Nokia Sea Ray Windows Phone handset "leaked"..

It’s only been a couple of days since the launch of the MeeGo-based Nokia N9, but although Nokia’s new baby has been receiving favourable reviews, the company has just let slip its first Windows Phone handset – codenamed Sea Ray.

In a bizarre presentation, Stephen Elop asked those present to turn off their recording devices, but almost inviting them to do the opposite as he pointed out that he’d be showing them something “super confidential” and something “that we do not want to see out in the blogosphere”.

Oddly enough, Elop didn’t seem to notice that people continued recording his presentation – with some devices evidently held aloft to capture the presentation in full.

Elop then went on to show off the new so called ‘Sea Ray’ phone – a handset that looks incredibly similar to the Nokia N9, albeit with a new extra button on the side, but running the Windows Phone OS.

To leak Sea Ray so soon after the Nokia N9’s launch definitely seems to kill off Nokia’s newly launched handset, and seems like a bit of a bizarre PR stunt.

Either way, we think that the official launch of the first Nokia Windows Phone handset can’t come soon enough

Apple under scanner for violating Indian competition laws with iPhone 4..

India may conduct an inquiry against Apple following a complaint that the iPhone maker is breaching the competition laws of the country. The complaint lodged at the Competition Commission of India (CCI) states that Apple is curbing the customers' choice by restricting sale of the iPhone 4 through only two mobile operators – Bharti Airtel and Aircel. It further states that the software for the device can be downloaded only from the official Apple app store. The complainant also alleges that the Apple hardware can be serviced only at Apple stores.

AFP quotes a CCI official as saying the competition watchdog will examine the complaint and see if Apple is violating the laws. The CCI official, however, declined to divulge the details of the complaint. Apple, meanwhile, has said that it has not received any notice from the CCI and refused to comment further. The commission is likely to take up the matter later this week.

Apple's iPhone 4 was launched last month in India, almost after a year it was launched in the US. The phone came with services of two mobile operators Bharti Airtel and Aircel. The two operators have offered the latest iPhone with discounted data plans. The launch of iPhone 4 came months after the third-generation wireless spectrum was launched in India. The operators brought the iPhone 4 hoping to take advantage of the 3G services.

Apple has been selling its iPhone with exclusive operators since its launch in India, and most territories around the world. But in India, consumers are not yet very used to such contract-based devices. However, until operators offer more than a few devices on such contracts, we will never know if the Indian consumer actually likes or dislikes such deals - unless they have sufficient variety to choose from.

Do you also think Apple has breached laws by restricting its devices to certain network operators? Let me know what you think in the comments section below :

Angry Birds Summer Pignic trailer arrives (It's now out)..

UPDATE : Go to the iOS App Store and the new update with the new levels are now waiting to be played. As with previous updates of the Angry Birds Seasons HD app you'll only be able to access one level a day over the next 30 days. 
We all know the irritation caused at a picnic when a wasp attack ruins your chances of jam sandwiches. Now try and imagine the picnic devastation caused by a full scale bird attack.
Struggling? Well why not check out this Angry Birds Seasons Summer Pignic trailer instead to get a better idea. The new seasons release from Rovio looks set to take the application addiction even further, this time with the possibility of just a single bird to fling, meaning super difficult levels.
Rovio has gone for the blanket approach with this release, pointing to no less than iPhone, iPad, Android, Mac and PC, Palm, Symbian and even Nook for availability. No release date as of yet, but keep yourself wired in to Pocket-lint where we will post as soon as the 'Birds take flight.

Samsung Smart View app puts TV on your mobile..

Need to take a poop but don't want to miss Andy Murray thrashing his way around Centre Court? Well, worry no longer as Samsung has launched its Smart View app putting your TV's action right in the palm of your hand.
Not literally in your palm you understand (now that would be something) but in the display of your Samsung Galaxy S II handset (or your Galaxy Player, Galaxy S or Galaxy Tab later this year).
The app works with the Smart TV D7000 and D8000 series, and doesn't just beam over the Smart Hub web app contents, this is the whole shebang. We're talking TV,  a Blu-ray, or even some of your own footage from your camera or other devices.
Guy Kinnell, marketing director for TV, Samsung UK, said: "As the UK’s leading TV brand, we deliver the best in technology and innovation, and Smart View is one such development which will see us continue to lead the TV market.
"Samsung Smart TV is leading the ‘smart revolution’ not only with the features of Smart TV itself - such as rich content, 2D and 3D picture quality, smart functions and design - but also with input devices using our QWERTY smart remote control, the Samsung Remote app, and now with Smart View."

Asus unleashes ultra-thin U36 notebook..

These laptops just keep on getting thinner, with the latest to enter the super slim brigade arriving in the form of the Asus U36.

The 19mm thick magnesium alloy netbook features clever technology that means it keeps itself clean, so you can transport it anywhere you go. Dirt, water and fingerprint marks are repelled by the laptops nanometer coating. Mucky-pups will also like the seamless chiclet keyboard which keeps those crumbs at bay. 

The laptop itself features something called the ASUS Super Hybrid Engine that allows for USB 3.0 toggling. Nvidia graphics with Optimus technology, a standard voltage i5 processor and 13.3 inch HD tft display make up the rest of the U36's hardware specs. 

Asus has managed to preserve battery life despite the standard voltage i5, squeezing an 11.5 hours out of the laptop. This is partly due to a dual heat pipe design that keeps the laptop cool and small in size.  

500GB of storage and a 5 in 1 card reader also means you can back up snaps or other media on the go.

Available in either silver or black and priced in at £699, the U36 is set to hit stores before the end of this month.

Pentax Q Pocket-size interchangeable lens camera lands..

Pentax has announced the Pentax Q - a device it is describing as "the world’s smallest and lightest digital interchangeable-lens camera system".
Packing a new Q mount system that has a diameter 6mm shorter than the K mount, the new system eradicates the optical finder, mirror box, focusing plate and AF sensor - meaning that it can all fit into a magnesium-alloy chassis described as "pocket-sized". The body measures 98 x 57.5 x 31mm and it weighs 200g, but will depend what lens you attach.
If there's been a compromise in getting the first prize for smallness then perhaps it is that the sensor is on the small side too - although you'll no doubt still be able to get some cracking images with the back illuminated 1/2.3-inch CMOS image sensor with 12.4 effective megapixels, with the option to shoot JPEG and RAW.
The sensor boasts high efficient light gathering optical construction, and is backed up by a new generation imaging engine with an ISO range of 125 to 6400.

There are four positions on the front dial for you to assign your favourites of the nine smart effects on offer, which are listed as Brilliant Colour, Funicular Bold, Vintage Colour, Cross Processing, Warm Fade, Tone Expansion (like HDR), Bold Monochrome, Water Colour, Vibrant Colour Enhance, and finally User defined. You'll also be able to shoot 1080p HD movies at 30fps.
Other killer features including a Bokeh function (which looks to create the "background defocus" effect we've seen elsewhere), a shake reduction mechanism, a top shutter speed of 1/2000 second, and the choice to shoot in 4:3, 3:2, 16:9 or 1:1 aspects. Of course you get manual shooting controls as well as the normal aperture and shutter priority shooting modes.
The LCD monitor is a 3-inches with 460k dots and has a viewing angle of 170 degrees which will be handy in low light, or bright light situations, but doesn't reach the resolution of some displays on rival cameras.
You'll need to team it up with one of the five Q mount lenses that have been announced as well: the Pentax-01 Standard Prime (F/1.9, 47mm in 35mm terms), the 02 Standard Zoom (27.5-83mm), the 03 Fish Eye (160 degree angle), the 04 Toy Lens (35mm) or the 05 Toy Lens Telephoto (100mm).
With retro styling and the selection of smart effects and lenses, it looks like Pentax are gunning for those who like to create easy creative photos, perhaps with a penchant for Hipstamatic or Lomo effect, given the Toy Lens and Cross Processing options.
The price of the Pentax Q is still to be confirmed, but we know that it should hit the shops in September in white or black.

Angry Birds Magic Places Bringing Location-Based Unlocks..

We knew that Angry Birds Magic would take the original avian-chucking game and add in some social functionality, urging you to connect with other players in order to unlock additional content through your smartphone’s NFC transceiver; look for it on Nokia devices this year. Now Rovio has revealed another aspect of this new way to play with Angry Birds, announcing Magic Places.

Magic Places expands on the idea of using proximity to other players to unlock content, instead using your phone’s GPS receiver to unlock content based on your proximity to pre-defined areas. These are spaces which Rovio has deemed “magic”, and visiting them will enable you to unlock extras like the level-clearing Mighty Eagle.

Is this direction going to work for Angry Birds? A big part of what makes the game so appealing is how easy it is to pick up your smartphone and play a few levels when you have a minute to spare (or when you’re blowing-off real work). Will the majority of players feel like they’re getting more out of the game by hunting down magic places, or will it seem like a chore? A lot of that could depend on how Rovio defines them, choosing where they’re located, as well as how valuable the unlockable content is towards completing new levels.

Rumour : Nokia N9 will not be coming to India..

Though the news is still unconfirmed, there is a possibility that the MeeGo - based Nokia N9 will not be arriving in India at all. Many consider the fate of the N9 already sealed, and the general consensus is that it will be the first and last MeeGo device from Espoo’s stables. Unfortunate yes, but we hope for the sake of the developers, as well as for consumer choice, the platform will find adoption amongst other manufacturers. Things look a bit bleak however.

Keeping all this in mind, it is hardly surprising that the industry expects Nokia to limit the sale of the N9 to select countries. Other reports, by the usually well-informed Eldar Murtazin, predict that Nokia will be making comparatively few units of the N9, less than 100,000.

But, while India is not on the list of 23 territories, we are unreasonably hopeful that Nokia will make some more, and bring a limited quantity here, if the device sees some healthy demand in other countries.