Win 10 Samsung Galaxy Nexus in 10 Days

@Google is giving out 10 Galaxy Nexus Phones in next 10 days. Samsung Galaxy Nexus is going to be the first Android Phone to sport Google's latest OS, Ice Cream Sandwich. No purchase is necessary to enter or to win. All you would need to do is follow @GoogleNexus on twitter and include @GoogleNexus in the body of the post when you solve the challenge. Google will be giving one challenge everyday for next 10 days for which you will need to find a solution.

First Challenge goes live at 9 AM CST on 11/12. The rest of the schedule is as following:

DATE TIME in PST

November 13, 2011 3:00 AM

November 14, 2011 3:00 PM

November 15, 2011 12:01 AM

November 16, 2011 9:00 PM

November 17, 2011 12:01 PM

November 18, 2011 6:00 AM

November 19, 2011 9:00 AM

November 20, 2011 6:00 PM

November 21, 2011 3:00 PM

Galaxy Nexus Challenge is open to residents of Australia,Canada, France, Germany, Hong Kong,Japan, Netherlands,Singapore, Spain,South Korea, United Kingdom or 50 United States and District of Columbia. You can read the official rules here.

Good Luck!

Source: Google Nexus Twitter

Nokia Gem All Touch Screen Concept Phone

On the 25th anniversary of Nokia Research Center (NRC), Nokia announced its latest concept phone GEM. According to NRC “It’s called GEM because polished precious stones have several sides. Also it’s a concept which is like a raw gem, but it needs to be polished to become a real product.” 

GEM's entire phone body; front, back, and sides are touch screen. As the entire phone is touch screen users can also opt to show ads on the back of the phone while talking in exchange for ad revenue or discount on your bill. GEM doesn't have any particular appearance, but when you launch application like the phone GEM would look like a phone and when you launch Camera the GEM would look like a camera. Pretty neat.

Also as there are no buttons GEM would rely on gestures to launch application like making a circle would launch the Camera. Senior Design Manager Jarkko Saunamäki says “It’s the ultimate customizable device. There is no default appearance. If you play a lot of games it will usually resemble a games pad."

GEM is still a concept and it may take years before such a concept becomes reality. However it is good to see Nokia coming out with such a concept which could make them market leader again.

Source: Nokia

Apple starts selling unlocked, contract-free iPhone4S

If you are looking for a unlocked, contract-free iPhone4S you can now buy one from the official Apple Store. However, you will have to pay a hefty premium to snag a contract free iPhone. 16GB is available for $649, 32GB for $749, and 64GB for $849.

Keep in mind iPhone4S uses a micro-SIM card, so if you are planning to use iPhone4S on mobile carrier other then AT&T you will need to make sure you can obtain a Micro-SIM from your provider. You can always cut your regular SIM card to turn it in to Micro-SIM if you have the skills required.

Is Google+ Dead?!?

I read an interesting article on NYTimes counter arguing some big names like Forbes as to why Google+ is here to stay and will not be euthanized like an abandoned animal. Ever since Google+ launched in June 2011 there has been constant debate as to whether Google+ can ever win over Facebook users, or Google+ would die the same death as Orkut and Google Buzz.

According to Nick at NYTimes "Detractors don’t realize one very important point: Google does not see Google+ as a separate product; to the company, Google+ is the product. Proclaiming that Google+ won’t survive is like saying that the Apple mobile iOS operating system will die, but the iPhone and iPad will live on. They are one and the same, just as Google and Google+ will be." His argument was in response to what Forbes had to say in "A Eulogy for Google Plus".

As with any other product or service, I am sure Google also has haters and lovers who will keep fighting as Husband and Wife. Google still has lot of work to do with Google+ to attract broader audience. For starters it needs better mobile app for iOS. It also needs to develop mobile app for BlackBerry, Nokia, and Windows Mobile. Only time will tell if Google+ is here to live or will it be euthanized.

As far as I am concerned I am liking what I see so far in Google+ but as I said it has lot more work to do before it catches fire. You can read the entire NYTimes article here...

iOS5.0.1 released for iphone, iPad, and iTouch

Apple's first update to iOS5.0 is out today. iOS5.0.1 aims to fix the battery drain issue users have been reporting for past few weeks. If you have any of these devices, iPhone4S, iPhone4, iPhone3GS, iPad2, iPad, iPod Touch 3rd and 4th Gen then go ahead and connect your device to iTunes and get ready for the update.

Here are the major bug fixes and improvements included in this update:

• Fixes bugs affecting battery life
• Adds Multitasking Gestures for original iPad
• Resolves bugs with Documents in the Cloud
• Improves voice recognition for Australian users using dictation

Enable Panoramic Picture Mode on iPhone 4S and other iOS5 Devices

The cool dudes at RedmondPie have successfully come up with way to enable to the native panoramic picture mode for iPhone4S, iPhone4, iPad2, and iPod Touch running iOS5. Here are the steps:

Step 1: Backup your device’s data in iTunes. This is not the usual precautionary measure, you’ll actually need to modify this backup in order to perform the hack.

Step 2: Download iBackupBot from here. It’s compatible with both Windows and Mac.

Step 3: Once it’s finished downloading, install and launch.

Step 4: Locate your com.apple.mobileslideshow.plist file, as depicted below.

Step 5: Double click the file which will take you to the editing page.

Step 6: Directly below <key>DiskSpaceWasLow</key> <false/>, add<key>EnableFirebreak</key> <true/> then hit the disk icon to save.

Step 7: Restore to your backup via iTunes.

Step 8: The process is now complete. Launch the Camera.app, navigate to Options and click on Panorama to begin shooting images in panorama mode.

Source: RedmondPie

Are you experiencing BlackBerry Message delays?

Update: RIM posted on its Twitter account around 6:50 PM EST "BlackBerry services are currently operating normally in EMEIA."

RIM is investigating BlackBerry message delays reported by several users. RIM posted on twitter "We’re getting reports that some users are experiencing delays. We’re investigating and will update you ASAP."

Few weeks back BlackBerry had major outages for 3 straight days affecting millions of customers across the world. Past outage is reportedly going to cost RIM around $100 Million. Let's see how long does it take RIM to fix the current delays in BBM.