Sony Xperia Z to hit Indian Stores On 12 March 2013

Sony has announced the Xperia Z and Xperia ZL for India today. The Xperia Z will be available in stores from March 12 onwards and is priced at Rs 38,990. Both phones will ship with Android 4.1 Jelly Bean and are already up for pre-order on certain online stores. The two phones will be part of a staggered flagship strategy for the company in India, with the Xperia ZL arriving in stores later this month.

Both phones share many specifications, but we will start with a look at the Xperia Z. One of the biggest selling points for the Xperia Z is its water-proof and dust-proof body. The phone is IP57 certified, which means you can immerse it in up to 1 metre of water for 30 minutes. Despite this rugged heritage, the Xperia Z is incredibly slim at 7.9mm and also features a microSD card slot. Naturally, the back of the Xperia Z is non-removable.

The Z is powered by a Snapdragon S4 Pro SoC, which has four Krait cores ticking at 1.5GHz each. The phone has an Adreno 320 GPU for graphics and 2GB of RAM. All that coupled with Jelly Bean should ensure a very smooth performance. The display on the Xperia Z is said to be a stunner. The 5-inch LCD panel beams out 1920 x 1080 pixels natively, while Sony’s proprietary Mobile Bravia Engine 2 enhances image quality and colour reproduction.

Here's a promo for the Xperia Z, which shows the thinking and engineering that went into designing the phone.

The resolution and the screen size of the phone result in a pixel density of 441 pixels per inch. The display is protected by shatter-proof and scratch-resistant glass. Sony has also baked in niceties like an OptiContrast panel, which is normally reserved for their higher-end Bravia televisions. The technology improves image clarity and boosts the display's contrast ratio while minimising reflections.

The camera on the back is a 13-megapixel one with support for 1080p and HDR video recording. Of course, all of Sony’s camera bangs and whistles like image stabilisation, face detection and 3D Sweep Panorama are present.

Here’s a look at the key specs of the Xperia Z
5-inch TFT LCD with a 1920 x 1080p resolution, 441 PPI

LTE, Cat3, up to 100 Mbps DL, HSPA+, GPRS/EDGE

Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n, Wi-Fi Direct, DLNA, Wi-Fi hotspotGPS with A-GPS support

Bluetooth 4.0 with A2DP

GPS with A-GPS support and GLONASS

NFC

13-megapixel camera with HDR video recording, image stabilisation, Sony 3D Sweep Panorama; 2-megapixel front-facing camera with 1080p video recording

16 GB internal storage with microSD card slot

The Xperia Z has a non-removable 2330 mAh battery. Sony’s proprietary Stamina Mode technology should help in increasing battery life by throttling data-hogging apps when in standby mode.

Both the Xperia Z and the ZL will feature some exclusive Sony apps. The company has bundled in a subscription to the new Sony Jive music streaming service, as well as Sony LIV, a video streaming service featuring exclusive Indian content. The Jive service is free for the first six months and users can then opt to subscribe to it after the initial free period.

Here's a quick look at the phone

The Xperia ZL has the same display and processor as its big brother, but loses the water and dust-resilient body. Instead, Sony has managed to fit the 5-inch display in a body smaller than the Galaxy S3. The ZL has a small flap at the back, which houses the SIM and the microSD card slots. The back panel itself is non-removable and houses a 2370 mAh battery, slightly bigger than the Xperia Z.

Another unique design feature is the placement of the front-facing camera, which is housed below the display. The camera on the Xperia ZL is the same 13-megapixel unit as in the Xperia Z and has the same features, including the HDR video mode. The ZL also has an IR blaster and one-touch mirroring features, something that the Xperia Z gives a miss. One other neat inclusion is dual-band Wi-Fi support to play nicely with the 5GHz wireless band.

Read More

Google Panda Update Scheduled March 15th, 2013

Matt Cutts, Distinguished Engineer at Google, announced yet another Panda update is scheduled to hit on Friday March 15th, 2013, or Monday March 18th 2013. This would be the 25th Panda roll out since February 2011. In addition, Matt mentioned that Google will launch is 4th major Penguin update this year, stating that it will be significant enough to cause major discussions.

Matt also confirmed that Google targeted another link network a couple weeks ago, and says they will release another one within the next week or two.

Wondering when next Google panda update is going to rolled out ? Well guys its very near and you should start wondering what effects this new Google panda update going to put on your websites and all SEO work you have done till now.  According to news In SMX West panel, Matt Cutts head of web spam announced that the team of Google web spam working hard to provide best search results. To keep filtering process going on between bad and good websites, most probably a Google Panda update is going to take place on Friday 15 March 2013 or Monday 18 March 2013.

If this Google panda update rolled out on these given dates than this will be official Google algorithm panda update #25. The last official Google panda update #24 was rolled out in early January on 22nd January 2013. In #24 Google panda update, it has affected almost 1.2 % of English Search queries and we can see same kind of affected English search queries in this coming latest Google panda update on 15 March 2013 or 18 March 2013.

Lets wait and watch what Google is going to do in coming days with its algorithm updates. We hope this time Google will filter the results by keeping original Google panda filtering system, as in last couple of Google algorithm updates specially the Google panda updates did not come out with the best results. We have seen that after Google panda update the bad content or no content website take place top spots in Google search results and Good quality websites having good page rank loose their rankings in Google SERP results.

Will confirm you guys as Google makes an official statement for this Google panda update #25, if it takes place on given dates. Till than just keep an eye on your search engine rankings and keep your website updating with some great and quality stuff.

Read More

What Will The Future Hold For SEO Trends In 2013?

SEO in 2013 is only going to get more interesting – it’ll pan out to previously uncharted territory, and yet largely stay the same. This is mainly due to the constantly changing landscape of the internet. There’s no other way to put it; when the internet changes, SEO trends in 2013 must adapt to stay relevant. Otherwise online marketing in 2013 through effective SEO will just have to bite the dust, and no one wants that. Change is the name of the game.

Big Changes in SEO 2013 Algorithm

According to insightful research, the SEO commenting system took a big hit when Google implemented Penguin and Panda updates back in early 2012. This opens a lot of opportunities for SEO in 2013, while it may or may not have a drastic impact on your business practices, depending on how you look at it. Simply put, comments no longer carry as much weight for SEO in 2013 as it did back in early 2012 pre-Panda and Penguin updates. In terms of internet marketing, this is a huge deal. This means the effectiveness of spamming to boost your internet presence is no longer viable. In other words online marketing in 2013 just got so much more interesting!

The Landscape of SociSocial Media Marketing In 2013

It’s pretty much common knowledge of every internet marketer that Google is perhaps the biggest player to root for when it comes to boosting one’s presence online. Insightful research is not even necessary to realize that. It is a fact. For example, the search giant’s take on social media, Google Plus, is one to watch out for in the coming year. It’s surely to break new grounds in terms of SEO trends in 2013. This year Google Plus didn’t quite take off the way Google had hoped it would, but one thing became clear: with regards to business practices, Google Plus will be quite handy for enhancing one’s SEO 2013 algorithm. In other words, it was a powerful tool for promoting the internet marketing campaigns of business worldwide. Google Plus, now that is social media marketing at its best.

Mobile Now Carries More Weight for SEO In 2013

Thanks to the proliferation of smartphones and tablets as a direct result of Apple’s influence in mobile computing, the battle for effective SEO in 2013 will revolve around websites that are on-the-go-friendly, more or less, as well as mobile apps. You no longer just want you website to be optimized for viewing on a 21-inch desktop monitor, no—it should be just as conveniently view-able when displayed on the 4.5-inch screen of an iPhone. This will basically be the first and most important rule for SEO in 2013.

For online marketers who are looking to stay ahead of the pack come next year, they’ll do well to take note of these upcoming changes. Grab the opportunity to learn the new rules while you’re at it.

These SEO pointers will surely guarantee you even greater success when pulled off correctly.

Read More

Google Cutts: Links From Press Releases Won't Help

An old fashion and sometimes often used method today, to get links to your web site, is to use press releases with embedded links in those releases.

So you'd contract a press release distribution company and make sure that the content of the release have links to your web site. That release would hopefully be syndicated by other news outlets and those outlets will keep the links intact.

Matt Cutts of Google said in a Google Webmaster Help forums that links from press releases shouldn't have a positive impact on your rankings.

Matt Cutts Wrote 26 Dec:

Note: I wouldn't expect links from press release web sites to benefit your rankings, however.

Now, when you do press releases, it might get your web site in front of the eyes of bloggers, reporters and others, where what they write or link to may have an impact on your rankings. But the links within the releases themselves, Google says - they won't benefit your rankings.

Read More

6 Ways Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Will Change in 2013

Considering the shifts in Search Engine Optimization survival, 2012 has been quite an eventful year. There have been several important updates that have changed the search scene altogether.

A massive crackdown on spam sites through the EMD updates was not the only scathing step taken by Google. Google updates its algorithm over 500 times a year in order to weed out low quality sites from the top positions. Google will never stop its relentless run to make search results more relevant.

Search engine optimization, as it stands today, is no longer child’s play. It has become quite challenging and innovative strategies are required to attain better rankings.

So what is the outlook for SEO in 2013? The answer to this question is still vague, as people are not sure about the updates that are to occur in 2013. Fierce arguments are still raging regarding the Google updates that may take place. While some believe that the future lies in content marketing, others believe that social media presence will be the key. Others continue to resort to blackhat SEO methods that may land them on Google’s hitlist.

Based on what I hear people saying and see people doing, and my understanding of the proposed Google updates that may take place, here is a list of major changes in SEO you can expect to occur in 2013.

Digital Marketing:

Digital marketing will also play a big role in 2013. Digital marketing will slowly include the entire spectrum of online marketing from market-purposed content creation, through pay-per-click strategies, to use of social media. Because of certain expected Google updates, this will get a big boost and chances are that more and more brands will come into the digital marketing field in time.

Author Rank:

How Google handles Author Rank will be the biggest search factor in 2013. It may turn the entire internet marketing world upside down.

Google will assign each blogger an Author Rank based on various parameters such as niche authority and domain expertise. This Rank will be given a major role in ranking the content authored by that author. Simply speaking, the higher the rank and reputation of the author, the higher are the chances of their content ranking well in search engines. Also, an author’s published content will be directly linked to their Google+ profile, thereby drawing Google+ into SEO calculations. So, with the mooted Author Rank update, performance of a site will depend more upon the reputation and niche expertise of the content’s author in social networks.

Social Media Presence:

SEO in 2013 will be heavily influenced by the numerous social networks and the development and utilisation of an effective social media presence. Site owners and technicians have to carve a niche out for themselves in social media if they want their sites to do well in search rankings. Sharing of content on social networks like Facebook, Twitter, StumbleUpon, Pinterest, Delicious, LinkedIn, MySpace and Google+ will be of the utmost importance. Social media popularity will, in a way, decide the fate of a site as far as Google is concerned.

The reason Google gives such importance to the social media presence of a site is yet to be definitively ascertained. But there are many theories out there regarding this. Social media presence is proof that the traffic finds the content of a site useful. However, many say that Google will do this to give its staggering Google+ a boost. Many believe that in the days to come, Google+ might just emerge as the most important social network for webmasters.

Equivalency Score Algorithm:

Another major update that is expected to take place in 2013 is the Google Equivalency Score Algorithm (ESA). ESA is expected to work in the same way as Google Adword’s Quality Score where each keyword is given a point score based on several factors. The quality score of the keywords is then used along with the bid amount of the advertiser and the ads are ranked accordingly. ESA, if operationalized, will have a huge impact on online businesses. It will effectively cut down the monopoly of some websites on number one rankings and will create a more level playing field for all businesses. One effect of this is that Google may display the same results for a search query in different orders each time the results appear on screen.

Link Disavow Tool:

The Link Disavow Tool was created to collect data on the backlink structure of sites. Chances are that Google will use this tool in 2013 to create an algorithm using the links that have already been submitted to them. The tool will be used to improve reporting of spam sites and poor quality backlinks. Consequently, blog posts and forum posts can no longer be used to create backlinks.

No Fundamental Changes in SEO:

Having started by explaining how SEO will fundamentally change in 2013, let me close by saying that the foundation of SEO is going to remain the same. Whether web owners and professionals like it or not, content will continue as the king online. High quality, well-written, expertly displayed, functionally useful content will still hold the key to ranking well for target search terms. Any site needs to have compelling and unique content that has good readability and provides a rich user experience. Half the search battle is won if a website follows this cardinal rule, and that will only become more true in 2013 and beyond.

Currently accepted link building practices such as viral article submission and automated link posting won’t work any more, as the basis for them affecting search results is revealed as artifical. Google began the tough scrutiny of backlinks in 2012, and this will continue in 2013.

While we must wait to see just how Google and other search giants implement their strategies for 2013, it can be taken for granted that their efforts to keep search results organically honest, relevant and useful to consumer will have an impact on the industry that has developed around search engine optimization. Whether the effects of that are good or bad, for consumers and the industry, remains to be seen.

What about you? Are you ready for 2013? Do you foresee other ways in which search will change next year and beyond?

Read More

List of Phones And Tablets in Queue For Android 4.1 Jelly Bean Upgrade

List of Phones And Tablets in Queue For Android 4.1 Jelly Bean Upgrade

New Delhi: If you own an Android phone or tablet, updating it's operating system is of utmost importance as it will bring many new features and functionalities.

All the companies selling Android devices have more or less announced their plans for the Android 4.1 Jelly Bean update. This update will bring exciting features and improvements including speed enhancements, improved search features, and a small voice recognition engine that fits in the device itself, without the need for installing external support. This means for voice recognition and support, the Android device won't require an active internet connection.

Here is what these companies plan to do:

Samsung

The Korean giant is planning to upgrade its Galaxy S3, Galaxy S2 and Galaxy Note to Android Jelly Bean. However, Samsung has not specified how much time it will take to bring these phones to the latest version.

Samsung Nexus S and Nexus Prime, which are part of Google's Nexus lineup, are already getting the update, but then Nexus Prime is not available in India.

Other phones in the Samsung line up like the Galaxy R, Galaxy S Plus and S Advance have the desired specification to support Android 4.1. However, Samsung has not announced any plans to upgrade them. These devices have not even been updated to Android 4.0.

Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 is also likely to get Android 4.1, but there has been no announcement to that effect till now. Samsung has just announced that older Galaxy Tabs like the 750 will be getting Android 4.0 shortly.

HTC

HTC has announced that it has started working on the Jelly Bean update. One X, One XL and One S are likely to be the first HTC devices to get it.

Some of the older phones like the HTC Desire line might not get updates as most of them are stuck at Android 2.3.

Sony

Sony will update its Xperia 2012 lineup, which includes Xperia S, Xperia P and Xperia Neo etc. It has also backtracked on a statement that the 2011 line-up is not getting the update and has now informed that it is still evaluating which of the phones from 2011 will get the upgrade.

Xperia Arc S is likely to make the cut.

Motorola

Given that Motorola is now owned by Google, updates are expected to come faster. Motorola is already updating Xoom tablets to Android 4.1 and is soon expected to roll-out updates for its flagship Razr lineup and the Atrix 2.

LG

LG has been a laggard in terms of updating its devices. According to some reports, LG Optimus 4X HD will get updated to Android 4.1 but only in the first months of 2013.

Asus

Asus sells only two tablets in India. While it is confirmed that its Transformer Prime TF 201 will get Android 4.1 Jelly Bean shortly, Transformer TF101 is also likely to get the update.

Acer

Acer has also officially announced that it will update some of its Iconia tablets to Android 4.1. However, it has not specified which those tablets are. Given that in India only Iconia A500 and A501 are available and both have high end hardware, they are both likely to get the update.

Karbonn

Karbonn, with Smarttab 1, became the first one to bring a product based on Android 4.1 to India. The company also said that the Smarttab 1 already sold with Android 4.0 will be updated shortly, probably before other manufacturers do so.

Read More