Nokia W7 and W8 will lead the Windows Phone 7 march

Mobile Review's one-man Nokia rumor mill Eldar Murtazin has pushed out some details regarding the first fruits from the 'Microkia' (Microsoft/Nokia) team up, in the form of two new devices bearing the names W7 and W8.

Not only are they not exactly the most original names but the devices in question will apparently resemble the Nokia X7 and the N8 respectively.

Nokia apparently already has one working Windows Phone prototype in their possession, the W7. This X7 lookalike differs from it's Symbian sibling by its WVGA display, 8MP camera with autofocus and a Qualcomm QSD8250 Chipset. This (or something very similar to this) is most likely going to be the company's first WP7 device. Nokia targets availability by Q4 of this year, but there's a good chance that it might take until Q1 of 2012 to see it in action. In its current state the W7 is quite reminiscent of the HTC Mozart in terms of functionality, at least.

The followup to the W7 is naturally, the W8 and there is far greater speculation as this device won't be making an appearance until Q2 2012. However plans to make this a flagship imaging handset mean it has to have a strong skill set to stand out from the crowd. Using the N8 as the basis this one is said to pack a 12MP camera, a Qualcomm dual-core CPU and an Adreno 320 GPU. Specs are most likely going to change before the official release, but this one certainly looks promising.

In total Nokia plan to push 12 new devices out across 2012 (whether this includes the W7 is unclear) with mentions of the third and fourth WP7 handsets in the lineup consisting of a QWERTY candybar with a touchscreen, akin to the E71 or E6, and a 'cheap' touchscreen device probably mimicking the abilities of the W7 but featuring lesser build quality, and weaker imaging capabilities.It seems they could try to make a bigger impression with some completely fresh designs to really shout about the birth of the WP7 Nokia but what we actually receive could still impress. Perhaps the concept they mocked up for MWC 2011, (a concept that so well embodied both Nokia and WP7) will make a reappearance as something more tangible soon.

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Windows Phone 7 browser aces the HTML5 drawing test

Mangoes are apparently good for mobile web browsers – the Internet Explorer 9 that comes with the Mango update for Windows Phone 7 beat Mobile Safari and the Android Browser at a hardware-accelerated graphics rendering test, demonstrated at MIX11.

The test at hand is HTML5 Speed Reading – it uses a Canvas element to draw an animation. The Canvas element gives JavaScript a lot of flexibility when it comes to drawing and is often used in HTML5 games (ones that often claim to be as good as Flash but with no actual Flash required).

The test offers a framerate counter, which reveals a startling difference. The test was run simultaneously on an HTC Trophy, Google Nexus S and an iPhone 4 (actually, the iPhone had a head start).

Here’s the video of the demo from Microsoft’s MIX11 conference:The Windows Phone 7 browser goes at a breezy 20fps, the Android Browser manages 11fps or so, while Mobile Safari chugs along at just 2fps. Again, this test measures Canvas drawing performance, rather than general browsing speed, or JavaScript performance and such.

But still, it’s a very impressive demo that shows Microsoft has put a lot of work into the Mango update. There’s also quite a bit of other new functionality coming to Windows Phone 7 with the Mango update.

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Here's the Symbian Anna web browser, finally improved

reportedly brings improvements in both performance and usability. And the company seems pretty eager to show that it has done a good job with it, dedicating a whole post on its blog to revealing its strong points.

In unison with the rest of the refreshed interface, the new web browser has been equipped with a streamlined UI that has seen the removal of the double rows of icons at the bottom of the browsing window and has instead replaced them with a small overlay back arrow and an options icon that can call up various different tasks such as bookmarks, history or the exit button. That makes for some extra room up top to include a convenient address bar for easy URL typing and web searching.Speaking of which, we finally have split-screen typing view mode and a QWERTY keyboard in portrait mode. Those are little things that all owners of full-touch devices have taken for granted.The web browse also has a new context pop-up menu that let you copy a link address or open it in a new tab.On the performance side of things, the new version 7.3 of the Symbian3 browser comes with a new 30% faster JavaScript engine and improved compatibility with HTML5. The new browser got 111 out of 400 in the standard HTML5 test, while the previous version only achieved 29. That’s some improvement.

From the looks of it, this is the largest step forward that the Symbian browser has taken since it went touch in 2007.

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Apex court asks I-T department to hold off Vodafone penalty

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Friday asked the income tax department not to impose penalties on Vodafone until an order is passed in this case after hearings in July. The court also allowed the tax office to continue with the case. The apex court bench headed by Chief Justice SH Kapadia asked the telecom major to appear before the income tax department to explain its position on the department's notice seeking imposition of penalty for its alleged failure to deduct tax at source on its stake purchase in Hutchison-Essar.

"No steps would be taken to enforce a penalty if imposed on the petitioner (Vodafone)", the court said. It, however, asked the company to explain its position to the department as only a show cause notice was issued. "They (I-T department) are asking you (Vodafone) to appear only. You go and appear and put your representation their. Let them pass order" , the court said. Vodafone had in 2007 purchased 67% stake of Hutchison in Hutchison-Essar for more than $11 billion. The income tax department had raised a demand of about $1.7 billion on the company for its alleged failure to deduct the tax at source for such transaction.

Vodafone has always maintained that under existing Indian laws, it is not required to withhold tax on the deal because the transaction took place in the Cayman Islands and both the buyer and seller were foreign. Following the Supreme Court directive, Vodafone said the company was a victim of reinterpretation of tax laws. "The company is surprised by the tax office's actions , especially as Indian law precludes the tax authorities from imposing penalties in cases where the assessee has acted on reasonable legal advice in view of past tax precedent in India or the issue of imposition of tax is being decided for the first time by courts of law in India," the telecom giant said in a statement.

Vodafone also added that 'established tax laws are being reinterpreted in a completely new way and there were no previous examples of such taxes being imposed in India on an overseas share transfer such as this. The I-T department had also on March 23 wanted to penalise Vo d a fo n e International, the holding company of Vodafone Essar, for its failure to present Cayman Island income tax returns and certain other documents. The I-T department had asked for these documents between January and October 2009.
The court in its interim order had directed Vodafone to deposit Rs 2,500 crore with the apex court registry and a bank guarantee of Rs 8,500 crore in the tax case. It will come up for hearing before the court after summer break on July 19. Vodafone had moved the apex court seeking its adjudication on the issue of whether Indian tax authority has jurisdiction to tax Vodafone's $11.2-billion purchase of 67% controlling interest in Vodafone Essar, then known as Hutchison Essar in February 2007. Hutchison controlled its Indian subsidiary through a Cayman Island company called CGP, whose shares were sold to Vodafone.

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DoT U-turn: will consider Tata telecom’s seniority plea

The Department of Telecommunication (DoT) has taken a U-turn from its earlier stand on the 2G spectrum allocation policy and has decided to take a fresh look at Tata telecom’s claim regarding seniority in spectrum allocation. In an affidavit before TDSAT in December 2010, the DoT has agreed to

re-co
nsider Tata’s case as an existing licence holder and re-position it
in the list of seniority.

This means as and when DoT has spectrum for allocation, Tata would be considered first.

The DoT’s shift in stand, which came after Kapil Sibal took over as telecom minister in November 2010, is likely to affect other telecom players including Swan Telecom and Unitech Wireless that were the beneficiaries of earlier policy during A Raja’s tenure. The latest affidavit has been filed in response to Tata’s plea seeking a correction in the policy that moved it lower in the seniority list, below new entrants such as Swan and Unitech Wireless.

Interestingly, DoT’s present stand is contrary to its August 2008 affidavit settled by then solicitor general GE Vahanvati. The earlier affidavit filed in TDSAT showed Swan Telecom and Unitech Wireless up in the priority list. The affidavit was filed when the tribunal was hearing a Cellular Operators’ Association of India petition that challenged permission to Reliance Infocomm to start GSM operations. Reliance (ADAG) was till then operating on CDMA.

The affidavit showed Tata Teleservices at number six position as its seniority was considered from the date of application, March 4, 2008 and not January 1, 2008, the day when the company actually applied for licence.

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Govt seriously mulls BSNL, MTNL merger

Aiming to optimise resources and give customers a nationwide footprint, the Union government is considering the merger of state-run telecom public sector undertakings (PSUs), Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) and Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Limited (MTNL).

“The merger of BSNL and MTNL makes sense. Today, telecom operators need to be present across India for better coverage and services. At this stage, we have not taken any decision but there are valid arguments in the favour of merger and we are considering it,” Telecom Secretary R Chandrasekhar told Business Standard.
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It doesn’t make sense for an operator to confine only to one part of the country or city, he said, adding currently MTNL cannot operate outside metros and BSNL cannot operate in metros.“We have received the report and we will take some time to consider that,” he said. A decision on the merger will take some time as there are procedural problems with MTNL being a listed entity and BSNL non-listed.


The Board for Reconstruction of Public Sector Enterprises had recently recommended that MTNL and telecom equipment manufacturer ITI should be merged with BSNL.

The Centre holds 56.25 per cent in MTNL and is listed in New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) and India, while BSNL is 100 per cent owned by government.

Department of Telecom had mooted the proposal of the merger of both the PSUs in its strategic plan. The merger plan was given a quiet burial under former telecom minister A Raja for the last three years. Also, due to different organisational structure and MTNL being a listed company, the talks were abandoned. There was a proposal to list BSNL, but following an opposition from employees, the plan was shelved.

Both companies also received third generation (3G) spectrum, ahead of auction for private players but could not take advantage of it. BSNL had posted a loss of about Rs 3,000 crore last year. MTNL’s revenues have also been declining steadily. Due to stiff competition from private operators and low tariffs, both companies have lost substantial amount of their market share and seen a dip in their revenues.

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Govt bans Nokia pushmail service

The government has asked telecom service providers to bar Nokia’s proposed -- pushmail or powermail -- service until it puts in place a legal monitoring system.


The Home Ministry, in its communication to Department of Telecom, has requested it to advice telecom service providers not to launch Nokia's proposed pushmail/powermail service till the company set up facility to allow security agencies to intercept it.

Messaging services from hand set maker Nokia involve push email for companies and consumers and enables mobile users with compatible Nokia cellphones to manage multiple email accounts from widely used email services like Yahoo!, Gmail, Rediff to Sify. Nearly 50 per cent of Nokia's E Series business phones sold in the country gets activated for e-mails.
The government had earlier raised security issues with the hugely popular BlackBerry Enterprise Mail Services (EMS), demanding its Canadian makers – Research in Motion (RIM) — to provide solutions to intercept messages.

Discussions with RIM officials are on going, as the company is still unable to provide a satisfactory solution to intercept messages on EMS.

Import norms

Meanwhile the Ministry of Home Affairs has asked Department of Telecom to finalise norms for importing telecom equipment to address the issue and modify the security template at the earliest.

Home Secretary Gopal K Pillai told Telecom Secretary R Chandrasekhar in a letter that finalisation of security template has been pending for a long time after service providers and vendors raised concerns over the norms framed by Department of Telecom.

The delay in finalising security norms for import of telecom equipments is hurting service providers as they are unable to roll out several of their newer services.

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TRAI bats for domestic tele gear makers

Despite being the fastest growing telecom market in the world, domestic manufacturers account for only 12% of the total equipment required in a network. Now, in a boost to domestic firms, the Telecom

Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has come out with a policy to boost home production. TRA
I has
recommended mandating mobile companies to source 80 per cent of equipment from domestic manufacturers, a R3,000-crore Telecom Manufacturing Fund (TMF) and subsidy to offer equity capital for all domestic manufacturers that have sales of less than R1,000 crore.

The regulator has also proposed limiting excise duty and VAT (value-added tax) on indigenously manufactured products to 12% and a deferment of excise, CST (central sales tax), VAT and GST (goods and services tax) for a 5-year period for local companies with sales of less than R1,000 crore.

TRAI has recommended that the operators should be mandated to buy locally

manufactured equipment in a phased manner. It says by 2015, telecom operators should procure 45% of all equipment domestically. Of this, Indian firms should have a 25% share.

Production by foreign companies such as Nokia Siemens Networks and Alcatel Lucent in India is considered as domestic manufacture.

Aiming to build intellectual property and patents, the policy also advocates indigenous research and development activities and proposes a telecom research and development park within two years with a fund of R5,000 crore.

The policy also has focus on encouraging semiconductor manufacturing.

TRAI has also recommended two fabrication units in India with government assistance.

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Intel goes all-out to compete with ARM in tablets

Intel is speeding up the release of tablet chips in an attempt to close the power and performance gap with ARM, which dominates the tablet market, analysts said this week.

Intel said this week that it was accelerating the release of its Atom chips for tablets, breaking a traditionally long wait cycle to upgrade the low-power processors. In 2013, the company will release an Atom chip for tablets that an Intel executive said will put the company's offering on par with ARM processors in performance and power consumption.

ARM Holdings, which licenses processor designs and architectures, virtually dominates the tablet market as well as the smartphone business. Apple's latest A5 tablet chip used in the iPad 2 includes an ARM processor, while Hewlett-Packard's upcoming TouchPad tablet runs on Qualcomm's Snapdragon processor, which also is based on the ARM architecture. Research In Motion and Motorola also are using ARM processors in tablets.

The tablet market is new for Intel, and the company released its first true Atom tablet chip, code-named Oak Trail, at the Intel Developer Forum in Beijing this week. The company also laid out the road map for future Atom chips, which includes an Oak Trail successor called Cloverview. Cloverview will be made using a 32-nanometer manufacturing process. Further information about the chip will be discussed later this year.

About 35 Oak Trail devices are scheduled to go on sale next month. Companies including Fujitsu, Samsung and Lenovo are expected to ship tablets that will run operating systems including Microsoft Windows 7, Google's Android and Intel's Meego.

Intel will also reveal new tablet and netbook chips in 2013 that will be made with its advanced 22nm process, at which time it will be on par with ARM for power and performance, said Bill Kircos, general manager of marketing at Intel's netbook and tablet group, in an interview with the IDG News Service last week.

Intel's chips are more power-hungry than ARM processors, which are used in tablets such as Apple's iPad and Samsung's Galaxy Tab. Kircos said Intel will close the power and performance gap through smarter chip design and rapid advances in manufacturing. Intel advances its chip manufacturing process every two years and invests billions to improve chip performance and reduce leakage.

Intel's upcoming low-end smartphone chip, code-named Medfield, is also being extended to tablets, said Claudine Mangano, an Intel spokeswoman. Intel wants to offer a range of chips so it can provide tablet makers with more choice when building devices. Smartphones with the Medfield chip will be released later this year.

Intel needs to move quickly in tablets, which are eating into the sales of netbooks and low-end laptops, a staple of Intel's business, said Nathan Brookwood, principal analyst at Insight 64."Nobody expected the iPad to be the phenomenal success it has been," Brookwood said.

Intel is the dominant player in the PC market, with its chips going into more than 80 percent of the world's PCs. But PC shipments have declined due to a growing interest in tablets, according to surveys by IDC and Gartner this week. Worldwide PC shipments declined by 3.2 percent in the first quarter of 2011 compared with the first quarter of 2010, according to IDC. The research company estimates that tablet shipments will reach 44 million units this year, up from just 18 million last year.

Intel took some time to assess the tablet market, but its accelerated strategy should bring it closer to ARM on power consumption, a key variable.

"People don't value the performance as much as they value the battery life in the [tablet] space," Brookwood said.

The rapid progress in Intel's manufacturing process will leave "ARM suppliers scrambling to keep up with the process wars," said Jack Gold, principal analyst of J. Gold Associates, in a research note on Thursday.

"Once Intel gets to 32-nm, and then advances to 22-nm, we expect them to be as energy efficient and effective as ARM," Gold wrote.

Intel will also differentiate its chips through features such as integrated security and specialized accelerators to improve multimedia performance, Gold said.

Intel has also helped to extend a variety of operating systems, such as Google's Honeycomb, to work on its x86 Oak Trail tablets. The upcoming Windows OS will also work on both Atom and ARM processors, so the competition there will be on even ground, Gold said.

"It's not that the ARM vendors ... won't be successful. It's that they now have a formidable competitor with attractive products and huge manufacturing capability," Gold wrote.

As Intel draws closer, chip makers that license ARM processors are also improving performance while reducing power consumption, Insight 64's Brookwood said.

ARM has already announced the Cortex-A15 chip design, which is faster and more power-efficient than its predecessor, the Cortex-A9. Qualcomm, which makes the Snapdragon processor, and Nvidia, which offers the Tegra processor, will also offer chips made with 28-nm processes by early next year.

ARM processors are designed with smartphones in mind, which gives the platform an architectural advantage to cut power consumption, Brookwood said. Intel's chip designs originate from PCs, and the company may find it difficult to reach deep down to cut lower levels of power consumption.

"Intel would have to be better [to beat] ARM. They are the challenger," Brookwood said.

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MTS Pulse, the first free smartphone

At first glance, this looks like any other Android touchscreen phone. But the new MTS Pulse (or HTC Pulse, co-branded by MTS) is significant, because this is the first operator-subsidized smartphone in India (though not the first operator subsidized phone: remember the Reliance Dhirubhai Ambani offer?)

It has a 3.2-inch, 320 x 480 pixel capacitive touchscreen, 528Mhz Qualcomm processor, 288MB RAM, 5MP autofocus camera, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS, micro SD slot (8GB card supplied, 32GB supported) and runs Android 2.1. The Pulse is a CDMA/EVDO phone, which means there's no SIM card. But in every other way, it operates just like any other Android touchscreen phone, with all the Google services, social networking features, push mail and Android Marketplace intact.

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Loop Telecom to get showcause notice for violating norms

NEW DELHI: The telecom department will issue showcause notice to mobile company Loop Telecom, asking why its licences in 21 regions across the country not be cancelled for violating rules that govern the communication sector.

An internal probe by the department has revealed that the Essar Group held more than the 10% permissible stake in Loop Telecom, one of the companies that bagged pan-India mobile permits in 2008 under controversial circumstances.

Indian laws prohibit a single group, which already has more than 10% stake in one mobile operator, from owning more than 10% in another. Essar is a 33% shareholder in Vodafone Essar.

The department, in its draft showcause notice reviewed by ET, said, "Essar Group under a corporate veil and its complex web of companies is indirectly holding substantial equity in Loop Telecom as well as the Vodafone Essar Group of companies which had mobile permits for the 21 circles for which Loop had applied and obtained licences in violation of the licence agreement".

It also lists the different companies as well as the financial transactions between Essar Group and Loop Telecom to substantiate its findings.

A top telecoms department official confirmed that Loop Telecom would be issued a showcause notice, but said that the observations in the draft show cause may not necessarily reflect in the final one issued to the company.

"We confirm that we are in compliance with UAS Licence norms," the Loop Telecom spokesperson said.

India is divided into 22 telecom circles. Loop Telecom hold mobile permits in 21 circles and its subsidiary Loop Mobile operates in Mumbai.

Last week, the Enforcement Directorate had charged Loop Mobile for FEMA violations of 431 crore and said the company had failed to report 'receipt of funds from abroad and issuing of shares to foreign investors within stipulated time frame'. Loop Telecom too was involved in similar violations resulting in contraventions of Rs 184.28 crore, the agency had added.

The Essar Group said it was aware or received any such communication from the telecoms department and the company added that it was in compliance with UAS license norms. Its CEO Prashant Ruia had recently told ET that the Ruias were only a minority investor with a 1.5% stake in Loop Telecom and had no say in its running its businesses, nor had any intention of increasing their holding in the embattled mobile operator in the future.

He said, Loop was now 98.5% owned by the Dubai-based Khaitan group. Loop's main shareholders include Ruia's aunt Kiran Khaitan and her husband IP Khaitan. Kiran is sister of Essar group's founders Shashi and Ravi Ruia .

Investigating agencies have been specifically examining investments of 1,592 crore made by the Essar Group into Loop's controlling companies to find out whether this was used to bankroll its application for mobile permits in 2007.

The DoT in its draft showcause said the 1592-crore investment was outstanding as of May 19, 2009. "This means as of March 19 2009, Loop Telecom continues to be an Essar Group company and the directors on board of Loop Telecom represent the Essar Group," the draft notice said.

Its findings further add that two companies that held stake in Loop Telecom - Essar Teleholdings Ltd and Essar Investments Ltd - both belonged to the Essar Group and has been accepted as "associate companies".But during the earlier interaction with ET, Ruia said Essar and Khaitan group companies had a financial relationship that pre-dated Loop's application for permits.

He had said the Khaitan Group has invested around Rs 2,951 crore in Essar debt between October 2005 and July 2006, while Essar had invested Rs 1,592 crores in debt securities of Khaitan company Santa Trading between July 2005 and December 2006.

"Therefore, as of the date of the application (September 3, 2007), the net investment by the Khaitan Group in debt securities of the Essar Group was approximately Rs 1,358 crores. There was therefore no question of any net lending to Khaitan Group by Essar Group as has been alleged," Ruia had said. Loop came into being after Essar's 2005 acquisition of the erstwhile BPL Mobile, which saw three of the acquired firm's operations, merged with the then Hutchison Essar (now Vodafone Essar) and its Mumbai operations spun off into a separate company.

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Reliance Communications rolls out 3G services in HP

Shimla, Apr 13 (PTI) Leading telecom service provider Reliance Communications (RCOM) today launched its 3G Services in major towns of Himachal Pradesh. With the 3G rollout, the 3G services would be offered in Shimla, Solan, Baddi , Nalagarh , Paonta Sahib, Mandi, Kullu, Palampur, Hamirpur, Kangra, Dalhousie, Dharamshala, Maclodganj and Una. It announced that the 3G services would be launched in Sundar Nagar and Manali shortly. The company is targeting a national footprint of Reliance 3G services through associations with other like minded, quality 3G licencees and Reliance 3G is now available in all 13 circles in nearly 150 plus towns, a spokesperson of the group said. The launch of Reliance 3G is an integral part of our Vision 2015 of creating a 'Wirefree Himachal' built on 'affordable 3G services for all' platform, he said Personalisation of services, simplification of tariffs and a content rich portfolio on the 'Best in Class' 3G Wireless Network will enable Reliance customers to get a much superior 3G service experience, significantly differentiated from others in the marketplace," said Sami Butt, Circle Head Wireless Business of the company.

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Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 Coming to India in 3 Months

On Wednesday, Samsung revealed the Galaxy Tab 10.1, a tablet with a 10.1-inch screen that will be launched in the U.S. on June 8. Online sources have speculated that it's very likely that the tablet will see an Indian launch within a month of its American launch.

Samsung has revealed that the 16GB Wi-Fi version of the Tab will be priced at $499 (Rs. 22,200 approx.) while the 32GB Wi-Fi version will cost $599 (Rs. 26,650 approx.). We still do not know the pricing of the 3G versions of the tablet and will keep you updated as it arrives. The Galaxy Tab 10.1's display has a resolution of 1280x800 pixels and it weighs slightly over half a kilo. It is powered by a 1GHz processor and has two cameras- a 3MP main camera with an LED flash and a 2MP front-facing camera. The Tab will use a combination of the Android 3.0 (Honeycomb) OS and Samsung's own TouchWIZ UI. The Galaxy Tab is also capable of 1080p HD video playback and supports Adobe Flash 10.2. Apart from the internal memory, both 16GB and 32GB versions of the Tab will support microSD cards up to 32GB.

Along with the Galaxy Tab 10.1, Samsung also showed off the Galaxy Tab 8.9- a tablet with an 8.9-inch screen with the same resolution as the 10.1 Tab. The 8.9 Tab also shares all its other specs with its larger screened compatriot. Samsung has not yet revealed the release date for the 8.9 Tab.

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RIM CEO calls a halt to BBC Click interview

The BBC's technology correspondent Rory Cellan-Jones spoke to Mike Lazaridis, the co-chief executive of Research In Motion (RIM), the Canadian firm behind Blackberry.

After questioning him about RIM's new Playbook tablet, he asked a question for BBC Click about RIM's problems in India and the Middle East, where governments want to gain greater access to the tight security system used for Blackberry's business users.

Mr Lazaridis responded by saying the question was unfair, and that the interview was over. A more complete cut of the interview will be broadcast on the television edition of BBC Click later in April.

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Airtel teams up with handset manufacturers to launch cheap 3G handsets (India)

Airtel is said to be in talks with major mobile handset manufacturers to roll out 3G-enabled handsets below the price of $100. The penetration of 3G-enabled handsets is currently very low in India.

The 3G spectrum was auctioned few months ago and after the auction many telecom operators have introduced their 3G services. But, the growth of 3G has been hindered because of high prices of 3G-enabled mobile handsets.

According to Mr Atul Mohan Bindal, President (Mobile Services), Airtel, they see that it (price) is a barrier to the spread of 3G. They believe that by bringing it down, they could give a boost to the spread of 3G. The company further foresee a breakthrough when it breaches the $50-mark. However, he refused to divulge the names of the companies it was talking to.

Airtel, which launched 3G last month, has 20 lakh subscribers in the 3G telecom network. In the 3G auction, Airtel has received spectrum in 13 circles out of the 22. It has launched services in Delhi and the NCR, Bengaluru, Chennai, Coimbatore, Mysore, Manipal, Udipi and Jaipur so far.

But, Bindal doubts if the lowering costs of handsets will really help in adoption of 3G. There are already quite a few handsets below $100 like Nokia C2-01 or Samsung Hero E3210.The main factor that keeps consumers away from 3G is not the handset prices, but the astronomical tariff rates of 3G services.

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Idea launches 3G services in UP

Eyeing Rs 1,000-cr revenue in circle

Private GSM operator Idea Cellular today launched its third generation (3G) services in Uttar Pradesh (East) circle even as it is eyeing Rs 1,000 crore in revenues, up from Rs 769 crore last fiscal.

In the first phase, 3G services have been launched in six towns — Lucknow, Kanpur, Allahabad, Jhansi, Sitapur and Azamgarh.


UP (East) is one of the largest telecom circles in India with roughly 60 million subscribers. Idea had already launched 3G in UP (West).

“By March 2012, a total of 87 towns in UP (East) would be covered under 3G network,” Idea COO (national enterprise business) Lakshminarayana said at a conference call here.

Idea is the 4th telecom operator to launch 3G services in the circle after Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL), Aircel and Vodafone.

Idea has a subscriber base of about 5.2 million in UP (East) and is currently 3rd largest operator here as per revenue market share.

“Our subscriber base in 2010-11 grew 40 per cent over the previous year and we have 11 per cent market share in terms of revenue,” UP (East) COO Rajesh Naik said.

Apart from Rs 400 crore for 3G licence, the company has invested Rs 150 crore in creating the infrastructure for the 3G rollout in UP (East) and about Rs 60 crore more would be invested in near future.

Against 2G, which basically supports voice service, 3G is hi-speed mobile broadband suited for faster data transfers, including video calling, high definition gaming and faster internet providing speeds of up to 21.1 mbps. However, the speed also depends upon the handset and cell site traffic at that point of time.

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LG Unveils the Optimus X2 and Optimus Black in India

LG has unveiled the Optimus X2 in India and the device will be available on store shelves by the end of April 2011 for Rs. 30,000. The Optimus X2 is one of the first devices to launch in India that boasts of a dual core 1GHz NVIDIA Tegra 2 processor. It runs Android 2.2 and can be upgraded to Android 2.3 Gingerbread.

It will compete with the Samsung Nexus S and the Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc in the high-end Android smartphone market.

The X2 has a 4-inch WVGA display, 8GB of internal storage expandable up to 32GB via a micro SD card, an 8MP rear camera with 1080p MPEG-4/H.264 playback and recording, a 1.3MP front facing camera and a HDMI out.

LG has also unveiled the LG Optimus Black for Rs. 27,000. The Optimus Black has a 4-inch IPS LCD display with a 480 x 800 resolution. The device has 2 GB of internal storage expandable up to 32GB via micro SD card. It has a 5MP autofocus camera at the back and a 2MP front facing camera.

Both the LG Optimus X2 and the Optimus Black are aimed at the high-end consumer market. With the 3G revolution hitting India, LG has plans to launch 10 3G enabled smartphones during the course of 2011.

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HTC unveils HTC Desire in India

HTC Corporation, a global designer of smartphones, announced the launch of the HTC Desire HDTM Android-based smartphone in India.



The new HTC Desier HD showcases multimedia content with its 4.3” LCD display and SRS virtual sound and is powered by the 1GHz Qualcomm 8255 Snapdragon processor. The HTC Desire HD enables 720p HD video recording and includes an 8-megapixel camera with dual-flash.



“We have always strived to enhance and enrich the mobile phone experience and the HTC Desire HD is a true testament of HTC’s prowess, with its stylish unibody design and outstanding features”, said Ajay Sharma, Country Head, HTC India. “We are confident that Indian mobile phone users will value this holistic approach and HTC’s innovations in the new HTC Desire HD.”

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Motorola Milestone 2 smartphone hits LetsBuy

Motorola Milestone 2, successor to the popular Milestone smartphone has been shipping to several countries across the globe. Extending its availability to India, LetsBuy has officially put up the Motorola Milestone 2 on its online retail website.

Customers can benefit from the ‘cash on delivery’ option provided by LetsBuy enabling payment for the product only after delivery. The handset is powered by Google’s Android 2.2 or Froyo OS and supports 3G mobile hotspot connectivity.


The phone jackets a 5MP camera with HD video recording capabilities for users to capture those special moments. It incorporates seven customizable homescreens for quick accessibility and comes equipped with an expandable memory card slot.


This device is touted to put a smile on most people’s faces with features such as Adobe Flash Player 10 video support, corporate e-mail sync, push e-mail and Google mail. With the inclusion of Motoblur, social networking fanatics can instantly access websites like Twitter, Facebook and MySpace.

The Motorola Milestone 2 can be snapped up through LetsBuy for Rs. 20,999.

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Pre-paid mobile phone service extended in Kashmir, northeast

The government has extended the pre-paid mobile phone service in Jammu and Kashmir, Assam and other northeastern telecom service areas for two years.
The extension of service which has come into effect from April 1, will be valid till March 31, 2013.
‘The said permission for continuance of pre-paid mobile services, for a period of two years with effect from April 1, is subject to the condition that the existing security condition already stipulated by licensor shall continue to remain in place,’ the department of telecommunications (DoT) said in a statement.
The DoT has also mentioned that no telecom company will be allowed to offer services after March 31, 2013, on the basis of the permission now given.

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Govt plans energy efficiency labels for mobile phone chargers

Soon, you will be able to know how energy efficient your mobile phone charger is.

The Power Ministry is preparing to introduce energy labelling system for mobile phone chargers, as part of its efforts to promote energy conservation.

"We are working on introducing star (energy) labelling system for mobile phone chargers. It will be voluntary (for the makers of chargers) in the beginning and later, we plan to make it mandatory," a senior Power Ministry official said.

The Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE), under the Power Ministry, implements the Standards & Labelling programme. The energy efficiency labelling is aimed to reduce energy consumption of appliances.

A top BEE official said that energy efficiency labelling for mobile phone charges would be introduced "relatively soon".

BEE is currently looking at various factors, including the large secondary market for mobile phone chargers, to decide on the labelling system, he added.

At present, the energy efficiency labelling covers many appliances, including refrigerators, room air conditioners, distribution transformers, induction motors, ceiling fans, washing machines and laptops, among others.

These labels help consumers make decisions on purchase of appliances based on their energy efficiency.

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Facebook Mobile Features Now Optimized

If you’re among the ones troubled by the ‘one-size-fits-all’ attitude that the popular social networking site Facebook has towards the mobile aspect of its service, then we have news for you.

Mobile networking just got better

Facebook's latest feature will optimize the website for the fast-catching on mobile medium. Earlier, although the social network was available on phones, it had to be categorized for different phones – a lower-end phone user would have to log onto m.facebook.com, while the owners of touchscreen phones would have touch.facebook.com as their domain. With the optimizing feature kicking in, the site will both, look and work great on all mobile platforms. In short, users of an m.facebook.com will experience the same features as touch.facebook.com users would.

The latest, improved UI framework based on XHP, Javelin and WURFL has powered the whole optimization process, which users can expect to come out in the coming week.

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Fake Android app steals data, takes shot at pirates

A malicious Android app that masquerades as a free version of a legitimate app steals data and sends spam text messages and a warning that chastise the user for trying to get around paying for the actual app, Symantec said today.

The app, available on several file-sharing sites in North America and Asia that are known as clearinghouses for pirated software, is called Walk and Text. That's also the name of a legitimate app--available on the Android Market for $1.53--that uses a device's camera to let people see what's in front of them as they text while walking. However, the bogus app is labeled as version 1.3.7, which doesn't exist yet, according to a Symantec blog post.

Once the fake software--which Symantec has dubbed "Android.Walkinwat"--is downloaded and running, it displays a dialog box that indicates that the app is in the process of being compromised or cracked, ostensibly to scare the person who thinks they're getting the legitimate app for free. Behind the scenes, the software is gathering sensitive data--including username, phone number, and unique device identifier--and trying to send it to an external server, Symantec says.

The app also sends out a text message (rife with misspellings and errors) to all the numbers listed in the user's contact list: "Hey, just downloaded a pirated App off the Internet, Walk and Text for Android. Im stupid and cheap, it costed only 1 buck.Don't steal like I did!"

The app also displays a message that says "Application Not Licensed" and warns: "We really hope you learned something from this. Check your phone bill;) Oh and don't forget to buy the App from the Market." It includes buttons for buying the app or exiting.

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