How to switch from CDMA to GSM

Answer: GSM offers a number of advantages over a CDMA connection. First and foremost, there is a wider variety in GSM service providers to choose from in comparison to CDMA. As the competition is stiffer -— each service provider tries to out-do the other by offering cheaper calling rates and data plans, which in turn is beneficial to you — the consumer.

With a GSM connection, there are many more options to choose from in terms of mobile handsets — plus, GSM phones are usually better equipped in terms of features and hardware over their CDMA counterpart (a possible exception to this is the iPhone 4 ). GSM phones are also easily available across the world & any unlocked quad band phone can be used with a SIM from any country.

As for disadvantages of GSM, CDMA offers better connectivity in populated areas over GSM. Connectivity on GSM is affected by distance between the cell towers. Usually, there is a higher concentration of GSM devices in an area as compared to CDMA devices.

As far as choosing between Mobile Number Portability or buying a new number is concerned, it depends on your requirement. Mobile Number Portability will let you retain your existing number and switch to another mobile operator. You are required to clear any outstanding bills, get a clearance from your existing operator and then submit your identification documents to the new operator.

This is a fairly time-consuming process and can take up to 2 months. Buying a new number on the other hand is relatively hassle-free. You will still need to submit your identification documents to the new operator and get a new SIM card, but it will be activated and ready to use within 48 hours of purchase.

Samsung Galaxy phones to now support 9 Indian languages

Smartphone giant Samsung announced that its Galaxy range of smartphones and tablets will now support content and user interface in nine Indian languages. The company has partnered with Reverie Language Technologies for this initiative and will offer support for Hindi, Punjabi, Bengali, Tamil, Gujrati, Marathi, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam.

Vineet Taneja, country head, Samsung Mobile India said that it aims to bring the Android experience to the masses with local language support. This iniative is aimed at first-time internet users and non-English speaking masses of the company, he said.

Smartphones like Samsung Galaxy S4 and Galaxy Grand, along with the Galaxy Tab 3 series will support the nine languages. The company said that its entry-level Android model Galaxy Star will begin supporting the same from this month, while the rest of the devices in the portfolio will be able to provide content and interface over the next two months.

Users will now be able to access applications from Samsung App Store in local languages, under categories like games, entertainment, lifestyle, utility, business and devotion. Some of the apps available in nine languages on Samsung phones include The Times Of India, Facebook, Gmail, Mydala, BSE and Bharat Matrimony, among others. The South Korean manufacturer also said that the number of local languages being supported will increase gradually.

Samsung announced that it will work with content providers and app developers to create more regional apps.

How to recall a sent mail on Gmail

In the Compose tab of Gmail, as you start typing out in the 'To' field, you are prompted with probable email addresses. It's convenient, no doubt, especially when you can't recall the email ID. But it could lead to an embarrassment, when in a hurry you end up sending the mail to the wrong person.

Gmail has an option, wherein within a specified period of time, you can recall the mail you sent. To enable this useful tool, click on the 'Gear' symbol on the top right of the email page, and go to 'Settings'. Click on 'Labs' in the series of options you see on the top of the page.

Scroll down and look for the 'Undo Send' option. Click Enable. Scroll down and click on 'Save changes'.

Click on 'General' in the top row of options. Scroll down and look for the 'Undo Send' option. Check 'Enable Undo Send', and choose from the options for cancellation period. The minimum is 5 seconds and the maximum is 30 seconds. Scroll down and Save Changes. Now, when you send a mail, it wouldn't go for the period of time you have selected, within which you can Undo Send.

INDEPENDENCE DAY SPECIAL

 

The number of monthly active users of Facebook in India has shot up by 5 per cent to 82 million for the April-June period of this year.

The California-based social networking giant had 78 million users in India in the January-March period.

Facebook India Country Growth Manager Kevin D’Souza said India had been at the forefront of several growth stories for the social networking major. — PTI

 

HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY TO ALL MY READERS

How to create groups in Gmail, Yahoo

There are occasions when we send an email to a group of people. It may be a mail to our trekking friends about an upcoming outing, or to our relatives about a family function, or to colleagues about an official matter. Adding names one by one is not just tedious, we risk missing out on a few names.

Instead, create a group and just type out the name of the group in the 'To' field.

In Gmail, go to Contacts. Click on one or more contacts. Click on the third-from-left icon on top, which will show 'Groups' if you hover the mouse over it. You can either create new groups or add contacts to already-created groups. On advanced Android phones, these changes will reflect on the phone, allowing you to send a text message to the group as well.

In Yahoo, go to Contacts. On the left pane, you will see 'Lists'. Click on the 'plus' sign to create a new list. You can click on a contact and click on 'Assign to list' to add the contact.

In Outlook, click on the arrow beside 'Outlook' and click on 'People'. Click on 'Manage', 'Manage Groups'. You can create a group, by clicking on the 'plus' sign at the bottom. You can add a contact by clicking on it, and then on 'Groups'.

How to build your own PC for Rs 26,000

I want to assemble a gaming PC for around Rs 26,000. I already have a FullHD monitor, keyboard, mouse and speakers. Please suggest other components.

—Raj Hacker

Considering you want a gaming rig, we suggest you build your computer around a graphic card. And given your budget, the AMD HD 7770 1GB (Rs 9,000 approx) is a good option. It can handle most games at FullHD - and even the graphic-intensive Battlefield 3 runs smoothly, albeit at reduced settings.
For your processor you can choose the entry-level Intel Pentium G2020 processor (Rs 3,800 approx), or if you want more horsepower, Intel's Core i3 3220 (Rs 7,000).
Pick up an ASUS P8B75-M LX motherboard (Rs 4,200); a 500GB hard disk from Seagate or Western Digital (Rs 3,200); and 4GB DDR3 RAM from Transcend or Kingston (Rs 1,800).
For your chassis and power supply unit, we recommend the Cooler Master Elite 344 (Rs 1,900) and the Corsair VS350 (Rs 2,200), respectively. And you can buy an LG or Samsung internal DVD drive (Rs 1,000).

How to connect your camera to PC without installing software

Manufacturers often include manuals, how-to videos, utility programs and software drivers on discs when you buy a new camera, but you may not actually need to install any of it. Most modern computer operating systems automatically recognize the camera or memory card.

If you connect the camera to the computer with the USB cable and the memory card pops up as a new external drive, you can open it and copy the photo files to the hard drive manually, usually from the card's "DCIM" folder.

If the computer does not recognize the connected camera or offer to import photos, check the manual and install the camera's driver software.

If the computer has a built-in memory card reader, or you buy an external USB card reader, you can stick the camera's card in the reader and copy the photos without connecting the camera.

Some discs include software for processing, editing and organizing photos imported from the camera. If you already use a program like Adobe Photoshop Elements, Google Picasa or Apple iPhoto to import pictures, you do not have to install anything new.

Microsoft launches Office 365 for college students in India

Software major Microsoft launched its Office 365 for full time and part time university students in India with an affordable subscription offer.

The Office 365 University includes the complete set of Office applications and can be installed on two PCs or Macs. It also sports Office on Demand and an additional 20 GB premium SkyDrive storage.

Microsoft has priced it at Rs 4,199 for a 4-year subscription and is available for students studying in accredited colleges and universities in the country.

"The special pricing for students will help provide them with opportunities and empower them to develop the necessary skills to be successful in the fast-paced campus environment," Microsoft India GM (Microsoft Office Division) R Pichai said.

Besides, it makes working easier and efficient as one can edit and share documents or notes in real time and store them on the cloud, he added.

To purchase the product, students need to go to the Office website to verify their eligibility in order to activate it. They need to provide their university credential and after it is verified, students can purchase Office 365, he said.

Besides, students, college/university faculty and staff in accredited institution can also purchase Office 365 University subscription.

Government launches data website for public

NEW DELHI: On the lines of the USA and the UK, the union government on Thursday launched an open data website, where information on various sectors like health, transport, sanitation and agriculture was made available. The website, data.gov.in, has been developed by the National Informatics Centre (NIC). Currently, it hosts over 3,500 data sets from 49 government departments which everybody is free to access and use.

Some of the released datasets include "State-wise recorded forest area of the country", "Gross irrigated area", "District-wise release of funds from centre share upto 31st March 2013" and more. Over 1,000 of the available datasets pertain to agriculture alone.

"Government is not the sole proprietor of data. All forms of data must be shared, barring those that are important for security. There is also a responsibility on those who use and interpret this data. They must realize that it is for development," said Kapil Sibal, union minister of communications and information technology, at the launch event. Sam Pitroda, who joined via videoconference, said this project could help implementation of services at district and panchayat level.

A contest organised by the NIC and the National Association of Software and Services Companies ( NASSCOM) is in the offing too. Called the"#OpenDataApps Challenge", it invites entrepreneurs, start-ups, and people from civil society to create apps using this data. Participants can send in entries by August 20 to compete for three first prizes worth Rs. 1 lakh each and three second prizes of Rs 50,000 each.

Earlier this year, the Planning Commission had organized a hackathon in the country, inviting apps using similar data sets. Web developer Guneet Narula, who had participated and won in the hackathon, feels that this data.gov initiative is a "step in the right direction".

"The hackathon was just a starting point. This has a different objective. As a developer, I may not be able to see how two data sets relate. With a team where there are people who can analyse it that way, it may have useful results," says Narula.

Kantanu Kundu, CEO of a2z apps says he wishes the government would come up with an API (Application Programming Interface) as well. "That would excite app developers who want to use such data," he says.

TCS to set up Rs 500 crore campus in Indore

IT services firm Tata Consultancy Services is setting up a software development campus in Indore with an investment of Rs 500 crore in two phases.

Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan presided over the foundation stone laying function for Phase-I of the campus today, the company said in a release.

The TCS Indore campus is located in the SEZ Area allotted by the Madhya Pradesh government.

The campus will comprise software engineering blocks, training facilities, amphitheatre, and other facilities to offer a holistic environment to knowledge professionals, it said.

Consisting of water bodies and green areas, the park will incorporate green building concepts such as zero discharge, energy efficient systems, rain water harvesting systems and integrated building management systems, it added.