TT Digest: 3G vs WiFi, Tablet for Whom ?

WiFi vs 3G
In US and other countries WiFi networks are available all over the country and people prefer it because 3G services are costly and WiFi is more reliable as it is backed by wired broadband network.

In India Wifi hotspots are rarely available and not really affordable (check out Aircel Wifi tariff).

3G(HSPA/EVDO) services are damn costly at its initial phase and 3G is not available everywhere like 2G networks. So both WiFi and 3G in India are in nascent stage. These also say why tablets or mobiles with Wifi only cannot make good sale.

Tablets – For Whom?

Tablet market in India is booming, and market is crowded with desi and international brands. MNCs already launched their products to India like Apple iPad, Samsung Galaxy Tab, Dell Streak, HTC Flyer, Blackberry Playbook, Motorola Xoom, Acer Iconia Huawei Mediapad etc.

Indian companies also are in the race. Olive launched Olivepad almost 1 year ago. HCL, Spice, Accord, Beetel are also joining or to join the tablet race. Recent additions are Chirag Tango and EAFT MagicTile Marathon tablet. But internationally acclaimed Notion Ink Adam is messed up with its poor manufacturing and marketing strategy.

In spite of the heat from tablet, PC & laptop market remains steady. Because tablets do not have key features like USB ports, CD/DVD drives (it still make sense in India despite presence of pen drives/portable drives/SSD drives), upgrading memory! Tablets are essentially a content consumption device than a content creation device. After PC/laptop and mobile phone tablets are 3rd kind of device, but it does not replace others.

Factors such as spreading broadband access and usage, increased affordability and availability, local contents etc are the main driving force behind tablets.

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MTS Expands Its High Speed Data Footprint In Haryana

                             

MTS India the CDMA Mobile and EVDO Data services operator today today announced the launch of its high-speed Wireless Broadband service, MBlaze in two towns of the Haryana Circle i.e. Ambala and Rewari.

This latest roll out extends the current MBlaze footprint to 9 towns across the state. MTS India already provides MBlaze services to customers in major towns across Haryana namely – Panipat, Sonipat, Rohtak, Bahadurgarh, Hissar, Karnal and Yamunanagar.

MTS also plans to invest over Rs. 20 Crore towards expansion of our telecom services across in Haryana circle. This expansion is in line with our endeavor to make high speed mobile broadband service available to maximum number of customers in the shortest possible time.

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Tata Docomo Introduces Talk Unlimited Local Plans

Tata Docomo has launched yet another voice tariff for its Karnataka user where they can talk unlimited to any local tata number without worrying for the Talktime,

Tata Docomo has launched Two new recharges for its existing customer, RC 199 & RC 399, where they can talk unlimited to any local tata mobiles which include, Indicom, T24 & Virgin.

RC 199 comes with a validity of 15 days which offers 2500 min of FUP (Fair usage policy) free calling to local Tata numbers.

RC 399 comes with a validity of 30 days which offers 5000 min of FUP (Fair usage policy) free calling to local Tata numbers.

These plans are designed for those customers who make extensive calling for the local tata numbers.

RC MRP	199	399
Benefit	Unlimited* Local Tata Calls	Unlimited* Local Tata Calls
Validity	15 days	30 days

*Fair usage of 2500 mins for RC 199 and 5000 mins for RC 399

This recharges are Applicable to all existing customers. New customers after doing a First recharge also can do the above packs.

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Reliance Mobile Offers Sony Ericsson W8 With 100% money back guarantee

Reliance Mobile is now going to offer through an exclusive tie-up with Sony Ericsson, the latest Andriod powered power house W8.
Sony Ericsson W8 is the world’s 1st walkman phone on Andriod 2.1. The offer has been sweetened with a 100% money back guarantee throughout India.
The features and the offers in the offering has been summarized below
About Sony Ericsson W8:
MOP of W8 is Rs. 10,190.
It is designed for Entertainment and is equipped with Smartphone features as well.
It provides the Walkman experience, has a 3″ touchscreen and is perfect for watching Movies, Browsing the net and Gaming.
It works on the Android 2.1 platform (access to 200K apps), has a customisable Home
Screen and 4 Corner UI, 3.2 MP Camera, aGPS , WiFi , Bluetooth and Premium
Headset – MH710, 4Gb MicroSD.
In addition the pack comes along with some free goodies, such as:
Accessories include a Reliance branded removable Antenna and Speakers apart from
an additional Black back cover.
Exclusive “Money Back Offers” – Only for new Activations and MNP port-in customers

Prepaid Offer
Money Back Offer		SE W8(3G)	SE W8(2G)
Offer Validity (No. of Months)		12	12
Recharge MRP (Rs.)		660	660
Free Talk Time  (Rs)		360	360
Voice	Local R2R Usage (secs)	36000	36000
	NLD R2R (secs)	0	36000
SMS	Local & STD SMS (No.s)	3600	3600
Data	Data in GB	0.5	3.6
VAS	Mobile TV Pack Value (Rs.)	250	0
Value to Customer in Rs.		1679	1539
Discount in Rs.		1019	879
Discount in 12 Months		12228	10548

Offer for 3G Circles and 2G Circles in Postpaid and Prepaid:
In Postpaid Value of above freebies is Rs. 2649/- for 3G and Rs. 2499/- for 2G (Call rates taken at Rs.0.5 per min, SMS at 10p per SMS, Data at Rs. 349/- for 0.5Gb, Mobile TV pack at Rs. 250/-)
· In Prepaid Customer gets value of Rs. 1679/- for 3G and Rs. 1539/- for 2G (Call rates taken at Rs.1p/sec, SMS at 10p per SMS, Data at Rs. 349/- for 0.5Gb for 3G and Rs. 99 for 2G,Mobile TV pack at Rs. 250/-). The customer therefore saves Rs. 1019 and Rs. 879 in 3G and 2G respectively which translates to Rs. 12k and Rs. 10.5k.
· Overage will be charged as per ‘pay per second’ plans i.e., 1p/sec for voice and ‘pay as you
go’ for Data i.e.,10p/10Kb upto 50Mb and 1p/10Kb beyond that.
· In prepaid the customer needs to activate SIM (given FOC), do a Rs. 660 e-recharge and make a first call immediately. This sequence of activity has to be maintained. The offer is activated within 48 hours of the first call only if the IMEI belongs to the W8 series. If the recharge is done on any phone other than W8 the customer will get only core balance after 9 days.
The whole package looks quite good, especially wen looking from the money back point. An Andriod make walkman with free goodies and backed by really good tariff plans is sure to grasp a handful among the Indians.

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Mozilla To Develop Mobile OS

This open source project will be reminiscent of the Google Chrome OS.

Makers of the renowned Firefox browser and the Thunderbird email client, Mozilla, are always looking to bring in new features and improvements for their products. Mozilla Corp has now decided to launch a mobile operating system of its own, which will compete with the likes of iOS, Android, and WP7. The best part about this mobile OS is that it will be completely open source, and will be used for the development of HTML5 applications. The company wants to encourage developers to write codes on this platform for applications which will work almost like native apps. It seems like a valiant effort by Mozilla to bring something new to the table.
Google introduced Chrome OS for a similar purpose, but Mozilla could improve upon it. For those of you who are wondering what this upcoming OS is going to be called; for now it's known as Boot To Gecko or B2G. There are plans to write new codes for this new OS but at the same time, some codes from Android will be borrowed. The idea does have the miles to go a long way, but unless Mozilla seeks refuge of major companies, it could easily get lost in the wind. The concept is pretty reminiscent of Google's open source Chrome OS, which was launched to build desktop apps with the help of web apps. However, Mozilla wants to improve upon the idea by developing a mobile OS which would guide to build web apps based on HTML5. The company reminds us that the idea is pretty fresh, and that it will keep us updated on any new developments on the platform. It will be interesting to see what Mozilla will ultimately come up with.

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Only 1.2 Million Honeycomb Tablets In The Wild

This comes even as 6 months have passed since the launch of the platform.

The number of Android smartphones in the market is increasing at a rate of knots, but sadly the same is not the case with Android tablets. It's already known that Android tablets are not available in large numbers in the market. With the head-start that the iPad has received, it has been quite hard for the Droid tablets to catch up in terms of sales. With the likes of the Asus Eee Pad Transformer, Acer Iconia Tab, and others launching very recently, things have seemed a bit better, but not so much as to brag about it.

Now, we have access to the number of Android tablets that are in circulation around the world which gives us an estimate of the droids with bigger displays. Google's Larry Page recently mentioned that there are about 135 million Android devices in the market, which includes both tablets and handsets. Taking into account the stats obtained from the Android Market according to which 0.9% of the devices that accessed the application store between June 24 and July 1 had display sizes of 7"and above or Xlarge. When we crunch both the numbers i.e. multiply 130 million by 0.9, we get a mere 1.21 million and odd. This certainly shows that there aren't enough Android tablets out there.

For the open sourced nature of the Android platform, this is a very disappointing number. However, we must mention here that this is an approximation and the real number may differ. Also worth a mention is that contrary to these numbers, Samsung has previously reported that it has shipped (not sold) about 2 million of the first gen Galaxy Tabs. This however doesn't necessarily mean that all the units have been sold. The calculations here however refer to the Android 3.0 and 3.1 tablets that have been sold so far, thus excluding tablets such as the Galaxy Tab. This number also doesn't include the tablets that didn't head over to the Android Market during the last week of June till July 1.

The numbers are a bit alarming for Google, considering the fact that Honeycomb was launched roughly 6 months ago, though countries such as India were a bit late to the party. Seems like there aren't enough manufacturers showing faith with Google's tablet oriented OS. However, that could change in the coming days with manufacturers such as Samsung, LG, and others geared up for the launch of Android 3.1 tablets. The companies need to launch the tablets in appropriate markets to make a difference in sales. Google has learnt from its mistakes after Android 3.0 and hence launched Android 3.1 with improved features, which brings a lot of newness to the tablet version of Android. Head over to GigaOm to get a brief idea as to how these numbers are calculated.

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Xperia X10 Gingerbread Update May Be Out This Week

The 2.3 update is said to bring a bunch of new features.

Sony Ericsson recently showed off the features that are going to come with the Gingerbread update for the Xperia X10. The company mentioned that the update will be rolled out during August, but it now seems that SE will provide the update earlier than expected. SE mentioned on its Facebook page that the update could be provided before the end of this week. A company representative mentioned that the Android 2.3 update for the Xperia X10 could be provided during w30 (Week 30) i.e. 25th July to 31st July.

It is however quite unclear if this is in reference only to the unlocked X10 handsets, or the contracted versions that is found in other countries. The fact that Sony Ericsson is ready to roll out the update this week seems pretty enticing, though it is quite possible that there could be an indefinite delay for the update to finally roll out. However, you might just get the update before others if you turn out to be lucky.

The Xperia X10 was launched with Android 1.6 Donut, but an Android 2.1 update was provided after the launch. SE had angered users when it had initially announced that it will not provide the Gingerbread update for the handset. It seems to have rethought the matter and finally announced in March that the 2.3 update will indeed be rolled out for X10 handsets. Features such as Facebook Inside Xperia will come to the handset, bringing deep social networking integration. All in all the transition from Eclair to Gingerbread is going to be a very pleasant one for the users. The update could be rolled out any time from now. Fingers crossed.

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Lenovo Unveils IdeaCentre B520 3D Multi-Touch PC

The all-in-one PC includes an optional mouse that doubles up as a motion controller for gaming.

Gorilla arm notwithstanding, Lenovo has launched an all-in-one PC packing in a quite a punch, along with a budget version for the value-conscious buyer. The IdeaCentre B520 includes a multi-touch screen and NVIDIA's 3D Vision capability enabled by the GeForce GT 555M graphics card. The entertaiment PC is powered by an Intel Core i7 paired with 4 GB of DDR3 memory. It includes a 2 TB hard drive, while offering an optional SSD upgrade that promises a boot-up time of 20.5 seconds. Other goodies include an HD webcam, integrated 5.0 channel (no subwoofer) audio output, and an option to upgrade to a mouse that doubles up as a motion controller for gaming. The IdeaCentre B320, on the other hand, is meant for those seeking a power-efficient PC at a modest budget. The B320 features a 20" LED screen that can be turned into a TV with the OneKey TV2 feature. Doing so lets you use the monitor as a high definition TV without powering up the rest of the PC. It is powered by Intel's Sandy Bridge based 2.6 GHz Dual-Core G620 processor and 2 GB DDR3 memory, with a 500 GB hard disk.
The IdeaCentre B520 is backed by a 3-year warranty and will be available for retail shortly for Rs 71,990. The B320 is priced at Rs 29,990. Keep your eyes peeled for a review.

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Prepare Yourselves For Slow Internet Speed in India

India broadband users be ready to face slow internet speeds starting today to 30th July .This is due to a planned maintenance activity in BSNL’s international Bandwidth for internet equivalent to 19 STM-16(47.5Gbps) will be down during this maintenance activity period.

Its is believed that STM-16 12.5Gbps bandwidth has been restored by Tata Communication thus out  of total planned outage of 47.5 Gbps international bandwidth 35Gbps of bandwidth will be affected.

So what does this mean we believe BSNL broadband users will be most affected during the downtime.

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G'FIVE Launches G20

G'FIVE believes that the benefits of technology should not be limited to few, and must be available to the masses, which constitutes 60% of the market - or so the company says. Hence, the manufacturer has rolled out an affordable gaming phone called the G20.
The device comes pre-loaded with 1000 16-bit video games such as Mario, Contra, Tetris, Goonies, Battle City, etc. Additionally, the handset comes bundled with a gaming controller. Thankfully, the controller has a clamp to hold the phone while you waste enemy troops in Contra. Moreover, this dual-SIM gaming phone is also capable of dual standby. Other features include a 2.4" QVGA display, dual memory card slot, analog TV-Out, a built-in Yamaha amplifier, and a 3.5 mm audio jack.

The company has also launched the Movie King series, which comes pre-loaded with 20 full-length blockbuster movies customized into four different movie packs (North, South, East, and West). For example, the North pack includes Hindi, Punjabi and Bhojpuri movies (blockbuster hits such as Singh is King, Rock On!, Pardes, Taal, Wake Up Sid!, Bhool Bhulaiya, etc).
The G'Five G20 is set to cost Rs 2900, while the phones belonging to the Movie King series will be priced in the range of Rs 2600 to Rs 3000.

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Coming Soon Micromax Mobile Q80

Features

1. Ezmail

2. Camera (Primary-3.0 MP, Secondry-0.3 MP)

3. Face Detection

4. Smile Detection

5. Wi-Fi

6. Video Calling

7. NGpay

8. Nimbuzz

9. Newshunt

10. Bloomberg UTV

11. Snaptu

12. Burnout Game

Specification

Form Factor                 Bar

Band                             GSM- 900/1800Mhz and WCDMA-2100Mhz

Weight                          118gms

Dimensions                  117mm*60mm*13mm

Display                           6.1cms, TFT QVGA (320*240)

Dual Camera                  Primary-3.0 MP, Secondry-0.3 MP

Music                             YES(MIDI,MP3)

FM Radio                       YES

Push Email                     YES

Games                            YES

JAVA                                YES

Bluetooth                        YES

Video Player                    YES(3GP,MP4)

Video Recorder               YES(AVI)

EGPRS/WAP/MMS            YES

Expandable Memory       8 GB

Battery Type                     Li-ion 1200 mAH

Talk Time                          5 hours*

Standby Time                   5 days*

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Review: Philips CushionSpeaker

A must-have product, if money is no object for convenience.

Surprisingly loud; Extremely comfortable; Excellent heat insulation; Hassle-free cable management; Packs in a USB audio device; Very convenient

Expensive; Lacks rake; Heavy; Loses tonal balance at maximum volume

Philips CushionSpeaker
Price: Rs 3999

Entertainment for kids in the early 90s meant pooling lunch money to rent tapes of Peter Jackson classics such as Braindead and Bad Taste. Back then, movies meant huddling in front of the bulky CRT TV set during summer vacations. In this age of Youtube, the TV and VCR have been miniaturised into laptops that can fit in a backpack. It's possible to use a notebook PC on the lap, sofa, or the bed, but the weak inbuilt speakers render dialogues incomprehensible. Laptop speakers are of no use either; unless, of course, you're Prince Goro and have an extra pair of spare hands to hold them. Despite all the technological advancement, watching movies still constrains one to the desk. That is, until Philips decided it had enough and made the CushionSpeaker.
It's A Cusion, It's A Speaker, It's  A Philips!
The CushionSpeaker is just what the name says - a cushion and a speaker. It is a comfortably plaint foam cushion with a hard, flat top that's large enough to accommodate laptops of any size. A horizontal grille runs across the front lip, which houses a pair of speakers of unspecified power output. The speakers hook up to your notebook PC through a USB cable emerging from a hole at the back of the cushion. These speakers are meant for laptop users wishing to experience movies and music away from the desk, without the hassles of unwieldy external speakers and cumbersome headphones.The whole shebang sounds simple enough, but the devil is in the details. The speakers are driven by neodymium magnets, which make them surprisingly loud. The hard top is sticky enough to arrest laptop rubber feet remarkably well. I could lean back and angle my HP Pavilion DM1Z to about 30 degrees without it sliding onto my belly. Ditto for an older, heavier 15.6" Dell notebook. Even if your laptop's rubber feet are ruined or otherwise slippery, Philips includes chunky replacement feet that can be stuck onto its base.
Pillow Talk
The CushionSpeaker has an inbuilt USB audio device, which delivers plug-and-play convenience and total independence from your laptop's audio hardware. It connects through a 0.5 m cable housed in a nifty self-winding mechanism. The hassle-free cable management system also allows the retractable spool to lock the cable in place after every few inches. This way, the spring tension doesn't yank it off the port. Fortunately, the cable is long enough to reach all USB ports with ease.

The hard top surface may not have a fan to cool the laptop, but it ensures optimum movement of air underneath the laptop. That's much better than having the vents blocked by clothing or bed sheets. I recommend installing the bundled rubber feet, as they deliver better ground clearance and hence improved airflow. The foam cushion is thick and strikes a perfect balance between softness and support. The CushionSpeaker is fashioned out of a heat resistant material, which is evident with the total heat insulation it delivers. If one were to nitpick, I would say that its half kg heft and a lack of inclination are its only flaws design-wise.Small Size, Big Sound
It's obvious that these speakers will not beat your desktop speakers - they aren't meant to either. They're designed to be louder and better than the inbuilt laptop speakers, striking a middle ground between performance and convenience. The loudness of the CushionSpeaker took me by complete surprise. Movies that were nigh-inaudible with the inbuilt speakers at full blast, would convey the slightest whisper with great aural authority on this device. This is despite the volume being cranked up to just 50%. While it would be foolish to expect a full dynamic range, the Philips surprised me with its performance. To be honest, I would personally prefer these speakers over using ear \ headphones for the two-hour runtime of a film.
Musically, the CushionSpeaker shows admirable tonal balance till the 80% mark, after which it gets a tad too bright for comfort. Apart from the tonal imbalance, I didn't notice much distortion at maximum volume, which the manual warned me of. Bass response isn't exactly tight, but it's good enough to convey the infrasonic frequencies without any clipping, distortion, or cabinet resonance. Yes, you inevitably do lose out on the minute details that make headphones or dedicated stereo speakers good, but it's still decent enough for casual listening. Both the loudness and musicality of this device exhibits a competence beyond its size and nature. Quality-wise, the CushionSpeaker lies between proper desktop speakers and inbuilt \ entry-level laptop speakers.A Specialised Beast
The only major flaw of this device is its price. At an MRP of Rs 3999, this is prohibitively expensive. Once can argue that that the same price will fetch an excellent pair of headphones or speakers, so why bother? That's mostly because it would be akin to saying that an Armani suit is a better choice than a wetsuit. This would be true if you were to attend a party, but not if you plan to go scuba diving. The CushionSpeaker similarly serves a much specialised purpose - to deliver a louder, fuller sound while maintaining the portability of the laptop, and it does the same with great competence. If you want to enjoy movies and music on your lap, couch, or the bed, go for it by all means.
Performance: 4/5
Design And Build Quality: 4/5
Features: 3.5/5
Value: 2/5
Mojo: 4/5
Overall Rating: 3.5/5

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Apple To Launch A White iPod touch?

Elusive white media player may be on the horizon as leaked photos appear.

Apple's long awaited white iPhone 4 had caused quite a stir, and now a website has posted photos of what appears to be a white version of the fifth generation iPod touch.
The website 9to5Mac, which posted the photos of the front panel of the device, have stated that while they cannot confirm the legitimacy of the photos, they do seem to fall in line with fourth generation iPod touch's build. These photos can therefore be of a scrapped white iPod touch 4 or even a fifth generation version of the same. It has cited Concord Security analyst Ming-Chi Kuo's earlier claim that a white iPod touch will be launched to be pretty accurate. Kuo had stated in the report that the new device will have a form factor similar to that of the fourth generation iPod touch.
The website cites iOS SDK data to infer that the new device will have more of internal changes than external ones. The new iPod touch could get a dual-core A5 processor and an upgraded camera. The website adds that Apple may be only considering the idea of a white model for the device, but might never actually release one.
The white iPhone 4 was released after a long delay of 10 months at the end of April this year because it was found to be more of a challenge than the black model. In an earlier interview, Apple's Phil Schiller had stated, "It's not as simple as making something white. There's a lot more that goes into both the material science of it and how it holds up over time but also in how it all works with the sensors".Considering the fact that Apple did bring out the white iPhone 4 after all, we think that a white iPod touch in the near future is a possibility. Be it white or black, it is a matter of personal choice at the end and we think there is too much of an unnecessary mess being made about the colour of the device.

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Micromax To Launch ANDRO A70

Android is everywhere. Its acceptance among manufacturer is increasing day by day.India’s home grown mobile manufacturer Micromax announces its next Android based mobile phone Andro A70.

Micromax Andro A70 is well finished and fully enriched with 8.1 cm capacitive touch screen, 5 Mega Pixel primary camera, GPS, Wifi and firmed with Android 2.2 (Foryo) version. It should be better to mention that it’s a complete 3G phone with 7.2 Mbps HSDPA and a secondary front camera(0.3 MP) for video calling.

Its expandable memory supports up to 32GB MicroSd. Andro A70 has one kind of a very unique feature called ‘MiFi”, which can be used like a WiFi router to serve up to 5 WiFi enabled mobile. So you are about to set up your own Wifi Hotspot, interesting na ?

Lets a have look on its specification:

Specification
Network	GSM: 850/900/ 1800/1900MHz WCDMA: 2100MHz
Form Factor	Bar
Display	262K TFT, (320*480 pixels)
3G/HSDPA	Yes/7.2 Mbps
Processor	600MHz
Camera	Primary 5MP, Secondary 0.3 MP
GPS	Yes
Wifi	Yes
Bluetooth	Yes(v2.1)
Memory	Expandable upto 32 GB
GPRS/MMS/WAP	Yes
Battery	Battery Type: 1450 mAh Li-ion Battery Talk Time: 4 hours(maximum) Stand By Time: 7 days(maximum)
Multimedia	Audi Player With 3.5 MM jack Video Player Video Recording

Micromax Andro A70 will be available at a price of Rs. 8000 (approx) in the last week of July,2011.Pre-ordering is now available on flipkart.

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Airtel Launches 3G Services in Lucknow and Kanpur

Airtel today announced the launch of its 3G services in Eastern Uttar Pradesh (UP).

Airtel will commence its 3G rollout in UP East starting with the city Lucknow and industrial hub of Kanpur followed by which Airtel 3G services will be introduced in other major locations.

Airtel 3G services were recently made available for customers in UP West and Uttarakhand.

With this rollout extended to UP East, Airtel mobile customers across Uttar Pradesh will be able to enjoy a seamless 3G experience in the state and experience a host of exciting capabilities that 3G enables including fast mobile internet access, video streaming, video calling, Mobile TV, social networking on-the-go and high definition gaming.

Airtel 3G customers can enjoy the benefits of 3G speeds on the device of their choice be it their mobile handsets, laptops or tablets. 3G services can be enjoyed seamlessly as Airtel provides its customers with timely updates and alerts on their data usage helping them control their expenditure on 3G.

The company has also introduced a first of its kind ‘internet usage calculator’ available online to help customers analyse their current internet data usage and choose an Airtel 3G plan accordingly.

To know more or join Airtel 3G services – customers can call 12134 (tollfree) or SMS ‘3G HELP’ to 121.

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Win a Chevrolet Spark contest with airtel in Punjab Haryana Himachal Pradesh

Bharti Airtel, a leading global telecommunications company with operations in 19 countries across Asia and Africa, today announced the ‘Win a Chevrolet Spark’ contest for its postpaid and prepaid mobile customers in Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and J&K. The customers stand a chance to win a Chevrolet Spark by simply downloading the highest number of Hello Tunes. The Contest is now open and closes on September 15, 2011.

Hello Tunes can be downloaded by dialing 57878 or 578781. The participants in the contest shall be charged Rs. 15/- for subscription per Hello Tune and Rs 30/- as monthly charges. Airtel has always been looking at ways to enrich the mobile telephony experience for its customers.

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Now Access Nokia Maps From Android And iOS Devices

Nokia once used to be a dominant player in terms of cellphones in global markets. However, those days aren't upon the company going through a seemingly unrecoverable crisis today. After the company's announcement to tie up with Microsoft to manufacture WP7 phones under its belt, things started to seem much better. That being said, the company is still incurring losses which isn't a good sign. However, if there is one thing that has been working for the Finnish mobile maker, it has to be the it's Maps Service.
Nokia Maps has considerably raised the stakes and it's quite hard to match the standards set by Nokia in that regard. Now, Nokia is spreading the Maps service across top mobile platforms with the company announcing the compatibility of Nokia Maps on the iOS and Android platform with location support on both platforms. To access the Nokia Maps service, users of the above two mobile platforms will have to head over to the default HTML5 enabled browsers and type maps.nokia.com in the address bar and access the service. Though, the HTML5 version launched in April is currently in Beta, do not expect anything less from Nokia Maps.The best part of this service is that this doesn't require a snappy Wi-Fi or 3G connection; a regular GPRS connection will suffice. iOS and Android users can certainly benefit from this HTML5 version of Nokia Maps as have millions of Nokia users across the world. It would have been a touch better though if Nokia rolled out a dedicated app for all the platforms. It has also been reported that Nokia will roll out many apps like these for the WP7 platform (accessible for all WP7 devices), which should be very interesting as well.

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Tata Teleservices Intros 3 exciting BlackBerry Data Plans from Rs 99

Tata Teleservices Limited, A dual-technology telecom service provider has introduced three new exciting and affordable BlackBerry® service plans for its new Tata Indicom customers. Now CDMA customers can now access BlackBerry services with exciting new promotional data plans for only Rs. 99, Rs. 199 and Rs. 599 for the first three months.
These plans are essential BlackBerry messaging services(MaiLite), BlackBerry® Internet Service and BlackBerry® Enterprise Server service which costs at Rs 99/-, Rs 199/- and Rs 599/- respectively for the first three months. Standard monthly prices of Rs.299, Rs.399 and Rs.900 respectively will be applicable after the three month promotional period.
The service plan for BlackBerry ®Enterprise Server for Rs 599 includes all of the above plus access to corporate data and tight integration with IBM® Lotus® Domino®, Microsoft® Exchange or Novell® GroupWise®.  “BlackBerry is an iconic product with an exceptional service that’s desired by users, and we want to offer greater flexibility and affordability to our existing customers while attracting new BlackBerry customers. We believe this exciting initiative  will appeal to all young professionals, students and a broad spectrum of retail customers who are looking for an exceptional experience for messaging, social networking, e-mail and Internet browsing while on the move,” Mr Sanjeev Khera, Regional Hub Head (South India) and Chief Operating Officer, CDMA Operations, Karnataka Circle, Tata Teleservices Limited, said.

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Airtel 3G services now in Jaisalmer, Barmer and Balotra

Bharti Airtel, a leading global telecommunications company has announced the launch of its 3G services in three more cities of Rajasthan making wider reach of its 3G services. Airtel customers in Jaisalmer, Barmer and Balotra can now experience the Airtel 3G advantage and enjoy a host of exciting services including high speed mobile Internet, video calls, Mobile TV and much more
A wide range of LIVE and on-demand TV channels as well as shows are now available on Airtel 3G Mobile TV. To subscribe – customers can use their mobile phones to visit the ‘3G Zone’ on Airtel LIVE, select Mobile TV, simply download and install the application, select their favourite TV content – and start viewing.
Apart from Mobile TV, Airtel 3G will allow customers to enjoy various other exciting service offerings including video calls, high speed internet and video capabilities on social networks. Enabling fast internet access on-the-go, Airtel 3G dongles are also now available for laptop users. All these services can be enjoyed seamlessly as Airtel provides its customers with timely updates and alerts on their data usage – helping them control their expenditure. The company has also introduced a first of its kind ‘internet usage calculator’ available online to help customers analyse their current internet data usage and choose an Airtel 3G plan accordingly.
To know more or join Airtel 3G services – customers can visit http://www.airtel.in/Airtel3G , call 12134 (toll free) or SMS ‘3G HELP’ to 121.

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HTC and Tata Docomo Intros Android powered HTC ChaCha in India

HTC Corporation, one of the fastest growing companies in the mobile industry and Tata DOCOMO, the GSM arm of Tata Teleservices Limited has announced the launch of the HTC ChaCha in India. The HTC ChaCha powered by the latest Android operating system features a dedicated Facebook button integrated throughout the HTC Sense experience that allows you to share anything at a single touch.
Tata DOCOMO is providing this smartphone Under the bundle offer in which 3G prepaid customers can avail 3GB free data valid for a period of 90 days whereas 1GB free data is offered free each month to postpaid customers across all 3G circles valid for 90 days. All 3G customers will also get 3 hour of free Mobile TV that includes data access charges valid for 90 days.
While Tata DOCOMO 2G prepaid customers can avail 3GB free data and 300 Tata to Tata local calling valid for a period of 90 days whereas 1GB free data and 100 minutes Tata to Tata calling is offered free each month for 3 months to postpaid customers across all 2G circles.
Introducing new smart device for Tata DOCOCMO customers, Mr Sunil Tandon, Head – Mobility Services & Devices Management, Tata Teleservices Limited, said “Devices are an important element of the entire 3G ecosystem to drive penetration and increase the adoption of 3G services. Tata DOCOMO partners with various smart phone handset makers and is taking a conscious leap in co-promotion that is not only affordable but in-built with rich features and capabilities. In the recent past we launched HTC Desire & HTC Mozart for Tata DOCOMO customers across our circles of operation and going forward will continue to work together to bring innovative valued based products and services on GSM platform.”
Features of HTC ChaCha:
This HTC smartphone is designed to provide a seamless, social experience by enabling you to stay in touch with your friends anytime, anywhere. The unique tilt design shapes the display and physical QWERTY keyboard so it is easy to view and comfortable to type.  Capture special moments in crisp details, using the 5-megapixel color camera with auto focus and LED flash. The phone is also equipped with a VGA front-facing camera. The ChaCha smartphone brings the Internet to your fingertips with a 2.6-inch, 480 x 320 resolution landscape touch screen.
The new HTC ChaCha will be available at a Market Operating Price of Rs. 15, 990 at all authorized HTC resellers across the country. (Prices may vary according to the local applicable taxes)

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