Honest

Black market for low-cost phones flourishing 14 Jul, 2008, 0203 hrs IST, ET MIAMI: For less than $15, anyone can buy a cell phone loaded with minutes. They can buy more as you go whenever those minutes run out. Best of all, they aren't locked into a long-term contract. But in South Florida, New York, California, Georgia, Texas and elsewhere, traffickers have figured out they can make big profits by purchasing thousands of these low-cost phones and tweaking the software so that calls can be made on any cell network. The altered phones are then sold all over the world _ costing US phone companies tens of millions of dollars. Some traffickers employ dozens of people full-time as ``runners'' to buy the phones at retail stores so they can later be hacked into and resold. The problem for the phone companies is that they often sell the phones at a loss, instead making their money when customers have to buy additional minutes from them _ a guaranteed profit once the phone is sold. But the phone companies have no guarantee that customers will buy minutes from them after the phones are hacked or shipped to a far-off country. It's technically not illegal to unlock the software on personal cell phones _ but the companies are hoping to put a stop to traffickers that they say are siphoning away profits. Led by Miami-based TracFone Wireless Inc., makers of the low-cost prepaid cell phones are suing traffickers in federal courts around the United States. One such lawsuit resulted in a criminal conviction in Houston when a man disobeyed a court order by refusing to stop selling the phones. ``There is a lot of profit in it,'' said James Baldinger, a West Palm Beach attorney with the Carlton Fields firm who represents TracFone. ``Even as we continue to shut people down, we do find there are people still engaged in it. TracFone is going to keep going after them.'' These phones are typically sold by traffickers for between $40 and $60 above the discounted TracFone price _ and they are frequently marketed in lots of 10,000 or more. Web sites catering to these dealers boast about having huge numbers of unlocked cell phones. TracFone has filed 39 lawsuits in recent months _ more than half of them in South Florida _ seeking to stop companies and individuals from trafficking in its phones. Similar lawsuits have been filed by AT&T, Nokia Corp., Virgin Mobile USA Inc. and Motorola Inc. TracFone and the others argue that federal laws protect their trademarks and copyrighted software. They say the phones must be used with minutes bought from the company that sold the phones. TracFone and other companies lose customers _ and therefore profits _ when people buy minutes from other cell phone companies. Not everyone involved believes it is wrong. A company called Incomtel that bills itself as ``cellular suppliers to the world'' was among those recently sued by TracFone. Its lawyers argued in court that it's perfectly legal to buy phones from stores such as Wal-Mart, CVS and Target and modify them to work on any cell phone system. The company contended in court documents that because the phones made by firms such as Motorola and Nokia are purchased on the open market and are repackaged for resale, Incomtel is under no obligations to TracFone. ``If the phone is a Motorola phone, it is operated by Motorola software,'' the company said. ``The fact that TracFone, on its phones, may lock the code and making some minor branding modifications does not render the Motorola or Nokia software a property of TracFone.'' So far, TracFone and the other companies have been winning more than losing. Tracfone has obtained more than 15 court orders halting the unlocking and resale of its phones, and has been awarded more than $4 million in damages. One man could be headed to prison in the first case nationally of its kind. Muhammed Mubashir, 27, pleaded guilty in May to criminal contempt charges for disobeying a federal judge's order in Houston that he stop trafficking in Virgin Mobile phones. A separate order against Mubashir involved the seizure in 2007 of 1,300 TracFones he was sending to Hong Kong. It was later learned that he sold at least 9,000 TracFones in this way. It's up to a federal judge to decide if Mubashir should do prison time, but it's clear that TracFone wants an example set. Sentencing is set for Aug. 22.

^^^ @Saugata My dear friend, actually it is everyone's moral duty to appreciate the good things in the forum or in personal life too. I liked your collection, so I appreciated the same. Secondly, the attachment limit is 1 MB for all members. Its not 500 KB. I think Arun has increased recently the attachment limit for all members to 2 MB. But I'm not sure. And if you still getting only Half MB of attachment limit than you must PM to Arun and request him to do the needful. Regards.

^^^ Its really a good collection my dear friend. Regards.

Orpat to Launch Mobile Handsets in India One of the world's largest clock makers, the Orpat Group, is now foraying into the mobile phone market in the country. For this, the company has collaborated with NXP Semiconductors, the independent company founded by Philips. Orpat will be entering the market with ultra-low-cost (ULC) and multimedia handsets under its brand name. These phones will be based on NXP's Nexperia cellular system solutions 5130 and 5211, and will target rural and semi-urban areas. They will offer multimedia capabilities such as stereo recording with FM radio, MP3 and video playback, a mega pixels digital camera interface, USB charging, connect-to-PC, and Bluetooth stereo. Speaking on the occasion, Nevil Patel, director of Orpat Limited, said, "We believe these phones will provide the next experience in providing feature-rich and multimedia-enabled handsets at competitive price points to a largely untapped and high-potential market outside the mainstream market, and in India's vast rural areas. In the initial phase of the roll-out, we aim to garner a major share of the replacement market in the Indian mobile telephony space. Orpat plans to sell its mobiles through its existing sales network of about 80 exclusive showrooms and over 50,000 retail outlets. Courtesy : Techtree

^^^ @Saugata Yes, my dear friend, it can be possible that some sites are providing the delayed information. You was right at your point. Regards.

What does Apple's new baby have that its peers don't 13 Jul, 2008, 0735 hrs IST, ET After the much-awaited launch of Apple’s 3G iPhone on Friday and announcements by Vodafone and Airtel regarding its introduction in India in September , the Indian customer is waiting eagerly for what is currently the world’s most wanted gizmo. So what does Apple’s new baby have that its peers don’t? An important thing about the iPhone is that it stands out in comparison with other smartphones not for what it does, but how it does it. The distinguishing features of iPhone can be summarised as sleek design , brilliant display and an innovative touch screen interface. The 3.5 inch display is the phone’s highlight - the 480x320 pixel resolution offers brilliant colours, sharp graphics and fluid animations. It also makes the iPhone an excellent handheld gaming device. The iPhone’s menu interface is intuitive, eyecatching and easy to use. The iPhone uses only a touch screen and though it is not the first phone to rely solely on a touch screen, the intuitive way it is implemented stands out and one does not miss a stylus. The touch screen uses multitouch technology , which allows one to move the fingers in a variety of ways to manipulate what’s on the screen. The phone has a motion sensor, which enables it to adjust the display’s orientation automatically when the phone is flipped on its side while using the music/video player and the Internet browser. Another sensor turns off the display automatically when you lift the iPhone to the ear for a phone call. The phone also has all the features of an iPod. An important feature is the capability to install third party applications or ‘apps’ that would add a number of additional functionalities. Hundreds of free apps are expected to be available soon on the Internet . The new iPhone’s important novel features can be summed up in two words - GPS and 3G. The GPS allows the use of location-based services such as navigation and 3G provides high Internet speed. With support for three 3G bands and both UMTS and HSDPA networks, the iPhone 3G can use high-speed networks all around the world. An important new feature for corporate users is the support for Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync . This would enable access to e-mails , calendars and contacts, allowing them to access their official emails on the iPhones. The new iPhone is also slightly slimmer, lighter and offers more battery time than its predecessor. However, it lacks some basic features that other smartphones provide. The phone has only a two megapixel camera, which lacks a flash and can’t shoot videos. It also does not provide multi media messaging (MMS). Another thing missing is stereo Bluetooth headset support. The iPhone also doesn’t allow copying and pasting of text and cannot play Flash animations on web pages. If one compares the new iPhone’s features with those of smartphones such as Nokia N95 or HTC Touch Diamond, one finds that many of its individual features are bettered by these phones. But where the iPhone scores is in offering a sleek, stylish and overall user-friendly package that has made thousands across the world queue up for days in front of Apple stores to lay their hands on it.

Telecom Commission to deliberate on 3G policy 13 Jul, 2008, 1215 hrs IST, PTI NEW DELHI: Telecom Commission will deliberate on the 3G spectrum auction guidelines formulated by the Department and within the next two weeks the policy will be out, Telecom Minister A Raja said. "3G guidelines almost over...it is going to be deliberated in Telecom Commission... Within 15 days time, it is going to be announced... It is now on the agenda of Telecom Commission," Telecom Minister A Raja said. Raja has already got the Prime Minister's approval to go ahead with 3G spectrum auction that is likely to see foreign players' participation in the bids and is expected to fetch good revenues to the exchequer. Sources, however, said the announcement of the policy could be after July 22, after the UPA government survives the a vote of confidence in Parliament. But the Commission which is the highest policy-making body will be ready with its approval for the policy anyway. DoT now also has telecom regulator TRAI's approval on a higher reserve price, of about Rs 2,260 crore for telecom companies that want to participate in a pan-India auction for third generation (3G) spectrum. This is exactly double the reserve price recommended by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI). The department, however, could not have TRAI's nod for foreign players' participation in the process. Existing Indian telcos are also bitterly opposed to the entry of overseas operators in the 3G space in the country. The base price for metros and category A circles is Rs 160 crore, while for category B and C circles it is Rs 80 crore and Rs 30 crore respectively. India has four metros, five category A circles, eight category B circles and 6 category C circles. The new policy will be a welcome relief for the global telcos who want to enter India through the 3G route. Raja had said the government wants foreign telecom majors to be allowed to bid for 3G spectrums as this would push up the government revenues from the auction. Companies such as AT&T Inc, Deutsche Telekom AG, Etisalat and NTT DoCoMo Inc. have expressed interest in the Indian market.

^^^ But my dear friends, I'm not facing any network issues on my side. May be in some areas their could be network problems. Last week, I too had network issues. But from the last 3-4 days, no issues at all. Regards.

One97 Brings Vringo to India One 97, one of India's telecom application platform companies, has unveiled its new services for mobile video applications. The bouquet of services includes a first-of-its-kind video portal Vringo in India. One97 has entered into a strategic partnership with Vringo where users are allowed to set their own visual or video ringtones and choose the video, avatar, slideshow, or picture they want their friends to see when they call. Vringo is the first viral mobile application allowing users to seamlessly join a community, then choose, create, and share video ringtones. Vringo is a completely hosted, client server based solution that is easy to use and manage. Speaking on the occasion, Vijay Shekhar Sharma, MD, One97 said "Customer experience has been at the core of our business and product innovations. As we enter the next generation in mobile technology, we are introducing the next big thing in mobile entertainment – video. Mobile video applications are the future; it's no longer a question of whether these applications will be available in India, but when and how will these applications be available. " Another solution is a video portal application that will enable feature-rich, personalized video interactivity using innovative options of bringing video content, information, community services and business to subscribers. Subscribers will be able to access the video portals from anywhere – on the move, at home, or in the office. Courtesy : Tech2

Apple Launches iPhone v2.0 OS The launch of the iPhone 3G has everyone excited, but what about those few who decided to stick with the original? Fear not, for v2.0 (OS) is now available for download from Apple. However, as great as it may be that a few of the 3G’s goodies will now be incorporated into your first-gen iPhone, Apple has stated that should you install the v2.0 OS into your existing handset without backing up your data (for which you can use iTunes) you’ll lose all of it. The update procedure is fairly simple. Connect the handset to the PC, open up your iTunes application, and simply click on the update button that appears in the iPhone menu in iTunes. Do remember to back up your data first. The final step is to just sit back and wait. According to reports, a few users have had some issues with the update, but hopefully those will be rectified by Apple ASAP. Courtesy : Tech2

Longest broadband terrestrial education grid launched 12 Jul, 2008, 2105 hrs IST, IANS THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Panchayati Raj Minister Mani Shankar Aiyar inaugurated the country's longest broadband terrestrial education grid connecting the Indian Institute of Information Technology and Management (IIITM-Kerala) and Nagaland University here on Saturday. Nagaland Education Minister Shürhozelie appeared on the screen along with a Christian priest offering prayers as Aiyar switched on the button of the grid in the presence of Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio and Kerala Education Minister M.A. Baby at the IIITM-K campus, Technopark. Earlier, talking to reporters, vice-chancellor of Nagaland University, K. Kannan said, ''This is the first phase and students of the School of Engineering and Technology in Nagaland would be able to listen live and recorded lectures from the IIITM-K campus." The transmission of lectures through 3800- km long link of the RailTel Corporation of India was successfully held in the trial run that started early this month. "A new optical fibre link has been laid from the Thiruvananthapuram railway stations to our campus and a similar one has been laid from the Dimapur railway station to the campus of the Engineering college in Nagaland," said K.R.Srivathsan, director of IIITM-K. The project was completed with the help of teachers of various IITs and Indian Institute of Science-Bangalore. ''Lectures on five engineering disciplines, including civil, mechanical, electronics, electrical and computer science would be available for the students of the engineering college in Nagaland through the link. Apart from this, there would be live lectures broadcast from the IITM-K campus here to the students there," said Mangala Sunder Krishnan, professor at the IIT Madras. In the second phase of this connectivity, using the same link, several premier institutions and universities of the country would be connected to Nagaland to enhance education programmes at all levels, Kannan added.

New iPhones hit activation snags 12 Jul, 2008, 2330 hrs IST, ET Activation problems marred the US launch of Apple Inc’s new iPhone on Friday, with many eager buyers leaving stores frustrated that they could not use the hotly anticipated gadget after waiting in line for hours. AT&T Inc, the sole US carrier for the iPhone, blamed problems synchronizing the phone with Apple’s iTunes online music and software store, saying it was probably caused by too many people trying to access iTunes at the same time. Apple had no immediate comment on the problem, which appeared to be affecting users of the older iPhones as well. “It’s pretty lousy. It was not a very Apple-like experience,” said Frank Beacham, a 60-year-old writer who was left with basically a so-far-useless phone after an hour spent inside a Manhattan Apple store, and a four-hour wait outside. AT&T spokesman Michael Coe said Apple was working to resolve the problem, but he had no timeframe. “There’s been a lot of demand worldwide for the iPhone 3G,” Coe said. “That means a lot of people synching with iTunes.” AT&T, which was still selling phones by mid-afternoon after selling out in some stores, advised customers to go home and activate the phone later themselves on iTunes, Coe said. Some customers at the Apple store in New York’s SoHo said Apple employees had told them the problem was with AT&T’s network. Coe said he was unaware of any AT&T problems. Old iPhones Affected: Earlier on Friday, many customers had left stores pleased it had taken only 15 minutes to activate their new iPhones, which combine a music and video player, phone and Web browser. “It’s really great, it’s a lot better than my BlackBerry,” said Joshua Deutch, 31, referring to the e-mail device made by Canada’s Research in Motion Ltd that is popular with corporate users. “Launching a website takes seconds ... It’s very comfortable,” Deutch said. “I’m trying to get it up on my firm’s e-mail and there are some hiccups here and there. But overall, it’s a good experience.” But by mid-afternoon, many customers were being sent home without having activated their phones. Some users of the original iPhone and iPod Touch, both launched in 2007, also said they were having difficulties downloading software updates so they could play video games and use other applications on their software. While some cheerfully accepted that hiccups were to be expected during a big product launch, others were annoyed. “My phone’s not working. So now my old phone doesn’t work and my new phone doesn’t work. I’m going to have to find a pay phone. Do they still make pay phones?” said Deena Hadi, 23, a marketing analyst at the Fifth Avenue store in New York. Ben Gersch, 31, a NY artist, said the initial set-up had been slow in the Apple store in SoHo, but that it had begun working from the moment he left.

My dear friends, I just received a PM from Prathod (Pankaj Rathod). He has given the sadest ever news to us. The member BREAKING NEWS is no more among us. He died in the last week of March 2007. His name was Saleem. And was only 30 years old. He was suffering from Cancer. This news is really a sadest BREAKING NEWS for all of us. He was really a good contributor to Rimweb also. We will remember you SALEEM. You will be alive always in our heart and on Rimweb. May his soul rest in peace. Our condolences to his Family & Friends.

TRAI takes DoT call on 3G, WiMAX reserve price 12 Jul, 2008, 0353 hrs IST, ET NEW DELHI: The long-drawn feud between the communications ministry and telecom regulator TRAI over the third-generation (3G) mobile services policy has come to an end. TRAI has decided to approve the department of telecom’s plan to double the reserve price for pan-India 3G spectrum auction to Rs 2,260 crore. The regulator is likely to inform DoT of its decision on Saturday. TRAI on Friday also cleared DoT’s proposal to hike the reserve price for pan-India broadband wireless access (BWA) spectrum — popularly known as WiMAX — to around Rs 840 crore (Rs 60 crore for metros and category A circles, Rs 30 crore for category B and Rs 10 crore for category C circles). This implies that a telco bidding for both 3G and WiMAX spectrum on a pan-India basis will have to shell out a minimum price or reserve price of around Rs 3,000 crore. While TRAI continues to oppose DoT’s plan to allow new players — both domestic and foreign — from participating in the 3G auction, it acknowledges that since DoT has followed the proper procedure of referring the 3G policy back to it, the government has the authority to over ride the regulator’s final recommendations. Telcos, however, refused to comment on TRAI’s approval of the doubling of 3G base price. “So far, neither the government nor TRAI has announced the new base price. We are awaiting the official announcement of the policy,” said an executive with a telco. “The base price has no value for either 3G or WiMAX. Since there are so many players, the auction amount will be very high. DoT would have got the same price in the auction even if it had retained the original base price,” explained a senior executive with another telco. Internet service providers, however, slammed TRAI’s move to hike the reserve price for WiMAX spectrum. “Hiking the reserve price for WiMAX spectrum will have a negative impact on the growth of broadband. So far, the country’s broadband growth has been miserable and both DoT and TRAI have done nothing to correct this,” president of the Internet Service Providers Association of India (ISPAI) Rajesh Chharia told ET. ET had first reported on July 2 that DoT had finalised the 3G policy and hiked the reserve price to about Rs 2,260 crore while also allowing new entrants and international communications majors to participate. DoT had doubled the base price prescribed by TRAI in 2006 and fixed it at Rs 160 crore for metros and category A circles, Rs 80 crore for category B, and Rs 30 crore for C circles, respectively. Since there are four metros, five category A circles, eight category B circles and six category C circles, the base price for a company bidding for pan-India 3G spectrum works out to around Rs 2,260 crore. While TRAI has okayed DoT’s move to hike the base price for 3G and WiMAX spectrum auctions, the regulator has refused to drop its opposition to communication ministry’s move to allow new players and international communications majors to participate in 3G auction. TRAI wants the auctions to be restricted to existing players. However, a top TRAI source told ET that the issue of permitting new players, including foreign telcos, to take part in 3G auction was now settled. “We have maintained our stance. DoT has followed the protocol and sought our views. They are well within their right to over rule our recommendations. So this issue is over,” the official explained. The regulator has also endorsed DoT’s proposal that following the 3G and WiMAX spectrum auctions, all successful bidders be mandated to match the highest bid offer. TRAI had suggested the highest bid should be retained and all other successful players ought to be mandated to match the price of the second-highest bidder. If the regulator were to send its reply on the 3G policy on Saturday, DoT is likely to unveil the final policy guidelines next week. The 3G policy will be a welcome relief for the global telcos who want to enter India.

^^^ Ha Ha Ha, very correct my dear Kalpak. It will even cross Rs.30,000 crores. Regards.

TRAI recognises MSOs as a separate entity 12 Jul, 2008, 0142 hrs IST, ET NEW DELHI: For the first time, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) will recognise the multi system operators (MSOs) as a separate entity and launch a separate licensing regime for them. In addition, the regulator would put out a draft recommendation on the restructuring of the cable television services for industry comments rather than come out with the final recommendation. The draft is expected to be released this week. Trai would recommend separate licensing norms for state and national MSOs. They would be subjected to a separate set of norms for registration with a minimum income guarantee which will be higher than the cable operator. As per industry estimates, there are over 6,000 MSOs in the country and the sector is consolidating rapidly. Some of the national- level MSOs include Wire & Wireless (WWIL), Hathway, Incablenet, Digicable among others. Trai chairman Nripendra Misra said, “Regulating the MSOs seperately would be one of the most significant change. It will make the sector attractive for investments and growth.” The regulator believes that MSOs have a distinct functional responsibility and a separate licensing regime would help them have well-defined technical and commercial arrangements with broadcasters and local cable operators. Talking about the impact of the recommendations on the restructuring of the cable industry, Mr Misra added, “ There are over 60,000 cable operators in the country. This is one of the rare instances where we will first release a draft recommendation and invite comments and then include them in the final recommendation.” Mr Misra said one of his key concerns was the fact that a large number of cable operators have never renewed their registration. There’s no data on the number of cable operators. The new policy guideline for cable television services will create a standard procedure which will guide consumers on new connections, desired content and disconnection of existing connection. In addition, the regulator is expected to launch an effective consumer grievance redressal mechanism for the cable and satellite television consumers.

3G iPhone debut draws copters 12 Jul, 2008, 0209 hrs IST, ET SAN FRANCISCO: Apple Inc started selling the iPhone 3G on Friday, drawing thousands across Asia and Europe, with customers creating a half-a-mile-long line in Tokyo and braving summer heat in Madrid. Minoru Hagiyama arrived at Softbank Corp’s store on Omotesando, Tokyo, at 6:30 am to find about 1,300 customers already in front of him. The first began camping three days ago to buy the updated handset, which works on speedier third-generation wireless networks. ``I haven’t owned a mobile phone in about five years, I just didn’t feel the need, but this is different,’’ said Hagiyama, 50, from Tokyo. ``I don’t think of it as a mobile phone, more like a portable PC.’’ The line of customers, mostly male, stretched as much as 800 meters, or half a mile, from the flagship store of Softbank, Japan’s third-largest wireless carrier, which won the right to sell the iPhone 3G. The store’s entrance was besieged by reporters and camera crews, while helicopters circled overhead as an LED display counted down to when the handset went on sale. Apple chief executive officer Steve Jobs is aiming at Research In Motion’s Blackberry as the iPhone goes on sale in 22 markets, almost quadrupling the markets for the handset, which has better audio quality, lets users run software from outside developers and adds support for corporate e-mail systems. The handset has seized second place behind the Blackberry in the market for Web-surfing devices known as smart phones in the US. Smart-Phone Winner When Hiroyuki Sano, who traveled 350 kilometers (220 miles) to be first in line in Tokyo on July 8, emerged with his white iPhone, he was chased by a pack of about 30 journalists. He gave up trying to outrun them after four blocks. ``I’m extremely happy,’’ the breathless Sano, who turned 25 today, said. The business-friendly features may help Jobs win more corporate customers, bringing him closer to his goal of selling 10 million iPhones this year. "Apple will be one that does well since they are making it out to be so much more than a phone other players seem to be playing catch-up,’’ said Romeo Dator, portfolio manager at the All American Equity Fund at US Global Investors Inc. in San Antonio. ``They will be a winner in the move toward smart phones.’’ His firm manages $5.5 billion, including Apple shares. `Absolutely Everything’ In Madrid, German Simone, a graphic designer from the city, arrived at Telefonica SA’s flagship store at 8 a.m., two hours before it opened, to find a queue of hundreds. Telefonica workers gave out t-shirts to help protect people from the 30 degrees- Celsius heat. ``It has absolutely everything, cell, Internet, portable PC, music and cinema, all rolled into one,’’ Simone, 34, said, when asked why he wanted the device. ``Gone are the days when you are there juggling your cell, iPod and BlackBerry.’’ In the UK, the handset went on sale at 8:02 a.m. in stores run by Apple, Carphone Warehouse Group Plc and wireless provider O2. About 100 people queued outside Apple’s London Regent Street store. `It’s a great device. It’s innovative and has fantastic features,’’ music software engineer Mark Olleson, 32, said as he waited in line at the store. O2 said it was experiencing some ``technical difficulties’’ with the computer system that Apple uses to connect customers to O2. ``The system is currently working but quite slowly,’’ the operator said in a statement. O2 and Carphone Warehouse’s larger stores are selling 40 iPhones an hour, which is more contracts than they normally sell in a day, the operator said. World’s First ``I have a reservation for my second iPhone, both that I received as presents,’’ said Francesco Cossiga, former Italian president and prime minister, by telephone from Tuscany where he is on vacation. The iPhone 3G’s debut came at one minute past midnight in Auckland, New Zealand. ``I’m going to go home, put this on charge, play around with it and have a nice long sleep,’’ 22 year-old student Jonny Gladwell told Television New Zealand after becoming the first person in the world to buy the handset from an authorized retailer. He queued for 55 hours, he said. Jobs plans to offer the device in 70 countries later this year, compared with about 135 nations for Research In Motion’s BlackBerry. Piper Jaffray & Co. analyst Gene Munster predicts Apple may sell 4.08 million iPhone 3Gs this quarter. Apple, based in Cupertino, California, rose 1.4 percent to $176.63 yesterday in Nasdaq Stock Market trading. Before today, the stock had declined 11 percent this year. Rivals Phone makers have returned fire with less costly competing devices. Sprint Nextel Corp. dubbed Samsung Electronics Co.’s Instinct handset an ``iPhone killer’’ when it began selling the device last month for $130 with a contract. Palm Inc. sells the Centro smart phone for $99 with a carrier agreement. Jobs plans to turn the iPhone into Apple’s third major business alongside the Macintosh computer and iPod media player. Those businesses accounted for 78 percent of Apple’s $24 billion in sales in its latest fiscal year. Different Strategy Apple is no longer tying distribution deals with wireless carriers to a cut of the monthly fees they collect. Instead, analysts anticipate its partners to buy phones from Apple for anywhere from $350 to $700 apiece. The carriers can then sell the 3G phone at any price, with a goal of recouping the handset’s cost by requiring that customers sign service contracts. Apple will sell its largest model, with 16 gigabytes of storage, for $299 with a two-year service contract in the U.S., compared with $499 for the older version. AT&T Inc., the biggest U.S. phone company, provides iPhone service exclusively there. Customers will be able to download Internet content at least twice as fast as the older models using the 3G networks. The new iPhone also has a global positioning system and support for Microsoft Corp.’s Exchange corporate e-mail system. ``I truly believe this phone is best in class,’’ said Jeffrey Ng, president of New York-based Eastmedia Group Inc., who waited in line last year at Apple’s Fifth Avenue store to buy his iPhone. He plans to trade up to the new model. ``The GPS and 3G speed I think is well worth it.’’

^^^ Thanks my dear Deepak. Will update some more stuff within couple of days. Regards.

VAS companies seek new short-code rules 12 Jul, 2008, 0129 hrs IST, ET NEW DELHI: After seeking telecom regulator Trai’s intervention regarding the revenue-sharing platform with network operators, mobile value-added service providers (VASP) are now demanding amendments to the short-code allocation structure, contrary to the network operators, who feel the current framework is appropriate. Short codes or short numbers are special telephone numbers like 8888, which are sold to a third-party client for some keyword and a specific period. The entry barrier is high owing to high initial deposit demanded by operators. Internet and mobile association of India (IAMAI) in its response to a consultation paper released by Trai said, “A short-code assignment system needs to be put in place that is integrated across all operators. That is a single number should be assigned to every content provider, and this code should work across all Mobile telephone service Providers.” Currently, telecom operators allocate the short codes, which is in compliance with the framework of national numbering plan by Department of Telecom (DoT). Cellular operators authority of India (COAI), the representative body of cellular operators, on the other hand said, “the existing regime wherein the short code is allocated by telecom operators as authorized by DoT within the framework of National Numbering Plan is working well and should be continued with.” Meanwhile, ITC pointed out the challenges of high costs involved in owning and transmitting a short code in the current industry environment, thereby placing a high entry barrier in mobile VAS.

Software problems bug Apple's launch of new iPhone 11 Jul, 2008, 2343 hrs IST, ET NEW YORK: The launch of Apple Inc.'s much-anticipated new iPhone turned into an information-technology meltdown on Friday, as customers were unable to get their phones working. "It's such grief and aggravation," said Frederick Smalls, an insurance broker in Whitman, Mass., after spending two hours on the phone with Apple and AT&T Inc., trying to get his new iPhone to work. In stores, people waited at counters to get the phones activated, as lines built behind them. Many of the customers had already camped out for several hours in line to become among the first with the new phone, which updates the one launched a year ago by speeding up Internet access and adding a navigation chip. A spokesman for AT&T, the exclusive carrier for the iPhone in the U.S., said there was a global problem with Apple's iTunes servers that prevented the phones from being fully activated in-store, as had been planned. Instead, employees are telling buyers to go home and perform the last step by connecting their phones to their own computers, spokesman Michael Coe said. However, the iTunes servers were equally hard to reach from home, leaving the phones unusable except for emergency calls. The problem extended to owners of the previous iPhone model. A software update released for that phone on Friday morning required the phone to be reactivated through iTunes. "It's a mess," said freelance photographer Giovanni Cipriano, who updated his first-generation iPhone only to find it unusable. When the first iPhone went on sale a year ago, customers performed the whole activation procedure at home, freeing store employees to focus on sales. But the new model is subsidized by carriers, and Apple and AT&T therefore planned to activate all phones in-store to get customers on a contract. The new phone went on sale in 21 countries on Friday, creating a global burden on the iTunes servers.

Some iPhone customers unable to make calls 11 Jul, 2008, 2320 hrs IST, ET NEW YORK: Some of the first US buyers of Apple Inc's new iPhone were not able to make calls on Friday morning due to technical problems with iTunes, according to AT&T Inc and some customers. AT&T, Apple's sole US carrier partner for iPhone, said some customers were having problems activating services as their new iPhones were not able to synchronize with Apple's iTunes music and software store. Synchronization with iTunes is a necessary step in making the new phones work. AT&T spokesman Michael Coe said Apple was working to resolve the problem, and he declined to comment on when it might be resolved. "That's a good question for Apple," he said. Apple had no immediate comment.

VAS industry to touch Rs 20,000 cr by 2015: Report 11 Jul, 2008, 2200 hrs IST, PTI NEW DELHI: Riding high on the success of music, ringtones and other innovative multimedia applications, the value added services (VAS) industry is expected to touch revenue of Rs 20,000 crore by 2015, says a report. The industry, which has been valued at Rs 5,000 crore at present, will see a major growth in the music and mobile gaming segments and could reach Rs 20,000 crore, a report by PricewaterhouseCoopers said. According to the report, the industry is primarily driven by SMS feature, that has about 44 per cent share. However, new applications like ringtones and RBTs, GPRS, CLI, would accelerate the growth. The roll out of 3G services would also support the growth of the industry as 3G customers are more willing to use a variety of multi-media services than 2G customers, the report said. At present, music and games are downloaded on GPRS or 2.5G platform. One of the factors that anticipate a huge market for VAS in India is the decreasing age profile of mobile handset owners and falling costs of cell phones with ever richer features, the report added.

Next-gen Linux-based software for mobile phones launched 11 Jul, 2008, 2219 hrs IST, ET PUNE: While iPhones are still making headlines, the mobile industry has already started talking about introducing the next-generation mobile consumer experience: the Linux mobile operating system! Azingo Inc, a California headquartered IT company, on Friday announced the launch of an open and globally consistent software platform based on mobile Linux system for use by the whole industry. While Azingo has decided on the commercial release of its Linux based mobile telephony software in Europe next year, if all goes well the gizmo will hit the Indian markets by 2010. Mahesh Veerina, chief executive officer of Azingo, told reporters here that the industry was shifting from proprietary systems to an open, neutral platform and that the platform would be Linux. The technology has been entirely developed in India with Pune and Hyderabad being the two research-and-development centres. "Service operators worldwide are rapidly moving towards web-driven, on-demand applications rather than pre-packaged and standard packages," Veerina said. Industry experts opine chipset advances will soon outpace the ability of any single proprietary system. Thus Azingo has positioned itself with open Linux-based mobile phone software that inherently supports each of these industry-shifting dynamics. Nokia leads in the mobile phone operating systems market with 40 percent market share. The industry projects 7 billion mobile users in the next five years and opportunity for mobile Linux is estimated at 2 billion. With 2.5 billion mobile users in Indian and China alone, Azingo is very upbeat about its product. "Azingo has established relationships with six of the top base-band providers and four top global mobile operators. Azingo offers a complete Linux platform and engineering services aimed at providing a one-stop solution for designing and commercializing new mobile phone products," said Veerina. Azingo is a core member of the LiMo Foundation. The foundation's mission is to catalyze next-generation mobile consumer experiences by delivering an open and globally consistent software platform based upon mobile Linux. The LiMo Foundation is open to all vendors and service providers in the mobile communications marketplace including device manufacturers, operators, chipset manufacturers, independent software vendors, integrators and third party developers, Veerina said.

^^^ @Ananta My dear friend, as you know that LG RD6100 doesn't have modem. So you can't use netconnect with this handset. As, to use Netconnect with your mobile your handset must have a modem. Regards.

Now Access MySpace on the iPhone MySpace has announced a highly-integrated new MySpace Mobile experience customized and available via the Apple Apps Store launching today along with the iPhone 3G. This free MySpace mobile application for the iPhone promises to empower users seamlessly traverse their MySpace global network on-the-go. A key feature is instant photo uploading from the iPhone to a MySpace profile. MySpace claims the new mobile application is a deeply optimized, engaging experience designed for the portable screen of the iPhone. At the launch, Chris DeWolfe, chief executive officer and co-founder of MySpace Mobile on iPhone, said, "The global MySpace community will love MySpace Mobile on iPhone. With rich features such as seamless photo uploading from iPhone to your MySpace profile, the MySpace Mobile application is gorgeous, and as intuitive as possible -- empowering the community with complete control over their global MySpace network right from the palm of their hand." For MySpace, mobile is a significant element of its global business strategy, providing a new channel for users to connect with each other and for advertisers to target a highly-engaged audience. With MySpace Mobile on iPhone, MySpace aims to cater to users demanding an on-the-go MySpace experience. John Faith, general manager and vice president (Mobile) of MySpace, said, "The iPhone is a natural fit for a MySpace application. There is hipness to this device that resonates with our core audience. Through our design, we encapsulated the core aspects of social networking and created a natural feel for an iPhone user." MySpace claims the new application is fully optimized for delivery of content and data to each user while preserving aspects of the iPhone that users love. MySpace Mobile on iPhone brings a customized iPhone User Interface (UI) by integrating MySpace's core social networking components with iPhone's capabilities. MySpace Mobile on iPhone harnesses the power of the touch-screen by using the same touch functionality as native iPhone applications, MySpace claims. The application is marked by ease-of-navigation and quick access speeds, making it the best way to experience MySpace on the iPhone. Other features include the ability to stay connected with friends through a full messaging interface; easy navigation using standard iPhone touch support, real-time friend, status, and mood updates, camera integration and optimized photo management, and 360-degrees feedback mechanism to contribute to future iterations of the product. Starting today, customers can download the free MySpace mobile application from Apple's Apps Store on their iPhone and iPod touch or at www.itunes.com/appstore/. The application will be immediately available worldwide in English, and will be available in a total of 12 languages by the end of July 2008. Courtesy : Techtree