 8/16GB internal storage options.

Just recently, the Galaxy Note web page hinted Premium Suite features for original Note users as part of the Android Jelly Bean 4.1 update. But it did not provide a timeline for the said update.

Premium Suite features include:

• Multi Window that lets you view and perform multiple tasks on the same screen
• Popup Note that helps you jot down information while on a call
• Popup Video and Popup Browser that allow you to catch a video or surf the Web while performing other tasks on the device
• Photo Note and Photo Frame features that enable users to write notes on the front or back of their photos
• Easy Clip that lets you crop text or images from any screen to save it or share it
• S Planner, which allows you to send handwritten notes to yourself
• Paper Artist that lets you add various picture editing effects
• Enhanced S Note feature, which lets you create notebooks with images, videos, templates and other effects