Abhiroop Basu

Abhiroop Basu is an opinionated tech and digital media blogger. As a doe-eyed twenty-something he started his first blog TechComet to comment on anything tech-related that caught his omniscient eye. Since then he has blogged for Android Police, Make Tech Easier, and This Green Machine. In the real world, Abhiroop Basu is a resident of Singapore and the Editor of The Digit, a subsidiary of The Potato Productions Group.

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May

Infinite Dreams Releases Ghoulish Sequel To Shoot The Birds: Shoot The Zombirds

Posted by Abhiroop Basu in Games, News

Released in the second half of last year, Shoot The Birds was an interesting and popular take on the familiar Duck Hunt genre of games. If you didn't get enough of your favourite crossbow-wielding pumpkin head hero, he returns in a ghoulish sequel to do what he does best: Shoot The Zombirds.

Developer Infinite Dreams has retained the original Shoot The Birds formula, i.e. the Pumpkin Boy must protect the little Pumpkids by shooting the birds out of the sky. However the sequel brings a new twist in the form of undead zombified birds. There are also a number of new challenging objectives and skills.

May

Grand Theft Auto III On Sale For Only $0.99 Till May 28th, 80% Off Standard Price

Posted by Abhiroop Basu in Deals, Games, News

The Grand Theft Auto series is a veritable gaming classic, spanning 14 games and numerous clones. The games are all highly addictive with enthralling storylines, and Rockstar has been able to replicate this magic formula with GTA III for Android.

The game normally retails for $4.99, however in celebration of the Memorial Day weekend, Rockstar has decided to massively discount it by 80%. Starting today you can pick up the game from the Google Play store for just $0.99, but hurry the offer is only valid till Monday, May 28th.

We’re celebrating Memorial Day weekend with a special sale on Grand Theft Auto 3 with a low price at 80% off, starting today through Monday, May 28th.

May

Acer Halts Shipment Of Iconia Tab A510 Due To A Faulty Component, Confirms A700 Is On Track To Ship By June 11

Posted by Abhiroop Basu in Acer, Iconia Tab A510, News

A few hours ago, the Acer Germany page on Facebook (translated) posted an update stating that there was a fault with an important component in the A51x series of tablets. But Acer did not state which component failed to pass their quality control tests. Unfortunately, this means that there will be a delay in delivery of the Iconia Tab A510/A511 tablets, and Acer has been unable to confirm when the faulty component will be replaced.

Amazon has also stopped taking orders for the device as customers have reported that there could be something wrong with it.

Owners of the A510/A511 tablets who are concerned that they have a faulty device ought not to worry, as a recent comment by Acer on its Facebook page indicates that tablets that were already shipped passed their quality control tests.

May

Verizon's Samsung Galaxy S III Outed By Bluetooth SIG

Posted by Abhiroop Basu in Galaxy S III, News, Verizon Wireless

Sometimes confirmations come from the strangest of sources.

The Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG) has just approved a CMDA version of the Samsung Galaxy SIII (SCH-I535), all but guaranteeing its arrival on Verizon.

Earlier this month a device with the model number SCH-I535 appeared in a NenaMark benchmark test. The device was using the Qualcomm Adreno 225 GPU and was Verizon branded. We suggested that the US version of the Galaxy SIII was likely to use the Snapdragon S4 chip, and the benchmark appears to confirm this theory.

Considering the fact that the Bluetooth SIG approved a CDMA version of what is clearly the Galaxy SIII, and since the model number of the device matches the NenaMark2 test, it is safe to conclude that Verizon should be getting the Galaxy SIII.

May

Thanks To CableWiFi, Over 50,000 Free Wireless Hotspots Will Be Available Across The US

Posted by Abhiroop Basu in News, Off-Topic

Surfing the web while on the move has become a reality thanks to mobile internet over 3G or LTE. However despite yearly advancements in its technology, the reliability of mobile networks remains lackluster.

A solution to ubiquitous connectivity has come in the form of blanketing various cities with wireless hotspots. For example, in Singapore the Infocomm Development Authority (IDA) have initiated the Wireless@SG program which aims to provide wireless hotspots all across the island.

In a similar vein, a group of US cable companies have come together to provide their customers with access to each others wireless hotspots. Bright House Networks, Cablevision, Comcast, Cox Communications, and Time Warner Cable have over 50,000 hotspots in various locations around the US, and soon these will all be accessible to customers of any of those five companies using the "CableWiFi" network name.

May

LG's Quad-Core Optimus 4X HD Coming To Europe In June

Posted by Abhiroop Basu in LG, News, Optimus 4X HD

LG has officially announced its foray into the quad-core smartphone space, with the launch of the Android 4.0 Optimus 4X HD. Unveiled just prior to MWC in February, the smartphone features NVIDIA's latest Tegra 3 Quad-Processor clocked at 1.5GHZ, with the 4-PLUS-1 architecture. Additionally, the device will have a:

4.7" (720p) True HD IPS display
8MP rear camera and 1.3MP front shooter
1GB RAM
16GB onboard storage
2150 mAh battery
Razor thin 8.9mm thickness
SHSPA+ 21Mbps connectivity

LG's assertion, that the 2,150mAh battery on the Optimus 4X HD is the biggest amongst quad-core smartphones, might be technically true as the Droid RAZR MAXX (sporting a massive 3,300 mAh battery) has only two cores.

May

Samsung Quietly Begins Rolling Out ICS To Unlocked Galaxy Notes

Posted by Abhiroop Basu in Galaxy Note, Ice Cream Sandwich 4.0, News, Samsung

Last Updated: May 23rd, 2012

The update for devices running Gingerbread to the latest Ice Cream Sandwich have been erratic at best. Although Samsung has promised updates for its smartphones and tablets, the overall rollout has been quite unpredictable with different markets getting upgrades before others.

There have been numerous indications that the Galaxy Note would be receiving an update to ICS at some point, however aside from the occasional leak there has been no official announcement. It looks like Samsung is finally starting to get their act together, as Devin Balentina reports that he has just received an ICS update notification for his Note.

May

Ubiquitous Wireless Power Fast Becoming A Reality As Samsung, Qualcomm And Others Unite To Develop A New Standard

Posted by Abhiroop Basu in News, Samsung

Amongst the smorgasbord of features Samsung announced for its newest flagship device the Galaxy SIII, the wireless charging accessory seemed the most no-brainer. Wireless power has been a dream for almost everyone, but aside from short-lived products, such as the Touchstone that was available for Palm's Pré phones, they have not really become a reality.

Today Samsung and Qualcomm, together with a group of other technology companies, announced a new initiative that aims to promote the "global standardization of a wireless power transfer technology". The appropriately named "Alliance for Wireless Power (A4WP)" will help create an affordable wireless charging solution for a range of consumer electronic devices, from low power ones, such as Bluetooth headsets, to battery draining tablets.

May

Samsung Galaxy SIII 16GB Now Available For Pre-Order For £499.95 From Amazon UK

Posted by Abhiroop Basu in Galaxy S III, News

Update: It looks like Amazon Germany also has the device up for pre-order for the slightly lower price of EUR 588.90 ($766.34). There is no release date indicated, but the earlier press release suggests it will be available from May 29th, 2012.

Samsung's next flagship smartphone finally launched last week and we spent many paragraphs proffering our opinions on it. Most of us cannot wait to get our grubby hands on it, but it looks like UK customers will be getting it pretty soon, as the Galaxy SIII has gone up for pre-order on Amazon UK.

The 16GB version of the Galaxy SIII in Pebble Blue or Marble White will retail for £499.95 ($806.67) and will be available from the expected release date of May 30th, 2012.

Feb

Verizon Reinstates Double Data Promotion For 4G LTE Devices From February 10th, Also Offers Buy One Get One Free On Droid Razr And Razr Maxx Phones

Posted by Abhiroop Basu in News, Verizon Wireless

It was disheartening when Verizon found and plugged the loophole that gave users unlimited data, but Big Red's latest promotion may get users flocking to its doorstep once more.

Similar to its earlier double data promotion, new or existing customers will get double the data (4GB in total) when they buy a 4G LTE smartphone from Verizon and sign up for a new $30 data plan, together with voice and texting.

Verizon is also hoping couples will take advantage of its buy one get one free promotion ahead of Valentine's Day. You can pick up a Droid Razr or Droid Razr Maxx and get the second one, of the same value, for free!