HTC Sensation XE

This phone is so brand spanking new that it was announced just a day before we first held it in our palms. It adheres to the sensational HTC Sensation's template, but with the addition of ear-pleasing Beats Audio processing and a few spec upgrades.
You needn't be an audiophile to enjoy the new profile, but you will need a set of Beats Audio headphones.
Thankfully, a pair come with the device. In our tests so far, we've noticed a real difference, with the tinny edge of HTC's sound enhancer diminished, the crispness of sounds augmented and the only potential grounds for minor quibbles being the ear canal-shaking levels of bass.
The good news continues elsewhere, with a 1730mAh battery that should have more staying power than the original Sensation, a 1.5GHz dual-core processor to keep the experience smooth and an eye-pleasing design.
Treat your senses and check out the full review when it lands.

HTC ChaCha

If you're aged 14-21 and are after a fun mobile rather than a black slab of raw processing power, we reckon you'll find it hard not to like (or +1, if you prefer) the new 'Facebook phone'.
As the nickname suggests, Mark Zuckerberg's blue-hued brand of social media is at the heart of the experience – HTC even going as far as to give the site its own dedicated button beneath the ChaCha's decent QWERTY keyboard.
Break through the wall of modified HTC Sense and you'll note that Android Gingerbread is powering the experience, which should be welcome for the tech-savvy target audience. Less warmly received will be the Flash integration, which is a bit iffy to say the least.
With a funny shape and small screen to boot, you're really going to have to want the ChaCha's style of social oh la la to buy into this. Still, if you do, then this is something to post home about.

Samsung Galaxy S2

t's rare that a direct sequel to something awesome – be it film, game or hardware – is anything other than a disappointment when it comes to a new phone.
Rarer still is when the second instalment surpasses the original. We can think of just a scant handful of cases off the top of our heads: The Empire Strikes Back, Terminator 2 and Left 4 Dead 2.
Well, add the Galaxy S2 to that list, because this phone is awesome.
Thin, light and with an amazingly clear 4.3-inch Super AMOLED plus screen behind its toughened Gorilla Glass front panel, this is one handset you won't be pocketing in shame when your mates pass by.
In fact, we suspect you'll be evangelising about it to anyone who'll listen. That's because the dual-core processor within its tiny shell isn't just a marketing bullet point, but rather powers an experience that we're nothing short of effervescent about. For instance, web browsing is blisteringly fast and the Galaxy S2's Flash support is second to none.
We're thrilled to say that the plus points are just too numerous to do justice of here. Check out the full review to find out why this is one of the best smartphones we're likely to see in 2011.

HTC Wildfire S

The first Wildfire from HTC spread almost like its moniker, so popular did its blend of HTC Sense, durable form factor and affordable pricing prove. Now that it's burnt out, however, it needs a successor to carry the torch. Rising from the ashes is the Wildfire S.
The handset carries on the legacy well enough, with an impressively solid chassis, great social features and responsive touchscreen. The market's changed since the first Wildfire blazed its trail into history, though. With dual-core 'superphones' to contend with, it's hard to consider a 600Mhz processor hot stuff.
And while HTC's Sense interface proves as compelling as ever, the lack of grunt means missing out on Flash support for iPlayer and the like.
All that wouldn't matter if the Wildfire S only required liberating a token sum from your account, but you'll need a fair few sheets burning a hole in your pocket (around £220 SIM-free, or £15 a month) to lay claim to this little fella.
In the highly competitive market of 2011, that makes the Wildfire S a tricky proposition. Beginners will be well-served by the Wildfire S's rounded package, but you can certainly get a lot more for not much extra cash.

Nokia, Samsung, HTC to bring out eight Windows 8 powered smartphones

Intending to position Windows powered gadgets as strong contender to Apple and Android devices, Microsoft has recently launched the latest version of its Windows Phone software. 
It is reportedly said that the new software will run on more powerful phones by different device makers. According to latest chunk of information, device makers including Nokia, Samsung and HTC are likely to launch 8 new Windows 8 powered smartphobes, starting this weekend overseas and later in November in other parts of the world.  
With broad support from cellphone carriers, device makers as well as app developers, the Software giant has claimed that the new Windows 8 operating system would be equally suitable for PCs, tablets and laptops. With windows 8, Microsoft has also assured device makers to address one of the chief shortcomings with earlier Windows Phones software i.e. the absence of innovative third-party applications. The new Windows 8 OS supports 120,000 applications for Windows Phone.
In addition, the software company has also released an app for using Skype with Windows 8. The Skype app available with earlier Windows Phone 7 version was in "beta''. 
As a matter of concern, it is found; Windows Phone 7 which is the predecessor to Windows Phone 8, was launched two years ago. But unfortunately has had little traction in the market.

Microsoft launches Windows 8 in India

In India, over 250 Windows 8 enabled devices, including 23 completely new SKUs of Windows 8 PCs will be available across 100 cities and more than 2500 retail stores

RSA pursues intelligent security models to fox password thieves

Distributed Credential Protection technology can potentially reduce the likelihood of successful “smash-and-grab” attacks on password servers

Over 2.5m Muslims perform hajj

Vast crowds of Muslim pilgrims flocked to Mount Arafat yesterday to perform the main hajj rites.
Men, women, and children from 189 countries streamed from dawn to the site in western Saudi Arabia, some setting up small colourful tents in which they slept and prayed.
Beggars and street vendors also dotted the roads searching for generous souls among the 2.5 million believers expected to converge on the plain for the most important rituals of the five-day hajj.
According to Mecca Governor Prince Khaled al-Faisal, around 1.7 million people had travelled from abroad for the pilgrimage.
Pilgrims descended on the plain from early morning focused on the religious significance of the day.
"We came from Mecca. We walked from the Grand Mosque to Mina and then we took the buses to Arafat. All for the love of the prophet," said one Egyptian man sitting on a straw mat with members of his family.
"The more tired we get, the more God will reward us," he said.
Focus of the rituals is the "Mount of Mercy" where the Prophet Mohammed is believed to have delivered his final hajj sermon before his death.
Many pilgrims made themselves comfortable between the huge rocks, tears streaming down their faces as they prayed.
A preacher urged pilgrims not to climb the slippery stone staircase leading up the hill, bellowing over loudspeakers "Neither the prophet, nor his followers have ever climbed the hill. Please do not climb it."
Pilgrims have in previous years slipped and fallen while attempting the ascent, and others have been killed in stampedes.
After sunset, the pilgrims headed to Muzdalifah, between Mina and Arafat, where they collected stones to throw at the devil, one of the last rituals which takes place today and marks the first day of Eid-ul-Azha, the feast of sacrifice.
The symbolic "stoning of the devil" is followed by the ritual sacrifice of an animal, usually a lamb.
During the remaining three days of the hajj, the pilgrims continue the stoning ritual before performing the circumambulation of the Kaaba shrine in Mecca and heading home.
The hajj is one of the five pillars of Islam that every capable Muslim must perform at least once.
More than 1,00,000 members of the security and civil defence forces have been deployed to ensure the safety of the pilgrims, while some 3,000 CCTV cameras have been installed across hajj sites.

Syria army 'to observe ceasefire'

BBC Online
Syria's military says it will adhere to a four-day ceasefire to begin on Friday for the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha.
The truce will begin at 0600 (0400GMT), reported Syrian TV, adding the army would retaliate against rebel attacks.
The truce was proposed by UN and Arab League envoy Lakhdar Brahimi, who hopes it will lead to a peace process.
The news came as rebels said they had advanced into several central areas in Aleppo, Syria's largest city and a key battleground in recent months.
Scepticism
Brahimi has travelled across the Middle East over the past two weeks to promote his plan, and on Wednesday won the support of the UN Security Council.
SYRIA CEASEFIRE ATTEMPTS
Arab League: Observers deployed in late December to oversee compliance with a peace plan that included an end to violence, the withdrawal of troops from the streets and the release of political prisoners. But the monitoring mission was suspended after little more than a month as fighting continued.
Kofi Annan: Six-point plan for Syria included the withdrawal of troops and heavy weapons from urban areas, and an open-ended ceasefire that was meant to take effect on April 12 and lead to peace talks. But neither side fully adhered to the plan and violence continued to escalate.
Lakhdar Brahimi: New UN-Arab League envoy toured the Middle East in October, seeking support for a ceasefire over the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha, which starts on October 26. The ceasefire, backed by the UN Security Council, is designed to kick-start political reconciliation.
He also said most opposition groups would back the truce, though some rebels have expressed scepticism about the chances of a ceasefire working.
On Thursday, a statement from the Syrian armed forces carried by state media said: "Military operations will cease across the entire Syrian territory as of 06:00 (03:00GMT) on October 26 until October 29.
"Syrian armed forces will, however, reserve the right to reply to terrorists attacks, attempts of armed groups to reinforce or resupply, or attempts to infiltrate from neighbouring countries."
Qassem Saadeddine, a spokesman for the joint command of the Free Syrian Army, the main armed rebel group, said his fighters would back the truce.
"But we will not allow the regime to reinforce its posts," he told Reuters news agency.
Civil wars have a trajectory: anger and energy at the beginning, mounting bloodshed and exhaustion at the end as the losses mount ”
Previous attempts at ceasefires in Syria have collapsed, and the violence has continued to escalate.
The US welcomed the ceasefire, and UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said he hoped it would lead to political negotiations.
The uprising against President Bashar al-Assad's government started in March 2011.
Activists say more than 35,000 people have been killed since then, while the UN estimates that at least 20,000 have died.
The apparent withdrawal of Syrian forces from key Christian and Kurdish neighbourhoods in Aleppo may be a sign that the government is coming to accept that it cannot hold the centre of the city. It is not, however, a fatal blow to its hold on Aleppo. It may even be a tactical retreat, potentially drawing rebel fighters into a trap. But it may be a concession that supply lines to its forces in the centre of Aleppo have increasingly been cut off by the rebels.
That would leave Syrian President Bashar al-Assad with a dilemma. His government's tactic in recent months has been to bomb and shell areas held by the rebels - with military helicopters and fighter jets being used. This firepower far exceeds what the rebels possess, for now.
But if the government now uses such force against the areas of Ashrafiyeh and al-Seryan, it would be a risky strategy as they contain mainly Christians and Kurds - who have not yet thrown in their lot with the rebels. The alternative, though, might mean giving up on Aleppo altogether - a defeat the government would have deemed unthinkable six months ago.
In Aleppo on Thursday, eyewitnesses and activists said government forces had moved away from military posts in the Christian district of al-Seryan and the neighbouring Kurdish area of Ashrafiyeh.
Rebel fighters had reportedly moved in, although there were also reports of continuing fighting.
"The centre of the city is right now in the hands of the Free Syrian Army," an activist going by the name of Marwan told the BBC World Service.
He said the rebels had placed snipers on rooftops to try to prevent government troops retaking the area.
A rebel spokesman was quoted as saying opposition fighters had also taken the south-western neighbourhoods of Salah al-Din and Suleiman a-Halabi.
Meanwhile in Geneva, an expanded team of UN human rights investigators said it had sought a meeting with Assad.
Carla del Ponte, a former UN prosecutor who led the case against former Yugoslav leader Slobodan Milosevic and recently joined the Syria commission, said she saw parallels with her earlier work.
"The similarity of both is that we are handling the same crimes: crimes against humanity and war crimes, for sure," she said.
"My main task will be to continue the inquiry in the direction of determining the high-ranking political and military authorities responsible for these crimes."