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jun 15 to jul 14 2012  Rs 75 tm

for a connected lifestyle

WIN Enter the

-

Snapdragon contest P22

æHandS off

Phones

Could touchscreens and ` P 28 keyboards become passe?

æ Appy

College!

Some cool apps to make your college life interesting P 26

æPolicy

Matters

Does the new telecom policy deliver? P 24

æBudget

Dozen Twelve great phones that cost less than Rs 5,000 P 38

HTC ONE V

first call

O

ne of the forces that can change the path of any business, sector or industry is the government policy related to it. It can be safely said that in the formative days of the telecommunication industry in India, it was the farsightedness and understanding of the policy makers that enabled a smooth and sturdy growth of this sector.

Today, when the same telecom industry, the second largest market for this sector in the world, is going through a tumultuous period, the policy makers have again taken up the task of devising the future path for the industry to flourish. They have launched the National Telecom Policy with an objective of bringing ‘affordable telephony’ to the masses.

But does the newly released policy really meet its objective?

Has it really lived up to the expectations of the nation that were created after seeing the draft telecom policy released in February this year? And last but not least, how does it benefit the mass mobile user base of the country? We bring you a balance sheet of the promises and reality that the NTP 2012 has in store for the country.

Like the service sector, the mobile technology segment is also undergoing some interesting changes. Gone are the days when features like multi-touch were touted as innovation. We are now moving towards a time when you might not even need to hit a button - real or onscreen - to operate your handset. You could just tell your phone to do something or just wave at it to make something happen. It is this changing world of mobile interfaces that we look at in our cover story this issue, unravelling the world of motion, gesture and voice control, while bringing you some of the most interesting devices, functions and applications that can change the way you use your phone.

Another technology that is fast picking up in the mobile arena is cloud storage. With phones increasingly acting as both content creation and consumption devices, storage is becoming a big concern especially as the growing demand of sleeker phones is resulting in phones that have non-expandable memory. Cloud storage offers a clean, convenient and cross-platform storage option, which we believe could be the future of mobile storage - and this is making it a huge success in the mobile world. Our Cell Clues section lists some of the best cloud storage services and apps for all your storage needs.

And as always, we are bringing you some of the latest and best phones and devices in the market. This month too, we put to test the prowess and capabilities of some of the most awaited smartphones and devices like the Samsung Galaxy SIII, Sony Xperia P, Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 310, and HTC One V, among others.

Finally, we bring you a really special contest that will not only make you adept in mobile technology but will also give you a chance to win one of the latest smartphones. So read on and who knows, you might just get lucky!

Pankaj Mohindroo editor-in-chief

EDITORIAL Pankaj Mohindroo |

Editor-in-Chief

Sonia Sharma | Associate Editor Nimish Dubey | Consulting Editor Sulabh Puri | Deputy Editor Mukesh Kumar Singh | Assistant Editor(H) Harshita Rastogi | Correspondent Waseem Ansari | Reporter Heena Jatav | Reporter Ketan Pratap | Trainee Reporter

DESIGN Ajit | Consultant Art Director Ajit Kumar Parashar | Graphic Designer

OPERATIONS Puja Mohindroo | Business Manager Apoorv Bhatnagar | Marketing Manager Sarika Bhasin | Marketing Manager K. Rajagopalan | Advisor-Legal, Accounts & Admin Pooja Handuja | Manager HR Deepak Kohli | Manager-Accounts

C I R C UL A T I O N Amit Prakash | Circulation Manager

ADVISORY BOARD Prithipal Singh S.C. Khanna S.D. Saxena Rajan Mathews T.R. Dua T.V. Ramachandran Shiv K. Bakhshi Sonu Halan Bhasin Bejon Misra Edited, published, printed and owned by Pankaj Mohindroo, Published from Flat No. 25, First Floor Shankar Market Connaught Place, New Delhi – 110001. Printed at HT Media Ltd. B-2, Sector 63, Noida.

Distributed by Central News Agency Pvt Ltd and India Book House (Maharashtra & Gujarat).

Copyright 2005. My Mobile is a registered trademark of My Mobile Infomedia Pvt Ltd. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form– electronic, mechanical, or otherwise, without prior permission.

The publishers regret that they cannot accept liability for errors and omissions contained in this publication, however caused.

The opinions and the views contained in this publication are not necessarily those of the publishers. Readers are advised to seek specialist advice before acting on information contained in this publication, which is provided for general use and may not be appropriate for the reader’s particular circumstances. The ownership of trademarks is acknowledged.

Volume VIII Issue V, june 15, To July 14, 2012

04 MYMOBILE jun 15 to jul 14 2012

content

lead Story Contest

Answer a few questions and you could walk away with a Snapdragonpowered handset

The way we interact with phones is changing

22

spotlight NTP 2012 – What the new telecom policy delivers. And doesn’t

28

College apps: Ten must have apps for college goers (and leavers too)

24

26

Face To Face

Infocus TV Digitalisation: Boon or Bane – as cable networks go digital, here’s an insight of what lies ahead

36

Ranjit Yadav, country head, Mobile Business-Samsung India, discusses company’s retail strategies for the Indian market Anuj Kumar, CEO, Affle talks about the rapidly growing popularity of Instant Messengers in India Sukhesh Madaan, CEO, Envent tells us where the Indian Accessory market is heading Agnes Leung, senior project manager, Singapore Exhibitions Service, talks about the vision that drives Communicasia

Can spare only Rs 5,000 for a phone? Grab any of these

38

06 MYMOBILE jun15 to jul 14 2012

cell clues Forget memory cards.

Store your information on the cloud

40

20 34 82 84

News

10

Letter

14

Telco Trivia

16

Mobile Doctor

81

Consumer Forum

112

content

44

Chief Speak Kunal Ahooja, global head, devices - S Mobility, reveals the company’s robust plans for Indian mobile space

my guide

89

42

Nostalgia This time, that year

Just in

A look at the newcomers in the Indian market- the Nokia C5-05 and the Samsung Primo Duos

sneak peek

Standing by for launch - the HTC One S and the Nokia Lumia 900

et-cetera

The hottest gadgets, this side of handsets

BURN TESTS fly e730

event

A seminar on Information Security in cloud technology

48

m-tech m78

49

samsung galaxy pocket

50

iball slide

52

blackberry curve 9320

54

htc one v

56

sony xperia sola

58

samsung galaxy tab2 310

60

sony xperia p

62

samsung galaxy siii

64

We look ahead to CommunicAsia

gear guide

Your guide to accessories from Nokia

persona

Did you know all this about Apple’s CEO, Tim Cook?

They Said it

What they said about phones and the industry

Rumour Mill What the industry is talking about. But dare not admit

vantage point Susan Park, director, Retail product marketing, Sandisk, tells how to select a memory card for your Digi-cam

46 47 76 83 85 86 109 110 111 114

Boredom Busters Kill your enemies or go for an enthralling bike race, as we review the latest and best games in celltown

Total number of pages= 116 (112 + 4 cover)

08 MYMOBILE jun 15 to jul 14 2012

66

smart apps

72

From booking train tickets to editing photos, there is an app for everything now. Read our reviews to find out more.

NEWS bits operators & tariffs Bharti acquires 49 per cent stake in Qualcomm for 4G operations Announcing a partnership for 4G operations in the country, Bharti has signed a deal to buy 49 per cent stake in Qualcomm’s broadband venture. Under the agreement, Bharti has made an initial investment of approximately USD 165 million to acquire 49 per cent interest in Qualcomm Asia Pasific’s India entities. Qualcomm expects to provide technical assistance to Bharti in connection with network architecture and optimization, infrastructure and device testing, as well as continuing to develop and support the underlying technology and the LTE TDD ecosystem.

Tata DOCOMO introduces TwittCom Tata DOCOMO has introduced an application for Twitter aimed at its GSM Pre-paid customers. This app will allow users to recharge and activate a value added service/ application through Twitter. With this, Tata has become the first telecom company in the world to introduce this kind of service. This e-commerce initiative called Twittcom, has been developed indigenously by the team at Tata Teleservices Limited.

Gurdeep Singh appointed President and CEO of RComm Reliance Communications, a flagship company of the Reliance group has appointed Gurdeep Singh as the President and CEO of its wireless business. He will be responsible for leading Reliance Communications wireless business even while looking to achieve higher revenues and profitability. Additionally, he will also be a member of Reliance Management Board (RMB).

Value Added Services/Applications/ Games Satyamev Jayate app available on iTunes An app based on ‘Satyamev Jayate,’ the show that highlights issues affecting the Indian society is now available on iTunes. Hungama digital has developed this app for Amir Khan’s latest television show for iOS device users. The app lets you stream songs and watch videos from the show and is regularly updated with each episode, along with the new song and video released in that episode. An Android version of the app is expected in the coming days.

BlackBerry launches apps on this ‘World No Tobacco Day’ The mobile is becoming an active tool to create awareness on a variety of issues.

BlackBerry has now come out with a few apps to promote healthy living on this year’s ‘No Tobacco Day’.

The set of apps has been released to encourage people to stop consuming tobacco. These apps keep a track of the financial losses caused due to smoking habits, record your smoking frequency and severity and tailor a personal ‘quit-smoking’ schedule. No Smoking is an app for those facing troubles trying to quit smoking. Slowly but steadily it helps the smoker to kick the bud. This application has different modes like learn, which records your smoking frequency and severity, followed by the quit mode that enables a quit schedule based on the data it has collected during learn mode.

Airtel signs global deal with Opera Bharti Airtel, a leading integrated telecommunications company has announced that it has signed a global deal with Opera Software. Airtel will now be offering a customized and co-branded version of the Opera Mini internet browser to its customers across its operations. With this, over 253 million Airtel customers across countries will be able to leverage Opera Mini’s unique proxy-server-based technology to compress data by up to 90 per cent and decrease their data transfer costs. Opera Mini is the world’s most popular Web browser on mobile phones and is used by over 168 million users.

10 MYMOBILE jun 15 to jul 14 2012

NEWS bits Policy& Regulations HANDSETS & MORE LECOM to launch touch phone 9800 LECOM has launched another affordable phone in the Indian market- the Lecom 9800. The phone is a touchscreen with a 3.2 inch display and comes with popular games like Angry Birds, Fruit Ninja, and Tom Cat as well as other titles. It also has integrated social networking apps like Facebook and Twitter to keep you always connected. The Lecom 9800 is available for Rs 2,500 in the Indian market.

Spice unveils Android smartphone Stellar Spice, a domestic mobile phone brand has recently launched an Android smartphone- Spice Steller. The phone is powered by Android 2.3 Gingerbread and is upgradable to Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich (ICS). The device runs on a powerful 1 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor and has a 4.0 inch touch screen and 5.0 megapixel camera. It also boasts of a huge 2000 mAh battery which provides a backup that lasts up to 7 hours of talk time and up to 120 hours standby.

The phone is priced at Rs 9,999 and is now available in the Indian market. The company is also planning to launch two more handsets- Spice Stellar Horizon and Stellar Craze.

Both of these handsets are expected to be released in the retail market by end of this month and will be available at prices of Rs. 11,999 and Rs. 6,499 respectively.

Toshiba launches five new stylish laptops Toshiba India has unveiled five new laptops powered by the third-generation of Intel core processors. The company has expanded its C series of laptops with the Satellite C840 and C850 available with configurations featuring the new Intel 7 series chipsets. While the C840 has a 14-inch display, the C850 features a 15.6 inch screen. The C series range is priced between Rs. 23,000 and Rs. 44,000. The power-packed L series also has been expanded with the addition of the Satellite L850, which carries a price tag in the range of Rs. 51,500 and Rs. 56,000. Also unveiled was the Satellite M840, which features a 14-inch screen and is available in the range of Rs. 32,500 to Rs. 41,000.Completing the list of new entrants is the Satellite U840 which is an Ultrabook with a 32GB SSD coupled with a 500GB hard disk, priced at Rs. 53,500.

Ricoh India raises product prices

Cabinet approves New Telecom Policy The Union Cabinet has approved the National Telecom Policy. The new NTP aims to provide free roaming and allow users to retain the same number across the country.

Other key features of the policy are to provide broadband on demand and achieve the target of 175 million broadband users by 2017 and 600 million by 2020. The policy also focused on to making India a global hub for telecom equipment manufacturing and for the majority of telecom networks to be domestically manufactured by 2020. The date of policy implementation has not yet been disclosed.

13.75 MHz of spectrum to be auctioned in each circle: EGOM The Empowered Group of Ministers (EGOM) panel headed by the Finance Minister has decided to auction up to 13.77 MHz of spectrum in the 1800 MHz band in each circle.

It was also decided that airwaves to be auctioned will be liberalised and operators will be able to offer 2G, 3G or 4G services on the allotted frequencies. The panel also proposed that a minimum of 10 MHz of airwaves will be sold in all 22 circles and an additional 3.75 MHz will be allowed to be sold depending on the demand. Also, airwaves will be sold in blocks of 1.25 MHz each. New entrants and companies whose licenses were cancelled by Supreme Court can bid for four blocks whereas existing telcos can bid for two blocks.

COAI, Tata Teleservices clash over license cancellation The Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI), an industry body representing the interest of GSM players in the country, has asked for the cancellation of 19 licenses issued to Tata Teleservices during the period when 122 licenses were granted to other operators. The organization has asked Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee to cancel the licenses issued to Tata for dual technology and include them in the forthcoming auction process. In a strong reply to COAI, Tata Teleservices claimed that the letter by COAI to the Finance Minister is misleading, totally uncalled for, false and devoid of any merit.

Assocham had also told the telecom ministry that as per the February 2 order, a total of 141 licenses (including 19 granted to Tata) should have been cancelled instead of 122.

The COAI filed a petition in the apex court seeking annulment of dual technology licenses granted to players like Tata Teleservices, Reliance and HFCL because they were issued permits at the same time when 122 licenses were issued to different telecom operators, which were later scrapped.

Ricoh India, a printing and document management company has announced an approximate increase of five per cent in the prices of its office products due to the Rupee depreciation. The company had recently announced aggressive expansion plans through the IT Dealer / Reseller channel, with the launch of new models of printers at the entry level. The newly launched SP 100 series targeted at SME consumers has been kept out of the current price hike.

Techiewood

Intel launches 3rd Generation Intel Core processors

Rakhi Sawant wants her phone to smell good

Intel, a world leader in computing innovations has launched its third generation Intel Core processors. Ultrabooks powered by these processors will be more responsive and offer enhanced security with Intel Anti-Theft technology. The new Intel chips also offer increased media and graphics performance, longer battery life and greater choice in stylish design. Intel has given security more importance in the this generation of Core processors and enhanced security features including Intel Anti-Theft technology, which helps people to automatically disable systems that are lost or stolen.

On a recent event in Delhi, the controversy queen of Bollywood, Rakhi Sawant garnered attention as usual by her quirky statements, this time while talking about phones.

When asked what would be the best thing about her phone, she snapped, “Sizzling hot! My phone would look as sultry as I do. It would have the perfect feminine curves and would smell like a nice perfume too.�

12 MYMOBILE jun 15 to jul 14 2012

letters Though I am an avid reader of your magazine but due to some reasons skipped some issues of My Mobile. When I read it  KAT GETS CURVY! again last month after some months I found some changes in the magazine which is really good.  LTE is here!

I like the new format of burn tests and also noticed that some new  Accessorise! sections has been introduced like  Reviewed!

Nostalgia. As always I like the manner in which you disseminate  Clash of the hybrids! information. I wish you the best and looking forward to have some more interesting innovations in the magazine.

-Roshan, via email MAY 15 to JUN 14 2012  Rs 75

www.mymobile.co.in

TM

FOR A CONNECTED LIFESTYLE

RIM launches a Masala Mobile, the BlackBerry Curve 9220 P 52

Airtel brings high speed data to Kolkata and Bengaluru. Will the experience be better than 3G? P 30

Look around, there are tonnes of accessories to make your phone hotter! P 22

Motorola Atrix 2, The New iPad, Sony Xperia S, Xolo X900 and many more! P 48

A battle of supremacy between the Lenovo ThinkPad Tablet and the Asus Transformer Prime P 42

I have been reading My Mobile magazine since the last few years. I must hand it to the writers, they write brilliantly and I have seen some really good articles in the recent issues. One of my favourite was Wi-Fi demystified.

Now I know so much more about this technology and can do so much more with it as well. Keep writing and I will keep buying. Regards

-Anuj Gopinath Goel, Ajmer Since the past few months I have been picking up My Mobile from the news stands S and must say I have become addicted 80% to the magazine. I love the reviews section of magazine, thanks to which I have also become a bit of a pro. Whenever I get to see a new handset I start dissecting it. Maybe in the future I can also be a part of the team at My Mobile and if not contribute full-time, can send an article every now and then. Keep up the good job.

-Kapil Mehra, Delhi WWW.MYMOBILE.CO.IN

BURN TEST in town

TECH SPECS

The new Xperia S boasts of some impressive features. For starters, it runs on a 1.5 GHz dual core Snapdragon processor accompanied by a Adreno220 GPU and 1 GB RAM. The 16 million colours backlit LCD capacitive touchscreen offers good real estate to work with and the capacitive touch works fine. The internal memory of the phone stands at 32 GB and while it’s enough we wouldn’t have complained at if we had microSD support for the phone. On the connectivity front the phone is capable of 3G speeds and also has Wi-Fi support. The back panel is detachable but it only comes in handy for accessing the microSIM slot. The phone also offers HDMI connectivity and has a port for the same placed on its side along with a USB connectivity port and a 3.5 mm jack.

Size | 128 x 64 x 10.6 mm Weight | 144 grams Memory | 32 GB

Battery | Li-Ion 1750 mAh

Screen | 16 million colours

Talktime/Standby | Upto 8.5 hours/

GPRS/3G | Yes/Yes

Bluetooth/ WiFi | Yes/Yes

128 mm

Upto 420 hours

5

Phonebook Capacity | Shared

Software: Wish it could be new

Camera | 12.0 megapixel

Frequency | GSM 850/900/1800/1900 Others | Media Link HD, Sense 4.0

Price: Rs 32,000 Pros

 12.0-megapixel camera  1.5 GHz dual core

Snapdragon processor



Large, bright display

Cons

 Outdated Android

 No integrated video calling

2

 No expandable memory or

detachable battery

4

HIGHLIGHTS

The secondary camera helps in making video calls through third party apps

1

2

The familarity of interface makes it is easier to use

64 MYMOBILE MAY 15 to JUN 14 2012

The 12.0-megapixel camera takes good pictures

3

SPOTLIGHT

With LTE hitting India, can we now finally expect the true mobile broadband experience?

Sonia Sharma

High Speed Adventure

C

all it destiny, but till date, India has somehow ended up following the world when it comes to technology adoption, especially in communications networks. Mobile services came to India only in 1995 and as far as 3G services go, we got it years after the world was done with it and already moving on to more advanced technologies.

But things seem to be changing now and it seems that after becoming the second largest telecom market in the world, we are all set to lead the world into a new technological evolution and that is called LTE. Long Term Evolution which is roughly known as 4G (Fourth Generation) service has finally seen the light of the day after two years of spectrum auction in June 2010. And it promises nothing less than a zipping Internet experience.

India ahead

LTE has two variants FDD-LTE (Frequency division Duplexing-Long term Evolution) and TDD- LTE (Time Division Duplexing- Long

Term Evolution). While most of the western world has opted for FDD-LTE, China and India, which are definitely the largest markets in the world, have opted for TDD-LTE technology for 4G services. According to GSA (Global Mobile Suppliers Association) as on April 18, 2012, 64

DATA SPEEDS DECODED a) GPRS: Data service on the 2G that can offer data speeds of up to 56 kbps b) EDGE: Offers speeds of up to 144 Kbps and is considered to be a 2.5 G technology c) 3G: 3G technology can offer high speed data packet access of up to 21 Mbps d) 4G: Running on the LTE platform, 4G services can theoretically offer data downlink speeds of up to 100 Mbps

commercial LTE networks have been launched globally. Out of these only 5 are pure TDD-LTE systems. Thus India has become one of the early adopters of this technology and will be leading the world in the development and evo-

lution of the ecosystem around it. LTE services in India will work in 2.3 GHz spectrum band where the government auctioned off 20 Mhz unpaired blocks.

4G IS HERE!

The first 4G service in India was launched by Airtel, the country’s biggest telecom operator in Kolkata in April 2012. It had won Broadband Wireless Access (BWA) auction in four circles Karnataka, Kolkata, Maharashtra (excluding Mumbai) and Punjab. After Kolkata the operator has launched the services in Bangaluru too.

These services are currently available through data dongles or indoor wireless gateways both on post-paid as well as pre-paid basis.

According to the operator, the 4G users in the circle can experience speeds of up to 40 Mbps.

IT’S NOT A CAKE WALK

While one can say that it’s great for Indian consumers to be able to use new technology as soon as the rest of the world gets it, but with the rest of the ecosystem still in the doldrums, things might not be that smooth for

30 MYMOBILE MAY 15 to JUN 14 2012

-Debashish Ghosh, Kolkata

Apropos to your last issue’s In Focus story ‘Bill shock and…’ I really appreciate the points raised in the story. Being a regular data service user I experience the same. I recently started using 3G services and the connectivity speed lead to high consumption of data. I would request you to write about few apps that would help me to know about my data usage. That would really help me to know where my bills are heading.

-Kameshwar Singh, via email

3

1

SONY XPERIA S There is a new Xperia

curious to read about what exactly the LTE is. Though there is lot of information about LTE available on Internet but I found the article written in your magazine very informative as well as interesting. The aspects covered in it give a very clear picture of reality. I admire My Mobile for delivering the trendiest stuff of the industry. I am curious for the next issue so as to see what new you have to offer to your readers this time.

4

The capacitive keys for Back, Home and Menu are above the transparent strip

The battery of the phone is not detachable

5

64 mm

ony Xperia S is the first device by the brand, after its divorce, of sorts, from its long time partner, Ericsson.

Powered by Sony’s excellence in the sound and imaging, will this phone be able to help Sony regain its position in the Indian market?

Looks: Carved to curve

Unlike the Arc S, it has a convex curve at the back which makes it rather stout in the middle.

While the looks of the phone are smart its not one of the sleekest devices in the market. The front and back panel have a smooth finish but are prone to fingerprints. There is a transparent strip at the bottom which hosts symbols for back, home and menu but the fact is that these symbols cannot be pressed to access these features, the actual buttons are above them marked by tiny dots. Most of us got confused in the beginning but after a few minutes of frantic punching we figured out the capacitive keys above it. While we will not rate the phone’s looks as out of the world, it is a good looking device with a convenient design.

Hardware: Picking up pace

The Sony XPERIA S runs on Android 2.3.7 OS which has become a bit dated considering the fact that phones in direct competition with it are already running on ICS or getting an update for it. The interface is more or less the same as seen in earlier Xperia devices in this range. The Timescape combines your Facebook and Twitter activity into one and you can also download more plugins from Google Play for Foursuqare, Gmail, etc. Smart dialing has been integrated in the dialer. You can easily integrate your SNS contacts with the phonebook and view details from a single tab itself. The phone has a secondary camera but video calling has not been integrated.

It comes with support for all popular e-mail clients including POP and IMAP and also supports Microsoft Exchange. The browser comes with full Flash support and you can open multiple windows and use multi-touch to zoom in and out. There is an OfficeSuite document viewer on the phone.

Multimedia: Imaging overdrive

For music lovers, the phone comes with a music player and FM radio. There are equaliser pre-sets to improve the sound quality where you can choose the presets or set it as per your requirements. The sound of the music player is good through loudspeaker and even better through the headphones.

Then comes the camera and the Xperia S boasts of a 12.0-megapixel camera which takes really nice pictures but we have seen better. The sharpness of the pictures was great but at times the colurs either seemed washed out or had a bit orange tint to them.

Scene modes include scene recognition, panorama and 3D sweep panorama and 3D multiangle. However, 3D sweep panorama’s execution and results have been improved since we saw it in the Arc S. 3D multiangle on the other hand uses the same mechanism as the 3D sweep panorama but the results did not impress us. There is a dedicated 3D camera and 3D album app too. You can connect the phone to a 3D television to see the true effect. The smile detection has various degrees like big smile, average smile and small smile. For videos, the camera can capture full HD videos and comes with face detection and infinity modes. The video quality from the camera is good. As far as the playback goes, the phone is capable of playing 1080p HD videos with ease, although there is no dedicated video player on the phone. You can edit videos too.

User experience: Xperia experience

The Xperia S is a snappy performer and we didn’t face lags or hanging issues, which made us wish it had the Ice Cream Sandwich operating system, video calling and expandable memory. If you use the phone prolifically for imaging and Internet along with calling, it will need to be charged up again before the day gets over.

Conclusion

The Sony Xperia S costs Rs 32,000. If you want a 12.0-megapixel camera phone then you can opt for the Nokia N8 that costs Rs 19,000. An Android option could be the Motorola Atrix 2 running on Android 2.3.6 and costing Rs 22,000. It comes with a 8.0megapixel camera. 

team@mymobile.co.in

VERDICT LOOKS

8

FEATURES

8

EASE OF USE

8

PERFORMANCE

8

VALUE FOR MONEY

8

OVERALL

MAY 15 to JUN 14 2012 MYMOBILE 65

BOREDOM BUSTER The Boredom BOREDOM BUSTER Buster section of your magazine is I just great. I’m a gaming freak and I love playing games for hours on my mobile and Xbox.

Your section keeps me updated on the recent game launches which help me to choose the best one. The games covered in your last issues were really good. I think Safari on Ice was the best among them.

-Monty Singh, via email TRAINSPOTTING! Action stations...well,

railway stations

f you are into trains, Rail Maze is the game for you. For some reason, there are very few games that have been built around trains and the railways - we have more than ample numbers of on road and air transportation. The objective of the game is dead simple: a train has to reach its destination safely without crashing or de-railing. To ensure that this does happen, you have to lay down the tracks in a way that the train has a hassle free journey. You get rotatable tracks, and rusty tiles that enable you to change the direction of the track in order to reach the finish line. The game starts with some simple twists and turns but as you go further things do get a bit complicated.

Further twisting the plot are factors like a Pirate Train, that you have to avoid crashing into and tunnels that will require some level of colour and matching technique to figure them out. There are various levels like Labyrinth, Labyrith Pro, Build Railroad, Snake and Longest Railroad. Each of these then have sub levels that you have to clear and earn stars. You can control the speed of the train and replay a level even in the middle of the puzzle. The game can be downloaded for free but while the Labyrinth and Build Railroad levels come free, the rest you have to pay to unlock. You can either chose to unlock one level at a time or unlock everything for $ 4.99 (Rs 250 approx). If you buy the paid version you also get solutions to the puzzle in case you get stuck. You can buy three, 10 or 25 solution separately too.

The gameplay is simple and the puzzles keep you engaged. The graphics are sharp and cute, adding an olde world charm to the game. We are tooting our horns for this one! 

DRAGON DEFENDER It’s eggtastic

RATING

83%

sonia@mymobile.co.in

We tested it on the Sony Xperia S

n most medieval stories, dragons play the role of villains - destroying and dismembering humans. However, in Lair Defense: Dungeon, a tower defense game, we actually had to protect a dragon from less than friendly humans. These gents are mercenaries sent by an evil king who thinks that eating Dragon eggs will make him immortal and accordingly wants to make the most life-giving omelette ever. The eggs are kept in a lair which has to be protected by strategically placing three types of dragons on the trail to the lair to finish off the greedy bounty hunters. These dragons start as babies and can be upgraded to giant dragons with extreme damage power. Each dragon has a unique power - one can breathe fire, other spits poison and the third uses ice as a weapon. The attackers come in various sizes and types too - farmers, archers, Shamans, thieves, etc. You have to defend the lair and protect the eggs - if more than one egg goes, you fail. You can save up to three separate games and depending on your ability and inclination, can play in normal or nightmare mode. The nightmare mode however gets unlocked only after you have cleared all the normal levels. There are six stages in RATING the game and each stage has six levels. Apart from upgrading the dragons you

can also buy Mana and attack upgrades with the coins you collect during your human killing spree. The killed humans are used as dragon food with which you can deploy more dragons to your defense strategy. Lair Defense: Dungeon is available for free on Google Play Store. It too comes with in-app purchases options. Definitely worth playing, we say, and not just because of the role reversal - there is actually a fair bit of thinking involved. 

sonia@mymobile.co.in

We tested it on the Sony Xperia S

83%

68 MYMOBILE MAY 15 to JUN 14 2012

70 MYMOBILE MAY 15 to JUN 14 2012

I have been reading your magazine for quite some time now.

The different sections in your magazine cover a lot from telecom world. I really like the Etcetera section e the nd hav of your magazine that covers accessories and a s e m n a drea ellpho n other gadgets coming to the Indian stores. I like c i t y u e o k also azy ab atest ines? it because apart from mobile phones you also you cr pen a few l ews and can ds on the l you have it e r A tell about the trendy accessories in advance that for n think ur han tial to helps in choosing the best. Your reviews give a poten have a nose ve to lay yo em? If you dia’s to th u ra clear idea about the product and the cost too.

Do yo ? Do you c orld about sh your CV y Mobile, In w u ne M

-Soumya Bose, via email you. R headli ell the me in LTE is a hot topic in the telecom space these days.

After Airtel started its LTE service in Kolkata I was

14 MYMOBILE jun 15 to jul 14 2012

t r s and our na ing fo gizmo e are look .in to see y o ,w in you mymobile.c e. n i @ z team bile maga o m best

Telco Trivia

The Strange History of SMS subscriber.

SMS stands for “Short Message Service.”

n SMS was created in the late ‘80s by a Finnish engineer named Matti Makkonen to support another digital technology called GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications). n The first SMS message was sent in December 1992 from a personal computer to a cellular phone on the Vodafone GSM network in the UK. n The first person-to-person SMS from phone to phone was sent in Finland in 1993. n The first mobile news service, delivered via SMS, was launched in Finland in 2000. n The first proposal which initiated the development of SMS was made by the contribution of Germany and France into the GSM group meeting in February

It’s a simple method of electronic communication that sends text messages between one or more mobile phones, PCs and other digital gadgets 1985 in Oslo. n Based on statistics, in Finland, Norway and Sweden, around 72 per cent of the total population is using text messaging. n In 2010, 6.1 trillion SMS text messages were sent.

This translates into 193000 SMSes per second. SMS has become a massive commercial industry, earning $114.6 billion globally in 2010. n Teens initially used SMS messages because they were fast and inexpensive when compared to the perminute price of voice calls. n With their widespread usage, teenagers have created a unique language; with short words and clever abbreviations

that enable quicker communication on the small keyboards of cellphones, and which make efficient use of the allowed 140 characters. n The popular Twitter service also uses the SMS protocol and has the 140character limit on “tweets” distributed over its network. n Among the Asian countries, the Philippines have the largest population of mobile subscribers who uses text messaging as a means of communication. An average of 20 text messages are being sent daily by a

n A Flash SMS is a type of SMS that appears directly on the main screen without user interaction and is not automatically stored in the inbox. It can be useful in cases such as an emergency (for example, a fire alarm). n Silent messages, often called silent SMS, stealth SMS or stealthy ping will not show up on the display, neither is there an acoustical signal when they are received. n According to a research, SMS campaigns delivered engagement rates that were 6-8 times higher than retailers typically found through e-mail by executing redemption, data collection, and brand awareness programs.

fa c e t o fa c e

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“We have been constantly innovating with retail formats” It is not enough to have great products. You have to sell them effectively as well. And no one knows this better than Ranjit Yadav, country head, Mobile Business at Samsung India. We caught up with him to talk about the company’s aggressive retail strategy in India Heena Jatav Samsung has recently opened its mobile brand store in Delhi. How many such new exclusive brand stores is the company planning to open in other parts of the country and by when? In April, we opened the first ever Samsung Mobile Brand Store in Delhi and are looking at opening 8-10 Brand Stores in leading Indian metro cities within this year itself. Samsung has aggressive plans to reach out to as many consumers as possible across India.

How do exclusive brand stores provide a different experience to customers as compared to Samsung’s Smartphone Cafes? While on the subject, how many Samsung Smartphone Cafes are there in India and how many does the company intend to open?

The Samsung Mobile Brand Store is a significant step in the direction of creating new, unique and holistic product experiences for consumers at the retail level. The Samsung Mobile Brand Store allows consumers to engage and interact with Samsung Smartphones and tablets through convenient table top displays, multiple product demonstrations and dedicated areas for interacting with Samsung Product Consultants.

Now if we talk about Smartphone Cafes, we currently have 300 Smartphone Cafes in India and are looking at doubling this figure

20 MYMOBILE jun 15 to jul 14 2012

in FY 12. In addition to that, Samsung also has a presence in over 100,000 multi-brand retail outlets in the country. We have seen immense growth in India and have a leadership position, thanks to the consumers who have faith in our products. We have an aggressive plan on strengthening our retail footprint. Samsung’s growth strategy continues to hinge on addressing consumer requirements with a robust and rich portfolio of devices that rank high on innovation, user experience and functionality.

Dedicated retail formats no doubt have helped our consumers to get a first hand feel of our vast range of mobile devices.

What are your investment plans for strengthening your retail network in India? In terms of our retailing strategy, we are aggressively looking at increasing our retail network across Tier 1 and 2 towns and cities.

We are looking at opening 8-10 brand stores in every Indian metro within this year itself. We currently have 300 Smartphone Cafes in India and are aiming to double the figure in FY12.

What new innovations in retail can we expect from Samsung in the coming days? At Samsung, we believe in providing our consumers the best retail experience and we have been constantly innovating with our retail formats. Our latest initiative is the Samsung Brand Store which promises to provide our consumers with a unique experience to engage with our range of products and help them make an informed buying decision.

We also pioneered the concept of Smartphone Cafes and we currently have more than 300 such cafes all over the country. n heena@mymobile.co.in

MSW8533BN: World’s First

Platform For Naked-Eye 3D Wise Phone 1 HD Naked-Eye 3D visual effect for you to enjoy the wonderful world of 3D. 2 3D pictures and video 3D anywhere, anytime 3 Easy conversion between 2D to 3D 4 3D Games, 3D KMV, infinite 3D visual feast 5 Embedded Wi-Fi

Generation Next Smart Phone Platform MSW8X68 Series Features: 1 ARM Cortex A9,1GHz

6 LCD support up to FWVGA

2 Support DDR/DDRII,MLC Raw Nand, eMMC

7 Support 8.0-MP Camera

3 Support 3D King Movie

8 Integrated PMU,T/P controller, FM, Audio AMP, BT / Wi-Fi / GPS Digital part, Analog TV out, HDMI out

4 Video decode: 720P@30fps 5 Video encode: 720P@30fps

contest

Chip and Charge!

Once components that were taken for granted and seldom talked about, processors today occupy centrestage in the smartphone world. We take a closer look at the role of processors - the chips that are the power behind the smartphone throne these days.

R

emember those days when your teacher used to say “A computer has 3 parts input (keyboard), processing (CPU) and output (screen).

The CPU is the Central Processing Unit that carries out all the computing functions in a computer.” Yes, there was a time when the word “processor” was associated mainly with computers and the only place where these power sources of processing got any visibility was on the PCs and laptops, either when we read basic computing or through the processor brand stickers on these devices. But even when these became one of the most crucial considerations while buying a PC, most of us (except the people who were working on it) would not have expected processors to become the highlight of the smartphone world too! Back in the days brands highlighted their phone’s music, imaging, storage capabilities to attract the consumer but now, it’s the processors or rather microproces-

sors that rule the roost! And why not? These tiny silicon chips have truly changed the way the world works; these are the components that have put the smart in the smartphones and have made our lives much easier, faster and more convenient.

The power of these processors can be seen from the fact that the very first microprocessor which was introduced in the year 1971 had about 2000 transistors to provide an unbelievably fast and advanced computing capability for those times and ran at a clock rate of 740KHz. On the other hand, today’s Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 processors have speed exceeding 1GHz and have millions of transistors all packed into the size of a coin giving processing speeds which are more than 1000x faster than their ancestor. These processors also pack in high-end multimedia features (camera, audio, and video) and modem capabilities that even PC processors can’t pull off today.

While it was these processors that enabled

22 MYMOBILE jun 15 to jul 14 2012

bringing high performance to the phones, the growing popularity of these smart devices also gave an impetus to the awareness about these hidden wonders not only among technology enthusiasts but also the masses. With phones no longer restricted to calls, texting and the odd multimedia and online task, they no longer can make do with relatively low-powered processors. Whether it is your phone’s UI, gaming, listening to music, shooting or viewing HD video, Web browsing or even capturing photos – the mobile processor has a significant impact on your experience across all these activities. In fact, with many phones mimicking computers these days, the processors within them sound as imposing as those on desktops - dual and quad core affairs that clock well above 1GHz in speed, along with stacks of multimedia and wireless features.

Not like PCs - the SoC However, it would be totally incorrect to

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assume that the processors we have in our mobile phones are like the ones we have in our computers. Whereas in most computers, the CPU, RAM, the graphics card and internal storage all plug into a motherboard, in the case of a handset, due to restricted space, processors try to incorporate as many functions into a single package - often combining the CPU and graphics into one. This is also known as the System On a Chip (SoC) approach to processor design. Companies like Qualcomm have been particular innovators here – where apart from the CPU, the SoC also has GPU, Digital Signal Processor (DSP), Multimode 3G/4G, GPS, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. This integration makes them easier to incorporate into products like tablets and handsets, thus enabling quicker time to market. The integration also allows thinner, slimmer devices that not only perform better but also use significantly less battery for each task because there are fewer chips in the design Qualcomm’s Snapdragon processor was the first to breach the GHz processing speed barrier in the mobile industry - 1 GHz speed means that the processor can perform upto 1,000,000,000 instructions per second. In 2009, this was revolutionary, especially when you considered that other devices at that time had processors that were nowhere near as fast. As apps and operating systems improved to make use of these faster processors, faster processors became the rule rather than the exception. Even Nokia, which was not

known for having blazingly fast processors on its phones, had got into GHz territory with its Qualcomm Snapdragon powered Lumia range and the Nokia 500, the first Symbian handset to be powered by a 1 GHz processor.

From Gigahertz to Cores

After breaking the 1 GHz barrier, the next major development in cellphone processors has been the emergence of multi-core processing, which is one of the methods of improving both multi-tasking and speed. These are capable of running multiple instructions at the same time also known as parallel computing.

The LG Optimus 2X and HTC Sensation were some of the early smartphones to come with a dual core processor in 2011, and within a year, the ante had been upped and we had devices like the Asus Transformer Prime and the Samsung Galaxy SIII that have quad core processors. Qualcomm’s Snapdragon processors are the only processors with asynchronous cores – which means that each core in the processor can be independently controlled – which ensure great device performance while providing long battery life.

One of the most popular multi core processors today belongs to Qualcomm’s Snapdragon processor family. According to a recent research by Strategy Analytics, “Qualcomm grabbed the largest share of the $7.9 billion global market for smart phone application processors in 2011.” These represent the industry’s

only fully custom system on a chip optimized for the mobile experience and come with innovations such as dynamic, independent power/ performance management of each core, next generation highly parallel and programmable GPU, LTE multimode modem supporting both HSPA+ and EVDO, high speed dual channel interleaved memory, programmable DSPs, etc.

The processors are expected to sustain peak performance longer than other processors and use power more efficiently (which would be welcomed by most users, given the manner in which battery life has been dipping). In keeping with Snapdragon’s reputation for flexibility, the S4 processors are available in single, dual and quad CPU configurations. Currently, their dual core S4 processors have proven that they can perform as fast, if not faster than their quad core counterparts, based on the fact that they are based on a more advanced 28nm fabrication process. More cores, more gigahertz - the future of processors seems to have “more” written over it in capitals. And we cannot hear consumers complaining. After all, they are getting faster devices that are capable of doing more. Playing 3D games with console quality graphics over the fastest wireless connection? Running multiple applications? Doing more on your handset than you ever could on your PC? Well, all that seems set to happen.

And making it possible is that humble chip in your handset. n team@mymobile.co.in

QUALCOMM-MY MOBILE SNAPDRAGON CONTEST Do you think you know everything about processors? Well your knowledge can actually help you win a latest high performance Snapdragon smartphone! Just answer the following questions and send them to contest@mymobile.co.in What component in your smartphone has the most impact on your smartphone’s multimedia, web and gaming performance?

1. Display 2. Mobile Processor 3. Keypad 4. GPS

Which is the first smartphone processor to be manufactured on 28nm process technology?

1. Qualcomm Snapdragon Processor 2. Intel Atom 3. NVIDIA Tegra 4. TI OMAP

Which is the only processor in which every core can be clocked independently from others thus giving great battery life and amazing performance?

1. Qualcomm Snapdragon processor 2. NVIDIA Tegra 3. Intel Atom 4. TI OMAP

Which is the only smartphone processor that offers builtin CPU, GPU, Wifi, 3G/4G LTE connectivity?

1. Qualcomm Snapdragon Processor 2. Intel Atom 3. NVIDIA Tegra 4. TI OMAP

Which was the first smartphone processor that broke the 1GHz clock speed barrier 3. NVIDIA Tegra 1. Qualcomm Snapdragon Processor 4. TI OMAP 2. Intel Atom

N I W 2

*Terms and Conditions 1. Lucky draw will be conducted to declare the winners of the contest 2. The contest can also be participated through www.mymobile.co.in/snapdragoncontest 3. Members of Qualcomm and My Mobile and their immediate family members are not eligible to participate in the contest.

4. Last date of sending the entries is July 10, 2012.

5. 2 lucky winners get an HTC one V each.

jun 15 to jul 14 2012 MYMOBILE 23

spot light

NTP 2012: Ringing In Changes?

NTP 2012 - The National Telecom Policy (NTP) 2012 has been approved by the Government with a lot of fanfare. But what it does have in store for the Indian mobile industry and consumers?

We take a closer look at both the policy and its fine-print Heena Jatav

N

ational policies have played an important role in the growth and development of the Indian telecom sector. The first National Telecom Policy was introduced in year 1994 to give the required thrust to the weak telecom sector with objectives like availability of telephone on demand, provision of world-class services at reasonable prices, ensuring India’s emergence as a major manufacturing export base of telecom equipment and universal availability of basic telecom services to all villages. The second NTP came in 1999 and its main objective was the further development of this industry.

Availability of affordable and effective communication for the citizens and efficiency and transparency in spectrum management was at the core of its vision. The incidents and scams, however seem to have woken up the authorities, who have now approved a new National Telecom Policy - NTP 2012.

The final policy contained some changes to the initial draft policy which was presented in October 2011 (see box). It is expected to help the already bleeding sector which is going through a tough phase.

The debate starts...

According to Mohammad T Chowdhury, executive director, Telecom Industry Leader, PricewaterhouseCoopers, the NTP will help the industry come out of the prevailing tensions in the sector due to the recommendations made by the regulators for the spectrum auction. “The industry has been hungry for clarity on uncertainties prevailing in the sector. NTP is certainly a step forward to provide clarity on those issues. The good thing is that NTP has put forward some really good proposals like broadband on demand with emphasis on rural coverage which are very important and also a provision of domestic telecom

24 MYMOBILE jun 15 to jul 14 2012

equipment manufacturing,” he says.

However, Rajan S Mathews, director general, COAI feels that fundamentals issues should have been addressed by the authorities. “The policy is making good headlines but the devil is in the details,” he points out. “The authorities should address the fundamental issues before coming up with big headlines. They really had to understand all the implications of the suggested moves.”

The CDMA lobby has embraced the policy and called it consumer focused. “AUSPI welcomes the consumer focus aspect in the National Telecom Policy of ‘One Nation - Free Roaming.’ The Government should expeditiously in a time-bound manner implement this consumer-oriented aspect of the NTP which would provide immense benefit to the ‘Aam Aadmi.’ Emphasis on the affordability of services in the Policy is a welcome step and we are confident that Government will make

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Free roaming - Just headline value?

10 major highlights of the approved NTP 2012: æ The abolishment of roaming charges æ Free inter-circle mobile number portability æ Allowance of unrestricted Internet telephony æ Provide broadband on demand.

To achieve the target of 175 million broadband users by 2017 and 600 million by 2020. Increased the broadband speed to minimum of 2 megabits per second

available optimum quantity of spectrum at affordable price as well as rationalise taxes and levies,” said S C Khanna, Secretary General, AUSPI.

5 Major changes in NTP from NTP draft:

æ Strengthen consumer grievance redressal mechanism

æ Clause of revenue generation as secondary objective deleted

æ To make India a global hub for telecom equipment manufacturing

æ Affordability and availability of effective communication will be the core objective

æ Pan-India mobile permit for operators æ Spectrum sharing and trading

æ Spectrum will be refarmed (redistribution of spectrum in the 900 MHz band largely held by incumbents)

æ Licenses to be delinked from spectrum

æ Proposal to give more power to regulator scrapped

æ Unified licensing regime to allow operators to provide any service

æ Proposal to introduce a Spectrum Act eliminated

Mathews, however, feels that the abolition of roaming charges should not overshadow the other challenges the industry is grappling with. “The national roaming will only impact a small sliver of subscribers. There are only 10 per cent of total subscribers who actually roam,” he says. “But at the end of the day there are lots of other priorities on the table. We don’t believe that this 10 percent benefit you are looking at is a game changer at all.”

Mahesh Uppal, market analyst and director at Comfirst, agrees with Mathews that the policy will not solve the challenges the industry is facing at present. “The policy is forward looking and progressive but will not solve the existing challenges the industry is facing because there is no clear direction as to how existing problems will be solved.

Unfortunately, that part will still have to be done by the courts,” he says.

While abolition of roaming gives consumers a reason to cheer, the move will result in operators losing a share of their revenues. Chowdhury believes that the move will have a mixed impact on the industry. “On first sight, what appears is that it will result in reduction of overall industry revenues which, I think is 2 to 3 per cent. In my opinion, every operator will have a different impact on their revenue,” explains Chowdhury.

“Larger operators will face a bigger impact but small operators will have less impact on their revenues due to the small subscriber base. ” Apart from doing away with the roaming charges and free inter circle MNP, the policy also aims at providing high-speed and quality broadband access to rural India. The objective is to achieve 175 million broadband connections by the year 2017 and 600 million by the year 2020. Sandeep Karanwal, Director, Public Policy and Government Affairs - India, GSMA, feels that it would have been better if the time the policy would take to come into effect would have been known. “The suggested policy is consumer-friendly,” he says. “What we need to know is the little bit of timeliness which is not defined.”

Which is where the NTP 2012 stands today.

It has its pros and cons, depending on the person you talk to. We are keeping our fingers crossed that its timely and effective implementation will herald a new era in Indian telecom. n heena@mymobile.co.in

jun 15 to jul 14 2012 MYMOBILE 25

spotlight

An Appy College Life

College life is seldom without excitement - be it on the academic, cultural or personal front. And now there are apps to help you through the entire college experience. We cherry pick some of the best apps for college life Harshita Rastogi

I

t is that time of the year when thousands of people sit down and ponder about college life. Those fresh out of school wonder what it will be like, those already in college wonder what the next year has in store for them and those in their final year start paying some thought to life outside the college walls. A few years ago, most college goers (prospective as well as existing) would have had no other option than run from pillar to post in search of the information they needed - be it admission forms, movie tickets or placement agencies. This being the age of apps, there are stacks of apps that will help you do just that and much, much more - irre-

spective of which stage of college life you are in - on the point of entry, in the thick of it, or on the point of departure. So if you are looking for an appy college life, we are sure that the following applications will help you achieve your goal - be it finding out about your professors, exchanging notes with friends and planning parties or event, and yes, even doing well in those dreaded examinations.

Student Voice India V2 – Free OS: Symbian

A major concern for all the students is to find the material to prepare for exams. Student Voice India V2 is an app that has been devel-

26 MYMOBILE jun 15 to jul 14 2012

oped for students of various levels to not just prepare for exams, but college entrances and job entrance exams as well. The user can access the previous years’ question papers, refer to notes, book titles and other related information. Other than information and question papers about some major courses, the application also gives regular information to update your general knowledge through a current affairs section. Give it a try, it might just provide you the relevant info.

Bump – Free

OS: iOS, Android College is about meeting up new people and sharing contact information. However, feeding in or updating information about another person in your Contacts can become tiresome and boring! Fortunately, we have Bump to simplify exchanging contact details as well as photos. As the name suggests, this app lets you

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transfer information by softly bumping your phone into another. When you tap your device with the other, the information you choose to share gets transferred to the other device, provided the latter is also running the same app.

It is a lot simpler than entering multiple contacts or sharing over e-mail or Bluetooth.

Goggle Map – Free

OS: iOS, Android, BlackBerry, Windows Mobile, Symbian There is a lot of travelling involved in college life and there is a fair chance that you might not always know where you are. Google Maps is the perfect app for you in such scenarios - the app features voice search, satellite view street view, and not only shows you where you are, but also provides you with navigation details to where you would like to go. The app also tells you about points of interest falling on the route you choose to opt for. The perfect app for those who love to get around.

Zomato - Free

OS: iOS, BlackBerry, Android, Symbian, Windows Mobile

ber of messages you can send or receive. All you need is a decent data connection, and you can get one these days for less than Rs 100 a month in many places.

Evernote - Free

OS: iOS, Android, BlackBerry, Windows Mobile Amidst all the spontaneity and fun in college, one often tends to forget some important tasks to be done or points to be noted down.

Evernote is a note taking application that will make sure you are never short of help when you need to note down things. You can create text notes, voice notes and even take photographs of what you need to remember and even share them via e-mail. You will never need to carry a copy again in your college life.

BookMyShow – Free

OS: iOS, Android, BlackBerry, Windows Mobile, Symbian

One of the joys of college life is discovering places to hang out with your batchmates and friends. And if you are the type that is always on the look out for such venues, then Zomato is the app for you. Simply type in the name of a restaurant, cuisine or location and it willprovide your related information, complete with user reviews and location details (when relevant). The perfect app for those who love to eat, drink and be generally merry.

Want to grab a show of the latest film in town but do not have the time or patience to go from place to place, looking for a ticket? The BookMyShow app is just the app you need - the application gives you information not just about the films running in different parts of your city but also lets you book tickets in advance. In a neat touch, you can even opt for the seats of your choice and make the payment online.

Whats App – Free for initial one year

OS: iOS

OS: iOS, Android, BlackBerry, Windows Mobile, Basic phone

If you have a lot of friends at college (and most of us do), keeping in touch with all of them over text and phone calls can blow a hole in your allowance. Which is where the cross platform messenger service, WhatsApp, comes in. It can work across different devices and platforms and lets you swap messages and pictures with other people using the app - totally free of cost and with no limitation on the num-

iTunes U – Free

Well, if you don’t find the college library interesting enough or prefer to have all the educational content handy, to read on the go, or just want more than what your regular course offers you, you could try out this app from Apple. The iTunes U app houses oodles of subject-related content for reference. You can subscribe to courses offered by several schools and universities across the world, many of which are available for no cost at all. It does not only allow you to access content pages but also to videos and audio podcasts on a host of subjects. Once subscribed to the subject or topic, you will get further updates about it as well. There are several categories to choose from, including some that you would not find

easily in India. On the flip side, you might not find a lot of courses taught by your college here but as long as you stick to generic subjects, there is a treasure trove of information to be found in this very handy app.

Rate My Professor - Free OS: iOS

For all those who wish to study abroad, especially in the US and Canada, this is a rather fun-filled as well as a very useful app. Rate My professor allows you to know how students have rated different professors who have taught them. There are students from all over the world rating professors on different qualities and writing comments as well. Of course, we would not advise you to follow all the recommendations and comments blindly, but hey, some information is better than none, isn’t it?

And from what we could see, there seemed to be some very sensible comments in this app.

Naukri - Free

OS: iOS, Android, BlackBerry As you stand on the verge of finishing your course in college, your mind switches to your professional prospects, looking for the right job. And this app from one of India’s leading Job search portals is the perfect one for you at this stage. You can not only upload your profile, along with your qualifications and expectations for prospective employers to view but can also browse hundreds of jobs not just in India, but across the world.

And this is just the tip of the app icerberg that college goers have access to on their smartphones, and in some cases on their feature phones as well. So the next time you need some information about your college life - be it trivial or of utter importance - do not get worried about whom to consult or talk to. Just pull out your handset, make your way to a handy app store (and there are dozens of them these days) and search for the subject on which you need information. It is a fair chance that you will find an app that will fit the bill. As the tech pundits are fond of saying, “there’s an app for that.” Yes, even for college life. n harshita@mymobile.co.in

jun 15 to jul 14 2012 MYMOBILE 27

lead story

Look, Ma! No hands If you thought that touchscreens were revolutionary, think again. For, the manner and the rate at which innovative interfaces are coming up in the mobile space, you might soon need no buttons to use your handset. We take a look at the world of emerging mobile interfaces.

Sulabh Puri and Heena Jatav

28 MYMOBILE jun 15 to jul 14 2012

www.mymobile.co.in

W

e still clearly remember the first time we held a mobile phone when it first made its way to India in the nineties. It was one of the best things technology geniuses had produced since the PC. But we didn’t realise that it would be such a sensation.

After all, handsets started out as large boxes from Motorola, Siemens and Ericsson. Then a surge of new phones that kept shedding the flab to become not just easier to carry but even act as style statements stepped in. Colour screens were the next big thing.

Phones became sleeker as the screen had

embraced millions of colours. This made phones not just the most common device for communication - call rates kept coming down, which helped a lot as well - but, even more desirable.

Then came the turn of camera integration in mobiles, and a whole new dimension was added to cellphone usage as people now began to click images everywhere as carrying a separate camera was no longer necessary.

More dimensions kept getting added - new operating systems emerged as did new methods of connectivity, and on the software side, there began a steady flow of apps that

replicated most of the functions that one had previously found in a desktop computer.

But for the most part, the basic way of using a phone - the interface - remained more or less the same. You hit buttons on a keypad to make something happen on the screen. Yes, they were some touchscreen devices from the likes of Palm and iMate but even they by and large adhered to the “touch a button/icon” and something will happen principle, with a stylus doing the “touching.” You had to make your way through menus to do most tasks, just as you did on a computer, selecting the option that worked best for you.

jun 15 to jul 14 2012 MYMOBILE 29

lead story The era of touch arrives The first company to really - and we mean “really” - overhaul the way phones were being used was Apple. It’s iconic iPhone began as a device in 2007 that was missing a number of features that were there on other high-end phones - no apps, no Bluetooth file transfer, no Flash support in browser - but instead introduced a whole new way of using your handset.

Not only did the phone have only one hardware button on its front, but it was the first

iPhone Siri and sensors The iPhone 4S is a repository of innovative interfaces. Not only can you issue voice commands and chat with Siri, its virtual assistant but also use its accelerometer and gyroscope to play games and run different apps

touchscreen phone that actually did not need a stylus. There were no menus at all - you moved from page to page by flicking your fingers on the screen and scrolled up and down a page in the same manner. An accelerometer allowed you to change your viewing angle of a Web page or a picture from portrait to landscape (and vice versa), and a proximity sensor automatically switched off the display whenever you brought the phone near your face for a call, thus preventing the accidental touching of any onscreen buttons. And then there was the little matter of “pinch to zoom” where you could zoom in or out a picture or a Web page

by simply bringing your fingers together or moving them apart on the display. The era of multi-touch had arrived.

The move to new, simpler and more intuitive interfaces gained a fillip when Google released the Android operating system, which was more open than Apple’s and could be adopted by multiple manufacturers. The likes of HTC, Samsung, Sony Ericsson, Motorola and LG jumped on to the Android band-

wagon, coming out with phones that provided an interface that was similar to that of the iPhone, with more icons than menus and options like multi-touch and pinch to zoom. Microsoft too joined the new era of touch with its Windows Phone OS which did away with menus and instead introduced a tile-based interface through which a user could scroll by just using their fingers. The button-based interface was slowly overtaken by a totally touch-based one, even though it still had its adherents, especially among those who were fond of typing.

The move to new, simpler and more intuitive interfaces gained a fillip when Google released the Android operating system, which was more open than Apple’s and could be adopted by multiple manufacturers. The likes of HTC, Samsung, Sony Ericsson, Motorola and LG jumped on to the Android bandwagon

30 MYMOBILE jun 15 to jul 14 2012

Enter the sensors..and sound

The innovations, however, did not stop at touch. As hardware improved, manufacturers began placing sensors of different types in handsets - the accelerometer would change the orientation of the phone depending on how it was held, the gyroscope could sense changes in movement, a compass could work out in which direction a phone was pointed and the front facing camera was not just for video chats but also for recognising and interpreting gestures being made by the user. And with these sensors arrived a host of apps that could make the most of them.

Today, there are a number of applications on different platforms that let you operate your phone without even having to touch it. Users

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the accelerometer would change the orientation of the phone depending on how it was held, the gyroscope could sense changes in movement, a compass could work out in which direction a phone was pointed and the front facing camera was not just for video chats but also for recognising and interpreting gestures

can, while reading a book on these phones, change pages by just moving their head - just move your head to the right to go to the next or left to go to the previous page. Similarly hand gestures also enable users to go to next or previous web pages, open programs and perform actions. Motion sensitive apps are also springing up - shake the phone to skips to the next song, or just use it as you would use a steering wheel to control a car in a racing game. There had been games and apps that used motion controls and gestures in the past, but they had been limited to a choice few handsets. Today, they are becoming increasingly mainstream.

The role of voice is also changing. In the past, one talked to a phone only when one

Samsung Galaxy SIII - S Voice and more The latest device in Samsung’s famed Galaxy S series comes with not just voice commands via S Voice but also with a display that will stay on and won’t dim as long as you are looking at it!

jun 15 to jul 14 2012 MYMOBILE 31

lead story was making a call. Today, you literally can talk to the phone - issue commands to it, ask it to open a Web page, send a mail and on. Apps like Siri on the iPhone 4S and S Voice on the Galaxy SIII have brought voice commands out of sci-fi territory while the likes of Aisha on the Micromax A50 are taking it mainstream.

Again, there had been voice controlled apps in the past (Vlingo did a very good job on BlackBerry long before Siri came along) but these new apps are a lot easier and intuitive to use - for instance, the new Dolphin HD browser for Android and iOS devices lets you surf the Net entirely by voice. All you need to do is speak out the name of the website you wish to visit and the browser will take you there. Similarly, an app called Snap lets you take a picture from your iPhone by simply saying “Snap!” or “Cheese!”

The human imagination has no boundaries and slowly but steadily it is moving towards a stage when we will interact with our phones just as we do with each other - by using our voices, gestures and facial expressions

Sony is trying to bring more motion sensing to its range of phones, inspired by a large extent from its PlayStation Move controller system.

According to some media reports, Qualcomm, a UK based chipmaker company is going to bring chipsets that are not only more powerful than ever before but will also enable manufacturers to add some innovative interface features to their devices.We are also hearing about smartphone cameras that will take pictures only when the subject is actually looking at them, which seems a step ahead from the smile detection functionality which

And there’s more coming...

And this is just the tip of the iceberg. As smartphones become more powerful and popular, developers are doing their best to come out with apps and features that will let you use your phone differently. In the past, anything that deviated from the “norma” manner in which you used your phone was considered an oddity, today it is being seen as a sign of progress and innovation. No, we are not saying that any of these innovations have been perfected to the extent that they can replace the manner in which we generally use our handsets these days - Siri and S Voice often missed our words and many

is the time when a phone has failed to register a gesture we made - but change is certainly in the air. And manufacturers are aware of it.

“The smartphone market is growing considerably. The devices are getting smarter and powerful and as time go by. Our future launches like Optimus 3D Max and Optimus 4x HD will have interesting gesture and voice control features along with earlier existing smartphones models like LG Optimus 3D and Optimus Black,” said Sanjay Maheshwary, head marketing, Mobile Communications, LG India. Rumors are also abuzz that Microsoft is planning to expand Kinect’s use into handsets, enabling the front camera of the handset to view and interpret gestures being made by users, just as it does for the Xbox 360 gaming console.

Not surprisingly, tech gossip is hinting that

32 MYMOBILE jun 15 to jul 14 2012

Micromax Aisha Seen the advertisements where a young man chats with a lady who refuses to get ruffled and agrees to all his requests? The lady is none other than Aisha, a virtual assistant that comes with the Micromax A50

used to take pictures the moment the subject smiled. In short, a lot is about to happen, both on the app and the hardware front - the former of course, flows from the latter.

Let your imagination run wild

It is truly the era of thinking different, to borrow the logo of a certain Cupetino-based company, as far as innovative interfaces go.

The human imagination has no boundaries and slowly but steadily it is moving towards a stage when we will interact with our phones just as we do with each other - by using our voices, gestures and facial expressions. No, we

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“The best magazine for mobile phones? You are reading it!” are not calling this the attack of the machines or something as drastic, it is just a return to basic communication, without any interfering buttons.

So, who knows, one day in the future you could actually receive a call by waving your hand at your phone - the front camera will detect the gesture, the software will interpret it, the proximity sensor will sense that you are not close to the device and will therefore automatically switch to loudspeaker mode.

And when it comes to text messaging, you might speak the message out aloud and the phone would be intelligent enough to add smileys and other icons by judging the tone of your voice. And of course, we might even have a mood-sensor that judges the way you are feeling by the way you are speaking on the phone, how tightly you are gripping it or the kind of material (web sites, pictures, etc. )you are viewing on it

Using a phone will get more...human!

Not too long ago, when we had met a member of Google’s Android team, they had told us that the modern smartphone was actually a sort of human being in its own right - its camera was its eyes, it could hear through a microphone, speak through speakers, process data and information through processors, sense its position using compass and sensors, use the Web to search for data and could find its way around using GPS. It sounded like something out of an Isaac Asimov movie at that time.

Today, it seems oddly logical.

The era of buttons is on its way out. And while touch itself does not seem to be threatened at the moment the writing is on the wall that it too could have a battle for survival on its hands. If that sounds ridiculous, just consider the fact that when Samsung launched the Galaxy S III, it spent a lot of time explaining not just the basic features of the phone but also innovations like S Voice which allowed you to control the phone by your voice and Smart Stay which automatically sensed when you were looking at the phone’s display and

kept it bright even when it went past the time allotted for its going to sleep. Similarly, guess what the latest Apple iPhone 4S ads talk about - no, it’s not the camera, the vast treasury of apps or even the quality of the retina display, but Siri, the virtual assistant that responds to your voice. The day when you will rarely have to touch your phone to use it is not as far away as you think. Remember, you read it first here. n sulabh@mymobile.co.in heena@mymobile.co.in

jun 15 to jul 14 2012 MYMOBILE 33

fa c e t o fa c e

“IMs are creating reasons for people not to SMS” They used to be once used mainly on computers but now instant messengers have come to handsets and are threatening SMS itself. Anuj Kumar, CEO, Affle talks about where the IM industry is heading in the country Heena Jatav Instant messengers were introduced in 2004. How have they evolved since? When instant messengers (IMs) were introduced, they were primary Internet IM’s like Yahoo! and MSN messenger. As mobile phones started getting Internet access, the popularity of BBM grew, which was really the first revolutionary product that allowed people to create an alternate to SMS but had its own challenges. The third phase was where the whole messaging experience started happening on social media. The fourth phase was when we started seeing the emergence of cross messaging applications products like Pinch, WhatsApp, Nimbuzz which allowed users to message each other to across platforms. We noticed that the reason why people moved to IMs over SMS was that IMs were actually cost efficient, far richer, much more engaging and a more expressive way of communication.

So are you saying that the adoption of IMs is ringing a death knell for SMS in the country? I think it is. Clearly IMs are creating reasons for people not to SMS. The communication through SMS has significantly reduced. SMS is not dying, it is still lives but its importance in our lives has come down significantly and I think carriers are also seeing a decline in growth on SMS traffic.

What is the current market share of IMs in India? Where does Affle stand? The sad part is that there is no third party audit that happens in this space. So it is difficult to get exact figures. Carriers in their annual report

34 MYMOBILE jun 15 to jul 14 2012

reveal the amount of SMS usage happening in this quarter’s report, they have shown a decline. SMS traffic decline does not mean that SMS usage has stopped. Data from reports of carriage show that now messaging has been heading over to some other means i.e. IMs. If we talk about our messenger Pinch, then there are approximately 500+ million messages exchanges every month, which is a huge number in terms of messages been exchanged by consumers.

What are the factors boosting the usage of IMs in the country? Growing smartphone penetration at cheaper prices and better availability of phones is certainly one. Second is the decreasing cost of data. Third is the greater percentage of users moving to bulk data plans and fourth is the socio-economic factor, in which people are creating big social groups for themselves. These are key factors which are boosting this industry.

If TRAI recommendations for 2G spectrum are accepted, there is a strong possibility that call tariffs will be hiked. Would that represent a growth opportunity for IMs? That is something which is really going to help the IM industry for sure. Also the data rates are going down and now even 3G service charges have been slashed. So on one side if call rates are going up, definitely people will opt for bulk data plans. Both of these factors taken together will help the IM industry grow at a much faster pace going forward.

What growth rate do you see for the IM market in India? I think the overall IM messaging market even today is growing at 10 to 15 percent. Going forward, irrespective of whether call rates get hiked, this market will grow much faster. As per internal trends we are seeing that in two years this 10-15 per cent will increase to 35-40 per cent. n heena@mymobile.co.in

infocus

All Set to Get Digital Television transmission in India is all set to go digital from July 1.

But what does this mean to consumers and the industry in general?

We take a closer look Heena Jatav

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he past few weeks have seen advertisements on television and radio, reminding viewers of the need to install set top boxes by July 1.

Passed earlier this year, the Cable Television Networks (Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2011 mandates that all cable TV operators will have to transmit television signals in an encrypted format through a digital addressable system. What does this mean to the common

TV viewer?

Well, the cable TV that is connected to your television set transmits signals through analogue signals. But in digitised format, you will not require any cable attached to your television set because television signals can be received directly through satellite. To receive these digital signals, a set top box has to be attached to your TV set which converts these signals into content that can be seen on the TV screen.

The digital edge

Digital signals deliver high quality video and access to more channels to the consumers than analog cable. “Digitization would provide a bonanza for consumers in terms of picture quality, availability of a wide range of channels and freedom of choice for selection of channels as against poor picture quality, limited channel selection and forcible promo-

36 MYMOBILE jun 15 to jul 14 2012

tion of bouquets by some service providers at present. Customers would certainly benefit given that they would get access to nearly 500 channels with a small additional investment towards buying a set-top-box, the cost of which is already subsidised,� says K Jayaraman, MD and CEO of Hathway Cable and Datacom.

In normal cable TV, you pay a fixed monthly charge to your cable operator for the service (even for those channels which you do not watch at all). On the other hand, the DTH (Direct to Home) service allows users to choose channels as per their choice and need and pay accordingly.

The need for digitisation

In India, almost every home has a television set. Cable television came into existence in 1983 when Doordarshan started its services through cable in rural areas of Rajasthan and subsequently witnessed tremendous growth

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across the country. According to TRAI, the Indian broadcasting and distribution sector has around 550 television channels, 6,000 Multi System Operators (MSOs), up to 60,000 LCOs, 7 DTH/satellite TV operators and several IPTV service providers.

People were enjoying watching TV through cable TV earlier also and could watch it through cable in the coming years too. So what was the need for digitisation?

The stakeholders in the analogue cable TV system are broadcasters, MSOs, LCOs and the consumers. The broadcaster supplies content in the form of bouquets of channels, to MSOs. The MSO collects the content (channels) from different broadcasters and after repackaging, gives it to the LCO who provides service to individual homes through their cable networks. As the distribution of subscription revenues goes through different share takers, it is not easy to calculate the actual fair share value. It is also difficult to know the actual number of subscribers. If the signals are digitised, transparency will be brought in the system, which will be able to report genuine subscriber numbers.

There is also the non-standard pricing of the service delivered by local cable operators, who levy charges and often increase them arbitrarily. “Digitisation will result in more transparency in the business model, resulting in increased revenue for broadcasters and cable service providers besides enhanced services for consumers,” said Sanjay Arora, Sandeep Arora, VP, Service Provider, Cisco India and SAARC.

The impact of digitisation

The move towards digitisation will therefore benefit consumers, who are now going to get a better choice of channels as well as a better viewing experience.

“The proposed move effectively translates into wider choice of TV channels for customers along with offering superior quality of transmission, increased value added services and transparent pricing,” points out Shashi Arora, CEO- DTH/Media, Bharti Airtel.

Broadcasters are also likely to benefit. According to the ASSOCHAM report ‘Digitizing Indian Broadcasting,’ the move is expected to increase ARPU rates from Rs 150 per month to about Rs 180 per month.

Broadband bundling could increase this to Rs 220.

“For the larger industry, digitalization would bring in greater consolidation, reduced dependence on viewership ratings and drop in carriage fees,” feels Shashi Arora.

And of course, the move will garner more revenue and taxes for the government through

a transparent process. “The government will now be able to garner taxes as liable to them as there cannot be undercutting by the DTH players with the advent of STB’s,” a Videocon d2h spokesperson pointed out.

Digitisation - winners and losers

According to Shashi Arora, digitization is a win win situation for all stakeholders as it will benefit the entire ecosystem consisting of the government, broadcasters and consumers.

“For consumers, this translates into wider choice of TV channels, better quality of transmission, increased value added services and

players know that they have to embrace digitization as soon as possible because it offers more choice and better quality of service.”

The digital addressable system will also provide additional business opportunities to the service providers in the form of value added and interactive services.

Videocon d2h’s spokesperson felt that digitisation would benefit most players. “The subscribers will have access to much more qualitative services and are certainly set to gain while the broadcasters will now get a level playing field because the larger players won’t get preferential channel quality transmission and they can generate appropriate revenues justifiable to them,” the spokesperson said.

What’s next?

paying for what they view. For the government, it will lead to better tax compliance and tax revenues. And broadcasters will enjoy a reduced dependence on advertising revenues with subscription-based services as well as a lowering of carriage fees,” he points out.

Of course, consumers might have to pay more for set-top boxes but most service providers are trying to make sure that this hit is not a major one. For instance, Airtel has a national entry tariff point ‘Value pack’ which starts at a nominal price point of Rs 158 + taxes and comes with 191 channels and services.

As far as business is concerned, at present the market revenue system is divided among broadcasters and distributors (MSOs and LCOs). Those broadcasters who had paid heavy carriage fees but got inadequate revenues, will gain from digitisation. Mahesh Uppal, market analyst and director, Comfirst, feels that, “The gainers will be the DTH players in particular and also the MSOs. I think the main losers will be the conventional cable players who probably currently have insufficient incentives to be transparent. All serious

Commenting on the future of digitization in India, Shashi Arora says, “DTH is undoubtedly the future of home entertainment for the rural masses in India. And in doing so, it is truly bringing home the magic of infotainment for one and all, essentially the rural market, which is as yet starved of a medium for deliverance from the monotony of bad or absent cable services.”

Digitisation will start from the four metros, but will it work in rural areas as well, or will the charges be a deterrent? Uppal feels they won’t. “I think it will work faster if there’s an obligation to go digital because then the digital entertainment would be the only choice. But if digitization is not obligatory then some people might be reluctant to spend more,” he says.

Cisco’s Sandeep Arora is equally optimistic.

“Today’s consumers are more inclined towards quality. The key driver here is entertainment and consumers today are increasingly looking for added value and high definition picture quality. Rise in purchasing power enables both rural and urban consumers to move to the next tier of services. Therefore, consumers do not shy away from forking out some extra rupee to get better entertainment,” he says.

All said and done, digitisation will not only benefit consumers, DTH players and TV broadcasters but also presents a great opportunity for the Indian telecom industry. Analogue signals require larger bandwidth than digital ones. The move from analogue to digital will therefore free up some radio frequency spectrum, which could be an opportunity for the telecom sector to enhance rural connectivity and provide rural users with mobile broadband to serve various needs.

Whatever happens, one thing you can be sure of is that the world of Indian television will no longer be the same come July 1. And most consumers will not be complaining. n heena@mymobile.co.in

jun 15 to jul 14 2012 MYMOBILE 37

In focus

Phones that suit your needs

and budget too Budget is an important aspect either you are buying a pin or a chopper and the same applies to mobile phones too.

Keeping that in mind, we are suggesting some good phones that can suit your need as well as pocket Heena Jatav

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efore one sets out to buy a handset, one of the most important things that one keeps in mind is the budget. There was a time when one’s options were limited and there were only a small number of devices in each price segment. And options were particularly limited at the lower end of the price spectrum, which contained only the most basic of phones that often did little more than send and receive calls and texts. However, thanks to the rapid progress in mobile technology, today one is flooded with choices irrespective of one’s budget. Feature phones have got much richer in terms of functions and smartphones, which were once the sole preserve of mid- and high-price segments, are today available at relatively low prices. If that sounds difficult to believe, take a look at this list of twelve handsets that cost under Rs 5,000, but deliver a host of features and functions, some of which were once seen only in high-end devices not too long ago.

Touchscreen There are many who believe that the current era is the time of touchscreen phones. Almost every manufacturer has a range of touchscreen devices, spread across a variety of price ranges and in some cases, even platforms. And they are no longer as expensive as they once were here are the best touchscreen phones that cost less than Rs 5,000 while delivering a decent touch experience to users.

Samsung Champ Duos

LG E520

Samsung Champ Duos is a dual SIM phone that comes with a TFT display of 2.6 inches. The phone has resistive touch and is decent to use despite its small screen. The phone has a 1.3 megapixel camera and for connectivity it supports WAP, and Bluetooth. The phone has internal memory of 50 MB which is expandable up to 16 GB using a memory card. The device will cost you Rs 4,500 and comes in different colours.

LG E520 too is a dual SIM phone with touchscreen.

The phone has TFT display of 2.7 inches with resistive touch which is comfortable to use. It has a 2.0 megapixel camera with 2X digital zoom which is also capable of shooting videos. The device has internal memory of 13 MB which is expandable up to 4 GB with the help of a microSD card. It also has a dedicated SNS client, MSN Instant Messenger and comes with FM recording too. The phone is available for Rs 5,000 in the market.

Samsung Champ Delux This dual SIM phone by Samsung comes with a TFT display of 7.1 cm. The phone has TouchWiz 2.0 Lite interface which provides a good touch experience.

The phone has a 1.3 megapixel camera with 2X digital zoom.

For connectivity, the phone supports Bluetooth and WAP. It has internal memory of 30 MB which is expandable up to 16 GB with the help of a memory card.

The phone also has Samsung’s ChatON messenger that let users chat with each other free of cost.

You can grab this feature-rich phone for a mere Rs 4,000.

You can also check out the Micromax Ninja A50 and Spice M6700 in this segment.

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Touch N Type

QWERTY Touchscreens may be the rage, but most people still do not feel comfortable typing on them, be it for e-mail or SMS. Fortunately, there are a number of devices sporting full QWERTY keyboards (once only seen in BlackBerry phone) for text addicts. And these ones don’t even cost the earth:

Nokia Asha 200

The device has been doing well in the market, and delivers what most people would want from a decent QWERTY phone. It has a 2.4 inch display and compact QWERTY keypad. The phone has dedicated hard keys for messaging and volume. The 2.0 megapixel camera is capable of taking decent pictures and videos. It has an internal memory of 10 MB which is expandable up to 32 GB. The phone is available for Rs 4,100 and comes in vibrant colours like green, blue, black, pink and white.

Samsung Chat 3G 527

Want the best of both touch and type worlds? There are a number of phones which deliver both. And at a very affordable price too. People who want the flavour of both touch and type without spending too much can consider these:

Motorola EX119

The phone is apt for those who want the delight of touch and QWERTY both with the capabilities of Dual SIM. The QWERTY keys of the device are easy to use and the front row of the keypad is dedicated to numbers. It has a 2.4 inch capacitive screen and has a 3.0 megapixel camera with digital zoom. For connectivity, it has Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and USB. You can get this device for Rs 5,000.

Nokia C2-03

Samsung Chat 527 is a 3G phone with QWERTY keypad that offers a 2.4 inch TFT display, 2.0 megapixel camera and almost all connectivity features you can think of like Wi-Fi, GPS, and Bluetooth. The keypad of the phone is very soft and provides fast typing. The phone also has SNS integration which allows you to stay connected with your social networks even on the go. It has an internal memory of 80 MB that can be expanded up to 32 GB with a memory card. The phone is available in grey colour and will cost you Rs 4,700.

This dual SIM phone comes with a touchscreen and slide out alphanumeric keypad.

The handset is good for those who prefer a normal keypad rather than a QWERTY. The device has a 2.6 inch resistive touchscreen, a 2.0 megapixel camera with digital zoom, and video player, FM radio etc. The phone has been doing brisk business and is available for Rs 4,100 in black and white colours.

Nokia Asha 202

Nokia X2-01

Another good offering in the QWERTY keypad’s table is the Nokia X2-01. The phone has a 2.4 inch screen and spacious QWERTY keypad that we found good to use. The phone has very good build quality, and also comes with pre loaded social networking apps like Facebook and Nimbuzz. The only drawback in the device is its VGA camera, which is a tad ordinary. The phone will cost you Rs 3,500.

The Samsung Chat 322 and Motorola EX 109 can also be considered in this category.

Alphanumeric

The Asha 202 is another dual SIM phone from Nokia with a blend of both touch and type. The Asha 202 has a 2.4 inch display with resistive touch and alphanumeric keypad. The phone has a 2.0 megapixel camera that captures decent photographs, and an MP3 and MP4 player that support all popular media formats, as well as FM radio. The internal memory of the phone is 10 MB that can be expandable up to 32 GB. The phone is available for Rs 3,800.

You can also look for Rage Turbo and iBall IPS 261 in touch and type segment.

Technology in the mobile phone space may have progressed with new interfaces making their presence felt every day, but that does not mean that people have given up on the traditional alphanumeric keyboard that was seen in candybar phones not too long ago. Which is why manufacturers are still making them. Here are three of the best in the sub-Rs 5,000 category:

LG A350

Nokia X2-00

Samsung C3530

This device by LG comes with dual SIM and 3G capabilities, as well as good multimedia and SNS features. It has a 2.2 inch display, and a comfortable alphanumeric keypad. It has a 1.3 megapixel camera with digital zoom and image editing. Its internal memory of 59 MB can be expanded up to 32 GB with micro SD card. It is available for Rs 4,100.

Nokia X2-00 comes with decent looks as well as good multimedia features. It has 2.2 inch display and alphanumeric keypad with dedicated keys for features like navigation, volume and camera.

The phone has a 5.0 megapixel camera with features like flash, full focus, and still image editor, - a treat keeping the price factor in mind. The device comes in two different colour combinations- White with Sky Blue and Red with Black, and is available for Rs 4,500 .

This phone comes with a basic alphanumeric keypad which is comfortable to use.

It has a 2.2 inch display and a 3.15- megapixel camera which can record videos at 15 frames per second. It has internal memory of 50 MB, which is expandable up to 8 GB. Its battery at 960 mAh battery is a bit on the lesser side, as 1200 mAh batteries are found even in basic phones these days. The phone is available for Rs 4,250 in the market.

The Lava A16 and Nokia C2-01 are also good options to look at in alphanumeric keypad category.

heena@mymobile.co.in

jun 15 to jul 14 2012 MYMOBILE 39

cell clues

Hard drives in the Sky Imagine being able to carry all your data around, without worrying about the storage capacity of your phone or the hassle of carrying a USB drive.

That’s exactly what these six cloud storage services enable you to do Harshita Rastogi

S

business or enterprise use. The user can upgrade it to 25GB for about $10 a month for personal use or up to 500 GB a month for $15 per user for business use. Users can

Box

make use of the cloud drive through a mobile app and can also share files via links. It runs on open cloud policy which gives users the freedom to connect the Box account to several third-party cloud apps. It allows a maximum

martphones might be growing more powerful with each passing day, but the storage space on them remains limited. In some cases (like the iPhone and the HTC One X), you cannot even expand the onboard memory of a device. As always, however, there are apps and services that will help you overcome this, and not only let you store additional information and data online (on the “cloud,” as they say) but also enable you to share it with other users without having to fuss over things like Bluetooth or USB cables.

So if you are running short of storage on your device, just head to the cloud and book some space there. These six apps/services will let you do so in the most effective manner possible:

The Box service comes packed with 5 GB of cloud storage. One can avail it for personal,

40 MYMOBILE jun 15 to jul 14 2012

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file size of 25MB. Box offer more options for entrepreneurs and is thus preferred by enterprises rather than individuals who want personal cloud storage options. It offers features and tools for businesses to manage content, manage tasks, online workspaces and more.

Available on: Android, iOS, BlackBerry

DropBox:

DropBox gives you comparatively less space of 2GB free of cost. It allows uploading of 300MB of file through a browser besides providing support to upload any file, irrespec-

tive of its size, through the desktop client.

Despite being amongst the initiators, the service costs a bit more - 50GB costs $9.99 per month, 100GB comes at $19.99 per month and for annual subscription you need to shell out $99 for 50GB or $199 for 100GB per year.

You can also get extra storage by referring the service to people. There are some neat touches like the option to recover trashed files - it keeps content backed up for up to 30 days.

The user can store and share files anytime, and can create a link to the file and share it with friends, even by sending invites on Facebook to share Dropbox files..

Available on: Windows Phone, iOS, Android and BlackBerry.

Google Drive

Google Drive offers free space of up to 5GB for not just storing documents, but photos, videos and more as well. You can create new files and share content with others as per your will.

Google drive limits itself when it comes to file size at 10GB, which can only be uploaded if the user has purchased premium storage. Free

account users can upload files up to 5GB only. You can update the storage space in the cloud to 25GB for $2.49 a month, 100GB for $4.99 a month, and even 1TB for $49.99.

Being Google’s service, it offers users a few perks as well. For instance, on buying the paid version of Google drive, the user’s Gmail account space is automatically increased to 25GB. Similarly, subscription to this service leads to an automatic integration with other Google tools like Google Docs, which has become a part of Google Drive, Google+ and Gmail. Users can also view Photoshop files, AutoCAD drawings and likes - more than thirty file formats are supported. There is a text recognition feature in the drive which allows you to search a file by its name as well as by the content within the file.

Availaible on: Android (iOS version is yet to be launched)

Sky Drive:

Microsoft’s cloud storage solution offers you 7GB of free storage on cloud, which is among

the highest in the well-known players. The user can upload any file weighing up to 2GB through the desktop client but like DropBox, SkyDrive limits the browser uploads to 300MB. To own more space in the cloud, one can add 20GB of storage for $10 per year, 50GB of storage for $25 per year, or 100GB of storage for $50 per year. The service allows sharing of files publicly, supports group editing and allows users to search using Bing. Windows Phone has built-in access to SkyDrive right from the Office and Pictures hubs. However, while the service provides remote access to files from anywhere and allows user to create MS Office documents directly in the cloud and also supports PDF and JPEG formats, there is no way to retrieve a file once it is deleted.

Available on: iOS, Windows Phone

Apple iCloud

iCloud is Apple’s online storage option for its iOS devices. It comes with 5GB of free storage, with extra space costing $20 per year for 10GB, $40 per year for 20GB, and $100 per year for 50GB. Users can use the service to keep music, apps, books, and TV shows purchased from the iTunes store without worrying about the storage capacity as these come sans the

storage quota restrictions. Users can also use iTunes Match at an extra cost of $24.99 per year, which allows to store non-iTunes music

in the cloud. To give it an edge over others, the service has the capability of accessing all of Apple’s wireless services including contact synchronization, its own e-mail service, mobile backup, and location awareness. The service allows a maximum file size at 25MB for free users and 250MB for paid users.

Available on: iOS

Ubuntu One

Ubuntu One offers 5GB of free storage to its users, with an option to upgrade for a charge ($29.99 per year for 20GB). It is a personal cloud storage web service for Ubuntu users. The service comes with features that enable one to store files online and sync them as well, between computers as well as mobile devices. The app, available for iPhone

and Android phones, is capable of streaming audio and music from cloud to mobile devices. It also has a cloud-integrated music store which allows users to purchase songs and get them delivered to their personal cloud to be synced with their devices. The Ubuntu One music streaming service currently comes with 20GB of maximum storage. Ubuntu One also gives users the option of keeping part of their content on a desktop and part in their personal cloud. All one needs to do is select the folders to be synced on any device.

Available on: iOS, Android n harshita@mymobile.co.in

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chief speak

“Every Tom, Dick and Harry can get into this business” The NTP 2012 talks about making India a telecom manufacturing hub. What is your take on this? I think the Government has done nothing in terms of enabling domestic manufacturing. One can say anything, desire or dream but there has to be action also for enabling that dream to happen, the vision to get turned into reality. In fact, the authorities have created so much to support mobile industry that they have forgotten to put entry barriers.

Every Tom, Dick and Harry can get into this business because there are no entry barriers. If the Government had created some entry barriers, all the grey market players would have been out.

I think there are lots of things which need to be done to create the right environment with the right policy in terms of manufacturing. Policy has to be invoked in terms of getting the right kind of parameters for people who are in this business.

Spice has recently launched many handsets based on the Android platform. Are you going to focus only on Android? So far, yes.

We are also exploring the Windows platform but have not taken any decision on that yet. In this business you have to go by what trends are and what consumers want. You can’t go with something which is against the consumer’s interest unless you are Apple, and you are bringing something which is earth-shaking and can change the whole status of business. We are not Apple so we have to depend on what the trend is.

Our main focus will be on touch phones and smartphones. That’s where we have moved up from our earlier focus that was on mobile Internet.

Are you now going to focus mainly on smartphones or will you look at feature phones too? Feature phones in India will continue.

42 MYMOBILE jun 15 to jul 14 2012

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One of the leading Indian mobile phone companies, Spice Mobiles has been carving a niche for itself in the affordable and value for money phone category. We caught up with Kunal Ahooja, global head - Devices, S Mobility, to find out more about the company’s plans strategy for the future Heena Jatav

countries are you present in and how has been the growth? In India, the transition from feature phone to smartphone was a huge challenge. We are today at a stage where we are trying to evolve and transition ourselves from being a feature phone brand to smartphone brand. It is not going to happen overnight. A lot of hard work is required and there’s a lot we need to do in terms of product development.

Today even Nokia, who used be number one in market share at one point of time is not able to create a dent in the smartphone segment. So, it is going to take a lot of effort from us as a domestic brand to be able to make our space in smartphone market. In other countries, we are doing pretty well. We are among the top brands in Indonesia and Malaysia.

There is a transition now to smartphones. If you look at the GFK estimates from the value point of view, they are saying that from Rs 9,000 crores to Rs 20,000 crores, smartphones have 95 per cent growth.

That does not mean that the feature phone market does not exist, considering that we have a huge population. Feature phones will remain because price is a major factor. Today smartphones are coming into the affordable category but there are still people who buy a Rs 1,000 phone and cannot afford even affordable smartphones.

If you see the share of feature phones in the sub-Rs 2,000 category, it is huge. Yes smartphones are getting more affordable but they are not entering the space where the mass market today is, which is in the sub-Rs 2,000 range.

So, when is the smartphone revolution going to reach Indian shores? I think in another two to three years India will be able to reach a level when we can call it a smartphone revolution.

Are you leveraging your group’s presence in services and VAS segment to add more value to your devices? We will endeavour to provide unique applications which can give different experiences to users. In feature phones we are creating a platform where a number of applications that run on smartphones will run on feature phones too - the MRE platform of Mediatek. We have already launched an app store for feature phone applications. Our focus will be on creating better products for feature phone customers as well as differentiated experiences for smartphone users - such as mobile security in our smartphones. We were the first ones to bring secure Android smartphones.

Spice is now a global Indian brand. Which

In India, the transition from feature phone to smartphone was a huge challenge. We are today at a stage where we are trying to evolve and transition ourselves from being a feature phone brand to smartphone brand. It is not going to happen overnight.

A lot of hard work is required and there’s a lot we need to do in terms of product development

What is your strategy for the tablet market?

We have now realised that it’s a big market for Wi-Fi enabled tablets. So we are looking to get into that space. Earlier we launched tablets on Android with 3G connectivity but now we are looking at also getting into high-end tablets.

We will come out with two new products in the next three months.

What will be the target audience for your new range of smartphones? Can we say Spice is becoming a youth-centric brand? We have been wanting to transition into youth-centric and we want the brand to be associated with youth, yet be also technologically savvy. So we want that imagery to be youthful but with the edge of technology.

LTE has been rolled out in the country. Can we expect any LTE-enabled device from Spice any time soon? We are looking at that space. We never left behind in terms of exploring any opportunity so we will look at that as well. We are keeping a close tab on that. n heena@mymobile.co.in

jun 15 to jul 14 2012 MYMOBILE 43

n o s ta lg i a

It was at this very time in 2007 that the meek in the cellphone world inherited the earth. It was an issue that we would never forget, simply because a relatively low-cost handset upstaged others that were better known and were supposed to be superior. Read on to see how this happened, way back in June-July 2007 Mukesh Kumar Singh

, h t n o M s i o g Th A s r a e Five Y Year 2007- June15- July 14 issue Phone tested- Samsung C160, Dopod D600, Motorola W215, O2 Atom Life and Intex Aura Year 2012- June 15- July 14 issue Phone tested- BlackBerry Curve 9320, Samsung Galaxy Pocket, HTC One V, Sony Xperia Sola, Sony Xperia U, and Fly E370

44 MYMOBILE jun 15 to jul 14 2012

I

n an advertisement of the famous TV show, Kaun Banega Crorepati, Bollwood legend Amitabh Bacchan remarks that “no one is too big or too small on the hot seat.�

By those words he communicated the openness of the opportunity provided by the show - anyone who participated in it, irrespective of class, caste, creed or income, could walk away a wealthy

person. He could have been talking about our burn tests too, in which even the most humble entry level device has every chance of upstaging much more hyped and high-profile devices. And that is exactly what happened in this month, seven years ago.

June 15 - July 14 issue of the magazine saw a low-end device beat a number of well-known smartphones to be

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crowned Phone of the Month.

Remember the time...

When we go back to the period of June- July 2007 time, smartphones with good multimedia features had just started coming into the market, but the age of multimedia phones was by no means over. This was the time when smartphones were slowly becoming more popular, and consumers were also expecting more from their handsets in terms of camera and multimedia features.

The number of mobile phone manufacturers was also increasing and a fierce turf was ensuing for market share - especially in the affordable phones category where seldom a week passed without a new launch. This was also the time when manufacturers first began to add features that went beyond basic texts and calls in the affordable device segment - a necessity brought on by the intensity of the competition.

My Mobile, June 15 - July 14, 2007 In spite of the surge of release in handsets, there were not too many to review in the June 15- July 14 issue of our magazine. We had in our offices the Samsung C160, the Motorola Slvr N9, the Dopod D600, the Motorola W215, the O2 Atom Life and the Intex Aura. Of these, the Dopod D600 and O2 Atom Life were considered frontrunners for the phone of the month title. Both were touchscreen Windows Mobile phones and came packed with features. The Intex Aura and Motorola W215 were multimedia phones, and the Slvr N9 was the latest in the Motorola Slvr range that had gained popularity because of its slim figure.

The winner, however, was the Samsung C160 which was priced for Rs 2,599 and was very much an entry-level phone. As far as the looks of the phone were concerned, it was nothing to write home about, with a black body and alphanumeric keypad that was the standard in those days. However, beneath that very humble exterior, it contained features that were rarely found in its price segment in those days. The phone came with GPRS and FM radio, with the

option to listen to FM Radio even in loudspeaker mode (no need to plug in headphones, as in most other devices). There were also some handy applications on the phone like mobile tracker, emergency SMS and privacy lock, which were a rarity in those days - the very thought of apps on an entry-level phone surprised many of us. And it was this set of features and apps that won the C160 the title of Phone of the Month. No, it could not do more than some of the phones it was up against, but what mattered more for us was the fact that unlike the other phones that we reviewed that month, the C160 redefined what the consumer could expect from a market segment. It proved that even features like GPRS and mobile tracker could be packed into a phone that cost less than Rs 3,000.

Fast forward to...today!

Coming back to the present, it is amaz-

When we go back to the period of June- July 2007 time, smartphones with good multimedia features had just started coming into the market, but the age of multimedia phones was by no means over. This was the time when smartphones were slowly becoming more popular, and consumers were also expecting more from their handsets in terms of camera and multimedia features

ing to see how entry level devices have changed.

Today, features like camera, video player, video recorder, GPRS and FM are commonly found in phones that cost as much as the C160. In fact, many of the phones in that price range come with support for dual SIM cards. Displays too have become larger in the entry level - they used to be below two inches in 2007 but are now generally between 2.2-2.4 inches in size.

The evolution in high-end devices, of course, has been well documented (bigger screens, faster processors, better cameras, etc.) and it is these phones that hog the limelight more often these days than their lower priced brethren.

That, however, is no indication of their superiority. For, if there was one thing that the June 15 - July 14 issue of My Mobile in 2007 taught us, it was that innovation need not always come from the top. It can rise from the foot of the ladder too. n mukesh@mymobile.co.in

jun 15 to jul 14 2012 MYMOBILE 45

just in Nokia C5-05 Touch magic at an affordable price

N

okia might have joined forces with Microsoft and launched the Lumia range of Windows Phone devices but it has certainly not forgotten its Symbian roots. The latest offering from the company is the Symbian driven C5-05, a touchscreen device available in a variety of colours. The phone has a 3.2 inch TFT display, runs on Symbian v9.4 and is powered by a 600 MHz processor with 128 MB RAM. It comes with a 2.0-megapixel camera with geo-tagging, 40 MB of internal memory (expandable to 16 GB) and Bluetooth, GPRS and USB connectivity (sorry, no Wi-Fi or 3G). In best smartphone tradition, it bundles in a host of features including handwriting recognition, stereo FM radio, QuickOffice document viewer and a media player which support various most popular formats like MP4, MP3, WMV, WMA, and WAV etc. And in best Nokia tradition, battery life is likely to be impressive. Not bad for a device that is available for Rs 6,200. Could this highlight a second coming for Symbian in the mainstream market? We are watching. n

Samsung Primo Duos Don’t miss anything

S

amsung has come out with yet another phone that will help you stay connected with your professional and personal lives at the same time.

Yes, it is another dual SIM device - the Samsung Primo Duos. The phone supports two SIM card slots (CDMA and GSM) and has an elegant and classic design, with a brushed metal finish. Both GSM and CDMA connections remain active at the same time in the handset, which also comes with a 2.0-megapixel camera without flash. The phone can support high speed Internet up to 3.1 Mbps and comes pre-loaded with a Mobile TV application that lets one watch live TV and access up to 100 live channels. The phone comes with OMH technology, that enables you to choose any CDMA operator, voice and SMS service of your choice. It has an in built memory of 75MB (expandable to 16 GB) and can store up to 1000 SMS in all. The phone has a battery of 1200 mAh that claims to give talk time of seven hours, and on the app front, comes with Palringo universal messenger pre-loaded to enable you to stay connected to your friends and family over IM. Priced at a relatively affordable Rs 5,900, the Primo Duos is definitely going to attract a few dual SIM users. n team@mymobile.co.in

46 MYMOBILE jun 15 to jul 14 2012

sneak peek HTC One S HTC fires third salvo in One series

A

fter the One X and One V, HTC is now all set to launch the third phone in its much-hyped One series. Called the One S, the device has been making waves for its sleek design - it is a mere 7.8mm thick and is the thinnest phone ever to emerge from the HTC stable. But that does not mean that it is thin on features. The phone comes with a large 4.3 inch Corning Gorilla Glass screen, has 16 GB of storage and runs on Android 4.0, with HTC’s Sense interface laid over it.

Making sure that all this works smoothly is a dual core processor that could clock either 1.5 GHz or 1.7 Ghz (the final version is not confirmed) along with an Adrino 225 graphics processor and 1 GB RAM. The phone also comes with a 8.0 megapixel camera capable of recording full HD videos, a front facing camera for video calls, FM radio, and audio and video players.

Top that off with all the connectivity options you can think of 3G, GPS, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth - and you can see why HTC is expecting great things from this phone. It is expected to arrive on Indian shores at a price in the vicinity of Rs 27,500. n

Nokia Lumia 900

Nokia’s new Windows phone

N

okia is very excited about its Lumia series, which runs on Windows Phone and which many feel could mark a resurgence in its fortunes. After launching the Lumia 800 and 710 in the Indian market, the company is now poised to launch the Nokia 900. Like its predecessors, this too runs on Windows Phone 7.5. But what marks it out is its 4.3 inch AMOLED capacitive touchscreen, which is the biggest we have seen on a Nokia handset for a while. The phone comes with 16 GB internal storage (non-expandable, alas) memory and 512MB RAM, and is powered by a 1.4 GHz Scorpion processor with a 205MAH graphic processor as well. Handling the pictures is an 8.0-megapixel camera and the phone is overflowing with connectivity options ranging from HSDPA and HSUPA to Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. Of course, being a Windows Phone device, it also comes with seamless connectivity to your social networks, an office suite, media player and a mobile version of Internet Explorer. The phone is expected to be priced at approximately Rs 32,000. n

team@mymobile.co.in

jun 15 to jul 14 2012 MYMOBILE 47

burn test Fly E730 Big

as games like Fruit Ninja, Ninja Rush, Cut Ropes, Tomb Rope, and Tomb Rider.

Unfortunately, the resistive screen means that using them is a bit of a bumpy ride.

screen on a budget It might not have been making too many headlines of late but Fly has been in the Indian market for a while now. Will the E730 get it back in the spotlight?

Multimedia: could have been better

Looks: Handsome and wide

The E730 turns in an average performance in terms of multimedia. The big display does make for a good viewing experience but the 5.0-megapixel camera comes with only basic options and delivers images that are nothing to rave about. There is a music player and FM Radio for music lovers. The music quality was good on earphones but was distorted on the loudspeaker.

123 mm

On first glance, the E730 bears more than a passing resemblance to a highend Android device. It is a good looking handset with a large 3.7 inch display. The front panel has three hardware buttons, two for calling and a menu key - all three of which are right below the display. On the top of the handset is a power/lock screen button. We just wish the phone had not been so wide as holding it becomes a problem.

Hardware: Big screen and shooter

User Experience: An average performer

The E 730 is a dual SIM (GSM+GSM) handset. While getting such a large display in a low-cost handset is rare,

tech specs

It may boast of an Android-like interface, a large screen and 5.0-megapixel camera but the E730 does not really deliver on all fronts. The big screen is great for viewing content but the resistive touchscreen often ended up ruining our user experience.

67 mm

Size | 123 x 67 x 12.8 mm

Pros

Weight | 100 grams Memory | 79.07 MB, microSD Battery | Lithium 1500 mAh Screen | 262,144 colours Talktime/Standby | Up to 12 hours/ Up to 400 hours GPRS/3G | Yes/No Bluetooth/WiFi | Yes/No Phonebook Capacity | 2000 Camera | 5.0 Megapixel Frequency | GSM 900/1800 Others | Games, Facebook

Price: Rs 4,900

Cons

 5.0-megapixel  Resistive

camera

 3.7

inch display

touchscreen

 No

3G or Wi-Fi connectivity

the fact that the display was a resistive one meant that our experience with it was not the best. It also comes with a 5.0-megapixel camera which is again, rare at its price point.

In terms of connectivity, it offers GPRS and Bluetooth, which are par for the course, although we would have loved 3G and/or Wi-Fi.

Software: An app basket The interface of the phone has clearly been inspired by Android - the home screen of the phone is divided into five panels where you can put or remove the shortcuts as per your convenience. The phone also comes with a number of applications like Facebook, Twitter, Nimbuzz, Yahoo!, and Gtalk, as well

48 MYMOBILE jun 15 to jul 14 2012

Conclusion The Fly E730 costs Rs 4,900 and is not a bad deal for those looking for a large screen device on a budget. You can also check the Micromax A50 which costs Rs 4,999 and really runs Android. n team@mymobile.co.in

verdict Looks

8

Features

8

ease of use

7

perfoRmance

7

value for money overall

76%

8

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M-Tech M78 Big on

battery

M

-Tech has recently entered the Indian market with a number of feature phones. One of the most notable of these is the M-Tech M78. Here we talk about what the brand has in offer for consumers in India.

Looks: Regular stuff

tech specs 112 mm

The M78 comes with fairly routine looks.

The front has a 2.4 inch display screen below which is the D-pad surrounded with multiple shortcut keys. The phone comes in a combination of black and red and although it sports a metallic finish on the side panel, is unlikely to turn heads. We also found it heavy and uncomfortable to hold.

Size | 112 x 49 x 16 mm Weight | 110 grams Memory | microSD

Hardware: Dual camera

Battery | Li-ion 1800 mAh

The M78 sports dual cameras. With a difference. While the main camera is on the back the other is not in the front, but is actually a “secret” camera that is housed at the top of the device, alongside a torch light and a 3.5mm audio jack. The phone comes with both GPS and GPRS connectivity - the former surprised us as it is not often seen in this segment. The internal memory of the phone is 476KB which can be expanded to 8GB using a memory card. And we also realised the reason for its weight - it comes with a very hefty 1800mAh battery.

Software: Links and apps The phone does not have much to offer in terms of applications - it comes with links to Yahoo!, Facebook, MSN and Twitter, and also some basic apps like Calculator, Convertor, Stop Watch, Timer, World Clock, and Calender.

This feature phone stands low in gaming category, with only one game, Tetris, to offer to the consumer. For connectivity, there are GPRS and GPS given in the device.

Multimedia: Average snaps, decent sound On the multimedia front, the phone has a VGA camera, music player and FM radio. Both the cameras can take images of 1024 x 768 resolution and the picture quality is just about average.

The sound quality of the phone is fairly good, both through the earphones and the loudspeaker, and the presence of equalisers allow you to tweak your listening experience.

The FM Radio’s reception is average and one can save 20 channels in it.

Screen | 262,144 colours Talktime/Standby | Up to 8 hour/ up to 720 hours GPRS/3G | Yes/No Bluetooth/WiFi | Yes/No Phonebook Capacity | 1000

49 mm

Camera | VGA

Pros

Frequency | GSM 900/1800

Cons

Others | FM Radio, VIdeo player  Dual

cameras

 Good

life

battery

 Average

quality

A

camera

Price: Rs 1,749

bit heavy

verdict User Experience: Value for money

Looks

The M78 might not be an exceptional performer but offers value for money at its price point. We were in particular impressed by its battery life, which went well past a couple of days. We just wish it had more apps and was a bit lighter.

Conclusion: The M-Tech M78 costs Rs 1,749 and is a decent option at that price point. Those looking for an alternative can consider the Chaze c666 which costs Rs 2,100. n team@mymobile.co.in

7

Features

8

ease of use

8

performance

8

value for money

8

overall

78%

jun 15 to jul 14 20121 MYMOBILE 49

burn test Samsung Galaxy Pocket Pocket this affordable Andriod

1 5

highlights

103.9 mm

4

57.9 mm

A

t this time year, if you were looking for a smartphone, you would have had to spend a sum closer to Rs 10,000 than Rs 5,000. A year, however, is a long time in technology and today we have a number of smartphones with prices closer to the unimaginable 5,000 figure. And one of the newest to venture into this territory is the Samsung Galaxy Pocket, an affordable offering from now, the world’s largest smartphone brand.

Looks: Small and sturdy The Galaxy Pocket has nothing radical to offer in terms of looks. There are many phones out there that look similar to this one. It is not the slimmest (12.8 mm) phone around but isn’t bulky either. There are a few hardware but-

1

To speed up things, the phone has a 832 MHz ARM11 processor

tons around the phone for power and volume.

Two feather touch keys are also present right under the screen, one for going to the previous screen and other to bring up the current screen’s menu.

The display is however, where all the action lies - and the Galaxy Pocket sports a 2.8 inch capacitive touchscreen of 320 x 240 resolution which is a breeze to work with. Although we did find it to be a bit on the smaller side and we wish the resolution could have been better. However, small display means that the device can literally fit into most pockets with ease - perhaps that is the reason for its nomenclature.

That said, this is quite a sturdy little device.

That can offer some really decent smartphone

50 MYMOBILE jun 15 to jul 14 2012

2

The 2.0megapixel camera takes good images in well lit areas

3

functionality.

Hardware: Basic basic For the price it charges, the Galaxy Pocket comes loaded with a decent amount of hardware ammunition under its hood. To speed up things, the phone has a 832 MHz ARM11 processor. At the back, users will find a 2.0-megapixel camera without flash, which can zoom 2 times digitally. The 2.8 inch display is good for day to day use, but a little small if you want to enjoy good quality movies or games. For data transfer, this phone has Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and USB 2.0 support.

In terms of storage, it has 3GB built-in and a microSD card slot lets you further expand this if you need. Users can also geo-tag images

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would have been perfect. On the other hand, the gaming experience is not bad.

The screen responds well to most games that do not require extreme precision. Although the graphics are obviously not as good as some of the other high-end phones in Samsung’s kitty, they are good for the casual gaming.

The 2.0-megapixel camera takes good images, with very little digital noise. You will, however, find images losing their sharpness in low light environments. This is where a flash would have come into play. We would, therefore, recommend using the camera only in well-lit areas.

2 3

tech specs Size | 103.90 x 57.90 x 12.98 mm Weight | 97 grams Memory | 3 GB, microSD

User Experience: Not bad, not bad at all

Battery | Li-Ion 1200 mAh

Pros 

Considering that this is an entry level smartphone, the Pocket performs very creditably.

We quite liked it. While we did have our complaints - mostly related to the small, lowresolution display - there was never a time when we felt that the phone was a waste of money. Simply because it kept performing routine tasks very well indeed. The user interface is fairly easy to understand and can be customised, in best Android tradition.

Screen | 262,144 colours Talktime/Standby | Upto 15.8 hours/

Affordable Android

Upto 520 hours

 Solid build

GPRS/3G | Yes/Yes

 Friendly user interface

Bluetooth/ WiFi | Yes/Yes Phonebook Capacity | Shared

Cons

Conclusion

Camera | 2.0 megapixel

 No flash in camera

The Galaxy Pocket is a good device for anyone looking for an entry level smartphone. It can play good music and handles casual games relatively well, and keeps you socially networked too. Yes, in a perfect world, we would have liked a newer version of Android, a better camera (definitely one with a flash) and a bigger display with a better resolution. But all said and done, we cannot complain at what is being offered when you consider the Rs 6,900 price tag of the device.

It is definitely a good contender at the entry level. Those looking for alternatives can try out the Karbon A7 for Rs 7,500 and LG Optimus ME costing Rs 6,900. n

Frequency | GSM 850/900/1800/1900

 Low resolution screen

Others | GPS, Google Maps, FM radio

 Out dated Android

Price: Rs 6,900 The loudspeaker can create some noise and the headphones are not bad either

4

A few social apps make sure you are connected with your social networks

using the on-board GPS functionality. Battery life is good thanks to the 1,200 mAh Li-Ion battery, which delivers talk time of over half a dozen hours.

Software: Nothing great The Galaxy Pocket runs on Android 2.3 (Gingerbread), which is not the newest on the block but is more than adequate for most functions. Samsung has placed some basic applications on this device but nothing to really rave about. A few social apps make sure you are connected with your social networks at all times.

However, to enjoy this phone to the fullest one would need to download some good multimedia applications as well as utility apps.

5

Battery life is good, thanks to the 1,200 mAh Li-Ion battery

team@mymobile.co.in

Inclusion of some good paid apps would have been appreciated (as always). One can go to Samsung’s application store and download some decent free apps, but for the better and new ones, users would have to shell out some bucks from their pockets.

Multimedia: Good sound, not video For an entry-level smartphone, the Galaxy Pocket has decent sound capability. The loudspeaker can create some noise and the headphones are not bad either, making them very suitable for music as well as voice calls.

The same alas, cannot be said of its video capability. The screen is too small to enjoy movies and videos - half an inch more and it

verdict Looks

7

Features

7

ease of use

7

perfoRmance

7

value for money

8

overall

72%

jun 15 to jul 14 2012 MYMOBILE 51

burn test

5

iBall Slide Feature rich and fun 1

4

2

Pros

highlights

210 mm

1

iBall Slide is a steady performer that looks very good

A

nother slate comes sliding into the world of relatively low-cost tablets to get noticed. We gave the new iBall Slide a go, and this is what we found out.

 Value for money

Looks: Quite impressive

 Good looks

There are quite a few tablets out there in the market within the price range at which iBall is offering its new Slide. The manufacturers of many of these cut corners use cheap and tacky plastics to keep costs low. But that is not the case with the Slide. iBall has designed this tablet really well. The silver and black casing gives this tablet a distinct look.

It does attract a lot of finger smudges, which iBall obviously knows about, which is why they have included a thin fibre cloth in the box, which can quickly clean fingerprints from the tablet and bring it back to its shiny self.

 USB support for data

Cons  Fingerprint magnet  Single loudspeaker  Ordinary camera

52 MYMOBILE jun 15 to jul 14 2012

2

There are a lot of connectivity options given on the side panel

3

Power and volume Keys are placed well within reach of your hands. Users also get feather touch keys for Home and Back buttons. These can be accessed on the large seven-inch display as well. The ports have been tucked in right next to the physical keys.

Hardware: Quick to load Loaded with 1 GHz ARM Cortex-A8 processor, this tablet loads games, applications and movies quickly. The seven-inch capacitive touchscreen is a treat to work with - it responds well to every finger swipe, pinch and tap. Yes, the screen is multi-touch enabled so one can enlarge pictures with ease.

However, when you use the tablet for long it does get a little hot near the ports - something which also happens when put the tablet on charge. While on the subject, the 4,400 mAh

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3

tech specs

certain levels to hit those pigs properly.

Multimedia: Just about fine

Size | 210 x 120 x 14 mm Weight | 396 grams Memory | 8GB, microSD Battery | Li-Po 4400 mAh

120 mm

Screen | 16 million colours Battery life | 5 hours (video playback)

User Experience: Very user friendly

GPRS/3G | No/USB Dongle Bluetooth/ WiFi | Yes/Yes Phonebook 1Capacity | Shared Camera | 2.0 megapixel Frequency | GSM 850/900/1800/1900

All in all, we found the iBall Slide to be a steady performer that looks very good too.

For Rs 12,000, we really think that this tablet is an absolute steal as it handles productivity as well as entertainment tasks very well and has a stack of connectivity options. However, if you would like to consider other tablets, then the only one that comes to mind with a similar performance in this price category would be the 16 GB version of the BlackBerry PlayBook which comes for a price of Rs 13,990 and sports a dual core processor and seven inch touchscreen. n

Price: Rs 12,000 5 4

For storage this tab has 8 GB memory on board

rechargeable battery charges rather quickly and lasts for over 6 hours while playing continuous music. If used carefully, it can last for upto a day and a half. For storage this tab has 8 GB memory on board—not bad for an intermediate tablet. A microSD card slot is also provided that expands its memory by 32 GB. The tablet also has a plethora of ports which range from mini HDMI to mini USB. A neat addition is a mini USB port that supports pen drives, external hard drives, a USB mouse or keyboard and 3G dongles.

The mini HDMI port lets the user connect the tablet to an HD-ready television. A built-in 2.0-megapixel camera is also available for video chat and takes respectable selfportraits. All of which makes the Slide a very well-rounded proposition when it comes to hardware.

The Slide did hang a time or two while playing games, which can be irritating especially if you happen to be in the middle of an exciting level but that apart we had no complaints about the tablet. The tablet works efficiently and you can edit Excel sheets and text documents on the go, carrying your work along with you as well. We also appreciate the fact that iBall has included a carry case in the box, which will save the Slide’s glossy surface from scratches.

Conclusion

Others | IBN live, Zomato, Skype

Apart from the usual apps consumers get few Indian apps as well

The multimedia experience on the Slide is good for a single user. For a shared view it would have been better if another speaker had been added. Movies run well and a number formats are supported. Colours are vivid and bright. Transfer of files from the PC is quick, so users can transfer their favourite shows, music and pictures onto this tablet without too much trouble. Headphones are also supplied in the box that are not the best in the class, but do the job. Music equalizer options would have been a boon.

There is a 2.0-megapixel front facing camera

Software: Old but handy

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The Slide runs on Android 2.3.1 (Gingerbread) and while some would quibble at this being a bit old now (this is the age of Ice Cream Sandwich, after all), we did not have much to complain about in terms of performance and features. Apart from the usual applications such as Facebook, YouTube and Gmail, consumers get few Indian applications as well. These include IBN live, Money control and Zomato. Skype is also loaded for video chatting.

One can, of course also download more applications from the expanding Android app market. We downloaded couple of our favourite games on the Slide, and while the games loaded quickly, the screen response was not that great in games like Angry Birds where precision is required. You really have to slog in

verdict 8

Looks

9

Features

8

ease of use perfoRmance

7

value for money

8

overall

80%

jun 15 to jul 14 2012 MYMOBILE 53

burn test BlackBerry Curve 9320 More power to this Curve

1

Pros  Relatively affordable  BlackBerry 7.1

109 mm

 Finally FM radio added

highlights

5

60 mm

R

IM seems to be targeting the price-conscious Indian market with a vengeance.

Less than a month after the release of the Curve 9220, comes the Curve 9320, with a better camera and connectivity features. And it does not cost the earth either.

Looks- Here we go again The BlackBerry Curve 9320 looks very similar to the earlier devices in the Curve series.

It is a sleeker and more polished version of the 9300. The body of the phone has a better finish and strength than the earlier launched Curve 9220, but its shiny back panel is a fin-

1

The convenience key on the left side has been set for BBM by default

gerprint magnet so is the screen area above the control key cluster. There is a 2.44 inch screen whose 320 x 240 resolution is a bit low for this day and age, and an optical trackpad, which we found had a better response than the one we saw in the 9220. There is a rubber panel around the back of the phone that hosts the speaker along with the camera and the flash. The looks are standard Blackberry which might might be boring for some and flauntworthy for the BlackBerry Boys.

Hardware-Upping the grade The 9320 runs on a 800 MHz processor and

54 MYMOBILE jun 15 to jul 14 2012

2

The QWERTY keypad offers trademark BlackBerry comfort

3

comes with a 512 MB RAM. The 2.4 inch horizontal screen has 320X240 resolution, which could have been made a bit better. The phone is capable of supporting memory up to 32 GB and the micro SD card is hotswappable.

The BBM key on the left panel is actually a convenience key seen on other phones too and while it gives access to BBM by default you can always change it. The phone has 3G as well as WiFi connectivity. The BlackBerry 7.1 OS function of being able to create a WiFi Hotspot has also been added to the phone.

The keyboard is standard BlackBerry extremely comfortable to use.

www.mymobile.co.in

4

Cons

search words on page, though you would need to scroll a lot to get across the whole page, thanks to the small screen. On the whole, one can safely say that the upgraded OS brings the usual seamless BB interface to the phone.

 Fixed focus camera  Low resolution screen  OS not really in Android/iOS

Multimedia- Snappy but still...

category

Bluetooth/ WiFi | Yes/Yes

Since the phone has been targeted at the mass market, RIM has added the FM radio in this the new Curve too. The interface has been kept simple and you can add channels in the list. The radio reception is good and you can play the FM radio through the speaker too.

Then there is the music player which comes with headset music equalisers, with the volume keys acting as play, pause and skip. The sound quality through loudspeaker as well as the headphones is very good. And while we do wish the screen was bigger and had a higher resolution, it easily played full HD 1080p videos. The phone has a 3.15-megapixel camera but it is fixed focus and minus a flash, although with shooting modes like Face Detection, Sports, Landscape, and Text, as well as image stablisation. Videos can be captures in 640X480 resolution. The 9320’s camera is a steady rather than spectacular performer.

Phonebook Capacity | Shared

User experience- BB works

tech specs Size | 109 x 60 x 12.7 mm

3

2

Weight | 103 grams Memory | 512MB, microSD Battery | Li-Po 1450 mAh Screen | 65,536 colours Runtime/Standby | Upto 7 hours/ Upto 432 hours GPRS/3G | Yes/No

The Curve 9320 is about Rs 3,000- Rs 4,000 more expensive than the 9220, which was launched a few weeks ago. And it is definitely a step up in terms of build quality, performace and connectivity. While the BlackBerry OS still has some way to go before challenging the likes of Android and iOS, this device is a great option for BB fans on a sub-Rs 15,000 budget.

Camera | 3.15 megapixel Frequency | 850/900/1800/1900 Others | Flash support, FM Radio

Price: Rs 15,990 The 2.0megapixel camera is fixed focus

4

FM radio has been added in a BlackBerry for the first time

Software- Seven dot one The Curve 9320 runs on the latest version of the BlackBerry OS (7.1). NFC has not been added to the phone, but as there is not much of an ecosystem yet in the country for it, it is not a deal-breaker. The phone has voice search which is powered by Bing. The voice accuracy for English words was great but it took some effort to make the phone understand Hindi names, which was expected.

The overall interface of the phone is standard BlackBerry. The app tray can be minimised and has five sections - All, Favourites, Frequent, Media and Downloads. The noti-

5

Conclusion The BlackBerry Curve 9320 costs Rs 15,990.

Other options that you can consider are Samsung Galaxy Ace Plus and the newly launched HTC One V priced at Rs 15,000 and Rs 17,000 respectively. n

An optical trackpad has been given for navigation

team@mymobile.co.in

verdict fication bar, Profile Manager, Search and Connectivity Manager, all can be accessed from the homescreen itself. You can configure all kinds of e-mails on the phone but you need to subscribe to the BlackBerry Services. The new BBM 6.1 comes with a few more emoticons, longer word count for status messages, and the ability to put gif animations as profile pictures as well as integrate contact display pictures with BBM pictures. The standard DocumentsToGo app has been included which allows editing and creation of MS Office files.

The browser comes with full Flash support.

You can zoom in out, open multiple tabs, and

Looks

8

Features

8

ease of use

8

perfoRmance

8

value for money

8

overall

80%

jun 15 to jul 14 2012 MYMOBILE 55

burn test HTC ONE V The next One!

1

120.3 mm

5

2

highlights

4

59.7 mm

H

ot on the heels of the power-packed One X comes the relatively lower powered but also more pocket-friendly One V. Could the combination of decent hardware, new software and attractive price make this the turnaround vehicle for HTC in the country?

Looks: Old is gold HTC fans will feel a flutter of sentiment when they look at the HTC One V for the first time.

The phone brings back the signature HTC look last seen in the phones like Hero, Legend and Salsa - the slight curve on the lower end of the phone. The phone is sleek and a stylish combination of glass, metal and rubber. The

1

Runs on the latest version of Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich)

2

The Chin design had earlier been seen in the Hero N Desire handset of HTC

3

front panel has the touchscreen whereas the back is metallic with highlights of rubbery plastic around the camera and at the bottom panel which detaches from the body to give access to SIM card and MicroSD card slot.

is available for users, so you will need to use a microSD card. In terms of connectivity, the phone comes with 3G, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, and also has a Wi-Fi Hotspot feature along with Wi-Fi Direct for peer-to-peer sharing.

Hardware: Very solid

Software: Sense-ible Android

It might not be as hyped as some other recently-launched devices, but the One V packs in some very decent specifications. The 3.7 inch, 16 million colour touchscreen provides a crisp viewing experience and the single core 1 GHz snapdragon processor combined with 512 MB RAM, delivers good performance. The phone has 4 GB internal memory but just one 1 GB

The HTC One V runs on the latest version of Android, Ice Cream Sandwich, on top of which is the new HTC sense 4.0. The homescreen has five customisable panels - strangely enough you cannot increase or decrease this and there is no leap view, which lets you view all the panels on a single plane.

The Recent Apps tab has not been given

56 MYMOBILE jun 15 to jul 14 2012

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with almost the same functionalities as we saw in the camera of One X, including the ability to capture upto 20 frames in continuous shot mode. The interface is the same as in the One X with video recording and shutter release soft keys present side by side, allowing you to click a picture while capturing a video (no dedicated camera key, though). Shooting modes include HDR, Panorama and a very interesting group shot mode where the camera captures multiple images of the group to collate the best shots of each group member where they are smiling and not blinking. The camera is capable of capturing 720p videos.

Both the video as well as picture quality of the phone are very good.

On the music front, the phone comes with a music player, FM radio and TuneIn Internet radio. It features the well known Beats Audio feature which adds a fillip to the sound quality from the loudspeaker as well as headphone.

There are sound enhancement options but they work only in the headphone mode.

tech specs Size | 120.3 x 59.7 x 9.24 mm

3

Weight | 115 grams Memory | 4GB, microSD Battery | Li-Po 1500 mAh Screen | 16million colours

Pros

Runtime/Standby | Upto 6.73 hours/

 Android 4.0

Upto 261 hours

 1GHz Snapdragon

processor

User Experience- Getting standardized

GPRS/3G | Yes/Yes

 5.0-megapixel camera

Cons

Phonebook Capacity | Shared

 No secondary camera

Camera | 5.0 megapixel

 Battery not detachable

Frequency | 850/900/1800/1900

 No dedicated camera key

The music is enhanced by beats audio

4

The One V offers a standard HTC experience.

The touch interface is smooth and intuitive and it packs some very handy features. A relatively small internal memory and non-detachable battery are a few downers. The battery backup of the phone is good - one full charge easily lasts a day with Wi-Fi, calling, e-mail and a couple of hours of music.

Bluetooth/ WiFi | Yes/Yes

The lower back panel comes detachable with a SIM and a MicroSD slots

the Sense treatment - it is vanilla ICS where tapping the Options button shows a column of recently-accessed apps. You can simply swipe on a screen to close the app. The menu of the One V is divided into three categories - All, Frequent and Downloads. There are three options at the top for Search, App Store and Options. The new look for the Options menu ( i.e. the three dots) of ICS has been retained in the Sense UI too. The settings menu has been divided into four sections - wireless and networks, device, personal and system.

Like all Android devices, this one too comes with strong SNS integration. Friend Stream integrates all your social network-

Others | Sense UI, Hungama App

Conclusion

Price: Rs 18,000

The fact that the One V has the latest OS and some good hardware makes its a very good deal at Rs 18,000. Another Option could be Samsung Galaxy S Advance which is an Android device costing Rs 22,500. If you are looking for a non-Android phone you can go for Nokia Lumia 710 running on Windows Mango OS and costing Rs 17,000. n

5 The Sense UI brings convenience to phone usage

team@mymobile.co.in

verdict ing activity into one window from Facebook, Flickr and Plurk. A number of apps come preloaded on the phone, including the likes of Saavn, Soundhound, Twitter, 7digital, and Bollywood Hungama. For creating and editing MS Office files, there is Polaris Office.

The browsing experience on the phone is great, and comes with Flash support as well as multi-touch. For input there is a QWERTY keyboard, which is a bit cramped in portrait mode but worked fine in landscape.

Multimedia-Snappy snapper to go with a groove The HTC One V has a 5.0-megapixel camera

Looks

8

Features

8

ease of use

9

perfoRmance

9

value for money

9

overall

86%

jun 15 to jul 14 2012 MYMOBILE 57

burn test Sony Xperia Sola It is simple and smart 1

3

116 mm

4

5

highlights

2

59 mm

S

ony is supplying their new Xperia range in novel packaging. When the Xperia Sola came to our doorstep, we didn’t realise that its sleek new box hid a mobile phone inside. Amazingly everything from the phone to the charger fits within this slim box. We quite liked the new box, but does the phone inside live up to expectations?

Looks: Looking good!

The newbie by Sony, the Xperia Sola is a candybar phone. This mobile has no hot contours—design is very basic yet modern.

And yet, sometimes simple things can be very attractive. This phone slowly grows on you.

The boxy shape can be easily gripped. Dressed in all black, this phone has a very shiny screen

1 Minimalistic look is wonderful

on it and a matte black rear panel.

The screen does attract lot of smudges, which can be a task to clean. Physical keys include the power, volume and camera buttons. Three feather touch buttons are also placed under the screen. On the rear of the phone is a 5.0-megapixel camera with flash and a single loud speaker. The Sola is not too heavy either - it tips the scales at a relatively lightweight 107 grams, and apart from the black unit we received, is also available in two more colours, white and red.

Hardware: Fireworks within Sony is offering the latest machinery inside the walls of the Sola. The 1 GHz Dual core Cortex-A9 processor is accompanied by 512

58 MYMOBILE jun 15 to jul 14 2012

2

Videos and games look exceptionally good

3

MB RAM, which in combination bring games, movies and music to life on a clear 3.7 inch capacitive LED screen. In terms of storage, 8 GB memory comes on board out of which only 5 GB is available for users, but fear not, an expansion slot is neatly hidden under the rear panel which allows users to add a MicroSD card of up to 32 GB. The phone comes packed with most of the connectivity options you would expect on a smartphone these days, including GSM and HSDPA. Making sure it keeps ticking is a Li-ion 1,320 mAh battery, from which users can get over five hours of talk time on a full charge. Astonishingly, while even mid level smartphones house front facing camera these days, the Sola misses on the front camera,

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Pros  Lightweight  High resolution

Multimedia: A chest full of media apps

 Pre-loaded apps

We must say Sony has done justice to this phone when it comes to multimedia. They have used the Bravia Engine for mobiles to this phone as well and as a result, the display looks great.

Videos and games look exceptionally good.

Blacks are deep and colours look vibrant on its screen. What’s more, the phone has lot of innovative multimedia applications. In music and video, you just need to log onto your Facebook account and you can see what your friends and family are listening to. The single loudspeaker at the rear is not the best we have seen from Sony, but it does create a thump. If you really want to enjoy music, use the supplied headphones.

screen

Cons  Slightly expensive

tech specs

 No front camera

Size | 116 x 59 x 9.9 mm

 Rear camera not

impressive

Weight | 107 grams Memory | 8 GB, microSD Battery | Li-Ion 1320 mAh Screen | 16 million colours

User Experience: It grows on you

Talktime/Standby | Upto 6 hours/ Upto 475 hours

Don’t be fooled by the Xperia Sola’s relatively plain looks. This simple phone packs a lot of punch. The voice quality of this phone is superb. Interface is clean and easy to use - the home panel can be customised according to one’s needs. While the screen is excellent for any type of use, the camera disappoints.

Although powered by a 5MP sensor, the images are not good. They have grains, even at low 100 ISO level.

GPRS/3G | Yes/Yes Bluetooth/ WiFi | Yes/Yes Phonebook Capacity | Shared Camera | 5.0 megapixel Frequency | GSM 850/900/1800/1900

Conclusion

Others | GPS, Voice search

The Xperia Sola is a powerful performer as it is one of the better deals at its price tag of Rs 20,100. Yes, we do wish it ran a newer version of Android and boasted of a better camera but even without them, there is no doubting the ability of this handset. For alternatives on the Android platform, you can check out the HTC One V, which is retailing for Rs 18,000 and boasts similar specs or the older but very solid Samsung Galaxy SL for Rs 19,000. n

Price: Rs 20,100 5 Bravia Engine is present in the screen.

4

Good amount of Pre-loaded applications.

Clean and easy to use interface.

team@mymobile.co.in

depriving you to make use of video chat and other third party apps that require a front camera.

Software: Old OS We are still waiting for Sony to release devices running the new version of Android, Ice Cream Sandwich. Like most recent Sony phones, the Xperia Sola too runs on Android 2.3 (Gingerbread).

Even though it is an old operating system, it is still reliable. People switching from older Sony models that ran Android will not have any problems getting accustomed to this phone. The Sola comes loaded with a number of apps. One of our favourites is TrackID, which identifies any song by just hearing it.

Another handy app is Power Saver, which helps to increase battery life by reducing the load on the hardware put by various services like Wi-Fi, GPS and Bluetooth.

Voice search is yet another useful addition just speak to this phone to do a Google search and it will automatically display the results.

This software is quite accurate and does recognise the Indian accent. When it does not recognise the prompt it will give you similar results and you can pick the correct entry.

Oddly enough, there are no pre-loaded games on this phone.

There are some nice multimedia apps, but no games. Now, that is very strange coming from the company that gave us the PlayStation and the Xperia Play.

verdict 8

Looks Features

7

ease of use

8 9

perfoRmance value for money

8

overall

80%

jun 15 to jul 14 2012 MYMOBILE 59

burn test

1

Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 310 A decent

performer

highlights 1 7 inch touch screen is excellent to work with

193.7 mm

2 With front camera users can video chat

Users can edit pictures using the picture editor app.

3

4 1GHz dual core processor loads application quickly

5

The experiance of using the new Android operating is good

S

amsung is back in the tablet market with yet another tablet. And rather than experimenting with an odd screen size, this time it has gone back to its roots and come out with a seven inch tablet. The innards, however, pack a punch.

Looks: Basic yet sturdy Samsung has always produced gadgets that strike the right design chords. So we are surprised that the new Galaxy Tab 2 does not do too well in the looks department. The facade is very plain. We were hoping for it to have some nice curves like its bigger siblings. The build is good, though - the tablet does not give you a feeling of holding a less expensive

122.4 mm

slate. Physical keys on this tab comprise just the volume and power buttons - the rest of the controls are on the nice seven-inch touchscreen. Two speakers are well hidden at the bottom. On the left side users will find two slots - one for the SIM card and another for a MicroSD card.

In some ways this tablet is a larger version of Galaxy Note (minus the Super AMOLED display and camera, though). Users can make phone calls using this tablet like one does with a regular phone - mind you, we felt the Note was too big to make phone calls with. This one is even bigger, so our recommendation is not to put it next to your face, but use the supplied headset instead.

60 MYMOBILE jun 15 to jul 14 2012

Hardware: Best in class For its price, this tablet has a lot on board. It has a brilliant 7 inch WSVGA screen, which supports a maximum resolution of 1024x600 pixels. The screen responds well to the touch.

A 1 GHz dual core processor is the brain behind this tablet, ensuring both games and applications load quickly. The Tab 2 also features two cameras, one in front for video chat and another at the back to capture memories.

The rear camera has 3 MP sensor and is good enough to take basic pictures - if you want great images then keep your digital camera handy.

If you are a game buff that downloads new games every now and then or are a MP3

2 www.mymobile.co.in

Multimedia: Keep watching Multimedia is where the Tab 2 really comes into its own. It provides an enriching multimedia experience. The screen is bright and vivid and does justice to movies and games, and the twin loudspeakers perform their roles well, making movies come to life. Music playback is good as well, but the experience is better with the supplied headphones. Samsung has introduced AllShare Play in this tablet with which media can be streamed from the tablet to any other Samsung device that already has AllShare. Video chat with the ChatON app is also possible using the front camera.

3

tech specs

User Experience: A lively one

Size | 193.7 x 122.4 x 10.5 mm

The subtle looks of the Tab 2 pack a lot of punch inside. Android’s latest OS is not difficult to get used to. You do need to find your way around the menu initially, but after a few hours of usage one gets accustomed to it. The phone works nicely and audio is clear. And of course, as the tablet is 3G ready, people can browse the Internet, find their way around town using Google maps or can listen to latest music tracks on the Web with ease. And the best part is that for 3G, users need not to buy a special SIM card (read “Micro SIM”) for this device. The usual one will work just fine. The on-screen keyboard’s keys are not cramped and users can hit them easily. Battery lasts for over a day of standard use, with some browsing and calling thrown in.

Weight | 345 grams Memory | 16GB, microSD

4

Battery | Li-Po 4000 mAh Screen | 16 million colours

Pros  Good Screen

5

Talktime/Standby | Upto 30 hours/ Upto - hours

 Fast Processor

GPRS/3G | Yes/Yes

 Good battery life

Bluetooth/ WiFi | Yes/Yes

Cons  Plain looks  Less pre-loaded

applications

 Camera could have been

better

addict, then you need not worry, the tablet’s 16 GB storage is good enough for all your downloading wants and in case you run out of storage, you can add a MicroSD card of up to 32 GB capacity and effectively triple the memory. Connectivity options include 3G, GPS, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and USB 2.0.

Software: More apps please!

Contrasting from most Android tablets available today, Samsung has put in the latest version of Android, Ice-Cream Sandwich in Tab 2. It has been customised a bit to give this tablet’s interface a distinct look.

The home interface can be further modified by users and one can bring their favourite

Phonebook Capacity | Shared

Conclusion Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 310 is priced at Rs 20,100 and in terms of specs and features, there is not too much one can complain about. At that price, many people might get tempted by the 16 GB Wi-Fi only avatar of the iPad which comes for a similar price, while big screen Android fans might consider the Motorola Xoom, which comes for Rs 23,500.n

Camera | 3.15 megapixel Frequency | GSM 850/900/1800/1900 Others | MyReader and ChatON

Price: Rs 20,100

team@mymobile.co.in

applications to the front which comprises of five panels. Some good applications like MyReader and ChatON come pre-installed and more can be downloaded with ease from Samsung’s application store. All you need to do is create a free account and a world of free and paid applications open up for download.

Apart from these, the photo editor function is also included in the handest that works really well. It can crop, resize and change hue of pictures with no difficulty. That said, we cannot help but feel that the tablet should have come with more pre-loaded applications - a few more games and utility apps would have been a boon. All right, go ahead and call us greedy if you want!

verdict Looks

8

Features

8

ease of use

8

perfoRmance

8

value for money

8

overall

80%

jun 15 to jul 14 2012 MYMOBILE 61

burn test Sony Xperia P Xperia that P-erforms

Pros

1

 8.0-megapixel

camera

 1.0GHz dual core

processor

2

 3G, Wi-Fi and NFC

Pros  Older version of

Android

 No integrated

video calling

 No expandable

memory or detachable battery

122 mm

3

4

5 59.5 mm

A

fter its flagship product the Xperia S, Sony now is expanding the Xperia range to encompass different audiences. One of the more powerful of these is the Xperia P.

Looks: Twin brother Sony seems to be following a consistent design strategy across the Xperia range - the newly launched Xperia P looks like a smaller, lighter version of the Xperia S. The front and back panel have a smooth finish, though the screen is a fingerprint magnet. There is a transparent strip at the bottom which hosts symbols for Back, Home and Menu but unlike the Xperia S, here the strip itself holds the

capacitive keys, thus doing away with the confusion that wrecked our Xperia S experience. While the panel below the transparent strip was available only in black colour in the Xperia S, but for the Xperia P it is available in three options - silver, black and red.

Hardware: Packed and sealed The Xperia P runs on a 1 GHz dual core processor and has 1 GB RAM and delivers a very good performance. The 4.0-inch capacitive touchscreen is made of scratch resistant glass and is very responsive. The back panel of the phone is screwed in so there is no way you can access the battery readily. The phone

62 MYMOBILE jun 15 to jul 14 2012

uses a micro SIM for which the slot is given on the left side and the phone’s 16 GB internal memory cannot be expanded. In terms of connectivity it has a mini HDMI port, USB port, 3G, WiFi as well as NFC. Sony has launched Smart Tags for using the NFC function, which can be used to transfer content from phones from other brands too.

Software: Not new Like the Xperia S, the Xperia P too runs on Android 2.3.7 (Gingerbread). Though an upgrade is expected to come soon, we cannot help but be disappointed, given the increasing number of Android 4.0 (ICS) devices in the

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radio. There are equalisers to improve sound quality - you can choose the presets or set them as per requirements. For speakers there is the XLoud feature and for headphones you can choose the Surround Sound settings for a better experience. The sound of the music player is good through loudspeaker and even better through headphones - typical Sony!

The Xperia P boasts a 8.0-megapixel camera which takes nice pictures and comes with scene recognition, panorama and 3D sweep panorama and 3D multiangle. The 3D sweep panorama’s execution and results have improved since we saw it in the Arc S. There is a dedicated 3D camera and 3D album app too. You can connect the phone to a 3D television to see pictures in all their three-dimensional glory. The camera can also capture full HD videos and comes with face detection and single focus modes - video quality is good.

The phone is capable of playing 1080p HD videos, although there is no dedicated video player on the phone. You can edit videos too but not in full HD resolution - the editing option is available only up to 720p videos.

highlights 1 It looks similar to its predecessor Xperia S

There is a secondary camera but for Video calling, you will need third party applications

tech specs Size | 122 x 59.5 x 10.5 mm Weight | 120 grams

2

Memory | 16GB, microSD Battery | Li-Po 1450 mAh

User experience: Smart, consistent

Screen | 16million colours The five homepanels are customisable where you can add shorcuts and widgets

3 Icons of control keys are given on the transparent strip while their actual operational keys are placed well above it

4

Runtime/Standby | Upto 6 hours/

Phonebook Capacity | Shared

The Xperia P lived up to our expectations in terms of performance. We would, however, love to see more variation in the devices in the Xperia range, and the absence of Ice Cream Sandwich and expandable memory are definite downers. Battery life is average - if you use the phone prolifically for imaging and Internet along with calling, it will need to be charged up again before the day gets over.

Camera | 5.0 megapixel

Conclusion

Upto 475 hours GPRS/3G | Yes/Yes Bluetooth/ WiFi | Yes/Yes

The Sony Xperia P is priced at Rs 24,500 you can also opt for Motorola Atrix 2 which is priced at Rs 22,500 and also runs on Android 2.3. Another option could be Nokia Lumia 800 which is a Windows Phone. n

Frequency | 850/900/1800/1900

5 There is a Shortcut key to the camera given in the left

market. There are five customisable homescreen panes, with an Overview mode which shows you the panes floating on the screen - pretty, if not too useful. Timescape combines your Facebook and Twitter activity into one and you can also download more plugins from Google Play for foursquare, Gmail, and other services. There are four soft keys at the bottom of the homescreen for Media, Menu, Messaging, and Dialer. The phone has a secondary camera but video calling has not been integrated so you will have to depend on third party apps for it. It comes with support for all popular e-mail clients including POP and IMAP and also supports Microsoft Exchange.

Others | LiveWare manager

Price: Rs 24,400

team@mymobile.co.in

verdict

WisePilot navigation has been added and provides both pedestrian and vehicle navigation.

The device comes with LiveWare manager, which lets you set the behaviour of your handset when paired with an accessory - for instance, you can set the device to open the music player each time you plug in your headphones. The browser comes with full Flash and multi-touch support. There is an OfficeSuite document viewer on the phone that lets you open MS Office files but you cannot create new ones.

Multimedia: Sound and snap The phone comes with a music player and FM

Looks

8

Features

8

ease of use

8

perfoRmance

8

value for money

8

overall

80%

jun 15 to jul 14 2012 MYMOBILE 63

burn test Samsung Galaxy SIII Galaxy with a human

1

touch

5

2

highlights 1

The phone has 4.8 inch super AMOLED screen for a better display

2

136.6 mm

The 8.0-megapixel camera ensures good picture quality

The sleek design makes it comfortable to hold, despite the wide frame

3

4

The front panel embraces one hard key and two capacitive key

4

5

There is a 1.9megapixel front facing camera for video calling.

70.6 mm

S

amsung’s highly anticipated “designed for humans” phone, the Galaxy SIII has finally made it to the market. All decked up with powerful hardware and innovative features, it is being called as one of the best Android phones ever. But will it repeat the success of the S and SII?

Looks: Hi there, smarty The Galaxy Slll might be one of the most powerful devices in the market today but is not the most stylish one when it comes to looks. Yes, it is sleek and smart but does not have a wow factor. The white and silver colour combination looks nice but the shape and the

design do not stand out, unlike in the Galaxy Note. That said, the phone still exude sleek smartness. Some in the tech world nicknamed the Galaxy SIII as the Lawyers’ Phone they claimed that Samsung was extra-cautious in designing it to avoid design-related lawsuits.

Well, may be that’s what led to a less than spectacular design.

Hardware: Here comes the hotstepper The Galaxy SIII runs on a 1.4 GHz quad core processor, which performs brilliantly. The 4.8 inch Super AMOLED display is a delight, although it did not strike us as being impres-

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sive as that the 5.3 inch one on the Galaxy Note. The Internal memory of the phone is 16 GB and no, the 32 and 64 GB versions are not coming to India soon, and neither is the LTE one, but even without that, the Galaxy SIII packs in Wi-Fi, 3G, Bluetooth and NFC capabilities. The 2100mAh battery ensures that the phone lasts a day and more even with lots of browsing, mail and calling.

Software: Dollops of innovation The Galaxy SIII runs on the 4.0.4 version of Android, also known as Ice Cream Sandwich.

While the phone comes with the now-expect-

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beauty shot, face detection, macro focus, as well as Buddy Photo Share that tags the person in the picture and lets you share the picture with the friend. Another one is called Share Shot that lets you Share pictures through Wi-Fi Direct. There is a best shot function where the camera chooses the best shot in from shots taken in burst mode. On the video front it can shoot 1080p videos. Both picture and video quality is good, and you can click a picture while shooting a video. As far as the video playback goes, the phone can play full HD videos, and in a neat touch, you can access the menu or the homescreen panel even when the video is playing on it.

On the music front, we were not too impressed, as sound quality was just about passable. There are a number of SoundAlive enhancements on the phone and a virtual 7.1 inch and externalization presets that work with headphones only.

tech specs Size | 136.6 x 70.6 x 8.6 mm

3

Weight | 133 grams Memory | 16GB, microSD Battery | Li-Po 2100 mAh Screen | 16million colours

Pros

Runtime/Standby | Upto 22.5 hours/ Upto 830 hours

User-experience-Is this the future?

 Android Ice Cream sandwich

GPRS/3G | Yes/Yes

 Advanced gesture control

Bluetooth/ WiFi | Yes/Yes

The Galaxy SIII is a smart and intelligent phone with some really interesting features that truly redefine the way we use a mobile phone. They might not become mainstream today but could become the norm one day.

The phone is innovative all right.

 Quad Core 1.4 GHz processor

features

Cons  Plasticky build quality  S Voice just takes voice

commands, does not chit chat

 High price

ed apps for e-mail, browsing, social networking and productivity, what makes it stand out are Samsung’s innovations. Some are brilliant, others a bit frilly, but all are worth a look.

If you activate Smart Stay, the phone’s screen will not turn off as it can detect you looking at it. Turning a ringing phone down will silence it, and you can touch the screen with two fingers and then move the phone forward or backward to zoom in or out of a picture or a Web page. And then there is Direct Call, which lets you call any number displayed on the screen just by taking phone to your ear.

Then comes the S Voice, Samsung’s Answer to Siri and while you can access it through

Phonebook Capacity | Shared Camera | 8.0 megapixel

Conclusion

Frequency | 850/900/1800/1900

The Samsung galaxy SIII is priced at Rs 39,500 and the only phone that comes anywhere near it in terms of specs is the HTC One X which is priced at Rs 36,000. n

Others | Smart Stay, S Voice

team@mymobile.co.in

Price: Rs 39,500

verdict

the menu, saying a keyword will also wake this app up. By default it is “Hi, Galaxy” but you can change it. S Voice is not about chit chatting with your phone, and has a more utilitarian nature. It is pretty accurate in things like setting alarms, searching the Web, calling, texting, etc, although it did have some issues with Hindi names, which was pretty much expected.

Multimedia- More in store

Looks

8

Features

9

ease of use

9

perfoRmance

8

value for money

8

overall

The Galaxy SIII is no slouch in the multimedia department. The camera lets you click 8.0megapixel images, and comes with options like burst shot, panorama mode, smile shot, HRD,

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boredom buster It’ s party time Get slinging with your phone

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t is not necessary for a game to be super difficult or complex to be entertaining. A simple platformer, if executed properly can be equally engaging and Shuffle Party is a very good example of such a game. The title is actually a collection of games that uses a puck and a table in different ways to serve up some decent entertainment.

There are three ways to play the game - bowling, challenge more and pass and play. The bowling game is obvious - you need to use the puck to knock over the bowling pins and the scoring is similar to what you see in a regular bowling game. Then comes the challenge mode where you need to use the puck to collect the coins on the table by sliding it across. Additional points can be gained by making the puck stop in special points zones that can give you 5 to 15 points. The more points you gather the more stars you gain. A twist is added by the number of obstacles on the table.

The third mode is pass and play where two players can play the Rating game of collecting as many points as possible by sliding the puck across the table and making it land in the point zones. The game also has leaderboards and as and when you progress in the game you gain various achievements like challenger, X marks the spot, conqueror, etc. All of which can be immensely entertaining and engrossing, with a number of games that you can pick and choose as per your liking.

Perfect not just to idle away some minutes but be actually glued to the action - nothing complex, just simplicity very well executed. n

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sonia@mymobile.co.in

We tested it on the Nokia Lumia 800

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Head Fall Avoid bumping to climb ahead

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ountain climbing is an extreme sport that is not every one’s cup of tea. Especially for the counch potatoes like us who prefer to move thier fingers on the mobile phone than to move their legs on a rough mountain terrain (for that matter even a smooth garden path too!) However, if you have always imagined yourself to be a mountain climber here is a game that can give you some virtual expereince in this sport. Called Head Fall, this casual game requires you to climb challenging mountains and tackle the hurdles enroute to succeed.

While it might sound tricky, it actually is quite simple as far as the gameplay goes.

The rather cute looking mountaineer in the game can be controlled with finger swipes to move from one mountain or wall to another. He comes equipped with all the mountaineering gear and you have to use the tools to hike up the mountains while avoiding falling rocks from above or crawly spiders which can sting you and eat up your life line.

And if this was not enough! Apart from these the player also needs to make sure that he does not hit the deadly cactus that can kill him in one go. To compensate the loss of life due to all these hurdles, you need to collect all the coins and water bottles to boost your energy and keep moving

up. As mentioned earlier, the game is not very difficult to play and is easy to understand. While the game kept us engaged for some time, but after a few levels we found that the game got a bit tiresome and boring as there were no different stages and it was one continuous play. The graphics also could have been made more attractive.

There are two versions of the game one free and one paid (Rs 5) and it can be downloaded from the OviStore. n harshita@mymobile.co.in

We tested it on the Nokia N8

Rating

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boredom buster Motocross mayhem A dust-raising entertainer

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acing, whether it is on the road or off it always gives this great adrenaline rush to drivers as well as spectators. And when the racing takes place on really cool mud bikes, the excitement reaches another dimension. Ricky Carmichaels’ Motocross is an online multiplayer game where you play against a community of online racers not only on Android, but on PCs and iOS devices too.

The graphics of the game are strikingly advanced, providing a very realistic ambience to the whole race. While racing against your opponent you need to collect golden wrenches spread through out the track. These wrenches come in handy to buy power ups to enhance your performance so that you can compete with players who have crossed multiple levels. The controls of the game are simple - there is a green button to speed up the bike and a suspension key to manage the jump.

While we liked the whole interface of the game, the only thing that bugged

Rating

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us was that one had to wait to find an opponent online and sometimes we had to wait for a considerably long time to find someone to race again. As far as choosing the opponent goes, you can choose according to levels or just go for all level search. Every race that you win gives you more wrenches and points and also improves your rating. You can also do some tricks like backflips, during the race to get more points.

These tricks can be done using the phone’s accelerometer - for instance, tilting the phone front or back enables you to do a somersault - and you can also use touch to initiate some tricks.

The overall experience with the game is good, though it works best if you have high speed data connectivity on your phone. Oh, and someone to race against. n sonia@mymobile.co.in

We tested it on the Sony Xperia S

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It’s time to time travel The Men in

Black go back in time

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revolves around strategy. The story of the ou may love or hate them, but there is game is loosely based on the film - you need no way that you can ignore the Men to time travel to 1969 to save Agent K. And In Black. Now, part of a famous film that is only part of it - you also need to build franchise, the dynamic, alien-tackling secret your own MIB headquarters, recruit agents agent duo of Agent K and Agent J have a cult and send them on missions, and establish following of their own, and have again made setups like canteen, infirmary, and a weapon waves at the box office with the latest film development area. in the series, MIB 3 (Men In Black 3). Like all As you do these tasks you use up Hollywood successes, this one too has your energy and gain money and spawned a game, which is available for experience. The establishments that free download on iOS and Android Rating you create earn coins to add to your devices. stash. All the tasks are listed on the However, unlike the movie, task bar on the right and there is a which is an all-action affair, the game

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store from where you can buy additional power ups and more elements for the game.

Apart from the strategy part you also get to combat with your enemy through turn by turn fights which are tedious - you shoot once and then wait for your opponent to attack and this cycle goes on until one of you dies - no dodging options. In terms of graphics and design the game captures the essence of the film, but we found it to be too action-free for our liking. n sonia@mymobile.co.in

We tested it on the Apple iPad2

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boredom buster Max is back! Lots of Payne, lots of gain

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ax Payne, the game series revolving around a cop who declared war on the underworld after his family was brutally murdered, has developed a cult following of sorts thanks to its special effects and stunning storyline. Small wonder that Max Payne 3 was one of the most anticipated titles of the year, and after playing it on a Xbox 360, we can say that we loved every bit of it. The story begins in Sao Paulo where Max has taken up a job of a security officer. But the demons of his past still haunt him and when his client’s wife gets kidnapped, Payne has to shoot his way out of trouble

Shoot to survive The

ghosts are as deadly as ever

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he special operations forces created by bestselling novelist Tom Clancy return to videogame territory. This edition of Ghost Recon is called Future Soldier, which means there are a lot of new weapons to blast foes away. You are part of the ‘ghosts’ team, a kind of secret outfit that takes on missions that no one will acknowledge officially (think Rambo!) and this time they have to hide and fight their way through a number of third world countries. There are a lot of cool mechanics, including optical camouflage, and an arial drone which lets you tag victims.

Newcomers will find the mix of plan, hide, dodge and kill exciting the graphics are super and world detailing is excellent - but most missions bring a sense of deja vu, if you have played the series before.

The game brings some new tactics but is very similar to some of the military action games available in the market. Still, the campaign mode is big and worth the money spent. It is available for Rs 2,500. n sulabh@mymobile.co.in

We tested this game on the Xbox 360

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and double crosses. Though Max’s age does show in this game, he is still hard to hit and can still dodge bullets in slow motion (yes, Bullet Time is very much there). Your enemies have become smarter, but good planning will see you take them out without breaking sweat. The game looks great, plays smoothly, and is a treat to the senses, although definitely on the violent side (not for kids, this). It is available for Rs 2,500. n

sulabh@mymobile.co.in

We tested this game on the Xbox 360

And many more...

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India's largest B2B marketplace

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Smart apps

get Social Instant snap and share

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you can choose from a list of themes and hile there are a number of apps background music to add to your video and for editing and sharing still phoyou are all set to share! tos, instant video editing is an You can share videos through Facebook as area where you have very limited options. well as Twitter along with Tumblr, Posterous SocialCam on the other hand lets you do and Dropbox. You can see all the popular both in an easy and interesting manner. This videos, your videos, Friend’s profiles and app combines the video editing eleactivity of all the SocialCam users from ment to social networking. You can capture a video using the phone’s Rating the app. There is a separate website called socialcam.com that you can camera and add a limited number access from your PC to view your of effects to it like Kodak, Vice, videos on a bigger screen. The Bleach, Electronica, etc but cannot social integration and sharing on crop it. However, if you choose the Facebook through the website can be turned video from your library, you cannot add these on or off. You get to store unlimited videos effects to it but can edit its length. After that

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of unlimited length. The videos can be marked as public or private to chose who is viewing them and you can even tag people in the video or invite more to view it. The app requires an Internet connection to work but has a simple interface. It can be downloaded for free from the iTunes App Store . n

sonia@mymobile.co.in

We tested it on the Apple iPhone 4S

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Fun with Photos Make your pictures stand apart

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phone for free from the Windows Market diting pictures can have many motives Place. Before becoming a smartphone app it but the most important one is to look was a popular PC app too. Once you do that better and that is not just limited to you get to add your photo into a number of improving one’s physical attributes it can also portrait situations like a billboard on a high help you con a formidable social reputation street or on a graffiti wall. All and all there too. For instance, try and edit a picture makare more than 280 effects that can be used in ing you shake hands with MS Dhoni and see the application. These have been further the surge in the number of friends you divided into various categories like have! And while in the earlier days, it required nothing less than a visit Rating magazines, galleries and movies like Iron man etc where you can fit your to the local photo studio, now there picture into the character. These picare apps on your smartphone that tures can then be shared through popucan help you pull off some simple lar social networking sites like Facebook, yet impressive photo editing. The one Twitter, Flickr, etc. It is an app that is easy to that we are reviewing is called PhotoFunia use and offers some really simple yet interestthat can be downloaded on to your Windows

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ing ways to edit you pictures and enter it into various situational setups for fun! n

sonia@mymobile.co.in

We tested it on the Sony Xperia S

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Smart apps Ticketing time IRCTC goes mobile

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nline ticket, especially for the railways has made our life much easier. The popularity of the IRCTC website is clear by the fact that millions of people visit the site on a daily basis to book tickets. But what if you don’t have a PC or laptop? Well then you can use your Windows Phone to carry out your travel bookings on the go. The app can be downloaded from the Windows Market Place for free. Once downloaded all you need to do is log in and the familiar interface of IRCTC comes into action. You can book tickets, check availabil-

ity, access your booked history or cancel the ticket. It also shows you the total number of tickets booked by you in the current month.

The interface of the application has been optimised for use on the small screen. Once you put in the origin and destination you can choose the class, quota and ticket type to get the complete train list. For the origin and destination you simply have to punch in the name of the place and the app suggests the matching city code that you can choose to continue booking.

In the train list you get the option to check

Rating

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the availability, the route of the train or go straight to booking the ticket. You can add multiple passengers to book the ticket but unlike in the web version here instead of age you will have to punch in the date of birth.

The payment can be made through Citibank gateway using debit and credit cards. The application is simple and easy to use. All you need is a reliable internet connection. n sonia@mymobile.co.in

We tested it on the Nokia Lumia 800

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Number Cruncher Taxing it up

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increase or decrease the amount. You need ne of the biggest problems that one to fill in your name, financial year and sex faces while planning investment is and you are set to go. You can also calculate to get a definite figure of how much taxes for the previous two financial years. tax one has to pay. If you are one of those After putting the income you can choose the for whom tax calculation is even worse than investment or deduction sections tab wise a maths exam, then this application is for like 80C, Medical Insurance, House Rent, you. Called My Tax India, this is a free app Interest on house loans, Infrastructure Bonds for your iOS 4.0 or later device that can be and interest of education loan. You candownloaded from the iTunes App Store. not put in a figure beyond exempted The first thing that strikes you about this app is its really simple and easy Rating limit, thus there is a very little room of error. All the amount bars have to understand graphics. The income, drag and drop cursors and you can investment and expenditure are also use ‘+’ and ‘-' buttons that work at depicted as stacks of coins which Rs 10 variation. Once all the figures are keep growing and reducing as you

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filled in the tax amount is depicted in the stack of coins and you have an option of seeing the tax split which is depicted in a simple to understand line graphic. While the app doesn’t give any suggestions for tax planning and saving, it is helpful in getting an idea of how much tax you will have to pay and thus plan accordingly. The calculation done by the app can be shared through Email, Facebook and Twitter or exported as .CSV format. n sonia@mymobile.co.in

We tested it on the Apple iPad2

jun 15 to jul 14 2012 MYMOBILE 75

et cetera Talk to me...and play some music too!

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e have not seen too many radical innovations in the field of Bluetooth headsets in recent times. While most have undergone physical surgeries and lost some weight, they remain the same when it comes to functionality and features. Now Plantronics has tried to do something different - their Marque 155 has something more to offer than just call functionality. Dressed in white and silver, this headphone is appropriate for both, a casual day out or a business meeting. The power button is large and conveniently placed, as is the answer call button.

Unfortunately, that is not the case with volume key - it is way too thin and four times out of five, you will not be able to hit it.

The Marque 155 is quite comfortable to wear and comes with three comfort plugs to fit any ear. We wore this device for a long time and it did not hurt our ears one bit.

Thanks to its light weight, you hardly feel its presence and don’t end up with an ear ache after removing it. Voice quality is excellent - you never miss a tone and neither does the person at the other end. Users can answer phone calls by just saying ‘Answer.’ And unlike most headsets, this one can play music as well, saving you the hassle of carrying another pair of headphones for your music. Plantronics has packed a cable that charges you compatible mobile phone and this headset together. If you are looking for a good BT headset, your search ends here - at Rs 3,299, this is a good deal. n

Pros | Excellent voice quality, plays music too Cons | Inconvenient volume key

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The cloud crusader For all those with limited storage space

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hese days one sees many devices with limited storage space (the iPhone range is a prime example). The only way to physically expand the storage of such devices is through external drives, which is why we are seeing a boom in the number of such devices in the market. And the latest to join the race is the wireless external drive range is the Transcend StoreJet Cloud which comes with 32 GB storage and connects to devices over Wi-Fi. It is compatible with both Android and iOS devices (you will need to download an app on to your devices, though) and lets you can share pictures, audio, video, document files wirelessly. It can store 14 hours of DVD quality movies or 8,000 songs and 15,616 digital photographs in a compact and lightweight design, and is small enough to be used from a pocket or purse, in the car, or around the house. The drive comes with a mini USB port (2.0) on bottom for PC connectivity and charging and a power switch on the upper side to activate the built-in Wi-Fi module. Wi-Fi and the power symbol are located at the front panel corner on top to indicate when activated. Very very handy, we think, especially for those stuck with devices whose storage cannot be expanded, especially when you consider that it can connect to multiple devices (up to five of them) simultaneously. With this in tow, you can think of going in for lower storage (and lower cost) versions of devices. n

Pros | Connects with 5 devices at the same time Cons | Mini USB charging cable

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etcetera Pump up the storage

Solid state storage performer

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hey say “slim is in� and that certainly seems to be the case when it comes to most devices and gadgets.

And to make them slim and trim, their components have to be so as well. Traditionally bulky internal storage drives are being replaced by sleek internal Solid State Drives that are more compact in size and deliver speedier performance. The Verbatim SATA-ll SSD falls under this category.

It comes in dimensions of 100 x 70 x 9.3mm and weighs a mere 70 grams.

The solid drive offers a storage space of 128GB, which might not appear much to those used to traditional disk drives but is very decent in SSD terms. The drive provides you speedy transfer of data you can transfer files at an average speed rate of 219.9MB/ sec, ensuring a performance with minimum stuttering and hassles. We certainly faced no problems while using this extremely compact drive, which has an access speed of 0.3ms and burst rate of 50.2 MB/sec. Like all other Verbatim SATA drive, this too comes with a three-year warranty.

The Verbatim 2.5 inch SATA-ll Solid State Drive works with Window7, Vista and XP and Mac OS X 10.1 or higher versions, and is priced at Rs 7,500. Yes, we know that some people will say that we can get 1 TB capacity drives for that much in the market, but then you do not buy an SSD just for storage but for smooth performance and for lightening the bulk of your computer. And this drive does both. n

Pros | Compact and smooth performer Cons | Some might find it expensive

78 MYMOBILE jun 15 to jul 14 2012

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Sleek operator! This mouse needs no buttons

F

rom a distance, the Logitech M600 Touch Mouse looks more like a large pebble or paper weight than a wireless mouse. Yes, it has a unique design - there are no buttons on this mouse. Instead you get a smooth polished top, which is a bit similar to the mouse you get with Apple’s iMac computers. This single shiny surface hides both the left and right click areas. It works in the same manner as a normal mouse does - it senses which part of the mouse is pressed and acts accordingly on screen. This mouse is ambidextrous in nature. Hence, both left and right handed people can configure and use it.

Another reason why the top surface is kept as a single part is to allow the user to use its touch interface. Users can swipe, scroll and surf files with a few finger gestures on the mouse’s facade. At first, the mouse might seem like a handful but once you get used to it, going back to any other mouse will seem like a drag. It comes with a nano receiver, which fits within the mouse for easy transportation. It incorporates two AA batteries and also has a power button at the bottom which saves battery power. And no, you do not need to install any special drivers for this mouse - just plug the wireless receiver in any USB 2.0 port and enjoy this creation. n

Pros | Easy to use, supports finger gestures Cons | Might seem a bit bulky initially

jun 15 to jul 14 2012 MYMOBILE 79

etcetera Follow the Wireless Route Zebronics introduces a Wi-Fi router

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ith a number of Wi-Fi only gadgets increasing in the market, the demand for Wi-Fi routers has gone up as well. And Zebronics is one of the companies that has been coming out with products to enable wireless Internet access for users. One of the latest to come from its stables is the NWZ-WR150A-3G, which promises to offer high speed access for those looking for a brisk Internet experience. The router comes with a USB port to attach a 3G modem, which is handy given the popularity of these devices nowadays. On the back panel, it has a USB 2.0 port for an external 3G modem, four Ethernet ports for wired connections, one WAN port for connecting to a broadband modem, an antenna and one power point.

The front panel comes with an LED indicator to show the connectivity status, and also has a reset hole and WPS button.

After installing the 3G dongle, it does take a bit time to create a secure wireless network, but then provides Internet access for users of different devices like notebooks, tablets, and smartphones. The router can also automatically detect a USB device to establish a wireless network connection, which can then be shared across a number of devices. It also has features like DMZ, virtual server, unique browser safe feature, and domain filtering. All of which makes it a very worthy all-round option for those looking to set up a Wi-Fi network of their own. Price Rs 3,150. n

Pros | 3G support, parental control, RoHS compliance Cons | Takes some time to create a network

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mobile doctor or Nokia E5. the latter comes with video calling cpapbilities too. Among higher end phones you have HTC One V, Nokia Lumia 710, Samsung Galaxy SII. In the premium category you can choose between BlackBerry Bold 9900, HTC One X, Samsung Galaxy SIII and Sony Xperia S.

I have a Nokia 5233 and I had put a pssword in it to protect my information. However, now I have forgotten my password and can't access my phone! Please help!

-Tonozhimo The only option now left for you is to go to a Nokia service centre.

They can reset your password.

You can contact Nokia at +91 (STD Code) 30303838 and ask for the address of the nearest service centre. Please dont try anything on your own as it might render your phone useless I want to buy new phone and the only most important pre-requisite is that it should have a good voice quality. Money is not a problem.

Please give me few options.

-Srikar J If budget is no constraint then our recommendations will be the Blackberry 9360, Sony Xperia Ray and Motorola Atrix 2. The 9360 and Ray have excellent speakers, and Atrix has noise cancellation built-in that will give you clear sound.

I want a phone that can give me a good browsing experience. I want that my phone should support Internet speed similar to those experienced on a laptop. â—?

Nagendra kumar If you are referring to the speeds that you get on your regular broadband connection, then you need a good 3G phone with a 3G plan that suits your requirements.

Recently most service providers have slashed their prices, so you can choose a 3G plan in your circle that meets your needs. If your budget is less than Rs 10,000 then you can go for Nokia 500

Please provide me useful links/ websites in India where I can sell old mobile phones and accessories those in working or in very poor condition.

-Dhananjay Hembram This one is easy. You can sell working mobile phones on our website www.mymobile.co.in. Just create a free account and list your phone on our website. We are sure you will get a lot of offers.

2.0-megapixel camera.

I want to buy a mobile phone ranging between Rs 10,000 to Rs 13,000. It should have a good camera with flash, good touchscreen, better sound quality, Wi-Fi and should be running on Android operating system. Which mobile is best for me? I am thinking about buying HTC Wildfire S but you can suggest some more too.

-Jaspal Singh

I want to buy a phone which has a browser that supports Adobe Falsh.

My budget is around Rs 15,000 - 16,000.

-Moneeka HTC One V is a good phone in this price range and its browser comes with flash support.

I want to buy a smartphone that has very good battery life, 5.0-megapixel camera, good sound quality, and 3G connectivity.

My budget is around Rs 12,000-13,000.

-Shekhar Both the Nokia C6 and LG E510 have the features that you want.

They are available in your budget and have good battery life as well. The only thing you need after purchasing any of these two phones is a good 3G plan to get the best Internet connectivity.

I have a budget of Rs 7,500. I would be obliged if you can please suggest a good Android phone that has 3G as well.

-Mahesh Arya In this budget one good option is Samsung Galaxy Pocket. This phone comes with 3G connectivity and also boasts of a decent

The HTC Wildfire S is a good phone. However, you can also consider two other options that are equally good, if not better.

One is the Samsung Galaxy Ace and the other the LG E510. Both these devices run on Android V2.3 operating system and have an impressive camera. Both, Samsung Galaxy Ace as well as LG510 are good touchscreens and their sound quality is good too.

I want an Android smartphone and my budget is Rs 15,000. The feature that the phone must have is video calling. Apart from that the caemra of the phone should be 5.0-megapixel and should be accompanied with a flash.

-Sujith Jayaraj

We would suggest that you look at the HTC ChaCha. It has a 5.0-megapixel camera with flash, 2.6 inch touchscreen, QWERTY keypad and runs on Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) operating system. What’s more, this phone is currently available for around Rs 11,000, which is well within the budget that you have specified.

I am looking out for an Android phone under Rs 15,000. It should have a good camera, a feature packed browser and a brilliant touchscreen. Battery life should be good as well.

I am thinking of the HTC Wildfire S and Sony Ericsson Xperia Mini. Are these the best phones or should I be looking at something else?

Please help.

-Shekhar Raigarh The options you are looking at are quite good. If we had to choose between Sony Ericsson Xperia Mini and HTC Wildfire S, our pick would be the Wildfire S. It has a better camera, a very nice touchscreen and better battery life. It also runs on the Gingerbread version of Android OS, and therefore has a nice browser on board as well. However there are other options too. Like the recently launched Motorola DEFY XT with a 5.0megapixel camera, Android Gingerbread operating system and is water proof too.

Is your mobile phone acting strange? Email your queries at team@mymobile.co.in and our mobile doctor Arshdeep Singh will suggest remedies for your ailing device.

Disclaimer: The views expressed by Arshdeep Singh are his own and do not necessarily coincide with those of My Mobile.

jun 15 to jul 14 2012 MYMOBILE 81

fa c e t o fa c e

“The mobile accessory market will always be led by smartphones” With the number of smartphones increasing dramatically, the market for mobile accessories has increased too. We met Sukesh Madaan, CEO, Envent World Wide, to discuss where his company in particular and the Indian accessory market in general is heading Mukesh Kumar Singh and Ketan Pratap Envent is a new name. Do tell us more about it. Envent Worldwide was founded in 2011, with an aim to be recognized as a leader in consumer electronics solutions. We offer a wide range of innovative products to give telecom, computer and consumer electronic users a seamless integration with their homes, cars on the go. The main reason why Envent came into existence is because we realised that there was a lot of gap between what consumers really needed and what was being offered in the market, in terms of product, quality or pricing.

What is your take on the current state of the accessory market in India? The Indian mobile accessory market will always be led by the growth of smartphones. According to reports, the sales of smartphones have increased in the last six to ten months. As India goes up the value ladder, we are buying more expensive phones. The real accessories or active accessories start coming into picture only when we start using smartphones and touch phones. We see big market growth happening in the smartphones market now.

You are new to this market compared to other brands. What are the challenges you face? One good thing about our telecom industry is that whenever a new phone is

launched the market becomes level. So when the iPhone 5 will be launched, all the accessories which were there for the iPhone 4 in the market will not be required - all the brands whether big, small or new, will start afresh.

So, whenever a new phone is launched the field becomes level and common for everyone. Consumers will go for whosoever brings the accessory first in the market. That’s very interesting part of our business.

How important is quality in accessories? We strictly maintain quality and we don’t compromise with it. To give an example, there is a certification called ROHS (Restricted Use of Hazardous Substance). Although it’s not compulsory in India, but our products are ROHS certified. Not many companies carry such certification as this increases the cost of the product by 10 per cent, but this does add to the quality of a product. Envent has maintained this certification from day one.

What is your target audience? Our major focus would be smartphone users. The accessory market is being driven by smartphones and not by entry phones. And all smartphone users are professionals who access mails or use Internet while they are on the move. So our target audience is only smartphone users which means that we are not targeting more

82 MYMOBILE jun 15 to jul 14 2012

than 10-15 per cent of the market share. But I strongly believe that smartphones will make 40-50 per cent of the entire market in the years to come. So we are trying to grow with the smartphone market.

What are your plans for the future? We have a strong team in the country and we are further strengthening our distribution.

Initially smartphone sales were on a high only in metro cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai but with time we picked up in other cities as well. We are also growing - we now have 500 counters where we sell our products and we now are also available online on a few websites.

We are targeting retail marketing and digital marketing now as we are not big enough to promote our brand on a bigger scale. We also have plans to open exclusive Envent stores or GAS (Gadgets and Accessory Stores) with three zones IT, telecom and lifestyle. By the end of this year we will have 8-10 stores across the country.

As for the product range, we now have accessories for the iPhone and the Samsung Galaxy S2, and next in line is the new iPad. A. Next in line is the Samsung Galaxy S3. The phone has been launched thus and team is working on it. n mukesh@mymobile.co.in

www.mymobile.co.in

E V EN T

Albion Infotel along with the PHDCCI, bring the industry together to discuss the various aspects of information security in cloud computing

Moving to the cloud...in a safe, secure manner

D

ata security is one of the major concerns in the telecom and IT industry.

This is one challenge that is faced by the whole industry at one or the other point of time. While cloud solutions have emerged as a viable option, the adoption of the same has not occurred at the high pace that was expected. And it was this subject that was discussed in a national seminar on information security, Cloud Computing: Implications for MSMEs, organised by the PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PHDCCI) in association with its knowledge partner Albion Infotel, a leading IT solution provider. The seminar provided a platform for different members of industry to reflect on the importance of remote storage of information through cloud computing and the growing threat to information security.

The seminar was conducted in the presence of Kapil Sibal, minister of Communication and IT, Government of India; Sanjeev Gupta, president and managing director, Albion Infotel; and Sandip Somany, president, PHDCCI. They discussed pertinent issues of data, information and cyber security.

The focus of the seminar was on leveraging

IT at its best without compromising the security of remotely stored data. Speaking on the occasion, the minister of Communication and IT Kapil Sibal said, “With over 2,50,000 gram panchayats being connected over fiber optics, everybody is being connected at an enormous speed in India. In the new world, we need new solutions and cloud computing is a business model to manage competitiveness of businesses in this environment. However, security is a very important aspect which should be addressed while we are putting together the building blocks of this new technology in India.” Sandip Somany president, PHDCCI added, “With growing advancements in technology, cloud computing is the buzz word today. There are many reasons why organisations of all sizes are adopting this technology, especially MSMEs due to the reduced need for physical infrastructure. Cloud computing will create nearly 14 million jobs within the years 2011-2015. We now need to better understand optimal use of this technology while addressing concerns about security and privacy.”

Presenting his views on the subject, Sanjeev Gupta president and managing direc-

tor, Albion Infotel said, “Cloud computing is a technology that emerged during the recession period for companies to reduce costs and infrastructure management. Shared infrastructure and scalability are options provided by the service providers.” J Satyanarayana, secretary, Department of Electronics and Information Technology, recommended adopting a four-step approach, “Any company evaluating adoption of cloud computing needs to assess its security needs and match it to what a cloud option is offering. The company then needs to create accountability matrix which is satisfactory. With adoption of new technology, implementation and training become critical aspects to be addressed,” he said. The minister and dignitaries advised the audience to take full advantage of cloud computing technology simultaneously ensuring the data security and privacy issues. The seminar also included a technical session featuring experts from Albion, VMware, EMC2, Kaspersky and the Data Security Council of India to address technical and material aspects of information security in the context of cloud computing. n harshita@mymobile.co.in

jun 15 to jul 14 2012 MYMOBILE 83

fa c e t o fa c e

“CommunicAsia is a tremendous opportunity for Indian Exhibitors” Agnes Leung, senior project manager, Singapore Exhibition Services Pte Ltd, talks about the upcoming event CommunicAsia 2012 which is being seen by many as a great opportunity for the Indian Telecom Industry Heena Jatav

What is the theme for CommunicAsia 2012?

CommunicAsia revolves around two things- shaping vision and creating a reality. So we would like to have CommunicAsia’s vision as one of the premiere events which will shape the vision, discuss what is really pertinent and critical to the industry and what is changing the industry. The conference would focus on what really are the issues that are impacting the industry.

Also many companies will be showcasing their technology for future.

What are the India-specific highlights that we can expect in CommunicAsia this time around?

It’s a very diverse display from Indian companies. If you look at individual companies, we have some companies doing VOIP, telecom infrastructure, etc. Some companies are outsourcing services and some companies are in telecom equipments, broadband, infrastructure which is quite diverse.So we will have very diverse participation from Indian companies.

As an organisation what are your expectations from the event? If you compare last year’s event to this year’s, what changes you are likely to see? We would like to actually rejuvenate the event and make it relevant to the industry. So, if you see this year we have introduced some new sections which are going to help the visitors who would like to know about specific technologies relating to fibre, cloud services, security, end to end solutions, etc.

And similar to the conference, we have fourteen tracks, eight of which are now covering topics like customer experience management, augmented reality to machine to

84 MYMOBILE jun 15 to jul 14 2012

machine solutions and over the top business models.

How many companies participated last year? There were 86 Indian companies last year and overall there were over 1300 companies. This year we are still expecting over 1300 companies to participate. Indian companies participation will be more than 80 but it’s not yet finalised.

What will be the key areas of focus this year? Key areas will be satellite communication. We definitely present one of the largest in Asia events so we are expecting more than 1,000 satellite companies.

We also have network companies coming up, and then we have cloud solution companies. We also have a lot of data centre companies and we will also have participation from fibre broadband companies and mobile enterprise solution companies.

What are your views about the Indian telecom space? How is this event going to benefit the Indian telecom industry? The Indian telecom market is definitely very exciting for us. It is also one of the key markets we would like to address.

Apart from CommunicAsia, there’s no other event worldwide that has media, broadcasting, telecommunication and IT events come together at the same time.

So to the various visitors from India whether they are mobile operators or broadcasters or system integrators, this will be a very rare opportunity for them to come and meet so many companies from across the globe. It is a tremendous opportunity for Indian exhibitors. n heena@mymobile.co.in

EVENT

2013

Mobility - the key focus at CommunicAsia 2012

Asia’s largest integrated ICT platformCommunicAsia 2012, is all set to usher in a new era of innovation and convergence by showcasing some of the most innovative technologies in the telecom sector

C

ommunicAsia, the annual ICT event held at Singapore has contributed significantly to the growth of the ICT industry not only in Asia but globally too. With China and India becoming the largest markets for the telecom industry, CommuncAsia has become the region’s door to the world, enabling effective interaction between the businesses and corporates from around the world.

CommunicAsia 2012 is being held at Marina Bay Sands and nearby Suntec City from June 19 onwards, along with EnterpriseIT

and BroadcastAsia. Together these three form Asia’s most unique platform for highlighting current trends and innovations across technology verticals allowing players to highlight technology breakthroughs and applications, ranging from film and TV to mobile apps and services. The number of exhibitors is expected to cross the 2,000 figure out of which approximately 300 are first-timers. A number of prominent industry leaders are expected to share their views at the event.

These include Aliza Knox, Managing Director of Commerce for Google Asia Pacific; Simone

Brunozzi, Technology Evangelist, Asia Pacific, Amazon Web Services; and Vivek Jhamb, Senior Vice-President, Vodafone Global Enterprise, India.

“International trade attendees to Singapore next month will have the unique opportunity to not only see the latest developments and debate around telecoms and broadcast, but also to see how dramatically this world is converging and what that convergence means,” says Rupert Owen, international co-ordinator, Overseas Exhibition Services. n sonia@mymobile.co.in

jun 15 to jul 14 2012 MYMOBILE 85

Gear guide Disclaimer: The prices have been obtained from companies/ respective showrooms

Nokia Fast Micro-USB Charger | AC-10E

Save energy and save the environment. Based on a common energy-rating system for chargers, it has a 5-star rating for energy saving.

Rs 950

Nokia Bluetooth Headset | BH-607

This headset enables you to be connected with little charging. It just requires 15 minutes of charging, giving you up to 5 hours of talk time.

Rs 4,500

Nokia Bluetooth Headset | BH-105

This headset enables you to answer, end and reject calls with the convenient built in keys. It has an eye catching design.

Rs 950

Nokia Monster Earphone | WH920 The in-ear design of the set isolates external noise to ensure enriched music experience.

The earphones have volume controller built in to its cord.

Rs 5,110

Nokia Bluetooth Headset | BH-213

With Nokia Bluetooth Headset BH-213 talk at length. Keep it ready to use with up to 400 hours of standby time.

Rs 3,110

Nokia Bluetooth Stereo Headset | BH-905i

This Stereo headset has an option of active noise cancellation. With this you can hear your music and calls with low noise and great sound.

Rs 3,500

Nokia Play | 360°

Enjoy clear 360-degree audio for your music with Nokia Play 360° (MD-50W). The curved design case brings a modern look and feel.

Rs 9,300

Nokia Bluetooth Stereo Headset | BH-505

Nokia Bluetooth Headset | BH-108

Nokia Bluetooth Headset BH-108 helps you to stay in control with just one touch. Check your email, browse the web or write a quick note – this wireless headset gives you the freedom to multitask.

Rs 950

Bluetooth Headset BH-505 keeps you active and entertained. The headset features a lightweight neckband for all day comfort.

Rs 3, 940

86 MYMOBILE jun 15 to jul 14 2012

www.mymobile.co.in in Delhi but may vary on account of dealer discretion/company schemes.

Nokia Extra Power | DC-8

If you’re on the road and away from an AC supply, you can get peace of mind with a reliable, pocket-sized source of backup power.

Rs 1,540

Nokia Extra Power | DC-11

Power-up your phone and headset while on the go.

Charge the power pack, your phone and an accessory at the same time.

Rs 2,570

Nokia Retractable Car Charger | DC-10 With Nokia Retractable Car Charger DC-10 charge your phone in the car.

Rs 950

Nokia Monster Headset | WH 930

This Nokia headset boasts of some high end features that are not to be seen in any other headsets available in the market.

Rs 11,420

Nokia Stereo Headset | WH-701

It helps to control your calls and music in a world of sound. It features three sets of comfortable ear pads and an integrated remote for controlling volume, calls, and music.

Rs 1,390

Nokia Mini Speaker | MD-11

Play your music and listen to the radio out loud with this compact, yet powerful mini speaker.

You can connect mini speaker for quality stereo surround sound.

Rs 1,190

Nokia Extra Power | DC-11K

Charge two devices at the same time. It is extra compact and lightweight and offers a quick boost of power.

Rs 2,400

Nokia Bluetooth Headset | BH-104

With Nokia Bluetooth Headset BH-104 you can stay on top of your calls and enables convenient wireless communication throughout the day.

Rs 1,050

Nokia Car Charger | DC-4

Simple and compact, this mobile phone charger offers rapid phone charging from a car cigarette lighter socket.

Rs 240

jun 15 to jul 14 2012 MYMOBILE 87

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MY GUIDE Disclaimer : The prices quoted in My Guide are the Best Buy prices quoted by the respective companies, ex-Delhi. The prices may vary on account of promotional schemes or dealer discretion. M.O.P. mentiond in My Guide are not applicable in Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra.

While My Mobile tries to ensure accuracy in the pricing and features any discrepancies that may emerge are beyond our control.

Please check with the retailer about features of the phone before buying. The ratings that have been included are from the burn tests of the phones that we have reviewed. Feel free to update us.

(Last updated on Jun 3, 2012) Devices featured in the My Guide have been segregated into four categories baswed on price and colour-coded as:

CDMA Enterprise High-end (Rs 12,000 upwards) Mid-level

(Rs 6,000 - Rs 11,999)

Entry-level (Rs 2,500 - Rs 5,999) Sub-entry level (up to Rs 2,499) Nokia

NR stands for not reviewed M.O.P. stands for Market Operating Price

Y MOBILE 89 JUN 15 to JUL 14 2012 MY

myguide MODELS

NOKIA

NOKIA

PARAMETERS 1280

100

101

X1-01

C1-01

110

C2-00

Dimension (mm)

107.2 x 45.1 x 15.3

110 x 45.5 x 14.9

110 x 45.5 x 14.9

112.2 x 47.3 x 16

108 x 45 x 14

110 x 46 x 14.8

108 x 45 x 14.65

Weight (grams)

81.92

70

69.6

91.5

78.8

80

74.1

Model

Talktime/Standby (hours)

8.30/528

Screen (colours)/Size (inch) Monochrome/1.36 Inbuilt/Expandable memory

NA/No

7.2/840

7.2/840

13/1032

10.4/540

10.5/637

5.75//460

65,536/1.8

65,536/1.8

65,536/1.8

65,536/1.8

65,536/1.8

65,536/1.8

NA/No

NA/No

NA/16GB

64MB/32GB

64MB/32GB

16MB/32GB

No/No

No/No

No/No

No/No

Yes/No

Yes/No

Yes/No

Camera/Flash/Video

No/No/No

No/No/No

No/No/No

No/No/No

VGA/No/Yes

VGA/No/Yes

VGA/No/Yes

Phonebook Capacity

500

500

500

500

1,000

1000

1,000

Frequency/Dual SIM

Dual Band/No

Dual Band/No

No/No/No

No/No/No

No/No/No

No/No/No

Yes/No/No

Yes/Yes/No

Yes/Yes/No

Symbian S30

S30

S30

S30

Symbian S40

S40

Symbian 40

Bluetooth/Wi-Fi

GPRS/EDGE/3G Operating System Music Player/FM Radio Form Factor/T.Screen/QWERTY Burn test Rating

Dual Band/No

Dual Band/GSM+GSM Dual Band/GSM+GSM

No/Yes

No/Yes

No/Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Bar/No/No

Bar/No/No

Bar/No/No

Bar/No/No

Bar/No/No

Bar/No/No

Bar/No/No

NR

NR

NR

84

NR

NR

84

1,000

1,250

1,500

1,850

2,100

2,450

2,500

MODELS

Price in Rs.

Dual Band/GSM+GSM Dual Band/GSM+GSM

NOKIA

PARAMETERS X2-02

C2-02

X2-01

C2-01

202

Asha 200

C2-03

Dimension (mm)

113 x 50 x 15

102,8x51,2x17

119.4 x 59.8 x 14.3

109.6 x 46.9 x 14.6

114.8 x 49.8 x 13.9

115.4 x 61.1 x 14

103 x 51.4 x 17

Weight (grams)

71

110

107.5

89

90

105

115

9.8/443

5/600

4.3/480

8.4/430

5/400

7/888

5/400

Model

Talktime/Standby (hours) Screen (colours)/Size (inch)

262,144/2.2

65,536/2.6

262,144/2.4

262,144/2.0

262,144/2.4

65,536/2.4

65,536/2.6

Inbuilt/Expandable memory

10MB/32GB

10MB/32GB

128MB/8GB

75MB/16GB

10MB/32GB

NA/32GB

10MB/32GB

Yes/No

Yes/No

Yes/No

Yes/No

Yes/No

Yes/No

Yes/No

Camera/Flash/Video

2.0MP/No/Yes

2.0MP/No/Yes

VGA/No/Yes

3.15MP/No/Yes

2.0MP/No/Yes

2.0MP/No/Yes

2.0MP/No/Yes

Phonebook Capacity

Shared

1,000

Shared

2,000

1,000

Shared

1,000

Frequency/Dual SIM

Dual Band/No

Dual Band/No

Quad Band/No

Quad Band/No

Yes/Yes/No

Yes/Yes/No

Yes/Yes/No

Yes/Yes/R99

Yes/Yes/No

Yes/Yes/No

Yes/Yes/No

S40

S40

Symbian S40

S40

S40

Symbian S40

Symbian S40

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Bar/No/No

Slider/Yes/No

Bar/No/Yes

Bar/No/No

Bar/Yes/No

Bar/No/Yes

Slider/Yes/No

NR

NR

82

NR

NR

80

76

3,400

3,400

3,550

3,850

3,900

4,000

4,000

Bluetooth/Wi-Fi

GPRS/EDGE/3G Operating System Music Player/FM Radio Form Factor/T.Screen/QWERTY Burn test Rating

Price in Rs

YMOBILE JUN 15 to JUL 14 2012 90 MY

Dual Band/GSM+GSM Dual Band/GSM+GSM Dual Band/GSM+GSM

MODELS

NOKIA

PARAMETERS Model

X2

300

302

C3

C5

X3-02

Dimension (mm)

111 x 47 x 13.3

112.8 x 49.5 x 12.7

105.8 x 51 x 13.8

116.5 x 55.7 x 13.9

115.5 x 58.1 x 13.6

112 x 46 x 12.3

106.2 x 48.4 x 9.6

Weight (grams)

82

85

93

99

114

89.3

78

Talktime/Standby (hours)

C5-05

NEW

13.3/540

6.9/550

11.5/620

9/707

7/800

12/630

5/430

Screen (colours)/Size (inch)

262,144/2.2

262,144/2.4

16million/3.2

262,144/2.4

262,144/2.4

16.7million/2.2

262,144/2.4

Inbuilt/Expandable memory

48MB/16GB

128MB/32GB

40MB/16GB

128MB/32GB

55MB/8GB

50MB/16GB

50MB/16GB

Bluetooth/Wi-Fi

Yes/No

Yes/No

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/No

Yes/Yes

Camera/Flash/Video

5.0MP/Yes/Yes

5.0MP/No/Yes

2.0MP/No/Yes

3.2MP/No/Yes

2.0MP/No/Yes

5.0MP/Yes/Yes

5.0MP/No/Yes

Phonebook Capacity

1,000

Shared

Shared

Shared

Shared

Shared

Shared

Frequency/Dual SIM

Quad Band/No

Quad Band/No

Quad Band/No

Quad Band/No

Quad Band/No

Quad Band/No

Quad Band/No

GPRS/EDGE/3G

Yes/Yes/No

Yes/Yes/HSDPA,HSUPA

Yes/Yes/No

Yes/Yes/HSDPA,HSUPA

Yes/Yes/No

Yes/Yes/HSDPA,HSUPA

Yes/Yes/HSDPA

Operating System

Symbian S40

S40

S40

S40

Symbian S40

Symbian S60

Symbian S60

Music Player/FM Radio Form Factor/T.Screen/QWERTY Burn test Rating

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Bar/Yes/No

Bar/Yes/No

Bar/No/Yes

Bar/No/Yes

Bar/No/No

Bar/Yes/No

84

82

NR

NR

NR

NR

84

4,810

6,160

6,200

6,300

6,450

7,650

7,650

MODELS

Price in Rs.

Yes/Yes Bar/No/No

NOKIA

PARAMETERS Model

303

C5-03

E5

500

C6

603

700

Dimension (mm)

116.5 x 55.7 x 13.9

105.8 x 51 x 13.8

115 x 58.9 x 12.8

111.3 x 53.8 x 14.1

113.4 x 53 x 16.8

113.5 x 57.1 x 12.7

110 x 50 x 9.7

Weight (grams)

99

93

126

93

150

109.6

96

8.2/731

11.5/600

7.3/400

7/500

11/400

8.7/540

7.14/403

Screen (colours)/Size (inch)

262,144/2.6

16million/3.2

262,144/2.36

16million/3.2

16.7million/3.2

16.7mollion/3.5

16million/3.2

Inbuilt/Expandable memory

100MB/32GB

40MB/16GB

256MB/32GB

2GB/32GB

200MB/16GB

NA/32GB

2GB/32GB

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Camera/Flash/Video

3.2MP/No/Yes

5.0MP/No/Yes

5.0MP/Yes/Yes

5.0MP/No/Yes

5.0MP/Yes/Yes

5.0MP/No/Yes

5.0MP/Yes/Yes

Phonebook Capacity

Shared

Shared

Shared

Shared

Shared

Shared

Shared

Frequency/Dual SIM

Quad Band/No

Quad Band/No

Quad Band/No

Quad Band/No

Quad Band/No

Quad Band/No

Quad Band/No

Yes/Yes/HSDPA,HSUPA

Yes/Yes/HSDPA

S40

Symbian S60

Symbian S60

Symbian Anna

Symbian S 60

Symbian Belle OS

Symbian Belle

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Bar/Yes/Yes

Bar/Yes/No

Bar/No/Yes

Bar/Yes/No

Slider/Yes/Yes

Bar/Yes/No

Bar/Yes/No

NR

NR

NR

NR

NR

80

82

7,800

8,600

9,200

9,550

10,500

12,900

13,500

Talktime/Standby (hours)

Bluetooth/Wi-Fi

GPRS/EDGE/3G Operating System Music Player/FM Radio Form Factor/T.Screen/QWERTY Burn test Rating

Price in Rs.

Yes/Yes/HSDPA,HSUPA Yes/Yes/HSDPA,HSUPA

Yes/Yes/HSDPA

Yes/Yes/HSDPA,HSUPA Yes/Yes/HSDPA,HSUPA

YMOBILE 91 JUN 15 to JUL 14 2012 MY

MODELS

myguide

NOKIA

PARAMETERS Model

C6-01

Lumia 710

E6

701

N8

X7

E7

Dimension (mm)

103.8 x 52.5 x 13.9

119 x 62.4 x 12.5

115.5 x 59 x 10.5

117.2x56.8x11

113.5 x 59 x 12.9

119.7 x 62.8 x 11.9

123.7 x 62.4 x 13.6

Weight (grams)

131

125.5

133

131

135

146

176

Talktime/Standby (hours)

12/420

7.3/400

14.4/681

17/504

12/390

6/450

9/430

Screen (colours)/Size (inch)

16.7milloin/3.2

16million/3.7

16.7million/2.46

16million/3.2

16.7million/3.5

16.7million/4.0

16million/4.0

Inbuilt/Expandable memory

340MB/32GB

8GB/No

8GB/32GB

8GB/32GB

16GB/32GB

8GB/32GB

16GB/No

Bluetooth/Wi-Fi

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Camera/Flash/Video

8.0MP/Yes/Yes

5.0MP/Yes/Yes

8.0MP/Yes/Yes

8.0MP/Yes/Yes

12.0MP/Yes/Yes

8.0MP/Yes/Yes

8.0MP/Yes/Yes

Phonebook Capacity

Shared

Shared

Shared

Shared

Shared

Shared

Shared

Quad Band/No

Quad Band/No

Quad Band/No

Quad Band/No

Quad Band/No

Quad Band/No

Quad Band/No

Frequency/Dual SIM GPRS/EDGE/3G Operating System Music Player/FM Radio Form Factor/T.Screen/QWERTY Burn test Rating

Price in Rs.

Yes/Yes/HSDPA,HSUPA Yes/Yes/HSDPA,HSUPA Yes/Yes/HSDPA,HSUPA Yes/Yes/HSDPA,HSUPA Yes/Yes/HSDPA,HSUPA Yes/Yes/HSDPA,HSUPA Yes/Yes/HSDPA,HSUPA

Symbian^3

Windows Phone 7.5

Symbian Anna

Symbian Belle

Symbian^3 OS

Symbian Anna

Symbian^3 OS

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Bar/Yes/No

Bar/Yes/No

Bar/No/Yes

Bar/Yes/No

Bar/Yes/No

Bar/Yes/No

Slider/Yes/Yes

NR

82

80

80

86

84

76

14,000

15,250

16,950

17,750

19,000

20,800

20,800

MODELS

SUB-ENTRY LEVEL

PARAMETERS Model

NOKIA

BYOND

CHAZE

Lumia 800

BY 809

BY120+

BY 255

BY009

123

Jewel

Dimension (mm)

116.5 x 61.2 x 12.1

107 x 46.3 x 14.7

110 x 46 x 14

110.7 x 47.5 x 12.5

111 x 41.7 x 14.5

109 x 47 x 15.6

118.6 x 51 x 15.6

Weight (grams)

142

90

120

120

120

91

103

Talktime/Standby (hours)

13/265

4/240

10/480

4/192

10/240

9/720

9/720

Screen (colours)/Size (inch)

16miilion/3.7

NA/1.5

NA/1.5

NA/2.0

NA/2.0

65,536/1.8

262,144/2.4

Inbuilt/Expandable memory

16GB/No

NA/2GB

NA/2GB

NA/4GB

1016KB/4GB

45KB/4GB

187KB/8GB

Bluetooth/Wi-Fi

Yes/Yes

NA/No

Yes/No

Yes/No

Yes/No

Yes/No

Yes/No

Camera/Flash/Video

8.0MP/Yes/Yes

NA

VGA/No/Yes

1.3MP/No/Yes

1.3MP/No/Yes

1.3MP/No/Yes

1.3MP/No/Yes

Phonebook Capacity

Shared

100

1000

500

1,000

250

500

Frequency/Dual SIM

Quad Band/No

Dual Band/GSM+GSM Dual Band/GSM+GSM Dual Band/GSM+GSM Dual Band/GSM+GSM Dual Band/GSM+GSM Dual Band/GSM+GSM

GPRS/EDGE/3G

Yes/Yes/HSDPA,HSUPA

No/No/No

Yes/No/No

Yes/No/No

Yes/No/No

Yes/No/No

Yes/No/No

Operating System

Windows Phone 7.5

NA

NA

Proprietary

Proprietary

NA

NA

Yes/Yes

NA/Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Bar/Yes/No

Bar/No/No

Bar/No/No

Bar/No/No

Bar/No/No

Bat/No/No

Bar/No/No

82

NR

NR

NR

NR

NR

NR

23,600

1,249

1,799

2,099

2,399

1,350

1,850

Music Player/FM Radio Form Factor/T.Screen/QWERTY Burn test Rating

Price in Rs.

YMOBILE JUN 15 to JUL 14 2012 92 MY

MODELS

CHAZE

PARAMETERS Model

KARBONN

LAVA

C555

C666

C249

K 486

K9

ARC21

KKT 34+

Dimension (mm)

117 x 53 x 13.7

121 x 56 x 13

116 x 50 x 13

109 x 47.8 x 14

115 X 50 x 15.5

110 x 46 x 14.65

113.5 x 51.2 x 16

Weight (grams)

121

123

92

80

112

81.4

95

Talktime/Standby (hours)

9/720

7/600

7/600

5/500

6/300

3/120

12/720

Screen (colours)/Size (inch)

262,144/2.6

262,144/2.8

262,144/2.4

65,536/2.0

262,144/2.4

65,536/1.8

262,144/2.4

Inbuilt/Expandable memory

428KB/8GB

233KB/8GB

45KB/8GB

32MB/8GB

NA/8GB

250KB/8GB

NA/8GB

Bluetooth/Wi-Fi

Yes/No

Yes/No

Yes/No

Yes/No

Yes/No

Yes/No

Yes/No

Camera/Flash/Video

1.3MP/No/Yes

1.3MP/No/Yes

1.3MP/No/Yes

VGA/No/Yes

1.3MP/No/Yes

No/NoNo

VGA/No/Yes

Phonebook Capacity

500

500

1,500

300

1,000

500

1,000

Frequency/Dual SIM

Dual Band/GSM+GSM

Dual Band/No

Yes/No/No

Yes/No/No

Yes/No/No

Yes/No/No

Yes/No/No

Yes/No/No

Yes/No/No

NA

NA

NA

NA

NA

NA

NA

GPRS/EDGE/3G Operating System Music Player/FM Radio Form Factor/T.Screen/QWERTY Burn test Rating

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Bar/No/No

Bar/No/No

Bar/No/No

Bar/No/No

Bar/No/No

Bar/No/No

Bar/No/No

NR

NR

NR

NR

NR

NR

NR

1,950

2,100

2,200

1,800

2,100

1,820

2,200

MODELS

Price in Rs.

Dual Band/GSM+GSM Dual Band/GSM+GSM Dual Band/GSM+GSM Dual Band/GSM+GSM Dual Band/GSM+GSM

LECOM

PARAMETERS Model

LG

3100

8200

8202

8222

8500

8585

A 230

Dimension (mm)

106 x 45 x 14.6

112.7 x 49.5 x 14.8

110 x 48 x 13.1

114 x 48 x 13.8

116.5 x 50.5 x 14.9

116.8 x 50 x 14.8

108.6 x 46.6 x 13.8

Weight (grams)

75

85

100

89

110

110

80

Talktime/Standby (hours)

3.3/NA

4.3/NA

3.2/NA

5/NA

8.3/NA

8.3/NA

17/809

Screen (colours)/Size (inch)

NA/1.8

NA/2.2

NA/2.2

262,144/2.2

NA/2.4

NA/2.4

262,144/1.77

Inbuilt/Expandable memory

NA/8GB

NA/8GB

NA/8GB

NA/8GB

NA/32GB

NA/8GB

25MB/8GB

Bluetooth/Wi-Fi

No/No

Yes/No

Yes/No

Yes/No

Yes/No

Yes/No

No/No

Camera/Flash/Video

Yes/No/No

Yes/No/Yes

Yes/No

Yes/No

Yes/No

Yes/NA

1.3MP/No/Yes

Phonebook Capacity

300

300

300

300

300

300

1,000

Frequency/Dual SIM GPRS/EDGE/3G Operating System Music Player/FM Radio Form Factor/T.Screen/QWERTY

Dual Band/GSM+GSM Dual Band/GSM+GSM Dual Band/GSM+GSM Dual Band/GSM+GSM Dual Band/GSM+GSM Dual Band/GSM+GSM Dual Band/GSM+GSM Yes/No/No

Yes/No/No

Yes/No/No

Yes/No/No

Yes/No/No

Yes/No/No

Yes/Yes/No

NA

NA

NA

NA

NA

NA

NA

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Bar/No/No

Bar/No/No

Bar/No/No

Bar/No/No

Bar/No/No

Bar/No/No

Bar/No/No

Burn test Rating

NR

NR

NR

NR

NR

NR

NR

Price in Rs.

999

1,630

1,880

1,930

1,990

2,099

2,450

YMOBILE 93 JUN 15 to JUL 14 2012 MY

MODELS

myguide

MTECH

PARAMETERS Model

NUGEN

ALPHA

M135

M78

Dimension (mm)

104.2 x 47 x 15.8

117 x 53 x 15.5

112 x 49 x 16

118.5 x 55 x 14.7

110.9 x 48.0 x 13.9

115 x 48 x15

117.3 x 52.7 x 15.86

Weight (grams)

75

84

110

85

110

90

120

NEW

M18i

N108

NEW

N155

NEW

N188+

NEW

Talktime/Standby (hours)

10/960

8/720

8/720

8/720

6/240

6/168

10/1680

Screen (colours)/Size (inch)

NA/1.8

262,144/2.4

NA/2.4

262,144/2.6

65536/2.0

65536/2.2

262144/2.4

Inbuilt/Expandable memory

NA/8GB

32MB/8GB

NA/16GB

32MB/8GB

10KB/8GB

45KB/8GB

65KB/8GB

Bluetooth/Wi-Fi

No/No

Yes/No

Yes/No

Yes/No

Yes/No

Yes/No

Yes/No

Camera/Flash/Video

Yes/No/Yes

Yes/Yes/Yes

1.3MP/No/Yes

Yes/Yes/Yes

Yes/No/Yes

1.3MP/No/Yes

1.3MP/NO/Yes

Phonebook Capacity

500

1,000

1,000

1,000

150

500

500

Frequency/Dual SIM GPRS/EDGE/3G Operating System Music Player/FM Radio Form Factor/T.Screen/QWERTY Burn test Rating

No/No/No

Yes/No

Yes/No/No

Yes/No

Yes/No/No

Yes/No/No

Yes/No/NO

NA

NA

NA

NA

NA

NA

NA

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Bar/No/No

Bar/No/No

Bar/NO/No

Bar/No/No

Bar/No/No

Bar/No/No

Bar/No/No

NR

NR

78

NR

NR

NR

NA

1,149

1,799

1,749

1,849

1,450

1,695

1,995

MODELS

Price in Rs.

Dual Band/GSM+GSM Dual Band/GSM+GSM Dual Band/GSM+GSM Dual Band/GSM+GSM Dual Band/GSM+GSM Dual Band/GSM+GSM Dual Band/GSM+GSM

RAGE

PARAMETERS Model

REDD

Smart 2

Striker 2

R1200i

R1670

R6800

R24

A9

Dimension (mm)

108 x 42 x 14.25

117 x 50.2 x 15.4

105.7 x 45.5 x 15.6

107 x 43.6 x 17.3

108 x 44.6 x 17.3

NA

116 x 53 x 12.3

Weight (grams)

70

105

82

90

90

95

94

Talktime/Standby (hours)

7/200

11/1000

6/240

12/720

12/720

12/720

10/620

Screen (colours)/Size (inch)

NA/1.77

NA/2.4

65,536/1.8

65,536/1.8

262,144/2.0

262,144K/2.4

262,144K/2.6

Inbuilt/Expandable memory

45KB/4GB

45KB/4GB

NA/4GB

NA/4GB

NA/4GB

NA/8GB

NA/8GB

Bluetooth/Wi-Fi

Yes/No

Yes/No

No/No

Yes/No

Yes/No

Yes/No

Yes/No

Camera/Flash/Video

Yes/No/Yes

1.3MP/No/Yes

VGA/No/Yes

VGA/No/Yes

VGA/No/Yes

VGA/No/Yes

1.3MP/No/Yes

Phonebook Capacity

500

500

1,000

500

500

1,000

500

Frequency/Dual SIM GPRS/EDGE/3G Operating System Music Player/FM Radio Form Factor/T.Screen/QWERTY Burn test Rating

Price in Rs.

Dual Band/GSM+GSM Dual Band/GSM+GSM Dual Band/GSM+GSM Dual Band/GSM+GSM Dual Band/GSM+GSM Dual Band/GSM+GSM Dual Band/GSM+GSM Yes/No/No

Yes/No/No

Yes/No/No

Yes/No/No

Yes/No/No

Yes/No/No

Yes/No/No

MTK

MTK

NA

NA

NA

NA

NA

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Bar/No/No

Bar/No/No

Bar/No/No

Bar/No/No

Bar/No/No

Bar/No/No

Bar/No/No

NA

78

NR

NR

NR

NR

82

1,349

1,849

999

1,399

1,499

1,649

1,840

YMOBILE JUN 15 to JUL 14 2012 94 MY

MODELS

ENTRY LEVEL

PARAMETERS Model

REDD

SAMSUNG

SPICE

BYOND

HD88

1200

1205

Hero Music

E2232

M-5455

BY 260

Dimension (mm)

114.5 x 50 x 15.4

109.5 x 45.5 x 12.8

109.5 x 45.5 x 12.8

110.6 x 45.35 x 13.9

109.2 x 46.0 x 14.9

113 x 51.6 x 13.7

110 x 49 x 11

Weight (grams)

94

65.1

65.1

73.2

79

86

120

Talktime/Standby (hours)

10/620

8.6/800

8.6/800

11.1/580

NA/500

4/230

4/240

Screen (colours)/Size (inch)

262,144/2.4

65536/1.5

65536/1.5

65,536/1.8

65,536/1.77

2,621,442.40

NA/2.2

Inbuilt/Expandable memory

NA/8GB

32,64MB/No

32,64MB/No

4MB/4GB

20MB/8GB

110KB/8GB

NA/16GB

Bluetooth/Wi-Fi

Yes/No

No/No

No/No

Yes/No

Yes/No

Yes/No

Yes/No

Camera/Flash/Video

2.0MP/No/Yes

No/No/No

No/No/No

No/No/No

VGA/No/Yes

1.3MP/No/Yes

2.0MP/No/Yes

Phonebook Capacity

1,000

100

100

1,000

1,000

1,000

1,000

Frequency/Dual SIM

Dual Band/GSM+GSM

Dual Band/No

Dual Band/No

Yes/No/No

No/No/No

No/No/No

Yes/Yes/No

Yes/No/No

Yes/No/No

Yes/No/No

NA

Proprietary

Proprietary

Proprietary

Properitory

NA

Proprietary

GPRS/EDGE/3G Operating System Music Player/FM Radio Form Factor/T.Screen/QWERTY Burn test Rating

Yes/Yes

No/Yes

No/Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

YesYes

Yes/Yes

Bar/No/No

Bar/No/No

Bar/No/No

Bar/No/No

Bar/No/No

Bar/Yes/No

Bar/No/No

NR

NR

NR

NR

NR

NR

NR

1,949

1,200

1,300

1,700

2,200

2,250

2,899

MODELS

Price in Rs.

Dual Band/GSM+GSM Dual Band/GSM+GSM Dual Band/GSM+GSM Dual Band/GSM+GSM

BYOND

PARAMETERS Model

CHAZE

KARBONN

BY011

BY007

Gamestar

C234

C333

C99

K44

Dimension (mm)

116.7 x 50 x 14.8

111 x 47 x 14.5

114.3 x 45.5 x 13.6

118 x 52 x 13

114 x 62 x 13.8

110 x 55 x 13

95.5 X 46 X 16.8

Weight (grams)

125

120

100

121

117

114

NA

Talktime/Standby (hours)

13/600

10/480

4/400

5/NA

6/NA

5/480

2.5/190

Screen (colours)/Size (inch)

NA/2.2

NA/2.2

NA/2.4

262,144/2.4

262,144/3.2

262,144/3.2

262,144/2.4

Inbuilt/Expandable memory

1016.5KB/4GB

1016KB/4GB

319.5KB/8GB+8GB

123KB/8GB

233KB/8GB

1.96MB/8GB

64MB/4GB

Bluetooth/Wi-Fi

Yes/No

Yes/No

Yes/No

Yes/No

Yes/No

Yes/No

Yes/No

Camera/Flash/Video

1.3MP/No/Yes

3.2MP/No/Yes

2.0MP/No/Yes

1.3MP/No/Yes

3.2MP/Yes/Yes

1.3MP/No/Yes

VGA/No/Yes

Phonebook Capacity

1,000

1,000

1,000

1,000

2,000

2,000

350

Frequency/Dual SIM

Dual Band/GSM+GSM Dual Band/GSM+GSM Dual Band/GSM+GSM Dual Band/GSM+GSM Dual Band/GSM+GSM Dual Band/GSM+GSM Dual Band/GSM+GSM

GPRS/EDGE/3G

Yes/No/No

Yes/No/No

Yes/No/No

Yes/No/No

Yes/No/No

Yes/No/No

Yes/No/No

Operating System

Proprietary

Proprietary

Proprietary

NA

NA

NA

NA

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Bar/No/No

Bar/No/No

Bar/No/No

Bar/Yes/No

Bar/Yes/No

Bar/Yes/No

Clamshell/No/No

NR

NR

78

NR

NR

NR

NR

2,899

2,999

3,299

2,500

2,850

2,850

2,600

Music Player/FM Radio Form Factor/T.Screen/QWERTY Burn test Rating

Price in Rs.

YMOBILE 95 JUN 15 to JUL 14 2012 MY

MODELS

myguide

KARBONN

PARAMETERS

LAVA KKT39

A10

A16

M70

K33

K1818

K1616

Dimension (mm)

15.8 x 51.5 x 107

106.6 x 54.3 x 12.7

116 x 61 x 12

116 x 47 x 11.5

NA

120 x 47.5 x 13.1

NA

Weight (grams)

80

95

135

80.5

105

100

110

Model

4/300

4/500

6/312

10/NA

NA

3.1/220

NA

Screen (colours)/Size (inch)

262,144/2.4

262,144/3.2

262,144/3.5

262,144/2.2

262,144/3.0

262,144/2.6

262,144/3.2

Inbuilt/Expandable memory

95KB/8GB

Yes/8GB

Yes/8GB

NA/16GB

200MB/16GB

32MB/MicroSD

30MB/32GB

Talktime/Standby (hours)

Yes/No

Yes/No

Yes/No

Yes/No

Yes/No

Yes/No

Yes/No

Camera/Flash/Video

2.0MP/No/Yes

3.2MP/No/Yes

3.2MP/No/Yes

VGA/No/Yes

3.2MP/Yes/Yes

3.2MP/No/Yes

5.0MP/Yes/Yes

Phonebook Capacity

1,000

2,000

2,000

500

2,000

2,000

2,000

Bluetooth/Wi-Fi

Frequency/Dual SIM GPRS/EDGE/3G Operating System Music Player/FM Radio Form Factor/T.Screen/QWERTY Burn test Rating

Dual Band/No

Dual Band/GSM+GSM Dual Band/GSM+GSM

Yes/No/No

Yes/No/No

Yes/No/No

Yes/No/No

Yes/Yes/No

Yes/Yes/No

Yes/Yes/No

NA

NA

NA

NA

NA

NA

NA

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Slider/No/No

Bar/Yes/No

Bar/Yes/No

Bar/No/No

Bar/Yes/No

Bar/No/No

Bar/Yes/No

NR

NR

NR

NR

NR

82

NR

3,000

3,700

4,700

2,700

3,800

3,900

4,750

MODELS

Price in Rs.

Dual Band/GSM+GSM Dual Band/GSM+GSM Dual Band/GSM+GSM Dual Band/GSM+GSM

LG

PARAMETERS Model

C105

A200

S365

A350

T500

Dimension (mm)

114.5 x 59 x 13

99.8 x 51 x 15.8

117 x 50.9 x 11.5

116 × 53.3 × 12.85

105 x 57.3 x 12.9

113.5 x 51 x 13

105 x 57.3 x 12.9

Weight (grams)

94

95

NA

91.45

93

92

105

16/650

NA

14.5/559

12.5/328

8/720

25/NA

NA/NA

Talktime/Standby (hours)

A290

NEW

T515

Screen (colours)/Size (inch)

262,144/2.2

65,536/2.2

NA/2.4

262,144/2.2

262,144/2.8

65,536/2.2

262,144/2.8

Inbuilt/Expandable memory

4.7MB/4GB

128MB/8GB

9.7MB/16GB

256MB/32GB

NA/8GB

NA/4GB

NA/4GB

Yes/No

Yes/No

Yes/No

Yes/No

Yes/No

Yes/No

Yes/Yes

Camera/Flash/Video

1.3MP/No/Yes

2.0MP/No/Yes

2.0MP/No/Yes

1.3MP/No/Yes

2.0MP/No/Yes

1.3MP/No/Yes

2.0MP/No/Yes

Phonebook Capacity

1,000

NA

1,000

1,000

NA

1,000

NA

Frequency/Dual SIM

Quad band/No

Quad Band/No

Quad Band/No

Quad Band/GSM+GSM+GSM

Quad Band/NA

Bluetooth/Wi-Fi

GPRS/EDGE/3G

Dual Band/GSM+GSM Dual Band/GSM+GSM

Yes/Yes/No

Yes/Yes/No

Yes/Yes/No

Yes/Yes/HSDPA

Yes/Yes/No

Yes/Yes/No

Yes/Yes/No

Operating System

Genric

Genric

Generic

Generic

Generic

NA

Generic

Music Player/FM Radio

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Bar/No/Yes

Slider/No/No

Bar/No/No

Bar/No/No

Bar/Yes/No

Bar/No/No

Bar/Yes/No

NR

NR

NR

84

NR

NR

NR

2,500

3,800

4,100

4,100

4,200

4,300

4,900

Form Factor/T.Screen/QWERTY Burn test Rating

Price in Rs.

YMOBILE JUN 15 to JUL 14 2012 96 MY

MODELS

LG

PARAMETERS Model

MICROMAX

MOTOROLA

P520

C375

T310i

X333

X450

EX109

EX212

Dimension (mm)

109.1 x 56.2 x 12.95

113 x 61 x 12.9

95.8 x 51.0 x 11.9

103.65 x 57.2 x 13.35

116.7 x 52 x 20.3

102 x 59.5 x 12.8

106 x 53 x 13.9

Weight (grams)

120

NA

86.5

NA

110

87

105

Talktime/Standby (hours)

23.8/454

16/789

14/569

3/200

4/315

8.3/500

6.25/625

Screen (colours)/Size (inch)

256,000/2.8

262,144/2.3

262,144/2.8

65,526/2.8

262,144/2.0

262,144/2.0

262,144/2.4

Inbuilt/Expandable memory

13MB/4GB

78MB/8GB

18MB/4GB

75KB/8GB

Yes/8GB

59MB/32GB

5MB/16GB

Bluetooth/Wi-Fi

Yes/No

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/No

Yes/No

Yes/No

Yes/No

Camera/Flash/Video

2.0MP/No/Yes

2.0MP/No/Yes

2.0MP/No/Yes

VGA/No/Yes

2.0MP/No/Yes

2.0MP/No/Yes

2.0MP/No/Yes

Phonebook Capacity

1,000

NA

1,000

500

250

200

800

Frequency/Dual SIM GPRS/EDGE/3G Operating System Music Player/FM Radio Form Factor/T.Screen/QWERTY Burn test Rating

Quad Band/No

Dual Band/GSM+GSM Dual Band/GSM+GSM Quad Band/GSM+GSM Dual Band/GSM+GSM

Yes/Yes/No

Yes/Yes/No

Yes/Yes/No

Yes/No/No

Yes/No/No

Yes/Yes/No

Yes/No/No

NA

Generic

NA

NA

NA

NA

NA

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Bar/Yes/No

Bar/No/Yes

Bar/Yes/No

Bar/Yes/No

Bar/No/No

Bar/No/Yes

Clamshell/No/No

84

NR

NR

NR

NR

NR

NR

5,000

5,100

5,200

2,850

2,899

3,300

4,600

MODELS

Price in Rs.

Dual Band/GSM+GSM Dual Band/GSM+GSM

PARAMETERS Model

MOTOROLA

SAMSUNG

RAGE

EX119

Pro

Flair

Pride

Super

Noble 8

E2152 Guru 36

Dimension (mm)

103 x 60 x 9.9

120 x 57 x 13.6

114.4 x 58 x 8.8 mm

115.3 x 49 x 8.85

124 x 55 x 14

112 x 57.6 x 13.1

111.6 x 46.3 x 13.5

Weight (grams)

87

120

95

85

115

105

80.4

8.3/680

10/1000

5/400

5/400

10/1000

5/400

11/660

Talktime/Standby (hours) Screen (colours)/Size (inch)

262,144/2.4

NA/2.8

NA/2.3

NA/2.4

NA/2.6

NA/3.2

262,144/2.0

Inbuilt/Expandable memory

50MB/32GB

125KB/8GB

230KB/8GB

145KB/4GB

NA/4GB

4MB/8GB

NA/2GB

Yes/Yes

Yes/No

Yes/No

Yes/No

Yes/No

Yes/Yes

Yes/No

Camera/Flash/Video

3.15MP/No/Yes

Yes/Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes/Yes

2.0MP/Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes/Yes

VGA/No/Yes

Phonebook Capacity

1,000

1,000

1,000

500

300

1,000

1,000

Bluetooth/Wi-Fi

Frequency/Dual SIM GPRS/EDGE/3G Operating System Music Player/FM Radio Form Factor/T.Screen/QWERTY Burn test Rating

Price in Rs.

Dual Band/GSM+GSM Dual Band/GSM+GSM Dual Band/GSM+GSM Dual Band/GSM+GSM Dual Band/GSM+GSM Dual Band/GSM+GSM Dual Band/GSM+GSM Yes/Yes/No

Yes/No/No

Yes/No/No

Yes/No/No

Yes/No/No

Yes/Yes/No

Yes/Yes/No

NA

MTK

MTK

MTK

MTK

NA

Proprietary

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Bar/Yes/Yes

Bar/Yes/No

Bar/No/No

Bar/No/No

Bar/No/No

Bar/Yes/No

Bar/No/No

NR

78

NA

76

78

NA

NR

5,000

2,749

2,999

3,099

3,199

3,999

2,500

YMOBILE 97 JUN 15 to JUL 14 2012 MY

MODELS

myguide

SAMSUNG

PARAMETERS Model

2222

Dimension (mm) Weight (grams) Talktime/Standby (hours)

Metro Duos C3322

109.5 x 61.3 x 11.85 113.97 x 47.9 x 13.99 90

88.9

3213

3520

Champ2

Ch@t C3222

Champ Delux

112.8 x 46.4 x 13.2

102 x 52 x 16.78

96 x 52.6 x 12.15

109.7 x 58.1 x 12.3

101.8 x 55.0 x 12.3

80.6

97.5

79.5

95

89.7

11.4/550

10/500

8.2/550

9.1/610

10/500

11/500

15.8/500

Screen (colours)/Size (inch)

262,144/2.2

262,144/2.2

65,536/2.0

262,144/2.4

262,144/2.7

262,144/2.2

262,144/2.8

Inbuilt/Expandable memory

45MB/16GB

46MB/16GB

36MB/8GB

28MB/16GB

40MB/16GB

54MB/8GB

30MB/16GB

Bluetooth/Wi-Fi

Yes/No

Yes/No

Yes/No

Yes/No

Yes/No

Yes/No

Yes/No

Camera/Flash/Video

VGA/No/Yes

2.0/No/Yes

VGA/No/Yes

1.3MP/No/Yes

2.0MP/No/Yes

1.3MP/No/Yes

1.3MP/No/Yes

Phonebook Capacity

1,000

1,000

1,000

1,000

1,000

1,000

1,000

Frequency/Dual SIM

Quad Band/No

Quad Band/No

Quad Band/No

GPRS/EDGE/3G

Yes/Yes/No

Yes/Yes/No

Yes/Yes/HSDPA

Yes/Yes/No

Yes/Yes/No

Yes/Yes/No

Yes/Yes/No

Operating System

Proprietary

Proprietary

Proprietary

Proprietary

Proprietary

Proprietary

Proprietary

Music Player/FM Radio Form Factor/T.Screen/QWERTY Burn test Rating

Dual Band/GSM+GSM Quad Band/GSM+GSM

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Bar/No/Yes

Bar/No/No

Bar/No/No

Clamshell/No/No

Bar/Yes/No

Bar/No/Yes

Bar/Yes/No

NR

NR

NR

NR

NR

NR

NR

3,000

3,000

3,100

3,100

3,410

3,600

4,000

MODELS

Price in Rs.

Quad Band/GSM+GSM Quad Band/GSM+GSM

SAMSUNG

PARAMETERS Model

C3530

Chat 3G 527

Metro C3752

Champ 3.5G S3770

Primo S5610

Wave 525

Star 3 Duos

Dimension (mm)

112.2 x 46.7 x 11.9

103 x 55 x 12

97.9 x 19 x 16.4

NA

118.9 x 49.9 x 12.8

109.5 x 55 x 11.9

102 x 58 x 11.51

Weight (grams)

90

96

93

NA

91

100

95.5

13/550

3/288

13.3/900

6/350

15.67/960

15/900

14.3/520

Talktime/Standby (hours) Screen (colours)/Size (inch)

262,144/2.2

262,144/2.4

65,536/NA

262,144/2.8

262,144/2.4

262,144/3.2

262,144/3.0

Inbuilt/Expandable memory

50MB/16GB

80MB/32GB

40MB/16GB

30MB/16GB

110MB/16GB

100MB/16GB

20MB/16GB

Yes/No

Yes/Yes

Yes/No

Yes/Yes

Yes/No

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Camera/Flash/Video

3.2MP/No/Yes

2.0MP/No/Yes

3.0MP/No/Yes

2.0MP/No/No

5.0MP/Yes/Yes

3.2MP/No/Yes

3.0MP/No/Yes

Phonebook Capacity

1,000

1,000

1,000

NA

2,000

Shared

1,000

Frequency/Dual SIM

Quad Band/No

Quad Band/No

Quad Band/No

Quad Band/No

Quad Band/No

Quad Band/No

Dual Band/GSM+GSM

GPRS/EDGE/3G

Yes/Yes/No

Yes/Yes/HSDPA, HSUPA

Yes/Yes/No

Yes/Yes/HSDPA

Yes/Yes/HSDPA

Yes/Yes/No

Yes/Yes/No

Operating System

Proprietary

Proprietary

Proprietary

Proprietary

Proprietary

Bada

Android OS, v2.3

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Bar/No/No

Bar/No/Yes

Slider/No/No

Bar/Yes/No

Bar/No/No

Bar/Yes/No

Bar/Yes/No

NR

NR

NR

NR

NR

80

NR

4,200

4,450

4,700

5,000

5,450

5,500

5,700

Bluetooth/Wi-Fi

Music Player/FM Radio Form Factor/T.Screen/QWERTY Burn test Rating

Price in Rs.

YMOBILE JUN 15 to JUL 14 2012 98 MY

MODELS

MID LEVEL

PARAMETERS Model

SONY ERICSSON

SPICE

Mix Walkman

M-5445

M-6700

M-6868

M-6900

Star II Duos 6712

Dimension (mm)

95.8 × 52.8 × 14.3

118 x 49 x 11.3

111 x 54 x 13.2

107.6 x 55.6 x 13

114.5 x 63 x 12

116 x 62.5 x 11.6

109.5 x 56 x 12.2

Weight (grams)

88

87

100

95.5

91

167

100

Talktime/Standby (hours)

cappuccino 2

SAMSUNG NEW

9.6/465

4.5/400

6.2/234

6/288

4.5/450

9.4/218

10/550

Screen (colours)/Size (inch)

262,144/3.0

262,144/2.4

262,144/3.1

65,536/2.8

262,144/3.4

262,144/3.5

262,144/3.2

Inbuilt/Expandable memory

256MB/32GB

NA/8GB

45MB/16GB

54.7MB/8GB

39MB/8GB

39MB/8GB

30MB/16GB

Bluetooth/Wi-Fi

Yes/Yes

Yes/No

Yes/Yes

Yes/No

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Camera/Flash/Video

3.15MP/No/Yes

VGA/No/Yes

3.2MP/No/Yes

1.3MP/No/Yes

3.2MP/No/Yes

3.2MP/No/Yes

3.15MP/No/Yes

Phonebook Capacity

Shared

1,000

2,000

2000

1,500

2,000

Shared

Frequency/Dual SIM

Quad Band/No

GPRS/EDGE/3G Operating System Music Player/FM Radio Form Factor/T.Screen/QWERTY Burn test Rating

Price in Rs.

Dual Band/GSM+GSM Dual Band/GSM+GSM

Dual Band/No

Tri Band/GSM+GSM Dual Band/GSM+GSM Quad Band/GSM+GSM

Yes/Yes/No

Yes/No/No

Yes/Yes/No

Yes/Yes/No

Yes/Yes/No

Yes/Yes/No

Yes/Yes/No

NA

NA

NA

NA

NA

NA

Proprietary

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Bar/Yes/No

Bar/No/No

Bar/Yes/No

Bar/Yes/No

Bar/Yes/No

Bar/Yes/No

Bar/Yes/No

NR

NR

NR

NR

NR

NR

NR

5,800

2,750

3,500

3,699

5,400

5,500

6,000

MODELS

HIGH END

PARAMETERS

SAMSUNG

SONY ERICSSON

TAG HEUER

SAMSUNG

Wave Y

TXT

Text Pro

Wave 3

Meridiist GMT Stainless Steel/Black PVD

Dimension (mm)

110.0 x 57.9 x 12.3

106 X 60 X 14.5

92.0 × 53.0 × 18.0

125.9 x 64.2 x 9.9

112 x 46 x 15.5

118 x 67 x 16.6

112 x 46 x 15.5

Weight (grams)

104.8

95

136

122

155

200

155

12.1/610

3.2/416

5.1/400

14.25/535

7/392

6.5/336

7/392

Model

Talktime/Standby (hours)

Link

Meridiist Steel & Gold

Screen (colours)/Size (inch)

262,144/3.2

262,144/2.55

16.7million/3.0

16million/4.0

262,144/1.9

16million/3.5

262,144/1.9

Inbuilt/Expandable memory

150MB/32GB

120MB/32GB

100MB/32GB

4GB/32GB

NA/NA

256MB/8GB

NA/NA

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/No

Yes/Yes

Yes/No

Camera/Flash/Video

2.0MP/No/Yes

3.15MP/No/Yes

3.2MP/No/Yes

5.0MP/Yes/Yes

No/No/No

5.0MP/No/Yes

No/No/No

Phonebook Capacity

Shared

Shared

Shared

Shared

1,000

Shared

1,000

Frequency/Dual SIM

Quad Band/No

Quad Band/No

Quad Band/No

Quad Band/No

Quad Band/No

Quad Band/No

Quad Band/No

GPRS/EDGE/3G

Yes/Yes/HSDPA

Yes/Yes/No

Yes/Yes/No

Yes/Yes/HSDPA,HSUPA

Yes/Yes/No

Yes/Yes/HSDPA

Yes/Yes/No

Bada OS v2.0

Proprietary

NA

Bada OS v2.0

NA

Andriod OS 2.2

NA

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/No

Yes/NA

Yes/No

Bar/Yes/No

Bar/No/Yes

Slider/Yes/Yes

Bar/Yes/No

Bar/No/No

Bar/Yes/No

Bar/No/No

82

82

82

80

NR

NR

NR

15,000

Starting 2,80,000+/ 3,50,000+

Starting 3,25,000+

Starting 5,40,000+

Bluetooth/Wi-Fi

Operating System Music Player/FM Radio Form Factor/T.Screen/QWERTY Burn test Rating

Price in Rs.

7,100

6,000

7,400

YMOBILE 99 JUN 15 to JUL 14 2012 MY

myguide MODELS

ENTERPRISE LEVEL

VERTU

PARAMETERS

APPLE

Ascent

Constellation Ayxta

Ascent Ti

Constellation Quest

Signature

iPhone 4

iPad 2 Wi-Fi

Dimension (mm)

117 x 46 x 19

100 x 48 x 18

115.5 x 49 x 13.1

116 x 60.8 x 12.7

130 x 42 x 13

115.2 x 58.6 x 9.3

241.2 x 185.7 x 8.8

Weight (grams)

148

174

160

165 to 185

166

137

607

Model

4.8/300

6/300

5/300

7.5/349

3.5/300

14/300

10/720

Screen (colours)/Size (inch)

16million/2.0

16million/2.4

16million/2.0

8GB/32GB

16million/2.0

16million/3.5

262,144/9.7

Inbuilt/Expandable memory

8GB/32GB

100MB/8GB

4GB/No

16million/2.46

4GB/No

16GB,32GB/No

16,32,64 GB/No

Talktime/Standby (hours)

Yes/No

Yes/No

Yes/No

Yes/Yes

Yes/No

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Camera/Flash/Video

5.0MP/Yes/Yes

3.15MP/Yes/Yes

3.15MP/Yes/Yes

5.0MP/Yes/Yes

No/No/No

5.0MP/Yes/Yes

VGA/No/Yes

Phonebook Capacity

2,000

2,000

1,500

Shared

2,000

Shared

Shared

Bluetooth/Wi-Fi

Frequency/Dual SIM GPRS/EDGE/3G Operating System Music Player/FM Radio Form Factor/T.Screen/QWERTY Burn test Rating

Quad Band/No

Quad Band/No

Quad Band/No

Quad Band/No

Quad Band/No

NA

Yes/Yes/No

Yes/Yes/R99

Yes/Yes/HSDPA

Yes/Yes/R99

Yes/Yes/HSDPA,HSUPA

No

NA

NA

NA

NA

NA

iOS4

iOS 4.3

Yes/Yes

Yes/No

Yes/No

Yes/Yes

Yes/No

Yes/No

Yes/No

Bar/No/No

Clamshell/No/No

Bar/No/No

Bar/No/Yes

Bar/No/No

Bar/Yes/No

Bar/Yes/No

NR

NR

NR

NR

NR

85

84

Starting 2,89,000+

Starting 3,47,000+

Starting 3,68,000+

Starting 3,86,000+

Starting 7,22,000+

34,500/40,900

24,500/30.500/36.500

MODELS

Price in Rs.

Quad Band/No Yes/Yes/HSDPA,HSUPA

APPLE

PARAMETERS

BLACKBERRY

Model

i-Pad 2 Wi-Fi+3G

iPhone 4S

New i-Pad Wi-Fi

New i-Pad Wi-Fi+3G

Curve 8520

Curve 9220

Curve 3G 9300

Dimension (mm)

241.2 x 185.7 x 8.8

115.2 x 58.6 x 9.3

241.2 x 185.7 x 9.4

241.2 x 185.7 x 9.4

109 x 60 x 13.9

109 x 60 x 12.7

109 x 60 x 13.9

Weight (grams)

607

140

652

652

106

102

104

10/720

14/200

9/720

9/720

4.5/408

7/432

4.5/461

Talktime/Standby (hours) Screen (colours)/Size (inch)

262,144/9.7

16million/3.5

16million/9.7

16million/9.7

65,536/2.46

65,536/2.44

65,536/2.46

Inbuilt/Expandable memory

16,32,64 GB/No

16,32,64GB/No

16,32 64GB/No

16,32 64GB/No

256MB/microSD

512MB/32GB

256MB/32GB

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Camera/Flash/Video

VGA/No/Yes

8.0MP/Yes/Yes

5.0MP/No/Yes

5.0MP/No/Yes

2.0MP/No/Yes

2.0MP/No/Yes

2.0MP/No/Yes

Phonebook Capacity

Shared

Shared

Shared

Shared

Shared

Shared

Shared

Frequency/Dual SIM

Quad Band/No

Quad band/No

No

Quad band/No

Quad Band/No

Quad Band/No

Quad Band/No

Bluetooth/Wi-Fi

GPRS/EDGE/3G

NA

Yes/Yes/HSDPA,HSUPA

Yes/Yes/No

Yes/Yes/No

Yes/Yes/HSDPA

Operating System

iOS 4.3

IOS 5

IOS 5

IOS 5

BlackBerry OS

BlackBerry OS 7.1

BlackBerry OS

Music Player/FM Radio

Yes/No

Yes/No

Yes/No

Yes/No

Yes/No

Yes/Yes

Yes/No

Bar/Yes/No

Bar/Yes/No

Bar/Yes/No

Bar/Yes/No

Bar/No/Yes

Bar/No/Yes

Bar/No/Yes

84

82

84

84

82

80

NR

9,000

10,400

13,200

Form Factor/T.Screen/QWERTY Burn test Rating

Price in Rs.

Yes/Yes/HSDPA,HSUPA Yes/Yes/HSDPA,HSUPA

32,900/38,900/44,900 44,600/50,800/57,500 30,500/36,500/42,500 38,900/ 44,900/50,900

YMOBILE JUN 15 to JUL 14 2012 100 MY

MODELS

BLACKBERRY

PARAMETERS Model

Curve 9380

Curve 9360

Bold 9780

9860

Torch 9800

Dimension (mm)

194 x 130 x 10

Play Book

109 x 60 x 12.7

109 x 60 x 11.2

112 x 62 x 14.2 mm

109 x 60 x 13.9

120 x 62 x 11.5

111 x 62 x 14.6

Weight (grams)

425

103

98

130

104

135

161.1

Talktime/Standby (hours)

Curve 9320

NEW

10/NA

7/432

5.5/360

5/336

4.5/456

4.7/337

5.5/432

Screen (colours)/Size (inch)

16million/7.0

65,536/2.44

16million/3.2

262,144/2.44

65,536/2.44

16million/3.7

16million/3.2

Inbuilt/Expandable memory

16,32,64GB/No

512MB/32GB

512MB/32GB

256MB/32GB

256MB/32GB

2.5GB/32GB

512MB/32GB

Bluetooth/Wi-Fi

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Camera/Flash/Video

5.0MP/No/Yes

3.15MP/Yes/Yes

5.0MP/Yes/Yes

5.0MP/Yes/Yes

5.0MP/Yes/Yes

5.0MP/Yes/Yes

5.0MP/Yes/Yes

Phonebook Capacity

Shared

Shared

Shared

Shared

Shared

Shared

Shared

Frequency/Dual SIM

NA

Dual Band/No

Quad Band/No

Quad Band/No

Quad Band/No

Quad Band/No

GPRS/EDGE/3G

NA

Operating System Music Player/FM Radio Form Factor/T.Screen/QWERTY Burn test Rating

BlackBerry OS 7.1

BlackBerry OS 7.0

BlackBerry OS 7.0

Quad Band/No Yes/Yes/HSDPA BlackBerry OS

Yes/Yes/HSDPA,HSUPA Yes/Yes/HSDPA,HSUPA

BlackBerry OS 7.0

BlackBerry OS

Yes/No

Yes/Yes

Yes/No

Yes/No

Yes/No

Yes/No

Yes/No

Bar/Yes/No

Bar/No/Yes

Bar/Yes/No

Bar/No/Yes

Bar/No/Yes

Bar/Yes/No

Slider/Yes/Yes

82

80

82

NR

NR

82

86

13,990/19,990

15,990

16,000

17,200

20,000

20,650

24,800

MODELS

Price in Rs.

BlackBerry OS

Yes/Yes/HSDPA,HSUPA Yes/Yes/HSDPA,HSUPA Yes/Yes/HSDPA,HSUPA

BLACKBERRY

PARAMETERS Model

DELL

Bold 9790

9810

9900

XCD35

Aero

Venu

Streak

Dimension (mm)

110 x 60 x 11.4

111 x 62 14.6

115 x 66 x 10.5

114 x 56 x 12.2

122 x 57.9 x 11.7

121 x 64 x 12.9

152.9 x 79.1 x 10

Weight (grams)

107

161

130

120

104

164

220

5.1/432

6.5/296

6.3/296

4/216

5/400

NA

9.8/400

Screen (colours)/Size (inch)

16million/2.45

16 million/3.2

16 million/2.8

262,144/3.5

262,144/3.5

16million/4.1

16million/5.0

Inbuilt/Expandable memory

8GB/32GB

8GB/32GB

8GB/32GB

512MB/16GB

Yes/32GB

512MB/32GB

512MB/32GB

YesYes

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Camera/Flash/Video

5.0MP/Yes/Yes

5.0MP/Yes/Yes

5.0MP/Yes/Yes

3.15MP/No/Yes

5.0MP/Yes/Yes

8.0MP/Yes/Yes

5.0MP/Yes/Yes

Phonebook Capacity

Shared

Shared

Shared

Shared

Shared

Shared

Shared

Frequency/Dual SIM

Quad Band/No

Quad Band/No

Quad Band/No

Tri Band/No

Quad Band/No

Quad Band/No

Quad Band/No

Talktime/Standby (hours)

Bluetooth/Wi-Fi

GPRS/EDGE/3G Operating System Music Player/FM Radio Form Factor/T.Screen/QWERTY Burn test Rating

Price in Rs.

Yes/Yes/HSDPA

Yes/Yes/HSDPA

Blackberry OS 7.0

BlackBerry OS 7.0

BlackBerry OS 7.0

Android OS v2.1

Android OS v2.2

Android OS v2.2

Android OS v2.2

Yes/No

Yes/No

Yes/No

Yes/Yes

Yes/No

Yes/No

Yes/No

Bar/Yes/Yes

Slider/Yes/Yes

Bar/Yes/Yes

Bar/Yes/No

Bar/Yes/No

Bar/Yes/No

Bar/Yes/No

82

82

82

NR

NR

80

80

24,800

28,500

30,500

8,500

10,990

21,500

22,990

Yes/Yes/HSDPA,HSUPA Yes/Yes/HSDPA,HSUPA Yes/Yes/HSDPA,HSUPA

Yes/Yes/HSDPA,HSUPA Yes/Yes/HSDPA,HSUPA

YMOBILE 101 JUN 15 to JUL 14 2012 MY

MODELS

myguide

DELL

PARAMETERS Model

HTC

Venu Pro

Explorer

ChaCha

Wildfire S

One V

S-510 Desire S

Radar

Dimension (mm)

122 x 63.5 x 15.2

102.8 x 57.2 x 12.9

114 x 64 x 10.7

101.3 x 59.4 x 12.4

120.3 x 59.7 x 9.24

115 x 59.8 x 11.6

120.5 x 61.5 x 10.9

Weight (grams)

192.8

81.3

124

105

115

130

137

Talktime/Standby (hours)

7/NA

7.6/485

4/120

4/120

6.73/261

4/120

10/480

Screen (colours)/Size (inch)

16million/4.1

262,144/3.2

262,144/2.6

16million/3.2

16million/3.7

16million/3.7

16million/3.8

Inbuilt/Expandable memory

8GB/32GB

90MB/32GB

512MB/32GB

512MB/microSD

4GB/32GB

1.1GB/32GB

8GB/No

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

5.0MP/Yes/Yes

3.15MP/No/Yes

5.0MP/Yes/Yes

5.0MP/Yes/Yes

5.0MP/Yes/Yes

5.0MP/Yes/Yes

5.0MP/Yes/Yes

Bluetooth/Wi-Fi Camera/Flash/Video Phonebook Capacity

Shared

Shared

Shared

Shared

Shared

Shared

Shared

Frequency/Dual SIM

Quad Band/No

Quad Band/No

Quad Band/No

Quad Band/No

Quad Band/No

Quad Band/No

Quad Band/No

GPRS/EDGE/3G

Yes/Yes/HSDPA,HSUPA Yes/Yes/HSDPA,HSUPA Yes/Yes/HSDPA,HSUPA Yes/Yes/HSDPA,HSUPA Yes/Yes/HSDPA,HSUPA Yes/Yes/HSDPA,HSUPA Yes/Yes/HSDPA,HSUPA

Operating System

Windows Phone 7.5

Android OS v2.3

Android OS v2.3

Android OS v2.3

Android v4.0

Android OS, v2.3

Windows Phone 7.5

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes//Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/No

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Slider/Yes/Yes

Bar/Yes/No

Bar/Yes/Yes

Bar/Yes/No

Bar/Yes/No

Bar/Yes/No

Bar/Yes/No

Music Player/FM Radio Form Factor/T.Screen/QWERTY Burn test Rating

NR

82

82

86

82

86

8,500

11,500

12,800

18,000

22,500

22,600

MODELS

Price in Rs.

82 24,990

PARAMETERS Model

HTC

IDEA

Rhyme

Sensation XE

Evo 3D

Sensation XL

OneX

ID 280

Blade

Dimension (mm)

119 x 60.8 x 10.85

126.1 x 65.4 x 11.3

126 x 65 x 12.05

132.5 x 70.7 x 9.9

134.36 x 69.9 x 8.9

102 x 53 x 13

116 x 56.5 x 11.8

Weight (grams)

130

151

170

162.5

130

98

130

Talktime/Standby (hours)

6.3/265

9.1/310

9.3/358

11.8/360

10/290

4/288

4/192

Screen (colours)/Size (inch)

16million/3.7

16million/4.3

16million/4.3

16million/4.7

16million/4.7

262,144/2.8

262,144/3.5

Inbuilt/Expandable memory

1GB/microSD

4GB/32GB

1GB/32GB

16GB/No

32GB/No

152MB/32GB

152MB/32GB

Bluetooth/Wi-Fi

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Camera/Flash/Video

5.0MP/Yes/Yes

8.0MP/Yes/Yes

5.0MP/Yes/Yes

8.0MP/Yes/Yes

8.0MP/Yes/Yes

3.2MP/No/Yes

3.2MP/Yes/Yes

Phonebook Capacity

Shared

Shared

Shared

Shared

Shared

Shared

Shared

Quad Band/No

Quad Band/No

Quad Band/No

Quad Band/No

Quad Band/No

Frequency/Dual SIM GPRS/EDGE/3G Operating System Music Player/FM Radio Form Factor/T.Screen/QWERTY Burn test Rating

Price in Rs.

Yes/Yes/HSDPA,HSUPA Yes/Yes/HSDPA,HSUPA Yes/Yes/HSDPA,HSUPA Yes/Yes/HSDPA,HSUPA Yes/Yes/HSDPA,HSUPA

Android OS 2.3

Android OS, v2.3

Android OS v2.3

Android OS v2.3

Android OS 4.0

Quad Band/No

Quad Band/No

Yes/Yes/HSDPA

Yes/Yes/HSDPA

Android OS v2.2

Android OS v2.2

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Bar/Yes/No

Bar/Yes/No

Bar/Yes/No

Bar/Yes/No

Bar/Yes/No

Bar/Yes/No

Bar/Yes/No

82

NR

78

80

86

NR

NR

24,500

32,500

34,000

36,000

36,000

5,850

7,992

YMOBILE JUN 15 to JUL 14 2012 102 MY

MODELS

KARBONN

PARAMETERS Model

A7

Dimension (mm) Weight (grams)

NEW

NA

LAVA

A9

NEW

120 x 60.5 x 11.3

LG

S12

Optimus Me P350

L3 E400

Optimus One P500

Optimus Pro C660

117 x 57.5 x 13.4

108 x 57.5 x 12.2

102.6 x 61.6 x 11.85

113.5 x 59 x 13.3

119.5 x 59.7 x 12.9

NA

NA

120

110

110

129

129

4/100

4/200

10.8/590

11/626

12/600

8/550

13.5/852

Screen (colours)/Size (inch)

262,144/3.5

16million/3.8

262,144/3.2

262,144/2.8

262,144/3.2

262,144/3.2

262,144/2.8

Inbuilt/Expandable memory

512MB/32GB

512MB/32GB

120MB/32GB

155MB/32GB

1GB/32GB

170MB/32GB

170MB/32GB

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

5.0MP/Yes/Yes

5.0MP/Yes/Yes

5.0MP/No/Yes

3.15MP/No/Yes

3.2MP/No/Yes

3.15MP/No/Yes

3.15MP/No/Yes

Shared

Shared

Talktime/Standby (hours)

Bluetooth/Wi-Fi Camera/Flash/Video Phonebook Capacity Frequency/Dual SIM

Quad Band/GSM+GSM Quad Band/GSM+GSM

Shared

Shared

Shared

Shared

Shared

QuadBand/No

Quad Band/No

Quad Band/No

Quad Band/No

Quad Band/No

GPRS/EDGE/3G

Yes/Yes/HSDPA

Yes/Yes/HSDPA,HSUPA

Yes/Yes/HSDPA

Yes/Yes/HSDPA

Yes/Yes/HSDPA

Yes/Yes/HSDPA

Yes/Yes/HSDPA

Operating System

Android OS v2.3

Android OS v2.3

Android OS 2.2

Android OS v2.2

Android OS v2.3

Android OS v2.2

Android OS v2.3

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Bar/Yes/No

Bar/Yes/No

Bar/Yes/No

Bar/Yes/No

Bar/Yes/No

Bar/Yes/No

Bar/Yes/Yes

Music Player/FM Radio Form Factor/T.Screen/QWERTY Burn test Rating

NR

82

NR

NR

84

80

9,500

7,300

7,000

8,500

9,600

9,600

MODELS

Price in Rs.

NR 7,500

LG

PARAMETERS Model

Optimus Net P690

P698

E510

E730

Optimus Black P970

Optimus 2X

Optimus 3D

Dimension (mm)

113 x 59 x 11.7

114 x 59 x 11.7

113.4 x 60.8 x 11.9

122.5 x 62.5 x 9.8

122 x 64 x 9.2

123.9 x 63.2 x 10.9

128.8 x 68 x 11.9

Weight (grams)

121

124

123

107

109

139

168

Talktime/Standby (hours)

12/581

11.5/556

NA

18.5/496

6/375

14.5/421

13/450

Screen (colours)/Size (inch)

262,144/3.2

262,144/3.2

262,144/3.2

16million/3.8

16 million/4.0

16million/4.0

16million/4.3

Inbuilt/Expandable memory

150MB/32GB

160MB/32GB

Yes/32GB

1GB/32GB

2 GB/32GB

6.4GB/32GB

8GB/32GB

Bluetooth/Wi-Fi

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Camera/Flash/Video

3.15MP/No/Yes

3.2MP/No/Yes

5.0MP/No/Yes

5.0MP/No/Yes

5.0MP/Yes/Yes

8.0MP/Yes/Yes

5.0MP/Yes/Yes

Phonebook Capacity

Shared

Shared

Shared

Shared

Shared

Shared

Shared

Quad Band/N0

Quad Band/No

Quad Band/No

Quad Band/No

Quad Band/No

Frequency/Dual SIM

Quad Band/No

Quad Band/GSM+GSM

GPRS/EDGE/3G

Yes/Yes/HSDPA

Yes/Yes/HSDPA,HSUPA Yes/Yes/HSDPA,HSUPA Yes/Yes/HSDPA,HSUPA Yes/Yes/HSDPA,HSUPA Yes/Yes/HSDPA,HSUPA Yes/Yes/HSDPA,HSUPA

Operating System

Android OS v2.3

Music Player/FM Radio Form Factor/T.Screen/QWERTY Burn test Rating

Price in Rs.

Android OS v2.3

Android OS v2.3

Android OS v2.4

Android OS v2.2

Android OS v2.2

Android OS v2.2

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Bar/Yes/No

Bar/Yes/No

Bar/Yes/No

Bar/Yes/No

Bar/Yes/No

Bar/Yes/No

Bar/Yes/No

80

82

NR

NR

82

84

82

10,000

10,500

13,000

17,000

19,000

22,000

27,000

YMOBILE 103 JUN 15 to JUL 14 2012 MY

MODELS

myguide

MICROMAX

PARAMETERS Model

A50

Dimension (mm) Weight (grams)

NEW

113 x 61 x 13

MOTOROLA

A70

A75

A85

Fire

Fire XT

Milestone XT800

111 x 58 x 13.5

120 x 63.5 x 10.9

118.7 x 60.1 x 13.8

116.5 x 58 x 13.45

114 x 61.9 x 11.95

120 x 61.8 x 11.4

116

85

135.4

NA

110

84.3

137

4/240

4/168

5/288

3.2/250

7/504

9.7/720

5.4/100

Screen (colours)/Size (inch)

262,144/3.1

262,144/3.2

262,144/3.75

16million/3.8

262,144/2.8

262,144/3.5

16million/3.7

Inbuilt/Expandable memory

132MB/32GB

160MB/32GB

NA/32GB

8GB/32GB

512MB/32GB

512MB/32GB

1GB/32GB

Talktime/Standby (hours)

Bluetooth/Wi-Fi

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Camera/Flash/Video

2.0MP/No/Yes

5.0MP/No/Yes

3.0MP/Yes/Yes

5.0MP/No/Yes

3.15MP/No/Yes

5.0MP/Yes/Yes

5.0MP/Yes/Yes

Phonebook Capacity

Shared

Shared

Shared

Shared

Shared

Shared

1,000

Frequency/Dual SIM

Quad Band/GSM+GSM

Quad Band/No

Quad Band/GSM+GSM

Quad Band/No

Quad Band/No

Quad Band/No

Quad Band/GSM+CDMA

GPRS/EDGE/3G

Yes/Yes/HSDPA

Operating System

Android OS v2.3

Music Player/FM Radio Form Factor/T.Screen/QWERTY Burn test Rating

Android OS v2.2

Android OS, v2.3

Android OS, v2.3

Android OS, v2.3

Android OS, v2.3

Yes/Yes/Rev. A Android OS v2.1

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Bar/Yes/No

Bar/Yes/No

Bar/Yes/No

Bar/Yes/No

Bar/Yes/Yes

Bar/Yes/No

Bar/Yes/No

82

NR

NR

NR

82

84

80

4,990

7,800

8,600

13,200

8,500

9,500

15,500

MODELS

Price in Rs.

Yes/Yes/HSDPA,HSUPA Yes/Yes/HSDPA,HSUPA Yes/Yes/HSDPA,HSUPA Yes/Yes/HSDPA,HSUPA Yes/Yes/HSDPA,HSUPA

MOTOROLA

PARAMETERS Model

SAMSUNG

Defy+

Atrix 2

RazrXT 910

Galaxy Pocket 5300

Galaxy Y

Galaxy Y Colour

Galaxy Y Duos

Dimension (mm)

107 x 59 x 13.4

125.9 x 66.0 x 10.4

130.7 x 68.9 x 7.1

103.90 x 57.90 x 12.98

104.0 x 58.0 x 11.5

104.0 x 58.0 x 11.5

109.8 x 60 x 11.95

Weight (grams)

118

147

127

97

97.5

97.5

109

Talktime/Standby (hours)

7.10/384

8.9/3821

9.4/305

15.8/520

6/120

6/120

17.5/630

Screen (colours)/Size (inch)

16million/3.7

16million/4.3

262,144/4.3

262,144/2.8

262,144/3.0

262,144/3.0

262,144/3.1

Inbuilt/Expandable memory

2GB/32GB

8GB/32GB

16GB/32GB

3GB/32GB

160MB/32GB

160MB/32GB

160MB/32GB

Bluetooth/Wi-Fi

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Camera/Flash/Video

5.0/Yes/Yes

8.0MP/Yes/Yes

8.0MP/Yes/Yes

2.0MP/No/Yes

2.0MP/No/Yes

2.0MP/No/Yes

3.0MP/No/Yes

Phonebook Capacity

Shared

Shared

Shared

Shared

Shared

Shared

Shared

Quad Band/No

Quad Band/No

Quad Band/No

Frequency/Dual SIM GPRS/EDGE/3G Operating System Music Player/FM Radio Form Factor/T.Screen/QWERTY Burn test Rating

Price in Rs.

Quad Band/No

Quad Band/No

Quad Band/No

Quad Band/GSM+GSM

Yes/Yes/HSDPA,HSUPA Yes/Yes/HSDPA,HSUPA Yes/Yes/HSDPA,HSUPA

Yes/Yes/HSDPA

Yes/Yes/HSDPA

Yes/Yes/HSDPA

Yes/Yes/HSDPA

Android OS, v2.3

Android OS, v2.3

Android OS, v2.3

Android OS, v2.3

Android OS, v2.3

Android OS, v2.3

Android OS, v2.3

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/No

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Bar/Yes/No

Bar/Yes/No

Bar/Yes/No

Bar/No/Yes

Bar/Yes/No

Bar/Yes/No

Bar/Yes/No

82

NR

82

72

NR

NR

NR

16,000

22,500

29,500

6,900

7,300

7,600

9,000

YMOBILE JUN 15 to JUL 14 2012 104 MY

MODELS

SAMSUNG

PARAMETERS Model Dimension (mm) Weight (grams)

Galaxy Y Duos Pro 5512

5830 Galaxy Ace

Omnia W I8350

5830 Galaxy Ace Plus

I9003 Galaxy SL

110.8 x 63.5 x 11.9

112.4 x 59.9 x 11.5

115.6 x 58.8 x 10.9

114.7 x 62.5 x 11.2

123.7 x 64.2 x 10.59

Galaxy Tab2 310 NEW Galaxy S Plus I9001 193.7 x 122.4 x 10.5

122.4 x 64.2 x 9.9

112.3

113

115.3

114

131

345

119

19.16/740

12/520

7/370

11.1/660

12.8/750

30/NA

17.3/480

Screen (colours)/Size (inch)

262,144/2.6

16million/3.5

16million/3.7

262,144/3.7

16 million/4.0

7.0/16million

16million/4.0

Inbuilt/Expandable memory

512MB/32GB

158MB/32GB

8GB/No

2.7GB/32GB

4GB/32GB

16GB/32GB

16GB/32GB

Talktime/Standby (hours)

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Bluetooth/Wi-Fi

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Camera/Flash/Video

3.15MP/No/Yes

5.0MP/Yes/Yes

5.0MP/Yes/Yes

5.0MP/Yes/Yes

5.0MP/No/Yes

3.15MP/No/Yes

5.0MP/No/Yes

Phonebook Capacity

Shared

Shared

Shared

Shared

Shared

Shared

Shared

Quad Band/No

Quad Band/No

Quad Band/No

Quad Band/No

Quad Band/No

Frequency/Dual SIM

Quad Band/GSM+GSM

Quad Band/No

GPRS/EDGE/3G

Yes/Yes/HSDPA

Yes/Yes/HSDPA

Yes/Yes/HSDPA,HSUPA Yes/Yes/HSDPA,HSUPA Yes/Yes/HSDPA,HSUPA Yes/Yes/HSDPA,HSUPA Yes/Yes/HSDPA,HSUPA

Operating System

Android OS, v2.3

Android OS, v2.2

Windows Phone 7.5

Android OS, v2.3

Music Player/FM Radio Form Factor/T.Screen/QWERTY Burn test Rating

Android 4.0

Android OS, v2.3

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/No

Yes/Yes

Bar/Yes/Yes

Bar/Yes/No

Bar/Yes/No

Bar/Yes/No

Bar/Yes/No

Bar/Yes/No

Bar/Yes/No

NR

82

84

NR

NR

80

NR

9,500

11,400

15,100

15,500

19,000

19,500

21,000

MODELS

Price in Rs.

Android OS, v2.2

Yes/Yes

SAMSUNG

PARAMETERS Model Dimension (mm) Weight (grams)

Galaxy Advance i9070 NEW

Galaxy Tab620

Galaxy SII i9100

123.20 x 63.00 x 9.79 193.65 x 122.37 x 9.96 125.30 x 66.10 x 8.49 120

345

116

Galaxy Note

Galaxy Tab 730

Tab 10.1 1750

Galaxy Tab 680

146.9 x 83 x 9.7

230.9 x 157.8 x 8.6

256.7 x 175.3 x 8.6

196.7 x 133 x 7.89

178

453

565

340

15.5/690

40/1000

19.3/710

6/100

NA/1750

9/NA

20/1200

Screen (colours)/Size (inch)

16million/4.0

16million/7.0

16million/4.27

16million/5.3

16million/8.9

16million/10.1

16million/7.7

Inbuilt/Expandable memory

8GB/32GB

16GB/MicroSD

16GB/32GB

16GB/32GB

16GB/No

16GB/No

16GB/32GB

Talktime/Standby (hours)

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Camera/Flash/Video

5.0MP/Yes/Yes

3.0MP/No/Yes

8.0MP/Yes/Yes

8.0MP/Yes/Yes

2.0MP/No/Yes

3.2MP/No/Yes

3.0MP/Yes/Yes

Phonebook Capacity

Shared

Shared

Shared

Shared

Shared

Shared

Shared

Quad Band/No

Quad Band/No

Quad Band/No

Quad Band/No

Quad Band/No

Quad Band/No

Quad Band/No

Bluetooth/Wi-Fi

Frequency/Dual SIM GPRS/EDGE/3G Operating System Music Player/FM Radio Form Factor/T.Screen/QWERTY Burn test Rating

Price in Rs.

Yes/Yes/HSDPA,HSUPA Yes/Yes/HSDPA,HSUPA Yes/Yes/HSDPA,HSUPA Yes/Yes/HSDPA,HSUPA Yes/Yes/HSDPA,HSUPA Yes/Yes/HSDPA,HSUPA Yes/Yes/HSDPA,HSUPA

Android 2.3

Android OS, v3.2

Android OS, v2.3

Android OS, v2.3

Android OS, v3.1

Android OS, v3.1

Android OS, v3.2

Yes/Yes

Yes/No

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/No

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Bar/Yes/No

Bar/Yes/No

Bar/Yes/No

Bar/Yes/No

Bar/Yes/No

Bar/Yes/No

Bar/Yes/No

NR

84

NR

80

NR

82

NR

22,500

26,000

27,000

31,000

32,500

34,000

36,312

YMOBILE 105 JUN 15 to JUL 14 2012 MY

MODELS

myguide

PARAMETERS

SAMSUNG

SONY ERICSSON

Model

Galaxy SIII

W8

Xperia Mini

Live with Walkman

Xperia Mini Pro

Xperia Active

Xperia Neo V

Dimension (mm)

136.6 x 70.6 x 8.6

99.0 × 54.0 × 15.0

92 x 53 x 18

106 x 56 x 14.2

92 x 53 x 18

106 x 60 x 14.5

116 x 57 x 13

Weight (grams)

133

104

136

115

136

95

126

NEW

22.5/830

4.75/446

5.4/331

6.7/350

5.4/331

3.2/416

6.9/430

Screen (colours)/Size (inch)

16million/4.8

16.7million/3.0

16.7million/3.0

16million/3.2

16.7million/3.0

16million/3.0

16million/3.7

Inbuilt/Expandable memory

16GB/64GB

128MB/16GB

320MB/16GB

320MB/32GB

320MB/16GB

120MB/32GB

1GB/32GB

Talktime/Standby (hours)

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Camera/Flash/Video

8.0MP/Yes/Yes

3.2MP/No/Yes

5.0MP/Yes/Yes

5.0MP/Yes/Yes

5.0MP/Yes/Yes

5.0MP/Yes/Yes

5.0MP/Yes/Yes

Phonebook Capacity

Shared

Shared

Shared

Shared

Shared

Shared

Shared

Quad Band/No

Quad Band/No

Quad Band/No

Quad Band/No

Quad Band/No

Quad Band/No

Bluetooth/Wi-Fi

Frequency/Dual SIM

Quad Band/No

GPRS/EDGE/3G

Yes/Yes/HSPA+

Operating System Music Player/FM Radio Form Factor/T.Screen/QWERTY Burn test Rating

Android OS v2.1

Android OS 2.3

Android OS 2.3

Android OS 2.3

Android OS 2.3

Android OS 2.3

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Bar/Yes/No

Bar/Yes/No

Bar/Yes/No

Bar/Yes/No

Slider/Yes/Yes

Bar/Yes/No

Bar/Yes/No

82

86

82

78

NR

NR

NR

41,500

9,400

13,800

14,600

14,700

16,000

17,500

MODELS

Price in Rs.

Android 4.0

Yes/Yes/HSDPA,HSUPA Yes/Yes/HSDPA,HSUPA Yes/Yes/HSDPA,HSUPA Yes/Yes/HSDPA,HSUPA Yes/Yes/HSDPA,HSUPA Yes/Yes/HSDPA,HSUPA

SONY ERICSSON

PARAMETERS

SONY

Xperia Ray

Xperia Pro

Arc S

R800i Xperia Play

Xperia U

Dimension (mm)

111 x 53 x 9.4

120 x 57 x 13.7

125 x 63 x 8.7

119.0 x 62.0 x 16.0

112 x 54 x 12

116.0 x 59.0 x 9.9

122 x 59.5 x 10.5

Weight (grams)

100

142

117

175

110

107

120

6.8/430

6.9/430

7.4/460

8.25/625

6.6/472

6/475

6/475

Screen (colours)/Size (inch)

16million/3.3

16million/3.7

16million/4.2

16 million/4.0

16million/3.5

16million/3.7

16million/4.0

Inbuilt/Expandable memory

300MB/32GB

1GB/32GB

1GB/32GB

512MB/32GB

8GB/No

8GB/32GB

16GB/No

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Camera/Flash/Video

8.0MP/Yes/Yes

8.0MP/Yes/Yes

8.0MP/Yes/Yes

5.0MP/Yes/Yes

5.0MP/Yes/Yes

5.0MP/Yes/Yes

5.0MP/Yes/Yes

Phonebook Capacity

Shared

Shared

Shared

Shared

Shared

Shared

Shared

Frequency/Dual SIM

Quad Band/No

Quad Band/No

Quad Band/No

Quad Band/No

Quad Band/No

Quad Band/No

Quad Band/No

Model

Talktime/Standby (hours)

Bluetooth/Wi-Fi

GPRS/EDGE/3G Operating System Music Player/FM Radio Form Factor/T.Screen/QWERTY Burn test Rating

Price in Rs.

NEW

Xperia Sola

NEW

Xperia P

NEW

Yes/Yes/HSDPA,HSUPA Yes/Yes/HSDPA,HSUPA Yes/Yes/HSDPA,HSUPA Yes/Yes/HSDPA,HSUPA Yes/Yes/HSDPA,HSUPA Yes/Yes/HSDPA,HSUPA Yes/Yes/HSDPA,HSUPA

Android OS, v2.3

Android OS, v2.3

Android OS, v2.3

Android OS, v2.3

Android 2.3

Android 2.3

Android 2.3

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Bar/Yes/No

Slider/Yes/Yes

Bar/Yes/No

Bar/Yes/No

Bar/Yes/No

Bar/Yes/No

Bar/Yes/No

NR

NR

82

84

NR

80

82

18,699

19,500

25,000

31,000

17,000

20,100

24,500

YMOBILE JUN 15 to JUL 14 2012 106 MY

MODELS

CDMA

SONY

PARAMETERS Model

Tablet S Wi-Fi

Dimension (mm) Weight (grams) Talktime/Standby (hours)

Tablet S 3G+Wi-Fi

241.2 x 174.3 x 10.1-20.6 241.2 x 174.3 x 10.1-20.6

598

598

SPICE

CDMA

Tablet P

Xperia S

Mi 280

MI 350N

Samsung Hero Plus 159

180 x 79 x 28

128 x 64 x 10.6

105.5 x 57 x 12.9

116 x 61 x12.75

108.5 x 45.8 x 13.3

372

144

96

136

70

11/430

11/430

NA/120

7.5/450

3.3/150

5/200

3/230

Screen (colours)/Size (inch)

16million/9.4

16million/9.4

16million/5.5

16million/4.3

262,144/2.8

262,144/3.5

65,536/1.52

Inbuilt/Expandable memory

16GB/32GB

16GB/32GB

4GB/32GB

32GB/No

134MB/32GB

170MB/32GB

597KB/No

Bluetooth/Wi-Fi

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

No/No

Camera/Flash/Video

5.0MP/No/Yes

5.0MP/No/Yes

5.0MP/No/No

12.0MP/Yes/Yes

3.2MP/No/Yes

3.2MP/No/Yes

No/No/No

Phonebook Capacity

Shared

Shared

Shared

Shared

Shared

Shared

1,000

Frequency/Dual SIM

NA

Quad Band/No

Quad Band/No

Quad Band/No

GPRS/EDGE/3G

NA

Operating System Music Player/FM Radio Form Factor/T.Screen/QWERTY Burn test Rating

Android OS, v3.1

Android OS, v3.2

Android OS, v4.0

Dual Band/NO

Dual Band/GSM+GSM

CDMA/No

Yes/Yes/HSDPA

Yes/Yes/HSDPA

No/No/No

Android OS, v2.3

Android OS, v2.3

BREW

Yes/No

Yes/No

Yes/No

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

No/Yes

Bar/Yes/No

Bar/Yes/No

Clamshell/Yes/No

Bar/Yes/No

Bar/Yes/No

Bar/Yes/No

Bar/No/No

82

82

NR

82

NR

NR

NR

21,000

26,000

32,000

32,000

5,600

8,500

1,000

Samsung B379

Samsung B339

MODELS

Price in Rs.

Android OS, v3.1

Yes/Yes/HSDPA,HSUPA Yes/Yes/HSDPA,HSUPA Yes/Yes/HSDPA,HSUPA

CDMA

PARAMETERS Model

Samsung B209

Samsung B229

Dimension (mm)

108.0 x 44.8 x 14.3

108 x 44.38 x 14.20

105 x 44 x 13

NA

108 x 45.4 x 14.7

109.5 x 45.4 x 14.2

108.20 x 47.1 x 14.35

Weight (grams)

72.3

72

71

NA

NA

75

75.7

4.3/470

6.5/720

3.3/250

3.3/212

3/257

4.3/470

4.3/470

Screen (colours)/Size (inch)

65,536/1.52

65,536/1.5

65,536/1.5

65,536/1.5

65,536/1.52

65,536/1.5

65,536/1.52

Inbuilt/Expandable memory

351KB/No

450KB/No

NA/No

NA/No

1MB/No

351KB/No

351KB/No

No/No

No/No

No/No

No/No

No/No

No/No

Yes/Yes

Camera/Flash/Video

No/No/No

No/No/No

No/No/No

No/No/No

No/No/No

No/No/No

No/No/No

Phonebook Capacity

1,000

1,000

500

500

500

1,000

1,000

Frequency/Dual SIM

CDMA/No

CDMA/No

CDMA/No

CDMA/No

CDMA/No

CDMA/No

CDMA/No

GPRS/EDGE/3G

Talktime/Standby (hours)

Bluetooth/Wi-Fi

Samsung Hero B189 Samsung Superstar Samsung Hero B319

No/No/No

No/No/No

No/No/No

No/No/No

No/No/No

No/No/No

No/No/No

Operating System

BREW

BREW

BREW

BREW

BREW

BREW

BREW

Music Player/FM Radio

No/No

No/No

No/No

No/No

No/Yes

No/Yes

Yes/Yes

Bar/No/No

Bar/No/No

Bar/No/No

Bar/No/No

Bar/No/No

Bar/No/No

Bar/No/No

NR

NR

NR

NR

NR

NR

NR

1,100

1,200

1,399

1,399

1,499

1,500

1,800

Form Factor/T.Screen/QWERTY Burn test Rating

Price in Rs.

YMOBILE 107 JUN 15 to JUL 14 2012 MY

MODELS

myguide

CDMA

PARAMETERS

Samsung Guru Dual Samsung Duos 169 CDMA

Model

Samsung Guru 539

Samsung Guru Muzik 219

Dimension (mm)

109.6 x 44.9 x 14.0

112 x 46.3 x 15.3

114.9 x 47.8 x 14.1

Weight (grams)

77.5

NA

86.7

Talktime/Standby (hours)

Mpower TV 239

MTS Live Wire

MTS M-Tag

115.5 x 48 x 15.9

118.5 x 50 x 12.45

198 x 54 x 13

113 x 54 x 12

110

87

NA

98

6/720

4/230

6.5/300

4.5/250

4.4/420

3/200

4.4/200

Screen (colours)/Size (inch)

65,536/1.77

65,536/1.7

65,536/2.0

65,536/2.2

262,144/2.4

262,144/2.8

262,144/2.8

Inbuilt/Expandable memory

2.5MB/4+4GB

14MB/2GB

7.41MB/4GB

42MB/8GB

85MB/16GB

256MB/32GB

170MB/32GB

Bluetooth/Wi-Fi

No/No

Yes/No

Yes/No

Yes/No

YesNo

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Camera/Flash/Video

No/No/No

1.3MP/No/Yes

No/No/No

VGA/No/Yes

1.3MP/No/Yes

3.2MP/No/Yes

3.2MP/No/Yes

Phonebook Capacity

1,000

1,000

1,000

1,000

2,000

Shared

Shared

Frequency/Dual SIM GPRS/EDGE/3G Operating System Music Player/FM Radio Form Factor/T.Screen/QWERTY Burn test Rating

CDMA/No Yes/No/No

Yes/No/No

BREW

BREW

NA

Dual Band/GSM+CDMA Dual Band/CDMA+GSM

CDMA/No

Yes/Yes/CDMA 1X Yes/Yes/EVDO Rev.0 BREW

BREW

CDMA/No

CDMA/No

Yes/Yes/HSDPA

Yes/Yes/HSDPA

Android OS, v2.2

Android OS, v2.2

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Bar/No/No

Bar/No/No

Bar/No/No

Bar/No/No

Bar/No/No

Bar/Yes/No

Bar/Yes/No

NR

NR

NR

NR

NR

NR

NR

2,336

2,700

3,500

4,500

4,600

4,999

5,499

MODELS

Price in Rs.

CDMA/No Yes/Yes/CDMA1X

CDMA

PARAMETERS

Blackberry Curve Blackberry 9670 Style CDMA 9350

Primo Duos

Samsung TXT M369

Galaxy Pop CDMA

Blackberry 8530

Galaxy Ace Duos I589

Dimension (mm)

118.8 x 49.9 x 14.07

112x60.95x11.96

110.9 x 60.6 x 12.1

109 x 60 x 13.9

112.4 x 59.9 x 12.44

109 x 60 x 11

96 x 60 x 18.5

Weight (grams)

103

102.3

106.6

105

125

99

131

Model

Talktime/Standby (hours)

6.67/160

4.5/420

5/320

4.5/252

7/300

NA

4.5/252

Screen (colours)/Size (inch)

262,144/2.4

262,144/2.2

262,144/3.14

65,536/NA

16million/3.5

NA/2.44

65,536/NA

Inbuilt/Expandable memory

75MB/-

104MB/16GB

164MB/microSD

256MB/32GB

512MB/32GB

512MB/32GB

512MB/32GB

Bluetooth/Wi-Fi

Yes/Yes

Yes/No

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

YesYes

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Camera/Flash/Video

2.0MP/No/Yes

2.0MP/No/Yes

3.15MP/No/Yes

2.0MP/NA/Yes

3.15MP/No/Yes

5.0MP/Yes/Yes

5.0MP/Yes/Yes

Phonebook Capacity

Shared

2,000

Shared

Shared

Shared

Shared

Shared

Frequency/Dual SIM

Dual Band/GSM+CDMA

CDMA/No

CDMA/No

CDMA/No

Dual Band/CDMA+GSM

CDMA/No

CDMA/No

Yes/Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes/EVDO RevA

Yes/Yes/No

Yes/Yes/Rev.A

Yes/Yes/No

Yes/Yes/Rev. A

BREW

BREW

Android OS 2.2

BlackBerry OS

Android OS, v2.3

BlackBerry OS7

BlackBerry OS

GPRS/EDGE/3G Operating System Music Player/FM Radio Form Factor/T.Screen/QWERTY Burn test Rating

Price in Rs.

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/No

Yes/Yes

Yes/No

Yes/No

Bar/No/No

Bar/No/Yes

Bar/Yes/No

Bar/No/Yes

Bar/Yes/No

Bar/No/Yes

Clamshell/No/Yes

NR

NR

NR

NR

82

NR

NR

5100

6,000

8,900

12,400

16,900

20,990

22,500

YMOBILE JUN 15 to JUL 14 2012 108 MY

persona

www.mymobile.co.in

Ten Things You Might Not Know About…

Tim Cook, CEO, Apple

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

His father was a shipyard worker and his mother was a homemaker. He had a modest upbringing in Albama where he was born on November 1, 1960.

He is known for being soft spoken and being very private. Not much is known about his personal habits.

He puts a strong emphasis on personal fitness and exercises regularly.

This includes working out at a gym and also outdoor activities such as bicycling and hiking.

He is a devoted fan of the Auburn University football team and has been involved with the program since his graduation from the institution in 1982.

His favourite book is ‘Competing against Time’ by George Stalk Jr. and Thomas M. Hout. He loves this book so much that he often gives out copies of it to his colleagues.

Cook was recruited by Steve Jobs personally in 1998 to join Apple. Little did he know he would take the CEO’s place one day.

One of the people he admires is the astronaut Lance Armstrong.

In sartorial matters, Cook prefers a more business-casual approach, wearing jeans with a simple shirt although he does frequently wear Nike shoes.

He may be the CEO of the company that most people identify with Palo Alto, but he prefers living in rented accommodation - nope, he does not live in his own house.

He’s also on the Board of Directors of Nike, where he took lessons in marketing from Phil Knight, the founder of Nike. *Disclaimer: The information has been collected from the public domain and not from an interview with Tim Cook.

jun 15 to jul 14 2012 MYMOBILE 109

They said it

Talk Time...

“There’s expertise all over the world in this. We’re putting money and asking people to come up with a cheap design. And, actually this August we have scientists, engineers from all over the world come and tell us (on this).”

-Bill Gates

co-chair of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and chairman of Microsoft, on his ultimate dream to develop low cost toilets

“The target is one nation full mobile number portability and working towards one nation free roaming,” -Kapil Sibal

Minister of Human Resource Development and Minister of Communications and Information Technology on the new telecom policy

“In 2008, there were four billion mobile subscriptions. By 2017 there will be close to nine billion subscriptions. With this kind of mobility and connectivity everywhere, there will be no differentiation between a business user and a private user.”

-HANS VESTBERG

president & CEO Ericsson-At a briefing for journalists in SanFrancisco

“Very powerful forces that have lined up against the open Internet on all sides and around the world. I am more worried than I have been in the past. It’s scary.”

“The Galaxy SIII is inspired by nature and human capabilities. It is effortlessly smart and intuitively simple by design.”

-B.D Park

President and CEO, South West Asia said on the launch of Samsung Galaxy SIII

-Sergey Brin

co-founder, Google talking against the attack on the freedom and openness of the Internet, in an interview to The Guardian

“With the increasing consumption of Internet and the rise of social media it makes ample sense to be present on the medium where people are spending time at present or they are likely to spend time in the future.”

-Ritesh Ghosal

head of brand marketing at Tata Teleservices on the launch of the “Twittcom” Twitter app for VAS by Tata DOCOMO

110 MYMOBILE may 15 to jun 14 2012

rumour mill

Talk Google, Apple war over maps

Although we have not yet seen it happen, rumours are rife that Apple will drop Google Maps from the next edition of iOS which is being expected even as we got to print. Google has reacted by strengthening Google Maps and Google Earth for Android, incorporating features like offline navigation (letting you navigate even when you are not connected to a cellular network) and 3D views. Incidentally, Apple is believed to be preparing its own mapping and navigation software that many believe will feature 3D imagery in a large scale.

A related debate is whether if Apple does remove Google Maps from iOS, Google will react by not releasing a Google Maps app for iOS. Whatever happens, the rivalry between these two tech companies shows no sign of diminishing.

Is RIM killing the 16 GB PlayBook?

It’s dramatic price cut might have made it a rage in the Indian market towards the end of the last year, but we are now hearing rumours that RIM is going to be officially discontinuing the 16GB edition of the PlayBook, and stick with the 32GB and 64GB

in Tech Corners

versions in the coming days. Evidently the lower profit margins in the 16GB model could spell its doom. Consumers will, of course, be keeping their fingers crossed that the news is false - everyone loves a tablet that retails at Rs 13,990.

Facebook’s next target - Opera!

It has grabbed Instagram and if what we hear is correct, Mark Zuckerberg’s Social Network is all set to gobble Norwegian browser maker Opera next. Talk of negotiations between the two companies has been making the rounds in tech circles, and many believe that Zuckerberg is actually ready to splurge out more than $ 1 billion to grab opera which would give Facebook access to various versions of the Opera browser, which across different platforms. Would it lead to the development of a Facebook browser? We don’t know but we are watching this rumoured deal with some interest.

...and another iPhone rumour!

No issue would be complete without talk of the next iPhone (whatever Apple chooses to call it). Well, the latest rumour , courtesy of a

video that claims to show the back cover of the next iPhone, says that the device will be significantly larger (four inches at least, judging by the video) and will also have a smaller dock connector as well as repositioned audio jack. Could those rumours of a large screened iPhone be true? We don’t know - what we DO know is that this is not the last rumour we have heard about the device.

Has MS cut HTC out of Windows RT plans?

There is talk that Microsoft might have left HTC out of its plans for Windows RT, the version of Windows 8 that is supposed to run on mobile devices powered by the ARM processor. Although neither party has confirmed if this has indeed happened, we have heard people saying that Microsoft was unhappy with HTC’s plans to place a Sense-like interface over the next edition of Windows. Cynics suggest that the decision to drop HTC (if indeed taken) might have more to do with the company’s slipping fortunes of late. Conspiracy theorists, of course, sense that Nokia - which is now allied with Microsoft - might have had more than a say in the matter. Speaking for ourselves, we hope this is not true - the more manufacturers, the merrier! n

team@mymobile.co.in

jun 15 to jul 14 2012 MYMOBILE 111

consumer forum Complaint 1 I bought a Nokia E7 a year ago.

One day it got drenched in water.

I took it to the company and they informed me that they wil charge Rs 8,000 to fix the device, I was ready to pay but after 15 days they called me and said that they could not repair it, without giving me any reason.

I am ready to pay any amount but want my phone repaired as soon as possible.

-Ravindra Pusam Nokia’s Reply We are looking into the matter.

could not help me in this. Please help.

-Babu Khan Vodafone's Reply Awaited

Complaint 4 I am an Airtel customer for the past four years. In the months of March and April 2012 my balance was deducted by the operator in lieu of theAirtel TV service.

Complaint 2 I am again writing to you to highlight my problem with the largest private telecom operator in India.

Following is my case: I had asked for surrendering my connection on 12.12.2012.

After four months, I received a mail from Airtel which was a bill to my already surrendered connections.

They even hounded my house 3 - 4 times last month to clear my 'dues' with them. Till date I am receiving e-bill for my data card every month!

Despite all the acknowledgements and proofs, there is no respite for me. I would request you to highlight this issue and resolve it.

-Shaunak Basu, Airtel’s Reply As per the customer care's telephonic discussion with the undersigned, please be informed that the mentioned account is already disconnected permanently.

Also, the outstanding amount against the accounts stands NIL. Consumer’s Reply The issue is now resolved.

Complaint 3 I have a Vodafone number and Samsung Champ Deluxe DUOS C3312 handset. The probem with my number is that every time I insert my SIM or switch my mobile on/off, Rs 1.5 get deducted from the account.

I have shown the handset to the customer care centre but they

same with our customer.

Consumer’s Reply Awaited

Complaint 5 I am a customer of Reliance Communications. I switched over to this network in February this year because I was facing problems in accessing the Internet on my BSNL network.

However, as soon as I shifted to Reliance I have started facing the problem of balance deduction. Everytime I recharge my connection, Rs 90 get deducted from my phone automatically and without any prior information or notification.

I have tried to contact customer care many a time before but they have been of no help.

I am really very furious with this indifferent and careless behaviour of the customer care.

I have paid for the services but I am not getting the promised standards of service which is not acceptable. To make the matter worse no one is willing to resolve my problem!

I want to highlight my problem through your platform and would request you to get it resolved as early as possible.

Secondly, there is a need to make the operator realise that the customer care is for helping the customer not for diconnecting their calls. If my issue would not get resolved, I will take this to court.

-Apoorva Mukesh Reliance’s Reply We tried but could not reach the consumer. Send an alternative number.

Complaint 7

However, I had never subscribed to these services and all the deductions have been done without my consent.

I contacted customer care of the operator many times asking them to stop this service but the deductions kept happening. The staff did not help me in any way and all my complaints have been ineffective in getting my issue resolved.

I want this service to be stopped and my money to be returned or else I will have to shift to another network.

L.V.Thang Airtel's Reply We would like to share that the highlighted concern has been resolved. We have confirmed the

112 MYMOBILE jun 15 to jul 14 2012

Please help me in getting my money back and stopping these deductions further.

-Dinesh Rajpurohit Reliance's Reply Awaited

Complaint 6 I am a user of Reliance Netconnect services. Although these are called broadband services, the biggest issue that I am facing is of slow speed.

Whenever I check the speed it is well below the promised figure.

As a result I can neither browse the web properly nor view videos using this connection. When I tried to compliant to the customer care, Mahesh picked up the phone but then dicsonnected it without listening to my problem.

I belong to Lalbagh, Murshidabad, West Bengal and have been using Tata Photon for many years. I recharged my dongle with Rs 199 on March 14, 2012 through flexirecharge (Pay World) but the recharge was not successful.

I have complained several times to the operator but failed in getting my issue resolved. Please help me. I want the operator to either recharge my account with the said amount or return my money.

-Nirmalya Pal TATA’s Reply Awaited

Are you being harassed by a celco that doesn’t hear your plea? Email your issues to consumer-forum@my mobile.co.in and we will take up your cause with the concerned company.

Kindly mention your contact number at the end of the Email so that we can get in touch with you. Whenever possible, also provide us complete details of the correspondence with the celco.

va n ta g e p o i n t

How To Select A Memory Card For Your Digital Camera?

O

ther than a camera and lens, a memory card is the most important piece of equipment in your photography toolkit.

A memory card does much more than simply store photos, it determines what kind of images you can create. When selecting a memory card for your camera, you should know the differences between popular card formats, determine how much storage you need, and understand the role card speed plays when capturing photos and videos.

Match Your Card Format

The vast majority of digital cameras use either Secure Digital (SD) cards or CompactFlash cards. Pioneered by SanDisk nearly 20 years ago and commonly used in DSLRs, CompactFlash cards often deliver the fastest performance and largest storage capacities, although SD cards have closed much of the gap in recent years. The SD format offers performance and capacity levels for everyone from beginning photographers to elite pros.

The amount of digital content a CompactFlash or SD card can store, and is measured in gigabytes. When deciding how much capacity to purchase, consider how often you will shoot, how long each shooting session will last, what file sizes your camera will produce and whether you will be shooting video.

An eight megapixel JPG might consume only two megabytes (MB) of storage, but a high-resolution RAW image can reach 24MB or more; and just 10 minutes of Full HD 1080p MPEG-4 video can consume up to four GB of

space. Casual compact camera users can get by with an 8GB card but DSLR users should opt for at least a 16GB version, or even higher if they plan on capturing video.

Maximum Speed For Photos

Speed determines how many images you can capture during a shooting sequence, what quality of video you can record and how quickly you can transfer your images to a computer. A card’s speed measures the maximum sequential speed at which you can perform certain functions. “Write” speed indicates how quickly you can write data to the memory card. “Read” speed indicates how quickly you can transfer data from the memory card to a host device.

Cards that write faster minimize lag time between shots. This is especially important when using burst mode to shoot images that require precise timing such as a batter hitting a baseball, a bird in flight or a racecar crossing the finish line.

Read speed measures how quickly a card can transfer data to another device. A card that reads at 45 megabytes per second (MB/ sec) can take five minutes to transfer 12 gigabytes of files, while a card that reads at 95MB/ sec can transfer those same files in roughly half the time. Faster read speed is convenient for general users and critical for professional workflows involving tight deadlines and large amounts of data.

Sustained Speed For Videos

Unlike photos, which flood the memory card

114 MYMOBILE jun 15 to jul 14 2012

with lots of data in a single instant, videos create a sustained stream of data that lasts for the duration of a recording. Large image files need fast write speeds, while videos require a minimum sustained write speed for recording. A memory card’s ability to record video is measured by its video-capture rating.

Compact Flash cards sometimes display a video performance guarantee (VPG), which means that the card is fast enough to handle demanding video applications such as professional Full HD broadcasting. SD cards often display a “class” rating, which measures the minimum sustained write speed required for uninterrupted video recording. A card’s class rating indicates its minimum guaranteed datatransfer rate, measured in MB/sec. Always check your camera’s requirements for capturing video and then choose a memory card with enough speed.

Match The Card To Your Camera When selecting a memory card, follow this rule – match the card to your camera’s features. If your camera can record Full HD videos, then make sure your card can too. If your camera can shoot in burst mode, make sure your card’s write speed is fast enough to handle the flood of images. n Susan Park, director, retail product marketing, of SanDisk (Disclaimer: the views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not reflect the stance of the magazine)

RNI REG NO./DELENG/2005/15033 DL (ND) - 11/6100/2012-13-14 (Posting Date 19-20 of every month)