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TRAI updates guidelines to combat recurring SMS/call spam

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The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India is employing constructive efforts to combat the recurring mobile spam problem. According to the new guidelines laid down by TRAI, telemarketers will have to cross-check their database of mobile phone numbers with the National Consumer Preference Registry (NCPR) twice a week. The mandate has been levied even for mobile operators to perform second-level checks for ensuring that their mobile subscribers aren’t receiving SMS spam.

To aid that, SMS GupShup has developed an application &#151 Scrubber, for large and small telecom operators to scrub mobile as well as landline numbers. The will be able to classify numbers according to the new TRAI guidelines and will make the tedious process of cross-checking data with NCPR easier.

In case you are not aware, anyone can register his/her mobile number with the National Consumer Preference Registry for the Do Not Call. Here is the link to a guide to register your preferences on receiving commercial communications (promotional SMSs or calls).

How to register for Do Not Call/Disturb

For starters you can either call or send an SMS to 1909, which is a toll free number.Those who wish to call 1909 and register will have to choose between either an interactive voice response system or a customer care executive.

Further, mobile subscribers have to choose between full blocked category (No calls or SMS) or partially blocked category (No calls but SMSs on selected subjects). For the partially blocked category mobile subscribers can choose to receive communications related to banking, insurance, financial products, real estate, education, health, consumer goods , automobiles, communication, broadcasting, entertainment, IT, tourism and leisure.

After you complete the registration process the mobile service provider will send you a confirmation SMS with a unique registration number. You are required to save that number for future reference.

How to file a complaint

Complaints against a telemarketer can be filed only after successful registration with the NCPR. There are two requirements to be met before filing a complaint. The first is that the complaint needs to be registered within three days (72 hours) from the time that unsolicited SMSs/calls are received. Secondly, the complaint must be filed using the number on which the unsolicited SMS/call was received.

Complaints against a spamming telemarketer can be registered by calling the toll free number 1909 or by sending an SMS to 1909.

Those who wish to register a complaint through SMS should send: COMP TELNOXXXXXXXXXXdate/month/yearTimeHour: Min

Here XXXXXXXXXX stands for the number from which the SMS was received or the header of the SMS.

Alternatively, you can call 1909 and either go through the IVRS system or talk with a customer care executive for registering your complaint.

On successfully registering a complaint the registrant will receive an SMS with a unique complaint number.

At any point of time, if you want to de-register or change your options then too you can call 1909 and follow the necessary procedure.

Do note that telemarketers aren’t eligible to market their products between 9:00 PM to 9:00 AM. Any telemarketer violating these terms can be de-registered based on the complaint of a mobile consumer.

LG Optimus 3D debuts with 17 stereoscopic 3D games

samir-makwana
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To cash in on the gaming mania, LG has come out with Optimus 3D which has now become the first smartphone to have glasses-free 3D display.

LG Optimus 3D comes with 17 Stereoscopic 3D (S-3D) games exclusively developed by Gameloft, a leading mobile video game developer. Three full versions of stereoscopic-3D Gameloft games will come pre-installed in Optimus 3D.

It features a dual-core 1GHz and dual 5 megapixel camera to capture images in 3D. We expect this smartphone to launch in India soon but the company is yet to confirm it.

The 4.3-inch display screen is capable of showing 3D without usage of any glasses and has LG 3D running on top of 2.2 Froyo interface. At the back lies two 5 megapixel cameras that are capable of recording video in 1080p and 3D video in 720p HD.

Amidst the big push of 3D gaming, LG has taken lead in stereoscopic 3D gaming for mobile phones. Gameloft developed 17 stereoscopic games specifically for the LG Optimus 3D smartphone. Out of those games full versions of three games come pre-installed &#151 Asphalt 6: Adrenaline, N.O.V.A. (Near Orbit Vanguard Alliance) and Let’s Golf! 2. Rest of the games are available through the 3D games icon accessible through the device’s interface.

Full versions of three Gameloft titles will come pre-installed on new Optimus 3D smartphones with the remaining S-3D games available for download at significantly discounted prices for LG Optimus 3D owners. The three included S-3D games are Asphalt 6: Adrenaline, N.O.V.A. — Near Orbit Vanguard Alliance and Let’s Golf! 2.

The games received wide acclaim in their original versions and were specifically chosen for the realism and immersive game play they would provide when digitally re-mastered into S-3D.

LG claims of using a special software, which is not available on any other device, on Optimus 3D that allows for real-time conversion of 2D photo and video content into 3D.

Furthermore, LG plans to release a free software that can convert 2D games to 3D for content creation. This software will be available for download to all Optimus 3D owners in the third quarter.

Apparently, LG Optimus 3D will be competing with HTC Evo 3D smartphone which is expected to hit Indian shores in coming two months. Both LG and HTC are ensuring to offer enough entertaining content for the users to enjoy the new “3D phenomenon” that’s been buzzing ever since the start of this year.

In the USA, HTC EVO 3D smartphone is available for $500 (Rs 22,500 approximately) without contract and also has better display resolution, bit faster 1.2Ghz Qualcomm CPU, and other features are almost similar to the ones in Optimus 3D.

Nokia promises to support MeeGo for years

samir-makwana
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Despite its transition to Windows Phone 7 platform, Nokia will support the MeeGo mobile operating system for years to come and will continue to release its updates in future as well.
“We will support NokiaN9 for years and release several SW updates,” said Klaus Stroem, head of portfolio management in marketing for Nokia, in a Twitter post.

For readers, Nokia N9 is the only MeeGo device available today and this announcement only underlines the fact we said in the first paragraph.

Last month, Nokia CEO Stephen Elop said in an interview that the company will continue supporting and rolling out updates for Symbian until 2016.

Nokia won’t switch over to Windows Phone mobile operating system immediately but was not open about how long will the Symbian devices continue to sell.

Recently at the launch of Nokia X7, Viral Oza, director for marketing, Nokia India, stated that the MeeGo will be part of company’s disruption plans and as of now there are no plans of any new handsets. Development based on user feedback would continue and accordingly the company will roll out software updates for the Nokia N9.

Nokia in coming years may stop releasing and selling new handsets for Symbian and MeeGo platforms. However, the company will certainly continue to provide software updates for the existing handsets and couple more to come. Eventually, the company plans to shift heavily to Windows Phone 7 mobile OS for its smartphones. Not only that, Nokia seems to be working on based offerings as well and the prototype was spotted online.

We anticipate Nokia N9 to be released in India before the end of this year but there is no information on the approximate date or price.

People play more and work less on smartphones: Survey

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People play more on their smartphones than work, says an interesting survey conducted by Nielsen Research.

Out of all smartphone owners in the USA, the research company quizzed, 64 per cent say they played games in the past month on their devices; whereas only 21 per cent used it for productivity apps. Other apps which are popular on smartphones include weather, maps and social networking apps.

A Nielsen blog post says, “Among smartphone consumers who have played mobile games in the past 30 days, those with iPhones, Windows 7 phones or phones are the most likely to have downloaded the games they played, while those with Blackberry phones or feature phones tend to play pre-loaded games.”

“The average mobile gamer plays an average of 7.8 hours a month. Those with iPhones tend to play around 14.7 hours each month while those with Android smartphones play around 9.3 hours per month,” it further added.

An earlier survey, conducted by Nielsen in September 2010, also showed similar results saying games were the most popular but with a slightly smaller market share.

Nielsen surveys over 20,000 mobile users every month both online and by telephone for collecting information on different topics.

Android users play mobile games on their devices for 9.3 hours every month, whereas Windows Phone 7 and BlackBerry users play games for 4.7 hours and 4.5 hours every month. Nielsen also found that 93 per cent smartphone users were open to the idea of paying for mobile games.

The news turns out to be not so good for companies which had begun to allow, although unwittingly, their employees to bring their iPhones and Android devices to work.

While it is not possible to stop the employees from bringing their own smartphones at work, the companies can definitely adopt better policies to manage the smartphone usage so the productivity doesn’t suffer and employees too do not feel unfairly restricted. Employees using smartphones may also end up downloading something on the company network which may not be in the interest of the organisation.

Notably, Gartner had earlier estimated that the worldwide gaming spend was going to increase up to $74 billion in 2011.

Prepare for IIT with Tata Docomo Tutor on Mobile

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Tata Docomo has launched a service called Tutor on Mobile (TOM), which is a knowledge marketplace packed with premium educational content, and easy learning mechanisms.

The service gives content on educational and career related topics, and provides tutor content to Class X, XII, IIT and Engineering students, enabling students to learn on the move. Students can also take mock tests through this service.

The service has been launched in association with Voicetap Technologies (a 2 year old technology start-up founded by INSEAD and IIT alumni), and enables subject experts to broadcast their knowledge to the world by hosting Knowledge Conference Calls and make money doing so.

Tutor on Mobile (TOM) uses Voicetap’s oneTAP platform to aggregate and deliver content across various mediums including IVR(interactive voice response), IVVR (interactive voice and video response), Web, and SMS, so depending on users handset capability the service will be delivered according to the choice of the user.

The content provided is in the form of videos, text, images, live interactions, pod casts (voice broadcast) or even knowledge conferences, where one can join an experts session (virtual class room, both voice and video).

Talking about Voicetap’s first major launch in India, Mrigank Tripathi, founder and chief executive officer, said, “With college admissions season on the brink, Voicetap team has already hosted series of Knowledge Conference Calls on Delhi University Admissions, Engineering College Admissions and Career Counseling Sessions and has a whole series planned on admissions, career and other such topics”.

Gurinder Singh Sandhu, head corporate marketing, Tata Teleservices Limited, said, “The service liberates from a classroom session to a complete mobile way of learning a language and we hope our subscribers will reap the benefits of the application in the days to come.”

Voicetap currently has over 60 expert partners, who have signed up for TOM to reach out to new customers. TOM will let users search for various topics on which they want to acquire knowledge.

The knowledge will be provided to users through SMS, WAP, Web, IVR and IVVR. Customers can subscribe the service by three different ways, first by sending a free to ‘TOM’ to 5333300, secondly through SMS link for free and thirdly, through website tom.tatadocomo.com (to be used for only previews and uploading user videos).

Currently the service gives menu options through the WAP site mentioned above. And soon the service will also be available through application which will give better menu options.

The service is free for the first month as promotional plan. From the second month onwards, users have to pay Rs 15 per month for all the content including podcasts. There will be no data charges as the browsing is free. However, if one needs expert advice then that will be charged separately based on the expert he/she chooses.

Zen Mobile launches a smart, stylish but cost-effective handset M-72

The Mobile Indian Network
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Zen Mobile, an Indian handset maker, has launched its latest M-72 dual feature-rich mobile phone.

Zen M-72 comes in bright red and white colour with a 2.4″ coloured display screen. It can play Mp3, Mp4 files and has FM Radio. The phone comes with a 1.3 camera, which is also able to capture video.

Commenting on the launch, Deepesh Gupta, managing director, Zen Mobile, said, “The aim is to meet the ever changing needs of our Indian consumers and make mobile communication available to the widest possible audience at most affordable price.”

This dual SIM handset is powered by 1800mAh battery which ensures a long 40 days battery standby time. Zen M72 is also equipped with dual Torch on the top with 3.5mm Jack.

Besides, Zen M-72 has some features like Hindi language support, Bluetooth, speakerphone, sound recorder, calendar with schedule, alarm, world clock, anti theft mobile tracker and private data protection facility.

Family Plan for Tata Indicom, Tata Walky postpaid users

The Mobile Indian Network
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Tata Teleservices has launched a new plan, called Family Plan, for its Tata Indicom and Tata Walky postpaid customers.

Under the plan, users of a group can pool their free SMSes and minutes, besides enjoying unlimited free local CUG (closed user group). Also, if the users go for this plan, they will be able to receive one single bill for the entire month.

“Starting today, all our Tata Indicom and Tata Walky post-paid customers can stop worrying about managing multiple bills, plans, payment datelines, etc. With this plan, they will benefit from buying into telecom as a single unit and eat from a large common pool of minutes and SMSes. We are certain that this plan has enough potential and would truly lure our target segment in a big way,” Sanjeev Khera, regional hub head (South India) and chief operating officer, CDMA Operations, Karnataka circle, Tata Teleservices Limited, said.

Tata Teleservices will be charging a monthly rental of Rs 499 for three family members. The users will be allowed to add two more family members to the group, and each new member will be costing Rs 150 per month. Users will be able to avail the benefit of pay per second plan and they will be able to make calls at 1 paise per second. The SMSes would cost 50 paise per message.

Moreover, all the family members can pool in Rs 450 worth of local/STD calls and 100 local/STD SMSes every month. Additionally, family members can enjoy free unlimited local CUG amongst themselves. This plan also offers usage control function so that customers can keep complete control over their spending.

MS Dhoni autographed phones up for auction

The Mobile Indian Network
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Maxx mobile is holding charity auction of two of its handsets autographed by the Indian cricket team captain and its brand ambassador Mahendra Singh Dhoni.

The handsets, on auction, are the MSD7 in a black and orange colour, and the M2020 which is golden in colour.

The 10 day auction goes live on July 5 and ends on July 15 this year. The bidding price of the auction starts at Rs 1. The proceeds from this auction will be forwarded to MS Dhoni Charitable Foundation which aims to reach out to all the sections of the society irrespective of caste, creed or religion and provide them with all kinds of support to excel in cricket.

Mahendra Singh Dhoni, founder, Mahendra Singh Dhoni Charitable Foundation says, “I began the foundation with a vision to recognise the talent in the field of cricket at the local level and provide them with the platform to be coached and groomed and to help them make a career for themselves in the field they passionately believe in. We are thankful to Maxx Mobiles for supporting us in this initiative and for truly understanding its consumers by developing and auctioning my autographed phones as the passion of cricket resides in all Indians today. I, therefore persuade all the fans to log on and bid generously!

Saregama, Timbremedia to launch mobile radio

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Saregama, Timbremedia to launch mobile radio

Timbremedia, which has been set up by ex employees of World Space radio, is planning to launch mobile internet radio in India. It is talking to operators to launch the service within the next two-three months.

Saregama, one of the largest music labels in the country, has bought 10 per cent stake in Timbremedia, and will provide music content to the mobile radio service.

Adarsh Gupta, business head of music at Saregama India, said to ‘The Mobile Indian’, “Mobile radio business in India is booming, and we in partnership with Timbremedia will launch services to cash in on the growth.”

He added, “We have the largest repository of Indian music with us, this will be available to the listeners through our Mobile Radio service. We will use both voice and data channels of the service providers to launch these services.”

The service will be delivered through voice, wherein users need to call a pre-defined number to listen to the radio channel of their choice. Another medium will be an that can be downloaded onto a mobile device and that will stream live radio using data channels.

Talking to ‘The Mobile Indian’, M Sebastian, chief operating officer of Timbremedia, said, “We will have several channels based on different genres of music, so that users have maximum options. Some of these channels will be similar to what was available on World Space radio service, and there will be other customised channels if the operators want them.”

He added, “Worldspace stations like Farishta, Jhankaar, Gandharv, and Shruti, to name a few, will be back again soon on mobile and other platforms.”

The two companies plan to use content from Saregama’s library as well as from other popular labels to provide non stop Indian music ranging from old Hindi films, Hindustani classical, Carnatic classical, new Hindi music, ghazals, and stations in major Indian languages.

The pricing and brand name has not been decided as of now as that will be done in talks with mobile operators who launch the service. However, it is likely to be similar to what is available on DTH, where you can choose from a bouquet of channels and then pay for only those.

It can also be a monthly subscription model (data charges might be included in that) so that users get to listen to unlimited music and channels once they pay a monthly fee.

Sony S-1, S-2 tablets later this year

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Sony S-1, S-2 tablets later this year

While the market is flooded with tablets Sony plans to take a different path with two entertainment tablets, the S1 and S2. To lay hands on these tablets, users will have to wait till the end of the year when Sony plans to start shipping them around the world.

Sony S1 is a 9.4 inch tablet with a curved top, much like a folded magazine, which makes it easy to handle for longer hours. The S2 is a dual screen design tablet aimed particularly at people looking for both mobility and usability. Both devices use Nvidia Tegra 2 processors and run a customised version of Android 3.0 operating system.

Both devices will feature the PlayStation suite which will enable them to download and play PS certified content.

There is not much difference between the two tablets as far as functionality and hardware go.

S1 and S2 will come with integrated support for Sony’s Qriocity service that allows streaming of multimedia content to various Sony devices like Bravia, playstation etc. Along with that, both tablets will also be Digital Living Network Alliance (DLNA) certified, which will help users play multimedia content from the tablet on a DLNA capable display such as a TV. S1 will also be compatible with a Sony remote control that will work on a number of Sony devices.

The company has kept pricing details under wraps till now but looking at the ever growing competition, these tablets are expected to be competitively priced.

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