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VoIP calls to domestic mobiles may soon be allowed

The Mobile Indian Network
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So far in India, services like Skype and Google Talk are not allowed to connect users to domestic mobile numbers. But that might soon change, with Department of Telecom planning to open the sector.

The Hindu Business Line has quoted some unnamed senior officials in the department who said a change in policy in this regard may be included in the New Telecom Policy, which is expected to be finalised by November.

“We have received representations from the industry and from within the DoT to open up net telephony. We are seriously looking at how to go about it,” said the top DoT official to the newspaper. The issue was also discussed at a July 13 meeting with Indian Telecom Services officers.

In 2008, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India had made a recommendation to allow unrestricted Net telephony to all operators including Internet Service Providers (ISPs), without imposing any additional entry fee or licence charges. However, the DoT had rejected the proposal at that time on grounds that it would disturb the level playing field with incumbent mobile operators that have paid Rs 1,650 crore as entry fee. But now the DoT is having a rethink since it is reviewing the telecom policy in its entirety.

Rajesh Charia, president, Internet service providers association of India, said to The Mobile Indian, “We have not received any such information. However, we will welcome such a move as we have been demanding that for a long time now”.

He added, “The space should be opened for all, but we do not know if some restrictions on the size of the company or a fees may be applied. If that happens, it will hamper the growth”.

If unrestricted net telephony is allowed, it will enable players such as the Mukesh Ambani-promoted Reliance Infotel, which recently bought wireless access spectrum, to offer voice services along with data. Reliance Infotel had bought the spectrum as an ISP.

Under existing rules, only operators with unified access services licence are allowed to offer unrestricted net telephony. However, none of the players, including Airtel, Vodafone and Idea Cellular, has launched it in India probably fearing losing their traditional minutes-based voice revenue.

Operators without unified access licence are allowed to offer net telephony services for international calling and PC-to-PC domestic calls. Removing the restrictions will allow all the broadband players who are rolling out fourth generation (4G) technology based networks to compete in the voice market. But here again most of the operators having got the license are mobile operators, who might not launch such a service.

It will also provide Internet companies such as Sify, Tulip Telecom and Net4India an opportunity to offer consumers both long-distance and local calls. This could also force the incumbent mobile players to launch the service. If that happens services such as Google Voice and Skype would be available on mobile phones.

These services, if started, will further reduce calling rates for people and also provide a push to broadband penetration in the country, fuelling a price war in this space as well, reducing the charges of broadband access.

To make Internet calls, one does not necessarily need to invest on a PC or an Internet-enabled mobile phone; one can also use a normal fixed-line telephone to make calls over the Internet. In this case too, subscribers will have to buy a pre-paid net telephony card which works just like the long-distance calling cards currently available in the market.

Free version of Fruit Ninja game available for Android

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The free version of Fruit Ninja, a popular mobile game, has now made its way to the Marketplace. The paid version of the game was there in the Android Marketplace for quite sometime though.

Simple yet intriguing game play is the USP of this game where the only requirement by the player is to slice the fruits thrown at them in the most unique way. The better the way and the more number of fruits one user will get with a single strike the more points they will get.

One can also share his score with fellow Fruit Ninja players across the globe through open feint integration in this game.

Fruit Ninja features three game play modes including Classic, Zen and the new Arcade, featuring power ups including Freeze, Frenzy and Double Score power ups at regular intervals. The Dojo section is the bonus section in the game that included unlockable blades and backgrounds which unlocks after some achievements.

Users can follow the direct link to the application for installing the same on their device and have some slicing action with the Fruit Ninja game.
Link: https://market.android.com/details?id=com.halfbrick.fruitninjafree

Control mini racing car from anywhere with Nokia N8

The Mobile Indian Network
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Nokia has launched a road show which lets the Nokia N8 users know the possibilities they can enjoy with their Nokia smartphone. The road show was started with Bollywood actor Gisselle Monteiro in New Delhi where Nokia showcased how users would be able to enjoy mini racing by remote controlling their mini racing cars through Nokia N8.

This was just a showcase of what the users would be able to do and is not available currently in the markets. Nokia has worked with Bangalore based developers Divum and the first project includes an running on the Nokia N8 that lets consumers control mini model cars through WiFi and motion sensing.

Nokia is also running a competition called, “Invent the future with Nokia”, inviting entries from consumers for their ideas on what they would want to control with the Nokia smartphone. The winner’s idea will be actioned in real-life – and they will get to work with the developers.

Users are able to actually control the remote controlled cars through WiFi and motion sensing using an app on Nokia N8, and the best part is users can control the cars through Internet irrespective of where they are located. Consumers will also be able to meet the developers behind the app, Divum, and get a sneak peek into their next project with the Nokia N8.

Announcing the competition, Viral Oza, director, marketing, Nokia India, said, “As a leader in mobile technology, innovation is always at the centre of what we do. Smart devices are one of the three key focus areas for Nokia, according to our global strategy announced earlier this year. We believe that smartphones will continue to evolve and enable consumers to communicate with a host of other gadgets & do a lot more with their devices.”

New Samsung smartphone to have glasses-free 3D display

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Samsung will release a new smartphone, dubbed as Galaxy 3D, with glasses-free 3D display in fourth quarter of this year, a website has reported.
The Samsung Galaxy 3D is expected to sport a 4.3-inch 3D display, Android 2.3 Gingerbread, 1.2Ghz Samsung Exynos processor, and twin 8-megapixel cameras.

This would be third such smartphone after the LG Optimus 3D and HTC EVO 3D smartphones. The price of these 3D smartphones is wee bit higher than the high-end Android devices. Samsung obviously noticed an opportunity here apparently started with the development of the Galaxy 3D smartphone, according to some analysts.

LG Optimus 3D handset comes with Android 2.2 Froyo update with dual-core 1GHz ARM Cortex-A9 architecture based processor. It would get the Android 2.3 Gingerbread update only in late October.

Whereas Samsung is planning to introduce Galaxy 3D with Android 2.3 Gingerbread pre-loaded and also a dual-core 1.2GHz Exynos processor.

At the back panel, Samsung Galaxy 3D would rest two 8-megapixel image sensor loaded cameras meant to record 3D in full resolutions. Based on that, we presume that the mobile phone will have a large dedicated for supporting the full HD 3D recording and playback of the content.

The details certainly look exciting but are the consumers really ready for 3D smartphones? Even if several are ready, there is a dearth of actual 3D content. That is why LG and other developers are working to bring the OpenGL supporting solutions that will convent the regular 2D into 3D for the glasses-free 3D smartphones.

Samsung is expected to launch the Galaxy 3D smartphone in the fourth quarter which may be by end of this year or at the Consumer Electronics Show 2011. So far, there’s no official intimation or word on the Galaxy 3D project.

Apple iPad more likely to be found in offices

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Personal smartphones and tablets are infiltrating the workspace faster than ever, and the push is being by Apple’s iOS.
According to a report by Good Technology, the tablet activations were higher than total mobile device activations in the second quarter of 2011. Out of all the mobile device activations, 27 per cent were iPads.

“In the second quarter of 2011, the most striking thing is users (surveyed by Good Technology) activated more iPad tablets than Android smartphones and tablets combined,” said John Herrema, senior vice president of corporate strategy at Good Technology.

“While Android may be gaining smartphone market share with consumers, our business users are clearly gravitating to the iPad and doing so in large numbers. This is especially true in the Financial Services sector, which drove nearly half of all Good’s iPad activations over the quarter.”

Among the smartphones alone, the company saw 66 per cent iPhone activations compared to 33 per cent Android smartphone activations. The momentum is clearly in favour of iPad since Android came late to the party, and there is no enterprise emphasis in Android tablets.

The Android tablets are primarily seen as personal devices, whereas iPad appears suitable for both personal and office uses.
Right now, iPad is well entrenched in the market whereas Android tablets is yet to come close to the Apple device in terms of sales numbers. But it’s not practical for iPad to be able to sustain such a large lead for a long time, and Android is likely to do some serious catching up soon.

On this regard, the Good Technology says, “As we saw with Android smartphones over the course of 2010, we do expect Android to narrow this huge gap in tablet activations. However, we don’t see that happening in 2011. The iPad 2 simply has too much momentum.”

Nokia N5 referred to FCC Labs, may be launched this year

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Nokia N5 referred to FCC Labs, may be launched this year

Previously leaked Nokia 600 or Nokia N5 handset has now been referred to the Federal Communication Commission Labs for certification – an indication that the N5 is very close to its launch, probably towards the end of this year.

As per the FCC filing hunted down by Engadget, the Nokia N5 will run a Symbian version – Symbian Belle update, besides featuring Bluetooth, and Near Field Communication capabilities. There is no word on the launch, approximate price and availability of this handset.

Last month, grainy images of the Nokia 600 Cindy model handset were leaked along with couple of details. The Nokia 600 Cindy would be branded as Nokia N5 and sport a 1GHz along with 5 camera.

Featuring a 3.2-inch screen, the Nokia N5 is referred as in the FCC filing as RM-701 and will support Network bands. Nokia had promised to roll out different software updates focusing on the User Interface, and other features. As per our assumption, Symbian Belle update will follow to the roll out of Symbian Anna update for Nokia devices.

With the FCC certification, we believe that Nokia N5 is getting ready for a launch along with couple of other devices any time soon before the end of this year.

Airtel hikes prepaid tariff: other may follow soon

The Mobile Indian Network
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The good days of low tariffs for mobile subscribers seems to be coming to an end with Bharti Airtel, the country’s largest wireless telecom player, announcing a raise in mobile tariffs by as much as 20 per cent on Friday.

Airtel announced increase in pre-paid tariff rates of its ‘Advantage’ and ‘Freedom’ packs – the two most popular packs that offered large discounts for calls and SMSes.

Users of Advantage pack, based on per minute billing, will now have to pay 60 paise instead of 50 paisa per minute for local and STD calls and 90 paise for calls to landlines.

Moreover, the company will charge Re 1 and Rs 1.5 for local and national SMSes respectively under the plan. The company announced that existing users will have to pay new rates after the validity of their existing packs end.

Similarly, the users of per second billing-based Freedom pack will be charged 1.2 paise for local and STD calls on mobile. The new tariff structure has been announced for Delhi, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala and Madhya Pradesh telecom circles. There is no change for subscribers of other circles right now.

Announcing the rate hike, an Airtel spokesperson said, “Telecom is probably the only industry where despite increasing inflation, tariffs have been falling unabatedly. Continuously declining margins, high and BWA auction prices, constrained spectrum and rural roll out aspirations leave us with little choice but to make some price corrections.”

Another large player, Tata Docomo recently stopped all free packs and raised its rate per SMS sharply to Re 1.

Though the number of mobile subscribers is still rising by around 12 million a month, the average revenue per user, an important indicator of the financial health, for the Indian players varies between Rs 105 per month to Rs 180 per month.

While the incumbent operators have been gradually phasing out some of the packs for reduced tariff, the newer operators are likely to use this as an opportunity to attract more subscribers and will not change rates.

Motorola to upgrade Defy processor

prasoon-kumar
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Motorola Defy smartphone may soon get a upgrade and is likely be called Motorola Defy+, according to a website.

Motorola Defy came to the market only one year ago, but it instantly struck a chord in the market by giving the users a rugged and strong handset. It gradually graduated from Eclair to Froyo and now there are hints it will be getting Gingerbread also.
Now as per the website, the Motorola Defy’s 800 OMAP 3610 Texas Instruments processor is likely to be upgraded to 1GHz OMAP 3620 TI processor.

Although the improvement is not really that big, the 25 per cent capacity jump in the processor will help Motorola Defy catch up some other handset models that have come out in the market in the meantime. The other specifications of the device such as 512MB of RAM, a 3.7-inch FWVGA display, and 2GM of internal flash storage are likely to remain the same.

The phone attracts attention due to its bezel free screen, which can easily handle moderate slips here and there, and occasional dip in the water as well.
We tried to find out if the new version of Motorola Defy would be coming to India as well, but at the time of writing the story, the Motorola India’s spokesperson was unavailable for comment. But the chances are, Motorola Defy in India will get the upgrade as well because all the Defy handsets in India come from the same source, and it’s unlikely Motorola will make different handset specifically for India.

LG Fantasy smartphone with Windows Phone 7 Mango revealed

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At the start of this month, we reported about the Windows Phone 7.5 Mango loaded LG E906 handset. Now the image of a purported LG handset, branded as LG Fantasy, has been acquired by PocketNow. There’s no word on the release date but expect this device to show up in sometime October this year.

Microsoft has promised to release the Windows Phone 7.5 Mango update by September but hasn’t given any fixed date or week for the same. In anticipation of that, we already reported about the slew of devices under development that will come pre-loaded with Mango update.

LG Fantasy LG-E906 handset may carry 400×800 for its display that appears to be above 4-inch. Fantasy expected to come with lots of new features with Mango pre-loaded and of course Internet Explorer 9.

LG Fantasy handset appears to be pretty similar to the HTC HD7. In fact, all Windows Phone 7 phones look sort of similar due to specific hardware requirements laid down by Microsoft. Let’s hope there are multiple options for Windows Phone 7.5 devices. Only then Microsoft would actually start competing with based handsets.

Smartphones you can gift on Parents’ day

rahul-gupta
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Smartphones you can gift on Parents’ day

Every year, the fourth Sunday of July is regarded to be the day to honour parents worldwide. There are many such days that focus on singularities like the Father’s day and Mother’s day as well but the significance of this day is more because on this day the whole world celebrates parenthood as a whole.

Every year on the Parent’s day, many of us gift our parents varied things like chocolates and flowers. But, this time let’s make it a little more memorable by gifting our parents the gift of communication.

In this modern world, where mobile phones have become a bare necessity everyone has a phone but there are still very less people who own a smartphone. So this Parents Day let’s gift our parent an upgrade to smartphones and let them also access the smarter side of mobile telephony. If they already own one, then these smartphones will serve as an upgrade for them to an even smarter device.

We have categorised smartphones on the basis of their functionality and usage and made out combinations for a neat little surprise for our parents and little more help for the reader.

Camera centric devices

Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc (Rs 27,000) for dad and Nokia N8 Pink (Rs 21,500) for mom:

Gone are the days when smartphones just used to be smarter data centric devices and nothing more. Today smartphones have conquered new frontiers be it multimedia or data usage. So if you are of the opinion that your parents need a camera based smartphone then the Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc and Nokia N8 Pink combo is the best for them.

Sony Ericsson Xperia arc features an 8 camera which offers superior imagery with the use of Sony’s patented Exmor sensor technology. This smartphone runs on the latest version of Google’s Gingerbread operating system and has a big 4.2 inch display to make things clear. Its 1 GHz processor ensures that things remain fluid while using this device and it also comes with an 8 of internal storage space.

The Nokia N8 Pink has been recently added to the Nokia smartphone lineup by Nokia specifically targeted at women who loves to take pictures. By far, Nokia N8 has the best camera ever to feature on a smartphone. And with the launch of the Symbian Anna, Nokia has upgraded the whole N8 lineup with this new operating system. The N8 features a 12 megapixel camera and a total of 16 GB of internal storage to keep the shutter bugs happy.

Touch screen centric devices

Samsung Galaxy SII (Rs 28,500) for dad and Micromax Bling 2 (Rs 8,000) for mom

Today touchscreen mobile phones are among the best selling handsets in the world. Few touchscreen handsets are responsive even to the tip of the finger and offer functionalities like multi-touch which definitely helps in getting tasks done faster and better.

Samsung Galaxy SII is the second generation Galaxy device from Samsung’s stable. The device boasts of the biggest smartphone screen size till now, standing tall at 4.3 inches. And to make that work better, Samsung has incorporated a 1.2 GHz processor in this device.

Women always look for style and a little bit of fashion in anything they use, so how can this be not considered vis-a-vis the mobile phone they carry. Micromax’s second generation Bling device has come up as an Android based smartphone but carries the same aura as created by the original Bling device.

The Bling 2 gets encrusted with Swarowski crystals. Besides, it features a slightly smaller but a much responsive capacitive touch screen along with a speedy 600 processor that manages things well and keeps the device ready for action anytime.

Business centric devices

Blackberry Bold 9780 (Rs 21,500) for dad and Blackberry Pearl 9100 (Rs 13,300) for mom

BlackBerry devices are always considered the best as far as the business phones go. Most executives today prefer the small little device and depend on it for exchanging mails, talking to people and doing a lot of other stuff as well.

Built on the same lines as the Bold 9650, the Bold 9780 is marginally smaller and thinner than its predecessor and weighs lesser by 14 grams. The Bold 9780 features a 2.44 inch screen, 65,000 colour TFT display with a of 480 x 360 pixels offering ample viewing comfort to the users.

The biggest change in the Bold 3 is the inclusion of the OS 6.0 as a preinstalled option, which is the most appreciated BlackBerry operating system till now. Although much better suited for a touch based operation, the new OS 6.0 works flawlessly with the track pad also.

On the other hand, the once lost legacy of Blackberry Pearl has been resurrected by the new Pearl 3G smartphone. The classic half keypad makes sure that user need to type the minimum amount of letters to type. The Pearl 3G has gotten a total new look, some weight loss to and not to forget the inclusion of the OS 6 in this one, making it the perfect choice for business women especially with the pink colour. And no more worries about the trackball as it too has been replaced with an optical track pad.

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