KumaarShah

I am using my Photon only on EVDO since the last 1 month. As it is, I did not have any problems with WiFi earlier also, maybe because I use it on CDMA only... Anyway, I have d/l'd the apk and will use it when I run into probs. Thanks, Kanaga for the awesome find...+1 BTW, any luck with conference calling and USSD issue?

It must be for GSM only as RCOM has Netconnect for GSM and CDMA also.

NEW DELHI: In an informal interaction with ET late last year, Mukesh Ambani narrated the advice his father gave him before the launch of the then-unified Reliance group's telecom business in 2002. "He (Dhirubhai Ambani) told me our competitor was not any rival mobile operator, but the postcard (which then cost 15 paise)," said the Reliance Industries chairman. Reliance won the price line in telecom, but could not win over customers - something it will need to change to make a success of its upcoming broadband offering. Ten years on, Mukesh is applying the same cost doctrine to his broadband rollout, which is expected in late 2012 and one of whose many pieces were put in place earlier this week when it received preferential access to all Network18 content. "We want to do in video what we did in voice," a senior RIL official managing the rollout told ET in December on the condition of anonymity. "It will be a play on the four screens in your life," is how the official explained the planned RIL broadband offering. He said the plan, for which RIL is currently developing a 'platform-neutral technology', is to stream high-speed, cheap and exclusive content on the four screens an individual engages with: mobile, computer/tablet, TV and billboards. A successful rollout will require the group to achieve something it has not: win over the customer. "RIL's consumer-centric and knowledge-based businesses face certain challenges, which it may need to overcome to create value," said a June 2011 report of Kotak Institutional Equities Research by Sanjeev Prasad, Gundeep Singh and Tarun Lakhotia. For Mukesh, a Hindi film buff, broadband will be his fourth effort at transiting from servicing industrial customers to also catering to individual consumers. Each of the group's first three attempts to cross over has failed to draw consumers, either because of policy bumps (oil retailing) or the company's shortcomings in deciphering the nuances of the target set (telecom and retail). The Reliance DNA - size, sweep and pricing - is present in what one knows about its broadband offering so far. Reliance's Broadband Plan "It will be a repeat of the (first) big bang," says independent consultant BK Syngal, who was the architect of Mukesh's previous entry into telecom, and headed that business from 1999 to 2002. RIL is the only company with pan-India wireless broadband spectrum, bought for about 17,600 crore. It has also committed to invest $5 billion in the first two years. On this, it can offer fourth-generation (4G) services that reportedly have speeds of 50-100 Mbps in testing - or three times the fastest 3G services its rivals currently offer. Its main competitors such as Bharti Airtel, Vodafone and Idea are doing the rounds of regulatory forums on whether they can patch together a national presence through tie-ups, that too for 3G. The legal verdict on the 3G roaming pacts will determine if the likes of Bharti, which has 4G spectrum in 4 circles, can also offer wireless broadband services on a pan-India basis through roaming agreements. The recent conciliatory posturing between the estranged brothers has made a tie-up between Mukesh's broadband venture and Anil's Reliance Communications - which the brothers launched together in 2002 to take on the postcard - a possibility. The two groups have been talking, says an industry executive in the know, to see if Mukesh's broadband business can use Reliance Communications' formidable infrastructure and also tie up with it to offer calls. RIL has also grabbed the lead in content. This week's deal gives RIL preferential access to all of Network18's TV, Internet and digital content, across languages and genres. RIL is also talking to other media and entertainment companies, including Walt Disney's Indian venture UTV Software, for more gaming and entertainment content, say industry executives in the know. In November, it acquired 38.5% in Extramarks Education, a company focused on school education and digital learning, for an undisclosed amount. And lastly, there's the RIL philosophy of disruptive pricing. According to RIL executives aware of the development, the company is looking to bundle data services at about 10 per GB, which is one-tenth of current 3G prices. It is, they say, also planning to bundle this with entry-level tablets powered by Google's Android operating system that would cost 3,000-8,000. That the demand for low-cost tablets is robust is evident from the 1.4 million bookings that Aakash, the 2,500 tablet made by UK-based Datawind and subsidised by the government of India, received in 14 days after it was put up for sale online. The RIL official quoted in the first instance says the company is also looking to offer online services in "security, health and education". So, for example, by paying, say, 30 a month, a customer can access doctors online 24X7. He said the company was also talking to the government to link up with the database of unique IDs being created for every Indian, called Aadhaar. Nandan Nilekani, the chairman of the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), which is implementing Aadhaar, confirmed this. "We have had preliminary discussions (with RIL) on how Aadhaar and the platform can be used to offer applications," he said. "You may not have a cardiologist for every village, but a 100 of them could be available to millions through this hub-and-spoke model on the cloud (computing)." RIL is targeting these millions. Targeting millions is something RIL never did late in the last century, when its first wave of growth came as a producer of industrial goods - petrochemicals, oil refining and oil exploration. Marketing consultant Harish Bijoor says there are distinct differences between a B2B (business to business) and a B2C (business to consumer) company in terms of management and operating styles. "You can see it if you speak to a Hindustan Unilever and a RIL executive," says the CEO of Harish Bijoor Consults. "While the manufacturing guy will be more focused on back-end strategies, precision in product quality, timely implementation, processes, systems and receivables, the consumer company is geared towards the front-end." Several other prominent industrial groups, including the AV Birla Group and the Mahindras, have traced this arc from industrial to individual. "Ours is a consumer-driven economy," says veteran banker Deepak Parekh. "No matter what business you are in, consumer interests have always played a big role for all industry, irrespective of the genre." Consumers are what Mukesh was after when he launched the group's telecom operations in 2002, through what was then called Reliance Infocomm (now Reliance Communications, and steered by brother Anil since June 2005, after the brothers split). Its maiden 'Monsoon Hungama' scheme offered handsets at 501 and a tariff of 40 paise per minute for calls made to Reliance phones. In 10 days, it had 1 million users. "Everything was in place before the launch," says Syngal, senior principal, Dua Consulting, who headed Reliance Infocomm till its launch. "The planning started in 1999 and a decision was taken to roll out 90,000 km of fibre and invest 32,000 crore with a peak negative cash flow of 20,000 crore. Such plans were massive compared to other players in the sector then." By 2005, Reliance Infocomm had dislodged Bharti from the top spot. But its customer orientation was fraying at the edges. It suffered from a downmarket image, billing complaints from customers were frequent and it faced regulatory action for alleged 'illegal' routing of international calls. "By the time we launched, most of the high-end customers were already taken," says Syngal. "Next, customers soon realised that, while the service was very good, it was restricted to cities." Dealing directly with consumers is a different ball game, says a veteran industrialist from the auto sector, not wanting to be identified. "Such companies need skills in marketing, advertising, and have to constantly reinvent themselves," he says. Adds Bijoor: "The biggest disadvantage in a transition is that a B2B company has to learn to say, 'I do not know my customer', which they are not used to." Retail is the other consumer-centric business that RIL moved into, in 2006. "The results have not been encouraging so far," says Arun Kejriwal, head of Mumbai-based investment consultancy KRIS. Speaking on the condition of anonymity, the CEO of a leading retail chain that competes against Reliance Retail says the latter initially thought that since modern retail is under-penetrated, throwing capital would fetch immediate results. "But they did not realise that capital is not a substitute for competencies in merchandising and store operations," he says. "They are now beginning to get things right." Will its ability to draw and keep customers in the broadband business be better? Harminder Sahni, managing director of Wazir Advisors, a retail consultancy, thinks so. "RIL is good at managing consumer businesses where the service offering is more centrally decided and driven, and the competition is among a few organised players," he says. Telecom and broadband fit that profile, retail doesn't. Link Courtesy: http://economictimes...ow/11393924.cms

Great info, kalpak bhai!!!! Thanks

Did you use OperaMini? If yes, the speeds what you got are not correct, try using your default browser which does not use a proxy. OM uses proxy, hence the speed-results may not be correct. Experts here, correct me if wrong....

@amitji, Very useful info for noobies like me, Thanks a ton!!! If I am not wrong, it should be ##3282#

NEW DELHI: In an effort to protect the interests of pre-paid mobile services users, telecom regulator Trai today said they can now get an itemised bill from service providers on request and at a price not exceeding Rs 50. "To ensure that pre-paid consumers get their itemised usage of their account, the service providers have been mandated to provide the same within 30 days to the consumer on request and at a reasonable cost not exceeding Rs 50," Trai said in its 'Telecom Consumers Protection Regulations, 2012'. The sectoral regulator has announced the regulations with a view to protect the interests of telecom consumers, particularly pre-paid users. The consumer can also get details of his tariff plan, available balance in his account and details of any value-added service activated on his telephone number at any time from the service provider, free of charge. According to the regulations, it will be mandatory to provide a start-up kit (SUK) to each subscriber at the time of enrollment to the telecom service provided by an operator, which will include the SIM card and mobile number, besides an abridged version of the citizen's charter provided under the Telecom Consumers Complaint Redressal Regulations, 2012. The vouchers offered by the service providers have been simplified and standardised into three categories -- plan vouchers, top-up vouchers and special tariff vouchers (STV). The plan voucher shall be used for enrolling a consumer into a tariff plan. The top-up voucher shall contain only the monetary value in rupees and such monetary value shall be without any restrictions in terms of the validity period or the services used, Trai said. To promote further transparency and easy identification by consumers, a distinct colour band is to be provided on the reverse of each voucher. According to Trai, at present, about 96 per cent of consumers are in the pre-paid category and unlike post-paid consumers, the pre-paid consumers do not get any bills for their usage and the amount charged. As part of its sustained efforts to address the needs of consumers, Trai had initiated a consultation process to review various measures already in place and to evolve appropriate further measures to safeguard the interest of consumers by issuing a consultation paper, 'Review of Measures to Protect Interest of Consumers in the Telecom Sector' on August 2, 2010. Yesterday, Trai had announced the 'Telecom Consumers Complaint Redressal Regulations, 2012' to ensure redressal of complaints and service requests in accordance with the timeframe specified under the authority's quality of service regulations. Link Courtesy: http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/news-by-industry/telecom/pre-paid-users-can-get-bill-by-paying-rs-50-trai/articleshow/11389738.cms

Afaik, TRAI is in the process of implementing very strict rules for VAS services

Thanks, RM for sharing.. +1 2 u

Kamalbhai and Dr. Vinaybhai, that was really hilarious.... +1 to both of you...

bought 3 x 8gb strontium, but at 850 now thanks RM for the good irresistible deal +1 to you

IF U CROSS THE BORDER ILLEGALLY............. If you cross the " The North Korean " border illegally, you get .... 12 years hard labour in an isolated prison ..... If you cross the " Iranian " border illegally, you get ..... Detained indefinitely ..... If you cross the " Afghan " border illegally, you get ..... Shot ..... If you cross the " Saudi Arabian " border illegally, you get ..... Jailed ..... If you cross the " Chinese " border illegally, you get ..... Kidnapped and may be never heard of - again ..... If you cross the " Venezuelan " border illegally, you get ..... Branded as a spy and your fate sealed ..... If you cross the " Cuban " border illegally, you get ..... Thrown into a political prison to rot ..... If you cross the " British " border illegally, you get ..... Arrested, prosecuted, sent to prison and be deported after serving your sentence ..... Now ..... If anybody cross our " Indian " border illegally, they can get .... 1. A ration card 2. A passport ( even more than one ) 3. A driver's licence 4. A voter identity card 5. Credit cards 6. A Haj subsidy 7. Job reservation 8. Special privileges for minorities 9. Government housing on subsidized rent 10. Loan to buy a house 11. Free education 12. Free health care 13. A lobbyist in New Delhi , with a bunch of media morons and a bigger bunch of human rights activists promoting your " cause " 14. The right to talk about secularism, which I have not heard about in your own country! 15. And of-course ..... Voting rights to elect corrupt politicians who will promote your community for their selfish interest in securing your votes !!! Hats off ..... To the ..... A. Corrupt and communal Indian politicians B. The inefficient and corrupt Indian police force C. The silly pseudo-secularists in India , who promote traitors staying here D. The amazingly lenient Indian courts and legal system E. The selfish Indian citizens, who are not bothered about the dangers to their own country F. The illogically brainless human-rights activists, who think that terrorists deserve to be dealt with by archaic laws meant for an era, when human beings were human beings. True Indian citizen

Bonds...Bonds...Bonds... Heidi is the proprietor of a bar in Detroit. She realizes that virtually all of her customers are unemployed alcoholics and, as such, can no longer afford to patronize her bar. To solve this problem, she comes up with a new marketing plan that allows her customers to drink now, but pay later. She keeps track of the drinks consumed in a ledger (thereby granting the customers loans). Word gets around about Heidi's "drink now, pay later" marketing strategy and, as a result, increasing numbers of customers flood into Heidi's bar. Soon she has the largest sales volume for any bar in Detroit. By providing her customers freedom from immediate payment demands, Heidi gets no resistance when, at regular intervals, she substantially increases her prices for wine and beer, the most consumed beverages. Consequently, Heidi's gross sales volume increases massively. A young and dynamic Vice President at the local bank recognizes that these customer debts constitute valuable future assets, and increases Heidi's borrowing limit. He sees no reason for any undue concern, since he has the debts of the unemployed alcoholics as collateral. At the bank's corporate headquarters, expert traders transform these customer loans into DRINKBONDS, ALKIBONDS and PUKEBONDS. These securities are then bundled and traded on international security markets. Naive investors don't really understand that the securities being sold to them as AAA secured bonds are really the debts of unemployed alcoholics. Nevertheless, the bond prices continuously climb, and the securities soon become the hottest-selling items for some of the nation's leading brokerage houses. One day, even though the bond prices are still climbing, a risk manager at the original local bank decides that the time has come to demand payment on the debts incurred by the drinkers at Heidi's bar. He so informs Heidi. Heidi then demands payment from her alcoholic patrons. But being unemployed alcoholics, they cannot pay back their drinking debts. Since Heidi cannot fulfill her loan obligations, she is forced into bankruptcy. The bar closes and her eleven employees lose their jobs. Overnight, DRINKBONDS, ALKIBONDS and PUKEBONDS drop in price by 90%. The collapsed bond asset value destroys the bank's liquidity and prevents it from issuing new loans, thus freezing credit and economic activity in the community. Suppliers of Heidi's bar had granted her generous payment extensions and had invested their firms' pension funds in the various BOND securities. They find they are now faced with not only having to write off her bad debt but also with losing over 90% of the presumed value of the bonds. Her wine supplier claims bankruptcy, closing the doors on a family business that had endured for three generations. Her beer supplier is taken over by a competitor, who immediately closes the local plant and lays off 150 workers. Fortunately though, the bank, the brokerage houses, and their respective executives are saved and bailed out by a multi-billion dollar, no-strings attached cash infusion from their cronies in the Federal Government. The funds required for this bailout are obtained by new taxes levied on employed, middle-class, non-drinkers who have never been in Heidi's bar. Now you know.

Do Post it please. <br /><br />Sent from my MB855 using Tapatalk<br /><br /> @mujeeb, I will call you tomorrow after 4pm, if its convenient to you. <br /><br /><br />Sent from my MB855 using Tapatalk

^^^ About 2-3 weeks back, my son's mobile phone was stolen. I complained at the PS and a FIR was regd. Next I went to the WW and asked for a new SIM, I gave a letter asking them to block my number (this was also done on the phone with CC). They returned the letter duly signed and sealed. They also gave me a new SIM which costed me a princely sum of Rs 4 only. (you read it right - Rs 4 only) I was asked to submit a id and add proof, no photos reqd. All done within 15 minutes max. The only hitch was the new SIM took all of 3 days and 2 more visits to the WW to get activated, because of a defect in the SIM and nothing else. The PS officer did not ask me for any chai or paani also. He gave my son a very long lecture on the merits and demerits of having a mobile phone. His son is studying in 3rd year college and he has still not bought him a mobile as it is prone to getting stolen/lost/misplaced etc etc (maybe this was a ruse to making me finance his son's mobile a little bit, but I did not pay any attention at all and he did not pester me any more) I have since submited all the papers to the insurance company for claim. Lets see the outcome of the insurance claim. Since the mobile was bought from Univercell, it was insured also - ofcourse for an additional 3% of the cost. Hopefully, we will get back atleast 50 to 65% of the cost through insurance, which will come in the form of a credit voucher - to be used for adjusting againsta new buy at Univercell. I do not know if I can use the voucher for buying from elsewhere - once I get it, i will be enlightened enough in that also. Lets see how it goes.

Hey thanks, mujeebrahman for crediting me here. I am not a techie. This info was provided to me by my cousin who had a SGS2 (GSM) and who was using it. He also told me that using 2x increases battery life and thats why it is named 2x. Initially it worked well for me - that is the battery indeed lasted longer. Currently I am not using 2x temporarily. No particular reason - just like that. And in any case, most of the functions in 2x were already there in ZDBox which you recommended. BTW, did anyone get the USSD problem solved? Is it endemic to only Motorola world mobiles? or to even HTC Dinc2 etc? I sorely miss the convenience of USSD in my prepaid. I have to call CC for any and everything and to explain them everytime why I cannot do it is a big pain. I have still not rooted my mobile as I do not have the time nor the patience. I am ordering one more Photon 4G for my cousin this week with Hetalbhai. BTW, dd you get the EVDO issue sorted out?

^^^ He wants RCOM to stop the auto renewal of GPRS pack, if I am not wrong. Doing what you have suggested will only stop the mobile from using GPRS, again if I am not wrong. aalok may be able to help him with the correct syntax of the SMS he has to send for deactivation of auto renewal packs

@ RM, Bought SwiftKey and EzPDF from your above links only. On my PC as well as on my mobile, y'days apps only are still shown. What abt the 10th app for today? any updates as yet? Thanks.

I tried buying NFS from my comp, but 3 times I got the error, " Country not allowed" Then I tried from my Photon4G and it went through well. Ended up buying 6 apps in all. Got a call from my CC company asking me if I was indeed buying all online and I agreed. He told me that my CC will get debited for some Rs. 5.61 apprx each. What are the charges for others here? Is my CC company pulling a fast one on me? Ha Ha hA - it is not a princely sum in any case.

^^^ Absolutely true, Yesterday I went to the WW for a SIM replacement as I had lost one of my mobiles. All they took from me was a ID and Add proof, no photo required and Rs 4 for the new replacement SIM. It is another matter that the new SIM is still not activated yet. It seems I will have to go maybe a couple of visits to the WW and give some of the choicest expletives to the WW nincompoops to make it active. Maybe when he entered the new SIM details, he would have cross verified it, but there was absolutely no other questions the WW guy asked, straightaway, he gave me a new SIM and collected Rs 4 for the same. It seems that RCOM has realised that keeping a number inactive will not generate revenues, so a new replacement SIM costs only Rs 4 now. Atleast for incoming calls, atleast they will get some revenues.

May his soul rest in peace....

My vote goes for the Ph4, it is indeed a very good device.

^^^ I saved the csv file as dos instead of windows and all my contacts were accepted seamlessly. This was posted somewhere here a few days back. It worked flawlessly. Try it out, it may work well.

Terriffic one Kamal bhai!!!!

Good point, Mukeshji. Thanks...