India set to waste time worth $ 795 Million reading spam SMSes in the next one year.
India already has 617 Million mobile user base and adding over 15 Million subscribers every month. With this massive and fast growing market and decreasing SMS cost, the problem of spam is going to grow manifold. A simple calculation on time wasted reading spam SMS will give some idea on what we are losing as country.Here is how I came up with this number of $795 Million
Average time to read spam SMS= 10 seconds
(Note that actual time can be much more if we consider time required to take mobile from pocket or other location + reading the SMS + keeping mobile back + distraction in work because of this + irritation etc. But let’s assume it 10 seconds)
Average number of spam SMS received per subscriber per day= 3
Time wasted (in hours) in a year reading spam SMS= 10 x 3 x 365 / 3600 = 3.04 Hrs
Our current mobile user base= 617 Million. It is being added with average 15 Million more subscribers every month.
So in the next one year, our mobile user base will be nearly 800 Million users, i.e. average 715 Million constant throughout the year.
So, 715 Million people wasting around 3.04 Hrs of their time reading spam SMS in a year= 715 x 3.04 / (24 x 365) = 0.248 Million years of time wasted.
India’s per capita income is $ 3200. I.e. An Indian earns $ 3200 in a year. In other words, his one year’s time is worth $ 3200.
Thus, value of time wasted reading SMS spam =
0.248 x 3200 = $795 Million.
So, next time you receive a spam SMS, do not mistake it to be cheap!
Soon a mobile phone that will operate without touch, but with gaze of your eye !
How often I have received SMS’es on my cell phone that starts with ‘Height of Stupidity’ or ‘Height of PJ’ (Pakau/Poor Jokes) and than starts the actual humorous portion of the text message. On a lighter side, while writing this post it struck me that this post is something related to the ‘Height of Laziness’ :)
Well, so what’s the height of laziness? Now, it can be said that we’re approaching an era where one can as well do away with those gentle taps on the screen.Mobile handset manufacturer Nokia is said to be working on a gizmo that would allow you to provide wide range of commands including reading your text messages or watching a video clip only by looking at your spectacles intently.This mobile phone works on eye gaze of the user where one has to look intently at the message that they would like to be opened up in front of them on the screen.
For this, user simply has to wear the Gaze Tracker, put on an arm band and place the ear piece in the ear to read the message and view the videos. The mobile phone needs to be calibrated to your eye so that it reads your eye movements.
Though, it might sound exciting, I’ve my own apprehensions as to what extent would this product work? Firstly, one needs to carry-over with them the gaze tracker, the arm band and those ear pieces too. All these accessories only for the comforts related to avoiding touch? I would rather prefer a simple touch screen mobile with an ear piece.
Personally, I would not like hassles of too many accessories in the crowded trains of Mumbai.
Samsung launches Solar powered Mobile phone
Finally, it is here – A Solar powered Mobile phone – It is surprising that Mobile sector has seen a lot of innovation, but not much has happened when it came to powering / charging mobile through this abundantly available source of Energy.
This can be a boon especially in rural areas where there is no access to electricity or even when you are outdoors and your battery is drained. You will have to just keep you phone in Sun-light, and you are ready to go !
Offcourse, there are challenges, like time-taken to charge due to limited sized solar panel or the phone heat when kept in sun-light for charging etc. etc. But its utility far exceeds these challenges.
Samsung E1107 Features:
This is a pretty basic phone, having usual features along with FM Radio, Torch light and enhanced security.
I think the best part about this phone is its pricing – It is expected to price around INR 2800 and will be very appealing to rural Indian Mobile users.
What is your take on this Solar powered phone ? Do you expect to see market flood with similar solar mobiles phones from other manufacturers as well ?
INTEX launches IN 6633 Dual GSM Phone With Push Mail & Wi-Fi
Intex Mobile today launched IN 6633 Dual SIM mobile phone Power packed with Push Mail, Wi-Fi, Face-to-Face chat, Dual SIM, and QWERTY keypad and many other features to woo a wide cross section of customers in India.
The phone is very dapper with a wine-red and black exterior and a 5.8 cm screen with TFT display. Wireless FM radio with antenna, audio player, an internal memory of 78MB expandable memory up to 8 GB, web camera, Java, Bluetooth wit A2DP, motion sensor, answering machine, auto call record are other interesting features to write home about.
Adding a further dash of uniqueness is the Black List feature- which allows you to block 10 callers of your choice without shelling out anything extra to your service provider. Last but not the least, it has a mobile tracker, long lasting battery, security lock for SMS, MMS, Phonebook & call history and four language support – English, Hindi, Urdu, and French.
Speaking on the launch of new handset, Shailendra Jha, DGM-Telecom, Intex Technologies (India) Ltd. said, “A feature-packed phone has always been a favorite amongst ever-increasing base of Indian consumers. Their wish-list keeps demanding more. We strive to meet their aspirations by offering contemporary features in a stylish yet affordable package. Intex IN 6633 represents a fine balance between features and performance while enhancing the ease of use.”
BSNL Intros Unlimited Plans and New STVs In Maharashtra & Goa
Continuing with its endeavor to make mobile telephony affordable, Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL) today announced the launch of never before calling rates by launching Bucket of New Special Tariff Vouchers or Add-on Plans catering to both prepaid 2G and 3G customers in Maharashtra and Goa telecom circle.
BSNL introduces 13 new STVs branded as “SELECT-SUBSCRIBE and SAVE” on Local, STD, SMS, Night Calling and Video Call segment.
The operator brings Unlimited BSNL to BSNL Local and STD calling plans in various pocket friendly denomination suitable for its prepaid subscribers as their short and long term needs. The new STVs also offers Any Network Local call @30p, Night Local/STD Calls at 20paisa as well as 3 new SMS Plans including SMS@1 paisa and lots more.
Special Tariff Vouchers (Maharashtra-Goa) MRP Validity Applicable for SAVE on SMS Local and National SMS 1 paisa Rs.13 30 Days 2G and 3G 1000 Local & 1000 National SMS free Rs.20 30 Days 2G and 3G 2000 Local and 1000 National SMS free Rs.31 30 Days 2G and 3G SAVE on Local Calling Local Own-Net @ Rs.0.20/Min Rs.35 30 Days 2G and 3G Local Own-Net @ 1p/3sec Rs.50 30 Days 2G Local Any Network @Rs. 0.30/Min Rs.61 30 Days 2G and 3G Local Own-Net @ Rs.0.10/Min Rs.65 30 Days 2G and 3G SAVE on Video Calling Free Video Calling up to 125 minutes Rs.57 30 Days 3G SAVE on Local and STD Calling Local/STD On-net during Night hours @ 0.20/Min (11 PM to 7 AM) Rs.17 30 Days 2G and 3G Local & STD Own-Net- Any time @ Rs.0.20/Min Rs.47 30 Days 2G and 3G SAVE on UNLIMITED Calling Unlimited Free Local/STD Calls (BSNL to BSNL anywhere in India) Rs.30 1 Day 2G and 3G Unlimited Free Local/STD Calls (BSNL to BSNL anywhere in India) Rs.150 7 Days 2G and 3G Unlimited Free Local/STD Calls (BSNL to BSNL anywhere in India) Rs.500 30 Days 2G and 3G
TRAI Will Review Quality of Telecom Services Quarterly
According to the TRAI, by next month i.e July 2010, It will starts quarterly audit for QoS. At present, every three months the telecom operators submit their data on pre-defined parameters of Quality of Service as per guidelines of TRAI but the audit of QoS was done annually by the regulator to verify the QoS .
The Indian telecom regulator also geared up to launch web-based “Telecom Consumer Grievances Monitoring System” (TCGM) by July 15, which enabled the customers to lodge their complaints and monitor their redressal on TRAI website via Internet.Earlier in February-2010, TRAI also directed all basic telephone service providers, unified access service providers (UAS) and cellular mobile service providers (CMTS) to publish the performance with respect to the “TRAI benchmark of Quality of Service (QoS)” parameter on their website on quarterly basis.
The TRAI QoS parameter includes Accessibility of call center, Response time to the customers, Postpaid and Prepaid metering and billings credibility, Percentage of billing complaints resolved with in 4 weeks, Time taken to refund of security deposit, BTS (Mobile Tower) down time, call setup success rate, Network congestion, Percentage of call drop, Voice quality, PoI congestions and Landline Fault repairing with in next working days etc.
Vodafone Re.1 Per 3 Minutes Local & Re.1 / 2 minutes for STD
Vodafone has introduced Re.1 per 3 minutes for local & Re.1 / 2 minutes for STD to its New Prepaid Users in Bihar & Jharkand. Users will have to recharge FRC [ First Recharge] of Rs. 31 after purchasing sim.
DETAILS
Cost - FRC Rs 31 & 25-Sim
TalkTime - Rs.5.
All Local calls - Re. 1 per 3 mins
All STD calls - Rs 1 per 2 mins
Tariff validity - 1 year
GSM Mobile Subscriber Additions May 2010
Bharti Airtel continued to lead the table adding the maximum subscribers in May 2010 - 3 million new users
Second slot was grabbed by Rcom which added 2.8 million new subscribers
Vodafone added 2.59 million new users.
Now Track Uninor’s 24×7 Badalta Discount Even on Web
After launching first of its kind tariff dubbed as 24×7 badalta discount at really affordable rates enabling its prepaid customers to make local calls for as low as 20 paise/minute and not more than 48 paise/minute.
The web link where you can track the variable discount is at http://www.uninor.in/dynamicpricing. What makes the ‘24×7 Changing Discount Plan’ so unique, is its simplicity and ease of use. Once activated, the phone screen flashes the changing discounts that are available in the area where the user is at any point of time. Uninor also recently modified its 24×7 badalta discount offering from the previous validity of 90 days and no talk time with 365 days of validity and Rs.10 talk time. Last Month Uninor extended its global GSM service offerings to Mumbai, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Kolkata and in Rest of Bengal circles. Uninor also confirmed that “Many more customer centric and value added services are in the pipeline for the launch which will enable customers to experience what a customer has never experienced so far”. There has been many talks around about Uninor being the Pakistani company, company simply denied that and re-iterated that “Uninor is an Indian JV between Unitech Wireless and Telenor Group which is a Norwegian giant, so where comes the Pakistani link”.
64 GB next gen SDXC memory card launched by Transcend
Transcend is set to introduce the 64GB Class 10 SDXC memory card in India. These next generation standards for SD cards are available at a price of Rs. 15,000.
SDXC, expanded as Secure Digital eXtended Capacity, is developed by the Secure Digital Association (SDA). The capacities of this new series of cards range from 32GB to 2TB. Compared to SDHC standard, the SDXC cards have greater storage facility and fast data transfer rates up to 25MB/s.
The faster data rates ensure there is no lag in recording 1920X1080 full HD videos. It also supports high-speed consecutive shooting at sporting or other fast-motion events. A separate faster speed category rating called UHS (Ultra High Speed) is also on its way.
Earlier this month, Kingston also announced their 64GB SDXC card at a price tag of $500.
Netcore launches MyToday, India's Biggest SMS SuperStore
Netcore, the company behind MyToday Free SMS alerts today announced the launch of India's Biggest SMS SuperStore. There are about 200 SMS Channels for the users to choose from. Unlike, MyToday's Free SMS Alerts these premium channels are completely ad free.The price of these premium channels is as low as Rs. 5/month.
Mr. Rajesh Jain, Founder and Managing Director of Netcore Solutions Pvt Ltd said, "Today, we have launched MyToday, our direct-to-consumer store for great SMS content. Think of MyToday as an SMS Store, where you can browse, search and subscribe to premium SMS updates on topics spanning the spectrum. At nearly 200 SMS channels, it is already the biggest in the market.
News, cricket and sports scores, market and stock alerts, Bollywood news, astrology and other updates start at just Rs. 5 per month - these are unmatched prices today.
And that’s not all: MyToday features dozens of other SMS channels you won’t find anywhere else - industry sector-wise alerts, leadership lessons, daily muhurta alerts, world affairs, politics, how to live green, among many others. All of these are via our best-in-class content partners: Rajshri Media, MyIris, The Economist, Knowledge@Wharton, AstroCAMP. We will introduce more over the next few weeks."
Check out MyToday SMS SuperStore at http://mytoday.com. Read FAQs here.
If you are intrested in receiving Mobile related content visit http://mytoday.com/store/products/MTDY-MOBILE
The subscription rate of these SMS channels is very low as compared to the similar services offered by providers of premium SMS channles. What do you think about Netcore's MyToday SMS SuperStore? Share your views.
Google Me New Competitor To Facebook
If thought google has lost the war in the social network..then think again because ther is a rumour in the internet which is most likely to be true
Kevin Rose, founder of digg Ok, umm, huge rumor: Google to launch facebook competitor very soon "Google Me", very credible source
After this many users are calling it as FACEBOOK KILLER and are also saying [may be just guessing] that google may combine this Google Me with orkut , everyone knows orkut is not as popular as facebook but orkut still has millions of users... hey but wait ther is also google buzz !!!!!!!!
Sony Ericsson Vivaz now available in Pink
Tata Docomo Takes Customer Service to the Next Level With LIVE CHAT
Living true to its promise of repeatedly redefining the telecom experience for its subscribers and Having the right tools to meet customer care needs with speed, Tata Docomo, GSM Mobile service operator has introduced “Live Chat” platform which offers real time query and resolving the customer’s issue.
The Live Chat tools also enabled Tata Docomo’s existing or prospective subscribers to submit their query for a new connection by giving their details.User when submit their query or details will get a chat window and a customer service executive will be on line to resolve the query or issue in real time.
To know more on Live Chat visit here :Tata Docomo Live Chat
India’s Comviva Powers E-Recharge for Vodafone Egypt
India based Comviva Technologies (formerly knows as Bharti Telesoft Limited), the global leader in providing mobile solutions beyond VAS, today announced that its next generation PreTUPS electronic top-up platform has been selected by Vodafone Egypt to deliver e-recharge services to the operator’s 24.6 million subscribers.
BSNL Launches Prepaid GSM Fixed Wireless Phone in Karnataka
State-owned telecom operator Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL) launched Fixed Wireless Phone over GSM platform with attractive prepaid tariff plans in Karnataka Telecom circle.
BSNL introduces two affordable tariff plan at Rs.62 and Rs.68. Plan-62 will comes with talk time of Rs.15 and provide pay per second tariff while Plan-68 comes with talk time of Rs.25 and provide per minute plan where in subscriber can make local and STD calls to make calls to any BSNL phone (Local/STD) any where in India.
BSNL introduces two affordable tariff plan at Rs.62 and Rs.68. Plan-62 will comes with talk time of Rs.15 and provide pay per second tariff while Plan-68 comes with talk time of Rs.25 and provide per minute plan where in subscriber can make local and STD calls to any network at 49 paisa per minute.
| Particulars | GSM FWP Plan 62 | GSM FWP Plan 68 |
| SIM + FRC | Rs.62 | Rs.68 |
| Tariff | Local and STD Calls to all networks- anywhere in India 1 paisa/second | Local and STD Calls to all networks-anywhere in India 49 paisa/minute |
| Tariff Validity | 365 Days | 365 Days |
| Account Validity | Life Time | Life Time |
| Free Talk Time | Rs.15 | Rs.25 |
| Free Calls (Local/STD) | Up to 21000 seconds per month (BSNL to BSNL) for 12 Months | Up to 350 minutes per month (BSNL to BSNL) for 12 Months |
| FREE SMS (as a special offer valid up to 12 August 2010) | 1000 Local and 1000 National SMS for 30 days | 1000 Local and 1000 National SMS for 30 days |
Note-:
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2. Ability to send and receive SMS.
3. A large Phone Book to store 200 Numbers. The Numbers can be dialed
from the Phone Book.
4. Hands free feature.
5. There are accessories like Clock / Calculator etc.
6. Supports 3 party conferencing.
7. Excellent Voice.
8. Battery Backup.
9. Support 10 Polyphonic ringing tones.
10. Calls divert possible just like Mobile phones.
