10 best games for smart phone

The only part that most people
dislike about vacations is the
amount of time taken to reach the
destination. Travelling such a long
distance could really bore you
especially if you are not the kind
who would use the time to indulge
in books or enjoy the passing
scenery. At such times, your
smartphone could come to the
rescue with its heap of addictive
games. There are several games
that could easily keep you engaged
for hours. We have picked out 10
such games for your smartphone.

Osmos -
Android , iOS

Osmos, a physics-based award-
winning game lets players enter
the Darwinian world. The player
has to absorb smaller organisms
and grow to survive, and at the
same time be aware of larger
predators. To move forward, you
must eject matter behind you,
which will make you shrink. So
Osmos has to maintain the
balance by absorbing smaller
masses quickly and efficiently. The
game will lead the player through
ambient playgrounds, deep solar
systems, competitive petri dishes,
dense mote-fields, and more via its
72 levels and two game modes. It
is available for Android as well as
iOS users for free, and supports
gestures such as pinch to zoom,
tap to eject mass, flick to warp
time and more.

Super Hexagon -
    Android , iOS
Super Hexagon can be easily called
the most simple yet complicated
game. The game is all about
spinning a small triangle around a
swirling, psychedelic drain of a
maze so that it doesn't crash into
the walls of the maze. Super
Hexagon comes with simple rules
but requires a lot of concentration,
making you forget the world
outside. It is extremely difficult to
survive the maze for even a
minute, and those who accept the
challenge could spend the entire
journey in this hypnotising maze
no matter how long it is. The app
is available for Android and iOS
users, but comes with a price tag
attached to it. Android users will
have to shell out Rs 163 while iOS
users can buy it for Rs 170.

Subway Surfers -
     Android, iOS
Running games have become quite
popular since Temple Run hit
mobile stores. If you are bored
with Temple Run and want to lay
your hands rather fingers on
something similar, then Subway
Surfers is a great option. The
player has to run on subway tracks
and collect coins and different
kinds of power-ups on the way. In
this endless running game, the
player has to beware of the
grumpy inspector and a dog. There
are daily and weekly challenges,
which bring lots of benefits. This
game is highly addictive and
available to download for free on
the Apple app store and the
Google Play store.

Funky Smugglers -
    Android , iOS
Funky Smugglers is a 70s style
arcade game wherein the player
has to eliminate contraband
products from boarding passengers
as they move past an X-ray
machine. All of it has to be done
to a funky soundtrack. There are
several boosts which will help
power up the X-ray scanner. The
game requires its players to
progress as far as possible to make
the greatest score. One can play
the single version of the game or
opt for an online group mode
where your score contributes to a
team’s total score. The gameplay is
simple, easy and addictive. The
graphics are vivid and lively. The
game isn't available for free, and
one will have to shell out around
Rs 50.

Knights of pen and paper -
Android, iOS
Gaming fiends would find this
retro style pixel-art RPG very
interesting. It is a free, turn-based
game filled with dungeons, and
monsters. Inspired by 90s titles,
this PC game was recently updated
for leading other platforms
including Android and iOS. The
player can choose which battles to
fight, and also control characters
and the dungeon master. The
game comes with 12 different
classes (6 unlockables) and 17
characters (5 unlockables), more
than 150 quests, 50 monsters, 100
items and equipment, blacksmith,
enchanter, mining, gathering,
hidden treasures and more. The
storyline can be personalised and
the gameplay is quite
entertaining.

Lexathon -
                Android
Lexathon is an extremely addictive
word game that will keep you busy
on the go with its more than
100,000 word puzzles. The player
has to make all words possible
with the jumbled letters. The
game is time bound, which makes
it all the more interesting. Tap the
‘Give up’ button to maximise your
score once you have formed all the
words to increase the score. This
addictive free Android puzzle game
is great for those who love
anagrams, word jumbles, or those
who want to enhance their Boggle
and Scrabble skills. Some features
of the game include looking up
definitions in the dictionary and
posting scores on Facebook.

Room -
        Android , iOS
This mobile game puts you directly
in a room,and your goal is to open
a well-locked safe. Then begins
hours of brain racking to solve
puzzles and challenges to break
open the safe. The Room has an
interesting creepy look and the
gameplay will keep you engaged
for several hours. Room is a
premium game available to
download for around Rs 106. It is
hard to put down with its highly-
immersive gameplay.

Unblock Me -
                Android, iOS
Here’s yet another puzzle game
option that brings hours of simple
and addictive gaming. The goal of
the game is to get the red block
out of the board. Players can do so
by smartly sliding the other blocks
out of the way. It offers four
difficulty levels ranging from
Beginner to Expert and has about
4,200 puzzles. There are two game
modes: Challenge yourself with the
Challenge mode or choose to just
lie back and relax with the Relax
mode. Unblock Me is a free game
available for Android and iOS
users.

Wind-up Knight -
                Android, iOS
The next in our list is a high-end,
action-packed game. It is a 3D
side-scrolling adventure game
wherein the player has to guide
the Wind-up knight through over
50 devilish levels. The Wind-up
knight has to rescue the princess
from the evil Black Knight. Inspite
of the fact that the player has to
run, roll and jump its way to
victory, it isn't a typical runner
game. It has some intense action
and several armours and weapons
that you have to unlock. The game
is available to download for free
from Google Play and Apple app
store.

Rayman:  Jungle run -
                  Android , iOS
This is an extremely fun-filled
game. Recently, Rayman’s journey
has received 20 new levels to make
it even more interesting and
inexhaustible. The player has to
dodge cannon balls and jump their
way through falling rocks in the
all-new Pirate ship section. Apart
from the new pirate theme, the
game also gets a new absurd-
flower theme that brings 10 new
levels. These new levels have
further enhanced the gaming
experience. The game brings in
beautiful graphics, new worlds to
discover, powers to unlock and also
exclusive wallpapers to unlock for
your device. The Rayman Jungle
Run has been priced at Rs 170 for
iOS users and Rs 191 for Android
users.
Do add your list of favourite games
to play during a long journey in
our comments section below.

Google+ Habgout first impression

Neither Babble nor Babel, Google
has finally named its much-talked
about cross-platform messaging
app as Hangouts. By the look of it,
Hangouts appears to be a perfect
combo of Google’s cool
communication features, all
brought under one roof. With the
likes of iMessage, WhatsApp, Skype
and several other instant/social
messaging apps, though late, the
company has given its messaging
platform a much-needed facelift.
Basically, Google has merged its
key communication channels such
as Google+ Hangouts, Voice, Google
Talk and the Google+ Messenger.
Here’s a quick look at what
Google’s new unified cross-
messaging platform is all about.
Easy to navigate UI
Firstly, you can download the new
Hangouts app from the Play Store.
It may state “already installed”, as
Hangouts is nothing but an
enhanced replacement for your
GTalk. However, simply clicking on
“Open” from your mobile Google
Play Store may not be of any help.
To get the new Hangouts, try
downloading it from your desktop
using the same Google account as
on your mobile device – it did work
for us. On downloading the app,
the new Hangouts logo will replace
your GTalk icon. The app will then
ask you to key in the name of your
country and mobile number. The
user interface is really neat and
simple to navigate. The two-paged
interface lets you choose people
from your Circle, GTalk and phone
contacts to initiate a chat. You can
search for the contact using name,
email, number or circle.
Spruced instant messaging
The app adds a lot of emoticons to
instant text messaging, just like
WhatsApp. The instant messaging
interface of Google+ has been
slightly tweaked. The camera icon
placed on the left side lets you
either click an image and send it
right away or select images from
the gallery. The video chat option
is right on the top, which lets you
begin a Hangout any time during
the course of the conversation.
Obviously, you’ve been tied to
Google+ for video chats, which also
shows Google’s desperate attempts
at forcing its social networking site
on us.
Google+ Hangouts unchanged
Google has diligently branded the
messaging app “Hangouts", the
most popular aspect of Google+.
You will find all features of “Google
+ Hangouts” including Group
Hangout that allows video chatting
with up to 9 people. It allows a
Hangout participant (who hasn’t
initiated the Hangout) to add
other members, shows other
participants as small tiles and
automatically focuses on the
person talking. Moreover, you can
enter a Hangout from your
computer and Android or Apple
devices. Currently, the availability
of the app for Android varies with
devices, but Google plans to make
it available for any Android device
running on Android 2.3 and above.
The app has also been launched
on iTunes for devices running on
iOS 6.1 or above.
Hangouts stay in sync across
devices so you can start or
continue them anywhere. With
options like archives and history,
you can view what you talked
about in the past, including
photos and video call history.
Once you see a Hangouts alert on
your device, you won’t see repeats
on your computer or other Android
devices. There is also an option to
snooze notifications for up to 72
hours.
Great choice for those who
frequent Google+ Hangouts
Google has slightly tweaked its
Google+ Messaging app, but hasn’t
improved or added new functions
to the “Google+ Hangouts” at all.
The video chatting feature is just
like it would be if you were to use
the Google+ app. Both have been
merged to create this app. The
only convenience is that you get
instant, one-touch access to video
chats and don’t have to go through
the Google+ menu to access it. The
refreshing change is the cross-
platform ability, which could bring
a relief to iOS users who can now
access almost all Google+
Hangouts functions. Though
instant messaging seems cool and
fun with the new app, Hangouts
could possibly be a great option
only for those who frequent Google
+ Hangouts.

Best online resources for CAT preparation

In the past five years, the number
of students opting for MBA has
increased manifold, making it a
highly competitive space for
students. There are several
popular coaching classes that
prepare students for competitive
exams like CAT, MAT, XAT, MH-CET
and so on. Among these, Common
Admission Test (CAT) comes across
as the highly acclaimed test that
lets students enter the prestigious
IIMs. Students have now started
taking industry experience quite
seriously before pursuing MBA and
many students opt for
management studies after a
significant amount of work
experience. Such students who are
preparing for CAT (while working)
with time constraint or living in
cities without coaching resources
can conveniently opt for online
resources. In fact, there are a
myriad of resources online that will
help you prepare for CAT.
Now you will find all necessary
resources on the Internet; some
are available for free while others
may be available at low to high
cost. There is a lot of free material
and test series by various
educational sites, and there are
some professionals conducting
coaching classes over Webinar or
recording video lectures for
students.
Students or professionals looking
to crack the exam with flying
colours but face issues like time
constraint or lack of classes in
vicinity can opt for online courses.
Some renowned options include
MindWorkzz by Arun Sharma,
BYJU’s classes and a few more.
However, you will have to carefully
chart out what you are looking for
in an online coaching – online
lectures from the comfort of home
or in a class wherein you can
interact with other students,
classroom coaching combined with
certain online lectures or pre-
recorded videos, classroom
coaching with online test package
and so on. Let’s take a look at
some of the best online coaching
classes to prepare for CAT.

MindWorkzz
Arun Sharma, an alumni of IIM
Bangalore, is one of the known
names when it comes to online
coaching. His online coaching
class, MindWorkzz, offers live
lectures wherein he teaches
several students using webinar. In
case of a query during the lecture,
a student can conveniently raise
his/her hand ask the question.
Before opting for the class, one
can check out their demo lectures.
This is a good option for those
really dedicated professionals and
students, who would attend
lectures from home. There are
several online courses at
MindWorkzz starting at Rs 5500.
You can specifically opt for a
particular section like Verbal or DI,
or for the complete comprehensive
course. One of the key advantage
of this type of online coaching
class is the convenience to attend
lectures at home. So, if you spend
30 or 45 minutes travelling for a 2-
hour lecture, online coaching will
help you save that much time,
which you can utilise probably
studying.

BYJU’s classes
If attending a lecture all by
yourself isn't your idea of studying,
then BYJU’s classes are a great
option. BYJU’s classes has centres
across the nation. However,
students have to come to the local
centre and watch the online
lecture there. In case of query,
they can ask the local teacher
present in the classroom. BYJU’s
lectures are said to be awesome by
many students. Going to the
centre and attending it will also
let students interact with others in
the class. Before taking the final
plunge, you can opt for free trial
lecture. On the site, you will also
find easy to filter free tests (Easy,
Medium and Difficult levels) on
Verbal, DI, Quantitative along with
some mock tests. Students can
also download the free e-booklet, a
PDF with all shortcuts.
The online comprehensive test
series package – including 4000+
online questions, 150+ chapterwise
unit tests, comprehensive online
feedback, special CAT files to
practise techniques and strategies
– costs Rs 5,000. Also, lay your
hands on 20 online mock tests
available on the site.

TCYOnline
Apart from the horde of free prep
tests and study material,
TCYOnline also offers some
premium courses. TCYOnline offers
three online courses for CAT –
Basic, Advantage and Premium,
priced at Rs 975, Rs 1,450 and Rs
1,950 respectively. The Basic
course contains over 250
chaperwise and sectional tests
along with complete mock tests;
the Advantage course also includes
voice-based lectures and notes
that you can download. The
Premium online course contains
everything included in Basic and
Advantage, and also includes mock
tests for other tests. TCY Analytics
lets you compare your score with
other test takers and know where
exactly you stand.

Career Launcher
Career Launcher is extremely
popular for its classroom coaching,
and also has some online benefits.
It doesn't conduct classes over
webinar like MindWorkzz but offers
an online MBA on Demand package
that lets you learn at your own
pace with 100 hours of recorded AV
sessions and includes everything
from practice questions and
puzzles to former entrance exam
questions. It also has a test series
package that lets you take tests
online, benchmark your
performance and prepare yourself
for any perceivable scenario. Both
MBA on Demand and the test
series package cost Rs 2,549 each.
Some more options include WizIQ
courses by Ravi Handa. According
to a student,both MindWorkzz and
WizIQ courses are good for
Quantitative analysis and have
different unique selling point.
Alchemist is a another good
option, according to students who
took it up on Pagalguy.com. Their
online programme includes
lectures in the form of videos and
PDF files. They offer video-
conferences, online test sheets, e-
books and discussion forums.
Though not a big player, according
to a forum member at Pagalguy, it
is a good option for a more
personalised interaction.
Free online resources
Besides comprehensive coaching
classes, there are a lot of edu-sites
that offer practice and study
material for free. You may not get
specialised ways to approach the
paper as provided by the above
courses, but there is enough free
material for some self study and
getting the basics right. There are
numerous sectional and timed
online mock tests that you can lay
your hands on.
Pagalguy prep centre
Pagalguy's forum is a place which
brings all the latest scoop about
MBA in India. Students have
created online prep centres,
wherein students indulge in group
studies online. Here, students
discuss queries and find solutions.
Click here to take a look. It also
has sectional discussion with
forum threads specifically for
Verbal, Quantitative, DI and so on.
Quantitative Analysis
There are several sites that help
you improve your mathematical
skills for free. The TotalGadha has
it all covered, be it crunching
number systems or factorials. Each
topic has been explained well, and
below the complete explanation,
you will find some sample
questions and their solutions.
TCYOnline’s Math worksheet
explains all those mathematical
basics from grade 5 to grade 10.
Afterall, it was while in these
grades that you last worked on
problems related to probability or
profit and loss. The site covers all
the basics you need to know about
each topic and prepares you to
take on difficult problems. You can
start with "Easy" and then move on
to "Medium" and "Difficult" levels.
Topcoaching is another such site
that will let you get all the
mathematical fundas right.
If you have sharpened your skills
enough and want to take some
more tests along with your usual
mock tests, then SimplyLearnt
offers topic-wise, accurately timed
tests so that you can practice a
particular topic. The site offers
different levels of tests and you
can move ahead by clearing a
lower level.
Reasoning
Reasoning can be really tricky and
requires lots of practice. Offering
free study material for Logical,
Verbal and Non-Verbal reasoning,
Indiabix lets you solve questions
and view answers, and provides
workspace to do the rough
calculation right there. Moreover,
there is a button that directly
takes you to the forum to discuss
the questions and their solutions
with other students. All chapters
are thoroughly covered by the site.
TCYOnline also has a forum
wherein one can discuss on
multiple reasoning topics. Click
here to find out. Moreover, here
are a few tips that will help you
prepare for logical reasoning.
Verbal
While some reading everyday could
be of great help, one can easily
take small, timed, topic-wise
grammar tests available for free
online everyday. EducationObserver
has some nice time-based tests.
There are different difficulty levels
(featuring almost all topics) and it
covers most simple and basic
questions too. TCYONline has also
put up a series of tests online that
you can take up for free.
Pagalguy’s own verbal thread is
great for discussing your queries;
you can learn a lot from these
discussions wherein students post
their queries.
Data Interpretation
Data Interpretation requires a lot
of practise and one will have to
remember the types of charts, how
to tackle them and some basic
formulae. SimplyLearnt has put up
some free material and practice
sessions for every Data
Interpretation (DI) type question.
It points out which type of
questions you must practice for
CAT and if you are low on time,
then which type of questions
should not be given a lot of
importance.
Though this content is a little old,
Munira Lokhandwala has explained
how to prepare for DI and get
comfortable with calculations,
along with a couple of practice
examples for MBA aspirants. Check
it out on TotalGadha . LearnHub
also has some old question papers
with solutions covered, in case you
want to take a look at the DI in
these papers.
In a nutshell, one has to precisely
choose what suits them the best.
A working professional pursuing
MBA with a tight schedule can opt
for online lectures or combine
online and weekend coaching.
Forums like Pagalguy have several
threads wherein students share
their experience of tackling online
tests. If you have enrolled for any
such courses, do share your
experience in the comments
section below.

Instagram vs Vine

Instagram has rolled out its
answer to the popular short-format
video app, Vine . With this, the
battle between two popular social
networks, Facebook (acquired
Instagram in April last year ) and
Twitter (acquired Vine in October
last year) intensifies. While Vine is
a standalone app backed by
Twitter, Instagram has introduced
the video recording mode within
the Instagram app. This also
means Instagram’s video sharing
service already has 130 million
users compared to 30 million users
that have been using the Vine
app. Though both video-sharing
apps are more or less the same,
there are several attributes that
differentiate them from each
other. We take a closer look at
Instagram video mode and the
Vine app to know which one is
better.
User Interface
Vine has a simple and straight
forward interface. The recording
screen comes without any bells
and whistles and has been kept
minimal with the camera icon that
lets you switch between rear and
front cameras (iOS only), status bar
and "Finish" button. Instagram
follows suit, with almost a similar
recording screen but also has a
big red record button, an undo
button and the rear/front camera
switching option (iOS only). One
can easily switch back to the
Instagram photo mode from the
shooting mode.
Both Vine for iPhone and
Instagram for iPhone allow
switching between the front and
rear cameras easily even while
shooting. The Vine Android app
doesn’t support front camera at all
while Instagram for Android lets
you either use the front camera or
the rear camera but one cannot
switch between the two. Instagram
also lets you select a screenshot of
the video, which can be posted as
the cover of the video. As
Instagram has picked design cues
from Vine, we think the veteran
short video format service bags all
the brownie points here.
Length
This is one of the key aspects that
differentiate both video sharing
services. Vine lets you shoot quick
six second videos while Instagram
stretches it further by nine
seconds for an overall 15-second
clip. With a mere six seconds, Vine
requires its users to be quick,
accurate and get to the point
instantly. On the other hand,
Facebook has stretched the timing,
allowing users to shoot for a little
longer as they believe six seconds
could be really a small span of
time. The news has it that this
isn’t the only reason why Facebook
chose a 15 second clip. Reportedly,
Facebook plans to introduce video
ads during fall, which are expected
to last for 15 seconds. Clearly, this
will allure video advertisers to
drop their 15 second
advertisements on the video
service too. However, this has a
flip side as users could get really
bored with the additional time. If
a video is boring, then the 9
additional seconds could appear to
be really long.
Twitter has always been the social
site of fewer words, while Facebook
lets you express more. Some folks
say, Vine is the Twitter and
Instagram the Facebook of video
sharing services. Eventually, this
would leave users to choose a
longer or a shorter video format
depending upon what they plan to
shoot and how lengthy the video
needs to be.
Looping
A Vine video follows the looping
format which means it continously
plays the video over and over
again until you interrupt it, which
is apt considering the video is just
six seconds. Vine’s looping feature
is one of its highlights and quite a
hit with comedy and uber-creative
clips. On the other hand,
Instagram video can be viewed
once again with just a tap on the
screen. Obviously, it is longer
compared to the veteran Vine app
and leaves the choice to users if
they want to view it again. Here,
Vine gets the brownie points for
introducing looping and turning a
six second clip into an endlessly
playing piece of art.
Recording & Editing
Vine users can record a video by
tapping anywhere on the screen,
which fills the six second status
bar seen above the screen. It
shoots as long as you press and
hold your finger on the screen and
stops recording as soon as you
release your finger. The iOS
version will let you switch between
the front and the back camera.
However, if you make a mistake
then you will have to shoot the
video all over again.
The Instagram video app follows a
similar shooting process but has a
large red recording button while
the 15 second status bar takes
position below the screen. Each
time you release your finger while
shooting, the Instagram app
records that scene in an editable
format. This allows users to undo
only that particular scene and re-
shoot it, without the need to
record the entire video again.
Instagram also lets users edit the
video using filters. They can apply
and preview every video before
posting it. Besides, Instagram lets
users adjust the focus and
exposure while recording. Clearly,
Instagram has an edge over Vine,
when it comes to shooting and
editing.
Sharing
Both apps allow adding captions,
location and sharing it on social
sites. Both Vine and Instagram
allow liking the post and also
adding a comment. Vine users can
post it to the Vine user base,
Facebook (now also available for
Android), embed on web and
obviously Twitter. Instagram allows
sharing video on Instagram,
Facebook and Twiitter. Moving a
step ahead, Instagram also lets
you share videos with Tumblr and
Foursquare.
Explore
Vine’s Explorer feature is quite
efficient at discovering videos. It
has a neatly classified the Editor’s
Pick, trending videos and even the
popular ones. Instagram isn’t very
good at discovering new videos as
there isn’t any provision to filter
video content from still photos.
Instagram’s Explore feature isn’t
very helpful compared to Vine.
Verdict
In a nutshell, Instagram’s video
service isn’t something original or
novel, and has picked cues from
Vine. However, Facebook has added
some noteworthy features such as
adjusting focus and exposure, 13
filters and the undo option,
making it simpler to edit videos on
the go. It also offers more video
sharing options. On the other
hand, Vine has a neat interface,
better video discovering
capabilities and looping format. A
few timely updates could work
wonders for it, but for now
Instagram’s video mode has an
edge over Vine.

3 Alternatives of google reader

                                                                  
Finally, it’s the day to bid goodbye
to Google Reader. Google is all set
to pull the plug on its popular tool
for viewing RSS feeds due to
waning popularity. Launched in
2005, the service was adept at
bringing everything one cares
about on the Internet under a
single roof. Furthermore, it synced
the feeds across all devices. One
could subscribe to RSS feeds of
their favourite sites/blogs, and the
feeds would reach them once the
site/blog was updated. While there
has been a shift in the way people
access feeds today, there are
enough people who are
accustomed to or use Google
Reader extensively on desktops.
For these users, we have picked
top three alternatives to Google
Reader.
Feedly
Google Reader’s demise will
benefit Feedly immensely. Feedly
comes across as an apt and direct
replacement for Google Reader. It
is the most popular Google Reader
alternative with a neat and slick
user interface. It can be easily
personalised just like Google
Reader with a newspaper-like
interface or an image-centric view.
Considering that most users are
looking for a mobile friendly RSS
feed service, Feedly is extremely
app friendly. Available for web,
Android and iOS, it syncs feeds
across various devices. This means,
you can easily access feeds on your
smartphone or tablet and then
pick up from where you left on the
laptop. To further up its chances
as the best alternative, Feedly has
been adding a slew of features
lately. The set of features includes
a new syncing service, keyboard
shortcuts, extension-free web app
and more.
Digg Reader
Digg Reader was announced
shortly after Google announced the
imminent demise of its Reader. It
has been in works for the past
three months and in the beta
testing stage for a week now.
Though Digg Reader is officially
launched, one could call it a work
in progress. It has adopted a
similar Google Reader-like
interface and one has to sign in
using their Google account. Digg
Reader allows users to share
stories on Instagram, social
networks and obviously on Digg. It
has a filter that shows all trending
articles from your feeds. Digg
Reader has some features in the
pipeline, such as viewing unread
items and marking items as
unread. With the number of quick
updates it has been getting, it
looks like Digg Reader is all geared
up to replace the Google Reader,
but isn’t there quite yet. It has
also launched an iOS app, while an
Android app is expected in the
coming weeks.
AOL Reader
AOL has also launched its own tool
for viewing RSS feeds dubbed AOL
Reader. It is a simple web RSS
feeds reader that comes without
any bells and whistles. It can be
accessed using your Twitter,
Google or Facebook accounts. It is
not as slick as Feedly or Digg, but
AOL does make it easy to get new
content from several news sources,
spread across numerous
categories. It comes with different
layout formats, including a
thumbnail kind (card view) of
display that shows the headline
and lead image of every article.
Users can mark articles to read
later and AOL also shows a
catalogue of suggested sites. AOL
Reader has a lot of potential as a
web application, but the hiccup is
missing support for mobile
platforms. Nevertheless, AOL is
said to be working on smartphone
and tablet apps.
Besides, you could check out some
other options such as The Old
Reader and Flipboard . Desktop
users can also take a look at
Reeder (Mac) and Outlook. The
Opera browser also has a default
RSS icon.

Nokia’s Asha 501 1st Impression

Nokia’s Asha 501 launch was a grand affair, so much so that Nokia’s very own CEO Stephen Elop flew down to our nation’s capital for the big unveiling. The Asha series hasn’t exactly been a runaway success mostly because, even at its selling price, the user experience left a lot to be desired. Local smartphone makers have changed the perception of a cheap mobile phone. After being exposed to Android ICS at prices as low as Rs 5,000, the Asha series paled in comparison.

The Asha 501 is the first in the new series of Asha phones with which Nokia hopes to gain better traction against the never ending horde of budget droids. We’ve had a chance to spend some time with the phone so here’s our first impression of the device.

Design
It’s no coincidence that the Asha 501 resembles Nokia’s Lumia series. This deliberate design choice was taken in order to give the 501 a premium look, without actually being so. The matt-finished shell is inter-changeable and is comfortable to hold. The soft, rubberised texture offers good grip too. The volume rocker and power button take their place on the sides while the top houses the 3.5mm headphone jack, thin-pin charging port and microUSB port. There’s just a single ‘Back’ button at the bottom and nothing else. Around the back, we have a 3.1MP camera and a speaker opening at the bottom.

The back cover pops out easily to reveal the 1200mAh battery. There’s also support for two microSIM cards and a 4GB card comes bundled along. Overall, the handset feels really snug in your hand and the selection of vibrant colours will certainly appeal to the youth.  

Display
The 3-inch display feels a little too small for a phone without a keyboard. Not only that, the resolution (240 x 320) is very low which makes everything pixelated. Don’t be fooled by the crisp and vivid display seen on Nokia’s website or the press shots; it looks nothing like that in reality. The screen sensitivity is pretty good however and even slight gestures are registered. There’s no ambient light sensor onboard, just a proximity sensor and accelerometer.

Interface
The Asha 501 debuts Nokia’s brand new Asha software platform v1.0. The UI is quite a bit faster as compared to the older Asha series but not what we’d called smooth. With just 64MB of RAM onboard, the interface gets sluggish quite fast. The other issue that’s parcelled with a new platform is apps. The ones available for the previous Asha series will have to be ported over so apps like Whatsapp is still not available for the 501.

The new UI gets rid of Nokia’s typical S40 homescreen. Switching the 501 on will take you straight to the list of apps on your phone. Nokia has added a new feature called ‘FastLane’ which essentially keeps a track of any and all activity performed on the 501. This means, you can just swipe right from the homescreen to see your recent activity and jump to that app directly.

The audio quality is quite good given the size of the speaker. Music and alerts can be heard clearly, even in relatively noisy environments. Video playback is not great due to the low resolution screen. The camera has a fixed-focus and quite frankly, it wouldn’t have made a difference if it weren’t there. 

The bottom line
The Nokia Asha 501 is definitely a fresher and more interesting offering compared to its predecessors. A couple of features you’ll find lacking in the 501 is 3G and a front-facing camera but we won’t hold this against it since it's supposed to be an entry-level phone. Looking at the market however, we do feel the pricing is a bit high especially since you can find Android handsets with better specifications around the same price (the Karbonn Smart A4+ is one such example). The low resolution screen and lack of popular apps could be the two big factors to hold back sales of the device. 

Nokia Asha 501 Available in India, Priced at Rs. 5,199 ($88 / €67)

Zzz

Starting today, Nokia’s Asha 501
smartphone is officially available in
India, featuring a price tag of Rs.
5,199.
Packing a 3.0-inch QVGA (320 x 240
pixels) screen, the new device sports
128 MB of internal memory, paired
with a microSD memory card slot (a
4GB micro SD card included in the
package).
The handset comes with a 1200 mAh
battery that can deliver up to 17
hours of talk time, Dual-SIM
capabilities , 2G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth,
FM Radio, and a 3.2-megapixel photo
snapper on the back.
Furthermore, Nokia Asha 501
features the new Asha software
platform with Swipe UI, as well as 40
free EA Games that can be
downloaded from the Nokia Store.
Available in Bright Red, Bright
Green, Cyan, Yellow, White, and
Black, the Nokia Asha 501 can be
purchased through retailers
nationwide at Rs. 5,199 ($88 / €67).
It also offers 3 months of free
Facebook access to Airtel users,
fonearena notes.