It's All About Updates

Airtel and Vodafone is all set to bring the Apple iPhone4, which has already been released in 88 countries to India by September, 2010. For the Indian users, the options of carriers will be limited to Airtel and Vodafone for the iPhone4, reports Sumit Ghosh of TechTring.com.

The iPhone4 will be priced diffe rently. The 16 GB model would cost Rs. 35,000 and the 32 GB model would cost Rs.40,000. Among various features available with the iPhone4, the most prominent ones are the retina display technology, the iMovie app and many others which is appreciated by buyers.

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Sprint is all set to launch the second 4G smartphone, this time by Samsung, following the debut of HTC Evo on its network last month. 'Samsung Epic' is the first 4G handset by Samsung. However, there is no mention of the pricing or availability of the Epic 4G yet.

Sprint is fast becoming the pioneer in 4G services across U.S. Its 4G services are currently available across 36 cities in U.S. Competitors, Verizon and AT&T, are likely to roll out 4G services from next year.

Coming to the latest device, the Samsung Epic comes with a 4 inch AMOLED touchscreen and a slide-out keyboard. It has two cameras- a 5MP and a front facing VGA camera. Running on Android 2.1 OS, the phone packs in a 1GHz Hummingbird processor. However, the 2.2 version of the Android is likely to follow soon. In addition to that, the Epic has the latest version of Samsung's TouchWiz skin and is preloaded with Swype and Qik apps. The Epic is coming to the market at a time when there are other strong contenders like HTC Evo, Apple iPhone 4. So the real test will be the battle for 'survival of the fittest' among these phone giants.

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Videocon Mobile Services, today announced 2 more tariff options in its bouquet for the customers in Tamil Nadu.

The 2 tariff options launched are FRC 53 and STV 63. In FRC 53, customers can make all local Videocon to Videocon calls at just 20paise/minute, local calls to any other network will cost mere 40p/minute whereas all STD calls will be charged at 50paise/minute, What’s more! is you even get a Talk Value of Rs.25.

FRC 53 comes with a tariff validity of 90 days and has a pulse of 60 seconds. In STV 63, customers can make all local Videocon to Videocon calls at just 20paise/minute, local calls to any other network will cost mere 40p/minute whereas all STD calls will be charged at 50paise/minute, What’s more! is you even get a Talk Value of Rs.20. STV 63 too comes with a tariff validity of 180 days and has a pulse of 60 seconds.The below offers can only be availed if recharged through Mobile Recharge.

Particulars	FRC 53	STV 63
MRP (Rs.)	53	63
Talkvalue (Rs.)	25	20
Local V to V	20 p	20p
Local V to Others	40 p	40 p
STD	50 p	50 p
Validity	90 days	180 days
Pulse	60 seconds	60 seconds
Special Benefits	Full Talkvalue (Net Service Tax) on all successive Top up recharges for 90 days.	-

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Hong Kong based handset maker Alcatel Mobile has announced the launch of new cube designed flip mobile phone ICE3 OT-808 at Rs.7000 for the Indian market.

ICE3 OT-808 is the very first GSM mobile phone launched by the company targeting young girls, it is pretty compact cube designed, flip phone that has got a qwerty keyboard and MP3 player, FM radio, 2.4 inches TFT screen and Bluetooth version 2.0 with Enhanced Data Rate.

ICE3 OT-808 is a feature rich stylishly mobile handset designed by ICE Mobile Network Systems Limited also equipped with a powerful 2 Mega Pixel camera that allows its users to record videos in high resolution & editing the clicked image with the provided image editor. The handset is fully integrated with complete social networking experience on Facebook & Twitter. It also comes with all advanced connectivity features like GPRS, EDGE, Bluetooth & USB, it is pre loaded with the Opera mini browser for Internet connectivity. It supports microSD card upto 8GB. ICE3 is to be powered by standard Lithium- Ion 850 mAh which offers Talk-time upto 9 hours along with the stand by time of 450 hours, and above all, it offers you an amazing 35 hours of music playback time.The handset comes in two colour schemes, Pink chrome & dark chrome.

Speaking on the launch of ICE3, Mr. Praveen Valecha, Country Manager, ALCATEL Mobile said “We are indeed very aggressive in our approach and are also aiming to rank amongst the top three mobile handset providers in various category.

ALCATEL Mobile’s brand Ambassador Bolywood Star Kangna Ranaut steted, “ICE is a young, hip, cool and stylish phone. I love its distinctive look, and believe it offers great features. It is priced very affordably, and I’m sure it will be a very popular phone in the market.”

Alcatel ICE3 OT-808 Features :

Full Keyboard
Clamshell design
2.4 inch TFT 65k color display
2 mega pixel camera with Video Recorder and Image editor
MP3 Player
FM Radio RDS
Music playback time up to 35hours
Internal memory 80MB and Micro SD card up to 8GB
GPRS, EDGE class 12 downlink(Fast Internet)
WAP 2.0WAP 2.0, Bluetooth stereo 2.0 (A2DP)
USB 2.0 high speed
JAVA MIDP 2.0JAVA MIDP 2.0
Battery – Lithium Ion 850 mAh, Standby time: up to 450h
Talk time: up to 9h

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The entry of Oscar electronics in the mobile sector completes another end of their portfolio of consumer electronic goods.

Consumer electronics brand OSCAR today announced its entry into Indian markets.

To begin with Oscar mobiles will be launched in North and East India and 10 handsets priced between Rs. 1700 to Rs. 4500 will be launched in next 2 months.

All the models will offer some additional feature that no other brand currently offers at that price point. Of the 6 that have been already launched, the base model N1 has a vibration speaker, a first for an entry level phone at that price point. The higher end model currently on offer, Z1 which is an aspirational Qwerty Keypad Handset is based on a very fast processor and comes with a front and back camera, unheard of at that price point! Apart from the entry level N1, most Oscar mobiles will come loaded with plethora of multimedia options including FM Radio, MP3, MP4 player, access to various social networking sites, excellent quality 1.3 MP camera among others giving distinctly superior pictures.

All Oscar mobile phone support Dual SIM GSM connectivity to allow customers to manage their personal and professional numbers efficiently, and come with a 1 year warranty and backed by a comprehensive after- sales service with an existing network of over 250 service centres. Available at 1,500 retail shops across East and North India, the network will touch 8,000 retail points by year end

“Our foray into the telecom vertical is in keeping with our vision to provide consumers with high quality products at unmatched prices by following a no-frills policy. Our vision is to introduce the most affordable handsets in India keeping in mind the features to price ratio” said Mr. Satish Verma, Chairman, Oscar Group.

“Currently about 50% of Indians are on ULCH (ultra low cost handsets). We therefore saw a great opportunity for OSCAR which has a strong track record in the Value for Money (VFM) segment. We will look to build a strong presence in the semi-urban and rural market, where the prominence of both subscribers and operators is rapidly increasing, besides the burgeoning urban market” he added.

Speaking on the brand’s expansion plans, Mr. Suresh Wadhwani Executive Director said, “By end of first year, we hope to sell one lakh mobiles per month in North & East India with a turnover of Rs. 250 crores and thereafter grow at 15-20% annually. In five years, we are aiming to reach a turnover of 1000 crores.”

Speaking on the technology aspect, Mr. Karan Verma who heads the mobile activity at Oscar said, “Oscar Mobiles are subjected to vigorous testing on all functions, in order to deliver quality at an affordable price. The models offer value through additional features across the range to provide a higher level of consumer satisfaction with special emphasis on providing additional features like enhanced network connectivity and superior audio and video quality in the models (All models have high audio output so that the phones can be used for communication even while in crowded areas where the noise level is high; the models have been upgraded to ensure minimum signal loss or call drops so that communication remains uninterrupted.

The multimedia models have the distinction of video without breaks or jerks which provides the best viewing experience) and long life battery (some of the models have up to 30 days of standby because of the special 1800 – 2000 mAh battery used”.

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 Rs.31 and Rs.61 for the customers in MP & CG. In FRC 31, customers can enjoy a tariff of 1p/second for making Local as well as STD calls with 365 days of validity and Rs.25 talk value. In FRC 61, customers can enjoy a tariff of 1p/second for making Local as well as STD calls with 365 days of validity and Rs.61 talk value.

The Videocon Mobile Services Sim kits will be available @Rs.49 very soon within a week in Videocon’s E-Digi world, Planet M and also in Next Retail outlets.

The First Recharge (FRC) details are tabulated below:

Particulars	FRC 31	FRC 61
MRP (Rs.)	31	61
Talk value (Rs.)	25	61
Local	1p/sec.	1p/sec.
STD	1p/sec.	1p/sec.
Pulse	1p	1p
Validity	365 days	365 days

The value added services which Videocon has launched are Missed Call alerts which is priced at Rs.15 per month, Internet/GPRS is being priced at 10p/10kb and caller tunes at Rs 30 per month.

For More details, call 9074054321(tolled) or alternatively you can also visit website www.videocon.com.

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Tata Docomo, India’s fastest growing GSM mobile service provider has launched special Gulf calling ISD pack to address and fulfill the needs of its prepaid 2G GSM customers in Tamilnadu telecom circle.

With the new ISD Pack, Tata Docomo customers can make ISD calls to any phone in UAE, Saudi, Yemen, Bahrain and Kuwait for 12 paisa per second.

The operator claims that new ISD recharge voucher offers 42 % cost savings from the existing tariff i.e. paying only 12 paisa/sec compared to existing ISD tariff of 17 paisa/sec.

The new ISD Packs comes at Rs.12 and valid for 30 Days from the date of recharge.

One thing that is constantly in demand and will probably be never ending in today's world  Internet Bandwidth.

Infact, if we have cheaper and larger Internet Bandwidth at our disposal, it would make huge positive difference on how we carry out work & daily lives. Think about what all you could do if you had a continuous internet connection of 10 mbps for a cost of less than Rs.1000 per month.

And that day might not be too far - MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) Researchers have been working on a new network design that could make the Internet 100 or even 1,000 times faster while actually reducing the amount of energy it consumes ! One of the reasons current bandwidth speeds are restricted -inefficient signal conversion processes. The routers that direct traffic on the Internet today typically convert optical signals to electrical ones for processing, then convert them back for transmission, a process that consumes time and energy and are highly inefficient.

The New approach offered by these MIT scientists called "flow switching," solves the problem of inefficient signal conversion process. Between locations that exchange large volumes of data " say, Los Angeles and New York City " flow switching would establish a dedicated path across the network. For certain wavelengths of light, routers along that path would accept signals coming in from only one direction and send them off in only one direction. Since there"s no possibility of signals arriving from multiple directions, there"s never a need to store them in memory.

You can read the complete white paper on Flow switching here.

Internet is now over 20 years old . The basic network technology hasn"t changed since the time it was born. Implementing this new network design is not going be easy. The Internet Service providers will have to bring about fundamental changes in their network, like changing existing routers etc. Having said that, the benefit of phenomenal increase in Internet bandwidth (along with saving energy) far outweigh the disadvantages of cost !

Sooner rather than later, it has to happen - What are your views ?

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China would soon launch a new facility for people to access TV, Internet and mobile phone through a single device combining broadcasting and telecommunication technologies.

Users will be able to access all the three through a single device, an official statement said.

A pilot scheme to integrate the three systems would be launched in 11 Chinese cities including Beijing [ Images ] and Shanghai. However, the statement gave no schedule and did not elaborate on the development of the trial programme.

The programme, known as "three networks integration" in Chinese, aims to make the three systems compatible and allow users to make telephone calls, surf the Internet and watch television through only one cable or wireless entrance, official Xinhua news agency reported.

Currently, TV, telecom and Internet networks are separated in China, and different operators provide access to cable TV, telecommunications and the Internet.
The State Council, China's Cabinet, said in January that the program would be accelerated through pilot projects from 2010 to 2012, focusing on trials connecting broadcasting and telecommunication networks.

It vowed to achieve comprehensive integration by 2015. China first proposed the program in 1998.But it was delayed because of conflicts of interest between different administrators and service operators, said Wu Jichuan, previously minister at the information industry ministry, the predecessor of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT).

In China, the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television regulates radio and TV while the MIIT is responsible for telecoms and Internet industries.


The programme will boost investment and consumption by 668 billion yuan ($98.38 billion) over the next three years, said Wu Hequan, vice president of the Chinese Academy of Engineering.

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Now you can potentially charge your cellphone battery just by walking with a new charger which can be fitted with the sole of your shoes and produce power when you walk.

Mobile phone company European Telco Orange has developed a charging prototype - a set of thermoelectric gumboots or Wellington boots with a 'power generating sole' that converts heat from the wearer's feet into electrical power.

The boot was designed by Dave Pain, managing director at GotWind, an energy firm.

Pain said the boot uses the Seebeck effect, named after physicist Thomas Johann Seebeck, in which a circuit made of two dissimilar metals conducts electricity if the two places where they connect are held at different temperatures, reported TVNZ "In the sole of the Wellington boot there's a thermocouple and if you apply heat to one side of the thermocouple and cold to the other side it generates an electrical charge," Pain said.

"That electrical charge we then pass through to a battery which you'll find in the heel of the boot for storage of the electrical power for later use to charge your mobile phone."

These thermocouples are connected electrically, forming an array of multiple thermocouples. They are then sandwiched between two thin ceramic wafers.

When the heat from the foot is applied on the top side of the ceramic wafer and cold is applied on the opposite side, from the cold of the ground, electricity is generated.

But the power boots have one drawback. You need to walk for 12 hours to generate one hour's worth of charge.

Pain, however, said his company was working on improving the technology, which could then also be used in other forms of clothing.

"The technology's not just limited to footwear, or indeed boots, but you could for example make clothing out of it, you know, a headband, for example," he said.

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The world's first flying car, which was caught in a legal snarl in the U.S., has finally been given the green signal.

Being developed by Boston-based Terrafugia Transition since 2006, the dual-purpose car-cum-plane vehicle called 'the flying car' has got the waiver on its weight from the American Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

Under FAA rules, the flying car - categorised as a 'light sport' aircraft - was required to be strictly under 1,320 pounds in weight. But with the addition of car safety features such as airbags, crumple zones and a safety cage, the vehicle overshot the weight-limit. With the FAA now relaxing the rules for its weight, the decks have been cleared for the flying car - a two-seater named Transition - to take-off next year.

"Our schedule calls for the first delivery to be made prior to the end of 2011. We currently have in excess of 70 orders, which is about a two-year backlog," Richard Gersh, vice president for Terrafugia, told IANS.

Asked whether it was big corporates or individuals who have placed orders, Gersh said, "They are generally pilots who either own planes or have owned planes in the past."

About about their plans to raise production, he said: "Low volume production will take place in the Boston area. No decisions have been made for other production plans."

Costing about $200,000, the flying car will travel up to 725 km in the air at a speed of more than 115 km per hour.

Fuelled by gasoline, it will have front-wheel drive on the road and a propeller for flight. With its wings folded, it can be parked in an ordinary car garage. The company claims the flying car has been successfully test-flown many times.

It says tests have shown that the vehicle can drive, fly and switch from being a plane to a car in just 30 seconds.

  

                                          

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