Airtel and Affle Introduce SMS2.0

Airtel and Affle introduce SMS2.0 — claimed to be the world’s first upgrade to SMS.

SMS2.0 enables an interactive and non-intrusive platform on the mobile phone that allows Airtel users to discover a host of relevant content services along with enhanced messaging features.

The SMS2.0 service enhances the user’s text messaging experience by adding color and style to it. The personalization options include additional features like composing messages with a variety of colors and emoticons. The content experience is driven around leveraging the eyeball assured nature of SMS, and delivering user relevant content (like News, Jokes, Movie updates, Cricket, Astrology etc.) which is seamlessly integrated into the messaging experience.

SMS2.0 offers upgraded SMS experience to users, at the cost of their regular SMS. SMS2.0 serves free content to the user, contextual to the interest areas selected by him. This content is served as a small teaser on the Message Compose/Read window, and a Full Screen, which appears along with the Message Sent/Sending Window.

The SMS2.0 application resides as a default SMS application, and thus is very easy for the user to discover without any additional training.

To download SMS2.0, the Airtel customer simply needs to send “SMS2” to 543210. There is no charge for downloading and for subsequent content delivery on this platform; the SMS charges remain unchanged and according to the existing mobile plan.

India Rejects Office Open XML Again

A technical committee in India has rejected Microsoft’s Office Open XML file format as a standard.

In the meeting of the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) technical committee Thursday, 13 members voted against the standard, while five members, including some outsourcing companies, and the National Association of Software and Service Companies (Nasscom) voted for making Open XML a standard.

Nasscom is in favor of multiple standards, including Open XML and ODF (Open Document Format), the association said in a statement. It added that technology neutrality and competition will lead to falling prices of IT products.

The technical committee was constituted by the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), India’s national standards body, after moves by Microsoft and other organizations to make Open XML a standard of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO).

BIS is a founder member of ISO, and represents India at the ISO.

The BIS committee had voted in August against making Office Open XML a standard, although some participants said at the time that Open XML may be again reconsidered as a standard by the technical committee and BIS after Microsoft makes the required changes to the document format.

The India vote comes ahead of a March 29 deadline for ISO members to reconsider their votes if they wished.

While disappointed by the decision of the BIS committee, Microsoft said Thursday that it was however encouraged by the support of IT industry players like Nasscom, Tata Consultancy Services, Wipro and Infosys who voted in favor of Open XML becoming an ISO standard.

Transcend Unveils 32GB Flash Drive in India

Transcend announced the launch of its latest high-capacity USB flash drive – the 32GB JetFlash V60 in India. It’s the first brand selling 32GB pen drives with in India.

About the size of an AA battery (61mm x 18.6mm x 9.8mm), the JetFalsh V60 is small and light enough to be taken anywhere. With its 32GB memory capacity, users can easily store their personal files, music, digital photos, and even full-length HDTV movies.

The 32GB JetFalsh V60 is also equipped with some useful software tools designed for computer users. The JetFlash elite software suite can be installed to run directly from the JetFlash drive when you plug it in, and includes seven time-saving data management functions, including: Website AutoLogin, PC-Lock, Mobile Favorites, Secret-Zip encryption, Mobile E-mail, DataBackup and Online Update.

Priced at Rs. Rs. 7,300, the JetFlash V60 also supports Windows 98SE / Me / 2000 / XP / Vista, Mac and Linux and comes with a 3 year warranty.

Angry Vista Users Vent Over SP1 Driver Issues

Last Tuesday, Microsoft released Vista SP1 to Windows Update, giving most users their first shot at obtaining the service pack. Previously, only earlier testers, volume licensing customers, and IT professionals and developers who subscribed to TechNet or Microsoft Developer Network had access to SP1.

But as it added Vista SP1 to Windows Update, Microsoft also spelled out numerous caveats, telling users that there are as many as eight different reasons why they might not find the update in the Windows Update listing on their PC. Among those reasons: any of 31 language packs, earlier installed versions of SP1, various prerequisite updates, and a number of device drivers.

The service pack is being withheld from machines containing one or more of the listed drivers because, as Microsoft put it in a support document, “these device drivers are problematic on Windows Vista-based computers when you update to Windows Vista SP1.”
That made an industry analyst wonder about Microsoft’s driver testing process. “When Microsoft said there were problems with drivers, I assumed it was some odd scanner or camera or an ancient printer or something,” said Michael Cherry, analyst with Directions on Microsoft, a Kirkland, Wash.-based research firm. “But then I saw the list. It makes me wonder what’s going on with device driver testing.

“Microsoft keeps saying that there’s this vast ecosystem of device drivers, but it appears there’s a much smaller number of reliable, well-tested drivers. Because if these drivers [on Microsoft's list] were tested, that calls into question the testing process.”

In fact, many of the complaints posted in comments to Microsoft’s Vista blog were related to drivers. For example, one user tried to plumb the depths of his PC to determine why Windows Update suppressed the service pack, but gave up.

“I’m not being offered Vista SP1 on my new Dell XPS M1530 laptop. As far as I can tell, I have two pieces of hardware in the problem list, but the driver versions I have seem to be OK,” said “markheath,” on the Microsoft blog. “So my question is, is there any way of finding out exactly what is stopping me from being shown SP1 via Windows Update? I’m tired of looking at driver versions.”

Others were upset at being forced to root through their PCs to find out why they couldn’t update. “I have just spent 1-2 hrs figuring out that I have one of the problem drivers hence why windows update isn’t offering me SP1,” said someone pegged as “scoobie” on the same blog. “Neither is it offering me an updated new driver. In my book that is not a good customer experience and a bit of a waste of my time.”

But there were still others who, after identifying a blocking driver, wondered where to point fingers. “I have SigmaTel audio drivers that are in conflict with SP1. Therefore, SP1 is not available to me via Windows Update,” said “Fatalah” on the Vista blog. “SigmaTel was purchased by another company, and driver updates are solely in the hands of OEMs now (Gateway, Dell, HP etc.) I do not expect Gateway to update this driver any time soon. When will SP1 be fixed to work with my old SigmaTel drivers?”

Another user, simply dubbed “Russieb,” seconded the motion. “No one seems to be addressing the ‘problem’ drivers, specifically SigmaTel. As Fatalah mentioned any SigmaTel ‘driver updates are solely in the hands of OEM’s now.’  Sony don’t [sic] want to know, neither do [sic] Microsoft! This is stopping a large number of users from installing SP1. Can anyone help?”

Cherry felt their pain. “I assumed in February that the drivers would be for an obscure bunch of peripherals, not drivers with this kind of usage.”

To Microsoft’s credit, the company has offered free support to any user with Vista SP1 issues. In several messages posted to the same comment thread as user complaints, Brandon LeBlanc, who identified himself as a Microsoft employee, directed people to the free support Web site.

“You have a variety of options you can choose for support — all of which will NOT cost you any support fee,” said LeBlanc. “I repeat: support for SP1 will NOT cost you anything — as long as you choose the correct option for support.”

Sony PS3 Set To Enable Downloads

Sony announced that its PlayStation 3 is poised to take the next step in the evolution of the Blu-ray Disc format.

The firmware update, due soon, will update the PS3 to Blu-ray Disc Profile 2.0, also referred to as BD Live. BD Live enables Internet-connected activities such as multiplayer gaming, e-commerce, downloading new content, and social networking.

BD Live impressed crowds earlier this year at the Consumer Electronics Show, where Sony demonstrated downloading ring tones and new content to a BD Live player. Sony announced last October that the PlayStation 3 would support BD Live. Now, it appears that the PS3 will be the first Blu-ray Disc player to support this latest advancement in the Blu-ray format. Sony Electronics’ own forthcoming BD Live-capable players aren’t due out until this summer and fall.

Director of PlayStation Network Operations, Eric Lempel, revealed the news in his latest blog entry, ahead of the company sending out a press announcement.

The first titles to take advantage of BD Live are due out on April 8 from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment: The 6th Day and Walk Hard — The Dewey Cox Story. The extent of the BD Live features on these titles remains unknown.

Releasing this firmware update is a pretty cagey move on Sony’s part. Since the PS3’s release, frequent updates to the system have brought boatloads of needed features on-board — including the ability to upscale standard-definition DVDs.

Research and disc sales show that consumers are using the PS3 as a Blu-ray player. The PS3 played a role in the growing volume of Blu-ray disc sales, which in turn prompted Warner Brothers to back Blu-ray Disc exclusively at the start of the year. Warner’s move led to the format war with rival HD DVD.

Other multimedia additions for the upcoming release include the ability to copy PlayStation 3 Music and Photo playlists to a PSP system (previously, you could create Music and Photo playlists on the PS3, but couldn’t export them to a PSP). Another feature for PSP users: turn your PSP into a remote control, for playing back music files on your PS3 without turning on your TV. You can also play long DivX and .WMV format files (over 2 GB).

Disc playback has been enhanced, to allow resume play: You can pick up where you left off on a DVD or BD disc, even if you’ve ejected the disc and inserted a different movie or game in the interim.

Finally, Sony says the PS3’s Internet browser now displays some web pages faster. You can also save file files locally or to external storage media via the PS3 web browser.