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Mobile gaming fast replacing consoles: Report

prasoon-kumar
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The digital games market is huge and mobile game downloads have captured close to half of it, according to the Online Gaming 2011, a report published by market research firm NPD group.

The study also says that mobile gaming is more like a compliment to conventional console games rather than being in competition with them. The exact percentage of mobile game downloads was not been revealed though.

According to Anita Frazier of NPD, “Mobile gaming represents one of the fastest growing segments of the digital games market, and the potential for future growth remains strong as more consumers are using smartphones for games of all types, including the increasingly popular mobile game apps. It is important to keep in perspective that the full-game price points on mobile devices are generally lower than those for console and portables systems, so mobile’s full game download unit share does not translate to a comparable level of consumer spend.”

The study has only taken full game downloads into account. Add-on content or micro-transactions have not been included in it. Also, the study did not take into account the prices of mobile games downloaded by users.

Hence, the study does not differentiate between a game of $1 and one that costs $60.

Meanwhile, 60 per cent of the respondents said they will spend on console games even after having mobile games, whereas 40 per cent said they will spend less. This is understandable considering the mobile gaming experience is different from the experience of console gaming.

The most surprising part of the study is that 75 per cent of the people surveyed wanted to own a physical copy of the game instead of the digital version. Those who favoured a digital version went for the convenience of downloading the game without having to go to the store.

Mobile gaming is likely to get a big push in India as well, especially due to its lower price compared to console games.

The recent announcement by Samsung to introduce operator billing for digital products bought online should encourage Indian mobile users to purchase more games.

RCom Introduces India’s first user generated caller tune service

anil-satapathy
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Reliance Communications has introduced India’s first user generated caller tune service that allows customers to record content via the ‘Tune Maker’ platform and then set it as their own caller tune. Subscribers can also post their creations on RCom’s website for other subscribers’ use.

RCom has partnered with Hyderabad based Altruist Technologies to create pan-India infrastructure for the new services.

According to Anil Pande, head, VAS, Reliance Communications, “UGC (user generated content) has seen exponential growth over the last few years. India being a multilingual country, voice is an important part of UGC.”

Adding further, he said, “The service allows voice based content of users’ choice to be shared and set as their caller tune. The technology support offered by Altruist enables to edit, link, and create content posted by customer, besides activating it as caller tune.”

The facility is available on the web and also through an IVR interface. Web users just need to log on to www.rworld.co.in to modify, edit and add their own spin to a caller tune. Through IVR customers can activate the service by calling 56694400 and selecting the option to create a caller tune. They can also record a song, dialogue, joke etc. as long as it isn’t longer than 30 seconds.

Post submission, the content recorded will be set as their special caller tune. Tune charges are Rs 5 per month. Customers have to pay a one time charge of Rs 30 for the caller tune service. Tune renewal charges are Rs 5 per tune per month.

RCom is offering this service across all its CDMA, GSM and networks.

Zebronics launches speakers for mobile

rahul-gupta
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Zebronics, which makes electronic accessories, has announced the launch of its portable stereo speaker system that can serve as a perfect accessory for a music based phone.

The Nitro speaker system has a stereo sound output with a total power wattage of 5 watts RMS, making it enough to carter to the music needs of a few people. The Nitro features a rechargeable Li- ion battery back that can power it up for up to two hours of continuous music on the go and if the battery runs out it can be charged directly from any computer or from a Mini wall charger also.
Another good feature of the Nitro is that it functions while charging also, so it can be used as a music dock for the mobile phone for music playback.

The Nitro features a 3.5 mm connector, which now a days is a standard for audio connectivity that can be connected to any and all cellphones that support a 3.5 mm jack.
Apart from all this, the Nitro features a SD/MMC card reader using which it can play songs directly from a memory card. The stereo speaker system also allows the user to turn on the FM radio with an inbuilt FM radio receiver.

The Nitro comes with a price tag of Rs 950 and has a warranty of one year from the date of purchase against defects that might arise due to usage. The product can be purchased form all Zebronics franchisee outlets throughout the country form today onwards.

Most affordable 3G video calling phones

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Most affordable 3G video calling phones

Since the launch of services in the country, one thing that has enticed people the most, apart from high speed data and internet, is the ability to make video calls.

Like regular calls, video calling allows two persons to talk to each other; the only difference is that they get to see each other while doing so.

But to make video calls you need a compatible device with a front facing camera that transmits what’s happening in its field of view to the person receiving the call. You also need a high speed network that allows the mobile device to transmit video along with audio.

Contrary to popular understanding, not all 3G phones are for making video calls. Some of these handsets are meant to use the high speed data network only for net surfing, video downloads and similar things. Meanwhile, there are phones that allow video conferencing along with the features mentioned above.

These 3G video conferencing phones, like other mobiles, are available at a wide range of prices.

Since 3G services have just been introduced in India there are many among us who want to try video calling but are hesitant to invest large sums to buy a new device. For such people we have shortlisted four phones that allow video calls and cost less than Rs 5,000:

LG GU285

The cheapest of the lot and the most exciting 3G phone available in India as of now comes at a price of Rs 3,500. LG GU285 is a stylish and sleek slider phone in bold black colour.

LG GU285 is a 3G phone with a camera at the front and a 1.3 camera at the back. Along with that, it has a multi format audio-video player, a 176 x 220 pixel TFT display and up to 8 of expandable memory. The standard battery delivers 900 and can power the device for 500 hours on standby; while call time depends on whether you are making a video, or a voice call.

Onida F970

Onida F970, which costs just Rs 3,900, is a great looking phone in white with red outlines. Unlike LG GU285, this phone has a candy bar design with angled keys and a circular D-pad in the middle.

The F970 features a 2 megapixel camera at the rear and a VGA front facing camera for video calling, which goes well with its 5.1 cm LCD display. The phone also features multimedia playback capabilities, and has a memory that is expandable up to 8GB.

Spice G6550

The most unique feature of this device is its capability to operate simultaneously on 2G and 3G bands. In fact, it is the only dual 3G video conferencing phone available as of now. Spice G6550, with a price tag of Rs 4,600, makes perfect sense for people who wish to stay connected on multiple numbers with one phone.

The phone has a 2.2 inch display, which is a good one for this price. It has a 2 megapixel camera with flash at the back and a VGA camera on the front for video calls, apart from a multi format audio-video player. With 4GB expandable memory you can also save a lot of data on this handset.

Samsung Guru 3G C5010

Recently launched by Samsung, it is the guru amongst low cost 3G phones in India – at just Rs 3,500. Samsung Guru 3G C5010 comes preinstalled with Google applications that give it access to the bouquet of Google services such as docs, maps and so on, without the need to open the phone’s browser.

Its 2 inch display perfectly complements its video calling feature with a front facing VGA camera. Its 1.3 megapixel rear camera allows users to shoot some nice visuals too, while its multi format audio-video player and up to 8GB storage can guarantee hours of fun for users.

BlackBerry PlayBook coming to India in June

rahul-gupta
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BlackBerry’s PlayBook tablet will be launched in India in June, sources in the company told ‘The Mobile Indian’.

The seven inch tablet that was earlier expected to be launched in the country in May has been postponed due to an unexpected delay in shipments.

PlayBook has a capacitive multi touch input, dual core 1 GHz along with dedicated graphics and 1GB of RAM with the option of 16, 32 or 64 of onboard storage. There is no expandable-memory slot in this device.

There is only a Wifi version of the PlayBook, which means a GSM version is not even in the making, but PlayBook has the functionality to be tethered to any existing BlackBerry smartphone for email and other BlackBerry functionality.

The company has not disclosed any information on the tablet’s price, but looking at global trends the device is expected to launch with a price tag of Rs 30,000.

However, considering recent launches and announcements about other tablets in India, Research In Motion might just have a completely different plan regarding its tablet’s price.

Android apps demonstrated on BlackBerry PlayBook

prasoon-kumar
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Research In Motion has demonstrated its PlayBook tablet running apps, indicating that it may soon able to host apps from the Android marketplace.

The demonstration, during the BlackBerry World 2011 conference in the USA, can be viewed as an attempt by the company to reassure its existing as well as potential customers that the PlayBook tablet can run Android applications, a feature that is missing at this point of time.

During the demonstration, RIM showed how an application designed for Android will perform on PlayBook. The Canadian company will reportedly come up this summer with a beta version of an player to enable PlayBook owners to use Android apps on the tablet.

The Android App Player will be a Gingerbread simulation, which is Android 2.3. It might get an upgrade to Honeycomb also, depending on whether Google wants to make Honeycomb open sourced or not.

However, the developers have to convert Android apps into a ‘bar’ file to be able to operate them on the QNX operating system of PlayBook. The current Android apps come in the standard “apk’ format.

RIM has also demonstrated native email and calendar that are likely to come through software updates to PlayBook this summer itself.

RIM has decided to make it easier for developers as they will be given an extension to the current Android software development kit. RIM believes that Android developers are in a transition stage and that finally they will start developing for the PlayBook platform as well.

The company had adopted a similar strategy with Symbian developers as well, and many of them had started developing for BlackBerry handsets.

High end games will still come as separate apps developed on a native software development kit. Currently, app developers are being given free run, but the situation may change with more guidelines once PlayBook sales pick up.

Angry Birds land on PlayBook

prasoon-kumar
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Angry Birds, the popular video game developed by Finland-based Rovio Mobile, is all set to make its debut on PlayBook tablet, though the time of its arrival on PlayBook has not been announced so far.

PlayBook owners are likely to get the original version of the game.

Angry Birds has been popular because it is a simple game that doesn’t require too much effort from gamers; and at the same time it provides endless hours of fun.

The game is already very successful across all stores, and developers have also released newer versions of it such as Angry Birds Seasons, Angry Birds Rio and Angry Birds Magic. All the versions have been hits in the market, which means the game’s creators can continue to mint for some time to come.

BlackBerry recently announced the upgrade of its PlayBook operating system, which brings a bunch of new features to the tablet including a video chat application and BlackBerry messenger (BBM) support via BlackBerry Bridge (secure connection), plus a couple of more features. The tablet also recently got a Facebook application.

Uninor to have 90 branded stores in Andhra by June

nilabh-jha
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Uninor, one of the latest mobile service providers to start service in the country, has announced plans for further retail expansion in Andhra Pradesh.

Currently, the GSM service provider has presence in all 23 districts of the state with 500 towns and 2000 villages covered. Now the company plans to expand the presence by adding 25 more stores of varied sizes to take the number to 90 stores by June 2011.

Customers can walk into these stores to buy cards/ handsets/accessories, recharge coupon, register complaints or can even enquire about VAS products.

Announcing the plan, Satish Kumar Kannan, business head, AP circle, Uninor, said, “Uninor has always been committed to extend its reach and services to our customers whether they are settled in the rural areas or the bigger cities of the state. At present, we have 65 Uninor branded stores across 3 different innovative retail formats and we look forward to a 90 store footprint by June end. We want to provide the same level of brand experience and customer service to our users, their location notwithstanding; and no matter whether they visit a Uninor franchisee or a company owned Outlet.”

Most of the new stores will be based on franchisee model, which are built on a low cost model. Called as the ‘Franchisee Express outlets’, they reach out to towns in AP with a population of less than 1 lakh.

Bing to power search on BlackBerry devices

prasoon-kumar
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Microsoft’s Bing will now become the default search engine on BlackBerry mobile devices. It was announced by the chief executive officer of Microsoft, Steve Ballmer, during the ongoing BlackBerry 2011 conference in Florida, USA.

The inclusion of Bing in BlackBerry devices is a huge gain for Microsoft, which is a distant second to Google in terms of search engine traffic.

Bing is already the default search provider in Windows Phone 7 phones.
There was speculation that Apple and Microsoft were in talks to make Bing the default search provider on its phones, but the deal ostensibly didn’t get through.

Bing is already present in the market in the form of search apps, for Android, iPhone, and and for iPad as well.

Idea offers free sops with My Card voucher

anil-satapathy
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Idea Cellular has launched a new ‘My Card’ voucher in Delhi, enabling its subscribers to avail multiple voice and VAS benefits, absolutely free. Idea subscribers can now avail benefits in the form of free talktime, free minutes, free with this special voucher.

The new voucher provides free voice and value added services to the subscribers and can be availed from any My Idea showroom or select retailers across Delhi NCR.
Idea subscribers who avail ‘My Card’ till 15th May also stand a chance to win Tickets to Delhi Daredevils match and an opportunity to meet their favourite players of the IPL team.

Launching the voucher, Sanjeev Govil, chief operating officer, Delhi and Haryana, Idea Cellular, said, “We are pleased to bring the ‘My Card’ voucher in Delhi, which not only offers multiple VAS and voice benefits but also helps our subscribers to connect with their favourite Delhi Daredevils cricketers.”

‘My Card’ offers incentives once a month to prepaid subscribers. Users are not required to do any other recharge to avail the My Card benefit. Interested users can call on 9540404040 for further details.

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