Tata Tele offers bill payment service through SMS

Tata Teleservices today announced the launch of a pre-paid top-up and post-paid bill payment services through SMS

 

The company has entered into a partnership with mChek to offer this service in the doemstic telecom space, a company statement issued here said.

The payment can be made using credit cards, the release said.

To avail the service subscribers have to send an SMS from their Tata Indicom mobile phone. They will then receive an a automated call back on the phone to register their credit card number and approval for the transaction, the statement added.Source:business-standard.com

 

World's first colour e-book

Fujitsu has launched the world's first e-book with a colour display in Japan, the company said today.

 

When used with a separate memory card, the paperback-sized gadget dubbed the "FLEPia" can store the equivalent of 5,000 conventional books.

It weighs 385 grams, is 12.5 milimetres (half an inch) thick and has a 20-centimetre 'electronic paper' display that can show 260,000 colours.

Equipped with Bluetooth and high-speed wireless LAN, it can operate 40 hours when fully charged, the company said.

Online sales began yesterday, priced at 99,750 yen (about $1,000). The company aims to sell 50,000 units in two years.

"We are seeing very good customer interest since the launch," said Makoto Saito, spokesman for Fujitsu Frontech, which developed the device.

Fujitsu hopes to sell the e-book abroad in the future, Saito said.

Source:business-standard.com

LG’s cool phones for the youth

New Delhi, Feb 19, 2009: LG Electronics India Pvt. Ltd. (LGEIL) is all set to strike a cord with the young at heart yet again with the launch of its three new, exciting and contemporary mobile phones – KS360, KM710 and KF300. The sleek QWERTY slider phone - KS360, the music phone - KM710 and a fashion phone with an external LCD display - KF300 will surely excite the next-gen.   Riding on their features, these uniquely stylish phones will enhance and enrich the music, imaging and slider experience of young Indian consumers. The handsets are packed with all elements that one might require to stay in constant touch with friends via phone calls or SMS, listen to the favourite numbers, games to play at leisure, capture life's beautiful and unexpected moments or to make a style statement. Bundled with these impressive features, the aesthetically designed cell phones offer a perfect option for the youngsters today. Apart from being trendy cool gadgets, the features of the phones also assist in meeting with professional objectives with its web functions.

Expressing his views, Mr. Anil Arora, Business Group Marketing Head, Mobile Communication, LG Electronics Pvt Ltd said, "At LG, we understand that todays mobile phones have transcended from their functional use and become a style statement. We work towards to meet the growing demand of the new world with our innovative and latest world class products at affordable prices. With the launch of these three phones, we are offering perfect options for youth. These phones are packed with dynamic features to meet the needs of today's generation. We are confident that our new offering will be well accepted and live up to the expectations of the consumers."

 

Experience QWERTY with KS360

KS360 is packed with 2.4" touch screen dialling, a sliding keypad with QWERTY keypad and  a plethora of entertainment options, an internal memory of 14 MB and an external memory of 2GB micro SD cards to create your favorite music list what more the phone comes bundled with a 1Gb card to  build up images and store videos.

 

KS 360 offers great convenience to consumers to type SMS quickly and also has threaded message feature where SMS conversations appear as treaded messages.

KS360 offers group messaging of upto 100 contacts with supported languages of English and Hindi ensuring that you are never too away from your friends. The phone has embedded applications like Yahoo search, NDTV active, USB charging, document viewer and many more. And this wasn't enough; this perfect mobile for the next generation also has an Anti-theft Mobile Tracker that eases out tracking of the lost mobile.

Build your passion for Music with KM710

KM710 is an ultimate portable music phone with music control key on visual wheel which render liveliness to the phone while playing music or using camera or other features of the phone. The handset has an interactive dual display and is also touch sensitive dynamic. With a digital zoom 4X, a 3 mega-pixel camera and video recording, the phone can capture continuous shots. LG KM710 has a vast memory package extending upto 4GB with an internal memory of 15 MB with 1 GB bundled memory. Banking on audio and animation, the phone fits well in the best buyer phone for its extensive features and added benefits.

 

KF300 enhances the looks with its laser cut design and large LCD

Making it more impressive in looks, LG KF300 is presented in a laser cut design with an external LCD. The phone has 2.2" QVGA display screen with a large keypad making it convenient for typing SMS or calling. It also has a variable font size, mobile tracker and an internal memory of upto 14MB. KF300 packs in 4 hot keys for putting on an alarm, schedule, and view photo album and add anything to favourite. Only 98grams in weight, the phone has a 2 mega-pixel camera, FM, MP3, Bluetooth and talktime of upto 5 hours. With variable font size it s convenient to use for all and offers easy usability for the

Complementing the personality of the users by providing a peerless experience, LG KS360, KM710 and KF300 are available at all retail outlets. LG KS360 is priced at Rs 11,500/- (MRP) and comes in stylish black and grey color, KM710 is priced at Rs 12,500/- (MRP) and is available in black color and LG KF300, priced at Rs 8500/- (MRP). source:.india-cellular.com

SAMSUNG launches India's First 8-Megapixel Touch Screen Camera Phone

New Delhi, March 5 , 2009 – Reaffirming its 'Next is What?' positioning and strengthening its touch screen product portfolio , Samsung Mobile today announced the introduction of  India's first 8-megapixel touch screen camera phone, the SAMSUNG Pixon (M8800). The other touch screen phones in the Samsung product portfolio include Samsung OMNIA(i900), Samsung TouchWiz (F480) , both having 5 mega pixel camera resolutions as well as Samsung i780 ,which is a sleek smart device featuring a full QWERTY keyboard and full touch screen.   SAMSUNG Pixon features the latest camera functions found in Digital Cameras, like Advanced Shake Reduction, Blink detection, Smile detection, Face detection , Panoramic shot etc. The photographs taken on the phone can be edited and users can even make a photo memo by scribbling on the photos. The phone facilitates easy mobile blogging and makes it fun to see and share pictures - just by tilting the phone, pictures will scroll through for a great viewing experience.  It has video recording capability and TV output for both PAL and NTSC systems.

 

The 8.1cm WQVGA large full touch screen of the Samsung Pixon has the amazing Samsung TouchWiz user interface for intuitive tap, sweep, drag and drop operations  as well as live Home Screen Widgets like weather info , google search etc. This 3G phone comes with an onscreen QWERTY keyboard and on screen handwriting recognition for emailing, messaging and other inputs. "Samsung Pixon is made for users who want to experience the best multimedia entertainment on their mobile phone with the ease of a touch. Right from enjoying music and videos on the 8.1cm wide full touch screen, to high quality image & video capturing, to sharing them with their friends and family, Samsung Pixon offers consumers the real benefit of mobile entertainment," states Mr. Sunil Dutt, Country Head, Samsung Telecom Division.

 

Samsung Pixon supports a wide range of video player formats including DivX, Xvid, mp4 through which users can enjoy an exciting pocket cinema experience on its 8.1cm wide screen, along with automatic screen orientation, making every video clip and movie more realistic than ever. Samsung Pixon also sports an advanced Music Player with SRS 3D surround sound. 

 

Samsung Pixon is also ideal for enthusiastic gamers. It comes pre-embedded with host of popular games like Brain Challenge, Diamond Twister and Millionaire-3. Apart from these, users can also enjoy the motion-sensor based game - Tumbling Dice game can be played by shaking the handset. The Samsung Pixon also offers the best ever mobile web browsing experience with both HSDPA high speed Internet with upto 7.2 download speed and UMTS capability that offer convenient and uninterrupted internet experience to the users.

 

The SAMSUNG Pixon is priced at an MRP of Rs.28,750/- Source:.india-cellular.com

Local, STD tariffs may drop further

NEW DELHI: Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) on Monday reduced the termination charge for all types of domestic calls, a move that hasthe potential of further reducing local call rates and STD tariffs. This can reduce tariffs for calls made from any type of phone, fixed or mobile, to any other phone within India.

With the exception of some special packages, the average local call tariff is in the range of 80 to 90 paise/minute with an average STD tariff of Rs 1.25/minute. Now these average rates could come down by 10 paise/minute as TRAI has reduced the existing termination charge of 30 paise/minute to 20 paise.

Termination charge is a charge payable by your operator to a rival service provider when you call a subscriber on that network. Termination charge currently represents nearly 30% of local call tariffs. The new rates are effective from April 1, onwards and are also applicable for 3G voice calls.

Even though there is a linkage between lower termination charge and lower tariffs the result is not as obvious or immediate. Lower termination charges do not mandate operators to lower tariffs though it provides a strong incentive to do so. TRAI chairman N Misra told TOI, "Tariffs are a function of market forces. It is not mandatory upon operators to reduce the tariffs".

Apart from the consumers, the main beneficiaries of a lower termination charge are new entrants in the telecom business or those who have entered the GSM business recently. Incumbents such as Bharti, Vodafone, Idea and BSNL have the most to lose since a reduction in termination charges reduces one of their most profitable and guaranteed streams of revenue. This move is also likely to split the already fragmented industry down the middle yet again.

The COAI has reacted sharply to the downward revision of termination charges, suggesting that TRAI did not appear to have factored in all costs. According to them mobile termination is closer to 35 paise per minute and could worsen the already widening urban-rural divide.

TRAI has also increased the termination charge for calls to Indian phones from international callers from 30 paise to 40 paise/minute. This has no impact on Indian consumers. While this might mean a mild 2% increase in call rates to India, the implications are far more severe with respect to the illegal grey market.

TRAI in its various consultation papers and orders since 2003 has repeatedly recognized that any artificial difference between international and local termination charges leads to a grey market which in turn means a loss to the exchequer and an increased risk to national security. Agrees Mahesh Uppal, Director, Com First Ltd and independent telecom consultant, "Creating an artificial difference in termination rates for domestic and international incoming calls is not very smart as this offers an arbitrage opportunity that invites clever ways of avoiding this cost", he says.

The mobile industry, which will gain from higher international termination charges on the other hand, has welcomed the move, calling it a small step in the right direction. Source:timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Mobile technologies for 2009

Display technologies

 

Displays constrain many characteristics of both mobile devices and applications. During 2009 and 2010, several new display technologies will impact the marketplace, including active pixel displays, passive displays and pico projectors.

Pico projectors enable new mobile use cases (for example, instant presentations projected on a desktop to display information in a brief, face-to-face sales meeting). Battery life improvements are welcome for any user. Good off-axis viewing enables images and information to be shared more easily. Passive displays in devices, such as e-book readers, offer new ways to distribute and consume documents. Display technology will also become an important differentiator and a user selection criterion

 

Mobile Web and widgets

 

The mobile Web is emerging as a low-cost way to deliver simple mobile applications to a range of devices. It has some limitations that will not be addressed by 2010 (for example, there will be no universal standards for browser access to handset services, such as the camera or GPS).

However, the mobile Web offers a compelling total cost of ownership (TCO) advantage over thick-client applications. Widgets (small mobile Web applets) are supported by many mobile browsers, and provide a way to stream simple feeds to handsets and small screens. Mobile Web applications will be a part of most B2C mobile strategies. Thin-client applications are also emerging as a practical solution to on-campus enterprise applications using Wi-Fi or cellular connections.

 

Cellular broadband

 

Wireless broadband exploded in 2008, driven by the availability of technologies such as high-speed downlink packet access and high-speed uplink packet access, combined with attractive pricing from cellular operators.

The performance of high-speed packet access (HSPA) provides a megabit or two of bandwidth in uplink and downlink directions, and often more. In many regions, HSPA provides adequate connectivity to replace Wi-Fi "hot spots," and the availability of mature chipsets enables organisations to purchase laptops with built-in cellular modules that provide superior performance to add-on cards or dongles.

 

Near Field Communication (NFC)

 

NFC provides a simple and secure way for handsets to communicate over distances of a centimeter or two. NFC is emerging as a leading standard for applications such as mobile payment, with successful trials conducted in several countries. It also has wider applications, such as "touch to exchange information" (for example, to transfer an image from a handset to a digital photo frame, or for a handset to pick up a virtual discount voucher).

Gartner does not expect much of the NFC payment or other activities to become common, even by 2010, in mature markets, such as Western Europe and the US. NFC is likely to become important sooner in emerging markets, with some deployments starting by 2010.

Source:infotech.indiatimes.com

Mobile technologies for 2009

Bluetooth 3.0

 

Bluetooth 3.0 specification will be released in 2009 , with devices starting to arrive around 2010. Bluetooth 3.0 will likely include features such as ultra-low-power mode that will enable new devices, such as peripherals and sensors, and new applications, such as health monitoring.

Bluetooth originated as a set of protocols operating over a single wireless bearer technology. Bluetooth 3.0 is intended to support three bearers: 'classic' Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and ultrawideband (UWB). It's possible that more bearers will be supported in the future. Wi-Fi is likely to be a more important supplementary bearer than UWB in the short term, because of its broad availability. Wi-Fi will allow high-end phones to rapidly transfer large volumes of data.

 

Mobile User Interfaces (UIs)

 

UIs have a major effect on device usability and supportability. They will also be an area of intense competition in 2009 and 2010, with manufacturers using UIs to differentiate their handsets and platforms. New and more-diverse UIs will complicate the development and support of business-to-employee (B2E) and business-to-consumer (B2C) applications.

Organisations should expect more user demands for support of specific device models driven by interface preferences. Companies should also expect consumer interfaces to drive new expectations of application behavior and performance. Better interfaces will make the mobile Web more accessible on small devices, and will be a better channel to customers and employees.

 

Location sensing

 

 Location awareness makes mobile applications more powerful and useful; in the future, location will be a key component of contextual applications. Location sensing will also enhance systems, such as mobile presence and mobile social networking.

The growing maturity of on-campus location sensing using Wi-Fi opens up a range of new applications exploiting the location of equipment or people. Organisations delivering business or consumer applications should explore the potential of location sensing; however, exploiting it may create new privacy and security challenges.

 

802.11n

 

802.11n boosts Wi-Fi data rates to between 100 Mbps and 300 Mbps, and the multiple-input, multiple-output technology used by 802.11n offers the potential for better coverage in some situations. 802.11n is likely to be a long-lived standard that will define Wi-Fi performance for several years.

High-speed Wi-Fi is desirable to stream media around the home and office. From an organisational perspective, 802.11n is disruptive; it's complex to configure, and is a "rip and replace" technology that requires new access points, new client wireless interfaces, new backbone networks and a new power over Ethernet standard.

However, 802.11n is the first Wi-Fi technology to offer performance on a par with the 100 Mbps Ethernet commonly used for wired connections to office PCs. It is, therefore, an enabler for the all-wireless office, and should be considered by companies equipping new offices or replacing older 802.11a/b/g systems in 2009 and 2010. Source:infotech.indiatimes.com

 

HTC TOUCH

Features:

 

·          Network Frequency: GSM 900 / 1800 / 1900

·          Network Type: GSM

·          Form Factor: Bar

·          Size: 99.9 x 58 x 13.9 mm

·          Weight: 112 g

·          Ringtones: Polyphonic (40 channels), MP3

·          Vibration: Yes

·          Phonebook: Photo call

·          Messaging: SMS, MMS, Email, Instant Messaging

·          Display Type: TFT touchscreen, 65K colors

·          Display Size: 240 x 320 pixels, 2.8 inches

·          Other Display Properties: TouchFLO finger swipe navigation Handwriting recognition

·          Phone Memory: 64 MB RAM, 128 MB ROM

·          Card Slot: microSD

·          Capacity: Standard battery, Li-Ion 830 mAh (BL-6P)

·          StandBy Time: Up to 200 h

·          Talk Time: Up to 5 h

·          3G: No

·          EDGE: Yes

·          GPRS: Class 10 (4+1/3+2 slots), 32 - 48 kbps

·          Wi-Fi: Wi-Fi 802.11b/g

·          USB: Yes, miniUSB

·          Bluetooth: Yes, v2.0

·          Infrared: No

·          Camera: 2 MP, 1600x1200 pixels, video

·          OS: Windows Mobile 6.0 Professional

·          Music Player: MP3/AAC player

·          FM Radio: No

·          Games: Yes

SONY ERICSSON W910i Mobile Phone

Main Features:
• General Network HSDPA / GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900
• Size Dimensions 99 x 50 x 12.5 mm 
• Weight 86 g
• Display Type TFT, 256K colors
• Size 240 x 320 pixels, 2.4 inches
• Wallpapers, screensavers
• Ringtones Type Polyphonic (72 channels), MP3, AAC
• Customization Composer, download, order now
• Vibration  Yes
• Memory Phonebook Yes, Photo call
• Call records 30 received, dialed and missed calls
• Card slot Memory Stick Micro (M2)
• 40 MB internal memory
• Data GPRS Class 10 (4+1/3+2 slots), 32 - 48 kbps
• HSCSD No
• EDGE Yes
• 3G HSDPA, 3.6 Mbps (W910i only)
• WLAN No
• Bluetooth Yes, v2.0 with A2DP
• Infrared port No
• USB Yes, v2.0
• Features Messaging SMS, EMS, MMS, Email, Instant Messaging
• Browser WAP 2.0/xHTML, HTML(NetFront 3.3), RSS reader
• Games Yes + downloadable, order now
• Colors Hearty Red, Noble Black, Havana Bronze
• Camera 2 MP, 1600x1200 pixels, video(QVGA@15fps); secondary videocall camera
• Java MIDP 2.0
• FM radio with RDS
• Walkman 3.0 player
• TrackID music recognition
• T9
• Image viewer
• Picture editor
• Organiser
• Voice memo
• Built-in handsfree
• Battery   Standard battery, Li-Ion 930 mAh (BST-39)
• Stand-by Up to 400 h
• Talk time Up to 9 h

NOKIA N95 8GB Mobile Phone

 

Main Features:
• General Network HSDPA / GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900
• Size Dimensions 99 x 53 x 21 mm, 96 cc 
• Weight 128 g
• Display Type TFT, 16M colors
• Size 240 x 320 pixels, 2.8 inches
• Ringtones Type Polyphonic (64 channels), Monophonic, True Tones, MP3
• Customization Download
• Vibration  Yes
• Memory Phonebook Practically unlimited entries and fields, Photocall
• Call records Detailed, max 30 days
• Card slot No
• 8 GB internal memory
• Data GPRS Class 32, 107 / 64.2 kbps
• HSCSD Yes
• EDGE Class 32, 296 kbps; DTM Class 11, 177 kbps
• 3G HSDPA
• WLAN Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g, UPnP technology
• Bluetooth Yes, v2.0 with A2DP
• Infrared port Yes
• USB Yes, v2.0 miniUSB
• Features OS Symbian OS 9.2, S60 rel. 3.1
• Messaging SMS, MMS, Email, Instant Messaging
• Browser WAP 2.0/xHTML, HTML
• Games Downloadable, order now
• Colors Black
• Camera 5 MP, 2592 x 1944 pixels, Carl Zeiss optics, autofocus, video(VGA 30fps), flash; secondary CIF videocall camera
• Built-in GPS receiver
• A-GPS function
• Installed Maps application covering over 100 countries
• Dual slide design
• Java MIDP 2.0
• MP3/AAC/AAC+/eAAC+/WMA player
• 3.5 mm audio output jack
• TV out
• Stereo FM Radio
• Organizer
• Office document viewer
• T9
• Push to talk
• Voice dial/memo
• Built-in handsfree
• Battery   Standard battery, Li-Ion 1200mAH (BL-6F)
• Stand-by Up to 280 h
• Talk time Up to 6 h