Week That Was: Unlocked BlackBerrys, Nokia E75

TouchScreen for Less than 8K? 

Yes, you heard it right! The week started off with news coming from Kolkata based importer GeePee announcing the introduction of its low cost, high on features Chinese handsets in India. Apart from feature packed low-end phones, the company also introduced a sub Rs. 8000 touch screen handset in the country.

Motorola's Indian Saga

We knew that the global recession caught up with Motorola's Indian division when the company decided it is scrapping its entire distribution network in the country and will operate out of Singapore. This of course meant the loss of more jobs for Motorola employees, this time in India. On a positive note, the company arranged for the employees to be accommodated elsewhere. Good Show Moto!

TechCrunch's Web Tablet Prototype 

The week also saw the unveiling of Tech Crunch's Crunch pad web tablet. The almost $300 product is a one stop shop for all web nerds who are dependent on the Internet for their survival. For most, the use of the Internet comes with added baggage, in the form of a PC. Keeping in mind the sentiments of these people , TechCrunch's Michael Arrington came up with this. They call it the Web Tablet and it does what it does. Surf the web and it does it in style and comes with its own processor. Go Surf!

Unlocked Blackberries in India? 

Yes, we heard that too. The moment we heard of the news, apart from a being apprehensive on the reasons for RIM to decide on unlocking them, we didn't give it much of a thought. And boy, did we find that out how good it is to call people at the helm and confirm the actual eventualities? As it turned out, the Blackberry unlock was a not about unlocking the handsets. It was more about giving the consumers more exposure towards the Blackberry brand. The main factor being the option of having the opportunity to actually check out a Blackberry in other stores apart from their brand stores.

Nokia 5730 Scooped

Soon after the 5800's India launch, its time for its successors' to grab the tag of the best attention seeker on the planet. The latest kid on the XpressMusic block happens to be this QWERTY enabled wonder called the 5730 Xpressmusic. Lets wait till the upcoming Mobile World Congress (MWC) to check if this one makes its debut next month.

Windows Virus Infects 9 Million Computers 

Another Windows based worm wrecked havoc last week. The nasty Downadup worm was on a spreading spree , most of the time last week affecting as many as 9 million PCs justifying the need for for the Macs and Linuxes of the world to co-exist.

Barack Obama Creates History Online 

While Obama was busy making history by becoming the first African American President, at the time of his swearing in, the Internet too was on a rampage with record traffic witnessed. While it did not create a deluge of traffic, the video streams of the oath became one of the most watched live sequences on the Internet. Not just Obama was making news so was his BlackBerry!

Mac's Refreshed 

Apple discreetly enhanced its MacBook white with Nvidia GeForce 9400M graphics, a CPU with faster front side bus (FSB), and an extra 1GB RAM. Quite a quiet upgrade that.

Android's G2 spotted in the wild 

Images of the much looked forwarded to T-Mobile Android G2 was spotted in the wild. The device, minus the QWERTY keyboard looks just like the the G1. With its ovoid looks, it remains to be seen if this really ends up as the G2. Hopefully, the Mobile World Congress should throw some light on this one.

HP MiniNote 1100 Series Specs Out! 

HP's netbook series, the MiniNote seems to be facing a frequent leaking problem. If images of the 1100 series were leaked a few weeks ago, last week, it was the turn of the specs. Apparently product specifications of HP's new Mini 1100 series netbooks, namely, 1135CL, 1135NR, 1140NR, and 1141NR were spotted by folks over at Engadget and the rest as they say, is history.

Dell's Inspiron Mini Reaches India 

Dell's Macbook Air and Voodoo Envy competitor, the slim and svelte Inspiron Mini finally made its way to India last week. This beauty will be available at select Croma stores across India. This however is a netbook, ideal for students and executives on the move. The Macbook air comparo was done solely because this one is just 0.2 inch thicker than the Air.

Nokia E75 Rumors Again 

After a few months since the first E75 rumors cropped up and died a silent death, newer images of an upcoming E Series device with a slide out keyboard were seen in the wild. The device looks gorgeous and should make any E-Series fan drool. The Mobile World Congress is our best bet when this one might see the light of the day. And whatever Nokia names it, this one's a winner just by the looks of it.