Nokia N82 gets first firmware update, respects User Data

Nokia N82 the 5 Mega Pixel SuperStar from Nokia seems to have gotten its first software update. The latest firmware update available is 11.0.117 up from the previous 10.0.046

The Coolest thing about this update is that Nokia seems to be hearing the woes of its users.

Its come up with a new feature called User Data Preservation (UDP) which is the first of its kind in NSeries line.

Nokia N82 first firmware update Continue reading “Nokia N82 gets first firmware update, respects User Data”

Samsung L320

Samsung L320 A clamshell handset launched alongwith its near-namesake the L310, this handset has almost the same features and specs.

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Specs at a glance:

• GSM 900 / 1800 / 1900
• GPRS/EDGE
• 93.4 x 44 x 17.9 mm
• Display – 176 x 220 pixels, 1.9 inches

Features:

• TFT, 65K colours
• Polyphonic, MP3
• 20 MB internal memory
• MicroSD expandable memory card slot Continue reading “Samsung L320”

Nokia foraying big-time into Location Based Services

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Nokia started giving Maps applications with its N95 and the many phone which Nokia launched after Nokia N95 had GPS functionality enabled. Nokia was and is focusing more on Maps but now has rolled out tracking software, personal training applications like the Nokia Sports Tracker. Continue reading “Nokia foraying big-time into Location Based Services”

Operators must provide hard copy of bills to postpaid subscribers for free says TRAI

All mobile operators in India are trying to save money by not sending hard copy of bills to Subscribers.

Telecom regulator Trai has mandated all service providers to provide a hard copy of the bill free of cost to its post-paid subscribers.

The order would be effective from January 24, and applicable across all types of tariff plans of mobile — GSM and CDMA — and fixed line services

Ebills and Epayments are the things to blame. Personally I see a need to have a printed copy of my mobile bill for my own records.

Continue reading “Operators must provide hard copy of bills to postpaid subscribers for free says TRAI”

ICICI mobile banking application iMobile

Mobile banking payments and mCommerce might finally get some users in India. ICICI Bank has launched its Mobile Banking Application called iMobile to all its users. The application can let you do most of the actions you can perform over internet banking.Below is the main screen of the application. As a security feature the application asks you to enter a PIN before entering this screen.The PIN is set during the first use and when the application is activated.

imobile-mainscreen.jpg

In order to tryout the application , I installed it over GPRS on my N82 and then tried doing a Prepaid mobile recharge.

The experience was great . Check below for the screenshots and more info. Continue reading “ICICI mobile banking application iMobile”

Sony Ericsson R300i Radio

Sony Ericsson R300i Radio

Launched on 24 January 2008, the R300i is a Radio phone as the name suggests. According to the company, music is an essential part of Indians, and that’s the reason the two handsets R300i and R306i have been launched.

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Specs and Features at a glance:
• GSM/GPRS 900/1800/1900
• VGA camera
• Integrated stereo speakers Continue reading “Sony Ericsson R300i Radio”

Sony Ericsson T270, T280, R300 Radio and R306 Radio – 4 new handsets to choose from!

Sony Ericsson launched four new handsets in New Delhi – T270, T280, R300 Radio and R306 Radio.

Sony Ericsson T270

A slim candy bar handset that has a glass finish.

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Specs at a glance:
• Slim design – width 13mm
• Speaker phone
• FM Radio
• WAP 2.0 XHTML
• No Camera
• Music tones – (MP3)
• Bluetooth technology
• Navigation key
• Picture wallpaper and Wallpaper animation
• Picture messaging (MMS)
• Alarm clock, Calculator, Calendar, Stopwatch, Tasks, Timer
• Java
• Polyphonic ringtones Continue reading “Sony Ericsson T270, T280, R300 Radio and R306 Radio – 4 new handsets to choose from!”

Reliance all set to enter GSM business after CDMA

We had covered long back in June 2006 about possibility of Reliance entering GSM business in India

Now Forbes is telling us that Huawei Technologies of China has won a 500 million USD contract from Reliance India for GSM Network hardware and installation and the contract spans 3 years. Airtel and Vodafone are battling it out already in the GSM space and State owned operators are facing losses. Will entry of Reliance make things worse for them ?

Regarding the CDMA scene in India , Reliance and Tata Indicom are the sole players and its a different ball game altogether.
Continue reading “Reliance all set to enter GSM business after CDMA”

Youtube expands mobile version and launches Java App

Google’s Youtube has expanded its mobile version by offering its large video collection at m.youtube.com

youtube mobile

Until recently only a limited subset of the entire database was available on the mobile version.

FREE Youtube JAVA Application 

They have also announced a J2ME Java Application which lets users play videos without downloading them directly. But the sad news is that application is available only for Nokia’s N73, N95, E65, 6110, 6120 and SonyEricsson k800 and w880. But it should work pretty fine on any J2ME MIDP2.0 Phone . Continue reading “Youtube expands mobile version and launches Java App”

Nokia Q4 2007 results out claims 40 percent market share

After the Sony Ericsson results of 2007 now its Nokia. The company came out with their results Q4 2007 results and this time Nokia has gained 40% share of the mobile handset market in Q4 2007. Nokia sold handsets worth 25 billion Euros in the year 2007, which is mere 1% more than what it sold last year.

Some highlights of the quarter:

  • Nokia device volumes of 133.5 million units, up 20% sequentially and up 27% year on year.
  • Estimated industry device volumes of 336 million units, up 17% sequentially and up 16% year on year.
  • Several key devices started shipping in volume across the product range including: Nokia 1200/1208, Nokia 2630, Nokia 5310, Nokia 6500 and Nokia N95 8GB.

This is what the Nokia CEO had to say on Nokia’s performance, “Nokia’s excellent fourth quarter contributed to a year of high growth and increased profitability for the company, while our industry leading product portfolio drove our device business to an estimated 40% market share in the fourth quarter. At the same time we again increased our quarterly device margins, allowing Nokia to continue to invest for innovation and growth.” Continue reading “Nokia Q4 2007 results out claims 40 percent market share”

Virtual Keyboard from Nokia

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Nowadays mobile companies are filing patents one after another. Nokia has once again filed a patent for Virtual keyboard. This patent is regarding an upcoming Nokia device, which will have a virtual keyboard. Nokia’s phone will have digital camera located in front side of the phone, which will capture movement and position of the user’s fingers and project them on a virtual keyboard. Continue reading “Virtual Keyboard from Nokia”

Mobile Hazard – Use of mobile phones affecting sleep patterns

Fonearena had covered the story of mobile phones affecting sleep patterns according to a research.

Another study funded by the Mobile Manufacturers Association, undertaken by the Electromagnetic Academy based at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, in the United States, has concluded that mobile phones severely disrupt sleep patterns.

“According to the study, monitoring under laboratory conditions showed the initial ‘light’ phases of sleep in the subjects were affected. In addition, “exposure to 884 MHz wireless signals, components of sleep, believed to be important for recovery from daily wear and tear, are adversely affected.” The research also found that those exposed to mobile phones during their sleep appear to have more headaches, than those not exposed.”

While France has recently become the latest country to advice against excessive use of mobile phones, particularly by children, it is clear that other countries need to follow suit.