Due to security reasons, India has issued an order to ban all pre-paid mobile phones in Kashmir. Apparently, these pre-paid mobile phones were being used by militants for other means such as using them to trigger bombs and hide their identities. Launched in 2003, these pre-paid mobile phones are said to be the reason for some attacks since they are easier to get a hold of compared to post-paid mobile handsets which require a more scrutinized check before they are issued.

Other regions suffer the same ordeal since getting a pre-paid card and a mobile phone can be done easily. With this move however, countries such as the Philippines may do well to follow India’s lead to counter terrorists attacks which make use of technology for all the wrong reasons.

(Source) Press

Tags: bombs, Cell Phones, india, kashmir, militants, mobile handsets, Mobile News, mobile phone, ordeal, philippines, pre paid card, pre paid mobile phones, security reasons, terrorists attacks

The Department of Telecommunications announced today that they will be pushing back the availability of mobile number portability services. The reason behind the delay is due to both technical and commercial issues.

“The implementation of MNP is under progress. However, this required customization and upgradation of the existing network to be capable of providing the MNP service,” said the Department of Telecommunications.

MNP will finally be available for India by the end of the year, and will begin service in Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, and Tamilnadu, including Chennai and Karnataka service areas.

via Total Telecom

Tags: Cell Phones, department of telecommunications, india, MNP, Mobile News

What you see above is the first ever Open Market Handset compliant cellphone from Samsung entitled the Mpower 699.

Asyou can see, the phone is nothing special featuring a simple slide out keypad and other basic features but the real gem is the included U-RIM slot that allows for use on any Indian CDMA carrier and the fact that it retails for about $145.

Luckily, for those of you who don’t like the look of this particular handset, Samsung hopes to release an additional 5 Open Market Handset compliant phones in India by next year.

via engadget

Tags: CDMA, Cell Phones, india, Mobile News, mpower 699, open market handset, Samsung, Samsung, slider

LG has released three new cellphones in the Indian market, the GB210, GB270, and KP265, all of which fall in the entry-level category considering their specifications.  While these may lack high-end features like GPS or 3G support, all the three cellphones provide staggering amounts of talktime ranging from 9 to 10.5 hours.  The KP265 (slider) and GB210 (candybar) both feature a 1.3 megapixel camera, an mp3 player, FM radio, and RockeTalk, an application that can be used to login to popular IM services like Google Talk and Yahoo Messenger.  The GB270 on the other hand carries a VGA camera, FM radio with scheduled recording, and interchangeable covers.  All the three cellphones are available now in India for prices ranging from Rs. 4500 to Rs. 5000 ( approx. $93 to $103).

(more…)

Tags: Cell Phones, GB210, GB270, india, KP265, LG

GoliveMobile has announced that it has opened new offices in the countries of the India and the Philippines, part of its strategy to expand in Asia. Though carrying only a handful of employees for both new business hubs (30 for Manila and 50 for Bangalore), this is a the first step in their expansion strategy, perhaps preparing for a broader area of scope as far as providing mobile content services.

These new offices will initially serve as dual regional hubs for operations based in Asia. This will likewise mean additional job opportunities for qualified individuals. The company has been aggressively recruiting in both markets for the past year, working with established head hunters in local markets to find top talent.

(Source) Press

Tags: asia, bangalore, Business, content services, expansion strategy, golivemobile, handful, head hunters, india, job opportunities, local markets, Mobile News, new business, philippines, regional hubs, scope, talent source

No surprises there, but considering that there were about 4 billion users worldwide when we checked last May and India and China’s combined 1.04 billion subscribers make up for almost 25% of that 4 billion, it is quite amazing, if you ignore the fact that these two countries are the most populated regions on earth.  The rest of the Asia Pacific countries aren’t far behind either with Indonesia, Japan, Pakistan, Philippines, Bangladesh, South Korea, Thailand, and Vietnam making the cut to the top 10, bringing the total Asia Pacific subscriber base up to a staggering figure of 1.68 billion.  Great news for us cellphone lovers indeed, but we are guessing the carriers have much more to rejoice, eh?

(more…)

Tags: Cell Phones, China, india

Samsung hasn’t announced the Android-powered Bigfoot smartphone yet but it definitely unveiled a cheap handset, the E1107 aka “Crest Solar”. The phone will be available in India and it will be solar powered. Every hour of solar charging will offer you 5-10 minutes of talk time. It doesn’t seem like that much but it’s certainly good enough to make a few fast phone calls.

The phone will offer dual GSM (900/1800MHz), a 1.5-inch 65K CSTN screen, FM Radio, MP3 ringtones, torch, Fake Call (which is always useful) and a 800mAh battery. After India the phone will make it to Europe, Southeast Asia, Southwest Asia and Latin America. The expected price for the Crest Solar is $59 but you might get it for even less.
(more…)

Tags: Crest Solar, E1107, india, Mobile News, Portable Devices, Samsung, Samsung, solar power

iPhone owners in India will cheer this piece of news. For the many kids who have been hooked on to ACK Media’s Amar Chitra Katha comics, you can now read them via your iPhone. ACK Media has officially launched of this collection of illustrated classics that retell the enchanting stories about Indian Heroes.

This comes in the light of new content which has become apparent in today’s mobile technology. This new app highlights the many interface and features that the iPhone and the iPod Touch brings, something that has drawn its flexibility towards new heights.

iPhone users need to log on to the Apple iTunes store and search by Amar Chitra Katha or iRemedi or by the title names. Most titles are available for purchase at $1.99 along with free previews to some titles as well.

(Source) Press

Tags: amar chitra katha, Apple, apple itunes, comics, flexibility, free previews, india, indian heroes, interface, iPhone, iPhone, iphones, iPod Touch, mobile technology

On whether the price discount for the iPhone 3G was made on purpose or not wouldn’t really matter for people. The purchase price now is all that matters and if you have been longing to get an iPhone for your own, I bet you would be wishing that you were in India right now.

Apparently, Telkomsel has announced a close to $96 discount off on 8GB and 16GB iPhone models in celebration of its 14th anniversary. But while that may seem logical, some critics are seeing it as a move to clean up their inventory and make way for the third generation iPhone.

But while you may be oozing at the price reductions, note that this is the second time that this telecommunications company has announced a price reduction for the iPhone. The first one was made last month. So if you consider the consumer relationship with the company, you may find it erratic and inconsistent. Who knows if next month another price reduction may take place?

Hence it all comes down to consistency. The early buyers in April thought they got a good deal. But the ones who passed are now exposed to something even better. In the end, the consistency of the copany is at stake. But then again, that is marketing for you and surely, a preparation for something new and perhaps even better.

The big question among Indonesian minds now is whether Telkomsel will offer the next iPhone model as soon as it is made available by Apple or whether they will make their customers wait several weeks to allow for the older iPhone 3G to fully run out.

(Source) PC World

Tags: 3G, Apple, Apple, Business, celebration, consistency, india, iPhone, iPhone, marketing, models, price reductions, stake, telecommunications company, third generation

iPhone owners who love puzzles can get a new kind of an app that is now available at the Apple app store. The new puzzle game is the Chilllingo Potpourri game from Abstraction Games. The game is actually a great game to check out, tinkering around with the weather to suit the needs of the various inhabitants in the game world.

All you have to do is outwit the evil wizard in Chillingo Potpourri, who will be responsible for the weird changes in weather of a peaceful forest. In a manner of speaking, you have to tilt the balance of nature to save the forest, its inhabitants and the magical oak tree from decaying. In short, your task is to restore order and bring the forest back to life!

The Chillingo Potpourri game is available at the Apple App Store with an initial price of $0.99.

(Source) TechGadgets India

Tags: abstraction, Apple, Apple, balance of nature, evil wizard, game world, games, great game, india, inhabitants, iPhone, iPhone, Mobile Software, oak tree, peaceful forest, potpourri, puzzle game, weather

The Asus P835 PDA has been officially launched in India, a PDA phone that delivers an Internet browsing and multimedia viewing experience without equal. Designed for business-savvy professionals who appreciate a screen as big as their ambitions, the P835 is equipped with a large 3.5 touch screen that runs at WVGA resolutionoffering five times the number of pixels of most phones and delivering the best document, photo, movie and website viewing experience possible.

Apart from being able to display more of a webpage onscreen, the P835 boasts features that greatly enrich users online experience; including blazing fast HSUPA 7.2Mbps download speeds, a responsive trackball that makes scrolling effortless and Opera Mobile, a user-friendly and full-featured Web browser. It wraps all of its impressive functionality in an elegant touch-optimized interface which is intuitive, interactive and attractive.

(Source) ITVAR News

Tags: ambitions, ASUS, download speeds, elegant touch, functionality, india, interface, internet browsing, opera mobile, PDA phone, photo, Portable Devices, savvy professionals, touch screen, trackball, web browser

As of July 2006, it was estimated that there are over 2.4 billion cell phone users worldwide. That’s a big number, right? Well, take this into consideration; In the month of March, there were 15.6 million new cellphone users in India. That’s just one month alone.

Now this isn’t a completely random expansion as Indian service providers have begun expanding their networks to a larger portion of country.

Honestly though, 15.6 million new cellphone users in 1 month? That’s just nuts!

Read (Reuters)

Tags: Business, Cell Phones, Crazy Mobile, india, indian service providers, Mobile News, numbers, Off The Topic

The layoffs continue and Nokia is biting. Despite being the world’s largest mobile phone maker, Nokia has to cut down its workforces as well. With an expected layoff of as many as 1,000, a voluntary departure package has been laid out. However, these layoffs will not impact the firm’s Indian operations, for it being one of the growing markets in the world.

Nokia has said the new plan would lessen the need for “involuntary redundancies” and also help in cutting costs.

“The voluntary resignation package will be open for application from March 1 until 1,000 employees have applied, closing at the latest on May 31, 2009,” the Finnish company said in a recent statement.

When contacted, a spokesperson of Nokia India said, “India is one of the growing markets and the above mentioned package does not imply on them.”

In fact, the company is still recruiting in India.

The voluntary measures are aimed at reducing personnel- related costs and lessening the need for involuntary redundancies, it added.

(Source) The Asian Age

Tags: Business, departure package, india, Layoffs, mobile phone maker, Nokia, Nokia, redundancies, Voluntary Resignation

We were expecting a $10 laptop to arrive from India and the Indian government has almost delivered one. Except that the Sakshat is going to cost $20 not $10. The Sakshat, which means, “before your eyes” will be ready to ship in about six months or so. Those getting one will get 2GB of storage space. WiFi, Ethernet and 2W of power consumption. But we have no idea about the screen size, the RAM or the processor. Is the Sakshat a viable computer? Can it really be manufactured for that amount of money?

via guardian

Tags: $10, 2.0, india, laptop, Laptops, Mobile News, Portable Devices, Sakshat

The BlackBerry 8900 Curve is going to arrive from T-Mobile in the USA in February. But this Berry is also going to India to join the Pearl Flip 8220 and the Storm. Not just one but three carriers are going to get the 8900 Curve: Reliance, Airtel and Vodafone. The retail price will be around $572 or Rs. 27,990 which is pretty expensive. Will the 8900 be a hit or will people choose the Storm instead?

via MoneyControl

Tags: 8900, airtel, BlackBerry, Curve, india, Mobile News, Mobile Software, Reliance, Research In Motion, RIM, T-Mobile, T-Mobile, Vodafone

India will have it’s 3G spectrum auctioned off in January. According to AP the auction will be held on January 15th, 2009 and it will be open to all existing operators. The reserve price is 20.20 billion rupees but I am sure we will see lots of operators battling for that 3G spectrum. Who will win what and how much will they pay? Stick with us through January and find out!

Tags: 3G, auction, india, Mobile News, spectrum

Nokia has just had a tiny taste of the touchscreen phones world with its 5800 XpressMusic phone. We’re expecting more phones to follow that trend in the near futures. At a recent Nokia event in New Delhi, the marketing director of Nokia India, Devindere Kishore said that: “We will have lots of touchscreen phones coming up, including an N-series device very soon.” Not that a future N-series to sport a touchscreen is such an unexpected move but we have at least a small confirmation from a Nokia official.

Tags: 5800, india, Mobile News, N-series, Nokia, Nokia, touchscreen

Indians will now have one more option if they are looking for good touchscreen device as Samsung has just announced the availability of Samsung Omnia i900 on the subcontinent.

Sunil Dutt, Country Head for Samsung Telecom, stated, “Samsung Omnia is our flagship model aimed at users who desire a lot of functionality, a lot of style, a lot of usability, and a lot of entertainment in one innovative device. Samsung Omnia will help users to be at the forefront of work and play and at the same time, to stay connected anytime, anywhere.”
(more…)

Tags: Cell Phones, i900, india, OMNIA, Samsung

India’s leading CDMA provider, Reliance Communications, has teamed up with RIM to bring BlackBerry devices closer to the masses by launching prepaid services for both CDMA and GSM networks. Up till now, BlackBerry smartphones were only available on Bharti Airtel and Vodafone, two of the largest GSM providers in the subcontinent with postpaid connections, but with this new “pay as you use” service, Reliance aims to woo the 200 million odd people who still rely on prepaid connections.

Mahesh Prasad, Reliance Communications President for Mobile Data and Content Services said:

We recognize the needs of customers and believe a prepaid option enabled by Reliance Communications will significantly broaden the consumer interest in BlackBerry smartphones and expand our business opportunity.

(more…)

Tags: BlackBerry, Cell Phones, india, prepaid, Reliance, Research In Motion

Bharti Airtel and Vodafone are the companies which have been selling the iPhone 3G in India so far. The phone will be available starting this December from BSNL as soon as their 3G network gets launched.

BSNL is a carrier company owned by the Indian government and they are upgrading their 3G network to UMTS. Vodafone and Airtel have GSM/EDGE while waiting for their portion of the 3G spectrum. So why say you people of India? Are you happy to see BSNL get in this iPhone 3G action? Which one do you prefer? Airtel, Voda or BSNL?

It’s rumored that BSNL might even go ahead and offer the handset for a better price than its competition but there aren’t any prices or plans available yet.

Tags: 3G, 3g iphone, airtel, Apple, Apple, bharti, india, Mobile News, Other Brands, Vodafone