Gaana upgraded to version 2.0 for Android and iOS; launches Singalong App for Karoake style singing for PC

Gaana, the Indias premier music streaming and downloading site from Times Internet has updated its Android and iOS version to 2.0 and launched a  premium version called Gaana+.  The only difference is that Gaana comes with ads and Gaana+ comes ads free.  The Gaana+ will leave your pockets empty by $2.99(Rs.165.00) for Indians and $3.99(Rs.220.00) for rest of the world.  The other benefit of having Gaana+ will be that you can play music offline and the quality of streaming is much higher.

Simultaneously Times Internet has also  launched a karaoke-style for Gaana, which rates the quality of your singing and allows you to challenge your Facebook friends.  This App called called SingAlong let users notch points for singing against their friends and it has a leaderboard of best singer.   You get to choose from more than 300 songs across 5 different languages and multiple genres, including jazz, ballad, R&B and pop.  SingAlong doesn’t require any songs to be downloaded, they are instead played back via streaming. You can browse or search the available songs, queue multiple songs and favourite the ones that you like. Times has promised that Singalong will also be available across mobile platforms soon.

To download Gaana for your Android visit Google Play here.

To download Gaana for your iOS visit Apple Store here.

To download Gaana for your BlackBerry visit here.

To downlaod Gaana for your Windows Phone visit here.

To download the Java version of Gaana for older Java supported phones visit here.

RIP Symbian; Nokia to bury Symbian OS this summer

Image courtesy http://wmpoweruser.com

One of the best and rugged mobile operating system has queitly been issued a death warrant by its maker.  Nokia will no longer ship its once popular Symbian OS enabled phones starting Q3.  Though this year upto Q1 Nokia shipped a little over 500000 Symbian OS enabled handsets, the sales figures for these phones are fast slowing down to warrant the death of Symbian.

Nokia has partnered with Microsoft to bring out Windows Phone powered smart phones and is doing very well with the new OS.  Another advantage Nokia has with Windows Phone onboard is that it is able to quickly launch new releases, much faster than Symbian enable phones.  This year upto now it has had 5 major releases featuring Windows Phone 8.  

Nokia commented on the decision to bury Symbian as “It took 22 months to get a Symbian phone out of the door. With Windows Phone, it is less than a year. We spend less time having to tinker with deep-lying code and more time on crafting elements of the experience that make a big difference, such as around photography, maps, music and apps in general.”

Having said the above, many users and die hard Symbian fans will surely feel bad that now their favourite OS is no longer available including me.

Tencent's WeChat now available for Nokia Asha family of phones. get it now!

Remember Tencent's WeChat, the all in one messenger, I had written a review about it way back in Feb, 2013.  Seems that WeChat has come a long way since Feb, 2013 and is going out all out to win the instant messaging war.  Tencent has made India a priority country and is actively promoting WeChat through online ad campaigns and other methods.  And it seems to have found success.  

Riding on this success Tencent has announced that WeChat, the popular mobile social communication application, will now be available on the Nokia Asha Touch family of smartphones.  The WeChat app for Asha Touch smartphones comes with its signature “Hold-to-Talk” feature that allows users to send voice messages over a mobile or data network. Users can also chat with a maximum of 40 friends online through WeChat’s group chat feature.  The WeChat app also allows users to add friends through various methods, including connecting via phonebook and WeChat ID. 

The Tencent Head of Product Center, Dennis Hau has to say this about the launch 

“We are delighted to bring WeChat to Nokia Asha Touch smartphones to further extend the reach of this leading mobile social app. Nokia Asha Touch smartphone users can now enjoy a new way to connect with WeChat for free. Providing the best user experience is always our mission. While we aim to provide state of the art functions to our users, service quality is even a higher priority. We are excited about the launch and Nokia Asha Touch smartphone users will be pleased by the performance and experience brought by WeChat”

And another advantage of WeChat is that only friends who are granted permission can chat with you which enable you to share and interact with loved ones', colleagues and friends.   Read all about the App in my review here.

And as you all know Asha is quite popular mobile phone in India.  The application is available for download in Nokia Store or by going to the WeChat website here.

Vijay Prabhu

M-Indicator the time table for your Trains (This post is only for Mumbaikars)

As you all know the suburban fares have been increased by the railways and the timing of trains have been changed by Western Railway so many of the commuters are confused right now regarding the exact train to catch for commuting to office.   So the makers of M-Indicator the popular App for all phones has now launched a updated version to cater to the changes. 

the new m-Indicator version 7.1 Sparrow will have the following for your needs.
1.Mumbai Local Train timetable
-Western (29 Mar 2013)
-Central (28 Mar 2013) 
-Harbour (14 Feb 2012) 
-Thane-Vashi (14 Feb 2012)
-Virar-Dahanu 
-Diva-Roha
-Dahanu Panvel
-Neral-Matheran
-Indicator Symbols,
-Rail Ticket fare
-Rail Map of all routes and proposed Nerul-Uran route
2.Bus Routes
-BEST, NMMT, TMT,VVMT
-Get route by bus number
-Get buses arriving at particular bus stop
-Search buses between source and destination
-AC bus timetable updated on March April 2013
3.Auto and taxi fare
-Day and Night fare
-Complaint numbers of RTO
-Luggage charges information
4.Classifieds section
-Get advertisements of jobs ,real estate, education..
5. Jobs
- JOB Section giving updated information of Government and Private Jobs in Mumbai and rest of the Maharashtra is available along with last date of application & website link.
6.Natak Cinema
- Get daily schedule of Marathi Natak and Cinema
7.Railway megablock information
- Get weekly updated information of railway megablocks on Sundays
8. Picnic Spots
-get category wise list of picnic spots e.g beaches, Hill stations, Waterfalls, Caves, Forts, Farmhouse, Resorts, Lakes 
-Get distance wise list of various weekend picnic spots nearby Mumbai.
-Watch pics , read description and other information about spot
-Get updated list(Oct 2012) of MTDC approved budget hotels of all over Maharashtra
8."Indian Railways PNR status check". PNR can be checked through internet or through SMS.
9.Movies
- get Theater wise list of latest Movie shows in Mumbai, Navi Mumbai and Thane.
10. Sodexo Outlet Locator
- Search Sodexo outlet nearby your area

So if you are a Mumbaikar, this is a must have App for you.  
1. Android users download the App from Google Play.

2. Blackberry (old) users download the App here.

3. Nokia users(Java version) users download the App here Jad file and Jar file.

4. Samsung and LG  (Java version) users download the App here Jad file and Jar file

5. Windows Phone 7.5 and 8 users can download the App from Windows Phone Store here.

Kindly post in your comments on the App.  If you like this App visit my page of Phone Apps here and enjoy.  To keep abreast of Mumbai news click here.

If you are looking for train travels outside Mumbai, or if you are planning your holidays, take a look at these MakeMyTrip coupons.