RIM today confirmed at Blackberry Jam Asia that BlackBerry 10 devices will be coming out in both Full Touch and QWERTY editions. This puts the rumours about RIM killing QWERTY keyboard to rest.

RIM is also releasing a new developer device today known as the Dev Alpha C which will be packing a QWERTY keyboard.

LG Optimus L9 launched in India at Rs. 23000

LG has launched the Optimus L9, their new Android Smartphone in the L-Style series in India. It was announced back in August and went on pre-order in India last week. It has a 4.7-inch qHD (960 x 540 pixels) IPS capacitive touch screen display and is powered by 1GHz dual-core TI OMAP 4430 processor. It runs on Android 4.0.4 (Ice Cream Sandwich) and has a 5MP auto focus camera at the back with LED flash, 1080p Full HD video recording and a VGA front-facing camera.

Airtel launches Emergency Alert Service

Airtel has launched Emergency Alert Service for their customers. This new 24×7 service lets them alert a pre-defined group of up to 10 mobile numbers automatically during emergency. Instead of sending messages to everyone during an emergency, subscribers can SMS SAFE to 55100 to let their loved ones know that they are safe along with their location. You can also SMS HELP to 55100 that will inform them that you need help.

Both the Airtel pre-paid and post-paid subscribers can call 55100 or type START or START <1stMobileNumber> <2ndMobileNumber>…. and SMS to 55100 to activate this service. The subscriber’s family and friends should verify their numbers if you add them to the service.

Other than SMS and call alerts, the subscriber’s family and friends would also receive 3 location updates at 10 minute intervals, after the initial alert. You can SMS TRACK ON to 55100 to activate the tracking feature.

The Airtel Emergency Alerts costs Rs. 30 for 30 days. Once the pack is activated, SMS to these numbers are not charged and works on all the mobile phones with SMS feature even if there is no balance.

Facebook Photo Sync feature starts rolling out for Android, iPhone and iPad apps

Facebook started testing Photo Sync feature for their Android, iPhone and iPad apps back in August. Now they have started rolling out the feature to everyone. There is no app update for this feature, you just get a notification when you open the Facebook app to enable Photo Sync feature. This automatically uploads entire photos in your phone as you capture. You can also sync your entire phone photos, and you get 2GB of storage for it. The auto photo upload feature is already available on Google+ as instant upload and in Dropbox as Camera Upload.

Norton Mobile Security released for iPhone and iPad

Symantec has released Norton Mobile Security for iPhone and iPad. It lets users keep their device secure, recover a lost or stolen device and prevent strangers from accessing their information. Unlike the Norton Mobile Security for Android, you can’t lock the device remotely or Block calls or SMS yet.

Features of Norton Mobile Security for iPhone and iPad

• Backup contacts online and restore it across devices (iPhone, iPad or Android)
• Control the security of the devices from one convenient Web interface
• Scream Alarm sets off an audible alarm to find the missing device
• Remote Locate lets you pinpoint a lost or stolen device on a map so users can find it fast

The Norton Mobile Security is priced at Rs. 599 for 1 year protection and is available for purchase from Norton online store. After purchasing the license, you can download the Norton Mobile Security on your iPhone or iPad and login with those credentials to use the app.

Windows Phone 7.8 update coming in ‘early 2013′

Microsoft just announced that the long awaited Windows Phone 7.8 update for existing handsets will roll out only in 2013. The most obvious part of the update is the new homescreen which will feature the same resizable live tiles as on Windows Phone 8 running smartphones.

The update will also bring some security enhancements for Exchange users and additional theme colors. The feature additions extend to the lockscreen where you’ll be able to automatically set the Bing picture of the day. While not as good as a complete upgrade to Windows Phone 8, the update should bring most of the user experience related improvements to current devices. Expect it to roll out to most of the Windows Phone 7.5 running devices sometime in Q1, 2013.

Flipkart launches Flyte eBooks for Android

Flipkart has launched Flyte eBooks for Android. The company launched Flyte MP3 downloads earlier this year along with a Flyte MP3 Android app. The new Flyte eBooks for Android that lets you download eBook on your Android device from a collection of over 60,000 paid books and about 4000 free eBooks. You can sign in to your Flipkart account, add money to your wallet and start buying the book from the app or purchase it online. Unlike the Amazon’s Kindle format (.azw or .mobi), this uses Flipkart’s propitiatory format (.fkb). You can download each Flipkart eBook to a maximum of six devices, similar to Amazon Kindle books.

Features of FlipkartFlyte eBooks for Android

• Preview up to 10% of a book for free before buying it
• Purchase books, add to your library and access from any Android device even when you’re offline.
• Flip through pages effortlessly with a simple tap or swipe
• Sync your reading location across multiple devices
• Take notes, highlight text, search, add multiple bookmarks and sync these to multiple devices
• Search for keywords and sentences in a book
• Adjust the display brightness, Change fonts and enable night mode while reading a book

Download Flipkart Flyte eBooks for Android from the Google Play Store for free.

Nexus 4 online orders for India and pricing

We’ve been bringing readers plenty of news about the Google Nexus 4 made by LG and although readers in many regions have been able to order directly from Google Play, our many readers in India have not been so fortunate. Today though we have some news on the Nexus 4 and online orders for India with pricing, although unfortunately the price for India is rather steep.

Customers in many countries have already been able to order the Nexus 4although it sold out notoriously quickly and so there are many people still waiting to get their hands on it. This Android 4.2 Jelly Bean handset is in huge demand while supplies are scarce. Although it went back on sale a few days ago in the US, those who managed to order it found that shipping times are now several weeks. However those in the UK have not got the option to order as the phone is simply listed at the Google Play Store as sold out, asking potential customers to check back another time.