LG Optimus L5 dual now available for Rs. 13,499

The LG Optimus L5 dual first showcased at MWC held in Barcelona this year is now available in India with a price tag of Rs. 13,499. The phone is now available in the country in Black and White color options with online retailer Flipkart.

This is the third-dual SIM Android smartphone from the Korean manufacturer, the other two being the L3 Dual and Optimus Net Dual in India.

Specs wise, the Optimus L5 Dual is similar to its single-SIM variant, the Optimus L5. It sports a 4-inch IPS display and runs o Android 4.0 with the customised Optimus UI 3.0 atop. It has dual-SIM support similar to the Optimus L3 dual that went on sale in India in August.

On the inside the Optimus L5 dual is powered by 800 MHz processor with 512 MB RAM. It also features a 5MP auto-focus camera with flash, 4GB of internal memory and 32 GB of expandabe memory via microSD card.

The device comes with a 1,500 mAh battery and connectivity features include 3G, Wi-FI, Bluetooth 3.0 and a GPS.

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iBall launches Andi 4.3j dual-battery Android phone at Rs. 9,499

iBall has announced the launch of a new Android-based smartphone, Andi 4.3j featuring dual-SIM and dual-batteries. The device has been priced at Rs. 9,499.

The iBall Andi 4.3j runs on Android 2.3 Gingerbread operating system and is powered by 1GHz ARM Cortex A9 processor. It has 4.3-inch capacitive touch screen, 5 MP camera, 2 GB internal storage, 512  MB of RAM and micro SD card slot that supports additional storage upto 32 GB. The device supports 3G, Bluetooth, GPRS and EDGE for connectivity.

The most notable feature of the iBall device is the dual-battery- one 1,600 mAh and another 900 mAh battery, which together give output of 2,530 mAh battery.

" We are excited to launch for the first time in India a dual-battery smartphone. Battery back up is the major problem to the smartphone users. Realizing the high utility of smartphone, long hour chatting and longer browsing we have launched this stylish dual battery phone to provide unhindered and seamless usage," Sandeep Parasrampuria, Director, iBall is quoted as saying.

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CRIS introduces Live train tracking application, Rail Radar

Centre for Railway Information Systems (CRIS) has introduced Rail Radar, an application that will enable commuters to know the location of a train on a map and visualize the running-train network in real-time. Rail Radar has been jointly developed by CRIS and Rail Yatri Team.

Rail Radar boasts of user friendly interface and functionality. The interactive map can zoom in and zoom out to get station and train details. User can search for a particular train or station to get specific details of train around the station or running status of a train, location, its route and stoppages. Rail Radar also gives an overview on trains running on time as well as status of delayed trains. In case of a mishap/unplanned activity, Rail Radar would be able to provide users with an overview of situation and train status across the country.

" With the launch of Rail Radar, we are offering information in an entirely new way about train movement, which is perhaps the first for any major railway system in the world," said Sunil Bajpai, General Manager, CRIS.

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Violent video games making teenagers aggressive: Study

According to a new study from Brock University in Canada, teenagers who play violent video games for over a number of years become aggressive towards other people. Moreover the girls who played such games during their school years were found to be affected just as much as boys. The study findings are considered as first indication of a clear link between a sustain period of playing violent games and subsequent rise in hostile behaviour.

According to the research team, the long term players of violent games are likely to react aggressively to unintentional provocations such as someone accidentally bumping into them. The study which is now published in the Journal Developmental Psychology, involved 1,492 adolescents at eight high schools in Ontario, 51 percent of whom were female and 49 percent were male.

Surveys were carried out annually across four school years with the participants aged 14 or 15 at the start of study and 17 or 18 when the study concluded. Teenagers were asked series of questions like how often they pushed or shoved people and whether they frequently kick or punch people who make them angry. They were also asked whether they play

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Enjoy free SMS on Gmail in India

Search giant Google has started rolling out free SMS for its free email service Gmail and paid email service Google Apps customers in India. The service allows users to send SMSes to mobile phones from chat windows. Users have to add mobile numbers of their contacts in email address book and they are set.

The service starts with 50 SMS credits for each user, every sent SMS costing one credit. Apply reply received adds on 5 credits subjected to the maximum level being 50 SMS at any given time. There is no official statement from Google on the launch of this service, however the service has gone live this evening in the chat windows of many users.

Google is rolling out this service in partnership with cellular operators, which means they would share revenue with Google out of SMSes users on their network send. It specifies a way to buy more SMS credits.

The SMS sent from Gmail are delivered to mobile phone while reply from mobile phone appears in chat window. For the mobile phone user the reply is charged at local SMS rate as per his/her normal billing plan.

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Gadgets soon to identify their users by measuring heartbeats

Smartphones, tablets, gaming devices and other devices may soon recognize their owners at a touch. The gadgets will identify their users by measuring their heartbeats through their finger tips.

"ECG biometrics identifies people by their cardiac rhythm," Foteini Agrafioti, an engineer at the University of Toronto who developed a version of the technology and started a company, Bionym, to make it.

"Not just their heart rate but the actual shape of their heartbeat," he added.

Heartbeat could be a secure alternative, or supplement, to more established biological ID measures, such as fingerprints. And unlike some futuristic identification schemes, heartbeat IDs are technologically ready to go.

The finger sensors have made it possible to embed heartbeat measurements into smartphones and other devices, although they aren't precise enough for doctor's diagnosis.

Meanwhile, engineers have found that the exact shape of ECG spikes varies from person to person. Everyone has his or her own unique shape, which remain even during heart rate changes caused by excitement or exercise. That shape also stays the same over time.

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Apple pays tribute to late Steve Jobs

Apple paid tribute to its co-founder by posting a video on its website. The tribute video features famous quotes and images of Jobs, and highlights some of the best company's inventions.

Apple's website featured a note from the company's CEO Tim Cook, praising Jobs and his contributions to the company. Cook wrote:

" Steve's passing one year ago today was a sad and difficult time for all of us. I hope that today everyone one will reflect on his extraordinary life and the many ways he made the worls a better place.

One of the greatest gifts Steve gave to the world is Apple. No company has ever inspired such creativity or set such high standards for itself. Our values originated from Steve and his spirit will forever be the foundation of Apple. We share the same privilege and responsibility of carrying his legacy into the future.

I'm incredibly proud of the work we are doing, delivering products that our customers love and dreaming up new ones that will delight them down the road.

It's a wonderful tribute to Steve's memory and everything he stood for."

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