Google bans phone application used in spying

A controversial mobile phone application, which helps a cell phone user read the text messages of others secretly, has been removed from sale by internet search engine Google. Google said the application, called SMS Secret Replicator, violated its terms, The Independent reported on Friday.

Once installed on a mobile phone, the Android phone application automatically creates carbon copies of incoming text messages and forwards them to a selected number - prompting fears it could be used by jealous lovers and even work colleagues to snoop on private messages.

Jealous lovers are encouraged to secretly set up a password-protected application on their partners' phones and set it to forward text messages to their own, the paper said. 

"The app is unique because there is no visible icon or shortcut to access it, so once it's installed, it will continue to monitor without revealing itself," the developer DLP Mobile was quoted as saying.

Its chief executive, Zak Tanjeloff, said the application was "certainly controversial but can be helpful to people in relationships where this type of monitoring can be useful".

The app's creators have given it the slogan "nothing is secret". Google confirmed it had suspended the application.

RIM Said to Plan Tablet for November to Take on Apple's IPad

Research In Motion Ltd., maker of the BlackBerry smartphone, plans to introduce a tablet computer in November to compete with Apple Inc.’s iPad, according to two people familiar with the company’s plans.

The device will have roughly the same dimensions as the iPad, which has a 9.7-inch diagonal screen, said the two people who wouldn’t be identified because the plans haven’t been made public. The device will include Wi-Fi and Bluetooth wireless technology that will allow people to connect to the Internet through their BlackBerry smartphones, the two people said.

RIM is racing to come out with a product to rival the iPad in the fast-growing market for devices that bridge the gap between smartphones and notebook computers. Apple, based in Cupertino, California, last month said it sold 3 million iPad tablet computers in 80 days after they debuted in the U.S.

RIM rose $1.45, or 2.6 percent, to $57.15 at 12:18 p.m. New York time in Nasdaq Stock Market trading, reversing an earlier decline of as much as 2.5 percent. The stock had dropped 18 percent this year before today, as Apple had climbed 22 percent.

Uphill Battle?

In the tablet market, RIM will have to demonstrate how its device can stand out against products including the iPad, which has attracted buyers because of its integration with Apple’s iTunes service and many software applications, or apps. More than 225,000 apps are available for Apple devices, the company said in June. RIM said in April it had more than 6,000 apps.

“With the success of the iPad, RIM faces an uphill battle,” said William Power, an analyst at Robert W. Baird & Co., who has a “neutral” rating on the stock. “RIM really has yet to demonstrate that it can roll out touchscreen technology to match the leaders in the space, most noticeably Apple.”

RIM’s tablet will capitalize on the BlackBerry’s e-mail capabilities and the phone’s popularity with corporate users, one person said. The tablet will be closely integrated with the smartphone’s e-mail system and will have similar security for messaging, the person said.

The RIM tablet will also have front- and back-facing cameras for videoconferencing, Rodman & Renshaw’s Kumar said, citing sources at suppliers in Asia.

“I don’t think it’s a zero-sum game,” he said, saying that innovation by Apple, RIM and other competitors will increase the size of the tablet market.

Hewlett-Packard Co., which bought smartphone maker Palm Inc. this month, said it plans to produce a tablet device that runs on Microsoft Corp.’s Windows operating system. Korea’s LG Electronics Inc. said this month it plans to introduce a tablet computer in the fourth quarter that runs on Google Inc.’s Android software. Microsoft Chief Executive Officer Steve Ballmer said yesterday the software company plans to increase its focus on tablets.

PC/smartphone makers mimicking Apple; working on tablet computers

With the exemplary growth of Apple’s portfolio - from the Mac to the iPod, and now to an enviable bevy of successful devices including the iPhone and the iPad -, PC/smartphone makers are mimicking the company and working on tablet computers.

With the iPad emerging as a game-changing device – a fact that is evident from the continual selling out of the device from the store shelves -, analysts are reporting that the sales of the iPad and other similar tablets are bound to witness a substantial leap next year; probably giving a blow to the laptop sales.

Essentially a media device, the 10-inch iPad chiefly boasts a PC-like functionality, though it neither features Windows nor Intel processor.

The astounding success of the iPad has attracted other PC-makers to the tablet arena – with PC giant Dell already having released its Streak tablet, which is powered by Google’s Android operating system and a Qualcomm ARM processor.

Another bigwig PC-maker embarking on the tablet computer route is Hewlett-Packard (HP), which is coming up with its highly-awaited ‘PalmPad’ tablet/slate device – basically Palm’s version of the iPad, sans a PC operating system.

Meanwhile, smartphone makers like Research In Motion (RIM) and Motorola are also supposedly having a go at the tablet platform. Though details about the rumored RIM tablet have yet to come by; Motorola’s tablet – which will use software and silicon similar to the one used in the recently-released Droid X handset - is likely to launch later this year.

Dell Overtakes HP in India

For as long as we could recall, (five years to be precise) HP was leading the PC sales in India when it came to the organized market. It has been consistently selling more PCs than any Indian or foreign company - until now.

HP's Indian dream run has been cut short by Dell who sold more computers in India than HP for the very first time. That's right! According to a report in the DNA, Dell sold around 3.53 lakh PCs in the June quarter compared to 3.31 lakh by HP.

Dell's growth is remarkable considering it was trailing HP by over 1.5 lakh units in annual sales just a year ago. Not long ago, research firm IDC had also noted that HP fell behind Dell in the notebook sales department as well. When Dell first arrived in India, it was using a Direct To Home method of selling its products. However, Dell quickly realized that for it to make any mark in the Indian market it will have to trudge the "traditional" sales path wherein Dell products would have to made available in stores as well. Soon after Dell arrived in India stores, its cut throat pricing vis-a-vis other brands seems to have worked wonders.

In India, Dell now has a market share of 14.3 percent in the overall PC market last quarter, followed by HP with 13.4 percent and Acer with 11 percent.

While HP might be left behind in India, on the global front, Dell still plays second fiddle to HP. Until 2006, Dell was the world's no.1 PC maker until HP overtook it. Bad news followed when Acer pushed Dell to the third place a few years later. Dell has managed to pull itself back though and has now regained its world no. 2 spot by pushing Acer down the order.