Videocon Launches Wide Range of GSM Mobile Phones

Videocon mobiles the mobile handset venture of Videocon Group unveiled a wide range of trendy, New Age GSM Mobile Phones  in Tamilnadu-Chennai, Andhhra Pradesh, Pondichhery and Mumbai.

The wide range of easy to operate, hassle free and reliable mobiles are also feature-rich, including basic colour models,FM radio phones, single/Dual SIM mobile phone, MP3 music, camera, multimedia and the latest touch phones and touch Windows Mobile phones in price range of Rs.1600 to Rs.18500.

Keeping in mind the sensitivities of the Indian consumer, Videocon Group has launched a slew of phones which are in line with their new age needs and consumption patterns. Videocon renewed focus on moving quickly from static to energetic – which also explains the entry into the new category, cell-phone handsets.

Percussion events company Drum Café performed a high-energy, communal drumming session aimed at bringing togetherness as the logo of Videocon “V”, in the presence of Videocon dealers. The drums session was interspersed with dance performances. Drum Café have performed in 19 countries including with legends like Elton John, Will Smith and A.R Rahman.

Mr. Anil Khera, CEO, Videocon Mobile Phones, said: “We take immense pride in launching our phones, which have strong characters and unique style. This is in keeping with our attention to detail and uncompromising quality for our products. We shall leverage the strengths of the Videocon brand in delivering products and services to customers and partners by adding value to the products through the creative design that gives an attractive look and feel on the handset along with total quality management.”

Mr. Rahul Goel, COO, Videocon Mobile Handsets, said: “We are upbeat about the customer response for our mobile-phone launch from Tamil Nadu in particular. We are targeting sizable sales of handsets in terms of volume and value by establishing a solid relationship with channel partners and operators. Our objective is to emerge as a leading brand of mobile phones with the help of highly-skilled manpower along with a widespread sales and marketing network as well as excellent after-sales service.”

Videocon’s existing wide sales and marketing network will help establish a pan-Indian presence for its new range of Mobile Phones. The company also plans to aggressively expand across the country by appointing an extensive network of dealers and distributors.

Uninor To Launch Its Service in Few Days Exclusive Look Into Tariff Details

Uninor the GSM mobile service of Unitech Wireless, a joint venture between India’s real estate major Unitech and the world’s 6th largest mobile services provider Telenor Group, is all set to roll out its Mobile Service in 8 telecom circle in few days.

The eight circles are Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Karnataka, Kerala, Orissa, Tamilnadu (including Chennai) UP East and UP West.

The Uninor mobile network is live in test mode in some parts of 8 telecom circles and it is expected that the company will launch the most awaited GSM mobile service in few days.

We also spoke with the official spokeperson regarding the launch date but no official date was reveled “we were told Uninor will launch within this year and everybody is on track to do that”.

During its initial launch Uninor will offer unique Campus and Combo tariff plans. It will  offer a New Prepaid connection at Rs.49 with life time validity and talk time of Rs.5 as main balance with Free 250 minutes free every Uninor Prepaid Card as speciallaunch offer.

The call charges is not available with us as of now but  we believe that Uninor will be offering One Paisa One Second tariff for all Local and STD calls to anywhere in India The Uninor customer can opt the some flexible plans, great offers.

The Customer Care Numbers are as Follows-

Telecom Circle                       Customer care No.

Uttar Pradesh (West)        121 from Uninor or 9058090580
Andhra Pradesh                 121 from Uninor or 9059090590
Karnataka                         121 from Uninor  or9060090600
Kerala                               121 from Uninor or 9061090610
Uttar Pradesh (East)          121 from Uninor or 9125091250
Tamilnadu and Chennai      121 from Uninor or 9171091710
Orissa                               121 from Uninor or 9124091240
Bihar                                 121 from Uninor  or 9122091220

Uninor is also geared up for marketing the brand with social networking sites like  faceBook, twitter,Orkut, Flickr and youtube who knows this might be inspired by Tata Docomo we will have to wait and watch how successful uninor is going to be in its initiallaunch.

Reliance Mobile Unveils Two Revolutionary SMS Tariff Plans

Reliance Communications, today initiated a radical move in the Indian telecom industry by making SMS’s more affordable to all mobile customers in India. Reliance Mobile customers can avail of two revolutionary SMS tariff plans:

0   ONE PAISE PER SMS

0    UNLIMITED SMS’s @ Re. 1 PER DAY

The new SMS tariff plans are add-on plans and are applicable for all Reliance Mobile customers irrespective of CDMA or GSM network as well as prepaid and postpaid customers.

The tariffs are applicable for non-commercial use only. To prevent these attractive SMS tariffs being misused by telemarketers a fair usage cap of 15000 SMS’s per month is applicable on the Unlimited SMS plan.

Earlier last month, Reliance Mobile took the lead in unveiling India’s most affordable tariff plan SIMPLY RELIANCE at a uniform rate of 50p/min for Local, STD and Roaming calls followed by uniform calling rates of 1p/sec for Local, STD and Roaming calls. Based on the usage patterns,Reliance Mobile customers can also opt for unlimited calling plans of Rs. 1 per/3 mins call for local, STD and Roaming calls.

All Reliance Mobile customers, regardless of the tariff plans they have for voice and data services, can avail of the 1p/SMS plan by subscribing to a Standard Tariff Voucher of Rs. 11 per month. Or the unlimited SMS plan can be subscribed to byReliance Mobile customers on a daily deduction of Re. 1 per day from their prepaid balance.

“SMS continues to grow every year with more and more innovative ways of utilizing its potential coming in the forefront. Indians are using SMS as a mode of communication to keep in touch with friends and family. With select subscriber groups, SMS is a preferred communication mode over voice calls. On account of significant tariff disparity in the recent months, it has lost its due share of attention. Considering this, RelianceCommunications with its 1st in the industry initiative, aims to revitalize SMS usage in the country”, said Mr. Mahesh Prasad, President – RelianceCommunications.

“Like our earlier Simply Reliance offerings of Local, STD and Roaming calls at 50p/min and 1p/sec from any Reliance mobile to any phone on any network, yet to be matched by any competitive offering.  With this best in the industry initiative, we offer significant value not only to our existing 9 Crore CDMA and GSMcustomers , but are also aimed at gaining new acquisitions from high SMS usage groups of the GSM community such as young professionals and the youth across India”, he added.

Nokia launches five new Ultimate mobile phones

Nokia Life Tools, the service which gives consumers in small towns and rural areas the ability to get a range of livelihood and life-improvement services on their mobile phones, will launch in Indonesia in early December 2009. Nokia also announced five new affordable and easy-to-use phones which will support Nokia Life Tools, and these phones will also be available globally.

“Following the successful launch of Nokia Life Tools in India, where people are getting the benefits of vital information sent directly to their mobile phones, we are pleased to bring this service toconsumers in Indonesia,” said Dieter May, Vice President, Emerging Markets, Nokia. “Inform, Involve, Empower -- the vision of Nokia Life Tools -- applies no matter where it’s implemented. With the number of devices that Nokia Life Tools supports, including the five new phones we are announcing today, we are giving people the solution that suits them the most.”




 

Five new mobile phones designed for consumers in emerging markets

With affordability and ease of use as the cornerstones of solutions for emerging markets, the five new Nokia phones -- Nokia 1280, Nokia 1616, Nokia 1800, Nokia 2220 slide and Nokia 2690 -- support Nokia Life Tools, and bring with them all the features that consumers around the world have come to expect.

Priced at EUR 20, EUR 24 and EUR 26 respectively (before taxes and subsidies), the Nokia 1280, Nokia 1616 and Nokia 1800 support FM radio, prepaid tracker, flashlight, anti-scratch cover and dust-resistant keymat, among other features. The long battery life, with up to 22 days of standby time, is vital for people in areas where access to electricity is limited.
Nokia launches five new affordable mobile phones Nokia launches five new affordable mobile phones Nokia launches five new affordable mobile phones

The Nokia 2220 slide and the Nokia 2690, priced at EUR 45 and EUR 54 (before taxes and subsidies), also support email on the device through Ovi Mail, giving people in developing markets their first digital identity directly from their handsets. Ovi Mail accounts can be created on the device and people can start sending and receiving emails without ever needing a PC. Other device features include FM radio, VGA camera, GPRS and MMS support, phone books for up to 1,000 contacts, and Bluetooth. Standby times for theNokia 2220 slide and Nokia 2690 are about 20 days and 13 days respectively.
Nokia launches five new affordable mobile phones Nokia launches five new affordable mobile phones

The first of the five new mobile phones will begin shipping before the end of 2009, with others expected to start shipping in the first half of 2010.

Nokia Life Tools in Indonesia

Nokia Life Tools will be available across Indonesia from early December 2009, with the Agriculture service available for Java and Sumatra at the first stage, and Education and Entertainment services available nation-wide.

Consumers will be able to subscribe to Agriculture, Education and Entertainment information and content. Nokia is collaborating with the Ministry of Agriculture (Departemen Pertanian Republik Indonesia), the Center of Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics (BMKG), Synovate and other industry partners to bring valuable agriculture information, prices, news and tips directly toconsumers.

The Agriculture service will be available for commodities beginning with crops, livestock, horticulture and fisheries. Consumers will be able to subscribe to three of the most commonly grown commodities in their region. Also included in the Agriculture component are weather services, price services, and frequent agriculture news and tips.

The Education service features Learn English, General Knowledge and Test Preparation. Learn English has three levels of expertise with focus on English language fundamentals. General Knowledge will be primarily related to the province where one lives, as well as containing information at the national and international levels. Test Preparation will offer services at the Junior High School and Senior High School levels.

The Entertainment service features a range of mobile entertainment content, including news, music, comics, jokes, astrology, movie news and reviews. The content will be available toconsumers via subscription and/or on-demand.

At launch, customers of Telkomsel, Indosat, XL and Hutch (3) will be able to subscribe to Nokia Life Tools services. Nokia Life Tools will first be available on the Nokia 2323 classic, Nokia 2330 classic and Nokia 2700 classic in Indonesia. Aside from the 11 handsets which will come pre-loaded with Nokia Life Tools, the service will become downloadable on more phones later.

Nokia Life Tools services use an icon-based, graphically rich user interface that comes complete with tables and which displays information simultaneously in two languages. Behind this rich interface that comes out of the box on all Life Tools-enabled handsets, SMS is used to deliver the critical information to ensure that this service works wherever a mobile phone works, without the hassles of additional settings or the need for GPRS coverage.

Tesco Mobile to fight rivals on price with iPhone launch

Supermarket giant wants to sell iconic handset in its stores before Christmas

Tesco is turning the screw on rival mobile phone shops by offering the Apple iPhone in its stores and online over the coming weeks. The supermarket's telecoms division, Tesco Mobile, said yesterday that it would introduce the iPhone 3G and the latest 3GS model in the UK before Christmas as part of its joint venture with the network provider 02.

Tesco is the fourth company to sign a deal to sell iPhones in Britain following 02 and Orange, which already sell the iconic handset. Vodafone has plans to offer the device from the new year but has yet to agree a date.

A spokeswoman for Tesco Mobile said: "It is a coup for us. Our absolute aim is to get this into stores and online before Christmas."

Although a launch date has not been confirmed, Tesco Mobile's iPhones will be offered on contract and pay-as-you-go deals. The spokeswoman hinted at a robust pricing policy, saying: "We want to bring a bit of Tesco value to the iPhone on tariffs. It will be slightly different and is not going to replicate what is already out there."

Tesco Mobile's move is a blow to Orange and Vodafone's iPhone sales prospects in the UK, given that 42 million visits to Tesco stores are made each week, including multiple trips by individuals. The grocer also confirmed that customers buying and iPhone and tariffs at Tesco will be able to receive Clubcard loyalty points.

"Obviously, with all our tariffs, handsets and top-ups on Tesco Mobile customers get Clubcard points and the iPhone will be no different," the company said. Tesco has 16 million Clubcard holders in the UK.

The Tesco move mirrors a much earlier announcement by Wal-Mart to sell the iPhone in the US. Carolina Milanesi, a research director at Gartner, said: "This opens the iPhone up to a different clientele so it makes sense for Apple and O2. You are probably going to see something more aggressive on the tariff side rather than on the hardware side. It will probably put a little bit more pressure on the competition but it will depend on what margins you want to make." While sources played down speculation that Tesco's iPhone deal might have been influenced by an over-supply of the phones, Ms Milanesi said: "There is some inventory in the UK market no doubt, but you are not talking about millions."

Tesco Mobile is a separate, joint venture from the supermarket and falls under Tesco's retailing services division. Yesterday, it said that profit from the telecoms business grew over the 26 weeks to 29 August. The number of Tesco Mobile customers rose by 10 per cent to 1.9 million in a declining pre-pay market. A spokesman said: "We've made good progress rolling out our phone shops, with 59 now open and 100 planned by year-end. The phone shops are transforming our ability to sell products that require an assisted sale, particularly contract mobile phones."

Last week, Tesco fleshed out the strategy for its retailing services business, notably a major expansion of its telecoms operations. The grocer will offer bundled broadband and home phone packages for the first time, as part of a five-year deal with Cable & Wireless. Lance Batchelor, chief executive of Tesco Telecoms, said it would double its number of in-store phone shops to 200 by the end of 2010. Its retailing services division includes Tesco Bank, which will offer current accounts by the end of next year.

Motorola launches second Android phone

Motorola Inc. introduced its second phone based on Google Inc.’s Android software, fighting for a bigger share of the growing market for Web-equipped phones to reverse more than a year of sales declines.

 

The phone, called the Droid, features a larger screen than Apple Inc.’s top-selling iPhone and has higher resolution.

The phone, called the Droid, features a larger screen than Apple Inc.’s top-selling iPhone and has higher resolution, said co-chief executive Sanjay Jha. It will be available Nov. 6 on the Verizon Wireless website and in retail stores, Motorola said. The price will be US$199.99 with a two-year agreement after a US$100 mail-in rebate.

Motorola is rebuilding its mobile-phone division around the Android operating system to entice consumers who abandoned its handsets in favour of the iPhone and Research In Motion Ltd.’s BlackBerry. Motorola’s share of the phone market dropped by almost half in the second quarter from 10% a year earlier, according to Gartner Inc.

“We’ve been missing from the market,” Mr. Jha, 46, said in an interview. The Droid “absolutely does” get Motorola back into the game with a better operating system and a faster Internet browser, he said.

Based on Android 2.0, a newer version of the Google operating system, the device allows users to run multiple applications at once, features voice-driven Web searches, and has one of the “fastest Web browsers available today,” Mr. Jha said.

T-Mobile USA Inc. will begin selling the Schaumburg, Ill.-based company’s first Android phone, the Cliq, on Nov. 2 for US$199.99 with a two-year contract.

“Droid boasts impressive specs and reviews from the blog community have been very favourable thus far,” said Matt Thornton, an analyst with Avian Securities LLC in Boston. “This should give some indication as to how the device will be received by the consumer, the press and the investor community.” Thornton has a “positive” rating on the stock.

Motorola plans more Android devices. At least one of those will be sold through a third carrier, Mr. Jha said. The Droid will be available through multiple carriers outside the U.S. later this year, he said.

Mr. Jha declined to comment on how Android phones will affect earnings. The company will report third-quarter results tomorrow. Analysts predict profit of less than 1 cent a share, excluding some items, the average of estimates in a Bloomberg survey.

Nokia Launches Its Cheapest Phone Yet for Emerging Markets

Nokia has unveiled the 1280, a mobile phone for emerging markets that is 20 percent cheaper than its predecessor, the 1202.

The unsubsidized cost of the 1280 is €20 (US$30), which makes it Nokia's cheapest mobile phone yet, according to a Nokia blog post. But the prize squeeze won't end there: The concept of a €5 mobile phone doesn't seem so far fetched, the blog post said.

The difference between mobile phone markets is the Western world and developing countries is stark. In the U.S. the average monthly revenue per user was approximately US$51 last year, compared to about US$6.40 in India, according to data from IE Market Research and Research and Markets. That doesn't leave much room for local Indian operators to subsidize expensive smartphones. Instead users have to pay for the phone themselves, and in a country where the average annual per capita income is about US$805 that isn't much. So phones like the 1280 are needed.

The 1280 offers a talk time of up to 8.5 hours -- 30 minutes less than the 1202, according to Nokia -- and a flashlight. Both are important features when you live in a part of the world where power isn't readily available, Nokia said.

The 1280 may have a shorter battery life than the 1202, but the phone can store more contacts, 500 versus 200 entries, and it adds an FM-radio with a standard 3.5 millimeter stereo headphone jack. It also has five separate phone books, which should make it simpler for people to share the device.

Besides the 1280 Nokia, has unveiled four other phones for emerging markets: the 1616, the 1800, the 2220 slide and the 2690. The 1616 adds a color display and €4 to the price of the 1280. The 2220 slide adds support for mobile e-mail using Nokia's own Ovi Mail and costs €45.

Support for Nokia Life Tools is something all phones have in common. Life Tools is a set of services that lets consumers in small towns and rural areas to subscribe to agriculture, education and entertainment related information and content. It's already available in India, and will be available across Indonesia from early December, Nokia said.

The 2220 will be the first of the new phones to ship, before the end of this year, with the 1280 shipping in the first quarter next year, Nokia said.

Nokia Sues Apple Over iPhone

The suit claims the iPhone infringes on 10 Nokia patents involving wireless data, speech coding, security, and encryption.

Nokia has filed patent infringement litigation against Apple, charging that the iPhone infringes on several Nokia patents.

The litigation, which involves 10 patents, was filed, on Thursday in the Federal District Court in Delaware. The patents at issue, Nokia said, involve GSM, UMTS (3G WCDMA), and wireless LAN standards. “The basic principle in the mobile industry is that those companies who contribute in technology development to establish standards create intellectual property, which others then need to compensate for,” said Ilkka
Rahnasto, Nokia VP of legal and intellectual property, in a statement. “Apple is also expected to follow this principle. By refusing to agree [to] appropriate terms for  Nokia’s intellectual property, Apple is attempting to get a free ride on the back of Nokia’s innovation.” Apple did not immediately respond to reports about the Nokia complaint.

The litigation is just the latest in the mobile industry, which has been racked by scores of patent and intellectual property suits. Nokia itself was involved in long and bitter patent litigation with Qualcomm that was settled in July 2008 with Nokia agreeing to make payments to Qualcomm over a 15-year period. That agreement included licenses for GSM features, which appear to constitute a major piece of Nokia’s complaint against Apple.

Nokia pioneered GSM, which has figured in AT&T’s exclusive network deal with the iPhone in the United States. The AT&T network also utilizes UMTS, likewise cited in the Nokia litigation. AT&T was not named by Nokia in the litigation. The Nokia complaint appears to be aimed largely at handset intellectual property, although Nokia didn’t completely spell out the charges in its Thursday press release.

Nokia noted that it has successfully entered into licensing agreements with about 40 companies that include the patents cited in the Apple litigation, adding that it maintains that all Apple iPhones shipped since the smartphone’s debut infringe on Nokia patents that cover wireless data, speech coding, security, and encryption. 

Last week Nokia reported its first quarterly loss in years, while Apple reported very favorable earnings and revenue. Nokia leads the world in handset shipments with a 38% market share while Apple, still relatively new to the mobile market, is gaining share at a rapid rate.

Google Voice Challenger Ribbit Mobile Launches

The company is not yet positioning its cloud-based phone messaging service as an enterprise offering

Ribbit Mobile has launched a cloud-based service that enables users to combine multiple phone numbers, make calls from the Internet, and receive transcribed voicemails.

Like Google Voice, Ribbit lets calls ring multiple phone numbers and can transcribe voicemails as searchable text files. Upon receiving a call, Ribbit Mobile can ring various landline, mobile, and soft phones services such as Skype and Google Talk, and users can answer and initiate calls from a PC.

Unlike Google's offerings, Ribbit Mobile users don't have to adopt a new number, as it works with existing mobile phone numbers.

Ribbit described the offering as a form of personal customer-relationship management (CRM). Users will also be able to see a caller's Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn messages when receiving a call. Ribbit said this "caller ID 2.0" gives context to verbal conversations. An online backup service is also offered.

Ribbit's service will be open to third-party developers, which is why the company is not yet positioning its service as an enterprise offering. The company said it is focused on building a solid communications platform that can be used by developers for consumers and businesses alike. iPhone and BlackBerry application are on the way, and Ribbit says it envisions multiple enterprise-focused apps eventually emerging from the developer community.

The company will also be rolling out a developer rewards program which will compensate content creators based on how much their apps are used.

This is aimed at making Ribbit's app process more of a meritocracy than other app environments, the company said.

The service is currently in beta. It includes unlimited automated voicemail transcriptions and calls. Ribbit Mobile will have tiered pricing that ranges from free to $30 a month when it comes out of beta. Users can sign up at Ribbit's Web site for an invitation.

The Samsung Omnia II GT I8000- The all-in-one phone redefined

The Samsung Omnia II GT I8000 with a brand new intuitive 3D User interface and high performance full-touch screen

Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd, strengthened its Omnia series with the launch of Omnia II–GT I8000, the all-in-one redefined phone in the Indian market. Samsung Omnia II is a high-performance full – touch screen phone that incorporates the best multimedia features, User Interface and fast connectivity to deliver superior user experience and business performance.

Based on Windows 6.1 platform, Omnia II is the Company’s newest, high performance full-touch screen phone that brings together style, multimedia and business performance in one device. The mobile follows on from the phenomenal success and heritage of the Omnia and extends Samsung’s market leadership of all-in-one touch phones in India. Samsung Omnia II has a stunning design with a sleek finish, all New Intuitive 3D User Interface, ultimate digital entertainment, professional camera experience, all displayed in a 3.7” bright AMOLED full touch screen, which offers unrivalled sharpness of tone, vivid colours and greater clarity in direct sunlight as well as consumes less power.

Brilliant Touch Experience
With its revolutionary Cubic User Interface and Advanced Touch wiz, Omnia II offers a very innovative, effortless and convenient viewing, allowing users to move around and multi-task seamlessly. Motion-enabled features including 3D photo Album, Video library, Music library, Browser bookmarks and FM Radio User Interface make it intuitive and exciting to enjoythe best ever mobile multimedia experiences.

Moreover, Preloaded and Downloadable Online Mobile Widgets delivers up-to-date information of your choice with just one touch, creating a personalized interface with which to accessthe infinite wealth of web content.

With Samsung communities, the Omnia II lets users easily upload images and videos to popular social networking sites such as Facebook, Picasa, Flickr, MySpace, Photobucket, Friendster – a breeze. Add to that,the phone’s high-connectivity functions including Wi-Fi and HSUPA capabilities mean that user’s photos can be shared to their friends in no time.

Brilliant Multimedia Companion
Samsung Omnia II ensures you capture the life-like photographs of your friends and family through the dedicated 5MP camera with Dual Power LED flash, which allows you take digital camera-quality photographs on your phone. Users can enjoy and share these images and videos through a super-fast internet access of HSUPA 5.76Mbps and 3G.

Through its Streaming Video Player, users can also go for High quality (H.264), You Tube Video Streaming accessible through Online Widgets onthe screen. The mammoth 8GB internal memory expandable to another 32GB, allows users to store up to 40GB of data.
Best Mobile Office Experience
Based on the Windows 6.1 platform Samsung Omnia II allows users to view and edit various MS-office documents like an MS Word, Excel and PowerPoint all displayed in a 3.7” bright AMOLED full touch screen. Through its Microsoft Active Sync feature, it also provides its usersthe facility of Push email service making it a complete ‘one stop business solution on the go’.

Unlimited Music experience
Through its Music recognition service, Samsung Omina II allows its users to explore unlimited music possibilities like sing or record music from external sources for music recognition, get album art and song info, find lyrics of the songs, buy the song from Amazon or similar websites. This makes the phone an amazing entertainment for music lovers.

The Omnia II is priced at Rs 28,990.

Samsung Giorgio Armani W820/W8200 Shows Up In Fresh Press Photos

Samsung Giorgio Armani W820/W8200 was first spotted weeks ago, but now we’ve got some official press pics to check out, showing the luxury device up close. No info on its launch date, but at least we can declare ourselves charmed by the gold-plated back cover of the handset.

This phone packs a 3.1 inch WVGA touchscreen display, a 5 megapixel camera, a microSD card slot (up to 16GB) and support for Bluetooth, DMB TV and HSDPA connectivity.

Samsung Giorgio Armani W820/W8200 also features an alphanumeric keypad and we still haven’t figured out if we’ll ever see the phone outside of Korea or not.