With the huge success of our last post on Samsung B1200, a real waterproof, shockproof and dustproof mobile phone from Samsung, I will now be introducing another rugged phone from Nokia modeled as Nokia 3720 classic also designed to resist water, dust and shock. Whether you hit it with Golf club, drop it from top of  ladder, swim with it or sunk it in a jelly, it simply bears everything. Built on IP-54 standard, this Nokia phone is gradually growing popularity for being a preferred choice for many among the available rugged phones in market.

Features

Since the launch of some new Smart phones running Google’s Android OS Android applications are much in demand.  Although the list cannot match the likes of Apple’s applications running literally in the thousands but for Android it is just a start that is poised to take off. User reviews are encouraging and the availability of Android SDK free of cost has given the required impetus to the development of more applications. Enthusiasts the world over are now busy developing more and more apps for varying needs. In my previous post I had listed Top Ten Android applications now I have listed 20 free apps for Android devices that includes categories like Communication tools, Utilities, Social, Reference, Lifestyle, Finance, Entertainment, Shopping and Productivity. Read on for a brief description of these applications and do try them out, remember they are all free!

Communication.

• Opera Mini v 4.0. The well known web browser Opera Mini runs on Android devices as it has been designed for them. The browser is fast as the content is compressed before being sent to the phone, which saves more time as well as money. However, do check the version before downloading and installing on your device for compatibility issues. The browser also lets users synchronize history, notes and bookmarks between mobile phone and PC. Website: Opera.

• Twidroid. Twidroid is a creation of Marban & Zimmermann and is used for tweeting via the Android phone. It supports photo posting (Native), auto-completion, news from twitter buzz and location support. The newer version is going to have off line composing facility and YouTube posting. More info is available at Marban & Zimmermann website.

I’m big fan of 3D games and am really excited about prospect of 3D gaming on android mobile platform. I figured that there must be other gaming enthusiasts who love 3D games of all sorts, so here are first set of 3D games which they must try.

Speed Forge 3D

Features :

Important game features:

• Full 3D graphics
• Realistic physic simulation
• 6 very different tracks
• 3 vehicles (each with different physical properties)
• Weaponry: mines and homing rockets

New in version 1.2

• Sensitivity setting added to options
• 2 acceleration mode (auto and by phone tilt)
• 3 Difficulty levels
• Some minor bugs fixed

The game is available from Slideme for $2.99 and not from android market place. Click here to get it.

Package name : Mag3DLite.SpeedForgeDemo

Check out the video below

It is designed exclusively for music lovers who don’t mind a little bit  of chatting and texting in between. What else can you expect from a sleek phone which happens to be a hear turner as far as looks are concerned, but the 32 GB of storage is something really outstanding, did I mention 35 hours of music playback, which translates in to 16 days of standby time? They say the device will give you access to over six million tracks.

Also included is a 3.2” capacitive touch screen display. The smart device has 5 MP camera with dual LED flash and off course Carl Zeiss optics, besides having Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, TV out, video editing, online sharing, web browser, A-GPS, Ovi Maps, lots of games and 3G. The home screen can accommodate 20 of your friends and some widgets for some of the top social networking websites like Face book, thus allowing 24/7 connectivity.

The mobile phone is being launched in the UK on Friday that is 27 November 2009 for £449  that is about $742. It is available in two color combinations that is White/Blue and Black/Red. More info is available at the Nokia website.

With Thanksgiving just a day from now, am sure most of you will be dreading the traffic rush on the roads once again this year. As like always American Automobile Association(AAA) is predicting a rise of 1.4 per cent to 38.4 million Americans that will travel at least 50 miles to get to their chosen holiday destination where a massive of 86 percent will be driving by car. Looking at this, Android developers have just in time released their latest update of Google Maps Navigation running Android 1.6 and higher.

You can find the below features on this updated version

- Internet connected GPS system with voice guidance and automatic rerouting

- Google search facility (either typed or spoken)

- Fresh map, business and traffic data, satellite and street view imagery

- Also includes latest stuff like Wikipedia articles about places and more.

How to get it

If you are using a phone running Android 1.6, download the updated version of Google Maps from Android market, before you leave for your Thanksgiving day. Google Maps Navigation is in beta and is currently available in the United States. Check out the demo video for Beta version here. Wishing you all a happy and safe traveling on Thanksgiving!

With the arrival of the month of Zilhajj, it is expected that around three million pilgrims from over 160 countries will be performing Hajj this year. While taking this difficult and most important journey of your life, cellphone is one thing that all Hajjis should carry with them. It will not only help them to keep contact with their family and friends back home but will also enable them to track their family whereabouts in the most busiest time of Hajj. In this post, i will be covering some most essential software for your cellphones that you must have before you leave for Hajj. These software include some popular Quran reciters, translators, prayer reminders,  Hadith software and more.

1- Quran Recitation for Mobile Phones 2

Listen the Quran Recitation in your mobile phone. Quran Recitation by Abdul Rahman Alsudais and Su’ud As-Shuraim (Makkah). Complete Quran having 114 Suras. The recitation is in .AMR format. After downloading, please unzip the Quruan_Mobile.zip file and you will get 114 files having 114 Sura of Quran. Compatible with All mobile phones like Nokia, Sony Erricson, Samsung, LG, Motorolla, Symbian, Windows Mobile, HTC, Imate, Blackberry and many more phone.

Download now for FREE! 

Sometime back it was Symbian OS which gave users the flexibility of installing hundreds of thousands of applications, then iPhone overshadowed everything by making available thousands of applications at the Apple website, now its Android’s turn. The Google based OS for smart phones that is poised to take the world by storm has an equally impressive number of applications lined up for its loyal followers. Some of the most wanted are described here in not so fine detail. The applications/games introduced here have been selected after much surfing and browsing.

• Wapedia. Originally developed by Taptu Limited the application makes it possible for users to access Wikipedia contents on their Android based phones. The application is fast in accessing content even on 2G Networks. This is a must have utility for Wikipedia fans. Its features included news items, image rendering, auto-complete feature for article titles, support for multiple languages and links to alternative wikis.

Dell is finally in the mobile phone arena with this little smart phone called as the Mini3. The device has a 3.5” screen size and runs on Android OS. According to Dell it is “the world’s smallest Dell”. The phone is going to be released in China through China Mobile and in Brazil through Claro. Other regions will also have it from various telcos.

The smart phone sports a 3 MP camera which might look a little out of place since most modern phones nowadays have a 5 MP cam attached to their faces. A tiny stylus comes bundled with the phone for people with thick finger tips. The Chinese version they say will not have 3G or even WiFi. There is no 3.5 mm jack instead the mini USB has a mini USB to 3.5 mm connector for the job.

The screen res is 360 x 640. Mini3 has Bluetooth, mini USB and microSD slot. There is no QWERTY keyboard instead the device has an onscreen keyboard besides the usual handwriting recognition ability. The phone is sleek and impressive looks. More pictures can be viewed at the 163  Chinese website.

In Spanish DondeEsta means where is he, she, it or you. In Nokia mobile phones running Symbian or other ones running Windows Mobile it means a lot more. It means being able to locate the mobile phone and hence its owner wherever he, she or it may be. The application is a mere 52 kb in size and can be downloaded from the DondeEsta website or even Getjar.

Download the application, install it and simply add the users from your directory who can trace you. In order to trace a person the other party simply has to send an SMS with the “???” in the text portion. The mobile phone with the DondeEsta will reply with an SMS indicating its location. The coordinates can be searched on Google Earth for finding the exact spot on planet Earth.

The interesting thing is that the tracker or the finder does not need this application, it is only required for the mobile phone which is being tracked. The interface is simple and user friendly. The application website also has a list of phones that are DondeEsta compatible. The application has been downloaded over 27,000 times and if the number of downloads is a measure of its popularity we say it is quite popular.

Mobile phone with integrated A-GPS will show more accurate results but the app still works on non GPS mobile phones with some trade-offs in accuracy. DondeEsta can be used for Safety of family members, for exercising Parental control, for locating your vehicle or even for companies on the lookout for field workers antics. A good application for any of these purposes or fun, I say give it a try.

The Google Android made by HTC, being dubbed as Droid Eris that is hitting the shelves on Friday 06 November 2009 is devoid of Data Tethering facility. Data Tethering allows smart phones to be connected to to laptops for fast Internet access on the go, like EV-DO. Verizon Wireless says high speed access for PCs/Laptops will come later.

How much later? Well Verizon has this facility lined up for the Motorola Droid which is poised to be released in 2010. Essentially this is a network specific feature also. Apple’s iPhone for instance has AT&T as its sole carrier, and so far they haven’t given Data Tethering, although it has been announced but is yet to come and no confirmed timeline has been laid.

Most smart phones of the day Blackberry for instance have this feature. Data services cost a bundle and tethering is an overlay costing even more depending on one’s carrier. So before you make the plunge, do some homework.