It takes someone like Steve Jobs to make an iPhone, the very device that has literally taken the world by storm. As of today some 21 million devices of various models starting from the iPhone to the iPhone 3G and the 3GS have been sold. Downloads at the Apple Store have crossed the 3 billion mark in just 18 months. Even if these figures are exaggerated by 10% we can safely say that iPhone has sold like no other mobile phone has. Like it or not this makes it the most popular device on the planet. Try as the may Nokia (with Maemo), HTC (with Android) and Samsung (with Bada or TouchWiz UI) are no match for the iPhone.

But now it seems Google with HTC has got the iPhone in the crosshairs with the much touted and hyped about device called as the Nexus One. It is said that the looks alone are enough to make one drool. Both companies have worked hard in an effort to beat the mobile phone the world loves so much. The device is going to have a Snapdragon CPU clocking at a cool 1 GHz, it will boast of Android 2.1 besides having a 5 MP camera. The important specs are:

• 3.7″ capacitive Touch screen with 480 x 800 display.
• 512 MB of ROM and RAM
• 4 GB microSD card (included) and expandable microSD up to 32GB

I think it will be a long time before Nexus will be able to make a serious dent in iPhone’s popularity. Yes, iPhone’s market share will go down but it will take a sometime, ingenuity and good luck for Nexus One or any other mobile phone to beat the iPhone. Simply because people the world will not stop using their devices and Apple will not stop making/selling new models. In my opinion the coming months will see intense competition which is good for the buyers. The unlocked device it is said will cost around $530, whereas a two year contract with T-Mobile will cost something like $200.

Buying a new mobile phone is an experience which is always full of excitement. There is the pre-purchase period during which one tries to find information about the object of his/her infatuation, then there is the smirk period during which one enjoys the thought of buying a new gadget and finally is the dreaded period during which one starts using the device. That is when one has to move contacts and other data from the old device to the newer one.

Moving stuff form the (old external) memory card like photos/videos etc is easy as one can copy it on a PC and then transfer it to the new device using USB card reader or any other method. The major problem in most cases is moving the Contacts (which we are all afraid to loose). The prime reason is because all mobile phone makers have their own customized software for synchronizing data between devices and PCs. Nokia for instance has Nokia PC Suite and Nokia Ovi Suite, Sony Ericsson has its own version of the PC Suite and off course Samsung calls its sync application as Samsung New PC Studio.

Contacts are always saved in formats like .csv, .vcf, .npf. These formats have various fields for storing personal data like Name, phone number, email address , street address etc. The problem arises when you buy a different brand of mobile device then your previous one and your contacts are present in the old PC Suite.If your contacts are stored on the SIM then all you have to do is insert the SIM in your new mobile phone and start using it. But that is seldom the case, because normally we have contacts that far exceed the maximum 250 contacts limit set by SIMs. In  that case we are forced to store our contacts on phone and this means trouble when transferring them on to a device of a different brand.

Listening to, reading and finding translation of the Quran is a daily ritual for most Muslims. This can be done using the paper version of the Quran or using specialized software like Quran Reciter etc. Now several websites offer this facility online for free. Tanzil.info is one such website which lets users read and listen the Holy Quran. It also allows users to read translation of the Holy Book in multiple languages.

The interface is attractive and user friendly to use. First time visitors will not find themselves lost in the maze. One can browse through the entire Quran via Suran, Ayah, Juz or even page. Next comes the recitation which can be listened online as well as offline using a separate application. There are 19 Qaris to choose from and the biggest names like Al-Sudais, Abdul Basit and Al-Ghamdi etc are included in the list. A simple mouse-over provides translation in the selected language. A total of 69 types of translation options exist. For example in the English language one can read translation by about 12 people like Marmaduke Pickthall and Mahammad Asad etc.

Music is something even kids find inevitable. Play a good beat to a year old child and he/she will clap, swing and laugh. Modern mobile phones have mp3 players which good sound quality and hours of playback. They even let users set ringtones of there favorite songs, but only if users can find the desired ringtones somewhere on the web. Frankly, better options exist for making one’s own mp3 ringtones rather than finding them elsewhere and that too for free! Here’s how you can make your very own ringtones for free…

Ingredients:

• Audacity, which happens to be a free Sound Editor.
• Your favorite mp3 songs.
• A PC running Windows 98/ME/2000/XP/Vista, Mac OS X or Linux.
• And finally a means of transferring the ringtones from your PC to the mobile phone using synchronizing software.

How to make an mp3 Ringtone?

• Download Audacity and run it after installing it. From the File menu choose Open and select the mp3 song you want to convert in to a ringtone. The song will be imported to Audacity and after it has been imported you will see something like this:

Motorola Droid, the phone which is a direct iPhone competitor, and is grabbing lot of attention in US market due to Google open source android SmartPhone OS and the application ecosystem surrounding it. The phone so far has been available in US only by verizon for $199 and rest of the world is still waiting for it.

Well, the good news is that in couple of months, Motorola is going to release unlocked version of Droid throughout the world. Motorola is expected to launch the Motorola Droid (unlocked) in February and as well as announce the release of Droid 2 aka Sholes or Shules or Sholes Tablet.

Christmas is just around the corner and people are out shopping, buying gifts and stuff for themselves as well as friends, kids, family and acquaintances. This is a good time to upload some Christmas ringtones in your mobile phones as well. We at Biggtech have made ten best Christmas ringtones available for you. The ringtones are of 17 to 35 seconds duration. Left Click them to listen first and in order to download Right Click on the desired mp3, choose Save Link As and save it on your hard disk.  We really hope you have a very Happy Christmas and enjoy the ringtones.

1. ABBA – Happy New Year
2. Jingle Bells – BoneyM
3. Santa Baby – Eratha Kitt
4. Have Yourself a Merry Christmas – Ella Fitzgerald
5. Santa Claus is coming to Town – Frank Sinatra
6. Rocking Around the Christmas Tree – Mel & Kim
7. Wonderful Christmas Time – Paul McCartney
8. 12 Days of Christmas – Roger Whittaker
9. I saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus – Teresa Brewer
10. Last Christmas – Wham, George Michael

Samsung unveiled a new Smartphone OS for Samsung mobile phones called as Bada. Whatever that means is of no importance, the fact is that now the competition is steeper than ever since iPhone, Android, Windows Mobile and Symbian now have a competitor which has a growing market share.

The OS is an extension of the Samsung’s TouchWiz UI. The OS is meant for touch screen phones only and Samsung hopes to increase the market share by some 50%. Developers have been encouraged to develop applications on for Bada. Since it is meant for smart devices therefore the apps are themselves going to be advanced in any and every form. Features will include motion sensing, face detection, web control, weather updating and sensing various activities etc.

Some of the service features of the Bada OS include device synchronization, e-commerce services, location based services, content management and social networking that is location based. The SDK is available for download at a dedicated website.

Linked closely to this whole story is the Bada challenge award for developers to share an amount of $ 2,700,000 by simply submitting apps for the OS. Users will be able to buy apps form the Bada store and make payments via their mobile phone bills. Upon launch the app store will be available to some 50 countries and by the second half of 2010 it will be global.

Handsets are expected to be released in first half of 2010. More info at the Bada website.

The latest feature which Android phones are going to have is called Google Goggles, well actually this is visual search. Imagine going to a place where you need to find info on a certain building or a landmark. The obvious way would be to take out a tourist map or ask someone nearby, but with Google Goggles proud owners of Android devices will be able to snap the picture of that feature and hit the search button and let Google handle form there on. With in seconds audio/visual results will be displayed providing info about the landmark.

This certainly sounds like a useful feature for tourists. And yes this might as well come handy in case one gets lost in a new city. Watch the video here.

Nokia 2710 is a pretty normal handset. By normal I mean 2 MP camera, Bluetooth, microSD card based expansion upto 16 GB, FM with RDS and GPS. The phone is 11.2 x 45.7 x 13.7 mm in dimensions weighing 87 grams. It runs on S40 series firmware and software includes Ovi Mail and Nokia Life Tools (for selected areas). Nokia maps come with the set along with lifetime navigation license.

The device has GPS as mentioned before, A-GPS support, voice guided drive and walk navigation for lifetime, car holder (not all areas) and a dedicated key to launch the navigation applications. I am surprised why a digital compass has not been included. The set has a102 mAh Lithium Ion battery which gives 6 hours of GPS usage.

The mobile phone is expected to be released in the second quarter of 2010 for around $ 170. But with navigation features included it is worth buying. However, since Google Maps Navigation for Android devices has been announced it will be a tough choice for buyers.

HTC is all rage these days. In 2010 5 new models running Android are expected. The names are HTC Legend, Salsa, Bravo, Tide and Buzz. If anything the names say it all, they are all out to create ripples in the mobile industry. More Android phones would mean more Android users, and since the fever has caught on we can perceive good competition with the ever-present iPhone by Apple, only if they do not bring out something totally new and out of this world. Take a look at the pics for some unexpected drooling.

HTC Legend