Android

I N T E L L I G E N T
| C O M P U T I N G
YOUR GUIDE TO TECHNOLOGY TRENDS C
Supplement to CHIP March 2011
TRACING THE SUCCESS OF ANDROID

We take a look at what the platform offers and the way ahead
Android
_ The m
ANDRDip APP-INESS
Discover free and paid apps to suit your every need
Invasion
HOW GOOGLE CHRNGED THE SfYlRRTPHONE RMD TRBLET PC LRMDSCRPE
DEUICES ON THE HORIZON

A sneak peek at the devices that are expected to be out soon
GEARING UP FOR THE REUOLUTION

Explore your Android device to understand the full potential of the platform
PLUS: BUILD R PROmiSING CAREER IN IT, RFFORDABLE BIONIC ARfYl FOR THE DISABLED
Network 1 8
FOREWORD O
long ago, Symbian was the dominant platform, and while RIM and Apple both have great operating systems, they're restricted to the BlackBerry range and iPhone respectively. That's where Android came in and offered me something more in tune with my individual requirements. I wanted a robust device that would help me manage personal and professional matters when I was on the move. That was what prompted me to consider the Android platform, and I eventually went with the Sony Ericsson Xperia xlO Mini Pro. There are many new technologies that Android brings, but most importantly for us users, it gives us choice. Android has been readily adopted by the world's leading phone manufacturers. What's more, there are Android phones for every budget. Even tablet PCs are now running on Android. Such is the power of Google's open-source mobile platform. My new phone has become my lifeline. I blog, read e-books, connect and network, watch movies, work, write my diary, maintain schedules, and even play games, all on one device. I've always been one to stick to the PC for work, and I've never been too comfortable with the idea of working on a phone, but Android changed that. With back-up solutions, easy syncing, and effortless Internet connectivity, working on-the-go is a breeze. Thanks to the thriving online community, even rooting my phone and tethering was fun to try out. And with strong developer support, you will always have great apps available to add more value to your Android device. Mine, being a mid-range device, does miss out on some features, like multi-touch and pinch-tozoom, but there's still so much on offer that nonAndroid phones at this price range simply cannot match. Then again, who knows what would be in store for me when I am ready for my next change!
recently upgraded to a smartphone, and for anyone looking to do the same, there has never been a better time to make the switch. Not too
I've always been one to stick to the PC for work, and I've never been too comfortable w i t h the idea of working on a one, but Android changed that.
KAMAKSHI S
plus@chip.in
CONTENTS
GOING ANDROID
6 TRACING THE SUCCESS OF ANDROID
A look at h o w t h e Android platform h a s g r o w n a n d w h a t it h a s to offer.
E E LEARNING FROM YOUR ANDROID

Make your Android device your s t u d y a n d revision partner.
45 INDIA'S FIRST UBUNTU DEVELOPER DAY

A look at t h e Inagural U b u n t u Developer Day in B a n g a l o r e ,
E3 ANDROID APP-INESS
T h e Android Market is b r i m m i n g w i t h apps. Here are s o m e of t h e best.
THE LONG ARM OF ANDROID

T h e portability and flexibility of Android gives end u s e r s more choice
46 MCA: BUILD A CAREER IN L-T

E n g i n e e r i n g is no longer a m u s t for a p r o m i s i n g career in IT.
M GET GAMING WITH ANDROID

Keep t h e g a m e r in you a w a k e w i t h these gaming apps.
10 SAFE BROWSING ON YOUR ANDROID DEVICE

Android offers m a n y online f e a t u r e s Here's how you can use t h e m securely.
48 A BIONIC ARM FOR THE DISABLED

A n innovative bionic a r m t h a t is surprisingly affordable.
E2 ANDROID DEVICES ON THE HORIZON

Devices t h a t will hit t h e m a r k e t soon.
13 GET THE COMPLETE ANDROID EXPERIENCE

Service providers are introducing p l a n s to help f l e s h out t h e Android experience.
Hatim Kantawalla Jamshed Avari Kamakshi S, Priyanka Tilve Kushal Mamoowala Sameer Desai Rajesh D'Souza, Gautami Chalke
SENIOR ART DIRECTOR PROJECT COORDINATORS COPY EDITOR FEATURE WRITER SENIOR FEATURE WRITER DEPUTY EDITOR
MANAGING EDITOR
DO IT Y O U R S E L F
E3 LET ANDROID POWER YOUR NETBOOK
Before you buy an Android device, get t h e feel of it on your netbook or laptop.
SHOPPERS' STOP
EQ 10 THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT ANDROID
Here's w h a t s e t s Android a p a r t f r o m other mobile p l a t f o r m s .
E3 GETTING TO THE ROOT OF YOUR ANDROID

R o o t i n g your Android is really e a s y if you k n o w your w a y a r o u n d it.
Nirmal Biswas
ES IN FOCUS: SAMSUNG GALAXY TAB P1000

A n indepth a n a l y s i s of t h e m o s t popular Android tablet in t h e country.
E3 EXPAND YOUR NET BY TETHERING

Use your phone a s a W i - F i h o t s p o t for Web a c c e s s on your computer.
Hemali Limbachiya Sachin Pandit, Chaitanya Surpur

COLOR CORRECTION ILLUSTRATORS
SENIOR DESIGNER
Sanjay Shelar
HEAD OFFICE
EH AN ANDROID FOR EVERY POCKET

There's a n Android device for every budget a c r o s s all popular brands.
intelligent Computing CHIP, Infomedia 18 Limited,
T E C H TALK
40 GIVE YOUR CAREER AN ANDROID JOLT
Android app d e v e l o p m e n t is a s e r i o u s a n d lucrative career option.
'A' Wing, Ruby House, 2nd Floor, J.K. Sawant Marg, Dadar (W), Mumbai - 400 028. INDIA Phone: (91 22) 3024 5000; Fax:(91 22) 3003 4499
ED BUSINESS AS USUAL
A p p s to help you get t h e job done on t h e move.
A SMS
us
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E3 MAKE YOUR PHONE YOUR BEST TRAVEL BUDDY

From navigation to v a c a t i o n planning, there's an app for e v e r y travel need.
42 ANDROID APP DEVELOPMENT 101

With t h e right tools a n d k n o w l e d g e app d e v e l o p m e n t can be quite easy.
61 GOING ANDROID
TRRCING THE SUCCESS

Starting from a vague mobile application development firm to Google's next big thing, Android has subtly changed the face of computing on the go. We take a look at what made the tide turn in its favor in a strong and competitive market. BY KAMAK5HI 5
FROM PROTOTYPE TO PHENOMENON
ith smartphones becoming the fastest tablet PC market touted to see massive
growing mobile phone segment and
growth this year, the Android platform stands firmly in the center of the revolution. Just as the mobile platform space was settling into clear segmentations, Android has made the industry sit up and take note. What is it that makes Android a stronger contender in a space which boasts of big players like Microsoft's Windows Phone 7, Apple's iOS, Symbian and Linux? We look back and trace the route Google took to revolutionize the face of mobile computing.
> HUMBLE BEGINNINGS

Way back in 2005, a start-up company named Android, which was developing mobile applications, was acquired by Google. A Linux-based mobile device OS was developed as a flexible, upgradeable system, and released as the Android platform in 2007. The project has been backed by the Open Handset Alliance, which features over 80 hardware, software, and telecommunications companies to help make the movement interoperable and platform-friendly.
N THE CURRENT SCENARIO

Three years later, the technology is all set to give the industry leaders a run for their money. A com-
GOING ANDROID 17
OF RNDROID
According to Roberta Cozza, Principal Research Analyst at Gartner shares, "Android sales in the fourth quarter of 2010 continued to be driven by broad availability of many high-end products from HTC (Desire range, Incredible and EVO), Samsung (Galaxy S) and Motorola (Droid X, Droid 2). Symbian's market share dropped further in the fourth quarter Roberta Cozza, Principal of 2010 to 32,6 percent or 32.6 million units. Research Analyst, Gartner This allowed Android to overtake Nokia's Symbian unit sales during the fourth quarter of 2010. However, the Symbian 0 5 is also used by Fujitsu and Sharp as well as in legacy products from Sony Ericsson and Samsung, This aggregated volume kept Symbian slightly ahead of Android."
parative analysis from Gartner reveals that in the smartphone segment, Android has seen a sales growth of 888.8 percent from 2009 to 2010. However, the report states that the OS will have to wait until 2014 to take over the current market leader, Symbian, which is down, but not completely out of the scene.
Rajarshi Sengupta, Executive Director from
#> APP'S THE WORD

The greatest advantage of using an Android-powered smartphone is that it isn't "locked" by some service provider or telecomm network. This means that you can download what ever you want, pick a service provider of your choice and opt for an Internet surfing data plan that suits your pocket. Moreover, accessing its kernel root (as a superuser, through a process called rooting) and playing around with the firmware is completely legitimate (not recommended, unless you know what you are doing). The platform also allows you to legally tether your phone, making it a Wi-Fi hot spot for your laptop or PC to access Internet with ease. if you don't have the desire to do a firmware based upgrade, but want to use the features that are available, you can turn to the Android Market. The Market has an app for everything that you can do with your Android device and the availability of apps is not really limited to the Market. There are several resources you can turn to but be sure to
says, "Android is considered to be one of the key products in the smartphone market, competing with iPhone and expected to compete with the product that comes from the Nokia-Microsoft agreement. It has fared well in the market." However, while she does Rajarshi Sengupta, Executive agree that the style adapted by the Android Director, Deloitte India Market offers a good selling prospect for apps, the control that Google exercises over it cannot be overlooked. "Yes, the open nature of the Android Market has helped boost sales, but recognize that an Android phone also comes with the governance rules that Google dictates. So while the open platform in contrast to the more proprietary iPhone from Apple has helped, the overall application governance needs to be understood better." When asked about the effects of piracy that governs the Android Market today, she quips, "It's not more or less than any other form of piracy."
Deloitte & louche Consulting India Pvt. Ltd.
INTELLIGENT COMPUTING CHIP INSIDER SUPPLEMENT < MARCH 2011
| 8 GOING RNDROID
THE LONG RRfYl F RNDROID

Android has made a huge impact on the smartphones space in the global market and is currently the operating system of choice for tablets competing with the iPad. The popularity of the Android platform arises from its flexibility, something no other OS has managed to achieve. BY KUSHAL MAMOOWALA
FLEXIBILITY WITH ANDROID
with Apple's iPhone and Nokia's new smartphone series. What we got instead was the revelation of the Google Android operating system as an open source platform for developers and the Open Handset Alliance, which then consisted of 34 members, including mobile handset makers, application developers, mobile carriers, and chip makers.
n late 2007, there were rumors of Google working on the GPhone, a smartphone design with
Android platform, with the four latest versions being released within the span of just over a year. Each update differed slightly from its predecessor, but the hardware requirements remained almost the same, giving manufacturers the ability to provide OS upgrades to handsets with older versions. Initially created for touchscreen smartphones, Google has now moved on to tablets with Android 3.0 Honeycomb being their first tablet-specific operating system with support for high performance hardware.
their own OS, which was supposed to compete
# THE OPEN HANDSET ALLIANCE

The Open Handset Alliance, with Android as its flagship software, is a business alliance that now consists of 80 firms that aim to pioneer Android and open standards for mobile devices. What this means is that Android as an open source platform could be modified and tweaked to suit hardware and handsets manufactured by multiple mobile phone manufacturers, thereby exponentially increasing the presence of Android as an operating system in the mobile phone market. The compatibility of the Android platform to run on different chipsets with different hardware is the prime attributor to its flexibility.
OPEN SOURCE
By providing the source code of the operating system to manufacturers and also designing a software development kit (SDK) for application developers, Google has sort of outsourced its tasks and still pleased developers by giving them the freedom of personalizing and customizing Android. They have gone a step further by letting users " r o o t " their Android device, which gives them superuser privileges like access to administrative rights, system changes and running scripts that would generally be blocked for the standard user. This allows developers and coders to run their apps even if they require elevated privileges.
H I THE GOOGLE CLOUD

Along with the ability to customize almost everything, Google has integrated its operating system into the Google cloud. With default apps for Gmail, trend its Google Maps, Google Docs and other Google features, users are able to view and edit their tasks
# FREQUENT UPDATES
Google of has set a frequently updating
MARCH 2011 > INTELLIGENT COMPUTING CHIP INSIDER SUPPLEMENT
GOING RNDROID
and work on their handset, which then automatically syncs with their Google account. What the end user gets is a simple, easy-to-use interface which accompanies them wherever they go and omits the need to manually transfer files and other data. In addition to these default apps, the Android market has been flooded with apps from developers that can do almost anything. Some of these apps are dependent on the Google cloud as well and others have syncing abilities of their own, making both Android phones and tablets the most sought after devices in today's market.
A release from Embedded Alley Solutions states, "The Development S y s t e m enables development of Android-based intelligent devices targeting applications in domains beyond mobile handsets, Delivery of the Embedded Alley Development System enables both s y s t e m s and applications developers to extend the reach of Android to encompass multimedia, Mobile Internet Devices, digital video and home entertainment, automotive, medical, networking, instrumentation and industrial control."
> A LITTLE TOO FLEXIBLE?

While the flexibility of Android has been its biggest selling point, the openness does bring with it a few drawbacks. Manufacturers have taken advantage of Android's minimal hardware requirements and developed smartphones and tablets with varied hardware performance to suit all budgets. While Android might run smoothly on a cheaper phone, it is hard to tell how some apps with a higher CPU load or power requirement would perform. The Android market limits the installation of certain apps based on the device being used, but third party apps can still be installed without any regulation. There is also the risk of security, which is perfectly exemplified by the Soundminer app. Security researchers developed Soundminer as a working spyware app that is disguised as a voice recorder. Soundminer runs silently in the background and listens for PIN or Credit Card numbers during your phone calls. The application records this information, converts the recording into a number and relays it over the network to the developer. It can even recognize numbers typed on the virtual keyboard and voice-activated IVR systems. Another instance of the gaping hole in the Android Market is the Angry Birds Viral app. A mobile security expert used the popular Angry Birds game to disguise a Trojan virus and had no trouble getting it onto the Android Market. Although it was only developed to demonstrate to Google the gaps in their security, the app brings to light how easy it would be for third party developers to access personal information. table & media players and even TVs. Barnes Noble, Entourage, and all of such have Spring Design nook
PocketBook certain their
used Android to power aspects e-readers
as Wi-Fi or 3G technology. Acer and Toshiba have already manufactured netbooks
that are powered by Android and Samsung and Philips have used Android 2.1 on their music players. There is also speculation about Android-powered Internet televisions from Sony and NCPG.
UMESOUBU
# SOMETHING FOR THE FUTURE
The Barnes & Noble Nook is one of many e-readers that is powered by Android.
The acquisition of a small Californian start-up called Embedded Alley Solutions by Mentor Graphics has raised a few eyebrows. Embedded Alley Solutions specialize in Linux and Android tools and have developed the Embedded Alley Development System for Android-based devices. What this means is that the Android platform could possibly be tweaked to run on home appliances, such as telephones, navigation systems and even Internet refrigerators. Only time will tell how far Google's Android net will eventually spread.
OTHER DEVICES
Along with its widespread presence in smartphones and tablets from manufacturers like Motorola, LG, HTC, Samsung and Sony Ericsson, Android has also been adapted to run on e-readers, netbooks, por-
10
SAFEGUARDING
Android opens up a whole world of possibilities, from social
networking and Web browsing to downloading apps and exchanging email, all on-the-go. But before you go on an app downloading spree, make sure that your Android device a n d the
SECURING YOUR ANDROID DEVICE
data in it are protected and taken care of.

BY KAMAKSHI 5
w:
#
Enter name for situation:
With most people living their personal and professional lives on their smartphones, it's not just the data that has
F | SECURITY AT THE ROOT

The Android OS does feature solid security architecture at the kernel level. The kernel is programmed to sandbox applications from each other, which means that if an application wants access to details like network access, reading or writing data, and personal contacts, each request is made explicitly and only on granting permission, will they be made available. If you do grant access to a malware app, then the security mechanism is of no use, so you need to exercise more caution and keep a tab on what to download to your phone. You should also be careful when updating an installed app because it is at times as good as installing a new app.
been fed into these devices, but also financial transactions and communication links that can be violated. While Android has not seen too many security scares, the massive number of devices and high number of un-scanned
^ rill a 5:14
apps that make their way into the Android Market really make you think about how safe your data is. Here are some things that you need to watch out for, and a list of apps that can help you secure your data.
| Home
Select the application(s) you want to protect while this situation is active: m Liitalt
L_J
p i
Gallery
Messaging
Music
Phone

I
I
# THINGS TO WATCH OUT FOR

There are certain bits of information on your smartphone that can become a target for viruses, worms or other malware. First is your personal data, email, text messages, notes and contacts. Next are your personal and professional account details like email set-up, social networking details, and schedules. Your Wi-Fi network settings and online banking and trading website details are also at
1
F | WHAT ARE YOU UP AGAINST?

Android apps can be targeted by a virus that can corrupt the data on your phone, spyware that can read critical data like credit card details and passwords without your knowledge, or apps can act as nuisance-ware or adware that interrupts the normal working of your phone.
Search
{ SAFE BROWSING
Although you can avail help f r o m antivirus apps, you should also exercise caution when you go on to the Android Market and download an app for your phone. Firstly, make sure that the app comes from a legitimate source. Even though the Market is considered a legitimate source, the apps that go up are not really screened, merely signed by the makers. Read through the comments posted by other users. If it sounds fishy, it's wise to give it a
xt
Settings
I i |
Add
Cancel
Apps like Seal help you passwordprotect applications on an individual level.
risk. Malware is capable of sending text or multimedia messages, making premium phone calls, or utilizing your funds to buy apps.
GOING ANDROID 11
YOUR INTERESTS
^lookout
traffic option off when not in use, you can opt for apps like WiTopia or the free Hotspot Shield and services like Free Shield VPN (http://go.chip.in/ qnwbi) that offers increased safety for your VPN.
(1 APPS TO GUIDE YOU

There are apps can help you protect existing data as well as help you safeguard your future downloads. You can secure your Android devices (FroYo and above) with unlocking options, like using a numeric PIN, a password or a graphical pattern. However, a University of Pennsylvania research reveals how smudges on your screen can actually make hacking your graphical password quite a cake walk. You can start off with a free app called Android Protector, which can assign passwords to protect details like your text messages, Gmail accounts, contacts details, schedulers, Internet and Wi-Fi settings, and photos. If you are looking for something a bit more secure, you can pick the Seal app (Rs 122.19), Carrot App Lock Pro (Rs 68.18), or app protector pro (Rs 90.46). These apps also offer lite versions so that you can try before you buy the app. miss. If you wish to go ahead, the next thing to do is visit the developer's website. Most developers who take their apps seriously would have a dedicated space to promote it. Finally, check the type of permissions the apps require for installation. For example, if a game app is trying to access your contact information, which is ideally not required, it is recommended to avoid it. If you wish to have an app that backs up and restores your data, helps you track your missing or stolen phone, and scan an app for malware, the free version of Lookout Mobile Security or MacAfee's recently acquired WaveSecure are very good options. However, WaveSecure does not provide antivirus support, but both applications can help you lock or wipe data off your device remotely. If you are looking for tools that can help you scan the apps for you before downloading them to your device, you can t r y the beta version of Norton Mobile for Android, or the Free or Pro (Rs 454.10) AVG apps.
McAfee WaveSecure
If you want to secure your device from hacks, an app like Lookout can be very useful.
A V
WaveSecure
gip5 Backup
Backup contacts, SMS and call logs
Upload Media
Upload photos and videos
Restore
Restore contacts and SMS
# PROTECTING YOUR COMMUNICATION ROUTES

One of the easiest techniques to infiltrate your Android device's security is through the Wi-Fi or VPN (virtual private network) settings. Although it is advisable to use SSL or HTTPS encryption when using an unprotected Wi-Fi hotspot, many email providers don't support encryption. Therefore, it is better to use a VPN network that offers better encryption supported by your mobile phone service provider. Even though you can keep your data
Lock Down Phone

l o c k the phone now! (You can unlock it w i t h your PIN)
Wipe Now!
Wipe all contacts, SMS, call logs, photos, videos and m e m o r y card
An antivirus can not only protect you from malware, but also come to your rescue if you lose your device.
12 GOING RNDROID
WHAT THE INDUSTRY LEADERS HAVE TO SAY:
T
off
he high volume of data being over powered is enough siphon data the
things. First is the enterprise or the end user level, where the protection is in terms of filtering, management or just good antivirus security. The next level is to work with device manufacturers, like Sony Ericsson or Nokia to embed security into their phones, so that security software comes bundled and people don't have to w o r r y about buying or installing anything. The third level comes in the form of a partnership with telecomm providers or banks. We work with them to ensure that people who subscribe to their services such as mobile banking, have to go through certain security measures to access these services.
exchanged
Android devices
for mischief makers to t r y and critical As
and use it to their advantage.

Vinoo Thomas, Technical Product Manager, McAfee Labs
Android
Market
doesn't really guarantee security, it is
advisable to protect to be cautious when heading online via your mobile device. We spoke to Vinoo Thomas, who is the Technical Product Manager at the McAfee Labs, and the virus research lead with McAfee Labs Bangalore. Here are his thoughts on the security issues pertaining to the Android platform:
What kind of support do you provide for Android users?

There is family protection software that you can use on your Android device. If the tablet is being used by kids, parents would be able to monitor their online activities inside and outside the house, they could block browsing of inappropriate websites based on categories, and they would be able to block Internet access for particular time periods. In terms of mobile security, we have an antivirus optimized for mobile devices. You will be able to scan attachments and applications. If something is found malicious, you can get it cleaned or quarantined. It also offers protection against phishing and offers safe mobile browsing.
What kind of security threats has the Android platform seen? How serious can these get?
Last year saw a couple of notable viruses that targeted the Android platform. There were a couple of viruses which would accept every incoming call without users knowledge, causing battery drain. Then there was a virus known as the Fake Player Codec, which would send SMSes to a premium rate number without the user's knowledge, which resulted in inflated monthly bills. There have also been viruses which send a copy of themselves to everybody on the infected user's address book via an MMS. In India, an MMS costs Rs 5, so if you have 100 contacts, it results in direct Rs 500 inflation in your monthly bills. Lately we also had a high profile Android virus by the name of Geinimi, which poses as a legitimate app and is the first known Android malware in the open that displays botnet capabilities. So once the malware is installed on a user's phone, it has the potential to allow the attacker to remotely control the device. The app can pull out all contact information, read, send or delete SMSes, make a phone call, install an app, and launch browsers
Can you use any McAfee product on an Android or are there specific products?
We have a couple of MacAfee products that work not just on the Android, but the Symbian, Apple iOS and the Windows CE platforms. Traditionally, MacAfee had MacAfee Mobile Security for smartphones and tablets, and then we expanded to MacAfee Family Protection for Mobiles, where we are not just providing security, but also allowing parents to do URL filtering, safe search and Internet usage reporting. Last year, MacAfee acquired WaveSecure, which allows us to manage mobile devices better. So in addition to security, you will now be able to back up and restore data on your mobile, and you will be able to locate and track a lost device. You can also perform a remote lock and wipe all the data in case your device is misplaced.
What is the nature of protection that a user can adopt?

At MacAfee, we have our target set at three
GOING RNDROID
GET THE COfYlPLETE RNDROID EXPERIENCE

While Android devices are selling like hot cakes and 3G services now up and running, we look at the various value added services that are being offered by the popular telecomm service providers. BY KAMAKSHI 5
VALUE ADDED SERVICES
What good is an Android phone if you can't really surf the Internet and download apps of your liking? Here's a look
the App Central, which features more than 71,000 apps segregated under 25 categories, which can be downloaded to over 550 compatible devices.
at what the major telecomm service providers
have to help you enjoy your Android experience to the fullest.
#AIRCEL
If you plan to buy a Galaxy Tab, then Aircel is all set to sell you a pretty package. For a price of Rs 29,500, you get the gadget, plus a 3 GB free plan for 3 months for prepaid users, or a 1 GB free plan for 6 months for postpaid users. You also get a 2 GB memory card and a leather case. However, their customer care is not too clear about extending Internet support to other Android devices.
#VODAFONE
While Vodafone has the Vodafone Live and Vodafone Mobile Connect services on o f f e r for internet surfing, Vodafone Live will not work with your Android device. The Vodafone Mobile Connect works with a prepaid and a post paid plan. While it is a zero rental plan for prepaid users, postpaid users can pick between a Rs 299 plan that offers 2 GB of free surfing, a Rs 499 plan that offers 4 GB of free surfing, and a Rs 699 plan that offers unlimited surfing. Vodafone supports tethering, so you can freely use your Android phone as a Wi-Fi hot spot to connect your laptop or PC to the Internet. The connection takes 4 hours to activate on a prepaid account and 24 hours on a postpaid one.
N TATA DOCOMO
While Tata Docomo has been making claims of going 3G for a long time, there is still no trace of the company delivering on that promise. While you can use the Tata Photon Wi-Fi pocket router for Internet connectivity on your Android device, you will have to wait a little longer for any data plans for your device on the go. if not, mobile number portability is always an option.
AIRTEL
Airtel offers Airtel Live services for WAP and GPRS-enabled handsets and a mobile Internet pack that offers up to 2 GB of free surfing at rentals of Rs 99, but the service is currently available for Blackberry, Apple iPhone and Windows Mobile 6.5 powered smartphones only. While their customer service is unclear about extending these services to Android-powered devices, Airtel does have its own app store called
K | REDIFF NG
While you can configure 10 email accounts on your BlackBerry phone, Rediff NG enables you to do the same on your Android as well. At just Rs 50 a month, you can do all that on your Symbian, Java, and Android powered smartphones. The service enables you to port data across phones, so even if you do change your mobile phone, your settings and emails remain intact. The annual plan will cost you Rs 600.
SHOPPERS' STOP
IT'S OPEN FOR EVERYONE

Android was designed and developed as an open source, fully customizable mobile phone platform; the first of its kind. This means that manufacturers can customize their phones however they want and design any type of applications without many restrictions.
GOOD SOFTWARE NEEDS GOOD HARDWARE

Due to its ease of availability, developers have taken to manufacturing handsets and tablets running on Android. However, all devices have different hardware configurations and if the hardware cannot match the software, it will not give you the best Android experience.
ANDROID
If you're considering a switch to an Android-powered smartphone or tablet, here are a few tips and pointers on what you can expect from your device. BY KUSHAL MAMOOWALA
things to know about
IT CAN TETHER
Android has taken pairing devices to the next level. Tethering your Android device with your PC means you can use your service provider's Internet plan with your computer. With 3G services hitting the market, tethering your mobile and PC could see a great reduction in Internet service subscriptions.
IT'S GONE 3D^

Android 3.0 (Honeycomb), the latest version of the OS, was recently unveiled by Google. At the official launch of Honeycomb, Google displayed its 3D capabilities with the Google Maps and YouTube apps, assuring users that the company has done quite a bit to ensure 3D works well on the platform. This could usher in big changes in the mobile phone marketplace.
SHOPPERS' STOP
MAKE SURE IT'S THE LATEST VERSION

In the space of one year, Google made four revisions to its OS Cupcake (1.5), Donut (1.6), Eclair (2.0/2.1), FroYo (2.2) and Honeycomb (3.0). With such rapid updates to the OS, manufacturers are finding it hard to develop hardware and modify the OS to suit their latest handsets.
IT CAN RUN MULTIPLE TASKS

Android is able to run multiple applications at the same time regardless of whether they are system apps or apps from the Android Market. Android users benefit greatly from this discrepancy, as they can receive notifications, listen to music, or even record GPS data without keeping the application open.
IT'S ALL IN THE GOOGLE CLOUD

Android phones don't sync with your computer because they don't have to. Your contacts, calendar and mail are all backed up in the great Googleplex. What this means is that any changes or entries you make to your Google-based organizer will automatically appear on your Android phone.
APP INCOMPATIBILITIES
As mentioned earlier, all phones have different hardware setups. A difference in resolution, processor speed and RAM means that an app that runs perfectly fine on one Android device might not work as well on another. Developers need to consider modifying their apps to suit different devices.
IT CAN REMOTE WIPE

Google has added a remote wipe feature with Android 2.2 (FroYo). This remote wipe feature enables users to program the device to automatically wipe its memory clean in certain-conditions. If your phone is lost or stolen, a simple SMS, failed password entry or a change of SIM Card can trigger the wipe. It's up to you.
NOT ALL APPS ARE VERIFIED

It's safe to install or buy apps from the Android Market, but a simple change in your phone or tablet's security settings can let you install apps from unverified sites. What this means is that not all the apps you use are verified by Android and could do more harm than good.
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In Focus: The Samsung Galaxy Tab P1000

Will Samsung live upto the hype created around the Galaxy Tab P1000? We take a look at one of the most awaited tablets to hit the Indian markets.
BY 5HAYNE RANA
amsung's highly anticipated Galaxy Tab actually managed to get itself here legally before
ing if there is a 1 GHz processor running the show. The three axis Gyro makes accelerometer-based functionality from games to screen rotation quite smooth, but there's just that hint of lag. The multi touch zooming is as responsive as the iPad's. Samsung's also thrown in a Task Manager to kill all background running apps or the specific ones you want. Using the normal on-screen keypad was a breeze, but Swype on a larger display, although requiring you to stretch quite a bit to trail words, is still a speedier way to get the job done.
Apple's iPad, and brought with it quite a bit of
confusion when it comes to choice. The Dell Streak didn't impress me and I had my doubts about the
Olive Pad, the only two other tablets in India to make it out in an official capacity. Here's my take on the whole 'Tabbing' experience.
0 FORM FACTOR
1 believe that the 7-inch display, protected by the hardcore Gorilla Glass pane with a 600x1024 pixel resolution is about the right size for a tablet. It allows for easy handling and storage. Samsung's gone with a set of touch sensitive keys below the display. At 380 grams, it's a tad on the heavy side with a screen lock/power button on the same side as the volume/zoom keys, micro SD card port (1GB on board memory with support for 32GB cards) and standard SIM card slot. The 3.5mm handsfree socket is located on the top. A set of built in speakers, which seemed loud enough for audio, but oddly low for calls, are located at the bottom on either side of the proprietary Samsung USB/Charger port at the bottom. This was the first thing I disliked about the device. Aesthetically, I found the Tab an easy device to work with purely from the design perspective.
MEDIA
Aside from the 5.1 audio channel support, the Galaxy Tab also comes with Samsung's DNSe audio enhancement with a set of EQ presets and an eight-band customizable graphic EQ setting. Audio Effects like Bass Enhancement, Wide and Concert Hall settings are also provided. The Tab's audio player is sure fire winner. The cherry on top is of course video codec support for AVI files (DivX and XviD), which enables you to simply drag and drop your favorite movies on the ample storage space for instant playback. The 7-inch display is great for viewing videos, however games and quite a few other apps are still to be upscaled for this genre of Android devices. Unlike the iPad's option to stretch games/apps to fit the screen, the Tab allows you to play or access apps in the native resolution the app as designed for. This means they'll open only in the middle of the screen. There are many e-readers preloaded on the Tab. An e-book application similar to Aldiko's app allows you to import e-books off of your memory card, but I could not find an option to download any books from a website. The fonts and page colors can be adjusted and the overall layout is extremely conducive for easy reading. But changing pages is a slow and laggy process, the lack of a smooth transition is very evident. The Readers Hub application is also an e-book reader powered by Kobo, but one
0 FEATURES AND PERFORMANCE

Here is an indepth analysis on the features and performance offered by the tablet.
INTERFACE
I'm not a fan of Samsung's TouchWiz UI, so I swapped the UI with another from the Android market. The Galaxy Tab is powered by an ARM Cortex A8 1 GHz processor with PowerVR SGX540 graphics for added support. It's running on Android 2.2 aka Froyo out of the box. Most of the UI navigation is quite seamless, but there are moments when you'll be wonder-
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that allows you to download content off the Web. A Zinio magazine reader and a newspaper reader by PressDisplay are also available.
CONNECTIVITY
The Galaxy Tab, is capable of making and taking calls, messages and sending and receiving emails from your standard POP and IMAP accounts, and also plays nice with Microsoft Exchange services. It supports 3G with HSDPA up to 7.2 Mbps or typical EDGE speeds for now. Like any Android device running Froyo, you can use the Tab as a Wi-Fi hotspot and Samsung's All Share application allows you to hook up to a DLNA supported device to transfer and/or stream media. Everything you'd expect from a high-end Android handset can be found on the Tab, from social networking with Facebook, Twitter and Google syncing for your phone book integration, to standalone apps and Google Talk. It also supports Google Voice Search and tethering. The native browser, irrespective of the boost with Flash 10.1 support, turned out to be a bit of a disappointment. When I compared it to the iPad's browsing experience, the Galaxy Tab fell drastically short on speed even though functionality was a bit more. Pages tend to be laggy while scrolling and there always seemed to be a jerky break when moving through screens. Unfortunately, it was s similar experience with Opera's new beta mobile browser, even if rendering was a lot faster. The Galaxy tab also comes with GPS capabilities supported by A-GPS. Samsung hasn't included any software with this device like it would with others,
namely Route 66 Navigation. You'll have to stick to Google Maps or use the Layar browser for an augmented reality GPS-enabled search. Of course, there's Bluetooth 3.0 and all the goodies that it comes with, including A2DP is supported, and of USB 2.0.
Weil designed, Comes with DivX and Xvid support, Samsung DNSe, 5,1 surround, Flash 10.1 support, Camera quality is quite decent
GOOD
CAMERA
The 3 megapixel autofocus camera comes with an LED flash, face and smile detection, a few scene modes, geotagging and video recording (720x480 at 30fps) are all present. A forward-facing VGA camera is also present for self portraits and video calling. I found the pictures to be as good as any other 3 megapixel camera. Indoor images with light gave focused pictures. Outdoor images weren't too bad either, although excess sunlight did make portions of the image a bit over exposed.
Web browsing is not fluid, Laggy eBook readers, Proprietary USB/Charging
BAD
BATTERY LIFE
The Galaxy Tab managed to give a relatively high battery life. With a single charge I used it for Web and calls for two full days, with an average talktime of over 4 hours 40 minutes. That's quite impressive.
0 THE BOTTOM LINE

I've become quite the fan of tabbing in general even though the Web browsing or gaming experience was not as fluid as the iPad's.
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POPULAR ANDROID DEVICES IN EVERY PRICE RANGE
An Android For
Android devices are available in a range of shapes, sizes and prices. Manufacturers have developed Android smartphones and tablets to suit every budget and serve a range of needs. BY KUSHAL AMOOWALA
and tablets to fit a wide price range. This ensures the popularity of Android amongst users with budgetary constraints as well as big spenders. The difference between a cheap smartphone and an expensive one is primarily in the hardware, with the cheaper devices having a weaker processor, less RAM and limited storage space. But these differences are negligible when it comes to basic usage. It is only noticeable when the devices are used to run multiple, memory heavy apps or apps that require high performance. Here's a look at some popular Android smartphones and tablets that fit into different budgets.
anufacturers have captured every level of communication and computing by developing Android-based smartphones
quick browsing. With Wi-Fi, e-mail and a good camera, both devices will service a user's basic needs.
Rs 10,000 - Rs 15,000
The Samsung 15801 Galaxy 3 at Rs 13,300 is running Eclair. A an entry level Android smartphone Android 2.1
3.2-inch touch screen, 3 megapixel camera and a few unique features DivX/XviD and Kinetic scrolling like give compatibility
it an edge. The Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 mini pro, on the other hand, is a pocket rocket. It runs Android 1.6 Donut and supports 2.1 Eclair. With a tiny 2.55-inch screen, slide out QWERTY keyboard and 600 MHz processor, it packs quite
Q SMARTPHONES
The Open Handset Alliance includes companies that manufacture smartphones for a diverse group of consumers.
Rs 5 , 0 0 0 - R s 10,000
For people looking to spend as little as possible on a smartphone without expecting something really flashy, there are the Micromax Andro A60 and the Spice MI300. Priced at Rs 8,599 and Rs 9,990 respectively, both devices support Android 2.1 Eclair and are 3G ready for
a punch at Rs 14,245. Other smartphones that fit into this category include Acer beTouch E130, Vid eocon Sony Zeus,HTC and X10 Ericsson Wildfire Xperia
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tvery Pocket
smartphone, and the HTC Desire gives you a lot for its Rs 23,490 price tag. It has a speedy 1 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor, large AMOLED screen and HTC's Sense UI with multitouch support. It boasts an excellent Web browser and integrated social networking services. The Sony Ericsson Xperia X10, priced Rs 24,995, is also armed with a Qualcomm Snapdragon processor. It combines stylish looks with killer specs, and with Android 2.1 and a huge 4-inch display, it is perfect for those who want a simple yet robust device that's also good looking. Other smartphones within this price range include the Motorola Milestone, HTC Legend and Acer A1 Liquid.
Rs 25,000 AND ABOVE

In the highest price range, there is the popular HTC Desire HD, priced at Rs 26,990 and Samsung 19000 Galaxy S, at Rs 31,500. The Desire HD is a robust phone with a 4.3-inch LCD display, 1 GHz processor and 8 megapixel camera. It runs Android 2.2 and with 1 GB storage, plus microSD extendible memory, it gives you enough room for videos, music, images and tons of apps. The Samsung Galaxy S carries a 4-inch super AMOLED display of with a resolution which 480x800 pixels,
Rs 15,000 - Rs 20,000
The LG Optimus One P500, priced at Rs. 15,000, is the cheapest phone in this price range. It is a standard no frills 3.2-inch Android 2.2 smartphone with a moderately clocked CPU and ample RAM to give you a bit of freedom with your apps. The Garmin Asus A10 has a smooth and elegant appearance with a 3.2-inch HVGA touchscreen, a 5 megapixel camera, and runs on Android 2.1 Eclair. It gives special importance to maps and navigation powered ___ ^ by Garmin, for which it has a powerful processor and long battery life. It is reasonably priced at Rs 18,990. Other smartphones that fit into this category include Dell XCD35, Motorola and Motorola Backflip. Cliq
makes viewing movies and Web browsing an absolute pleasure. The 5 megapixel camera allows HD video recording and it has an integrated social hub and other apps to exploit its 1 GHz processor and 16 GB internal memory. Other market products include in LG the higher end of the GW620, Samsung 17500 Galaxy, Acer Liquid E Ferrari, and HTC HD7.
Rs 20,000 Rs 25,000
Moving into the higher price S 3 range means you would expect much more from your
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Q TABLETS
The cheapest tablet in the market, the Wespro ePad at Rs. 7,999, costs far less than most Android smartphones and as the technology improves more low cost tablets are expected. Here's a look at some of tablets available in the Indian market.
Rs 30,000 - Rs 35,000
The Dell Streak 7 features Nvidia's Tegra 2 dual core processor, 512 MB RAM, and comes bundled with 16 GB of storage space. With 4G compatibility, video
Rs 20,000 - Rs 25,000
At Rs 23,990, the OlivePad VT100 fits snuggly into this price range. Running Android
calling capability, a 7-inch WVGA multi-touch display and 5 megapixel camera it can service a high end user's every need. Priced at Rs 34,990, it competes with products like the Viewsonic Viewpad 7 and Samsung's Galaxy Tab P1000.
Rs 35,000 AND ABOVE

Viewsonic's Viewpad 10 is the closest a tablet comes to being a netbook. Powered by an Intel Atom N455 processor and 1 GB of DDR3 RAM, it houses a 16GB Solid State Drive and a 1.3 MP camera. It is
2.2, it is a 7-inch tablet phone, which is sleek and attractive. It comes with features such as multi codec media players, dual cameras for video calling and 3G support. A 600 MHz Qualcomm processor with 512 MB RAM and support for up to 32 GB memory enable it to run smoothly and also allow Internet browsing, video social networking, and GPS. streaming,
Rs 25,000 - Rs 30,000
At Rs 29,000, the Samsung Galaxy Tab runs Android 2.2 on an ARM 1 GHz Cortex processor with 512 MB RAM and 16 GB of internal memory. The 7-inch TFT LCD display gives you a crisp viewing experience, be it for reading, viewing videos, or watching movies. It's fast, effective at multitasking and has admirable mobile and wireless network connectivity. a dual booting tablet with a choice to boot either Android or Windows 7 and a quick switch between the two. The 10-inch display is the biggest a tablet has featured, and it even has two USB 2.0 ports, a mini VGA port and Wi-Fi and Bluetooth capability. At Rs 38,000, the one feature missing is 3G compatibility.
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ANDROID APPS FOR BUSINESS USERS
Business As Usual: Apps to Stay Connected

Here are BY
some apps that will help you keep up with work and constantly stay connected when you're travelling.
KAMAKSHI S
ith the android OS making its presence felt very strongly, smartphones have a popular computing
as Documents To Go Version 3.0, OpenOffice or ThinkFree Online. However, if you wish to edit documents on the go, you will need a good editor. While you can opt for the freely available GDocs if you want your Android phone to sync with Google docs, you cannot open these files directly f r o m your inbox or SD card. Moreover, you can only used simple Word or text files and view PDFs; nothing more. While GDocs is a popular app, there are several such free apps on the Android market that offer connectivity with Google Docs. If you don't mind investing in a robust app for your Android device, then you can pick between Quickoffice Connect Mobile Suite, the OfficeSuite Pro and the Documents to Go package. These suites are paid and allow you to create documents, spreadsheets and presentations and view PDFs. The most recent versions also extend support to Office 2007 formats and syncing with Google Docs, but do not cater to Open Office formats. If you are looking for ZIP file support along with inbuilt File Manager support, you can opt for either OfficeSuite Pro or the Quickoffice Connect Mobile Suite. While Quickoffice Connect Mobile Suite would cost you Rs 453, Documents to Go and OfficeSuite Pro are priced at Rs 680.
today become
device when on the move. When work demands that you constantly stay connected, some apps can come make life a bit easier. Here are some Android apps to help you get the job done.
6 DOCUMENT SUPPORT
You might have to check documents or spreadsheets quite frequently even on the move. If you are not keen on editing on your Android device and just require a viewer, then there are several f r e e document viewers to choose f r o m , such
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Q BUSINESS CARD READERS

if you meet lots of people during the course of work and have many visiting cards to handle, it can be cumbersome to track numbers down when you really need to get in touch. Instead, you can get a business card reader app that works with your Android phone. These apps use your camera to scan the card and help you to store the contact details as well as a copy of the card on your phone. The most popular business card reader apps are MobiReader,
If you tend to meet lots of pople, you can save their contact details in real time with a card reader app like CamCard.
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costs Rs 1,351. To use the cloud effectively, you need to be signed up for the service on their website and install the corresponding application on your desktop. The final step is to get the app on your Android device. While most services o f f e r 2 GB of free data storage, SugarSync offers you 5GB of free space. You'll have to upgrade to a paid plan to increase the cloud storage space. While Dropbox works best for document files, you'll need editor apps to use the service effectively. Zumodrive is equally easy to use, but works better if you wish to sync your iTunes music library on your phone through the cloud. If syncing photographs is what you're looking for, Google Picasa is a better app. And even for Picasa, you would find a plethora of options to pick from.
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later. Most of these apps can read details like name, phone numbers, email addresses, web links and postal addresses with ease. They also enable you send emails and access company websites directly. The apps also o f f e r multi-language support, with some o f f e r ing languages like Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Finnish, French, German, Hungarian, Italian, Norwegian, Spanish and Portuguese,
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Q CODE MEMOS
Planning your schedule ahead can help you accomplish everything you planned for the day, and if you have to keep track of your schedule onthe-go or need to share your device with anybody,
It may not be possible to carry all you data with you, and that's where a cloud service like Dropbox can help.
s.wedish, among others. Although you may have occasional hassles with the
character recognition, especially if the picture is taken under improper lighting, and with business cards with heavy background colors, most of them work quite well in storing accurate data on WorldCard Mobile is priced at Rs 271, while MobiReader would cost you Rs 471. CamCard comes in two versions; the BCR Western priced at Rs 316 that reads languages using the English typography, and a Business Card Reader version priced at Rs 543 for complex languages like Japanese, Korean and Chinese.
Contact i n f o i m a t i o n
Q CLOUD SHARING
For those who are constantly on the move, a cloud application to help synchronize data between your computer, your Android device and the Internet is essential. While most cloud apps are free of cost up to a particular data storage limit, what you need to consider before settling on an app is the usage and types of files that you wish to work with. There are several options that you can choose from, of which Dropbox, Zumodrive and SugarSync are the most popular. If you are used to LogMeln on your desktop, you can continue using the service with your Android device too. The LogMeIN Ignition for Android
Apps like WordCard Mobile not only store data off visiting cards, but also use tools like Google Maps as locators.
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having a password protected code memo is the perfect app to have on your Android device. There are several free options to pick from depending on what you need. You can opt for a notepad style Ultra Notes app, but if you need your data to be passwordprotected, you can use the Ultra Mate private diary app. You can opt for the 01 Safe app to save critical data like account numbers, passwords and other confidential details. If you need something that is printer friendly as well, Wizard Memo is a good option. Make sure you pick a strong master password and remember it too, or all your precious memos will be locked up for good.
While PDAnet is one of the most widely used tethering apps, and it does provide you with a free trial, you will have to buy it to use all of its functionalities. It costs $23.95 (roughly Rs 1,087) and is not officially available Android on the Indian Other market).
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apps which do not require root access to your phone to tether include EasyTether, which is priced at Rs 452. There are some free apps that can help you convert your rooted phone into a Wi-Fi hot spot, like Barncle Wi-fi Tether However, or Wireless need to Tether for Root Users. you'll check with your service provider if tethering your device violates any of the terms and conditions of your usage plan, moreso if you have an unlimited Internet connection on your account.
Q TETHERING YOUR PHONE

If you have a 3G network connection and an unlimited Internet surfing plan on your phone, you can extend that connectivity to your PC as well. While you can tether your Android device using Bluetooth, USB cables or Wi-Fi, you may have to fidget around with Android versions below 2.2. If you don't really have the patience or time to do it, getting an app would be a better option.
While a private diary will help you secure sensitive data, you can use apps like 01 Safe for critical data values.
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Make sure Internet works on your smartphone and select the operating system installed on your computer:
^ W i n d o w s 7/Vista/XP/2000 $ Mac OS X 10.4+ Ubuntu 10.4+ or Fedora 12+
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Do not confuse EasyTether with any built-in USB tethering or modem support your smartphone may have. This particularly means you should not enable Mobile Broadband Connect (Verizon), Internet sharing (Sprint) or similar built-in options if you want to connect via EasyTether.
If you are wary of rooting your phone and still want a decent free tethering app, EasyTether can come in handy.
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A rooted phone can be tethered with even more ease. Free apps like Barnacle make tethering a breeze.
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Make Your Phone Your Best Travel Buddy

All set to hit the road for a long overdue vacation and well deserved break? Here are some tools to help reduce the stress of planning your travels. BY KAMAKSHI 5
ANDROID APPS FOR TRAVELERS
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you, you can pretty much enjoy your time without getting lost or requiring local assistance.
Q TRAVEL MATES
The first thing you need is an app that can help you plan your vacation and help you make the required bookings. If you are looking at taking your family along for the trip, it is always sensible to plan your bookings well in advance. Two popular travel portals, Trip Advisor and Cleartrip, have apps for Android. You can book and cancel train/flight tickets, make enquiries on your PNR enquiries, and book hotels too. If you are traveling to a new place, being able to navigate the area is essential. There are several applications that can come to your rescue. One such application is Zomato. You can
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If you want to savor local cuisines, the Zomato app is a nice place to start.
When you are all excited about a trip, there is a chance that you may skip some details or forget to pack an essential item. There are many apps that help you organise your trip more efficiently. The free Packing List app comes with pre-created lists depending on the kind of trip you're about to take. If that isn't good enough, you can generate your own to add up all the things to need to carry. If you need something more comprehensive, you can opt for the Vacation Planner, which is priced at Rs 45. Another checklist of considerable importance, especially if you are taking kids or the elderly along is a first aid list. You can purchase the very useful First Aid Checklist app priced at Rs 44.97. The list consists of over 140 first aid items that you could need when you are traveling. You can also add and
List View
browse for as many as 11,000 restaurants across six cities in India, including Delhi-NCR, Mumbai, Bangalore, Kolkata, Pune and Chennai. Addition-
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The BackTrack app records travel data in real time when you travel.
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come loaded with Google Maps and Google Latitude for point to point navigation.
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army knife. Similarly, there are some tools that can come to your rescue when you least expect it. The most essential app you need whether you are travelling or not is the free Where's My Droid app. The
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app makes your phone ring when a text message with a predetermined keyword is sent to it even if it is in silent mode. There are also several Android
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apps that help you prolong your phone's battery life. One such app is the Ultimatejuice!, which is priced at Rs 180. If directions can cause confusion, you need a good compass tool too. You can get the augmented reality 3D compass app 3D Compass Pro priced Rs 90. It also has a free version called 3D Compass that you can try before you buy. Another must-have app when you're travelling to a new place is the free TeslaLED Flashlight. It uses the flash of your camera as a handy makeshift torch. If travelling to a new place makes you feel linguistically inadequate, a good translation tool that helps you with pronunciations will come in handy. You can opt for Google Translate app, which works with more than 50 languages. It not only supports text-to-speech and voice inputs, but also doubles up as a dictionary.
Sharing photos with your loved ones can be very easy with Picasa on your device.
edit entries as per your requirements. You will also find a trekking and baby planner from the same developer at the same price.
QTRAVELOGUES
Most people enjoy keeping a detailed travelogue to keep a track of all their holiday escapades and like sharing them with their loved ones. If you are looking for a detailed travel journal app, then the free backTrack Personal Travel Log is a good option to use. It's convenient because it records your journey automatically allowing you to enjoy your holiday. You can browse though the entries in your free time in a list or detailed map view. You can also map the app to your calendar to make chronological entries. If you love taking lots of pictures, then you can a pick a tool to sync your photographs to be uploaded to your PicasaWeb account online. One such tool is the Picasa Tool Pro. It can help you clear space on your memory card and back up your pictures online too. If you enjoy blogging, you can use the Wordpress for Android app. You can post blog entries with pictures offline, and publish them online when you have Web access. You can also keep a track of post comments and site stats. You can manage multiple blogs that are linked to a single account.
Q BOOKS
If you have your luggage all stacked to match the permissible weight limit, and you like reading when you travel, making place for bulky books can get tiresome. Instead, you can look for apps like Aldiko Book Reader or the Kindle for Android, which provides you with an e-book reader and enables you to download free and paid e-books, and even newspapers While (with the Kindle) to your Android device. both apps are free of cost, you can opt for the premium version of the Aldiko Book Reader, priced at Rs 136. While you can read ePub and PDF formats, the Microsoft Reader-specific LIT files may not work on these readers.
0 TOOLS
If there is one thing that you should not be caught without while camping or on a trek, it's a Swiss
The Aldiko Book Reader app is ideal for reading on-the-go to pass the time.
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ANDROID APPS FOR STUDENTS
Learning From Your Android

There are Android apps that cater to a student's every need, from formula sheets and periodic tables to note-taking and organizers. Students can install these apps to increase their productivity, knowledge and have everything they need at their fingertips. BY KUSHAL MAMOOWALA
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here are many aspects to studying, such as note-taking, studying, and exercising, and
does have another great feature, however, which is its social media integration. With Catch, you can share your notes with friends via Twitter or Facebook, something that every student would find extremely handy when exams are looming. Other note-taking apps include Documents to Go, Note Everything, and Take Note.
they all come with specialized tool sets,
each with additional costs and practical difficulsmartphones really are, and how diverse the appli-
ties. Most people don't realize how powerful their cations available for them are. It's often hard to find the right applications for the job, so to get you started, here are some incredible Android applications that every student should consider installing.
Q ACADEMIC AIDS
Everyone knows how tedious it is to remember formulae and equations. You can get Android apps that do these for you to ease your mind and get your answers faster and easier. RealCalc is a fully featured scientific calculator, which looks and operates just like the real thing. It provides result history, unit conversions, percentages, ten memories, hex/binary/octal, trig functions in degrees, radians or grads, engineering module. Formulas Lite is a simple, easy-to-use app that helps you refer to collections of the most important formulae of maths, physics and chemistry. A similar tool specific for chemistry is Perfect Chemistry Lite. It helps you balance chemical equations and gives you details about different elements, chemical compounds, and much more. There is also Calculus Tools that helps you with calculus and finds derivatives, computes definite integrals, arc lengths and plots graphs of functions. It also includes integral tables and a custom keyboard. and fixed-point display modes, digit grouping, and a built-in help
12:54 P M
Q HELP WITH NOTES

There are but several Evernote notepad-style apps out there, takes the cake with its ability to sync with an online account and your desktop PC. The app enables you to j o t down notes on your phone or tablet as text, photos or even voice recordings. You can make different 'notebooks' for different subjects and you can even add tags to each note. Best of all, it's completely free and runs on Android 1.5 and above. Catch is similar to Evernote, except it lacks a desktop application. It
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Evernote offers a clean, simple layout to take down and organize your notes.
READERS
There are plenty of Android apps that serve as
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taking notes, and planning tasks. CoursePro is an app that lets you easily track all your assignments, work finished, work due and how you're progressing towards your results. It helps you keep track of homework with a simple to-do style list, custom list your assignment types and grade weights, and track your report card with a custom grading scheme. The Demo version limits you to four courses with five assignments each, and the full version costs around Rs 300. There are also apps that manage your active profile to your preset settings. PhoneWeaver changes your profile depending on the time or your location and battery life to make sure your phone doesn't ring in class or die on you when you're on the go. Sweet Dreams is another similar profile management app that alters your phone settings to avoid unwanted calls according to your filters based on location, movement or sound.
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Q INFORMATION
WikiDroid is a Wikipedia app that allows you to research anything you need conveniently on your phone. You can start your research or get more information on a topic being discussed with its easy-to-use interface and simplistic design. The free version is ad-supported and the pro version at Rs 100 is ad-free and enables you to view saved articles offline. ColorDict Universal Dictionary is a useful dictionary app. It's more than just a dictionary; it's a thesaurus, bible dictionary and foreign-language dictionary all rolled into one. You can search words and idioms in several dictionaries at once and it works offline. A similar vocabulary app is SAT Vocabulary, which gives you more than 4,500 words and definitions to help prepare for SAT exams that students aspiring to study abroad must appear for. For general try knowledge, you can and General
EXP
RealCalc turns your Android into a fully functional scientific calculator.

readers. There are a handful of apps that take reading and collecting your reading material to the next level. MultiReader is a voice reader that can speak several languages, give you access to online libraries, and run several popular file formats. WordPlayer is a similar book reader, which lets you download from amongst millions of books in seconds, or load from your memory card. Its page navigation, bookmarking, speech and customizable settings make reading a breeze. For those that like to find their material online, InstaFetch lets you save complete web pages to your Android device for offline reading. Turn your phone into a scanner to copy that library book that you can't rent out with DroidScan. You can save files as PDFs and it even corrects your alignment and contrast to give best results.
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0 ORGANIZERS
Students are often overworked with assignments, projects, homework and getting them done before the deadline can be quite difficult. Thinking Space is a mind mapping app for Android that lets you create visual mind maps to organize your activities and ideas. It's great for summarizing lectures,
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apps like World FactBook Knowledge eQuizBook.
CourePro has custom grading schemes which allow you to track your GPA.
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MARCH 2011
SHOPPERS' STOP
ANDROID APPS FOR ENTERTAINMENT
Android App-iness
When you're tired, bored or just need to kill some time, you shouldn't have to look any further than your Android phone or tablet. Here are some great apps that will keep you busy and entertained. BY K U S H AL M AMOOWALA
hether you're an avid movie buff, a music lover, or enjoy messing around
Player. It is free and offers advanced features like subtitles, file ratings, ID3 tags and gestures. Other popular media players include A c t l Video Player, Pandora KMPlayer and YXFlash.
with photos, you can grab plenty of fun
Android apps that will keep you entertained. But with over 30,000 apps now available in the Android Market, finding the real gems can take a while. Here are a few apps for your consideration as far as entertainment is concerned, and best of all, most of them are free!
V I D E O STREAMING
The first site anyone would think of when it comes to video streaming is YouTube, and of course, there's an app for it, but if you want to stream T V shows longer than 10 minutes, then T V Shows Stream is the app for you. The application searches over the Internet for hundreds of T V show links that you can play directly on your device with full screen support using Megavideo and other hosting services. The search results are shown in an intuitive and easy-to-use interface. The lite version comes with 12 preselected shows and the full version at Rs 180 gives you unlimited access. Stream Media Player and Full T V episodes are two other video streaming apps that are worth their relatively cheap price tag.
Q MEDIA PLAYERS
RockPlayer is the best alternative to the default Android media player. This app supports virtually all the popular video formats. The only disadvantage of the free lite version is that it supports advertisements so if you don't want any distractions while watching your favorite videos, you can buy the full version for Rs 500. The app comes in three versions and produces best results with devices with powerful processors. For a media player that plays videos and music, look no further than Meridian Media Time: 23:52:20 Battery: 75%
Media Information
Audio: mp3 [48Q00Hz2ch] Video: mpeg4 [624*352@0Kbps] file: avi [358075KB]
Q MUSIC
TuneWiki is a media player similar to RockPlayer, but lacking the video playback function, which it more than makes up for with its advanced music features. It has a very nice interface, is stable, supports ID3 tags and gestures and can stream any music from online sources (various online radio stations, for example). It also displays the lyrics to a song using a nice overlay. If you prefer to listen to your music via internet radio, you can choose from Winamp's Android app, which streams music from Last.fm, Shoutcast and FM Radio, which provides you with a wide range of genres and channels to choose from. Also worth a mention is Shazam. If you're listening to the radio or watching T V and you come across a song that
My wife and daughter are in the residencg/SM! plaiting instructMte. Rock Player can play audio and video files and has features like phone status, file info display, and subtitles.
SHOPPERS ' STOP
you really like, just let Shazam give it a hear and it will identify the song and give you more details, including lyrics.
Q IMAGE EDITING AND PHOTOGRAPHY

For the amateur photo editor or those that like to mess around with photos of themselves and their friends, apps like PhotoFunia or PicSay are will give you endless hours of entertainment. They packed with options to distort, color-correct, add word balloons, titles and add graphics to your pictures. For the professionals, there's Photoshop Express, which enables you to make professional changes to your images. Another popular app for avid photographers is Camera 360, which turns your device into a professional camera with an impressive set of features like touch focus, zoom, fish eye, photo symmetry, background sceneries, and more.
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0 SOCIAL NETWORKING
There is a wide array of Facebook and Twitter apps spread across the Android market, but there are a few apps out there that really stand out. With the increasing number of social networking websites hitting the netscape, it is best to have an app that can update all your different profiles with just one simple push, and that's exactly what Tweetdeck does for Twitter, Faceb ook, Buzz and Foursquare. There's also HootSuite, which does the same, but with only Twitter and Facebook. For free mobileto-mobile messaging and free VoIP calling, there are apps like Nimbuzz and WhatsApp. The biggest advantage of apps like these is that they are compatible with other operating systems as well. PicPush is a unique social networking app that allows you to automatically share your pics and videos across all popular media services. It gives you a convenient one-touch service for uploading media to Facebook, Photobucket, SmugMug, Picassa and Twitter.
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f o r y o u a n d e v e n g i v e s y o u vide 'V'cs and concert information,
Q MISCELLANEOUS
H B 10:00 PM There are thousands of other apps that you can install on your Android device to keep yourself busy. There are apps that can give you information on events taking place in your city, like Gigbox, which gives you details of upcoming music concerts and festivals near you. Gamecenter is a very useful app for gamers, highlighting the latest video game news for Xbox 360, PS3, Wii, etc. It is the ultimate video game app equipped with trailers, cheats, videos and reviews. Then there are remote apps that allow you to use your Android device as a remote for your PC and your media player. Gmote, VLC Remote and Remote for iTunes are just a few of the many remote apps. The list of apps for your entertainment is endless and you could spend hours browsing the Android Market to find apps that suit you. Many apps have free 'lite' versions and a full paid version, so you can test them out before you buy them. Also keep in mind that most apps require an Internet connection, either a data plan on your SIM card or a Wi-fi connection, so make sure you have access to the Internet to get the most out of your apps.
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TweetDeck combines your social network profiles into one page, giving you updates from all sites in one simple window.
SHOPPERS' STOP
ANDROID APPS FOR GAMERS
Get Gaming With Android

With the Google Android gaming platform becoming so commonly used
by game developers, there are lots of great games to choose from. You can fling vengeful birds at thieving pigs o r strategize with friends online to take over the world.
BY KU5HAL MAMOOWALA
by the advent of multi-touch screens and high performance portable devices, making the gaming experience far more interactive and fun. The Android gaming platform gives developers an easy scaffolding to build their games around, so the online market is flooded with new games and updated versions everyday. Here are some of the must-haves in different gaming genres.
veryone has probably played a game on their phones at one time or another. Mobile phone gaming has been revolutionized
A simple touch-based game that features challenging physics-based gameplay with hours of replay value, it truly tests your patience and determination. There are other games that also exploit the motion sensitivity and touch interface of your device. Abduction and Doodle Jump are two games based on a simple motive of upward movement. The objective is to progress upwards on platforms by tilting your device left and right to control your character. Basketball Shot and Paper Toss are games that require precision finger swiping to throw balls into a basket. These games are a sure hit with people of all ages.
ARCADE GAMES
Angry Birds is one of the most popular games for touchscreen devices. Initially developed for the iPhone, it was quickly modified to run on multiple operating systems, including Android 1.6 and up.
ACTION GAMES
Tank Hero is a fairly simple game that involves controlling a tank to obliterate the enemy. It has an innovative virtual gamepad for navigation, a simple tap for firing ammunition and lots of challenging levels. Compatible with Android 2.1 and upwards, it is free and promises newer features and levels in the future. Crazy Snowboard is an action game that will keep you on the edge of your seat, with intuitive controls and tap-based tricks. It is compatible with Android 2.0 and up and runs fairly smoothly on most devices. Another sports action game that is quite popular is Reckless Racing. It has a single player campaign as well as a multiplayer mode. The off-road racing relies on power-sliding and opposite lock, making every race feel like a sequel to The Fast and the Furious. Also check out Sniper, Let's Golf and Guns 'n' Glory for other great action based games.
Slingshot your birds around the level to kill all the pigs. Who would have thought physics could be so much fun.
to earn, Live Holdem Poker is the perfect fix for gambling enthusiasts. There is also Real Blackjack, which gives you strategy tips and sharpens your counting skills for the real deal. You can also customize your game to add a variety of rules to make it a challenge.
Q ONLINE MULTIPLAYER GAMES

The biggest advantage of Android gaming is that
Play notes, chords and choose your instrument on a virtual piano with xPiano.
you can collaborate and compete online with other real players and some games have harnessed this opportunity to the fullest. Armored Strike Online gives you an array of tanks, weapons and terrain to battle with. The online mode pits you against other users and adds features like zoom and ingame chat and statistics like player rankings and a leaderboard. It can be installed on any Android operating system and an initial purchase gives you endless free updates. Uniwar is an online multiplayer strategy game in which players take turns building their army and fighting against each other using the strengths of their units while taking advantage of the terrain. You can join several games to increase your player rating. It also has a campaign mode with a worldwide leaderboard. Although it is a paid app, it is truly worth the small price of Rs 250. The Great Land Grab is a novel, real-world game which uses your GPS to detect your location. The idea of the game is to claim the land (via GPS) that you are located in. As you travel, you can claim more land or try to grab the land owned by someone and building else. to You can purchase lawyers permits buy other parcels of land
0 PUZZLE GAMES
For those who prefer a bit of brain teasing, there are games like WordSearch Unlimited and Chess for Android that are hits amongst Android users. They're both free and will run on any Android device. The Moron Test is a uniquely testing game that questions your IQ and attentiveness. The free version allows you to play only the first level and the paid version gives you three more levels. Alchemy is a game that requires you to make more than 300 complex elements by combining the four basic elements - fire, earth, water and air. It is a challenging game that keeps you gripped. It runs on Android 1.5 and up. Also check out Unblock Me and Bubble Buster for more mind bending fun.
Q CASUAL GAMES
For the casual gamer who prefers to kill time without getting too drawn into a game, there are apps like xPiano, RD3 Groovebox and Guitar Solo that give you the opportunity to create some music of your own. You can play notes, guitar chords and drum beats and even record it as reference for later. Apps like Air Control, Tetris and Untangle Me are basic logic games that test your organizational skills. Although there is a high score to contend for, the games have a calming effect and are perfect for unwinding or keeping you busy when you're in a waiting room or on the bus.
Q CARD GAMES
Solitaire comes with a collection of different formats of the game made famous by Windows, including regular, spider, free cell and forty thieves. It is compatible with all versions of Android. Live Holdem Poker Pro allows you to play Texas Hold 'em Poker online with millions of Poker Pros and beginners. With features like live chat, tournament mode, personal avatars and virtual money
near you and build stores on your land. It's a great way to travel and see new places around you. Other multiplayer online games include Pool
Break Pro and a virtual Pictionary style What the

Doodle?
Uniwar offers online gaming, which means you can play against real
PlaVers'
SHOPPERS' STOP
UPCOMING ANDROID DEVICES
With more companies joining the Open Handset Alliance and with Google's new Android 3.0 Honeycomb release, there are some exciting new devices that are about to hit the market. These smartphones and tablets are going to take the market by storm.
BY K U S H A L A M O O W A L A
Android Devices On The Horizon
oogle released Android 2.3 Gingerbread in December 2010, and 3.0 Honeycomb on
The screen is the same size and resolution as the Xperia X10. The QWERTY keypad on the X10 has been replaced by a slide-out game controller, and it runs on Android 2.3 Gingerbread. With a BRAVIA Engine powering the screen and a 1 GHz processor, it promises a smooth and clear gaming experience. There are already some games available on demo devices and will soon be available on the Android Market.
January 26, so manufacturers are yet to
release their new smartphones and tablets running these operating systems. With an updated user interface, support for extra large screen sizes and improved power management, Gingerbread
will give manufacturers the choice to make smartphones with larger screens and better resolutions and offer higher performance hardware and utilities. Honeycomb, on the other hand, is optimized for tablets with support for multi-core processors and 3D graphics. It also offers tabbed browsing and syncing with Google Chrome. Here are a few supported devices that will be here soon.
Q SONY ERICSSON XPERIA PLAY

With the success of the PSP and PS3, it was only a matter of time before Sony made a PlayStation phone. With the recent reveal of the latest Xperia series phone called Play, they've done just that. The phone was launched on the February 13 at the Mobile World Congress 2011 and is expected in India soon.
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camera setup on the back, which you can later view on a 3D T V via its HDMI port. It runs a dualcore 1 GHz OMAP 4 processor, dual-channel RAM, has dual 1080p cameras, and a 4.3-inch 800*480
O MOTOROLA XOOM
The Motorola Xoom tablet was unveiled at CES 2011 this January and when Google revealed its new Android 3.0 Honeycomb OS, it was showcased on the Xoom as well. It runs on Nvidia's Tegra 2 platform, with a dual-core 1 GHz processor, 1 GB of RAM, and 32 GB of on-board user memory, plus an SD card slot. The display measures 10.1 inches, and it packs a 1280x800 resolution display. Honeycomb has integrated 3D carousels for music, YouTube, and Google Books, and the Xoom has integrated the navigation buttons into the touch interface. The Xoom and Android 3.0 looks to be a winning combination. Motorola is said to release the tablet on February 17 at an estimated price of $700 (approximately Rs 32,000).
screen. It has a parallax barrier to create the 3D effect, which means you no longer need those annoying 3D glasses. The Optimus 3D is powered by Android 2.3 Gingerbread and is tipped to begin shipping in the second quarter of 2011.
Q MOTOROLA ATRIX
Motorola's new Atrix is being touted as the world's most powerful smartphone. It runs on Android 2.2, with HTML5 support, on a dual-core processor with 1 GB of RAM. It also boasts a browser that's twice as fast as any competing Web browser. The shocker though is that it docks into a laptop. The Atrix Webtop tion Applicayour docks
0 LG OPTIMUS 3D
LG has followed up on the success of its Optimus phone with the Optimus 3D.It has a 4.3inch glasses-free 3D display, which is quite effective for games and movies and you can even film your own 3D videos using the dual
phone into a laptop and uses it to power the laptop. It also docks into an HD dock that has port, three USB ports and an HDMI enabling connections to a keyboard, mouse, speakers and HDMI-compatible monitor. There is still no information on an India release date or pricing.
p L I IT YOURSELF
RUN ANDROID OFF A USB DRIVE
LET ANDROID POWER YOUR NETBOOK

just like you can get a live bootable Linux OS on your system without any installation, Android can help you do the same on a non-touch screen device. R e a d o n to know how you can create a live Android OS set right c ice!
BY K A M A K A S H I S
can power up your netbook or laptop with a nontouch version of Android. This version, the Android x86, is equivalent to Android OS version 1.6 (there is a stable release for version 2.1 and an unstable one for version 2.2 as well), which was originally called "patch hosting for Android x86 support". This project was originally created as a patch for non-compliant systems to be a part of the Android technology movement. It offers support for Intel chipsets to run the platform on devices
f you have heard enough about the Android platform, but are wary about investing in an
Android-powered device, here is one way you
The system is extremely light and boots up without any delay on an Intel Core 2 Duo-backed system.
like netbooks and tablets, especially those using Atom processors. Thus you can enjoy Android on
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your Windows XP, Vista, or Windows 7 powered netbooks and laptps too.
Welcome to UtfetaiiQj the Universal Netboot Installer, Usage; 1. Select a distribution and version to download from the list above, or manually specify files to load below, 2. Select an installation type, and press OK to begin instating.
T H E REQUIRED TOOLS
Once you have decided to take Android on a dry run, you'll need a USB drive with at least 256 MB of free storage space. It is advisable to back up any data on it so that this becomes a dedicated bootable device for the Android OS.
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Plug in your USB device and start UNetbootin. Load the ISO and select the device to mount the Android OS.
tNext, you need to arrange for the Android X 86 setup files. Go to http://go.chip.in/nlotp, and save the "android-x86-1.6-r2.iso" file listed under the Stable Release section. Alternatively, you can use
DO IT YOURSELF |2fl
the Version 2.2 bridge to mount. For that download the " android-x86-2.2-generic.iso" file instead from the Stable Release section.
Next, mount the ISO file to create a live bootable USB drive. Go to http://go.chip.in/lndnf and save the Windows version of UNetbootin. Now, you can proceed to turn your USB into a Live Android OS boot source.
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Q SETTING UP THE USB DEVICE

Once you have all the required tools set up, proceed to converting your USB drive into a bootable Live USB drive. Plug in your USB drive and run the UNetbootin application. Select the "Diskimage" option and browse to and load the ISO file. Next, set the type to "USB Drive" and select the USB drive f r o m the drop down menu. Click OK, and your live bootable USB is ready for use. A f t e r all the files are copied, you w i l l be prompted for a reboot. You can click Reboot to launch the Android OS right away or you can use it through the flash drive when required.
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Select the 'Live CD - Run Android-x86 without installation' option and proceed to load the OS on your system.
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Q BOOTING UP THE SYSTEM

If you want your system to boot into the Android OS, you must change the boot sequence. For that, start your PC and enter the BIOS menus. Set your flash drive as the booting drive. If your system doesn't support booting flash drives, you can directly burn the ISO file on to a CD and use the CD as a live OS instead. On booting, select the Live CD, and select the "Run Android x86 without installation" option. Being light, it takes little time to load up.
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Just like in a regular Android device, you can customize the intro screen with widgets.
0 SURFING ON ANDROID
The Android x 86 extends support to cameras, Wi-Fi, and more. Although it has been tested on several platforms with positive results, it may not work fine with every setup. For instance, we tried using the setup with a Dell laptop. The camera and recorder worked fine, but the Wi-Fi options did not work. Moreover, it requires a SD card to save data; it doesn't really save or pick up anything f r o m your hard-drive. Any apps you install will be available for the current session only, and you will not find them on reboot. Although Android does offer a decent surfing experience, it is not recommended that you install the OS on your hard disk.
The OS comes with a set of pre-existing apps and widgets. Since it doesn't support Wi-Fi, you might not be able to do much.
IT YOURSELF
GAIN SUPERUSER ACCESS
GETTING TO THE ROOT OF YOUR ANDROID

The biggest advantage of using a smartphone with an open source OS is quick guide to help root your Android device.
BY KAMAKSHI S the level o f customization you can have with it, that too without too much professional help. Rooting your phone will help you get started. Here's a
you can upgrade the firmware on your phone to house the latest operating system. However, if you are a new user, flashing your memory even with adequate back up may not be such a smart thing to do.
nlike jailbreaking, rooting is a perfectly legal and well promoted process, which comes with several benefits. For starters
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O WHAT IS ROOTING?
In the simplest of terms, 'rooting' means getting 'superuser' privileges on your Android device. While the term rooting
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After collecting the required tools, prepare your phone for rooting by enabling the 'USB Debugging' option.
you don't need, but once these apps have been removed, you cannot reset your phone to factory settings for damage control. So when you do remove an app, make sure that you know it will not hamper the regular working of your phone, if upgrading the OS versions gives you the jitters, you can use apps that need root access to perform exclusive functions like tethering.
Manage applications
Manage and remove installed applications
can control every running aspect that the OS offers. For most phones, this root access is not really encrypted so root access gives you complete access to every aspect of your OS.
Running services
View and control currently running services
Development
Set options for application development To start rooting, you must give access to the external application. For this, keep the 'Unknown sources' option checked.
W H Y ROOT?
With a rooted you can phone, uninstall ROM applications that
H O W IS IT DONE?
For this demo, we would be rooting a Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 mini pro that has been upgraded to Android 2.1 Eclair. The procedure to root the same phone for Android version 1.6 is the same.
DO IT YOURSELF | 2 f l
However, after every firmware upgrade, you will have to root your phone. Make sure you back up your data after every root process.
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0 WARMING UP
If you wish to start with a firmware upgrade on your phone right f r o m the vendors, visit http:// go.chip.in/siuty. Download, install and update your phone using the upgrade offered. Next start your phone, go to 'Settings | Applications'. Check on the 'Unknown sources' option. Proceed to the Development sub menu and turn on the 'USB Debugging' option. A D S (ianM n o t !t*#s aattig a n o wo np o r t5 0 3 7" d w m a is t a r t e ds u c c e a a K f y*
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0 GATHER THE TOOLS

Apart from the updates for your phone, you need to install you phone drivers and the SuperOneClick tool. You can get the phone drivers from the Sony Ericsson PC component f r o m http://go.chip.in/ relxm, and you can download the SuperOneClick tool from http://go.chip.in/lxevg. Install in your cable. the phone ready phone to to your start the drivers PC of with with the the and the ZIP plug USB file
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0 ROOTING THE DEVICE

Once your phone is connected to your PC, make sure that the drivers load up and your system recognizes the device. Start the SuperOneClick application and click Root. if it throws up any errors, t r y rooting the phone again. If the app goes into a loop instead, just restart the USB Debugging mode on your phone while it is still connected to the PC. Once rooted, your phone will spot a superuser app. You can now go ahead and explore.
Once t h e OS v e r s i o n is v e r i f i e d , click R o o t t o p r o c e e d w i t h t h e r o o t i n g . If i t l o o p s t h e p r o c e s s , r e s t a r t t h e USB D e b u g g i n g o p t i o n .
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0 BACKING UP DATA
Once you have rooted your device, you may want to upgrade the firmware to the latest version of Android. It is advisable to back up all you data on to your SD card with a reliable tool. One such tool is Titanium Backup Pro. Priced at Rs 270.22, you would also need the BusyBox app to help you back up your files. Apart f r o m these, you'll need a tool to back up your messages. You can use Backup to Gmail, which is priced Rs 90.25 and can back up all your messages and send them to your Gmail account. A f t e r r o o t i n g , t h e S u p e r u s e r icon is m a d e a v a i l a b l e t o y o u r p h o n e . You m i g h t h a v e t o g i v e t h e a p p l i c a t i o n 'su' r i g h t s t o p r o c e e d . m p w O r w G s d c v1 . 6 JJ J & n g M BS e r v e r. . . t a r t i n gA B BS e r v e r d s o o o nn o t twtvig. s t a r t i n gtn o wo np o r tS S 3 7 " Testing! ; d a e m o ns t a r t e de u c e e s a f c iy "
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HOW TO TETHER YOUR ANDROID DEVICE
EXPAND YOUR NET WITH TETHERING

With the advent of 3 G and unbelievably fast Internet speeds from mobile
service providers, tethering is going to be a big hit with Android users. the choice is yours.
BY K U 5 H A L M A M 0 0 W A L A
Share your service provider's 3 G speeds wirelessly, b y USB or b y Bluetooth;
ethering basically means using an Internetenabled device as a modem for another device, generally a notebook or a PC. What
It gets a little more complicated when you tether with Windows XP. First, you must download a configuration file tetherxp.inf and save it on your PC. When you connect you device to your PC with the USB cable, Windows XP's New Hardware Wizard will open and ask to install drivers for your new device. Here, you must manually select and install the configuration file you have downloaded, which then configures XP to support USB tethering with your Android device. It is also worth noting that at this point, Mac does not support USB tethering. Turning your FroYo device into a Wi-Fi hotspot is much quicker and easier. As long as your mobile phone service has a data plan, all you have to do is go into the wireless and network settings and configure your device to act as a Wi-Fi hotspot. You can leave it as an open access point or even assign a WPA2 PSK password to restrict access. The advantage of portable Wi-Fi hotspot tethering is that more than one device can use your Internet at the same time. It is also easier to tether for Windows XP and Macintosh users and other cellular devices.
this means is that you can ditch your broadband service and tether your Android device with your PC and use it a modem, sharing your mobile Internet service between your phone and your PC.
0 TETHERING WITH FROYO

Most Android devices in the market today run on Android 2.1 Eclair or 1.6 Donut and only recently have newer products running on 2.2 FroYo been introduced. If you are using an Android FroYo device, tethering will be pretty easy as it is a built-in option in your wireless and network settings. All you have to do is choose f r o m tethering it via USB cable or turning it into a Wi-Fi hotspot. Tethering with your USB cable is simple if you're running Windows 7, Windows Vista or Linux. The Android user's guide gives you simple, easy to Google h a s a d d e d t e t h e r i n g as a f e a t u r e t o A n d r o i d 2.2 (FroYo). follow instructions and configurations to setup your device for USB tethering.
0 TETHERING WITH ECLAIR OR EARLIER

Android operating systems before FroYo did not have a built in option for tethering, but that doesn't mean you cannot do it. There are many ways in which you can still tether your device for Internet access, either by using tethering apps, rooting your device, or using a proxy server.
DO IT YOURSELF
|2fl
TETHERING APP THAT NEEDS ROOT ACCESS

Android Wi-Fi Tether is an app that turns your device into a Wi-Fi hotspot with one simple tap. There is a fair bit of configuration to be done before you can get there though. First, you have to get root access to your device, a fairly complicated, multi-step process that uses an unofficial Android add-on, which can turn your device into a brick if applied incorrectly. You can read the 'Getting to the root of your Android' article in this issue to get better information and directions on rooting your Android device. Once you have rooted your phone, you must download and install the Android Wi-Fi Tether app, which is available at 'http://go.chip.in/wifitether'. Note that the app is made specific to your device's hardware and so a different version must be downloaded for different devices. This app can now turn your device into a Wi-Fi hotspot and clients can connect via ad-hoc Wi-Fi mode or by Bluetooth to get access to the Internet. Although this process is free and doesn't require any extra software or messing with your computer's settings, you can do serious harm to your Android device if something goes wrong.
Proxoid". This method is completely free and relatively rooting but it easier your does than device, require
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installing the Android SDK software on your computer and changing your browser's proxy settings each time you want to tether.
Start/Stop Proxoid
Proxy currently off. Select to switch on.
V /
Port
Listening port. Current v a l u e : 8080
TETHERING APP WITHOUT ROOT

By far the for easiest tethering method is by using the PDANet app. The free version of the app gives you access to all basic websites and
U s e r - A g e n t filter
User-Agent filtering. Current v a l u e : Replace w i t h d u m m y
Proxoid helps share your Android device's Internet connection with other devices.
gives you limited 14-day access to secure (https) websites. The full version is currently priced at $24 (approx Rs 1,125). You can find both versions of the app on the Android Market and you will also need to install the PC software f r o m the PDANet website. Once you have installed the app and the software, all you need to do is make one small adjustment to your phone's settings by checking the "USB debugging" option in your device's development settings. Now connect your device to your computer, run the PDANet app, and select "Enable USB tether". There is also an option for Bluetooth tethering if you wish to tether the PDANet your on device wirelessly. Now run software your computer, right-click on the icon in the system tray, select "Connect" from the pop-up menu, and you're ready to surf.This
TETHERING BY PROXY
If you are not confident enough to root your device, you can try using the Proxoid app to tether your phone via USB. Proxoid turns your Android device into a proxy server that your computer uses to make Internet requests. The app is currently free on the Android Market, but to get access to your device's Internet connection, you need to install the Android SDK or device drivers onto your computer, tweak some of the settings, and then configure your browser to use a proxy server whenever you want to tether. You can download and install the Android SDK from the Android for Developers page or get a modified version for Proxoid f r o m http://go.chip.in/ proxoid-sdk. Once installed, connect your device via USB and set it so that the USB debugging option is turned on. Now you must configure your browser to use a proxy server to connect to the Internet. Proxoid uses the server name "localhost" and port "8080". You also need to run a batch file named "starttunnel.bat" in the "proxy-adb" folder. Once the proxy settings have been done, all you have to do is run Proxoid on your device and check "Start
I d 9:58 AM
j -fMJMet
Version
2.16
PdaNet is currently turned off. Please turn it on before connecting from the computer end.
is the quickest and easiest method for tethering, but if you want access to secure sites such as online banking and credit card payment pages, you will need to spend approximately Rs 1,200 to buy the full version f r o m the PDA Net website.
<D Help
PDA Net is the easiest way to tether your device via USB or Bluetooth.
AO TECH TALK
CAREERS IN APP DEVELOPMENT
GIVE YOUR CAREER AN 4

While there many that this is clearly a market with lots of growth potential, especially a s smartphone functionality continues to evolve. And with growing demand for apps comes
are
great apps
have been developed for smartphones,
an increase in career opportunities for mobile app developers.

M A M O O W A L A
BY
KUSHAL
Android
obile app development is
quickly turning into one of the hottest IT sectors. currently the second
is
highest selling mobile phone OS and gaining popularity according to a study f r o m Gartner Inc. Gartner also claims that $15.9 billion is expected in end-user spending in 2012 alone and mobile apps will soon drive hardware sales, advertising spending and technology innovations. In addition, Android's open source code enables developers all over the world to put their programming skills to use and develop their apps individually. Several app and game development companies have sprung up in the recent past and developers are quickly growing in numbers in India and all over the world. Google and the Android website already provide users with a software development kit (SDK). Application programming is generally done in Java and the advent and adoption of HTML5 into Web browsers and mobile Web browsers means a sound knowledge in HTML5 and Java is critical for future Android app developers. It is vital to understand the user experience as these apps are much more user driven than traditional softwares. We spoke with Salil Bhargava, CEO and spokesperson for Jump Games about the prospects of mobile phone app development.
Salil Bhargaua.CEO and spokesperson, Jump Games
How much growth have you seen in the recent years in the mobile app market? Has the growth of tablets also added to the enthusiasm?
There in has been the a significant industry, growth mobile
which has also had a positive impact on the mobile app industry. The smartphone segment has seen an exponential growth in the consumption of mobile apps in the past couple of years. The growth of tablets has definitely added to the enthusiasm, with companies like Apple and Google launching tablets that o f f e r iOS and Android apps respectively.
How much has the Android phenomenon influenced this growth?

The Android phenomenon has had a significant impact on the growth of mobile apps, with a lot of developers focusing on the Android platform to leverage their product offering.
How much app support do you provide to Android users?

We believe that it is a very key market for us and so we make sure that every game we develop at Jump Games is also available on the Android platform. Android is vital in terms of our product strategy and roadmap going forward.
TECHTRLK 41
MDROID JOLT
Considering that an open source OS has frequent version upgrades, is it difficult or easy to adapt to the changes of a popular app?
Adaptation to changes and upgrades is an ongoing process for any mobile app as the platform for which it has been developed evolves. With business and technology trends changing on a regular basis, it is imperative to keep updating your app to meet the market requirement.
TOP 10 APP CATEGORIES FOR 2012

Location-based services (LBSs)
- Location is one of t h e main enablers t h a t deliver services to users, and Gartner expects t h e t o t a l user base of c o n s u m e r LBSs to reach 1.4 billion users by 2014.
Social networking
- Social n e t w o r k p l a t f o r m s are sucking in
increasing a m o u n t s of n e t w o r k t r a f f i c . They are becoming portals, t r a n s i t hubs and cloud storage for increasing a m o u n t s of messaging and e - m a i l t r a f f i c , videos, photos, g a m e s and commerce.
Mobile search
- Visual search is usually related w i t h product search
t o enable price c o m p a r i s o n s or to check p r o d u c t i n f o r m a t i o n . This w o u l d allow users t o t a k e actions based on t h e result, like m a k i n g a call or reservation, buying a ticket, placing an order, and so on.
Mobile commerce
- Over t h e next 24 m o n t h s , Gartner expects t h e
emergence of uniquely mobile f u n c t i o n s , such as t h e ability to "check in" t o a s t o r e t o add i t e m s t o a s h o p p i n g c a r t s i m p l y by t a k i n g a p h o t o of an i t e m or bar code in t h e physical store.
Mobile payment
- In order t o get c o n s u m e r s on board, p a y m e n t
s o l u t i o n providers need t o address e a s e - o f - u s e for users and easeo f - i m p l e m e n t a t i o n for c u s t o m e r s w i t h o u t c o m p r o m i s i n g security.
@ When you have apps which have been a major hit across platforms, is it more difficult or easier to maintain their popularity?
It is both actually. While the popularity of the app will help in getting the extra push in acquiring new users and thereby keeping the app up the popularity charts, it is also an ongoing process to keep updating the app (it could be by adding new features, additional levels, new game modes, etc) to retain user interest and keep them coming back for more. With companies integrating social networking, navigation and documentation apps into their devices, there is a lot of scope for other apps and games to be integrated as well. Developers that stay abreast of the latest technologies and innovations could make their apps stand out from the rest of the pack.
Context-aware service
- C o n t e x t - a w a r e applications provide
i m p r o v e d user experiences by using i n f o r m a t i o n a b o u t a person's i n t e n t i o n s , history, e n v i r o n m e n t , schedule, connections and preferences t o anticipate t h e i r needs and proactively serve t h e m o s t a p p r o p r i a t e c o n t e n t , product, or service.
Object recognition (OR) -
H i g h - e n d devices have increased sensor
and processing capability t o enable s o p h i s t i c a t e d applications recognize t h e user's s u r r o u n d i n g s , including objects of interest.
Mobile instant messaging (MIM) - Gartner expects MIM to attract

c o n s u m e r s t o n e w t y p e s of unified c o m m u n i c a t i o n (UC) clients, provided by over t h e t o p (OTT) service providers such as Skype.
Mobile e-mail
- Gartner expects mobile e - m a i l users w o r l d w i d e
t o increase f r o m 3 5 4 million in 2 0 0 9 t o 713 million in 2014. E - m a i l addresses are personal and potentially very sticky, t h u s provide carriers, e - m a i l service providers and OTT players w i t h an o p p o r t u n i t y t o lock in c o n s u m e r s .
Mobile video
- Devices w i t h larger screens o f f e r t h e ideal p l a t f o r m
for video c o n s u m p t i o n and w i t h careful m a r k e t i n g and consumer education. Gartner believes t h a t carriers and c o n t e n t providers w o u l d be able to drive mobile video usage in t h e c o m i n g years.
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42 TECHTRLK
GEAR UP: ANDROID A

With the constant rise in the number of tablets and smartphones powered by Android, switching to app development in the Android space makes sense. Moreover, since the OS is based on another open-source operating system, Linux, migrating might not be as cumbersome as you may have imagined.
BY K A M A K A S H I 5
DEVELOPING ANDROID APPS
A
Q
ndroid has become a very exciting platform for budding developers to challenge
but as an app developer, the number of downloads for your app can also grow wider because the technology is in its original f o r m across devices. While there are things like f o r m factor and hardware composition to w o r r y about, the compatibly issues are ironed out by the Android SDK itself, as the relevant compatibly packages are made available in the source code by default.
their Java skills. Although the technology
is quite recent, its success has been booming to say the least. With a plethora of apps already available on
the Android Market and users flocking to buy Android-based devices, now is the right time to put your Java skills to good use. Here's all you need to know about Android:
THE PROGRAMMING LANGUAGE

As knowledge of modification to the source code of the OS is irrelevant while you develop the apps, you don't really need to master C. You only need to be proficient in Java, Execution because the OS features a modified Java Runtime Environment called as the Android upgrade process convenient. However, there are certain preset guidelines that your app needs to follow if you wish for it to run on the target devices with ease. Environment, thus making its installation and
OPEN-SOURCE
Since the technology is projected as being opensource, you can m o d i f y the source code for any personal use without any legal violation. The operating system itself is a code combination of C and Java, just like Linux, which is also coded mainly on C. As a developer, you can contribute not just to app development, but also to develop add-ons and plug-ins that can help the system become a bit more robust.
THE OPEN HANDSET ALLIANCE

What makes Android a better environment for application development is the open handset alliance that Google has entered into with 80 technology and mobile companies. Not only can you switch between phone and port data with ease,
GARNERINGTHE ARMOR
Once you have decided to take the Android road to app development, you will realize that the SDK is designed to make the process as comfortable as can be. To start off, you would need the Android SDK and AVD Manager to utilize the latest tools or platform.
I l-l_l I n u i \
-T-rf
P DEVELOPMENT 101
Sachin Pandit
Begin with the standard Android SDK package. You can install it f r o m http://developer.android. com/sdk/index.html depending on the OS of the system that you need to develop your app. if you are confused about which Integrated Development Environment (IDE) to use, you can settle for Eclipse. To run the Eclipse IDE, you would need to equip your machine with Eclipse 3.4 (Ganymede) or greater and the Eclipse JDT plugin, JDK 5 or JDK 6 (just the JRE alone would not work) and the Android Development Tools plugin. You will find the Eclipse tools at http://www.eclipse.org/ downloads/.
While
there
are
many
packages
that
you
can use f r o m the site, the one recommend on the Android Developer forum consists of the following utilities: Eclipse IDE for Java Developers Eclipse Classic (versions 3.5.1 and higher) Eclipse IDE for Java EE Developers Other IDEs that you can opt for include Apache Ant 1.8 or later, IntelliJ or Emacs. However, the Android SDK is not compatible with Gnu Compiler for Java (gcj). Once you have all the tools in place, you need to check your computer's hardware profile before you start the coding process.
44
ItCMTHLK
SETTING UP YOUR SYSTEM

The Android SDK, its specified plug-ins and IDEs can work fine with Windows, Mac OS and Linux operating systems which support 32-bit applications. It can work with Windows XP (32-bit), Vista (32- or 64-bit), or Windows 7 (32- or 64-bit), Mac OS X 10.5.8 or x86, Ubuntu Linux version 8.04 or later, or Lucid Lynx, which comes equipped with the GNU C Library (glibc) 2.7 or later. You will require between 195-600 MB of f r e e space for the tools, apart f r o m the required tools mentioned in the previous section. All the specified tools can be found at http://developer. android.com/sdk/index.html.
execution
environment,
and
hence
the
first
requirement is that it needs to be compiled in an .APK file format. While this is a mandate, another mandate is to code the required manifest files with the required details. These manifest files will help make the app available only for those devices which fulfill the required hardware, OS version, and form factor values. While these mandates have to be followed by you as an app developer, the official forum has also put up certain practices that can help you make your app more efficient and hence more popular when you put it on the Market. These practices include designing apps that don't drain the battery, have a good response time, and don't crash. For more details, you can visit http://developer.android.com/guide/ index.html. The process for putting your apps up for sale or f r e e distribution is explained in detail in the article titled " " in this issue.
CRACKING THE CODE

Once you have your system set, you need to start developing your app. You can either develop a standalone utility app or a service that runs in the background. If you are planning to contribute to make the source code to the Android OS better instead, you can either send forth reports or send bug fixes, or add to the tools and utilities in the form of plugins, services and apps. For details on how you can contribute to the open source project of Android, visit http://source.android.com/index.html The apps that are compatible with Android devices need to work efficiently in the Android
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TESTING YOUR FINAL PRODUCT

Like every other software that you code, it is a good practice to test your product on the coding level (white box testing) and also with sample values once the app is ready (black box testing). The SDK and Eclipse IDE provide you with a strong set of tools to not only test your apps, but to also debug them with efficiency and ease if you detect any code errors on final testing. When you carry out black box testing on your app, you can figure out a simulation on how the app would run on your target user's device. Thus, you can not only avoid unwanted forced shut downs of your app, but you can also create regular fixes and patches if your app has developed a runtime error reported by users after it has been released.
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SHARING SUCCESS
If you find it difficult to code and need some inspiration to continue your app journey, there are several reference libraries, video tutorials and blog posts that can come to your rescue. These include developer tips and talks with successful app makers, and they will keep you updated on new features and plug-ins that can help you code your apps better.
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A sample code on the Android SDK and an emulator that helps you see what you have coded in real time.
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13
A GATHERING FOR UBUNTU DEVELOPERS
India's First Ubuntu Developer Day

In an effort to unify developers and open source partners, Canonical hosted its inaugural Ubuntu Developer Day in Bangalore.
BY KAMAKSHI 5
January saw India's first inaugural Ubuntu Developer Day. Canonical, which provides Ubuntu solutions worldwide, launched the first ever Ubuntu Developer Day in Bangalore. There were several presentations for technologies, including Ubuntu, Ubuntu uTouch and Ubuntu Enterprise Cloud. There were also demonstrations on platforms like the Ubuntu Netbook Edition, Ubuntu Light, and Ubuntu 10.10. "We were very pleased with the interaction at the event and the opportunity to update this very J o n Melamut, VP Product and Sales, OEM Services, Canonical delivered the keynote speech at the event. important audience for Ubuntu," said Jon Melamut, VP Product and Sales, OEM Services, Canonical. He went on to add, " W e were expecting around the meteoric rise in interest sur200 people, so to get at least a 50 percent increase on our forecast shows the popularity of Ubuntu in a key country like India with its huge potential for users and developers on open platforms."
With
rounding Android technologies, it was the turn of another Linux based operating system to take the spotlight. The end of
The day long event saw many enthusiastic Ubuntu developers coming together. The question-answer sessions saw a healthy exchange of ideas.
46 TECHTRLK
CAREERS IN INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
MCA: BUILD A CAREER IN IT

If you didn't get into the engineering college of your choice, don't lose hope. You c a n opt for an MCA degree instead and still have a bright career in I T .
BY PRIYANKA TILVE
with IT backgrounds as well as those new to the field. It's an extensive three-year masters program divided into six semesters that grooms you into a full-fledged IT professional. The course is developed in sync with the latest trends in IT and covers areas like software development, systems management, systems development, systems engineering, application software, management information systems (MIS), hardware technology, networking, etc.
CA,
or
Master is a
of
Computer graduate
Applidegree
the third year of MCA itself, so it actually comes to two years. You save one year and earn money as well. Since you've done masters in computers, you are supposed to be already groomed in terms of technical and professional aspects. Most companies don't groom their MCA freshers on how to deal with the client. It's all expected from them." He states further, "Stepping into the market having a MCA degree opens many doors for you. You can go for research work, pure development, support and maintenance, application enhancement, testing, and even teaching. In MCA, you are supposed to study 36 subjects in an elaborative manner. These 36 subjects help you choose your subject for research and teaching and for development. In MCA, you need to complete two professional trainings, which give you a very clear idea about the current market trends. So having prior knowledge in the area you'll be working in helps you in searching for the right job."
cation,
post
that is quite popular amongst those
WHY MCA?
A f t e r having successfully completed the MCA course, a student can establish a career as a Software Programmer, Software Engineer, Software Developer, Systems Analyst, Software Application Architect, Software Consultant, etc. Thiruvengadam P, Leader, Human Capital Advisory Services, Deloitte in India says there is a healthy demand for MCAs in the industry. "An MCA is a person who has either a skill of developing a system into proper code or can be trained and developed in any area of IT, like testing, programming, etc. A person who has certain limitations of getting into good quality engineering colleges could opt for MCA as it gives them a definite career opportunity. A f t e r three years of MCA, you would definitely have a job. They can further do additional courses to enhance their job prospects and qualifications." Gaurav Sharma, who completed his MCA f r o m Uttar Pradesh Technical University in 2006 and now works as Senior Software Engineer with SAIC India, agrees with him, "You start working in
WHO CAN CHOOSE MCA?

It's a degree anyone can pursue regardless of their educational background. Gaurav says, "I wanted to do something in my career which is related to the computers. I have done B.Sc. and I wanted to do a professional course that would give me good exposure to computers. As I had no IT background, MCA proved to be a very good platform for me, because the first semester gave me ample time to bridge the gap." On the other hand, Thiruvengadam P feels that MCA is also a great and easy option for those who could not get into engineering. "MCA is an easier option. Engineering has problems associated with it in terms of fees, the ability to get into the right institution, and so on. The number of people who
TECH TALK 47
have got the basic skills like numerical analysis and aptitude can opt for MCA instead of engineering, which focuses on learning a lot more than what is required for coding in the IT industry. Also, the private institutes that offer courses similar to MCA have tie-ups with companies for placement, which is good. So before opting for an institute, you should check their records, credentials, placements, etc."
entrance exams. Even though there are different entrance exams, the content is more or less the same. It tests the candidates for mathematical, logical, analytical, basic computers and general knowledge. Gaurav has a word of advice for those wanting to pursue an MCA degree. "Work hard in the first and second semester, because the study method and preparation mechanism for exams is very different in MCA. These two semesters are the foundations of your degree. Students should normally start preparing for the entrance exam of MCA in the years of graduation itself. Elite institutes offer a very good environment to study and handsome employment opportunities through campus placements. If non-IT students study the basics of C, C++ (or any other computer language), it will work to their advantage, since many universities include these languages in their entrance exam."
GROWTH PROSPECTS
"An MCA fresher starts as a programmer and acquires additional skills as they interact with their teams. They would move on to becoming analysts, architects or senior programmers and, in the long term, even project managers. However, they could hit the ceiling in terms of growth because of their non-engineering background, but if they are smart enough, they can easily surpass it. It all depends on their skills," Thiruvengadam P says. Gaurav agrees. "The very first advantage is that MCA is a masters degree that helps in building your career. For instance, if you have completed B.Tech or BE, after a particular stage, your growth can stagnate, so if you want to be a project manager or head of a particular department, you won't be given preference. At that stage, you would need to take admission in some distance learning course to be the eligible for that post. But with a MCA degree, you have the advantage of having the required educational experience. So according to me, MCA is a complete package."
SOME INSTITUTES OFFERING MCA

Delhi I n s t i t u t e of A d v a n c e d Studies, N e w Delhi U n i v e r s i t y of M a d r a s , Chennai, Tamil Nadu. ICFAI University, Tripura Fergusson College, Pune A n n a m a l a i University, C h i t a m b a r a m , Tamil Nadu. Apeejay I n s t i t u t e of Technology, Noida, U t t a r Pradesh. B a n g a l o r e I n s t i t u t e of Technology, Bangalore. Pune U n i v e r s i t y , Pune, M a h a r a s h t r a . 5IES College of M a n a g e m e n t Studies, Nerul, Navi M u m b a i Sinhgad I n s t i t u t e of M a n a g e m e n t and c o m p u t e r application, Pune V e e r m a t a Jijabai Technological I n s t i t u t e , Mumbai I n s t i t u t e of I n f o r m a t i o n Technology and M a n a g e m e n t , N e w Delhi N i r m a I n s t i t u t e of Technology, A h m e d a b a d , Gujarat. B a n a r a s H i n d u U n i v e r s i t y , Varanasi, U t t a r Pradesh. MET I n s t i t u t e of C o m p u t e r Science, Bandra, M u m b a i Indira Gandhi N a t i o n a l Open U n i v e r s i t y (IGNOU)
QUALIFICATIONS AND ENTRANCE EXAM

There are many institutes that offer MCA courses across India, and these courses are accredited by the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), New Delhi. It's a post graduate course and a candidate has to appear for a written entrance exam. Candidates have to secure 50 percent or above in their Bachelors or equivalent degree. Some universities may also require the candidate to have studied mathematics during graduation. There are two kinds of entrance exams - one is the common entrance exam like NIMCET conducted by the NITs, while institutes like the Symbiosis (Pune), Birla Institute of Technology (Ranchi), etc. conduct their own entrance exams. Additionally states like Madhya Pradesh, Orissa and Maharashtra also conduct their own common
INTELUGENTCOMPUTING CHIP INSIDER SUPPLEMENT < MARCH 2011
48 TECHTRLK
INNOVATIONS
A BIONIC ARM FOR THE DISABLED

Robotic prosthetics can be life changers for those with physical disabilities, but such technology demands a hefty price, which not many can afford. Nitesh Kumar Jangir shows us an economical alternative and explains the working of his robotic bionic arm.
BY K A M A K A S H I S
the way forward, the huge costs mean that it isn't the most viable option. However, Nitesh Kumar Jangir f r o m RGPV Bhopal has designed a robotic bionic arm with advanced sensors, which is not only useful but also economical for people with disabilities. His project has been entered into various competitions, including Prayas at IITB, IIT KGP and an international conference at Nirma University. It has also cleared round one of the Intel Embedded Challenge.
hysical disabilities are hard to cope with, especially if you've been used to life with normal motor skills. While prosthetics is
> THE IDEA

Although it is not rare to find disabled people with artificial limbs, the numbers are still relatively small because of the high price and cost of NITESH K U M A R JANGIR maintenance. Nitesh explains, "Prosthetics give new life to a person with physical disability, if a Nitesh holds a B.E. in Electronics & person loses his arm in an accident, an artificial body part is a boon to them. " He goes on to add, "Development in the field of prosthetics has been going on for a long time and many people are using these arms, but these are still out of the reach of many people due to their high cost and unavailability of proper resources, so people who can't afford them remain handicapped. This led me to develop my bionic arm, which is of low cost and can work like costly prosthetics." Communication Engineering from RGPV
University of Technology of Madhya Pradesh, Bhopal. His other projects include i n f r a r e d music transistor, PLCC with microcontrollers, DTMF controlled UMV, automatic CCTV, and automatic currency checker. An avid robotics enthusiast, he has attended training programs in Texas Instruments 32-bit microcontroller and several others as well.
> THE GENERAL IMPACT OF THE PROJECT

While an arm equipped with complex neural networks or artificial intelligence technologies can be most convenient, they are also expensive to develop. Talking about his creation, Nitesh explains, "This robotic arm works on the galvanic response of the human body. Due to the response of the skin and muscle tissue to these external and internal stimuli, the resistance can vary. When correctly calibrated, the galvanic skin response can measure these subtle differences. The galvanic skin response, known as GSR, is highly sensitive to emotions for some people. I have used this concept for this project, where I have calibrated this arm to the human body. It is not just a simple robot arm with embedded sensors, but it can also intimate the wearer about the temperature of objects. The idea was to design an arm similar to those made using neural technology, but only cheaper".
The entire setup of the bionic arm, including all the required components and cicruitry.
> THE DESIGN

Nitesh describes what is required to work such a complex system. " T h e system requires eight electrodes, foot Opamp, one ATMEGA16 microcontroller, five servo motors, one LM35, one LCD screen (which I used f r o m my Nokia 3310 handset), one Bluetooth or infrared-based wireless control and one GSM module."
> THE WORKING

The system consists of two components, the briquetting machine and a crushing machine. Nitesh elaborates, "The main functionality of this arm depends on galvanic response of skin. Galvanic skin response, also known as electro dermal response (EDR), psycho galvanic reflex (PGR), or skin conductance response (SCR), is a method of measuring the electrical resistance of the skin. There has been a long history of research on electrodermal activity, most of it dealing with spontaneous fluctuations. This product takes galvanic skin response as input for the product and facilitates movements." "To measure this response, I have designed a circuit with electrodes and a p o w e r f u l amplifier using an operation amplifier. This amplifier increases the sensitivity of the signal to something that can be easily evaluated for decision making. The data is fed to a microcontroller unit according to the predefined conditions and data comes f r o m a galvanic response meter device, which will move the servo motors connected to this microcontroller unit." He adds, "The muscle re-innervations procedure allows the re-routed nerves to grow into the chest muscle and direct the signals to the robotic arm through the surface electrodes. A power-
A working module of the artifical arm, which is powered by a mobile phone.
ful sensor like LM35 helps to detect temperature variations. Depending on the use of microcon-
50 TECHTRLK
trollers, the count of servo motors can be altered, but five motors is required for the basic hand movement mechanism. The most important part of the system is to program the microcontroller in accordance with the GSR inputs. This is achievable using winavr (for avr series). A single servo motor can normally move up to 1.5 kg, so a combination of five can easily carry out the work with usually associated with the working of an arm.
> PRACTICAL APPLICATION

The usefulness of this project is very evident, and needs no further reiteration. However, you cannot qualify its success unless it has been tested in real life situations. Nitesh agrees and says, "For checking it's practicality, I went through a long process of testing. This involved visiting hospitals and testing it on real patients. My prototype uses three movements (upper, lower and hand grip) that can work efficiently with a power supply of 9 volts. For more movements, more servo motors and switch mode power supply needs to be added." "Each arm needed to be specifically crafted for the person it was tested on. A f t e r initial difficulties and with a little bit of practice, they found the system very helpful. As per out test records, our system scored 70 percent in handling abilities, and 74 percent reliability, with a response time of 4 milliseconds. He added."
While this is a prototype of the arm, it provides near accurate data recordings.
> FINANCIAL FEASIBILITY

Nitesh reminds us that one of the important factors considered for the project is its financial viability. "The cost of this product depends upon the configuration that is required. Minimum cost with essential functionalities is between Rs 8,000 and Rs 10,000, which is quite economical. This is because we used simple technology and cost effective components."
The complex circuitry helps to generate movements and reflexes that are senstive to temprature changes.
A visual interpretation of a bionic arm attached to a severed human hand.

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