Google Maps : mapping the indoors

“Where am I?” and “What’s around me?” are two questions that cartographers, and Google Maps, strive to answer. With Google Maps’ “My Location” feature, which shows your location as a blue dot, you can see where you are on the map to avoid walking the wrong direction on city streets, or to get your bearings if you’re hiking an unfamiliar trail. Google Maps also displays additional details, such as places, landmarks and geographical features, to give you context about what’s nearby. And now, Google Maps for Android enables you to figure out where you are and see where you might want to go when you’re indoors.

 

 When you’re inside an airport, shopping mall or retail store, a common way to figure out where you are is to look for a freestanding map directory or ask an employee for help. Starting today, with the release of Google Maps 6.0 for Android, that directory is brought to the palm of your hands, helping you determine where you are, what floor you're on, and where to go indoors.

 Mall of America in Minneapolis before and after, with a floor selector

 San Francisco International Airport before and after, with 3D tilt

We’ve initially partnered with some of the largest retailers, airports and transit stations in the U.S. and Japan, including:

• Mall of America, IKEA, The Home Depot, select Macy’s and Bloomingdale’s, Daimaru, Takashimaya and Mitsukoshi locations and more. Watch an IKEA demo here.
• Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL), Chicago O’Hare (ORD), San Francisco International Airport (SFO) and Narita International (NRT), among others.
• JR and Tokyu Corporation

For a detailed list of participating locations, please visit our help center. And this is just the start--we’ll continually add new indoor maps to public buildings across the world. If you’re a business owner interested in getting your location’s floor plan included in Google Maps, visit maps.google.com/floorplans.

We’re thrilled Google Maps continues to provide you with new and helpful perspectives—whether you’re rushing through the airport or finding your way around a mall. To visit our website and learn more about indoor Google Maps and other features, start here.

Google Redesigned its Toolbar

Six months ago Google started rolling out a new look and feel for Search, News, Maps, Translate, Gmail and a bunch of other products. They said "our goal was to create a beautifully simple and intuitive user experience across Google".

They’re now ready for the next stage of their redesign—a new Google bar that will enable you to navigate quickly between the services, as well as share the right stuff with the right people easily on Google+.

Instead of the horizontal black bar at the top of the page, you’ll now find links to your services in a new drop-down Google menu nested under the Google logo. It’ll show you a list of links and you can access additional services by hovering over the “More” link at the bottom of the list. Click on what you want, and you’re off.

To find out more about the new Google bar, take a look at this video or read Help Center article.

Making navigation and sharing super simple for people is a key part of our efforts to transform the overall Google experience, which is why we’re very excited about this redesign. Enjoy!

Audi A9

Audi A9 hybrid sports sedan is a futuristic layout for the luxury sports cars. The car looks very much like the BMW’s Vision Efficient Dynamics Concept. Design of the car has been done by famous Spanish designer Daniel Garcia who had earlier carried out the design for Ducati 6098 R concept. So far Audi has manufactured A1 to A8 models, and the new A9 is just another addition to it’s A series cars.

Earlier the rumors indicated that the Audi A9 will be designed as four-door coupe based on the similar designs of Mercedes-Benz CLS. However the concept car has been designed as a luxury sports convertible with two doors and is aimed to compete with the top luxury saloon like the Porsche Panamera and the Lamborghini Estoque.

 Styling of Audi A9 concept is half inspired by the spectacular architectural style of Santiago Calatrava’s building which is in Garcia’s hometown of Valencia. The clean flowing lines on the vehicle and its futuristic styling features indicate how the design has been influenced from those buildings, which look as if they come from the future.

The front end of the car looks like the Audi R8 but has thinner and very much sleek LED headlamps. Windscreen and roof of Audi A9 has a unique feature for automatic repair damage which has been made from an advanced (not yet disclosed) nanotechnology material. This material lets the car change its color as well as the opacity with just a press of the button.

The drive train of the Audi A9 concept is expected to be an advanced hybrid setup which also uses an internal combustion engine working together with the electric motors mounted on all the four wheels.

The car will be ready for sale by the year 2015 with aprice tag of about $1,400,000. So you really need to be a rock-star for thinking of buying it..

Nokia 701:Handset Review

Nokia gave a pompous debut to the first trio of Symbian Belle software update loaded smartphones — Nokia 701, Nokia 700 and Nokia 600. Out of these three, we got lucky to receive the best of the three — Nokia 701. Loaded with the neat looking Symbian Belle operating system, the Nokia 701 comes with fancy set of features, functions and interesting bunch of pre-loaded applications.

Nokia has stepped in with couple of first with Nokia 701 — it's the first Symbian Belle device, first to have a 1 GHz processor among Nokia handsets and first with a 'functional' Near Field Communication chip. Most important is its 1000 nits brightness spreading display which measures 3.5-inch. Amongst the three Symbian Belle handsets, the Nokia 701 remains to be the high end.

Journey of Nokia Symbian Belle devices started off with a hiccup when Nokia 600 got cancelled even before it arrived. However, Nokia immediately has replaced it with 603 model.

The closest competitor of the Nokia 701 handset in terms or form-factor, feature set and pricing is the Sony Ericsson Xperia Ray. However, the focus is on the Symbian Belle laden Nokia 701.

Design and Display

In terms of physical appearance, the Nokia 701 comes in a metallic shell body and the curved as well as angular edges reminding of the Symbian Anna icons. Despite of the metallic body, the phone weighs 131 grams sans the SIM card and is actually feels almost like the metallic body bearing Nokia E75. At the first look, Nokia 701 does look similar to the Nokia C7 smartphone but the obvious differentiator lies in the home/menu button design.

Nokia 701 comes with a super-bright 3.5 inch ClearBlack display with the IPS panel LCD with Corning Gorilla Glass technology. That means it offers good viewing angles and also scratch resistant strong glass. The display is a 24-bit colour depth supporting IPS panel which offers 640x360 pixels native resolution. That promises you three things — crisper text, vibrant colours and high brightness. The screen indeed made the images and the text legible under the direct sunlight but bit of contrast settings would have been welcome there.

At the left are well laid volume buttons with Voice Command activator button in the center. There's a dedicated camera button on the left side of the bezel in the bottom and just above it is the spring lock button. It is high time Nokia should drop this spring lock button and integrated the sleep/wake function into the power button, just like several other smartphones mostly — Android and Apple iOS based devices.

 

The Audio port (3.5mm) rests between the power button and microUSB slot. Just to note over here that the Nokia 701 does support the USB-on-the-Go function which will let the users connect the compatible set of USB peripherals with the smartphone. The metallic back panel cover protects the 1300mAh battery. The speaker mesh is visible from the button that pops open the back-panel cover to expose battery and SIM card slot.

 

The bright display is the unique aspect of this Nokia 701 handset and makes it stand out amongst the competitors that usually offer a display with about 400 to 600 nits luminance.

 

User Interface

The feature set that arrive with Symbian Belle have been covered number of times earlier. Major ones include the new notification drawer that also brings toggle switches for mobile data, WiFi, Bluetooth, and turning the phone to silent mode. The multi-tasking feature offering task manager remains the same and is visible when the Menu key is pressed and held for couple of seconds. Apart from more home screens, free-form widgets and improved navigation, the native browser offers better scrolling but the number of tabs is still limited to six.

The touchscreen is quite responsive and responds well while working with the apps or while gaming. Major highlight of the Symbian Belle update is the new Notification tray system that offers combined list of notifications related to the respective apps. This tray is accessible by pull down gesture and resembles so much like the Notification tray in an Android handset. While the four Toggles Switches stand out, it would be great if those switches could be interchangeable or replaced with any other toggle function.

The ARM11 architecture based 1 GHz processor with 512 MB RAM does make lot of a difference in the user interface to make it appear slick and fluid between transitions.

However, one of the pitfalls of this interface would be lack of icon differentiations because many icons come with similar/same color. But you can group the icons together and form a folder with them. The keyboard appears pretty cramped up in the portrait mode and support for SWYPE would be heavily applauded.

Imaging and Multimedia

Nokia has added an 8 megapixel camera with a fixed focus which is capable enough to record 720p HD video at 30fps. The camera does lure to click amazing images with dual LED flash. However, the actually image quality does appear bit washed in case of too much brightness or sunlight. The lack of auto-focus even during video shooting mode is kind of a downer over here. But if you are more of a casual shutterbug, then you might just be happy with the image quality provided the settings are being used properly. However, Nokia has tried to compensate for that with a still image editor. There's also a front facing VGA camera that is usable for video calling.

The Nokia 701 has a Broadcom GPU chip with 128 MB RAM dedicated to it so forget playing the HD quality videos on it. Along with the regular set of video and audio file format supports, the 701 comes with FM Radio and FM transmitter. The sensitive mic located just between the aluminum bezel and the Menu key offers active noise cancellation feature. During voice calls, the voice was clear and quite audible to the other end. No network issues were visible during the usage.

 

NFC fun

Just for record, we thank Nokia for sending a C7 unit to test out the NFC Tippit app that comes preloaded in the Nokia 701 handset. Exchange of business card and other information by merely tapping the phones back to back was quite a smooth process.

Also the Nokia 701 was also used to get the exclusive content from the movie specific posters placed at the Nokia Priority Partners. Must say, that the NFC interface has been coded nicely to share and accept the data from equally supporting devices.

Power Management

Nokia had packed 1300 mAh battery with the 701 and given the high luminance display coupled with 3G Network support, we doubted the phone would last even 18 hours. Surprisingly, the phone lasted just a bit more than a day with brightness limit hit, email accounts set, social features active, music listening of an hour or two, number of phone calls and bit of texting. Nokia indeed has done a commendable job with power management with the Symbian Belle by using it with the low-power consuming ARM11 architecture based processor.

The handset also offers power saving mode that automatically configures the necessary settings to save battery juice for longer run time. Keeping the technical terms aside, the Nokia 701 is capable of offering you longer talk time on 2G networks but it drops drastically when it comes to 3G networks which eat up more battery. Considering the form factor, 1300mAh was the perfect size for this handset and Nokia certainly proves the 701 is one of its best high-end handset with good battery life and power management features.

Conclusion

Nokia 701 smartphone is meant for the multimedia frenzy folks who wish to make the best of their handset without having to wrap their heads around operating system or hackery. This smartphone is meant for serious travelers who wish for a mobile with promising battery life and compelling features. Packed with metallic finish, by looks the Nokia 701 does look chic and premium.

Typing on landscape mode is quite comfortable due to the rounded corners that provide a good grip and also it is much easy to use the virtual keyboard in that mode. The Automatic screen rotation is still not smooth as compared to the competing operating system.

As an overall package, Nokia 701 indeed is an amazing package with fresh looking Symbian Belle and long lasting battery support. Available in India at a price of Rs. 18,990 in retail stores, you can also buy the same handset for less online.

NASA launching 'Curiosity' to explore Mars

As big as a car and as well-equipped as a laboratory, NASA's newest Mars rover blows away its predecessors in size and skill.

Nicknamed Curiosity and scheduled for launch, the rover has a 7-foot arm tipped with a jackhammer and a laser to break through the Martian red rock. What really makes it stand out: It can analyze rocks and soil with unprecedented accuracy.

Ten feet long, 9 feet wide and 7 feet tall at its mast, Curiosity is about twice the size of previous rovers Spirit and Opportunity, weighs 1 ton and is loaded with 10 science instruments. Its formal name: Mars Science Laboratory, or MSL.

In a spacecraft first, Curiosity will be lowered to Mars' surface via a jet pack and a tether system similar to the sky cranes used by helicopters to insert heavy equipment in inaccessible spots on Earth.

No bouncing air bags like those used for the Mars Pathfinder lander and rover in 1997 and for Spirit and Opportunity in 2004 — Curiosity is too heavy for that.

The rover is scheduled to arrive at the mineral-rich Gale Crater next August, 8½ months after embarking on the 354-million-mile voyage aboard an Atlas V rocket.

Curiosity is the capstone of what NASA calls the year of the solar system. A spacecraft is en route to Jupiter after lifting off last August from Cape Canaveral, and twin lunar probes launched in September will arrive at the moon New Year's weekend.

Once safely down on Mars, the rover will survey the landscape with high-definition and laser cameras mounted like eyes atop its mast. The laser will aim at soil and rocks as far as 23 feet away to gauge their chemical composition.

The rover also has a weather station for updates on Martian temperature, humidity and wind, as well as a radiation detector that will be especially useful for planning human expeditions.

Despite all its fancy upgrades, Curiosity will go no faster than the one-tenth-mile-per-hour logged by past Martian rovers. But it is expected to venture more than 12 miles during its two-year mission. If it's still working after that, it will keep on trucking, possibly all the way up the crater's 3-mile peak.

Top cars in L.A. Auto Show

The LA hosted one of the biggest Auto Show on November 16, 2011.

1. Audi e-tron Spyder

 

An Audi e-tron Spyder is seen at the LA Auto Show in Los Angeles, California.

 

  

 2.Mazda CX-5

 

The Mazda CX-5 is unveiled at the LA Auto Show in Los Angeles, California.

 

 

3. Volkswagen CC

The newly-designed 2013 Volkswagen CC is seen at the LA Auto Show in Los Angeles.

4. Porsche 911 Carera S

The new Porsche 911 Carrera S is displayed at the LA Auto Show on November 16, 2011 in Los Angeles, California. The car show opens to the public on Friday and runs through November 27. 

 5. Infiniti JX

The Infiniti JX, an all-new seven-passenger crossover vehicle, makes its debut at the Los Angeles Auto Show. Infiniti launches an all-new seven-passenger crossover with an exclusive new feature: A system that automatically engages the brakes if the driver is about to back into something crossing behind the vehicle.

6. Hyundai Azera

 

The Hyundai Azera is unveiled at the LA Auto Show in Los Angeles, California. 

 

 

7. Honda Fit EV

The Honda Fit EV is unveiled at the LA Auto Show in Los Angeles, California.

8.Honda CR-V

The new Honda 2012 CR-V is unveiled at the LA Auto Show in Los Angeles, California.

9. Ford Escape

The new Ford Escape is unveiled at the LA Auto Show in Los Angeles, California.

 

 

10. Beetle R

 

The 2013 Beetle R concept car is displayed at the Los Angeles Auto Show.

 

 

 

11. Ford Flex

The 2013 Ford Flex is seen at the LA Auto Show in Los Angeles.

12. Ford Mustang

 

The Ford 2013 Boss 302 Mustang is seen at the LA Auto Show in Los Angeles.

 

 

13. Subaro BRZ

The Subaro BRZ concept car makes its debut at the Los Angeles Auto Show.

 

 

 

14.Kia Soul

 

A 2012 Kia Soul, whose design is inspired with ideas from LPGA golfer Michelle Wie, is seen at the LA Auto Show in Los Angeles.

 

 

15. Chevrolet Camaro ZL 1

Chevrolet Vice President Global Marketing and Strategy Chris Perry speaks as the 2013 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 Convertible is unveiled at the Los Angeles International Auto Show in Los Angeles. The ZL1 accelerates from 0 to 60 mph in 3.9 seconds and can reach a top speed of 184 mph. The convertible will go on sale in the summer of 2012 as a 2013 model.

16.  BMW i8 Hybrid

The BMW i8 hybrid-electric concept vehicle is seen at the LA Auto Show in Los Angeles.

 

 

17. Chevrolet Spark

The 2013 Chevrolet Spark four-passenger, five-door hatch mini cars line the stage during their unveiling at the Los Angeles International Auto Show in Los Angeles, California. The Spark will be available in a variety of vibrant exterior and interior colors. It will also offer the Chevrolet MyLink Infotainment system, including a seven-inch color touch screen capable of displaying smart phone-based navigation, media and contacts for hands-free calling. The Spark goes on sale in the United States and Canada in mid-2012. 

18. Lotus Evora

A Lotus Evora sports car is shown on display at the Los Angeles Auto Show.

 

 

19. Mastretta MXT

The Mastretta shows off its first car, the MXT, at the LA Auto Show in Los Angeles, California. Mastretta is a Mexican car maker and design studio established by Mexican industrial designer Daniel Mastretta.

20.DOK-ING

 

An electric city concept DOK-ING car is seen at the LA Auto Show in Los Angeles, California.

 

 

21. Lincoln MTS

 

Lincoln chief designer Max Wolff accompanies an all-new 2013 Lincoln MTS in its debut at press preview day for the Los Angeles Auto Show.

 

22. Ford Shelby GT500

A Ford Shelby GT500 is shown on display at the Los Angeles Auto Show in Los Angeles, California.

 

 

23. Aston Martin One-77 

 

An Aston Martin One-77 is shown on display at the Los Angeles Auto Show in Los Angeles, California.

 

24. Honda Civic Natural

The 2012 Honda Civic Natural Gas car, named Green Car of the Year for 2012, is seen after its unveiling at press preview day for the Los Angeles Auto Show.

25. Lincoln MKT

The 2013 Lincoln MKT is seen after its debut at the Los Angeles Auto Show.

26.Cadillac XTS

 

 

The Cadillac XTS is on display after its debut at the Los Angeles Auto Show.

 

27. Land Rover DC100

Land Rover DC100 concept cars make their North America debut at the Los Angeles Auto Show in Los Angeles, California.

Best smartphones above Rs 20k in October-November

Last month before Diwali, about 19 different smartphones were launched in India. Though there weren't that many this month, we did see some new high-end smartphones. This list is for you if you want a smartphone that can do everything, including looking really good. All these new smartphones are priced above Rs 20,000.


Apple iPhone 4S

Several users ceased purchasing iPhone 4 in September-October and waited for the iPhone 4S instead. With a distinctive virtual assistant feature, the iPhone 4S is an improved version of iPhone 4 in terms of specs. Packing a dual-core Apple A5 SoC mobile processor, the iPhone 4S promises twice the processing power its predecessor had.

Apple has put in an 8 megapixel camera with LED flash which is capable of capturing high quality images and 1080p HD video at 30 frames per second. Also, Apple's iCloud storage service is also accessible using iPhone 4S and offers up to 5 GB of online storage. The device runs iOS 5.0 with several new features.

With the same 3.7 inch retina display screen, the distinctive feature of the iPhone 4S is Siri, the virtual assistant that is voiced by a lady. Indian consumers will have to struggle with the voice.

The Apple iPhone 4S will be available in India at Rs 44,500 for a 16 GB model, and Rs 51,000 and Rs 57,500 for a 32 GB model.

Motorola RAZR XT910

Motorola revisited its slim line of smartphones with the new RAZR XT910. Featuring a big 4.3 inch Super Amoled display with qHD (960 x 540 pixel) resolution, the new Motorola RAZR XT910 is 7.1 mm thin. Its display uses Gorilla Glass to make it sturdy and scratch resistant. The Kevlar fibers at the back too add to the tough look. The smartphone has a dual-core 1.2 GHz mobile processor to power Android 2.3.5 Gingerbread, which can be upgraded to Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich when it arrives. .

At the back of the phone there is an 8 megapixel camera with LED flash that is capable of recording video at full HD, or 1080p, resolution. There is also a Backside-Illuminated Sensor (BSI-2) that helps in clicking better quality images in poor light. The front facing 1.3 megapixel camera for video chat is also HD capable. Samsung's new MotoCast App that debuts with the phone allows wireless content streaming.

For better audio response the handset features a 1780 mAh battery that promises talk time of up to 9 hours on 2G networks.

Motorola's legendary RAZR smartphone indeed is chic, svelte and powerful enough to open apps quickly, run games and multi-task.

Samsung Galaxy Note N7000

  Samsung's new Galaxy Note GT-N7000 despite appearing like a mini-tablet, is actually a large-screen smartphone. The perfect mashup of a smartphone and tablet, the Galaxy Note is a modern day digital assistant with new S Pen stylus which is extremely useful for taking quick notes, drawing/sketching, signing and even navigating through menus. Galaxy Note has a 5.3 inch Super Amoled HD screen with native 720p HD resolution. We had the chance to try the Samsung Galaxy Note at its launch.

The Samsung Galaxy Note comes with a dual core 1.4 GHz processor that powers Android 2.3.x Gingerbread with TouchWiz UI and Live Panels layered on top. Galaxy Note has an 8 megapixel camera with flash that can record full HD videos. After that you can edit videos on Note itself. The bigger display might look a bit cumbersome but in fact it is amazingly helpful while taking quick notes or working on something important.

Samsung Galaxy Note is priced at Rs 35,000 which does sound a bit heavy on the pocket but is actually quite reasonable if you consider its features and powerful 2500 mAh battery.

HTC Sensation XE

  HTC's new Sensation XE has been quietly made available in India through retail channels though the smartphone is yet to be formally launched. This smartphone running Android 2.3 Gingerbread features a 4.3 inch touchscreen display and houses a dual core 1.5 GHz processor. Apart from its qHD (960 x 540 pixel) display, the Sensation XE has an 8 megapixel camera that is capable of recording full HD 1080p video at 30 fps.

Sensation XE is the first handset for India that features Beats Audio profiles pre-loaded on the handset alongwith Beats earphones. As soon as you plug in the earphones, the pre-configured audio profiles enhance the music. That's what HTC claims though we are yet to test this claim.

HTC Sensation XE comes with a 1730 mAh battery that makes it last longer than usual high-end Android smartphones. Of course, this handset is capable of running Android 4.0 ICS update which will be released when ready. HTC Sensation XE is being sold at a rough retail price of Rs 32,400 which might be a bit expensive but might be worth it for those who love music and HTC's Sense user interface.

Samsung Galaxy S II

 Samsung's flagship device Galaxy S II GT-i9100 continues to be a popular high end smartphone. This handset's most noteworthy feature is its large 4.27 inch Super Amoled Plus touchscreen that supports 800 x 480 pixel resolution. Galaxy S II runs Android 2.3 Gingerbread with the new TouchWiz 4.0 user interface. The mobile operating system is fast and smooth, thanks to its dual core 1.2 GHz Samsung Exynos 4210 SoC processor.

The phone has 16 GB of internal storage which can be taken up to 32 GB using a memory card. There might be no need to expand the phone's memory though, because it has a USB on-the-go port that can read flash drives with more than 4 GB capacity.

Featuring an 8 megapixel camera, Galaxy S II can record full 1080p HD videos and delivers brilliant images, and its front facing 2 megapixel VGA camera is great for video chats.

While new phones pour into the Indian market, it is about time to put your bargaining hat on and get the smartphone you always wished for.

How to write a great resume

With employers receiving hundreds of resume on a daily basis, how do you ensure your resume hooks an employer’s attention in just a glance? Writing a resume involves a lot of tips and tricks. A great CV must follow certain dos and don’ts. Although there are tons one can add on to this list, here are a few basic points your resume cannot miss.

1. Know the purpose of your resume

The first thing that you need to understand is that a resume is not going to fetch you a job. It is the first step to get an interview call which will in turn land you in a job.

2. Back up your strengths

While most of us like to flaunt off our strengths, a resume is just not the right place do to so. Any company or recruiter will get a better idea of your strengths when you relate it with your work/college experience, lest it might appear too vague.

3. Usage of language

Like it or not, employers can judge your resume in no time. Using the apt language is the key to get interview calls. Simple English is appreciated over long, complex sentences. Avoid jargon, keep the titles short and crisp, be descriptive and stick to ...

4. Order of details

Ensure your education details follow ascending or descending order. Your prior work experience can help the recruiter gauge your skills and abilities. So put them first. While adding your other achievements, add the most recent ones on top.

5. Typography

Big fonts make the recruiter’s job easier. However, 11 or 12 is the smallest you can go. Do not use capitals all over your resume. Remember your goal is to communicate the message as crisply as possible. Stick to one font style.

6.Keep negativity at bay

Spare your resume from any kind of negative information. Things that you hated about previous employer, personal opinions etc can create a negative impression about you.

7. Irrelevant information

Don’t include irrelevant information like your religion, age or political affiliation. Just skip these! It might interrupt your chances of landing in an interview.

8. Sell your fish

Remember you have to market yourself through your resume. However, never overdo it, as you might end up blowing your own trumpet. As long as you avoid this, your marketing efforts are sure to fetch you a job.

9. Length of your resume

No matter how long you have worked, never let your resume run for more than one or two pages at the maximum. Bear in mind that no one will have the patience to flip them. Keep it short and to the point.

10. Read and re-read

Once you are done, proof read your resume. Check for spelling errors, facts and other important factors. You could also take help from a friend, family or someone who has more experience than yourself.

This points taken in consideration can help you in writing a good resume which can help you in getting an interview call. I hope you will find it helpful.

Top 5 free racing games for Android

Racing games are a popular method of entertainment for most mobile users and the Android Market is also slowly picking up with numerous free racing games on the platform.

With the ever rising popularity of motor sports in the country, especially after the first F1 event in India last month, Indian mobile phone users have also turned their attention to this genre as well.

Here is our list of top five free Android racing games, which will give Android users a good idea where to start exploring racing games on their Android smartphones.

1. GT Racing:Motor Academy

'GT Racing: Motor Academy' is a free racing game, created by Gameloft. This is a tight racing simulator which lets the users create an entire racing career, right from being a novice to the world champion racer — all with great 3D graphics and intuitive interactive menus.

There are two ways to get through the game - pay attention to all the classes, get all the licences to build wealth or else spend real life money to get ahead in the game.

The game comes with extremely simple controls. Buttons are placed on the screen - on the right, there is one to control the accelerator and the one on the left for brake. Overall, the game is fun, looks good and has depth as well.

    
      2. Drag Racing

Drag Racing is an addictive racing game which reminds the users of 'Need for Speed' though it doesn't have any driving like the later.

In the game, users have to press the accelerator to indicate they are ready, and they have to press the accelerator again when the flag is waved. When the car gets moving, it automatically accelerates so users need not be worried about the gas pedal anymore.

Users, though, have to keep an eye on the speedometer and are need to keep working with the gear button to keep the car go faster.

To boost the car, there is an option of nitrous oxide button as well. Every round of the game is very quick and the action finishes within 20 to 30 seconds flat. So users have to concentrate on two things — they have to make sure their gear changes are perfect and then they have to make the maximum use of their nitrous oxide button as well.

The gamers get all their points when they beat the opponents to the finish line. The rewards that follow allow the users to buy components for their car so it goes even faster.

        3. Racing Moto

Users usually don't expect their racing games to be thinking games, a slot they have reserved for games like chess, and they certainly don't expect a game to stimulate the mind when it is action packed and fast. Racing Moto is a game which comes with a simple challenge — users have to ride on a three lane road where they have to ride bikes to overtake other cars.

Users just have to press one button to get the much needed speed boost. When the cars in the other lane light up their indicators, they will change their lanes soon — so they will get in your way. If the user stay longer on the wheels and they go faster, they get more points so to get the high score, stay driven.

In every game, users have to beat their last best score — the main point which keeps the game very addictive.


      4. Asphalt 5 HD

Although Asphalt 5 HD is an Android racing game, the gameplay is slightly similar to the PlayStation game Buruout.

In this game, users get to operate exclusive super cars, which are upgradable with each win. The gamers are get to race in different continents and in towns such as Las Vegas, Rio, Paris etc.

The game has different kind of steering controls. The best part is, just like in cartoon films, even when someone is smashed in the game, they reappear.

The game comes in many modes, one involves drag racing, drift contests and timed racing. The smartphone users can also play alongside other players on the WiFi network, but they should be in the same network and should have installed the same Asphalt 5 HD.

The game looks stunning to say the least, and stands among the best among the Android racing games.

       5. Racing Live

This game comes with a cool theme and look, though in navigation it is not that intuitive. Overall, it is a fun and addictive game which provides hours of fun gameplay to the users. The gamers start the game as novice and then they work their way up the levels of the game — they end up as a pro racer at the end of the game.

Users have to share their code to invite others to join their crew. The gameplay grows tougher as users go into the advanced levels, and that's why they need to resources well at higher levels. Of course, they need to make sure they have fuel, integrity and focus for the game. These resources get recharged as the users gain more experience into the game.

BlackBerry Bold 9790, Curve 9380

Canadian smartphone maker RIM has announced two new BlackBerry smartphones, both sporting BlackBerry OS 7 - the Bold 9790 and Curve 9380.

BlackBerry Bold 9790 offers a standard BlackBerry form factor, with a physical QWERTY keyboard and a 2.44-inch screen with a 360 x 480 pixel resolution.

The Bold 9790 also sports a 5-megapixel camera on the back, a 1 GHz CPU and 8 GB of storage memory, further expandable via microSD cards.

The Bold 9790 combines a high-resolution and highly responsive touch display with a highly tactile keyboard and a precise optical trackpad.

With the BlackBerry 7 OS and powerful 1 GHz processor, the BlackBerry Bold 9790 delivers fast, smooth performance for browsing the web, running apps, and working with documents.

The lower-end BlackBerry Curve 9380 offers more of a deviation in design from previous Curve devices in that it scraps the physical keyboard for a 3.2-inch display with a 480 x 360 resolution.

The Curve 9380 comes with preinstalled social networking apps, including the BlackBerry Messenger, Facebook, Twitter and Social Feeds apps.

The BlackBerry Curve 9380 also features a 5MP camera with flash and video recording.

Oddly, RIM hasn’t unveiled much about the Curve 9380, but rumours are that it will have 1GB of internal storage and a 800MHz processor.

"Skoda Rapid" sedan priced @ Rs.6.75 lakhs

SKODA Auto India launched its C segment sedan SKODA Rapid in India.With superior quality design and exclusive features tailor made for the Indian market, the Rapid will be available at a price of Rs. 6.75 lakhs ex showroom Delhi.

Symbolizing SKODA’s brand value – “Simply Clever”, the Rapid is ideal for the Indian streets with an attractive design, ample space, excellent safety equipment and modern proven technology.

With this offering, Rapid is expected to become the cornerstone for brand SKODA in India.

The Rapid has been created keeping the Indian customer in mind and marks SKODA’s entry in the extremely important C segment.

It is a comfortable car for the family with an elegant design, ensuring an efficient drive.

With the central philosophy of “Clever engineering with a human touch” and the attitude of “Listen closely to customers’ wishes”, SKODA also unveiled its new corporate identity with a young, fresh and precise logo in India.

The Rapid is available in petrol version with manual and automatic transmission and in diesel version with manual transmission.

Available in three variants – Active, Ambition and Elegance – the Rapid has five colours – brilliant silver, candy white, cappuccino beige, deep black pearl and flash red.

1.6 litre petrol engine delivers maximum power of 77kW(105PS)@5250rpm and maximum torque of 153Nm@3800rpm

1.6 litre diesel engine produces maximum power of 77kW(105PS)@4400rpm and maximum torque of 250Nm@1500–2500rpm

Features include - front passenger seat adjustment from rear seat using ergo-lever, anti-pinch windows, one-touch operation for electrically adjustable windows, adjustable dual rear air-conditioning vents, security code for audio player, height and Length adjustment for steering wheel, foldaway cup holders and Rough Road package.

Skoda Auto India Marketing Head Tarun Jha, left, and Associate Director Sales and Marketing Ashutosh Dixit pose with the newly launched Skoda Rapid car in New Delhi, India, Wednesday, Nov. 16, 2011. The Rapid has a 1.6 liter engine in petrol and diesel variants with a starting price of Rupees 675,000 (US $13,235). (AP Photo/Gurinder Osan).

Skoda Rapid will be available in Red,  Silver, Black, Golden and Creamery