Idea launches Android Ivory

Idea Cellular has launched Android-powered smartphone Ivory. The smartphone is based on Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich OS and runs on 1GHz processor.

The 3G smartphone from Idea features a 3.5' Full Touch Bar and offers 4GB internal memory and 512MB RAM. The dual-sim smartphone from Idea is priced at Rs 7,390. Other features of the phone include G Sensor, built-in social media apps like Facebook and Twitter, IMAP, HTML and music video player. Ivory comes in two colour options white and black.

Ivory is the fifth Android-based 3G smartphone from Idea. The company claims to have sold more than 2.25 lakh devices in the Indian market.

Like all the other previous smartphones from Idea, the new dual SIM 3G smartphone, Ivory, also comes packed with data usage offers for Idea 3G users. The pack offers 1GB of free data every month for first three months and free Idea TV for just Rs 261.

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India mobile Web users to hit 165 million by 2015

India is expected to have about 165 million mobile Internet users by March 2015, as more people access the Web through their mobile devices.
According to a joint report issued by the Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) and Indian Market Research Bureau (IMRB) Wednesday, the number of mobile Internet users in the country had risen to 87.1 million by December 2012 from 78.7 million users three months prior. These people accesed the Web through dongles-- both 2G and 3G Evolution Data Optimised (EVDO) cards--and tablet PCs, it noted.
With the ongoing proliferation of mobile devices in the country, the number of Indian mobile Web users will grow to 92.9 million by March this year, and hit 164.8 million in two years' time, the report, titled "Mobile Internet in India", added. In 2009, the number of users stood at 4.1 million, it stated.
Both organizations polled approximately 21,000 households from 35 cities in India for this study.

Source: Mobile Internet in India, December 2012

The study also found that the average monthly bill of a user accessing the Internet on mobile devices is INR 450 (US$8.47). Of this amount, 60 percent of those surveyed spent INR 198 (US$3.64) on Internet services while the rest were spent on voice-related services.
This is a "very healthy trend" as it indicates users' willingness to spend more than 40 percent of the bill toward Internet access, the report said.
In terms of Web services, e-mail, social networking services and instant messaging are the most used among mobile Internet users. Ticketing and e-banking were at the other end of the scale.




Source: Mobile Internet in India, December 2012



 Source: Mobile Internet in India, December 2012

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Bharti Airtel launches mobile education services

Indian telco Bharti Airtel has launched a range of affordable mobile education services, dubbed mEducation, allowing customers access to services such as English lessons, exam preparation and career advice over their handsets.

In a report by the Times of India Wednesday, K Srinivas, Bharti Airtel president for consumer business, said: "In many parts of the country, access to formal education is still restricted. The mobile platform has the potential to bridge this restriction using technology. Airtel mEducation service uses technology-enabled platforms to address the challenging issues of education with an endeavor to enrich the lives of our customers."

According to the company, the mEducation service platform allows Airtel customers across India to easily access, via a few clicks on their phones, various education services including courses for language skills, entrance exam preparation and career counseling from universities and professors in India.

The services are priced ranging from INR 1.5 to INR 10 (US$0.03 to US$0.18) per day. They are delivered over both voice and SMS (short messaging service) formats and offer an interactive learning experience in the native language of customers, the report said.

Airtel is also offering mock tests for the entrance and competitive exams of courses such as MBA (Master of Business Administration), priced at INR 99 (US$1.82) for a series of 12 mock tests, it added.

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Wish U Happy New Year

I Wish U All A Very Happy New year 2013

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Aakash 3 with SIM Card Slot to Debut in India Next Year

The third version of Indian-made tablet PC Aakash is all set to become a truly mobile device next year. Aakash-3 will feature a SIM-card slot to make the tablet PC more desirable to tech savy Indians and young adults alike.

About 50 lakh Aakash 3 tablets are expected to roll out in the next phase, the global tender for which may be floated in February next year, reported PTI.
"Our ultimate aim is to imbibe the usage of tablets in the education system and create an ecosystem for this," said Deepak B Phatak, committee member and professor in IIT- Bombay's Department of Computer Science and Engineering.
Aakash 3 will have a faster processor supporting both Linux and Android operating systems and come with advanced memory, he said.
Phatak further said, "It could also have a SIM card slot so that people can use it as a communication device", reported The Economic Times



 The previous two versions of Aakash tablets supported only Wi-Fi connectivity. With no SIM-card support consumers were restricted to use the device only around Wi-Fi hotspots. Now, Aakash-3 is pegged to feature a SIM card and also the latest Android mobile operating system with bigger memory space all within the existing price tag..


The device's predecessor Aakash 2 was released just a month ago in November, but its unveiling was marred by allegations that the indigenous Aakash 2 tablet was a cheap import from China.
Later, tablet PC maker DataWind Chief Suneet Singh Tuli clarified that Aakash 2 was originally designed in India, but due to "expediency sake" the mother boards and kits were manufactured in China.



This time DataWind is hoping to debut Aakash 3 without any controversies.
The Aakash 3 tablet PC is developed under guidance of IIT-Bombay Prof Deepak B Phatak, Prof Ashok Jhunjhunwala of IIT-Madras, and others. The project will be assisted by many IIT students and manufacturing partners of DataWind.

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Reliance’s offer: Unlimited usage of Facebook Messenger at Rs 16 only

Reliance has launched a new plan for all prepaid users. This plan will let them make unlimited usage of the Facebook Messenger app at Rs 16 per month only.

The offer is valid for Reliance GSM subscribers across the country. The Facebook Messenger Plan has a validity period of 30 days from the date of recharge and the plan is auto-renewed every 30 days unless you unsubscribe.

The Facebook Messenger app. Image courtesy: Facebook.

The Facebook messenger app is available for Android, BlackBerry and iOS users. Recently Facebook gave Android users in India the option to download the app and log in with just their name and mobile number. Previously you needed a Facebook account to use the app.

The Facebook Messenger App is currently at number 5 in the top free Android apps.

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Top 10 smartphones to be launched in India in 2013

The next year is going to witness the launch of a spate of eye-catchy smartphones in India including the Nokia Lumia 920, LG Optimus G, BlackBerry phones and HTC Butterfly. Here is a list of the top 10 smartphones, scheduled to be launched in India in 2013.

 1. The Nokia Lumia 920 is Nokia's flagship Windows Phone 8 smartphone. It will make its way to India next year. The Nokia Lumia 920 also comes with Nokia's largest ever battery (2000mAh) and, for the first time, built-in wireless charging. The Nokia Lumia 920 comes in yellow, red, grey, white and black.

 2. Announced this month, the Nokia Lumia 620 is said to be the most affordable in its range of Windows Phone 8 smartphones. The Nokia Lumia 620 will be available in a range of colors including, lime green, orange, magenta, yellow, cyan, white andblack. According to the company, it will begin selling in January 2013 in Asia. 

3.  The LG Optimus G smartphone with voice-activated power camera is also gearing up for its India launch. The Optimus G boasts a 13 megapixel camera which a user can instruct to take snaps by talking to it, plus a 4.7-inch screen with a sharper picture quality than both the iPhone and Samsung's Galaxy S III.

 

4. Unveiled recently, HTC's 5-inch Butterfly smartphone will hit Indian shores next year. This smartphone's specifications are similar to that of the Japan-only HTC J Butterfly and the US-only Droid DNA. The smartphone comes equipped with a quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro SoC running at 1.5 GHz and has 2 GB of RAM.

5. Samsung will launch the Galaxy S III mini, which is a compact version of the company's flagship smartphone Galaxy S III, next year. The Galaxy S III mini shares the Galaxy S III's design. The phone features a 4-inch Super AMOLED display, and runs Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean) OS. The phone is powered by a dual-core 1GHz processor. It has a 5 megapixel auto focus camera with LED Flash. and a front VGA camera.

6. LG's hot-selling Nexus 4 smartphone is expected to make its India debut in January 2013, according to a source. The Nexus 4 is easily one of the most awaited Android phones in India and LG has so far been tightlipped about the phone's India plans. The Nexus 4 is the first phone to come with Google's latest Android 4.2 operating system and has been collaboratively designed by LG and Google and was launched at a price of $299, without contract.

7. The Nokia Lumia 820 is a mid-range smartphone Windows 8 smartphone. It comes with an exchangeable shell design. The Nokia Lumia 820 comes in red, yellow, grey, cyan, purple, white and black.

8.Inspired by the success of the Galaxy Note and its successor the Note II, Samsung has unveiled its budget 5-inch smartphone the Galaxy Grand. The Samsung Galaxy Grand runs Android 4.1.2 (Jelly Bean) and is powered by a 1.2 GHz Dual Core processor. The Galaxy Grand will be available in two versions, a dual SIM version (GT-I9082) and a single SIM version (GT-I9080). The dual SIM variant will be the first to hit stores. Samsung has not revealed details about the phone's availability and pricing as yet, but the phone will definitely hit the Indian market next year.


 


 9. Sony announced a new affordable addition to its Xperia smartphone range - Xperia E. Sony's latest Android smartphone will be available in both single and dual SIM versions from Q1 2013. The Xperia E will launch on Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean).




10. BlackBerry-maker RIM has finally announced that the BlackBerry 10 launch event will take place on January 30, 2013. This day will mark the official launch of its new platform - BlackBerry 10, as well as the unveiling of the first two BlackBerry 10 smartphones. The new phones will be available in stores "not too long after" that, said Chief Operating Officer Kristian Tear. The phone will hit store shelves in India in early 2013.

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