Google starts selling mobile phones through Google Play

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Galaxy Nexus is the first phone to sell through Google Play (Android Market), in the USA. The company plans to extend it to other markets soon.

Google has started to sell Samsung Galaxy Nexus though its Google Play store (earlier called Android Market) in the USA. It has created a new 'Devices' section in the Google Play web store, though which it will only be selling the unlocked version of Nexus phones initially.

Google started making Nexus phone more than two years ago to give people a pure Google experience. The first Nexus phone called Nexus One was made by HTC, but the later two versions Nexus S and Nexus Prime has been made by Samsung.

Galaxy Nexus by Samsung runs the latest Android software, Ice Cream Sandwich, with Google mobile services, Google Play and new features like Android Beam and Google+ mobile hangouts. It also offers a 4.65 inch HD Super Amoled display.

Initially made available in the USA, Galaxy Nexus costs $399 (Rs 21,000 approximately) and comes unlocked, without a carrier commitment or contract. Buyers can use it on the GSM network of their choice, including T-Mobile and AT&T. It also comes pre-installed with the Google Wallet and a $10 (Rs 500 approximately) credit to get users started with new mobile wallet.

Google has also implemented new customer support services to improve the purchasing experience on Google Play. We've taken all of this into consideration in designing devices on Google Play.

The service will be available in more countries soon, Google has informed through its official blog. We however do not expect the service to come to India anytime soon.

Google is soon expected to launch a low cost tablet, which we believe will also be sold through Google Play store.

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Sony Xperia S is the second officially certified PlayStation device

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Sony Xperia S is the second officially certified PlayStation device after Sony Ericsson Xperia Play. It will carry a price tag of approximately Rs 30,000.

Sony Xperia S, the first smartphone to carry the Sony logo, will be available in India from today, and will carry a price tag of approximately Rs 30,000. Xperia S is the first smartphone that Sony released after it acquired shares of Ericsson.

Sony Mobile had unveiled Xperia S smartphone during the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, USA, earlier this year.

Notably, Sony Xperia S is the second officially certified PlayStation device after Sony Ericsson Xperia Play. Hence, Xperia S will have access to the Sony PlayStation store and all the content that is available on it. Sony PlayStation provides games and entertainment resources to mobile devices and allows them to connect seamlessly to Sony PlayStation devices as well.

Xperia S is powered by a 1.5 GHz dual core Snapdragon MSM 8206 processor coupled with 1 GB of RAM for faster performance. Its 4.3 inch HD display comes with 1280 x 720 pixel resolution and is expected to run on Android Ice Cream Sandwich 4.0.

There is also a 12 megapixel camera capable of recoding full HD video which utilises Sony's Exmor sensor technology that helps in taking quality images in low light conditions.

Sony Xperia S, on the connectivity front, features 3G, WiFi, Bluetooth and NFC capability.

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Google Chrome for iPhone, iPad now available

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Google has released the Chrome web browser app optimised for the Apple iOS based devices through Apple App Store.

Google has surprised everyone by making the Chrome web browser available for the iOS based devices through Apple App Store. Now Google Chrome also joins the race of the third party web browser in the Apple App Store and brings new user experience.

The availability of the Google Chrome web browser for iPhone and iPad was announced at the on-going Google I/O conference in San Francisco, US.

Google Chrome web browser now arrives for its rival platform - iOS. Available for the iOS 4.3 or higher running devices, the Google Chrome is not exactly like the one available for the Android platform.

The Chrome for iOS uses Apple's older engine UIWebView for rendering and as JavaScript engine. In plain words, it will be even slower than the Apple's own mobile Safari which uses a Nitro JavaScript engine for rendering.

That reason for using Apple's UIWebView engine is because that is what Apple offers the third party web browser to use - be it Opera, Dolphin or Yahoo Axis.

Chrome for iOS includes its regular set of fancy features such as ability to view open tabs and pages from other devices. That requires signing into Chrome using your Google Account credentials. The famous Cognito Mode is also available for the Chrome for iOS.

Google aimed to deliver a fast, secure and stable version of web browsing experience to the iOS platform users. Though, not as fast as for Android but you can certainly enjoy the similar user interface on the iPhone or iPad.

The new Chrome for iOS is quite userful for the ardent lovers of Chrome browser for the desktops to sync their bookmarks, pages and calender with the iOS devices and access it on the go.

Recently, Mozilla showed the prototype of its upcoming Firefox web browser for the iPad and codenamed it as Junior. No release dates were promised for that mobile web browser.

Google Chrome for iOS can be downloaded from the Apple App store.

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