Honest

Will Google's Android be an iPhone killer? 18 Sep, 2008, 1238 hrs IST, REUTERS Anyone expecting the Google mobile operating system to change the market as Apple's iPhone has over the past year will probably be disappointed, for now. Industry insiders who have worked on Google's Android system say it will struggle in the near term to match the consumer enthusiasm generated by the iPhone, which redefined the touchscreen phone market and greatly improved mobile Web surfing. Instead, Google sees Android as an open source platform for designing mobile devices and says it will encourage innovation by allowing outside software developers to tinker with the system and create better mobile programmes and services. But these things take time, and the first phone using Android, code-named the Google "Dream" phone, is unlikely to wow consumers. The device is made by HTC of Taiwan. Deutsche Telekom's T-Mobile unit reportedly intends to introduce it in New York on September 23. The mobile phone to use Google Inc's Android mobile operating software will cost $199, the Wall Street Journal reported on its website. "I'm not sure the consumer experience is significantly better than that of the iPhone," said Rajeev Chand, a wireless analyst at the investment bank Rutberg, who has tried out an early version of Android. "When the iPhone came out, the experience was several orders of magnitude better than anything that was out there." Google, its partner carriers and application developers hope the Android platform will drive even more mobile Web surfing than the iPhone, which has helped mobile Internet use rocket in comparison with other smartphones. But unlike Apple, which keeps a tight grip on the iPhone's hardware and software, Google will have less control. Android will be open to developers to create component technologies in almost any way they can imagine. Google's engineering-led culture appears content to introduce the first Android phones as a kind of science project that will be rapidly improved afterward. But Google will not have the kind of leverage in mobile that it is used to in the PC world, where it dominates Web search. Phone carriers have a huge say over how devices are designed and what data services are accessible over their networks. While Android could offer real promise in terms of technology and usability it is unlikely by itself to change the restrictive nature of the mobile industry, said John Poisson, founder of Tiny Pictures, a developer partner of Android. Carriers in each market will still control how it gets implemented and on which devices and in which form," Poisson said. "Android lives and breathes at the pleasure of the operator." Another problem for Android is how to explain what it is to consumers. Unlike the iPhone, which came on the back of Apple's hugely successful iPod music player, Android is an unknown brand, even though the Google name has plenty of cachet. "People forget these things get to customers through the retail channel and marketing," said Frank Meehan, the global general manager for mobile phones and applications for the Hong Kong telecommunications conglomerate Hutchison Whampoa. "We operators struggle with how to market this phone. There's nothing really unique about it and we can't say it's a Google phone." Despite the concerns, mobile industry executives say they welcome Google's entrance, as its deep pockets will help meet the increasingly high expectations of consumers for mobile services. From a developer's perspective, Android's advantages over the iPhone or Nokia's Symbian operating system is that it is open source, which means Google is sharing its software code and making it easier for third parties to develop compatible applications. Apple’s second-generation iPhone applied the same strategy and offers more than 3,000 third-party applications through its App Store, but the company still retains some control. "Android promises to be the most open platform for building mobile phone applications that we've seen to date, because it's based on very familiar tools and technologies," said Jason Devitt, co-founder of Skydeck, a new service that will allow users to manage their cellphones over the Web. Some hope that Google's entrance can galvanise mobile advertising, which is still in nascent stages. "All these devices are resulting in better usage and that's what advertisers want and they're growing their spend," said Jason Spero, vice president of marketing at AdMob, a marketplace for mobile advertisers. Google is hoping to generate revenue through its existing search advertising and related services by the addition of mobile to PC. "Google's power comes from the freedom of choice, in terms of the component technology and services that can be laid on top," said Cheng Wu, founder of Azuki Systems, a mobile Web technology company. "The only thing they want to control is the kernel of the operating system and the ability to data-mine for search and advertising down the road."

@Akshat My dear friend, I don't think it could be a battery problem, because if the battery is faulty in this case then your handset must not started again itself. In your case the handset is rebooting itself. It could be the firmware or Sim problem. Regards.

Telcos think beyond tariffs 18 Sep, 2008, 0106 hrs IST, ET MUMBAI: Tariffs are no more the differentiating factors among telecom service providers. With call rates bottoming out to 40 paise per minute, the competition has now shifted to customer care, high-end value-added services, network quality and branding, as over 9-million users sign up for mobile services every month. New operators, which are readying to roll out services in the world’s fastest growing telecom market, may have limited success if they play the tariff game. They may end up with a large number of subscribers with low average revenue per user (ARPU). For attracting high ARPU users, existing and new telcos have to fight the battle on parameters like customer service and high-end applications. According to PwC associate director Arpita Pal Agrawal, customer care, customised service offerings and new applications will play a bigger role in acquiring high-end customers. “Also, when mobile number portability regime comes in, then differentiated customer care could lead to churn, especially in the post-paid segment,” she added. “Service providers who score better on network quality and customer services will leverage their strengths by communicating it, thus changing the tone of advertisement from network reach and price to experience of availing and using services,” said Accendia Consulting principal analyst Alok Shende. Idea Cellular is following root cause analysis, which is based on the belief that problems are best solved by attempting to eliminate root causes rather than merely addressing the immediate symptoms. Bharti Airtel is restructuring the partnership contracts with six BPO partners to whom it outsourced customer care operations in the last three years. “We are restructuring BPO contracts so that they are more customer-friendly and outcome-oriented; more towards resolving customer issues rather than how long the call was,” said Airtel director Jai Menon.

My dear friends, Reliance has to improve its CC also otherwise they could face big hurdles in the near future. Regards.

DoT leeway for foreign telcos in 3G bidding 18 Sep, 2008, 0129 hrs IST, ET NEW DELHI: The department of telecom (DoT) is examining a proposal that will help speed up the entry of foreign telecom companies so they can participate in the upcoming auction of 3G spectrum. The proposal aims to allow foreign telcos to bid as 100% entities. If successful, the telcos would be given a specific time frame to find an Indian partner and get the mandatory clearance from the Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB). Indian regulations don’t allow foreign telecom players to hold more than 74% stake in any firm that offers communication services in the country. But with the first round of 3G spectrum auction just a month or two away, foreign players such as AT&T, NTT DoCoMo and Verizon have told DoT that it will not be possible to enter into JVs with Indian partners at such short notice. Foreign telcos also want to avoid the possibility, where, after having tied up with Indian partners, they fail to bag 3G spectrum and then disband their JVs. Additionally, international communication majors have told DoT that since the auction details are yet to be announced, there is no case to convince an Indian partner to commit investments in telecom. ET has learnt that the junior telecom minister Jyotiraditya Scindia has asked the DoT to consider the option of letting foreign telcos bid as 100% entities. International telcos had approached Scindia on this issue and the minister has forwarded their concerns to the DoT, a source added. If this proposal is accepted, foreign telcos will not have to seek FIPB nod for placing their bids. Again, as first reported by ET earlier this week, Mr Scindia had also asked the DoT to clarify as to how foreign players could launch 3G services under the existing policy which entitles a player to only 5 MHz of 3G frequencies. DoT secretary Siddharth Behura, while acknowledging that 5 MHz would not be enough has, however, told Mr Scindia that foreign telcos have three options: First, wait in line for 2G spectrum after acquiring a UASL licence. Second, foreign telcos can acquire up to 74% in any of the existing 2G licence holders and third, they could merge with an existing player. Mr Behura also said that that the merger norms were recently amended to enable this to happen. Just last week, the DoT had amended merger norms in the 3G policy to enable foreign telcos, which are successful in their 3G bids, to buy an existing licence holder without having to wait for three years, the lock-in period specified earlier. This will allow foreign telcos who bag 3G licences to buy out existing operators who hold 2G radio frequencies and offer a complete range of services. However, industry experts say that despite relaxing the merger norms, foreign telcos will still find the going tough. This is because the existing 2G licence holders such as Datacom, Swan and Unitech and others are quoting astronomical valuations. Experts say that the government stands to lose revenues as it gave it away pan-India 2G licences recently for Rs 1651 crore ($400 million) to these new entrants, who in turn are selling it at valuations that are multiple times their entry fee.

Telecom Italia buys 49% in Unitech’s telecom arm 18 Sep, 2008, 0152 hrs IST, ET NEW DELHI: Telecom Italia has piped Norway’s Telenor to acquire 49% stake in Unitech’s telecom arm. A top Unitech executive confirmed that the two firms are close to reaching an agreement whereby Unitech’s telecom business will be transferred to a new company in which Telecom Italia will invest $2 billion for 49% stake. The majority 51% in the joint venture company will be held by Unitech. The real estate company’s equity contribution will be in the form of its pan-India licences to operate in all 22 telecom circles and the initial groundwork. Unitech won’t go for any stake sale and the joint venture company will issue fresh shares to Telecom Italia. The Unitech executive said the Italian company’s funds will be used for laying down the network, rolling out operations as well as bidding for 3G spectrum. Telecom Italia, which had fallen behind in the race to acquire stake in Unitech’s telecom arm earlier, was able to clinch the deal because it agreed to settle for a minority stake, according the executive. Sources said Unitech was not inclined to give away controlling stake, which Telenor and the Middle East telco Zain were demanding. The real estate company was also not convinced about Zain’s ability to create great value for its telecom business. Telecom Italia team has been camping in Delhi and has accompanied Unitech executives to meetings with equipment vendors. The executives of the two companies met Nokia officials on Wednesday and are expected to meet HP officials on Thursday. Unitech has already hired 250 people for its telecom venture and plans to roll out services by April next year. The company has received spectrum for six circles. The company expects to invest Rs 20,000 crore in its telecom business over the next three years. It recently raised Rs 1,200 crore for its telecom venture from a syndicate of public sector banks led by Punjab National Bank and Canara Bank. Unitech, which negotiated with several foreign telecom players including AT&T, Etisalat and Altimo, took over six months to finalise an equity partner. Now that a partner is most probably in place, Unitech can speed up its roll out plan. Telecom Italia, which reported a revenue of 14.8 billion euros in the first half of 2008, had been looking for a foothold in an emerging market like India, which can give its business a big boost.

Airtel reduces processing fee on top-up cards 15 Sep, 2008, 2108 hrs IST, PTI NEW DELHI: Complying with telecom regulator TRAI's guidelines, country's largest private telecom operator Bharti Airtel today announced reduction in processing fee on its all top-ups for its mobile subscribers. "The processing fee limited to Rs 2 would be charged on all talk time recharge vouchers/top-ups," Bharti Airtel said in an advertisement in media. Other operators are expected to follow suit. Recently, the Telecom Regulator Authority of India (TRAI) has asked telecom operators not to charge more than Rs 2 on top-up recharge coupons in the name of administration fees. The regulator has asked the operators to comply by the guidelines by September 15. TRAI has also asked the operators to waive the processing fees on such cards and recommended displaying information in various media. The waiver of processing fees would offer more talk-time on such recharge cards.

^^^ @Rupesh My dear friend, actually all Cdma handsets heat up while talking continuously. But we never heard that anyone is getting headache due to this heatup problem. May be the reason for your friend's headache is other then this. And you can go for LG RD3100 with FM which is available within your budget. Regards.

Google Android Shown; Will Bring Democracy to Apps Google plans to introduce a more democratic process for applications created on the Android platform Google has demonstrated a working Android mobile phone at the Google Developer day in London. The handset used for the demo looked like HTC Dream but the brand name was hidden. Google executive, Mike Jennings explained that Android is designed to be a full platform and not just Ajax on a phone. The SDK emulates an Arm 11 CPU for easier application development, reports TechRadar. Jennings revealed that Google is planning a marketplace for apps wherein users will be able to upload applications created directly via USB. He demonstrated how users will be able to write their own apps and then distribute them to friends. This approach contrasts starkly with the close-fisted route Apple is taking with its App Store. Apps for the people, by the people. We like. Courtesy : Techtree

^^^ Very correct my dear Jayanth. Regards.

iPhone 3G is the Gadget of the Year 17 Sep, 2008, 1658 hrs IST, ET Apple's iPhone 3G has won a public vote to find the year's best gadget, beating strong competition from three games consoles, a budget laptop and a balloon-shaped iPod speaker system. The latest version of the mobile that combines a phone with a music and video player was chosen by readers of Stuff magazine in its annual Gadget of the Year awards. The magazine described the iPhone 3G as "a faster, cleverer version of an already remarkable phone". The phone's first incarnation, launched in Britain last year, won the coolest gadget prize at last year's ceremony. Other nominees included Sony's PlayStation 3, Microsoft's Xbox 360, Nintendo's Wii Fit and the B&W Zeppelin iPod speakers. Stuff's Editor Fraser Macdonald said the nominated products were judged on their performance, design and value, as well as "that elusive cool factor". "Having our readers vote for a number of the awards has been fascinating," he said. "They are the ones out there on the street buying gadgets and so they are a great barometer." The magazine's own gadget of the year prize, chosen by its editorial staff, went to the Asus Eee Pc, a no-frills laptop that costs less than 300 pounds. The judges said it had made more of an impact than any other device and marked the start of a "laptop for everyone" era. Here are the other main winners, announced at a ceremony at the Dorchester Hotel in London on Tuesday - International brand: Nokia - Innovation: Sony Reader - Design: Apple MacBook Air - Game: Grand Theft Auto IV - Green gadget: Ego Electric Street Scoota - Retailer: Firebox.com, an online gadget and toy shop

^^^ My dear friend, although Spice D-88n is a nice handset but you should wait for the upgraded Spice D-88n Gold in my point of view. Hope it will be launched soon with more features. Regards.

Differences crop up on 3G procedure, may delay rollout 17 Sep, 2008, 1427 hrs IST, PTI NEW DELHI: Betraying differences within the department on foreign companies bidding for 3G spectrum, Minister of State for Communication Jyotiraditya Scindia feels the current procedure may impede the entry of American firms. Scindia has asked for information on whether US operators, who have evinced interest in the Indian telecom sector, can start 3G operations using the standalone 5 MHz spectrum. The Department of Telecom has acknowledged that 5 MHz is not enough for foreign telcos to start services, sources close to the development said. The US players want DoT to allow them to bid as 100 per cent foreign entities or give them a minimum of six to seven months after announcement of bidding details to enable them form JV with Indian firms before the spectrum is auctioned. This, if allowed, can derail the 3G process rolled out by the government and further delay launch of the much awaited next generation mobile services in India. Amendments made by DoT to the guidelines on companies that can offer 3G mobile-phone services said that new entrants would have to pay an additional Rs 1650 crore to acquire a basic licence in addition to the money they bid for spectrum needed to offer 3G services. The foreign telecom operators who are interested in entering India's market to provide 3G telecom services have to shell out Rs 3,700 crore more than the existing license holders. As per industry estimates, for a newcomer the cost to operate pan-India 3G, including UAS licence fee, 3G spectrum and equipment and infrastructure and transmission, would be about $4 billion (over Rs 17,000 crore). While for an incumbent, who already holds a UAS licence, it would be little over $3 billion or Rs 13,000 crore. US companies feel this policy forces them to enter as a new comer and pay at least twice as much as incumbent operators for 3G services. Moreover, the present M&A rules allow the 3G new comers to acquire incumbent 2G operators. But, the self assessed exorbitant valuation by the new 2G operators are further complicating the market entry process. Once a potential Indian partner or a 2G operator agrees and signs formation of a JV with an US partner, India's Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) would have to approve the JV - a process that could take anywhere between 3-5 months - before it would be eligible to bid in the 3G auction. Keeping this in mind, the US companies have approached the government seeking more time to make business case before committing huge investments in the auctioning of 3G spectrum.

Google, T-mobile to unveil iPhone competitor next week 17 Sep, 2008, 1031 hrs IST, ET SAN FRANCISCO: Google will next week launch the first mobile phone running its Android software in a joint initiative with T-mobile, the companies have announced. The open-source Android system is seen as Google's answer to Apple's successful iPhone and as a key initiative in the internet giant's quest to extend its dominance to the mobile web. Google has worked closely with US carrier T-mobile and Taiwan electronics maker HTC to develop the new phone, which is to be called Dream. According to The Wall Street Journal, the Dream will have a large touch screen, a swivel-out keypad and a trackball for navigation. The Dream will also feature a built-in 3 megapixel camera, a music player and purpose-built access to Google services like Gmail, Maps, and Search. The launch announcement gave no pricing details or availability dates. But press reports said that the Dream would go on sale to existing T-mobile customers later this month for $149, with delivery expected in mid October.

Trai plans to prevent WiFi abuse 17 Sep, 2008, 0015 hrs IST, ET NEW DELHI: With terrorists using unsecured wireless fidelity (WiFi) networks to shoot off emails every time they carry out bomb blasts, Trai is examining a series of measures to have security processes in place to protect such networks. According to sources, Trai began studying open WiFi networks after the Ahmedabad blasts and will soon issue recommendations for proper authentication and maintenance of such networks. Importantly, following the 21 blasts in Ahmedabad on July 26 which killed 55 and injured 100, Trai had asked the government to direct all Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to instruct their customers to have ‘proper authentication measures’ so that this facility is not misused. “All ISPs may be instructed to ensure that their subscribers using wireless devices must use effective authentication mechanisms and permit access to internet to only authorised persons using wireless devices,” the regulator said in its earlier communication to the DoT. The DoT appears not to have acted on the regulator’s suggestion. The Internet Service Providers of India, the industry body representing all ISPs, said that so far the government had not issued any directives to act towards securing open WiFi networks. ET reported earlier this week that the government is examining the possibility of issuing new norms which will unsecured WiFi connections illegal. Sources also said the new norms may put the onus of educating consumers on telcos and ISPs. Besides, the ISPs will also be asked to ensure that customers access the internet over a WiFi connection only through a password. WiFi networking companies may also be asked to limit WiFi signal right down to a defined radius by installing access points around the signal. The department of telecom and the department of information technology will work with the home ministry and intelligence agencies on this issue. Sources said the Computer Emergency Response Team (CERTC-in) is also helping the government issue new norms on WiFi security. It is not clear if these agencies will await the recommendations of Trai. Security agencies have asked the government to ask all ISPs to make password protection mandatory for every customer using a WiFi network. This has also been endorsed by the home ministry. ISPs say that it is the customer who is to be blamed. “Internet service providers are taking steps on their own to secure WiFi connections. All ISPs are installing AAA servers and firewalls. But, if you look at the terror mails, they were sent from hacked or open WiFi accounts – there is nothing we can do about this. When people take a broadband connection and routers to make their homes and offices WiFi enabled and then leave it open when they are not in use, there is nothing ISPs can do about it,” Internet Service Providers Association of India president Rajesh Chharia had told ET.

^^^ Very correct my dear Kumaar Bhai. After all they have to fetch up the money from poor people's pockets only. Regards.

^^^ They have to reduce the rates my dear friends. Just wait for the launch of other operator's services throughout India and then see how the rates slash down to earth. Regards.

My dear friends, I had used Vodafone data services without Edge. Believe me its speed is just comparable to Reliance Net Connect. Used Vodafone Data services for more then 3 months without any hassels. Whereas Airtel now a days is not providing good data speeds at all. Regards.

^^^ Dear member, actually "Other Handsets" forum can also be used for asking "Common Questions" regarding any existing handsets. You can read the criteria for "Other Handsets" forum just below the link of this forum in main page of Rimweb. And if you can't then here is the criteria to post in the "Other Handsets" Forum : Regards.

^^^ My dear Asit, actually some people enjoy laughing at others. Instead of being helpful to other co-members they criticize them and make fun of them. This reflects the image of the person. These kind of persons only read the post to find the errors and take away the thread to OFF-TOPIC. Just see the example here only. Three Off-topic posts had already been their including my post. Although, previously we had warned such kind of members, not to take any thread off-topic unnecessarily. But it seems that they still not learnt the lesson. To add with, we ourselves sometime take some threads off-topic to have some fun being in a healthy manner but never ever to make fun of others. And my dear friend, you need not to be sorry at all. Instead the member who had posted just above your post need to be sorry to you and to the forum also. Regards.

^^^ After a long wait at last they have launched the Blackberry services in Prepaid. Surely will be helpful to some of the subscribers. Regards.

Foreign telcos can’t launch 3G services with 5 MHz: DoT 16 Sep, 2008, 0055 hrs IST, ET NEW DELHI: Amidst tall claims from both communication minister A Raja and the government that India’s 3G policy was friendly towards all players, the department of telecom (DoT) has officially admitted that it would not be possible for foreign telcos to launch 3G services with a mere 5 MHz of spectrum. DoT secretary Siddarth Behura and the department’s wireless advisor R P Agarwal have communicated this to junior telecoms minister Jyotiraditya Scindia in a letter dated September 9. The 3G policy announced by Mr Raja in August states that a telco can bid for a maximum of 5 MHz of 3G radio frequencies. “It may be mentioned that 15 MHz in 2.1 GHz band is ideally required for 3G services. However, for proper growth, planning of 3G networks 10 MHz shall be for practical purposes needed. As only 5 MHz is presently available and in order to have adequate competition in a service area with 4-5 players, it has been decided to allot 5 MHz,” the DoT’s wireless advisor Mr Agarwal said in his reply to Mr Scindia. The minister had sought clarity from the DoT on how foreign players could launch 3G services under the existing policy. New players, which include international communication majors, need at least 10 MHz to launch 3G services as they also require additional start-up spectrum while existing telcos need only 5 MHz to migrate to 3G. DoT secretary Siddarth Behura, while acknowledging that 5 MHz would not be enough has, however, told Mr Scindia that foreign telcos have three options: First, wait in line for 2G spectrum after acquiring a UASL licence. Second, foreign telcos can acquire up to 74% in any of the existing 2G licence holders and third, they could merge with an existing player. Mr Behura also said that that the merger norms were recently amended to enable this to happen. Last week, the DoT had amended its 3G policy and said that the existing merger norms will apply only to existing licence holders. This implies foreign telcos, which are successful in their 3G bids, can now buy an existing licence holder without having to wait for three years, the lock-in period specified earlier. The larger implication is that foreign telcos who bag 3G licences can now buy out existing operators who hold 2G radio frequencies. However, industry experts say that despite relaxing the merger norms, foreign telcos will still find the going tough — this is because, existing 2G licence holders such as Datacom, Swan and Unitech amongst others are demanding astronomical valuations.

^^^ @Raccoon My dear friend, hope that Goodie would not be a Bouquet of Flowers like in your case with IDEA. Regards.

^^^ Thats really a great reply from you my dear Saurav. Do not compromise with them at all. Instead, demand the previous offer alongwith the goodie from them. Regards.

Yes my dear friends, actually now all operators have to mandateraly reduce the processing fee on topups as per the Trai's regulations. Regards.