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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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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. Click here to visit SME Buzz Also Read Related Stories...

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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,...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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,...

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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...

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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...

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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 Apri...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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 H...

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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...

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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 giv...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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