Spice Mobile launches MI-310 – The Cheapest Android 2.2 Mobile Phone in India

Seems the time has come to go Android for the folks like me who have been waiting for Android mobile prices to go down and down. Spice mobile is here with cheapest and a worth buying (unlike Micromax Andro) Android 2.2 mobile phone, the Spice MI-310.

The price of Spice MI-310 in India is Rs. 7,500.


The phone does not seem to compromise on the useful fronts and provides almost every feature of high end Androids. The 3.15 capacitive touchscreen has a resolution of 320X480 pixels which is higher than the newly launched Samsung Galaxy Pop & Galaxy Fit. As of connectivity, It also posses the USB tethering & Wi-Fi hotspot functionality. And the best part, Apps can be stored on the external memory card. So you can download and install as many apps without worrying about the memory. However, we could not find any information about the CPU (Processor).

Specifications:

* 3.15 Inches, 320X480 pixels, Capacitive HVGA Touch Screen
* Android 2.2
* 2.0 Mega Pixels Camera
* 3G, GPS, Wi-Fi with Hotspot Functionality
* Internal Memory : 85 MB, Extendable up to 16GB

Dell launches 3G handsets for Indian market

Global PC maker Dell on Wednesday launched two new 3G handsets in the Indian marketStreak' last month. The streak is priced at Rs 35,990.
The 3G phones launched by Dell are in the 'XCD' series and run on Android 2.1 OS. It features 2.8 ich touch screen, a 3.5 megapixel camera, and all other standard features available in a typical 3G smartphone.
“This XCD range (of smartphones) has been launched first in India, as opposed to other Dell products that peter down to Indian markets,” Dell's General Manager for Consumer and SMB division Mahesh Bhalla said.
The company is planning to give a tough fight to traditional phone makers like Nokia, Samsung etc in the Indian turf with its range of mobile phones.
However, it would be surprising to find out why a customer would go for a Dell branded 3G phone instead of going for popular brands like Nokia, LG, Samsung or Motorola. As there is now 'wow' factor in this device or nothing signifacntly special about this phones that people would choose the hitherto unknown brand like Dell, (in mobility devices, ofcourse) over age-old popular brands.
Though the company is largest selling PC maker in India and is hoping for a similar fate for its mobile phones, it has put a lot of effort in terms of branding and promotion to see its dream come true.

Dell XCD28 mobile has Feature 3.2 mega pixels camera and 2.8 inch touchscreen display, Wi-Fi and 3G connectivity, Up to 16GB external memory support. The Dell XCD28 mobile comes with the price range of approximately Rs. 10500. XCD28 will be immediately available in the market

Dell XCD35 is latest Android mobile phone with large (3.5” inch ) OLED Capacitive Touchscreen, slim design, 3MP camera and Wi-Fi/3G Connectivity. Dell XCD35 Runs Android 2.1 OS is powered with 600Mhz processor. It also provides FM radio and Music player that supports different formats. Dell XCD35 Price in India: Rs. 16,990/- Indian Rupee (INR) will be available in December 2010.
keeping the price range between Rs 11,000 to Rs 17,000. The comapny had earlier launched its tablet mobility device '

Rediff.com launches mobile email

Rediff.com has announced the launch of its mobile email service named Rediffmail NG. The service will enable users to send and receive unlimited email, look up contacts, assign tasks to the calendar, and set reminders from their mobile devices.

Subscribers to the service will be charged Rs 50 per month, which is inclusive of data charges.

Rediffmail NG works across almost all mobile phone platforms including Symbian, Java and Android, as well as on almost all mobile phones in Indian market.

Ajit Balakrishnan, chairman and chief executive officer, Rediff.com, India, said "Even small-sized business owners will now have a cost-effective way to equip their employees with mobile communications and increase productivity."

LG, Motorola Launches Android Phone in India

Google’s mobile operating system Android is catching up with major handset makers with Korea’s LG Mobiles and US’s Motorola announcing the launch of Android phones in the Indian market.


While LG’s ‘LG GW620’ is priced at Rs 16,490, Motorola’s smartphone ‘Milestone’ would be available at Rs 32,990 based on Android systems. Currently, Symbian mobile operating system is the dominating network.


Android is a mobile operating system, initially developed by Google and later by the Open Handset Alliance, a consortium of 47 hardware, software and telecom companies.


Being an open-source operating system, Android allows developers to design applications independent of the handset type.


HTC, Samsung and Sony Ericsson have already launched their Android-powered handsets in the Indian market.


LG GW620, with the Android operating system, is equipped with three-inch touch-screen and a side-slider QWERTY keyboard, five-megapixel camera, Wi-Fi and high speed EDGE and GPS connectivity.


“LG’s first Android phone, LG GW620, further reiterates our commitment to push boundaries in mobile phone innovation and design. We are sure that with LG’s accumulated technology leadership in mobile phone industry and our strategy to support every existing operating system, LG will provide better choices and benefits to our consumers,” LG Mobile Communications Business Head Sudhin Mathur said in a statement.

Google Launches The 'Nexus One' Mobile Phone: What You Need To Know

Google has announced that their next entry into the mobile phone space will be the Nexus One. Manufactured by HTC, the Nexus One will utilize Google's Android operating system, which should be familiar to any recent Motorola Droid purchasers. For HTC this will be the seventh Android-powered mobile phone.

In terms of technical specs, the Nexus One will feature the following:
- A 3.7-inch AMOLED display
- A Snapdragon Processor
- Multi-colored trackball which lights up when different events occur
- Light/proximity sensors, as well as compass and accelerometer support
- GPS
- 5-megapixel camera with LED flash, which can also shoot MPEG4 video (plus one-click uploads to YouTube, natch)
- Stereo Bluetooth with active noise cancellation
- Case is thinner than a #2 pencil

The Nexus One will come packed with Android 2.1, which means it should have equal functionality with the Motorola Droid's feature-set.

For pricing, you can purchase a Nexus One for $530 without a service plan (basically letting you choose your own provider or migrate your current service, assuming the SIM card is compatible). If you buy one through T-Mobile it'll cost $180, but you'll have to sign up for a service plan.

While T-Mobile will have launch exclusivity in terms of retail partners, Verizon and Vodaphone will start selling service plans (with a discount on the phone) in Spring 2010.

Gamers didn't get anything from Google in terms of considering the Nexus One as a gaming platform (as the iPhone and iPod Touch have become), but you can expect that any games (and other apps) currently available on the Android Market will be compatible with the Nexus One.

Sony Ercisson Xperia X2 mobile phone launch delayed

The Sony Ericsson Xperia X2 which was supposed to be launched in the UK market in the year end, has been delayed. The mobile phone was supposed to be an exclusive Vodafone product.

THE ISSUES bugging Sony Ericsson Satio, which caused the smartphone to be withdrawn from Carphone Warehouse and Phones 4U outlets across UK, have been reported the reasons why the latest offering from the mobile phone producer, Sony Ericsson Xperia X2, has been delayed from its year end release.

The Sony Ericsson Xperia X2, a high end model was due to be launched in UK market with an exclusive Vodafone deal. The mobile phone is a successor to the X1 model and reportedly has a 3. 2 inch display, a QWERTY keyboard, a panel based interface, eight megapixel camera and Windows Mobile 6.5 interface.

While the Vodafone website has now stressed that the Sony Ericsson Xperia X2 would be launched in January, the mobile phone would miss out on big shopping avenues like Christmas and New year. Further, as the mobile phone company has planned to launch Android based Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 in February next year, this would threaten sales of the Sony Ericsson Xperia X2.

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.

Motorola to Launch 20+ Smartphones in 2010

So it appears the Motorola Droid is just the beginning of the company’s rebirth back into mobile phone prosperity, as indicated by a statement by CEO Sanjay Jha during the press announcement of the Droid yesterday.

At first Sanjay mentioned the number of new smartphones would be in “multiple tens”, before clarifying that at least 20 would be released.

This seems to be a rather good indication that Motorola is back on the right track, and is ready to pull some hefty competition on everyone else.

So here’s the thing: given Motorola’s dumping of virtually every OS but Android, we’re wondering how many of these 20+ smartphones will be Android and how many will be WinMo. We know Moto isn’t interested in 6.5 but most likely is waiting for 7 to come out; will it be a 50/50 split between WM7 and Android?

Samsung Galaxy i7500 mobile phone launched in India

Samsung has launched its Android-based smart phone the Samsung Galaxy i7500 in India with Tata DOCOMO.

The Samsung i7500 Galaxy Android phone is the first handset to be release by Samsung that is powered by Google Android operating system.

The Samsung i7500 is by far one of the most impressive Android smartphones announced to date. Featuring an impressive 3.2-inch AMOLED touchscreen display, the Samsung i7500 is a purely touchscreen device similar to the HTC Magic in form.

Along with the large AMOLED touchscreen display, the Samsung i7500 also includes other impressive multimedia features such as a 5 mega-pixel camera that supports a number of various codex formats, a high capacity 1500mAh battery, and a huge memory capacity of some 40GB's (Internal memory storage of 8GB, with up to 32GB external microSD card support).



Samsung i7500 Features:

* HSDPA 7.2Mbps / HSUPA 5.76Mbps (900 / 1700/ 2100MHz)
* EDGE / GPRS (850/ 900/1800/1900)
* Display: 3.2" HVGA(320x480) AMOLED
* Camera: 5 MP Camera (Auto Focus), Power LED
* Video: MPEG4, H.263, H.264, WMV
* Audio: MP3, AAC, AAC+, e-AAC+, WMA, RA
* Features: Full Web Browser Google Search, Maps, Gmail,
* YouTube, Calendar, Google Talk, Android Market
* Connectivity: Bluetooth® 2.0, USB 2.0, WiFi, MicroUSB, 3.5mm ear jack
* Memory: Internal memory: 8GB
* External memory: Micro SD (Up to 32GB)
* Battery: 1500 mAh * Size: 115 x 56 x 11.9mm

O2’s been selling Samsung i7500 Galaxy in Germany and its UK division has announced that they’ll handle the retail duties within the UK from August. This confirmation however, does not come with a price but according to O2, it will be available on contract.

30 Windows Mobile 6.5 smartphones to launch before year is out

Apparently before the end of the year more than 30 smartphones running Windows Mobile 6.5 from 15 mobile phone vendors will be launched states the senior director of GCR Mobile Team Unit at Microsoft China, reports digitimes.

Mobile phone vendors who have shown support for Windows Mobile 6.5 include the likes of Toshiba, Samsung, Acer, HTC, LG, HP and Sony Ericsson.

Also voicing their support for Windows Mobile 6.5 are telecom carriers Verizon Wireless, Sprint, AT&T, Vodafone, T-Mobile, Orange, Telus and others. So more than 30 Windows Mobile 6.5 packing smartphones before the end of the year, beats the 15/20 Android phones doesn’t it.

HTC Tattoo to launch in OctoberLatest Android mobile to be available on Vodafone

The HTC Tattoo will launch next month, however keen customers are already able to pre-order the Android-based mobile phone from Vodafone.

The HTC Tattoo is the latest mobile phone to be announced that will run on Google's Android operating system, which allows owners of Android-based mobile phones to access thousands of applications downloadable from the Android market.

HTC Sense interface

The phone also runs on the HTC Sense interface, which offers users a number of customisable homescreens. More about the Sense interface can be found in the HTC Hero first look video.

While Vodafone hasn't yet confirmed the price or contract details of the Tattoo, the handset is expected to be more affordably priced than the previous three HTC Android phones: the G1, the HTC Magic, and the HTC Hero.

HTC Tattoo specification

The Tattoo's specifications include a 3.2Mp camera, a 2.8-inch touchscreen, Wi-Fi, 3G and GPS connectivity. The Tattoo also has an MP3 player and radio - and a welcome 3.5mm headphone socket so you can use the headphones of your choice.

Jon Barrow, Which? mobile phone expert, said: 'We hope that the rumours about the Tattoo being a more affordable handset are accurate, as it would be great to bring the Android market to a wider market. We look forward to testing this device in our labs sometime soon'.
Android mobile phone handsets

HTC currently dominates the market with Android-powered mobile phones, but this is set to change with models from Samsung, LG and Sony Ericsson on the not too distant horizon. A first look of the Android Samsung Galaxy can be read in our mobile phone report, and a first look video of the Galaxy can be viewed in our IFA 2009 report from the consumer electronics show in Berlin.

Huawei's Android phone launches as T-Mobile Pulse

T-Mobile today announced the launch of their third Android handset, dubbed the "T-Mobile Pulse".

The new device comes courtesy of Huawei, who displayed a device back at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona this year, and previous rumours had already confirmed the link-up.

The T-Mobile Pulse is an HSDPA device, packing in Wi-Fi and GPS on the connectivity front.

Around the back is a 3.2-megapixel autofocus camera, but no flash, with T-Mobile claiming that to achieve the slim 160 x 62.5 x 13.5mm dimensions, some features had to be omitted.

The device comes with a 2GB microSD card under a flap on the side. There is also a Micro-USB and 2.5mm headphone jack residing under a flap on the top.

To counter the criticisms of not supplying the standard 3.5mm jack, there is an adapter, should you wish to ditch the 2.5mm headset bundled in the box, with T-Mobile commenting that the 2.5mm jack was needed to achieve the slim dimensions.

The handset is exclusive to T-Mobile, who vigorously confirmed that you wouldn't see the same hardware re-badged elsewhere, but we suspect you'll see OEM Huawei devices on other networks with similar specs.

The Pulse is fronted by a 3.5-inch HVGA touchscreen display and is powered by Qualcomm’s MSM7200A chipset.

In terms of customisation, T-Mobile and Huawei have added the "Canvas" homescreen, which is a collection of customisable homepages. Coming with six by default, each can have widgets and shortcuts added to it, but once a page is full you can continue to add more pages – with one exec commenting that he had reached 40 pages.

Available from October, the T-Mobile Pulse will cost £179.99 on pay as you go, with contract rates still to be decided. It will be available across T-Mobile territories.