Karthik R

Out of curiosity and not to be left out of the race, I gave a porting request from my Videocon prepaid connection (which I seldom use!). UPC was generated and after a while CC guys called me up and offered to credit 20 minutes free local calls everyday for the next three months. Misson porting out stands cancelled, next stop after three months.

How could I possibly miss this topic Muzik 219 would have additionally empowered you with expandable memory, bluetooth and a vga cam. Guru B559 is no less with good signal reception and solid battery life.

This is not looking good

Good offer! Is this applicable pan India?

Of course, voted for android.

Reliance Group said on Saturday that CBI had "examined" several of its officials over alleged irregularities in the awarding of 2008 mobile phone licences. - Hindustan Times

A long due move by TRAI

Reliance acted like a criminal, forging documents and all. And I guess the letter was written by Rcom's very own illiterate customer care executives.

These Micromax, Intex and Videocon bring together fantastic ingredients - the Chinese ability to manufacture something insanely cost-effective, the decent UI experience from one of the most flourishing smartphone OSes, the front-face and customer support of a desi company.

Pros Decent camera In-Plane Switching display Ships with 2GB memory card MapMyIndia app with voice guided GPS navigation system Cons Mediocre performance in signal related tests, video recording and loudspeaker Sluggish touch UI Shoddy stylus Although affordable, does not fully justify the price tag - Think Digit

It will be most probably in watts per kilogram.

Two wrongs don't make a right.

Anil Ambani group said it has identified stockbrokers behind the spread of malicious rumours and "baseless sensational charges" against it and sought immediate action by SEBI against the perpetrators.

The models will also feature SwiftKey-based keyboard technology which predicts the word that is being inserted.

"We expect 3G presence in all circles where we have bagged spectrum before world cup begins on 19th February," Gurdeep Singh, chief operating officer, Aircel said on Wednesday.

Good to see the underdog - BSNL doing well in garnering new subscribers. Their competitive pricing, especially with 3G seems to have paid off.

We’re witness to some seriously new-age technology trends that have made their way into the Indian mobile segment. From 3D mobile handsets to handsets with built-in projectors, we’ve got them all, but what bothers me is the quality of these devices. Innovation is never an issue as it seems like most of these devices make it out from some Chinese OEM with Indian branding and although they’re quite functional, they don’t often perform as well as one hopes. Here’s a closer look at Intex’s latest, the V.Show or IN 8810 Projector phone. Design The IN 8810 is, straight out of the box, not the slickest looking device on the shelf. It’s big, bulky and will definitely leave a bugle in your pocket. At 145g it’s not exactly a lightweight either but judging on the size I did expect it to be much heavier. Compared to the G’FIVE Projector Phone, this one doesn’t fare well in the looks department. The device is equipped with a 3.2-inch resistive touchscreen that’s bright and clear enough to view in most natural or artificial lighting conditions. The Stylus, not that you’ll need it much, is neatly tucked away into a slot at the bottom rear portion of the device. It’s fastened tightly and there’s no danger of it slipping out unexpectedly. On one side is a camera shutter release and on the other are the volume/zoom keys, a universal mini USB slot for charging and the handsfree followed by a button to switch the projector on. A front facing VGA camera is placed just above the display. If you’re thinking ‘video calling’, think again. The IN 8810 also has a 3.2MP fixed focus shooter at the rear. The projector’s lens is quite large and placed at the top of course with a focus dial just under. Underneath the rear panel this Dual SIM (GSM + GSM) handset is accompanied by dual microSD card slots that support up to 8GB in each port. Obviously neither are of the hot swap variety - that’s one issue I take with the handset, the second is the lack of a 3.5mm handsfree socket preventing you from hooking this handset up to a better set of speakers. Like the G’FIVE there’s no way to thoroughly enjoy the video other than from the built in speakers. However, the IN 8810 is equipped some pretty heavy duty speakers so the audio is quite a bit better than the G’FIVE’s. Features and Performance Interface Surprise, Surprise! It’s a Java handset which means a UI that’s simple but employs jazzy colors and gimmicky features like shaking the handset to change wallpapers, music, videos etc. and one that requires too many unnecessary key presses to do simple tasks. However, so far, this platform has been quite stable for pricing of devices and manages to simplify, to quite an extent, the inclusion of plenty of features as well as simplistic Dual and sometimes triple SIM management options. The IN 8810’s is no different. It’s quirky but stable. The animations are smooth but with a hint of a lag in between. The stylus becomes necessary only for typing, which is when you’re faced with a rather small but evenly spaced QWERTY keypad. Handwriting recognition is also supported, but it’s not quick or accurate enough to use. Business mode, finger friendly home page The desktop has a very Series 60 like feel but not as functional though. A few handy functions are assigned to this screen – Email access, Messaging, To Do List and music playback. From the settings you can switch to a slightly more interesting ‘Business’ setting. It doesn’t do much for the rest of the UI but the desktop does become a little more ‘finger-friendly’ with larger icons in Business mode. Dual SIM functionality also proved to be a bit of an issue. I was unable to receive calls from SIM 2 if I was on a call from SIM 1 already. The error that I heard was that the number I was trying to reach was unavailable. This is a big issue obviously. Projection The IN 8810’s projector could have been one of the better Pico Projector mobile handsets if it weren’t for one major flaw in the device’s USP. In projection mode about 10-15% of the display is simply cut off. I had to ask the company to send me a total of three devices before I could be sure that this was a general problem. Seems like no one really noticed which is quite strange considering we should all be very used to widescreen formats. Videos (MPEG 4, MP4 and 3GP supported) even downsized to run on an iPhone (3 or 3GS resolution) will play without a hitch on the handset’s display, which is easy to watch on, but a portion of the right hand section is always going to be cut off. In fact, even in standard projection mode, the options that would regularly be at the bottom of the screen or on the right hand side in landscape are not visible. It’s quite silly actually. Videos in 4:3 formats are not a problem obviously. What’s unfortunate is that you can quite comfortably watch a video from a distance of over 8 feet up to a screen size of over 80 cm. It’s just a little dull with no way of adjusting the brightness, but it’s nevertheless quite clear. But you’ll never be able to enjoy a widescreen (DVD rip or otherwise) print on this device. What a colossal waste. Other Media The handset’s music player is loud and not bad at all. I can’t say the same for the handsfree that’s bundled with the device. Audio settings include Bass Enhancement, a few EQ presets and the ability to edit each one via an eight brand graphic setting. The FM radio worked out quite nicely and the added functionality of a recorder with a scheduling function is quite handy. Other media features include a photo editor, Sound recorder, an easy to use Video editor and a melody composer for creating your own ringtones. A few odd games like Mah-jong and another Chinese game are thrown in with a Puzzle as well. Dice, a motion sensitive game is also in the bundle. Connectivity This handset is equipped for GPRS and WAP connectivity and allows for syncing up and downloading of POP/IMAP emails. The native browser is, as usual, a tad slow but gets the job done. The larger display does make for slightly easy navigation. On the plus side, Intex has thrown in Opera Mini as well as Bolt as alternative browser options. Amongst the social networking aspects, the IN 8810 is loaded up with chat apps of all kinds – Nimbuzz and eBuddy which pretty much make the AOL, MyLive and Motalk (Gtalk app)s quite redundant. A twitter application is also on board but strangely Facebook was absent. A Zoomi App for the Delhi 2010 Commonwealth games and details about Delhi was also on board Other connectivity options include Bluetooth with A2DP support and USB that allows you to use the handset as a storage drive, Com Port and a Webcam for your laptop or PC. It also supports Pict Bridge via USB. Misc. Features From a Task option to a Calendar for keeping schedules and marking events, a calculator, stopwatch, alarm and all other regular mobile phone features, the In 8810 also packs in a Blacklist option for blocking calls or messages from specific numbers. The projector is once again a waste seeing as the handset has no support for most MS Document file formats. However a Word Reader app is provided for .DOC files but no presentations can be displayed. An option to reject calls with an SMS if you’re in a meeting or otherwise occupied is present and so is a Background Sound app if your bent on fooling people on the line about your whereabouts. Camera The fixed focus camera says 3.2Megapixels (which is 2048 x 1536 pixels) around the lens however the settings in the camera itself don’t go over 2 megapixels. The Spec sheet I received from the company made things even more complicated by stating its 1.3MP. In Native resolution the size comes up to 1600 x 1200 i.e. 2 megapixels. Features are quite mundane – White balance, Night Mode, Burst mode and brightness control amongst a few others. A multidirectional Panorama mode is also provided but you’ll have to compare and manually stitch images together using s silhouette of the previous photo. An LED flash is also included for low light conditions and video recording options go up to 720 x 480 pixels @25fps in either 3GP or MP4 formats. Image quality is extremely average at best. Photos appear dull and slightly unfocused in certain areas with colours looking quite dark and dreary. Close ups don’t look too bad though. The LED flash really doesn’t help too much in low lit indoor condition. Battery Life Pushing a good two hours and 40 minutes (plus) of battery life with video on the projector makes the IN 8810 a pretty decent handset. On a single charge the 1500mAh battery ran for over a day and a half of normal usage which included calls messages and a little bit of media and net surfing thrown in. Battery life on an average clocked in about 4 hours and 35 minutes which is not bad at all in my book. The Bottom Line It seems like a large chunk of the weight this handset carries is in the price tag. At a Whopping rs.16, 999 (MRP) the Intex V.Show is one seriously pricey non-smartphone device. Sure the projector is way better than its rival the G’FIVE, but it lacks the G’FIVE's slim sleek looks and heavy duty build quality and is no match for the price. Even though the quality of the device's USP is so much better, the simple fact that you’ll never be able to enjoy it thoroughly, is a thumbs down for me and more so because of the heavy price. This is the only handset I Know that doesn’t use a Smartphone OS and is priced in the league of one. I say hold on to your cash for a little bit longer if this is the kind of functionality you’re seriously considering as a criteria for your next handset purchase. Since the tech is here already but still quite new, it’s not going to be too long before rivals aim to make a better and cheaper product and will hopefully perfect the system. My Hope is that Intex takes heed and fixes these flaws. Let’s hope the V.Show II (if that’s what they call it) offers those extra bits that’s been 'cut off' from this one. Courtesy : Tech2

Videocon V6200 Ducati Series - Stuck in Reserve All you Moto GP freaks, what was your reaction when you heard about Videocon releasing a “Ducati Series” phone? If you actually thought of picking it up, then please read this before you do buy one. Features and extra stuff is all well and good, but what about performance and the money that you throw in? Design and Features Anyone, and mind you anyone, will appreciate how the V6200 has been made. Right from the rugged design to the very detail of the phone, one thing’s for sure, the V6200 looks awesome. Well at times the phone does look like a newly-wed bride (with lights flashing from all corners), but it’s all cool. Let’s start off with the features of the phone, but before that a quick look at the specs. The V6200 has a 2.4-inch TFT display, below which comes the standard four-way navigation and then the twelve-key keypad. The V6200 is decorated with buttons on both sides as well as on both ends. On the right is the Torch button (which works even when the phone is switched off) and the camera button, in between the two are two slots for the SIM card and mini USB. Similarly on the left there is a dedicated button for your GPS while the other is to switch to different features on your Multi-Function Display (MFD) screen. Coming to that, the MFD screen is a small one, about 3 cm in diameter and gives various information like temperature, pressure, etc. it’s also situated next to the 2 Megapixel camera. Moving to the features, the phone supports your mundane features such as an e-book reader, calendar, alarm clock, internet browser, java games, video/audio player, FM radio, etc. What’s cool about the V6200 is that it has some additional sports features like a barometer, altimeter, pedometer, thermometer, digital compass, UV sensor and in-built GPS. There are plenty of goodies that come along with this phone. Right from an arm band and a water flask to a CD with photos and videos of Ducati bikes, then comes the standard barrage of cables like the USB cable, a headset and a hands-free. Not to forget, the phone comes pre-loaded with lifetime access to maps from MapMyIndia. So when it comes to the design of the V6200, the features that it has to offer and the extra stuff they throw in, I’m left with a wide smile on my face. Somehow, the smile disappears later onwards. Interface Although a simple Java-based system, the interface lags only a bit. The main screen is divided into three modes. The phone mode has all the phone functions like making phone calls, messaging, internet browser, user profiles, etc. Think of multimedia and you have the Fun mode. This one consists of games, videos, images, songs and an FM radio. Last comes the Sports mode which has the sports features. For a new user, it’ll take a while or so to get used to the navigation between the different types of menus. But once you find your way around, switching is not too difficult. Performance If there’s anything that matters now, it’s about the V6200's performance and this is where the acid test actually begins. Let’s take it from all perspectives. Media The V6200 supports MP3 and AAC for audio, and 3GP and MP4 for videos. The audio quality is okay but the volume doesn’t go up too high. The videos are decent, with some pixelation and lagging in the midst of videos. Connectivity Starting off with call quality, the voice is quite audible and although not the best for crowded scenarios, it manages to do the job. What I absolutely hated about the V6200 was its poor reception. Even where most of the other phones could easily pick up signals, this one never did and it really is irritating to search for a “hot-spot” where you receive signals. The internet browser is just average and you cannot expect it to be fast just because it’s a Ducati series phone, right? Texting on this phone was a pain and although I never expected it to be awesome, it wasn’t very simple. While the predictive text had a limited dictionary, simple functions like typing a capital letter needs a pre-requisite of a full stop! Camera The camera is average at best. While some images are noisy, others have a hint of blur. The video recording is also just plain Jane. Overall it looks like the camera is there to fill up space and nothing else! Miscellaneous Features So much for that, now let’s have a look at the sports features of the phone. All these features, including the barometer and thermometer work well. The only one that stands out is the UV sensor. Even in the most burning heat of the day, the sensor doesn’t detect any “danger” and feels that we are in a “Safe Zone”! Battery Life Finally, let’s talk about the battery life, which if summed up in two words is quite poor. It goes on for about one and a half days on full charge and average use. Performance-wise the V6200 is just average, has nothing to really boast of. Verdict At Rs.11,995 (Rs. 9,950 MOP) the V6200 doesn’t fall in the value for money category and in terms of features you cannot call it a smartphone either. Agreed that the goodies are cool, but c’mon, I can buy a flask and even download Ducati videos and pictures for free! At this price, there are always better options like Samsung Galaxy 3 or the slightly higher-priced LG Optimus One Courtesy : Tech2

TRAI recommends : The price for 6.2 MHz of pan-India start-up 2G Spectrum has been proposed at Rs.10,972.45 crore, more than six times the present fee of1,658 crore Every MHz of additional Spectrum (on an all-India basis) beyond the contracted limit of 6.2 MHz should cost Rs.4,571.87 crore. Telecom firms could pay over Rs.15,000 crore for the additional Spectrum held by them The revised prices should be made applicable with effect from April 1, 2010, on pro-rata basis Courtesy : The Hindu The Trai recommendations have drawn widespread criticism. In a statement issued soon after the report was submitted, Vodafone Essar said it “disagrees with Trai’s new set of recommendations which are flawed and discriminatory against operators who were the first to invest deeply to build the sector”. It said the proposals discriminated against GSM players such as Bharti and Vodafone and favoured dual technology operators such as Reliance Communications and the Tatas.

Voda, Essar shortlist UBS to value JV MUMBAI: Vodafone and Essar have identified UBS as an independent banker to value their four year-old telecom joint venture Vodafone Essar. This comes at a time when Essar is looking to dilute a part of the 33% stake in the JV. Goldman Sachs and Standard Chartered are already advising Vodafone and Essar respectively in the ongoing the development. UBS has not been officially appointed but has been identified. An Essar spokesperson declined to comment, while Vodafone could not be reached for comments immediately. Essar has a put option, meaning it has the right to sell part or the entire stake to Vodafone by May this year. There is a pre-determined $5 billion price if Essar wants to shed the entire stake. But with Essar looking to divest only a part of its holdings, a fair price discovery process has to be set in motion. Under the existing agreement, both partners have agreed to appoint a third independent banker who along with the other two banks will work on fair price discovery. Last month, the two partners were locked in war of words after the latter moved the High Court of Madras to merge Essar Telecom Holding with another listed group firm India Securities. Vodafone objected to the move stating it could distort the valuation of the main company, while Essar said it was a step towards price discovery. Courtesy : Times of India

Hope the telecom ministry will take punitive steps

3G CDMA auctions will be a distant dream - DoT is yet to get clearances from the Defence forces, for allocating 450 Mhz and 1900 Mhz bands, who currently occupy them. Also TRAI have maintained that CDMA operators will have to pay a fee proportionate to the amount quoted by the highest bidder during the auction for GSM-based 3G services.

Charge @ 1Rs/1Mb is pretty hefty, bandwidth is being limited at 256kbps and no popular benefits like night unlimited. Will only suit the users having minimal internet usage needs. Regular plans will still work out cheaper for those looking at 500Mb + in a month.

Oslo/New Delhi : Hit by an operating loss of 5.04 billion Norwegian Kroner (about USD 876 million) in its India operations in 2010, Norwegian telecom major Telenor today said the country has a "challenging regulatory environment". Telenor operates a joint venture, Uninor, in India with Unitech as its partner. Uninor added more than four million subscribers in the fourth quarter ended December. At the end of 2010, Telenor held 67.25 per cent stake in Uninor. For the entire year, Uninor's operating loss widened to 5.04 billion Norwegian Kroner (NOK) from 985 million NOK in the year-ago period. "Uninor in India added more than four million subscriptions in the fourth quarter and I am pleased to see that our go-to-market model is gradually improving. "India is a very competitive market coupled with a challenging regulatory environment, and we are focusing strongly on establishing Uninor as an ultra low cost operator," Telenor Group President and CEO Jon Fredrik Baksaas said in a statement. Uninor's operating loss in the 2010 fourth quarter widened to 1,272 million NOK from 755 million NOK in the year-ago period. However, the group's 2010 profit shot up nearly 66 per cent to 14.33 billion NOK as compared to 2009. The increased earnings came on revenues of 94.84 billion NOK. Meanwhile, in the fourth quarter, the group's profit slipped three per cent to 2.10 billion NOK, compared to the year-ago period. Revenues during the October-December period rose to 24.86 billion NOK from 22.42 billion NOK in the same period in 2009. Baksaas said, "Telenor confirms its position as one of Europe's fastest growing telcos, with organic revenue growth of eight per cent and strong operational performance. In 2010, the Telenor Group had an operating cash flow of NOK 18 billion and a solid EBITDA margin." Courtesy : Economic Times