After BlackBerry even Apple crumbles, new software launch hit by glitches

London: Even as BlackBerry users are dealing with the outage that brought their social and work lives to a grinding halt for 3 days, there is news of how Apple's services were hit after users tried to download the new version of the the iPhone operating system iOS5.

'Error 3200' become a trending topic on Twitter as thousands of iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad users were affected by the error. Their screen simply said 'Error 3200' as they tried to download the new version of iPhone's operating system, iOS 5.

According to the British tabloid Daily Mail, many people reported that the download was extremely slow.

The free update is intended to bring (some) older iPhones into line with the functions offered by iPhone 4S. But it seems that Apple was overwhelmed by demand.

Last night, as the software launched, many users complained of slow download speeds, with some asking plaintively 'Has anyone successfully downloaded iOS 5 yet?' Not all users encountered the 'Error 3200' message, but most found the process excruciating. Questions about the error flooded Mac forums and social networks.

One Twitter user said, 'Steve Jobs has only been gone a few days and we are already experience the start of the techpocalypse.' While another said ,"
BlackBerry is down and downloading iOS 5 results in 'ERROR 3200'. I can see the headlines already: 'APPLE AND BLACKBERRY CRUMBLE (sic)".

Ironically, the inability of Apple's servers to deal with demand may have been due to the coordinating power of social networks, after 'Downloading iOS 5' became a trending topic last night.

It's traditional for geeks to be on the edge of their seats in advance of any new Apple software launch - but social networks may have ensured that a wider audience was aware the instant the new software was available.

Unlike BlackBerry's high-profile collapse this week, 'Error 3200' seems eminently curable - just keep trying.

Other glitches have been reported even once users install the software, such as the new music service iCloud refusing logins

iPopping: iPhone 4S pre-orders top 1 million in first 24 hours

Cupertino, California: Pre-orders of Apple's iPhone 4S have crossed one million in a single day, said the company today.

In an official press release, Apple said the pre-orders have surpassed "the previous single day pre-order record of 600,000 held by iPhone 4".

Promoted as the "most amazing iPhone yet", the device comes with new features including Apple’s dual-core A5 chip, an all new camera with advanced optics, full 1080p HD resolution video recording, and Siri, a personal assistant that responds to voice command.

“We are blown away with the incredible customer response to iPhone 4S,” said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing.

“The first day pre-orders for iPhone 4S have been the most for any new product that Apple has ever launched and we are thrilled that customers love iPhone 4S as much as we do,” he added.

The latest from will be available at all Apple retail stores in the US beginning on Friday, October 14.

iPhone 4S includes iOS 5, the Apple's own mobile operating system with over 200 new features, and iCloud, Apple's set of free cloud services.

The device comes in black or white colours and will be available in the US for a suggested retail price of $199 (US) for the 16GB model and $299 (US) for the 32GB model and $399 (US) for the new 64GB model.

Bhopal students will test Aakash

Bhopal: Bhopal students are all set to test the newly launched tablet, Aakash. Twenty students of Maulana Azad National Institute of Technology (MANIT) and 22 students of Rajiv Gandhi Proudyogiki Viswavidyalaya, the State Technological University of MP, (RGPV) have received the tablets launched by Human Resources and Development Minister Kapil Sibal on Wednesday.

These students will test the device for 45 days and judge whether it functions the way it promises to.

Scholar from IIT Chennai and IIT Jodhpur will also coordinate in the project. The coordinator of the test project MANIT professor Dr RN Yadav will send a report to IIT Jodhpur after 45 days.

The students will test the screen and other tools in the government funded tablets.  They will also analyse the usability of the USB ports and configuration of Aakash. The students will also try the applications like WiFi, virtual keyboard, Media Player, text editor and among others.

Around 1200-1400 students participated in the launch of the tablet on Wednesday. Aakash, arguably the world’s cheapest tablet, will be available to students across India for Rs 2,250. The government has introduced the tablet to facilitate poor students.