low-res-pdf-aug-2011 by Aman Saxena

www.mymobile.co.in

aug 15 to sep 14 2011  Rs 60 tm

for a connected lifestyle

Tablet tell All Which is the best tablet of them all? P 28

æ E-Tailing

Are you ready to go virtual shopping? P 80

æ High in

the Sky

Cloud computing is the future P 78

æ Exc

lusive

Samsung Gala xy 10.1 tested P 76 Tab

æ Reviewed

HTC ChaCha, Acer Liquid Mini, Huawei Ideos X5 and many more P 56

æ The love

guru

Tips & tricks to spice up your love life P 38

æ Phone of the month Nokia X1-01

P 56

first call

volution - a process that changed us from tree swinging apes to a strong species that today is at the top of the global food chain. Evolution comes naturally to us and that is why it is also seen in everything that we create. Telecommunications is one such field that has been greatly benefitted by our constant need to improve and innovate. From mobile devices to cellular networks, we have seen evolution taking us from a mere voice market to an extensive data one. Similarly, mobile phones have evolved from mere calling devices to full fledged entertainment and connectivity solutions. And the latest stage in this evolutionary process is the ‘age of the tablets’. Yes, these exquisite, sleek and smart devices promise an experience beyond ordinary imagination and can change the way you look at mobility today. But what are these tablets? Do they really serve the purpose? Are these long term phenomenon or just a bubble waiting to burst? What are their benefits? And how to choose the best among the rest? If these questions keep doing rounds in your mind, then our cover story for this issue is for you. This month we explore the world of tablets and bring a comparison of the best tabs that are available in the market today. Another rather revolutionary technology that is all set to change the world is cloud computing. In our ‘Cell Clues’ segment, we give you an all-you-need-to-know feature that will give you a peek into what the future holds for us. Why only technology? Even the tariffs are undergoing constant change and innovation. You have seen and heard about individual premium connections and corporate accounts, but now, tariffs have gone the family way! Our ‘Spotlight’ story sheds light on the latest offerings of family pack that might have you running to your nearest operator store, just to get these activated. Enough about evolution and if you thought that mobility cannot bring about revolution think again. Mobile devices are potent weapons of social betterment and have played a crucial role in effectively uniting people from varied regions, religions and cultures to work toward one objective - a free and fair world. Our ‘In focus’ feature sheds light on how these mini maestros, have changed the history of mankind. As always, we keep our promise to bring you the reviews of the latest and the best devices that come to the market. And the highlights of this month are the tablets that have hit or are going to hit the Indian market. Apart from the HCL ME AM7-A1, HTC Flyer, Acer Iconia A500 and W500, we bring you an exclusive review of the newly launched Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1. So this independence day, you are welcome to fly through the mobility world and experience the true feeling of freedom.

EDITORIAL Pankaj Mohindroo |

Editor-in-Chief

D ES I G N Ajit | Consultant Art Director Ajit Kumar Parashar | Graphic Designer

CIRCULATION Amit Prakash | Circulation Manager Anjani Kumari | Corporate Sales Executive

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.

Pankaj Mohindroo editor-in-chief

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 VII Issue VII, august 15 To september 14, 2011

04 MYMOBILE aug 15 to sep 14 2011

content

spotlight

How mobiles are being used to usher social change, be it in the Jessica Lal case or the support for Anna campaign

lead Story

Tablet Wars - unraveling the best tablet available in the Indian market

cell-ebrity

Chief Speak

TV reality show actress Claudia shares her love for gadgets

Javier Olivan, head of international growth at Facebook talks about Facebook for all phones

Tips and Tricks on how to improve your love life through your mobile handset

38 Face To Face Ahmed Ali Alhashmi, chief commercial officer, Etisalat DB Telecom Pvt. Ltd. shares their plans for the Indian market Deepak Chandnani, CEO, Obopay talks about the company's services and the mobile payment scenario in India Letters

Consumer Forum

Mobile Doctor

News

Samartha Raghava Nagabhushanam, founder & CEO, Smart Sky Electronics & Research Pvt. Ltd. discusses the future of mobile designs M.S. Malik, managing director, Ice3 Mobiles, reveals the current product portfolio of the the company and their future plans

06 MYMOBILE aug 15 to sep 14 2011

18 36 40 52

content

smart apps

my guide

93 Boredom Busters From cracking nuts to killing zombies and chasing out Ninjas do all these with interesting mobile games

Simplify your wedding plans, read magazines on the go & protect your phone from viruses

just in

sneak peek

HTC Salsa, Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9 and Sony Ericsson Xperia Mini Pro hit the Indian market

LG Optimus 3D and Nokia C6-02 are some of the promising devices to look forward to

BURN TESTS Nokia X1-01 Byond by501 LAVa M30 rage smart acer liquid mini huawei ideos x5 nokia e6 htc chacha hcl am7-a1 Acer iconia a500 htc flyer acer iconia w500 samsung galaxy tab 10.1

cell clues

56 57 58 59 60 62 64 66 68 70 72 74 76

Clearing the clouds about what cloud computing and revealing what's next in store for this technology

in focus

Et cetera The craze for online shopping for mobiles is spreading like wildfire in India

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

08 MYMOBILE aug 15 to sep 14 2011

The new trends of family packs

Samsung Smart TV, Mobile sanitiser, Transcend PF830 Digital Photo Frame, Netgear NeoTV and Plantronics K100

82 service Review Face off between Tata Teleservices and Idea Cellular to find out who gives a better service

letters I would like to thank you for the article ‘Fast and Affordable’ published in your magazine. It was really handy for me because I was looking  for a 3G device in the mid range 3G SPEED-TEST Full-too or Faltoo price category. The detailed information given in the magazine helped me a lot. Being a student, I like to carry the best and trendy mobile phone but my pocket does not allow  TESTED 8 THINGS EXCLUSIVE HOT AND me to spend too much on that. The THAT TELL STYLISH REVIEW YOU THAT article gave detailed information of best and affordable 3G phones available in the market. I am very happy with the kind of work My Mobile is delivering as it really helps people who need advice on Mobile phones. -Mansi Mehta, Bhubaneshwar JUL 15 to AUG 14 2011  Rs 60

www.mymobile.co.in

FOR A CONNECTED LIFESTYLE

P 28

Phone of the month SAMSUNG GALAXY POP P 60

BlackBerry Playbook, LG Optimus Black, HTC Wildfire S, Samsung Nexus S, HTC Sensation and many more P 54

YOU ARE BEING DUMPED! P 36

ACCESSORIES THAT WILL MAKE YOU MOBILE PHONE AS GOOD AS NEW! P 44

MOTOROLA XOOM TABLET P 72

I am not a very regular reader of My Mobile but I must say whenever and wherever I pick up this magazine to read, it vanishes my boredom in no time. The magazine is full of all the happenings in the telecom world including the latest mobile phones that are launched in the market. I would also like to mention here that you not only give limelight to major mobile phone brands like Nokia, Samsung or LG SMART APPS but also focus equally G on Indian brands like S Micromax, X-AGE, MAXX, etc. I request you to kindly provide me with a little more information in your Smart Apps reviews section. It will help your readers more because now more and more people are using mobile applications. -Devesh Gupta, Via E-mail

friend's place, and became a fan of it. I must congratulate you for the kind of content you are providing to your readers. Earlier I had no information about mobile phones and telecom industry. My Mobile has provided me with ample information given in it. It is like a compact guide for mobile phones. Not only that I also bought my new phone after referring to the information given in your magazine. -Himani Saluja, Amritsar I have been reading LEAD STORY your magazine for HOW FAST IS a few months now REALLY FAST? and am liking it more I with it's every new edition. I found the article 'Move on Man' in Mobile Life section very nice and true in real life. It was written very nicely and reflects the present day scenario. Other articles too were very interesting and informative. Hope to see some more interesting articles in the forthcoming issues. -Nishant Aneja, Mumbai

WWW.MYMOBILE.CO.IN

With operators claiming to have lightening fast networks, 3G experience for a mobile subscriber can be nothing less than pure pleasure. But do these networks really provide the experience they promise? Mukesh Kumar Singh and Supriya Bhattacharjee along with team My Mobile investigate ndian telecom industry is growing like never before. New mobile phone companies are mushrooming everyday offering consumers a greater choice in handsets, and with 16 operators vying for their attention, the tariffs have fallen to as low as one paisa per second. Moreover, the world of applications and Value Added Services is getting bigger with every passing day and consumers now have so much more to do with their phones than just making calls and sending message. There is another thing that has added spice to this already booming sector, and it is the coming of 3G. The service was just a dream for consumers and the industry till last year, but now it is a reality that has not only opened doors to a lot more opportunities for consumers but also paved way for operators and VAS providers to make some extra bucks. The auctions for this high speed wireless service were held in July 2010, and out of nine operators, only seven were able to secure the spectrum for 3G. The winners include Bharti Airtel, Vodafone, Aircel, Reliance Communications, Tata Docomo, Idea Cellular and S Tel. Of all these companies, Tata Docomo was the first to launch this service, followed by Reliance, Aircel, Airtel, Vodafone and Idea. Apart from these private operators, the two state-owned telcos BSNL and MTNL have been offering 3G since 2008. However, their services failed to make a big impact as at that time the telecom ecosystem was not ready for 3G and people were not fully aware of its capabilities. 3G or third generation service enables internet users to avail high bandwidth services such as mobile TV, video calling, voice blogging, high speed internet, HD gaming etc. The service can be used either on mobile phones and tablets, or on laptops via USB data cards. As of now, operators have tried to keep tariffs as low as possible, but a further fall in prices cannot be ruled out. (For 3G tariff details refer our May issue). As far as circles are

28 MYMOBILE JUL 15 to AUG 14 2011

JUL 15 to AUG 14 2011 MYMOBILE 29

WWW.MYMOBILE.CO.IN

THE HASSLE ENDER

ZOMATO Food for

thought

tay hungry stay foolish may have created a lot of waves and looks like the same genesis has been adopted by the Zomato application. It's a fairly simple application that lets you search food joints around you. This is a free application that is available in the BlackBerry app world. Once you have downloaded this application, it automatically detects the city you are in and lets you find the best place to have food or get a take away from. One can also change the city in case of looking for best

like one could do on its website zomgourmet delight for the forthcoming trip. Moving on, the application RATING ato.com. The interface of the application was quite clean and it offers lets you to discover, explore, and handy help with just a press of the search. The discover option helps button. However, for any search based one is locating the nearest random application is how robust its database is restaurant around where one is located. and in that count too the application did not Explore helps in searching restaurants locality let us down. wise. Finally, the search option helps one is From a roadside joint to a restaurant in a searching for a food joint by name, location five star hotel could be found in this applicaor cuisine. ton. So all in all, it’s a great appliSo for example one can enter Chinese cation to explore new options to as the cuisine of choice, the application will dine in or delivery to ensure that dig out all the restaurants in the vicinity you don’t stay hungry.  that offer Chinese food. Also, once you have zeroed down on the restaurant, one can then surbhi@mymobile.co.in also look at the reviews that people have We tested it on the posted for that restaurants, its pictures, it BlackBerry Curve 8520 complete menu with the pricing options just

85%

Travel planning on your tips

etting information for train arrival departure or the status of your PNR is a behemoth task if you need to call the customer enquiry numbers. And if you need this information on the move it becomes even more cumbersome. Considering this there are many applications for mobile that can give you that functionality. Indian Rail is one such application that makes the train information system pretty simple. It is available for the iPhone and can be downloaded for free from the app store. You cannot book tickets through this application and it’s purely informational. USP of this application is its interface. It’s very simple and your really don’t take time is understanding it. The train information system requires you to fill in the name of the station. Once you do, it automatically searches for the station codes and you can choose the one required. A scrollable system to adjust the date is also given below the station fields. Once you punch in the details, it gives you all the options available on the given date. The information of train status is available for the coming two months. The PNR status is also available through a simple interface. Once you fill in the PNR status you easily get the relevant information like train name, date of journey, starting station, ending station, class, booking status and the current status of the booking. The application uses internet connectivity to access the information so you can use GPRS or WiFi to get net connectivity. The search is efficient and effective and the very fact that it is very simple to use makes it a useful application.  sonia@mymobile.co.in

We tested it on the Apple iPhone 4

RATING

80%

78 MYMOBILE JUL 15 to AUG 14 2011

JUL 15 to AUG 14 2011 MYMOBILE 79

I am a regular reader of My Mobile magazine. This is a very informative magazine. After reading the last month’s edition, I bought Nokia E5 mobile and am very happy and satisfied with my purchase. Even my friend appreciated the phone and is now planning to buy a new phone for himself. I recommended him to go through the detailed information given in the my guide section of the magazine so that he could also choose for the best phone from the lot. -Ashish, New Delhi Your magazine gives detail information about all latest mobile phones in the market. Not only that it also provides ample information about value added services, games and applications, etc. I want to request you to kindly provide us with some information about processors in the my guide section. It will be very helpful for people like me who choose phone after conducting proper research on its technicalities. -Shravan Swaminathan, Via E-mail I recently came across MY Mobile magazine at a

10 MYMOBILE aug 15 to sep 14 2011

I have been reading your magazine on on and off basis. I really liked your last month’s speed test issue. It is really sad to see all these telecom operators shout at the top of their lungs about 3G being revolutionary, and claiming that the speed of their respective device is the best. I must say that they are unable to live up to their tall claims. It is nice to have some reality check on the current 3G scenario. Wish you could do the same test for Mumbai as well, to help readers like me to decide on whether we should go in for 3G or not. -Ashwini Ingole, Mumbai

CORRIGENDUM In the Etc section of My Mobile July 15 to August 14, 2011 issue, the price of Discovery 975 Bluetooth headset was wrongly mentioned as Rs 3,000. The correct price of Discovery 975 is Rs 5,499. Any convenience is deeply regretted. -Team, My Mobile

e the nd hav a s e m n a drea ellpho n c i t y u e o k so st y ab es? can al u craz e it he late ew lin Are yo l to pen a f or news and hands on t ink you hav f th ur tia poten have a nose ve to lay yo em? If you h a dia’s to t u r Do yo ? Do you c orld about sh your CV y Mobile, In w u ne headli and tell the g for you. R r name in M n s ou i gizmo e are look .in to see y w o , in you mymobile.c e. n i @ z team bile maga o m best

A fair to remember

China International Mobile Phone Industry Exhibition CME, a perfect amalgamation of new innovations and great business opportunities

hina has become very famous for its cuisines, dirt cheap electronic good and now even tourism. Many events and exhibitions have been organised till date to promote all the three industries and various people associated with it. One such event is

the China International Mobile Phone Industry Exhibition (CME). CME has over the period of time become one of the top mobile phone industry shows in Asia. This year’s show was held between July 22nd and July 25th, 2011 at Shanghai’s new International Expo center called the Shanghai Kuozhan Exhibition Service Co. Ltd.

It’s a well known fact that the mobile industry in China is growing at a break neck speed. The average growth rate witnessed by this industry in the last couple of years has been over 35%. This exhibition provided a good platform for the Chinese manufacturers to showcase their wares and is considered as a very important sourcing platform for them. This has reulted in a huge footfall at the exhibition. Like every year, many big names from the telecom world exhibited at CME 2011. The basic purpose of having an exhibition of this nature is to serves as a bridge to help domestic manufacturers to reach out to customers in other markets across the world. At the same time, overseas companies to get the option of evaluating what China has to offer and see how these products would fit in their business line. The large chunk of participants in this year’s conference were the component manufacturers, who were looking at avenues to increase the scope of their business. With the success of Apple iPad, Tablets have become the next “it” thing. Therefore, having a mobile show without tablets has become the thing of the past. Even at the CME, there were a handful of Chinese tablets manufacturers and these tablets continued to draw a lot of attention from the people who had attended the conference. CME is organized twice in a year. The first event was held in Shanghai in July and the next part of this event will be held in Shenzhen in November 2011. n team@mymobile.co.in

consumer forum Complaint 1

Complaint 4

I recently purchased a Tata DoCoMo prepaid number but it started giving network problem on use. I spoke to the customer care and they told me to wait for their technical experts’ call. I got the same reply every time I called them then after. I am highly disappointed with their service and after sales response. Please help. -Shekhar Jasrotia Tata Docomo’s Reply Awaited.

I purchased a Nokia E72 from Nokia Priority Partner, Raghav Communication, Patna. Since the time of purchase, the phone doesn’t prompt password to open password protected .pdf files. To check whether this fault is common or specific to my set, I transferred the same password protected .pdf files to other E72

the issue is unresolved and not likely to be resolved in coming future. Please take up this issue and do the needful. -Praveen Kumar Nokia's Reply The case has been closed. Consumer Reply Compensation amount received.

Complaint 5 I purchased a LG Optimus ME (P350) recently from a reputed store in Kolkata. But they didn't provide me any CD or drivers with the handset. When asked for, they demanded Rs

Complaint 2 I bought a Nokia C3 handset, IMEI No-354318046570832, Battery No-4620400361120208002 few months back. Since the last one month, my handset has been giving a lot of troubles. Despite contacting repeatedly, no solution has been provided by Nokia care centre. Your prompt and fruitful solution will be highly solicited. -Dr. Anjali Goswami Nokia's Reply Arranging the replacement unit. Consumer Reply Have not received the handset yet.

Complaint 3 I recently purchased a new SatioU1 mobile of Sony Ericsson. About a month later the phone started giving troubles while surfing net, playing videos and audio. I took the handset to their authorized service centre where after inspecting the set they told me that it was faulty and thus, would soon be replaced. I was later told by the higher officials in Kolkata that they had sent the official documents to the factory in Chennai and they will do the needful. Two months passed by, but all I got was reassurance. Now the officials are saying that company has already credited the amount to the dealer with the value of the set, so I can take the new set from the dealer. As per my knowledge the dealer has no mobile set of such amount and of same model. I seek your help. -Ajay Ekka Sony Ericsson's Reply Awaited

handsets. These are prompting passwords for the same .pdf files & after entering passwords, opening the same files. It means the fault is specific to my E72 only. People at Nokia customer care centre were unable to fix the fault. I therefore, sent it to Nokia Factory in Gurgaon for repair. Then after, the cycle of the phone consecutively being sent to or dispatched from Nokia Factory continued. I made several phone calls to Nokia Care Line and sent e-mails to www.nokia. co.in/asknokia but all in vain. I feel harassed mentally, physically, and financially. Nokia is reluctant to replace the phone or refund the cost of phone. The phone is well within warranty. Till date

12 MYMOBILE aug 15 to sep 14 2011

1,300 extra for installing the drivers concerned. Consumer Information Centre was not a great help in this regard. Please help! -Partha Sarkar LG's Reply Awaited.

Complaint 6 I own a Samsung Chat 335. I am facing lot of troubles with the handset and the company seems to be least bothered to help. Its Bluetooth is way too slow as against the company’s claim of it supporting Bluetooth 2.1. Applications like NIMBUZZ and ebuddy are not working well on this handset. It also fails to download pages and displays

low memory message despite of having enough free memory. I have also updated the firmware of the phone thrice from the software given with it, but it shows no upgradation. Despite several visits and numerous calls, there is no convincing response from either of the services centre or customer care. Help me, please. -Jay Trivedi Samsung Reply Awaited.

Complaint 7 I bought Spice QT61 on 4th January 2011. After some time, its track ball stop working properly. I took it to the service centre and was told to collect it four to five days later. After few days they extended the time period to 15to 30 days. Few days later I received the handset back but with no improvement as the problem was still there. I am highly disappointed as the service centre's response has not been convincing enough. Please look into the matter. -Raja Spice Reply Handset has been replaced. Consumer Reply Got the new mobile replaced by spice service center on 21/07/2011. But, to my disappointment the mobile is giving a new problem. Its display is not working and I doubt if they have issued a new mobile phone. Spice'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.

mobile doctor most of the smartphones. While almost every phone offers still picture geo-tagging, there are few in which you can geo-tag videos too.

My cell phone has recently been stolen. I have got my phone IMEI number with me. How can I disable my phone so as to prevent any misuse of the information it carries? -Molung Angjoy If you have the IMEI number, you can get the phone and SIM blocked with the help of the police. Having a mobile tracker app on the phone helps a lot in this situation. Otherwise, you will have to go to the concerned authorities. I want to buy a mobile phone in the range of Rs 3,500 to Rs 4,000 with features like 1.3-megapixel camera, touchscreen, long battery life, GPRS, good sound quality and USB port with USB cable. I am eagerly waiting for your response. -Ashish Rai You can choose between Zen Flikk which is a touchscreen phone. Spice Flo is another touchscreen phone that costs around Rs 3,500. If you can work with single SIM then Samsung Champ is also a good option. I am a keen reader of My Mobile Hindi magazine since its inception. I want to know about the geo-tagging feature in mobile and also, its use. -Sandeep Kumar When you take a picture and want to add the location where that picture is taken, then that process is called geo-tagging. A geo-tagged picture can also be viewed on a map in your mobile showing where the picture was taken. It is a common feature in

I want to buy a cell phone and my budget is Rs 12,000. Please suggest me the most reliable company to opt for a good 3G phone. -Abhishek Kumar Vishwakarma There are a few good 3G phones in this price category. You can choose Nokia E5, LG Optimus One P500 and Samsung Galaxy 551 depending on your feature

preference. I have a Micromax M2 mobile handset which I purchased recently. I am not sure if the handset has a number block feature. Please tell me that how I can block a particular number so that I do not receive any call or message from that number. -Sunitha The Micromax M2 has call block facility. You can check for it in call management. In this you can blacklist a number so that you will not receive any calls or messages from that number. I have LG Optimus One P500 but now I want to switch to some other brand. I need your help in choosing a better handset. I have

14 MYMOBILE aug 15 to sep 14 2011

kept Samsung Galaxy Pro as an option but would like to know if there are other better handsets with similar features available in this price bracket. My priority is an Android device with touch screen or QWERTY pad. Also it should support 3G, have a sharp 5.0-megapixel primary camera with flash, a good secondary camera for video calling, above 800Mhz processor, at least 1500mAh battery. Please suggest a phone which comes under Rs 12,000. -Pravin Solanki In this budget you can get Samsung Galaxy 551 and Galaxy Pro. If you are willing to invest a little more you can also opt for HTC ChaCha, HTC WildfireS or Samsung Galaxy Ace.

buy a nice well equipped smart phone. My purpose is general use. My budget is Rs 35, 000 and I'm confused between HTC sensation, Samsung Galaxy S2 and Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc. Please help me for chosing one. Also let me know if you have any other smart phones to be suggested. Also if there are any upcoming phones of HTC or other then I can wait for a month or two. -Anand T There is one device that is about to be launched called the Google Nexus Prime, which will run on Android 4.0 ( ice cream) operating system. However, it is not confirm when will the Nexus Prime will launch in India. Among the current crop of high end smartphones, Samsung Galaxy S2 is the best choice.

I am using Samsung Galaxy Fit for last four months. It is an Android device and works fine but I am not really happy with the battery performance as it drains pretty quickly. I want to know how to delete the batterystats.bin file. My phone is not rooted. Kindly tell me an idea that can help to delete that file. -Sarayu Prasad In case of a battery issue, deleting batterystats.bin will not help as it is just a log file and it only stores information. It is better if you can upgrade you phone's OS version or take it to the service centre

I am soon to join college and thus, looking for a nice smartphone. I have my heart on two phones, Sony Ericsson Xperia X8 and Samsung Galaxy Fit. After I made a research on these I have found that while Xperia is good in terms of display, sound and gaming, Galaxy heads in camera quality and screen size. I am confused between the two. Please help me choose a better option. -Eshan Prashar Among Samsung Galaxy Fit and Sony Ericsson Xperia X8, the X8 is a better device in overall performance in this price range. However, incase you can increase your budget then Samsung Galaxy Fit is also a good option.

I bought Nokia x2-00 some time back. Recently I deleted its OVI function by mistake. I tried my levels best to restore the OVI function but failed. Please suggest â&#x20AC;&#x201C;Bhaskar Dwivedi You can go to nokia.com/software and reinstall OVI suite from there. It is a pretty simple process. If that doesn't happen you can take you phone to Nokia customer care. Sir, I'm a reader of 'My Mobile' and presently I'm planning to

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.

Mobile

3.2â&#x20AC;? Full Touch PDA Phone (with TV* Feature)

MP4 & HD (720x576) Movie Support Camer a th Flash wi

3.2 Mega Pixel

(with 3D Wallpaper)

MT711 Dual SIM Dual Standby

3.2-inch Full Touch Screen

MP3/MP4/RMVB Player

King Movie Play

Auto Call Recording

3-D Wallpaper

Facebook/Twitter/ebuddy

Opera Mini

FM Radio

3.2 Megapixel Camera with Flash

Audio/Video Recording 1200 mAh Battery

Bluetooth with A2DP

EDGE/WAP/JAVA Support

3.5 MM Audio Jack

Answering Machine MSN/Yahoo!/Skype

Memory Card Support upto 16GB

* TV feature may or may not work, depend upon signal strength

XAGE COMMUNICATION INDIA PVT. LTD. 404-A, Fourth Floor, Chiranjiv Tower, 43, Nehru Place, New Delhi - 110 019 Tel.:+91-11-49755555 Fax: +91-11-49755500 Website: www.xagemobile.com support@xagemobile.com | CUTOMER CARE SERVICE 1800 102 9243

c e l l- e b r i t y

“I am a complete gizmo freak” She may have become a household name with her appearance in TV reality show Big Boss, but beneath German model Claudia Ciesla’s fair exterior lurks a tech enthusiast that cannot keep her hands off the latest and best gadgets in town. We caught up with her tech side. Harshita Rastogi How important is technology to you? Technology matters a lot to me. I am a complete gizmo freak and cannot even think my life without technology. Gadgets update, entertain and support me anywhere and everywhere I go. Which mobile phone do you use currently? I am using two phones, BlackBerry Torch and iPhone4. I love almost everything about both the phones and feel insecure without them. I also like to accessories my phones with trendy stuff available and thus have become the brand ambassador for the Hip Street, which is an IT, telecom and Llfestyle accessory brand. What do you like the most in your handsets? I like to explore my phones. I chat on various social networking sites, send e-mails, play games, watch videos, and use various applications on my phone. Also to make the best use of all the features, I have a portfolio case with a Bluetooth keyboard for my iPhone 4. How often do you use Twitter, Facebook and other such sites? Every single day. I cannot think of any day without checking these sites. I update my status regularly and make sure that I reply to my fans. How has Big Boss helped you in your career? Big Boss gave me an identity here in India. Confining me within a house with complete strangers and that too, without any sort of contact with the outside world was an experience in itself. The thing I most missed there, were my gadgets. I was helpless and had no other option but to stay without them. What are your plans for Bollywood? I have big plans for Bollywood. I am also open for item numbers and am keeping my eyes open for the right project. Who knows what comes next and you find yourself dancing to my tunes? If possible, can you say a word in Hindi for us? Arey aap hindi ka word bol rahe hain, main to hindi main baat kar sakti hu. In fact main to wait kar rahi hoon ek hindi sawal ka. ( You are expecting one word, I can speak hindi fluently. In fact, I am waiting for someone to ask me a question in Hindi). n harshita@mymobile.co.in

16 MYMOBILE aug 15 to sep 14 2011

fa c e t o fa c e

Getting cheers for the Indian market Ahmed Ali Alhashmi, Chief Commercial Officer, Etisalat DB Telecom Pvt Ltd., reveals how do they plan to make space for themselves in the already crowded Indian market Surbhi Chawla

How is the Indian market different from the other markets that Etisalat is operating in? How committed are you in regards to your India plans? The Indian telecom sector is competitive, yet attractive and full of opportunities. Etisalat has immense technology and business capability to operate in competitive emerging markets like India. Etisalat is present in 18 countries with a subscriber base of more than 100 Million. For India, we have a long term investment plan. Till date, we have invested more than 900 million USD to build state of the art telecom infrastructures across the country. We have entered into long term partnerships with Tech Mahindra and Aegis for our world class customer care service. The deal is worth 400 million USD. Recently we have added a million subscribers to our base across the 15 circles we are present in. These figures are growing exponentially and rapidly, which is a testimony to our commitment to India. What are your plans to promote your brand? We have more than 30,000 retail distribution footprints across Mumbai & Delhi that

are capable of reaching out to millions of customers. To promote Cheers Mobile, we will continue to aggressively expand our distribution network and introduce promotional offers for customers at regular intervals with a focus to penetrate in India. We have signed Aamir Khan, India’s popular Bollywood superstar as our brand ambassador and have plans to unveil a high impact advertising campaign to boost market share and customer’s share of mind. What were the strategies that Etisalat adopted to garner the first million subscribers and what are your plans for the next million? India is unique as customers here have more choices than any other market we operate in. To keep the customer engagement high, Etisalat DB continues to invest in state of the art customer care services, ensuring quality network availability and introducing attractive promotional offers. This has worked well for us and we added million customers in a short span of time and amidst high levels of market challenges. We have fast gained popularity with majority of subscriber numbers coming from Mumbai and Delhi (NCR) circles; a significant 289,732 customers from Mumbai and 664,024 from Delhi, respectively. In Mumbai, we have showcased substantial growth, acquiring almost 8-9% of the subscriber’s additions. To increase our customer

18 MYMOBILE aug 15 to sep 14 2011

base we will continue to invest in technology, people, retail footprints and customer oriented promotional campaigns. Are there any innovative VAS that you seek to offer in the Indian market that may help the company in increasing their ARPU and also position itself as different from the existing operators? Etisalat DB thrives on offering world class quality products, services and innovation across all levels of customer touch points. Besides, already offering a bouquet of Value Added Services to our customers, Etisalat DB is also working aggressively towards bringing to customers several state of the art technology led innovations. For instance, our contact center operations offer distinctive features like ‘automated call-back’ in case a customer’s call gets terminated in the process. We have introduced a first of a kind innovation in customer service through ‘schedule a call-back’ offer, a service that allows customers to schedule calls from the contact centre as per their convenience. The BPO’s safeguards ensure seamless service and business continuity for Etisalat DB with all centres being linked to each other, thereby presenting the company with a single window to provide superior experience to customers across India and in that way presenting consumer friendly interfaces for the convenience of Etisalat DB customers. These multi-site centers also provide inbound, outbound and back-office services in up to 11 regional languages including English and Hindi. n surbhi@mymobile.co.in

NEWS bits OPERATORS & TARIFFS Nokia helps traffic cops to keep an eye on rule violators In a bid to streamline traffic conditions in NCR region, Nokia joined hands with Gurgaon Traffic Police & Millenium City Welfare Society to launch a traffic management project called ‘3rd Eye’. The aim behind the program is to equip traffic cops technologically to curb traffic disruption in the satellite town. in this programme, over 300 traffic police personnel will be provided with Nokia E5 handsets to capture traffic violations in the city. So far 50 traffic marshals have already been given Nokia E5 with installed special software ‘Tselina’. this app has been created by Denave, a technology powered sales enabling services provider, to capture and report traffic rule violators in the city. The installed software will enable traffic personnel to capture photo evidence of the traffic violation including vehicle, license plate and even the driver’s face if possible. The photograph will be tagged with a time stamp and geo-coordinates, and uploaded on the server to produce a permanent record of the violation. The authorities can retrieve the photographs at a later stage and use them as evidence to penalise offenders.

Vodafone releases Footprint sustainablity report Vodafone has released a sustainability report titled ‘Footprints 2010-11’. This report was released by Sachin Pilot, Ministry of States, Ministry of Communications & IT. In this report company has also talked about the efforts that it has been making its network environment friendly. Not too long ago, Airtel was targeted by Greenpeace in regards to carbon emissions. Vodafone on the contrary in this report has talked about shutting down associated cabinets and extra transmitters during low traffic so as to reduce energy consumption. The third largest operator in India also claims that this exercise has resulted in saving nearly 4 Mn KW of electricity and reduction in CO2 emission by 3,240,000 kg per annum. The report also informed that Vodafone has also piloted some solar powered sites.

Value Added Service/ Applications/Games Mobile phones enable users to transfer cash Mobile phone users can now transfer money from their bank accounts to another using Interbank Mobile Payment Service (IMPS). Powered by National Payment Corporation of India, this service is available for 22 banks. In a few steps, you can easily transfer money to the account of a beneficiary without any hassles. Banks will give a seven digit Mobile Identifier (MMID) and Mobile Banking Pin (MPIN) to their customers once they register themselves with the bank for mobile banking. This will help them get mobile banking service on their handset. Money can be sent to a beneficiary account through an SMS or mobile banking application. Once the transaction gets completed, a confirmation SMS will be sent to both the users. Mobile banking will provide a medium for instant and immediate banking even when customers are holidaying or are on the move.

Breaking News at hand Vodafone Essar has announced the launch of a mobile newspaper – Newswrap – for its customers across Tamil Nadu and Chennai circles. Users subscribing to this service can read the news as an MMS and get updated with the happenings around the world. The operator also claims to provide breaking news apart from regular morning and evening alerts. Newswrap comes with a brief synopsis of news bulletin along with pictures. Users can choose from different genres of news like national, international, business, current affairs, entertainment and sports. A customer can subscribe to the daily alert at Re 1, weekly alerts at Rs 5 or monthly alerts at Rs 20.

Airtel Digital TV adds 41 new channels Airtel Digital TV, the DTH service from Bharti Airtel, has announced that it has added 41 new channels to its bouquet. The channel expansion exercise has enhanced Airtel Digital TV’s total channel options across linear, interactive channels to 247. With this, Airtel Digital TV now has seven most popular True High Definition (HD) channels including NGC, Discovery, Movies Now, Star Gold, Star Movies, Star Plus and Star World. Among the new additions to its Standard Definition (SD) bouquet have five Telugu, two Tamil, two Malayalam, two Kannada, 11 Hindi, one Bhojpuri, one Oriya, one Bengali and 12 English channels. The new SD channels include the likes of BBC Entertainment, CBS Love, CBS Spark, CBS Prime, CBeebies, DD Malayalam, Discovery Science, Discovery Turbo, Food Food, Fox Crime, Enterr 10, Sakshi TV, Suvarna NEWS 24*7 and Magik TV. Airtel Digital TV’s HD bouquet is priced at Rs 65 per month. The seven True HD channels are also available on a-la-carte basis.

Tata launches Walky Groove station to dock, play and talk with Tata Teleservices Ltd. (TTSL) announced the launch of Tata Walky Groove Station, a complete entertainment pod that will liberate the user from the grid of wires. The stylish fixed cordless color handset with unique feature of a “pod” docking station is being launched for the first time, globally. The device offers exceptional features like pod docking station, Colour screen, USB/Micro SD slot, FM station and MP3 player, therefore combining various music rich features of five gadgets in a single device. With its sleek and stylish look, the gadget is all set to groove its users. The phone comes handy with exciting features like coloured LCD screen, pod docking station, USB Drive, Micro SD card, Line in, FM, MP3 player, stereo speakers, 220 minute talktime etc. The Tata Walky Groove Station, available to both post-paid and pre-paid customers at an affordable price of Rs 2999/-, combines the benefit of a wireless device offering complete freedom to talk and adjacently use the device as a complete entertainment tool.

22 MYMOBILE aug 15 to sep 14 2011

Pearl

ASHWA

NEWS bits HANDSETS & MORE

BSNL launches VVOIP Services in India

Nokia calls largest twin gathering for dual SIM phones launch Nokia sets a national record certified by the Limca Book of Records 2012 for organising the largest gathering of twins in India’s capital city New Delhi on the occasion of launch of new dual SIM phones. Nokia opted for a unique way to connect with its consumers by organising the festival called ‘Nokia’s Twins Day Out’, it has launched two new dual SIM phones Nokia C2-00 and Nokia X1-01 on the occasion. The idea behind such a festival was to reflect ‘the twin power’. The Nokia C2-00 Dual SIM Internet and Nokia X1-01 Dual SIM Music phone are designed by keeping in mind the demands of a consumer for a Nokia multimedia phone with Dual SIM functionality. Available at attractive and affordable prices, both the handsets offer Nokia’s unique Easy Swap function for smarter multiple SIM management, largest in category expandable memory capabilities (32GB for Nokia C2-00) and enhanced music capabilities.

XAGE launches touch dual SIM phone XAGE Communication India Pvt. Ltd has launched its first ever full touch Dual SIM phone MT 711. Its 3.2 inch touchscreen gives larger view to enjoy the visual treat. The handset is equipped with some exciting features like 3D menu display, High Definition MP4 Movie, MP3 Audio Player, Bluetooth etc. It has an additional feature of Analog TV so that users cannot miss their favourite programs, Bollywood shows, news and many more. The 3-D Menu Display and the EDGE gives the handset a very stylish and classy look. Connecting with friends gets more convenient with WAP/GPRS letting you to connect with your friends on social networking sites. MT 711 also comes with FM radio. It has 3.2 mega pixel camera with video and sound recording. This full touch screen Dual SIM phone is available at just Rs 5799/- in the market.

AirTyme gets a Torrid The Indian brands continue with their onslaught as AirTyme has launched another device. is being touted as a stylish 3G HSDPA phone. The handset is expected to draw attention of the image-conscious consumers in their teens and twenties. Torrid features a 2.8-inch QVGA resistive touch screen that slides open to reveal a spacious QWERTY keyboard. Torrid comes with a stereo Bluetooth option for a music experience without wires. Other profiles for Bluetooth include A2DP and DUN, which allows users to tether the phone as a modem for their computer without cables. This handset will also have an audio player and video recorder along with a 1.3 megapixel camera, which clicks images in the resolution of 1280 x 960 pixels. This handset will be available in three striking colors - Green, Orange and Grey. The handset is expected to retail to Rs 4,999/-

Karbonn launches its A1 handset Karbonn Mobiles has launched its first Android device - A1. This handset is 3G enabled Android 2.2 Smartphone and its best buy price is Rs6999. The phone is pre-loaded with popular Google apps like Google Map, Gmail, GTalk. Also, it supports Android Market, one of the biggest app stores in the world. Karbonn A1 also has the feature of WiFI hotspot and USB tethering. Additionally, it has 600 MHz processor. It’s noteworthy, that amongst Indian brands Micromax and Spice are already offering their Android handsets and Karbonn too is now looking at making some aggressive strides in this segment.

24 MYMOBILE aug 15 to sep 14 2011

BSNL, along with Sai InfoSystem (India) Pvt Ltd, has launched its VVOIP (Voice and Video Over Internet Protocol) services in India. The VVOIP uses packet switching technology and makes communication over IP networks like Internet. The voice and video signals get converted into data package and are again converted to voice and video signals after reaching the destination. BSNL users can now make audio and video calls on any international landline, mobile or IP phone, provided both the ends have requisite video phone equipment. In case the video phone equipment is available at one end, only voice call would happen. However, in India it is restricted to IP to IP calling within BSNL network. BSNL is expecting about a million users of this service by the end of this fiscal year.

Policy & Regulation TRAI releases Indian Telecom Services Performance report The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India released “Indian Telecom Services Performance Indicator Report” for the Quarter ending March 2011. The report provides detailed perspective of the telecom services in India for the period covering January to March 2011. The report indicates that the number of telephone subscribers in India increased from 787.28 million in Dec-10 to 846.32

million at the end of Mar-11. Urban Areas also witnessed significant growth i.e 527.50 million subscribers to 564.08 million, taking the Urban Teledensity from 147.88 to 157.32 whereas rural subscription sees the growth of 33.5 percent from 33.00 percent at the end of Dec 2010. With 59.40 million net additions during the quarter, total wireless (GSM and CDMA) subscriber base registered a growth of 7.90% over the previous quarter. Internet subscribers increased from 18.69 million at the end of Dec-10 to 19.67 million at the end of Mar-11 whereas wireline subscriber base further declined from 35.09 million at the end of Dec-10 to 34.73 million at the end of Mar-11.

lead story

Tale of the

Tab

28 MYMOBILE aug 15 to sep 14 2011

Tablets have been around for a while but it is only recently that they have become the objects of everyoneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s desire. What are these awesome devices and how can you choose the one that is best for you?

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hat do you get if you mix a smartphone and a netbook? Well, it is a tablet- a name that is used to identify many things from medicinal pills to archaeological findings and is now being extended to cover computing devices that you carry in your hand and operate mainly via touchscreen. Today, tablets are being touted as the devices of the future and honestly, are doing pretty well today, giving netbook manufacturers nightmares. Pundits say they will change the way we communicate work and even live our lives. But what are these formidable devices? How did they come into existence? What are their benefits? And, most importantly, how to decide which one is the best among the rest? To help you answer these questions, we bring you a complete roundup of these devices and the top tablets that we have reviewed.

In the beginning… Tablets as a phenomenon are not new to the technology world. There have been a number of tablet notebooks by brands like Lenovo and Toshiba in the past. However, they were primitive versions of what we have today, often sporting monochrome screens, being bulky and being unattractive in terms of form factor. In many cases, they were simply a screen on a laptop that could be turned around and used with a stylus. They were considered radical and revolutionary at that time but seem defunct when compared with today’ s devices. Nonetheless they set the pace for innovation and evolution in this segment. In fact, the earliest reference to a tablet type device dates back to late 1960s when Alan Kay from Xerox’s Palo alto research centre presented the concept of a “personal computer for children of all ages.” Called the Dynabook, Kay

described its concept in a paper, saying: “we do feel that the pedagogical merits of teaching algorithmic thinking, having easy editing, etc. (all wrapped up in an environment which can go anywhere and can belong to everybody), are undeniable...The main handwaves are the flatscreen low power display (which does not currently exist but seems possible), the guess about how much can be done on an 8K machine( which has not yet been simulated), and the price.”

Why tablets rock Well, what was just a dream during those times has today become a reality. That said, if they have been around for so long, what has caused this sudden surge in the demand for tablets? Well, to start with, every terminal device needs an access path and until we had

Today, tablets are being touted as the devices of the future and honestly, are doing pretty well today, giving netbook manufacturers nightmares. Pundits say they will change the way we communicate work and even live our lives more efficient networks, there was no way we could have enjoyed the functionality of current day tablets. Faster and reliable networks have made it easier to consume online content on the move and this has led to a demand for a better user experience, which in turn, has made manufacturers opt for bigger screens, finally leading to the tablets of today. Some of the key factors that have spurred the popularity of tablets are:

Portability With more and more of us living life on the go, tugging a heavy notebook around can play havoc with you back and enthusiasm to work. Netbooks are there but these are just smaller laptops with lesser performance capabilities.

Moreover, there is no wow factor in them. This is where tablets score. They are light, portable and stylish, making them a lot more easy to carry around. The lightest 10-inch tablet weighs around 560 grams that is significantly lesser than a netbook too. And in case of tablets like the iPad and PlayBook, there is the style factor too.

Functionality You can do almost everything with a tablet that you can with your netbook or notebook, from creating documents to making PowerPoint presentations to watching a movie. Then there are features like the camera accelerometer that make them even more potent portable multimedia and work devices that can be taken anywhere.

Interface In simple terms, most tablets are a lot easier to use than netbooks and even most smartphones – you have a big touchscreen, large icons to press, and in most cases, options to pinch-to-zoom and turn pages by simply flicking a finger on the screen. Using a tablet is more intuitive and faster than most conventional computers.

Apps Tablets also come with the support for thousands of applications and games. Well, so does the laptop. But when you compare the cost of buying a document editing software for a netbook or laptop to that for tablet, you will see that the latter is much more affordable. If you wish to buy Microsoft Office 2010, it costs about Rs 9,500, whereas a premium document editor will cost you about Rs 900. Similar is the case with games and other applications. Moreover, some of the apps available on the tablet are more evolved and relevant to today’s world, and thanks to the interface, most apps are a lot easier to use on tablets. Variety No, we are not talking about the variety of brands and designs. We are talking about the variety of operating systems that are available for tablets: Android (in many versions), iOS, QNX, Web OS, Windows and a few more. On the other hand, for most notebooks, one has to

aug 15 to sep 14 2011 MYMOBILE 29

lead story

choose between Windows and Mac OS (Linux remains mainly geek territory). No prizes for guessing who offers more options here. Mind you, there still are a few things that we need to consider before we get swept away in the tablet mania. First, most tablets are still evolving and with new operating systems like Honeycomb still adding functionalities, it might take some time before they reach their final stage. Then there is the fact that typing on these primarily touch devices is more inconvenient as compared to a notebook. Yes, there are keyboards that you can connect to a tablet but very rarely do you get one in the sales pack. Which means shelling out extra cash. Finally, there is the cost factor. Most good tablets cost more than entry-level netbooks. Moreover, these high maintenance devices are delicate and could suffer from rough use. Still, if you are comfortable with touch, don’t crave too often for a hardware keyboard and are willing to pay for convenience, then welcome to the tablet revolution.

dude who has to have the latest operating system. But consider this: a Windows tablet is easy to understand and use and also convenient to configure with the rest of the ecosystem be it your home or office. There is no problem of software support because it is one of the most evolved operating systems in the market. On the downside, it is still not optimised to give a great touch experience. Similarly, a Blackberry Playbook might sound exciting, but you still would need a BlackBerry phone use all its features. An iPad has a great interface and apps but will leave you missing a USB port. These are just examples, the under-

lying principle is that you need to choose the OS according to your adaptability. And we would say, that while old is always safe, it is sometimes good to try out something new too.

Apps Simply said: the more the apps your tablet has, the more you can do with it. All the best hardware in the world is of little use if there are not enough applications to take advantage of it. A classic case is the BlackBerry PlayBook, which has great specifications and a terrific design, but loses out to Android and iOS in the app department, thus limiting just how much its users can do with it.

The Size We beg you to please don’t follow ‘bigger is better rule’ for this aspect while considering a tablet. Yes, if you are into HD video viewing or high graphics

Picking the right tablet If you have finally set your mind on getting a tablet and are wondering which one to pick here are a few pointers:

The right OS You might consider yourself to be the cool

Evolution of tHe Tablet

Cambridge Z88 and Linus Write-Top

Paceblade Pacebook

30 MYMOBILE aug 15 to sep 14 2011

GRiDPad 1910

Nokia 770 Internet Tablet

Fujitsu PQ 3010 PoqetPad

Samsung Q1 & SonyUX

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gaming, then go right ahead and buy a 10.1 inch tablet and have fun. But if you need it for basic communication, a little social networking, book reading, etc., then a 7.0-inch tab could do equally well for you. And would be easier to carry.

Performance While having a top-notch technology is great, it again depends on what you are doing with your tablet. A dual-core processor might not really be the only thing that improves the performance of a device. A lot also depends on the operating systems, RAM and applications on the tablet. A faster processor will keep your tablet future-proof for a while, but a slower one will do most tasks well and will cost lesser. In the end, it is your choice to make.

Connectivity If you have easy access to Wi-Fi hotspots, a tablet with only Wi-Fi connectivity will work just fine. If that is not the case, then 3G+ Wi-Fi versions will be handy as they provide ubiquitous connectivity. However, here you will have to keep an eye on your data usage costs, as 3G plans often cost a bomb.

Display resolution If you wish to like what you see, then this is a very important aspect of a tablet’s specifications. A better resolution can drastically change the experience that you have while viewing videos or playing games on your

GRiD 2260 System & GRiD 2050SL

device. Currently the best resolution available for a 7.0-ich tablet is 600 x 1024 pixels and 800 x 1280 pixels for 10.1- inch tablets. Another aspect is the type of display. Apple iPad2’s LED backlit display with IPS technology gives a good experience despite a relatively lower resolution. Samsung’s PLS LCD screen is technically better with a higher resolution, even though the difference might not be that evident.

Memory Opting for a bigger storage might not be the right way to decide on a tablet. Storage depends on the type of content that you wish to keep on it. High definition content (videos, films and games) will need more storage whereas most other content might just fit well into a 16 GB tablet. Another important aspect of the memory is the RAM because this also significantly affects the performance of your tab. The more the merrier is a simple rule of thumb to follow in this case as more RAM generally lets you run more applications with minimum fuss.

Support and accessories

research. The more support for accessories and connectivity with other devices your tablet has, the better it is for you. For instance, HDMI is a staple in most tablets but all of them might not include the cable in the sales pack. The same goes for screen protectors and carrying cases. Connectivity to wireless keyboards, or availability of keyboards in which these tabs can be docked and used is another important aspect, as is the availability of USB connectivity to other devices. All said and done, a tablet is a significant investment and you first really need to think whether you even need a tablet or not. When you decide to get one, an informed and well thought out choice can make your whole experience worthwhile. When we talk about the tablet segment, it is safe to say that this is just the beginning of the tablet era. The future is expected to bring much more excitement. Tablet users are in for very interesting times. So if you are looking for some tech excitement, go grab that tablet! n

This is an area that requires a bit of

AT&T Personal Communicator 440

Ausu R2H & Apple Axitron Modbook

sonia@mymobile.co.in

SONICblue ProGear Wireless Webpad

Archos AV 320

Samsung GalaxyTab 7.0 & Apple iPad

aug 15 to sep 14 2011 MYMOBILE 31

lead story Ecolution of The Tablet

Motorola Xoom , Apple iPad2, Asus EeePad Transformer, BlackBerry Playbook, Acer Iconia tab W500

Top Tabs: Tested and compared Tablet Features

Apple iPad 2 3G+WiFi

Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1

Motorola Xoom MZ601

Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.0

iOS4

Android 3.1

Android 3.0 (OTA 3.1)

Android 2.2

1GHz dual-core Apple A5

Dual-core 1GHz Tegra 2

1GHz Cortex A8

16GB/32GB/64 GB

16GB

32GB

16GB

LED-backlit

PLS TFT

TFT

9.7

10.1

1024 x768

800 x 1280

600 x 1024

241.2 X 185.7 X 8.8

256.7 x 175.3 x 8.6

249.1 x 167.8 x 12.9

190.1 x 120.5 x 12

Weight (grams)

613

565

730

380

Battery Life ( hours)

27.67

Expandable Memory

þ þ þ þ x þ x

þ þ þ þ þ þ x

þ þ þ þ x þ þ

Front camera

VGA

2.0 MP

1.3 MP

Back Camera

For HD videos (0.7 MP approx)

3.2 MP

5.0 MP

3.15 MP

þ þ þ þ þ

Operating System Processor Type Memory Screen Type Screen Size (inch) Screen Resolution (pixel) Size (mm)

3G WiFi DLNA GPS USB-on the go Bluetooth

HD video recording HD video playback HDMI 3.5 mm Headphone Jack Music Player Document Editor Accelerometer Others Price My Mobile Rating

þ þ þ þ þ þ þ

micro SIM

Social Hub, LED flash

Dual LED Flash

2GB card

29,500/34,500/39,500

36,200

39,990

25,200

Downloadable

32 MYMOBILE aug 15 to sep 14 2011

Downloadable

www.mymobile.co.in

And many more...

HTC Flyer, Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9 , Acer Iconia Tab A500, Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 & HCL AM7-A1

Source: www.androidtabletfanatic.com

BlackBerry Playbook

HCL ME AM7-A1

Acer Iconia W500

Acer Iconia A500

HTC Flyer

BlackBerry Tablet OS

Android 2.2

Windows 7

Android 3.0

Android 2.3

1GHz dual-core Cortex-A9

800 MHz cortex A8

16GB

8GB

32GB

16GB

32GB

TFT

TFT LCD

LCD

10.1

600 x 1024

1280x800

600 x 1024

194 x 130 x 10

197 x126x13.8

275 x 190 x 19.5

260 x 177 x 13.3

195.4 x 122 x 13.2

425

300

1,580

730

420.8

10 (approx)

7 ( approx)

x þ þ x þ x

þ þ x þ þ þ þ

x þ þ x þ þ x

þ þ þ þ þ þ þ

þ þ þ þ x þ þ

3.0 MP

1.3 MP

2.0MP

1.3 MP

5.0 MP

x x þ þ þ þ

1.3 MP

5.0 MP

þ þ þ þ þ

Downloadable

coming Soon

þ þ þ þ þ x þ

AMD Dual-Core Processor C-50 Dual-core 1GHz ARM Cortex-A9

1.5 GHz

þ þ þ þ þ þ þ

Document viewer

USB adapter in the sales pack

Hardware keyboard in the sales pack

HDMI cable included

Document viewer, scribe pen

26,500

22,900

32,500

27,990

37,000

Downloadable

aug 15 to sep 14 2011 MYMOBILE 33

spot light

Cellphones And the Art of

Social Activism! M You could be hanging out with your friends or at work. And your phone might suddenly drop you a message telling you that you could make a difference by participating in a movement or making a donation. Yes, mobile phones are being increasingly used for social activism. But just how effective are they? Harshita Rastogi

34 MYMOBILE aug 15 to sep 14 2011

obile phones have moved well past being just a medium for talking to people. Thanks to the development of mobile technology and a host of apps, they are now being used for a variety of functions in different walks of life. And now they are being used to create and spread information as well as generate support for social good. Great ideas and movements have changed our world over the years. However, the modes and means of expressing these have been changing. During our freedom struggle,

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freedom fighters used word of mouth, the radio and newspapers as effective tools to gain popular support against British rule. Today the Internet has opened up a whole new world of communication in which people are barely a click away from their friends and events happening around the world. Another whole new dimension to communication has been added by the growing popularity of the cellphone. With literally millions of people around the world owning handsets, it was only a matter of time before the cellphone became an important tool for those trying to make the world a better place.

Spearheading social change The proliferation of cellphones gives a person to opportunity to get their message across to the remotest of communities. The device’s ability to keep you connected around the clock has played a key role in delivering aid and raising awareness by sharing images and spreading news at unimaginable speeds. Catastrophes like Tsunamis and earthquakes have often been followed by a number of campaigns on SMS to raise aid and funds for victims, and these more often than not, have made a difference. In India, the outrage over Jessica Lal’s murder led to a candle march, information about which was circulated over SMS, while mass gatherings against inflation and on other social issues etc were arranged using mobile services only as a means of communication. Mobile services have not just served as means of communication and propagation but also the masses a new and convenient way to express their opinions on a host of issues. Human rights activists are also using this medium at large and encouraging people to raise their voices for social justice. Rare is the crisis that does not spawn an SMS campaign or a phone-in programme, encouraging people to express their views and support. Free message services and low message and call tariffs have also helped in the emergence of the handset as a popular tool for social activism. The fact that almost everyone knows how to use a cellphone only makes it even more accessible to the masses, something which the computer is not to this day. A mobile message spreads like wildfire and gets

In a world without cellphones, it would have been more difficult to orchestrate a campaign to demand justice for Jessica Lal. And would you really have remembered to switch off the lights on Earth Day without a mobile message reminding you to do so?

of 3G services, a user no longer has to head to a computer to log in to an online portal to support a cause – they can do so right from the handset in their pockets. The cellphone has become the voice of a generation.

United for a cause

instant reactions. Things like chain message that required one to add their name in the text if they also agree with the issue or argument and further forward it to people in their circle is a classic case of an SMS campaign. Even Political parties use text messaging for their political campaigns and civil organisations that monitor elections use SMS to communicate amongst themselves. An application has been developed in Hyderabad to keep an eye on the municipality workers. This application allows people to take pictures of the unattended dust bins and dirty areas not taken care of by the municipality workers, and send these pictures to the relevant department. The higher authority in the department then ensures that the mess is being cleaned up properly. Similarly, during the Commonwealth Games in Delhi, government carried out many SMS campaigns to keep the city clean and green. And of course, with the increasing use of cellphones to access the Internet and the arrival

While blogs did play a major role in developing online communities, cellphones have provided a concrete platform that allows viral connectivity, message propagation in real time and individuality of perspective. They have become the citizen’s media. It was a simple text message that did a not so simple task of bringing people together to protest against corruption. It would have been so much more difficult without mobile phones – electronic and print media do not give you the liberty to express yourself this freely, or in your own individual manner. In many countries, presidential aspirants rely on mobile technology to win elections. Barack Obama is a prominent example of a President whose cellphone was a star performer in his campaign. It enabled him to be everywhere, be it on Twitter feeds, ringtones, mobile phone wallpapers or SMS alerts. The campaigns for democracy in Egypt and Libya were also supported to a large extent by mobile phones, in the form of videos, e-mails and messages. Your phone gives you the liberty to join a cause even when it is happening in not just some other part of the country, but in another part of the globe In a world without cellphones, it would have been more difficult to orchestrate a campaign to demand justice for Jessica Lal or Nitish Katra. And would you really have remembered to switch off the lights on Earth Day without a mobile message reminding you to do so? This is just the beginning - mobile activism will grow more dynamic and interactive in the coming years as more and more people use their handsets to access their social networks. So the next time you feel strongly about something, do not just suffer in silence. Reach out and send a text, post a message on your social message, make a call to a TV channel and have your say. With a cellphone in your hand, you will never walk alone, no matter which cause you support! n harshita@mymobile.co.in

aug 15 to sep 14 2011 MYMOBILE 35

fa c e t o fa c e

M-payments are safe Deepak Chandnani, CEO, Obopay, talks about the m-payment platform and its benefits for the consumers Gaurav Kapoor tected against unauthorised transactions and use advanced encrypted security technology whenever possible to prevent unauthorised access to account holder data. Also the process is secured via 2-Factor authentication and hence every account holder has to log-in with a password which will be authenticated by the technology present at the back-end. To provide this level of security, Obopay India uses multiple layers of advanced encryption algorithms so that transmitted data cannot be intercepted or compromised. Encryption technology is used for securing transactions between the mobile application and a user’s bank account and for securing data transmissions over the cellular network.

What kind of services does Obopay offer? Obopay’s mobile payment technology transforms any mobile into a convenient, easy and secure way to send or receive money – anywhere, anytime, with anyone. People can send or receive money, top-up their mobiles, buy online, buy via mobile, pay bills, pay small businesses, etc. It provides the most broadly available and easiest-to-use mobile money service through a mobile phone. Consumers can initiate mobile payments through multiple channels such as SMS, IVR, WAP and GPRS. Currently, Obopay’s services are live across three continents – North America, Africa and Asia. And our development center at Bangalore designs all the technology solutions for these services. How can a consumer avail your payment services and are there any charges for it? July onwards, all new Nokia phones including the high-end Symbian smartphones, will have Obopay’s Mobile Money client embedded in them. For other devices which do not have the Mobile Money Client installed in their phones, they can avail Obopay services through IVR and an application which can be side-loaded by any Nokia Priority

Dealer in the country. If one wants to access Obopay through IVR, they have to send an SMS keyword (depending on the activity) to 9686055555 (for UBI Money) or 9686555555 (for Yes Bank Money) and they will get an IVR callback to complete the transaction. In case of installing application on the mobile, the user has to go to a Nokia Agent and sign up for the service by filling up a simple form. To do KYC, an identity card and address proof is also required and the agent will help the consumer load the application. There are no charges except for SMS/WAP/GPRS usage by the subscriber. What all bills can one pay through Obopay? While signing up for the service, the user has two options – Easy Pay and Easy Send. In Easy Pay, the user can pay merchants, pay bills, do mobile top-up and deposit cash; whereas in Easy Send, he can transfer as well as withdraw cash in addition to the Easy Pay facilities. One can pay electricity, mobile, telephone, gas, insurance, charity and Internet Service Provider bills through Obopay. How secure is the phone payment platform for consumer? All Obopay accounts are pro-

36 MYMOBILE aug 15 to sep 14 2011

Which sector do you see the maximum payments going through your platform? What kind of growth have you seen? We believe the biggest uptake in India will be the P2P transactions. There are roughly around 100 million migrants within and outside the country. Their biggest concern while sending money to their families located in remote areas is theft, high cost of transferring money by illegal means such as hawala etc. P2P transactions will enable these migrants to send money home without any qualms and issues. With the RBI increasing the daily money transfer limit to Rs 50000, it will give the necessary thrust to urban people to transfer money more proactively over mobile banking than physically visiting banks. Our services were rolled out in India since last year and we have witnessed a 100% growth in traffic since then. You have tied up with leaders from telecom and banking sector. Are there any more partnerships lined up in near future? Yes, currently we have tied up with Nokia, Yes Bank & Union Bank of India to bring mobile banking to the masses and we are planning to have a national roll out by this year end. n gaurav@mymobile.co.in

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Romancing the Phone!

38 MYMOBILE aug 15 to sep 14 2011

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Longing for love? Or just wondering why the magic has gone out of your romance? Now mobile phones can not just help you build your love life, but also add some spice to it Gaurav Kapoor

s all well with your love life? Or has it been ridden with hurdles on every nook and corner? Whatever the case may be, your smartphone can help you in changing, improving and even kick starting your love life – it could either add a new dimension to romance as you know it or help you overcome a heartbreak. All it takes is the right app or service – and believe us, there is no shortage of either. Yes, application stores all over the world today are bombarded with dating, flirting and sex education applications. And rare is the major operator whose portfolio of services do not touch upon the tender sentiment in some way or the other, be it through or dating tips . Technology has changed the way we live and well, it is now sure trying to change the way we love. Giving virtual presents to your girl- or boyfriend has suddenly become a rage, although they certainly are in no danger of replacing “real gifts) like flowers, watches and chocolate. A personal meeting with a ‘Love Guru’ will certainly cost you a fair amount of money but cellphone apps that help you turn your love life around are relatively cheap. And if you are app-shy (some of us are!), there are a plethora of love and dating services that can be accessed via the SMS route.

Operator services - love thy operator

Airtel has a service known as Love Portal Ishqiya, which is a guide to a successful love life. Here a person can receive love tips, and expert advice for a beautiful love life. The customer can dial-in and get dating tips, gifting tips, romantic shayari, and if they feel so inclined, can listen to the greatest love stories of all time. For those in romantic trouble, there is the appropriately-named Love Ki Dispensary, which is a fun-filled, exciting and easy to use in-dial portal built around the voice model. It answers all your love related problems. You can record your own questions and listen to solutions. The service also gives you an option of Love Hugs wherein you can dedicate selected love messages and record messages in your own voice to your partner. Vodafone has also got cupid squarely in its cellular sights. Its Dil Say service is an amalgam of diverse tips. There is Direct Dil

Say that delivers plenty of love jokes, shayaris, messages, dialogues, quotes and lots more. Then there is an astrology section, LoveO-Logic, where you get knowledge about your relationship via Zodiac Compatibility, Romance Quotient and Loveroscope. And you are desperately seeking tips to impress a girl or a guy, then Pyaar Ki Paathshala is definitely the need of an hour for you. The offering gives you advice to impress the desired person within 10 days. Vodafone makes it available for Rs 30 a month. All you have to do is to dial 56766

Applications – Appily in Love!

provider for a happier love life. There is huge reservoir of love and dating based applications that you can download and use on your smartphone. Quotes, poems, pick-up lines are quite common, but there is a plethora of other applications which stand apart because they offer more than a little bit extra. It doesn’t matter whether you own an Android device, a Blackberry, an iPhone or any other smartphone, because the whole smartphone ecosystem is thriving with these apps. An application named MiuMeet allows you to hook up with new people really fast and the best feature is that it keeps proximity in mind so that yours does not just remain a fantasy mobile relationship. With the help of built-in GPS, the application detects users’ locations and connects them with nearby people. It can be downloaded for free on any Android device. A similar and more famous app known as SinglesAroundMe is also available on Blackberry and iPhone. However, the premium version of this one may cost you around Rs. 450. Moving a step ahead from the initial chatting and dating, there are apps which can send a special message to your loved one. FunFlirts is one such app on the BlackBerry App World where you can send animated hugs, kisses and other non-verbal messages to your beloved. There are many more apps out there, ranging from the discreet to the outrageous – just search for “love,” “romance” or “dating” in application stores and you will find apps that literally help you do just that. No more looking for love if you have a handset handy. It is literally a call, a text or an app away. n

And you need not be chained to your service

team@mymobile.co.in

There are many more apps out there, ranging from the discreet to the outrageous – just search for “love,” “romance” or “dating” in application stores and you will find apps that literally help you do just that. No more looking for love if you have a handset handy. It is literally a call, a text or an app away

or to send text to ACT LUV to 111.Other major operators also have similar love laden services available on their networks. Tata DoCoMo has a Dive-In dating and chatting service where you can have anonymous voice chat and make some new friends. You can also listen to some exciting stories and get dating tips apart from sending customised greetings through voice or SMS on special occasions to your loved one. Tips from Tata DoCoMo will also cost you just Rs 30 per month and you have to dial 543216 or sent message “START” to 543216 to start getting them.

aug 15 to sep 14 2011 MYMOBILE 39

fa c e t o fa c e

“Android is the key platform for convergence”

There are not too many people better placed than Samartha Raghava Nagabhushanam, Founder & CEO, SmartSky Electronics & Research to talk about trends in mobile designs and the future of devices. So that is exactly what we talked to him about Sonia Sharma phones. Eventually, utilities will join the club of connected devices, and we will be able to see all aspects of human life connected and controlled remotely in a seamless environment. In terms of enterprise convergence, we are witnessing an adoption of smart wireless solutions by the retail, logistics and medical industry. Are you also working in applications space? Our research shows that there is high demand for segment centric user experience for mobility devices, such as user experience exclusive to medical professionals, retail, etc. For instance, mobility devices for doctors will enable easy access to patient history. We are trying to deliver this by a variety of apps. We are also working on productivity enhancing utilities. Smart Profiles aims at switching predefined phone profiles for the user, based on predefined profile triggering rules. Then there is Smart Calendar, a preconfigured calendar on handheld devices which is programmed to read the user’s dates, daily schedules, engagements, and recurring events from various sources like e-mail, social networking sites, etc. Finally, the Smart Medical History Tracker app lets users keep track of their and their family’s health records “anywhere, anytime.”

What are SmartSky’s key focus areas ? SmartSky began with a vision to enable “Human Centric Global Wireless Diffusion”. We primarily focus on designing mobile devices, namely - smartphones and tablets and smart wireless solutions for a host of industry verticals, viz., retail and the medical industry. While the core business of SmartSky is design and delivery of devices, we are also working on device based applications to integrate homogenous solutions that would make our devices segment centric.

Where does India stand in terms of convergence of various technologies? If the surge in the number of mobile phone and internet users every year is any indication, India is poised for cutting edge technology adoption at every level, consumer and enterprise. We foresee a rise in the number of tablet users in the next few years. More than convergence, there will a rapid increase in interaction between various devices. Very soon users will be able to control TVs, set top boxes, and home appliances using their

40 MYMOBILE aug 15 to sep 14 2011

You have been working on Android. Why are you restricting yourself to Android when Symbian is the leader in India? Android is the key platform for convergence. It is open, flexible, and is built to work in a large range of devices. Symbian is phone centric, Android is all pervasive, and that is the direction that future devices are taking. This makes Android the easy, obvious choice of operating system to deliver feature-rich, futuristic devices. n sonia@mymobile.co.in

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Available at: MUMBAI:-RAJ LAXMI TELECOM- MATUNGA TT.-09820402838, NUTECHE-FORT-09820136262, SOLUTION’S-GHATKOPER(E)-9819334591, LINKSYS COMMUNICATION-INOBIT MALL MALAD-02228767060, , ALFA-2-IRLA MKT-26719696, ZEE NOVELTIES- VILEPARLE(E)-26106248, ALKA SAREE -SION CIRCLE-9892562877 , CIRCUIT CITY-BANDRA(W) 26429001 PUNE:- JAI MOBILE STORE 9850270365, DIGITAL WORLD 020 2066015971, AHEMDABAD:- KUMAR MARKETTING 9824000055, DELHI- TELEECARE NETWORK-011 665650811, SHEEBA TEL 9810645133, TELE TALK 011 42487175, CONNECTORES 011 42153531 , YOURS COMMUNICATION 9899498995, STAR MOBITEL 011 46464646 BEECHAMS 011 23418457, SH BALAJI 011 23922228, KOLKATA-Limton Pvt. Ltd.-13+14,BBD BAG,9831111119, SKYLINE COMMUNICATION-2/1A Ekdalia Road (GARIA HAT) 09874488999, HEART BEATS (HALLMARK)SIS.- SHOPER STOP (SOUTH CITY, CITY CENTER, FORUM), ELGIN ROAD (OPP. BHOWANI PUR COLLAGE) 9831092739, RG CELLULARS-GARIA HAT 9831133123, SIS. -SPENSERS (SOUTH CITY MALL) 9836732313, BHAJANLAL-SHAKESPER SARANI ( EXPRESS TOWER) 9831433003, AANCHAL TELECOM-HO CHI MING SARANI (METRO PLAZA) 9830219995, NIKKYS-C.R AVENUE (CHADNI) 9896055555, ARORAS D.P ELECTRONICS-6, MADAN STREET (CHADNI) 3322127516, M3-SOUTH CITY 3340071962, CITY CENTER (SALT LAKE) 3323580916, CITY CENTER (NEW TOWN) 3325266336, HILAND PARK 3324621131, STARMARK-SOUTH CITY, CITY CENTER(SALT LAKE), EMAMI MARKER(LORD SINHA) 9748022220, MANI SQURE.-FAST INFORMATION CENTER- 2-HILAND PARK(3rd FLOOR) 9903939234, FAST INFORMATION NETWORK PVT.LTD-HILAND PARK(2nd FLOOR) 9831009442, MOBILE BAZAR-GARIA HAT, GARIA, BEHALA, PASHUPATI CELLULARS- GARIA HAT MORE, NU-YORK TELEWORLD- BBD BAG , RHYTHM-CITY CENTER ( SALT LAKE ), CITY CENTER -2 ( NEW TOWN ), HARAHARI TELECOM- RAJPUR ( SONARPUR) MEERUT:-Mr. Talk fONE 9837373737,SALEM : SRITECH-9943944426, SRINIVASA SHOP-9843821057, INDORE: BABU SHOP 0731-4068845, LUCKNOW: GANPATI MOBILE (Shri Ram Tower) 9839913000, SHREE BALAJI MOBILE (Basement Shri Ram Tower) 9839103391, MODERN COMMUNICATION (Above Mithai Wala,Gomti Nagar) 9839012020, KANPUR: DKG MOBILES (3rd flr Somdutt Plaza)-9838383838, VARANASI: CD GALLERY (Rathyatra Xing,opp Kuber Complex)-9415202433 CHANDIGARH: ANMOL WATCH COMMUNICATION SEC-22B, 9876600333 BOBBAY ELECTRONICS SEC-35B,9888500016 DEHRADUN: CLASSIC WATCH CENTRE (NEW MOUNT CLOCK TOWN) 9837677759JAMMU: 21st CENTURY (GANDHI NAGAR ), 9419180111, BEDI CYCLE WORKS,-9419182884, SHIVANGI ELECTRONICS - 9419152063 LUDHIYANA: PARTY PEOPLE ISHMEET SINGH CHOWK LUDHIYANA-9815940000

chief speak

42 MYMOBILE aug 15 to sep 14 2011

www.mymobile.co.in

“We will want to have Facebook on every phone” It has become synonymous with social networking for many people. And has even spawned a Hollywood blockbuster. Javier Olivan clearly is excelling in his role as Head of International Growth at Facebook. He talked to My Mobile about the company’s never-ceasing efforts to connect people and the new Facebook for All Phones application Sonia Sharma All right, no beating about the bush: why a Facebook for All Phones application? Basically, we have been focusing on making Facebook available for everyone around the world. We have been trying to break all the barriers for adoption of the product. We have given support for different languages, have localized it to suit the need of the people of different countries but we found that there is a significant number of people who might not have access to Internet connectivity but have phones that have some access to data connectivity. For instance, in India too there are more people who are using phones that are data capable and we wanted to have a solution for those people to connect virtually through Facebook. The application has all core Facebook functionalities like news feeds, profiles, messaging, groups, etc., and we are planning to enhance its functionalities further. The technology that used has a couple of advantages. It is much quicker, consumes less data, its faster, we can add more functionalities, it allows you to upload pictures directly etc. This application is intended to be your single point of contact with Facebook. The initial response to this application has been amazing. In India we have partnered with some of the operators like Aircel, Airtel, Idea, and Reliance who are offering free access for 90 days. It’s going to see many new users because it brings a lot of convenience. One does not have to go to an internet café and the access to Facebook is in your hand. When you say all phones, does it work even on entry-level devices? The minimum requirement for this application to run is that the phone needs to have a Java pack, which covers most of the devices that are available in the market. We are working on expanding the support to the other platforms too, but for the first time, it is for Java phones. We also have products like Facebook through SMS or USSD. We even have a Facebook over voice product.

But those are more intended to be complementary experiences. This application will cater to all your Facebook needs. It has support for more than 2500+ devices and we are planning to bring in more device support. The core ambition of the company is to make the world more open and connected. So we want everyone to have the chance to stay in touch. Do you see mobile phones as effective media of social connectivity? Even in India the numbers indicate that there are 50-60 million Internet users, but more than 700 million mobile users. So it looks like that in the emerging world one of the biggest opportunities for people to connect is going to be through the mobile phone. But for us, it’s more important to enable people to communicate without worrying about the distance and at multiple levels. How has been the uptake of Facebook on mobiles? Do you see it surpassing PC usage? The latest official figures that we have released say that we have 750 million active Facebook users overall, out of which 250 million are active users on mobile. So, as of today the numbers of users on PC are more but the way things are progressing, we can see huge mobile usage. One big example of this is South East Asia, where mobile usage is grooming very rapidly and globally the trends indicate that mobile usage will surpass PC in some countries. Moreover, lines between PC and mobile are blurring day by day. How is Facebook for All Phones different from other Facebook applications that are available in the market? Some Facebook platforms are developed by third parties and they use our application Facebook For All Users as a server-client type technology. The application that is installed is like a special browser and it connects with the Facebook data centre directly and we just handle all the communi-

cation efficiently, which is one advantage as users consume less data. Additionally, since it is similar to a browser we can add more functionalities without the user having to update the client. So it has support for larger devices and scope of future innovation that we can add to make it unique. I think most of the functionalities are also available on feature phones but we still have to work on it more. And seeing the nature of the device we will have phonespecific functionalities like Facebook Check-In. We worked closely with other stakeholders in the telecom eco-system to make Facebook available for as many people as possible and that people can use on any device. So we might not have a Facebook phone but we will want to have Facebook on every phone. What is the future growth path for Facebook? How important is India in your business plans? This is just a beginning of the social world and there are significant numbers of people who still want to be connected. In some parts of the world, people are still unconnected and our endeavor is to create ways to create Facebook relevant to them. We believe in continuous innovation to make it easier for people to communicate more efficiently. The application is available globally. We are working with operators to create a window for people to know about it. The app has been localized in many languages, and while I cannot share the numbers, it’s really promising. India is the second largest telecom market in the world, so it’s really important to us. We have people devoted to localizing the product according to India and working with partners on the ground. We have 25 million active users in India and while it is one of biggest markets due to its share size, 25 million is a very small part of the total population. While the Web client has support for Indian vernacular languages, Facebook for every phone will soon be available in vernacular languages. n sonia@mymobile.co.in

aug 15 to sep 14 2011 MYMOBILE 43

boredom buster Go Nuts! Climbing

and if you lose them, you will have to start again from scratch. It is not as simple as it sounds. The branches sometimes appear out of nowhere and are literally killers. You move from evergreen forests to tundra trees and there are a number of power-ups in between hanks to Chip and Dale, squirrels are like speed booster, extra life, etc., that keep synonymous with naughtiness and you going. The more coins you collect, the adventure. And you can slip into their better it is, as it enables you to unlock more garb with Nuts, an accelerometer-based power-ups and buy other types of coins. action game, in which you are a squirrel You can also buy additional lives and who has to reach the highest part of a shield to protect you during the tree and collect as many acorn coins Rating adventure. as possible. Tree branches need to The gameplay of Nuts is very be dodged – hitting them can cost simple and yet very addictive. You you your life. You have three lives, may end up spending hours tilting your phone from one side to the other. The graphics of the game have a 3D effect and the nice “Kaching” sound when you grab a coin goes well with its overall appeal. The ambient sounds are spot-on as well, taking you right into the lap of nature. You can also check the leaderboard and see your score and achievements at the game centre. We would have loved to have different levels or bonus rounds to make the game more engaging, but yes, we are nuts about it. The game can be downloaded for free from the iTunes App Store. n

trees was never so much fun!

85%

sonia@mymobile.co.in

We tested it on the Apple iPhone4

44 MYMOBILE aug 15 to sep 14 2011

www.mymobile.co.in

Building The Perfect City

Join hands with your friends to build a town of your own

ynga games revolutionised social gaming with the launch of Farmville, which brought together friends and made people realise the joys of virtual farming.

sell their harvest at the general store. They repeated the formula in an There are also a number of decoration urban set-up in Cityville. And now Rating options that you can use to beautify have brought to the iPhone a game your town. Needless to say, there is that is a blend of the two. Called Facebook integration in the game - you Cityville Hometown, this iPhone can sign in and invite friends to be your game can be downloaded from the neighbours and you can also send gifts, iTunes App Store for free. Unlike the PC although you do not get as many options in game, here you are required to create a small general as you do on the PC. Still, it is a sound quaint town with cute cottages, silos, general social game, once you get used to the odd stores, etc. You can cut trees to gather wood, quirk in its touch interface. n build various types of houses and buildings, collect rents and earnings, help the people sonia@mymobile.co.in living in your town, even as you keep getting We tested it on the goals that you need to achieve from time to Apple iPhone4 time. Achieving these lets you gain experience and coins that you can spend for further expansion. You can also create farms and

82%

aug 15 to sep 14 2011 MYMOBILE 45

boredom buster

Kick some Ninja Ass Are you the

if it does, you loose a life. The bricks in the Ninja Breakout are the ones that have enemies hidden and one has to destroy all the bricks to proceed to the next level. Just like in BrickBreaker one can get special bonuses on breaking some bricks. These power ups are temporary and lapse if inja Breakout is a break out style game you loose or move on to the next level. You where the objective is to save the get four attempts and extra life does not come Pandaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s homeland from the wicked as a bonus in this game. Ninjaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s. If you like the BrickBreaker, (that There are 40 levels that one has to comes pre-installed in BlackBerry devices), conquer to be able to save the Panda then Ninja Breakout too may interest land. However, once you unlock you. Reason: the basic premise of Rating multiple levels, it is not necessary these two games is quite similar, to start the new game from the first that is to hit the bricks with the level only. You can play from any of Panda without letting it fall because the unlocked levels. The next level of the game gets unlocked only after you clear the previous one. The animation of the game is good but there is no option to share your scores and level with your friends. The game is simple yet addictive, however the format of the game is pretty common. Its just that it is cuter to look at. n

chosen one?

79%

surbhi@mymobile.co.in

We tested it on the BlackBerry Curve

46 MYMOBILE aug 15 to sep 14 2011

www.mymobile.co.in

Zombie Slayer

Putting the undead back in their graves can be tough but fun

e love to hate mutant horror movies, with all their gore, living dead and strange creatures. Now imagine a strategy game where you have to place you ammunition in such a way that it kills all the zombies that pass thorough an area. This is the basic principle behind Grave Defense HD, a game that can be downloaded

four levels of difficulty: casual, normal, from Android Market for hard and insane. The mutants come approximately Rs 89 (there is a Rating in waves and you have to stop them free version too). You play a comfrom reaching their destination. Every mander who has to fight slithering mutant has different capabilities and worms, bats and various other resistance to your attack. There are types of mutants. To start with, you various options in weapons (mini guns, get a limited amount of money to set missile launchers, tesla coils cryo-cannons) up the initial weaponry on the fixed slots and what you can get depends on your given in your field. Once you start killing budget. All of which can keep you these creatures, you start gathering money engaged for hours of destruction and with that, can buy more weapons or as you return the dead to their upgrade the existing ones. The game can be graves. Literally. n played in two modes: campaign and survival. Each one of them has three campaigns: Silver, sonia@mymobile.co.in Bonus and Gold (which is locked in the free We tested it on the version). Each campaign can be played at Apple iPhone4

85%

aug 15 to sep 14 2011 MYMOBILE 47

Smart apps Shoot at sight

Virus protection is here

ecurity seems to be one of the top concerns for the Android users and to relieve an Android device owner from all the hassle, Lookout Mobile Security has come out with the Lookout anti-virus. This application helps in keeping your phone safe from the Trojan, malwares and other viruses. One can have a custom scan run on their device or schedule one. It prompts for a scan when any new device gets connected with the phone. It also warns about potential threats from various applica-

tions and sites too. Another handy feature of this application is that it lets you backup all your phone's data to www.mylookout.com. For doing the same one has to first register at the website and then start the backup process. All the data including music, photographs, videos and contacts are then saved on the website and can be easily retrieved on another mobile/PC whenever required. One can also specify how often the backup should be carried out. You can schedule back up and the antivirus scan at seperate times. The feature that is quite noteworthy of this application is that it helps one in locating the handset in case it gets stolen or misplaced. For locating the device one will simply need to log on to its website.

The application also has a scream option, which helps you in locating your device in case you are unable to find it on silent mode. This option can be activated by logging into the mylookout account and once pressed, will trigger a loud shrilling scream from the device. It is so loud that one can locate the device in a noisy location as well. All in all it is quite a handy application that will be sufficient to take care of all your security needs. This application can be downloaded for free from the Android Market. n surbhi@mymobile.co.in

We tested it on the Huawei Ideos X5

Rating

82% 48 MYMOBILE aug 15 to sep 14 2011

www.mymobile.co.in

The Wedding Planner Being

driven crazy by all the hullaballoo that accompanies a wedding? Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s an app for that

he wedding season is around the corner, and while this is a season for celebration, it is also the time when brides turn into bridezillas. There is so much to do - flowers, food, decorations, venue

categories. Each task can be prioritised arrangements, â&#x20AC;Ś the list continues. and you can set a deadline for the Factor in the Indian wedding style, the opulence, the scale and the Rating same. Once the task is over you can just tick it and it disappears grandeur, not to forget the whole from the to-do list. You can also extended family that will attend the add notes to each task that you decide wedding (and the tendency of things on. The USP of the app is that it is to go wrong at the last moment), and you completely customisable, making it suitable cannot blame the bride for having a for Indian weddings too. Yes, it is another soaring blood pressure. Fortunately, there is thing to do at your wedding, but doing it an app that can let you keep tabs on all things might just save you some headaches. Oh, matrimonial. Called the Wedding Checklist, and keep that blood pressure at relatively this app can be downloaded from the Android normal levels. n Market for free. You start by entering the date of the wedding. The app has various sonia@mymobile.co.in categories like announcements, attire ceremony, gifts, etc. â&#x20AC;&#x201C; with each category We tested it on the Samsung Galaxy having tasks under it. You can edit categories Tab 10.1 or add categories and add tasks under these

82%

aug 15 to sep 14 2011 MYMOBILE 49

Smart apps

Load Your Magazines… No,

Well, now these magazines are digitised and available at a touch of an icon on your iPad. The application is aptly named Magzter and is actually a virtual magazine store. Once you download it on to your iPad, you can use it to search for a magazine and browse through various categories. There are different sections like features, new arrivals, and categories. The categories segment has an extensive list like art, education, business, entertainment, etc. Once you select a category, the Rating magazines under it get listed and then you can add it to your shelf, which actually is the segment where

we mean magazines of the reading kind

“W

e read to know we are not alone,” said C.S. Lewis, the author of The Chronicles of Narnia. And nothing beats loneliness like a good magazine that comes with fresh content every week, fortnight or month.

82%

50 MYMOBILE aug 15 to sep 14 2011

all your favorite magazines are kept for ready reference. A preview of the magazine is also available where you can see a limited number of pages and decide whether you want to go ahead subscribing to it or not. Depending on the magazine, you have various options. You can buy a single magazine or take a subscription for a portion of time. That done, you can settle down and read your magazine, flicking pages easily and using pinch-to-zoom for a closer look, whenever needed. And discover that you are not alone. n sonia@mymobile.co.in

We tested it on the Apple iPAd 2

TAKING OVER THE VIRTUAL WORLD MY MOBILE GOES ONLINE!

log on to: www.mymobile.co.in

fa c e t o fa c e M.S Malik, director, ICE3 Mobiles, talks about the USP of their handsets and and what one can expect from the brand in the future Sonia Sharma

y t li

a u Q What is the idea behind the name ICE3? How has been the response to your models in the market? Well cube was taken from the first mobile that we launched as it was similar to the shape of a cube. ICE on the other hand stands for Internet, Communication and Entertainment, all converging into a single device. It is almost a year since we launched our first model in India and the response has been really good. For ICE3 we have cobranding partnership with Alcatel which is a well known European brand. However, most of the models that Alcatel had were designed for the European market. India, as you know is a different market due to the presence of local players and specific and customised needs of the Indian consumers. These brands are catering to the Indian market and that is the reason behind their success. We took a note of that and apprised Alcatel regarding the same to get some customised models for the Indian market. Alcatel is a very quality conscious company and they took some time to develop the models for the Indian market. In December or January last year, we got these models and till

t o l a ters

mat

now we have launched around nine handsets including some single SIM devices. Also, as we got our dual SIM phones ready we took a few of our single SIM devices off the market. You had launched a device in collaboration with Yahoo! And Tata DoCoMo. Do you plan to do more such collaborations in the future? Yes, we are having a good brand equity, and quality devices. Operators have a preference for quality device at affordable prices. We are bringing in a few more devices and are looking forward to more such collaborations. What is your strategy for the smartphone market? Will you venture into high end smartphone segment? We are going to focus on this segment. In fact we have an Android device in the market now and will be bringing more in the coming days. On the other hand, we have also launched two devices in the ultra low cost price category, which are below Rs 1000 and that too without compromising on the quality. We are bringing a whole range of devices but will limit it to mid end price category and not go to high end. In fact market is still not so mature that people accept a lesser known brand in the high end segment. We are looking on getting the high end features into

52 MYMOBILE aug 15 to sep 14 2011

the affordable category. Other brands are also doing it but at times they have quality issues. We will ensure best quality, top features and affordable prices. We will bring in various products with different specialties because it is not possible to put in everything into one device. So we will cater to different categories with various devices. How do you ensure fast and efficient after sales service to your customers? We have our inhouse company Pacetel which is providing aftersales services for various big brands. So we have a very good reputation in the market for that and we are using our existing infrastructure to provide after sales services to ICE3 customers too. However, the quality of our phone is so good that our fault ratio is very low. Its less than 0.25 per cent. What is your product strategy to compete in the Indian market? The kind of productâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s and pricing that we have is a great offering. I have been associated with the industry for a long time to know what the right way is. So our products will not have any problem in the market. All we need to do is to make the right amount of voice and spread more awareness about them. Our target is to sell one million handsets this year and we are sure that we will be able to achieve this target easily. n sonia@mymobile.co.in

just in HTC salsa Sizzling

with Android

TC has come up with its new, Android Gingerbread (2.3) based handset called HTC Salsa. It belongs to the brandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Facebook phone series along with HTC ChaCha. It has a Facebook button that lets you stay connected with your friends. It has dimensions of 109.1 x 58.9 x 12.3 mm and weighs 120 grams. The phone has a 3.4-inch TFT capacitive touchscreen with HTC Sense User Interface. The device has a 5.0-megapixel primary autofocus camera with flash and a VGA front camera. It also have features like proximity sensor, digital compass and G-sensor. Apart from regular features like chatting and sharing, users can now upload and also tag pictures on social networking sites. It has RAM of 512 MB along with 512 MB inbuilt memory. The HTC Salsa supports both HSDPA and HSUPA for 3G and also offers Wi-Fi connectivity. The 1520 mAh Li-ion battery can run up to 9 hours on 2G and 7.8 hours in 3G. The midrange smartphone is available in the market in black, silver and lilac colour at Rs 20,800. n

aug 15 to sep 14 2011 MYMOBILE 53

just in Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9

Making mobility fun

Sony Ericsson xperia mini Pro A pro on the go

ony Ericsson mini Xperia Pro runs on Android Gingerbread (2.3) operating system. This smart and lightweight phone comes with a LEDbacklit LCD, capacitive touchscreen and QWERTY keyboard. Some of its features are, scratch resistant surface, accelerometer sensor for autorotate, multitouch input, Sony Mobile BRAVIA Engine, proximity sensor for auto turn-off, etc. It has 512 MB RAM, 400 GB in-built memory which can be expanded up to 32 GB using a microSD card. The Xperia Pro supports both HSDPA and HSUPA and also offers Wi-Fi connectivity. The device has an 5.0-megapixel primary camera with LED flash, whereas the secondary camera is VGA. The camera features autofocus, touch focus, geo-tagging, face detection. It can shoot 720p videos. The phone has 1500 mAh Li-Po standard battery that can run up to 5.6 hours. The Sony Ericsson Xperia Mini Pro is available in different colours such as black, silver and red at Rs 16,000. n team@mymobile.co.in team@mymobile.co.in

54 MYMOBILE aug 15 to sep 14 2011

o keep up the pace with technology in todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s fast and busy lifestyle, Samsung has launched its Galaxy Tab 8.9. This is a perfect device for those who want something in between the 7.0-inch minis and 10.1inch giants. Packed with exciting features like 3G connectivity, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, etc the tab provides the user with web browsing, watching movies, playing games while remaining lightweight and portable. It has dimensions of 230.9 x 157.8 x 8.6 mm and weighs 470 grams. The device has 8.9 inches TFT capacitive touchscreen and is equipped with Android 3.0 Honeycomb with TouchWiz 4.0 User Interface (UI). The Samsung Galaxy tab features a 3.15-megapixel autofocus primary camera with LED flashlight and a 2.0-megapixel front facing camera for video call. It can also shoot 720p videos. Built-in accelerometer, multi-touch input, gyroscope sensor make the interface even more engaging. The Tab 8.9 is powered by a 1 GHz dual core processor and 1GB RAM. The Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9 has been launched at an MRP of Rs 33,900 in India. n

sneak peak NOKIA C2-06 Dual SIM, dual style

okia, which had recently launched Nokia C2-00 and Nokia X1-01, is planning to come out with another new Dual SIM handset. Nokia C2-06 will be the first Dual SIM handset from the company in the touch and type category that seems to be catching up in the market. It is a slider phone which comes with an easy SIM swap support, which will allow users to easy swap multiple SIMs on one of the SIM slots. It has dimension of 103 x 51.4 x 17 mm and weighs 115 grams. The phone has a 2.6 inch TFT resistive touchscreen giving a comparatively larger screen space for a good touch experience. The handset also supports a 2.0-megapixel camera but there is no secondary camera. The internal memory in this handset is 10 MB but one can expand it up to 32GB through a memory card. The other features in the Nokia C6-02 are GPRS, Bluetooth, FM recording, micro USB version 2.0, WAP 2.0 browser, FM radio, games, voice memo, etc. Social networking comes integrated in the device. However, the handset does not support 3G. There is also a video and audio player, which supports MP3 and MP4 formats. The 1020 mAh Li-ion battery can give a talktime of up to 5 hours. n

LG Optimus 3D A new

dimension to connectivity

D technology, that has been limited mostly to huge screens, will soon be in your pockets. The soon to be launched LG Optimus 3D is going to be the first phone to endorse 3D technology. Like all the previous Optimus series phones, this handset will also run on Android. Equipped with a 3D LCD capacitive touchscreen, it has 5.0-megapixel camera with dual LED flash and features like autofocus, stereoscopic photos and videos, geo-tagging etc and can shoot 1080p videos in 2D and 720p videos in 3D. The device comes packed with all the standard features like accelerometer, proximity sensor, GPS, 3.5mm audio jack, stereo Bluetooth 3.0 version, Wi-Fi, games, etc. It has 512 MB RAM and 8 GB in-built memory which can be expanded up to 32 GB. The phone has a standard Li-ion battery that can run up to 13 hours on 2G and 9 hours on 3G networks. However, the phone lacks FM radio but is expected to win the hearts of gadget freaks with its exciting 3D menus, 3D pictures, videos and games. n

team@mymobile.co.in

aug 15 to sep 14 2011 MYMOBILE 55

burn test Nokia X1-01

Quality with quantity

Pros

Cons

SIM with  No GPRS Dual Standby  Lacks Camera  Music Player FM radio  Dual

does not have a D-Pad. The left panel of the handset houses the music shortcut key, while the right panel has the card slot. This handset can support up to 16 GB through a microSD card. The top panel has a charger slot, torch light and 3.5 mm audio jack. The back panel has the loudspeaker grill. The up key of the navigation button shortcut for torch light.

Music world Despite being economical, the handset does not disappoint in the music front. One can play, stop, rewind and forward your songs through the music shortcuts keys itself. Even the sound quality through both loudspeaker and earphones was good. The handset also allows you to create your favourite playlist

112.2 mm

Quality comes first Nokia X1-01 too is a Dual SIM device and it supports two GSM SIMs at a time and both the SIMs are active at the same time. Though it’s a Dual SIM handset, but it has only one calling button. When you are trying to make a call, the handset will prompt you to select the SIM you want to use. All the contacts and messages of both the SIMs The loudare in one phonebook but it’s speaker are well illustrated from which capable of a SIM they belong. Both the good sound SIM slots are under the battery expereince of the handset. However, the micro SD card is hotswapable. It is smart looking mobile and most part of the gadget is made of shiny plastic and the back part is in dark grey colour. The build quality of the handset is good. The back panel is curved, which makes it easier to hold this mobile. The main panel of the handset has a 1.8 inch screen. Just below the screen is the square shaped navigation button. Nokia X1-01

Nokia Life Tools, you can access music, agriculture, health tools and more such services. Also, through the Nokia Money, one can transfer money through their mobile handset. However, to make use of any of these services you will first have to subscribe to the same. For entertainment, there are three games in this handset - Snake, Sudoko and Music League. Apart from this there are also certain utility features like unit convertor, calculator, calendar, stop watch and spreadsheet. Through Spreadsheet you can keep track of your expenses for the entire year. The handset claims to offer a battery back up of 10 hours and it stands tall on its claims as well.

Alternatively Nokia X1-01 costs Rs 1,900. Other option can be Samsung Guru26 costing Rs 1,800. n

47.3 mm under the My Favourite option. Apart from that there was also an option of repeat and shuffle songs. Apart from the music player, Nokia X1-01 also has an FM radio. The FM reception of this handset is good and one can pre save up to 30 FM channels in this handset. One can also select FM radio as an option for alarms. Though there is no shortcut key for FM but one can set it in the navigation shortcut key.

One up Nokia X1-01 comes loaded with Nokia Life Tools and Nokia Money. Through the help of

verdict

team@mymobile.co.in

Looks

Features

GPRS/3G | No/No

ease of use

Bluetooth/WiFi | No /No

perfoRmance

Phonebook Capacity | 500

value for money

Camera |No

overall

84%

56 MYMOBILE aug 15 to sep 14 2011

Frequency | GSM 900/1800 Others | Music Player, OVI Life Tools

Price: Rs 1,900

www.mymobile.co.in

Byond BY 501

Colored strip on the

Messaging in regional languages too!

spines adds to the phone’s looks

The Byond Mobiles’ BY501 is the latest effort with an ability to let consumers send text messages in three Indian regional languages, while enjoying multimedia features at a relatively low cost. Users can use this handset to type and send messages in Bengali, Tamil and Telugu beside Hindi and English, making this a very versatile performer in the messaging department. The handset we reviewed was a combination of black and orange colours. The front of the phone is dominated by a 2.3 inch screen, just below which is a square D-Pad with six soft buttons. The menu, SIM1 and FM buttons are on the left side of the D-pad whereas contacts, SIM2 and the power button are placed on the right. There is no shortcut

Pros

Has a 1.3-megapixel camera

tion is good, although there is no provision for FM recording. You can save upto forty FM stations on the phone. For Internet, the handset comes with a stock browser, which is honestly sluggish. Bluetooth is also present with acceptable data transfer rates. The Internal memory of the handset is 258KB and can be boosted by using a microSD card. Other goodies include a stopwatch, an e-book reader, a slideshow utility, a calculator, a voice recorder, a calendar, and an alarm and world clock. Connectivity options include GPRS, USB and Bluetooth. All of which make the Byond BY 501 a decent option for anyone looking for messaging in regional languages and on a tight budget.

Cons  Low

 Regional

language support

 Wireless

111.7 mm

Feel Indian

internal memory



No FM recording

key for camera or music player but you can customise the D-pad for the same. A long press of the OK button starts the torch function. The bottom panel has mini-pin charger and a USB-cum-earphone jack while top panel has a LED torch. The camera and loudspeaker grill are on the back panel of the phone. The left and right panels of the phone are totally bare - there is not even a volume rocker key. The keypad of the phone is comfortable to use. The phone has a 1550 mAh battery, which is decent for a device in this price segment.

The multimedia side The Byond BY501 comes with a 1.3-megapixel camera without flash. The image quality was decent for a device in this segment. The maximum resolution you can have is 1280x960 and image quality can be set as low, normal or good. Other functions include effect settings and scene mode, which can be set to auto or night mode, as per your requirements. The video recorder can record the videos in AVI and 3GP formats. The phone also features an audio/video player and wireless FM radio. The audio quality through the headphones is passable and loud through the loudspeakers. The FM can play without earphones, which is a welcome addition. The wireless FM’s recep-

46.2 mm

tech specs Size | 111.7 x 46.2 x 16 mm Weight | 78 grams

Alternatively The Byond BY501 is priced at Rs 1,699. The other alternative that you can consider is Celkon C770 that comes with a 1.3-megapixel camera and costs Rs 1,999. n

Memory | 258KB,microSD Battery | Lithium 1550 mAh

team@mymobile.co.in

Screen | 65,536 colours Talktime/Standby | Up to 5 hours/Up to 200 hours

Looks

GPRS/3G | Yes/No Bluetooth/WiFi | Yes/No Phonebook Capacity | 500

Features

ease of use

performance

Camera | 1.3 megapixel

value for money

Frequency | GSM 900/1800

overall

Others | WAP browser, wireless FM

Price: Rs 1,699

verdict

76%

aug 15 to sep 14 20111 MYMOBILE 57

burn test Lava M30

Musical bonanza packer with style

TThe

picture

quality of

the camera

Affordable beauty

is accept-

Pros

able

110 mm

Lava M 30 handset, which is primarily a music device, is quite appealing in terms of its looks, just like its A9 devices. Lava M30, it comes in a classic white colour and has a metallic finish. The front panel of the handset has 2.2 inch, QVGA IPS screen. Just below the screen, there is menu shortcut key on the left and contacts shortcut key on the right. In the center is the D-Pad. The top key of the D-Pad is the camera shortcut, the left key houses compose SMS shortcut, the down key is calendar shortcut while the right key has the other shortcuts. While the center key houses the shortcut

Cons

looking  No wireless FM and display  No Edge or WiFi  Music quality is noteworthy  Good

music key. Just below the Menu shortcut key is the call key and on the right side is the call end key. This is multi tap handset, which has a island type keypad. The back panel has the 2.0 megapixel camera and speakerphone. The lower panel has the 3.5 mm audio jack and the USB/charging port. The right panel has three music control keys.

Music reigns Lava M30 has a 2.0 megapixel camera and can click photographs with the highest resolution of 1600 x 1200 pixels and comes along with 4x Digital Zoom. The camera in this handset also offers one to switch on Anti-flicker, which can be set at either to 50 Hz or 60 Hz. Other settings include delay timer, white balance, night mode and continuous shot. There is also an option of video recording in the handset and the same can be shot in either MPEG4 or H.263 format. The highlight of the phone is its music capability. It offers good music quality through loudspeaker as well as earplugs. It supports MP3, MIDI, AMR, WAC and AAC audio formats. There is also an earphone hub that is given along with the handset that enables using two earplugs at the same time. Switching on the video player, the device could play MP4, 3GP, AVI, RMVB video

46 mm

formats with ease. One can save up to 20 FM channels on the handset. The audio quality on FM was good but we missed not having a wireless FM. Additionally, the handset also comes in with an Ebook reader that supports only txt files. Lava M30 has an internal memory of 506KB, which is negligible but one can increase it to 8GB through a microSD card. Lava is providing a 2GB memory card free with this handset. In terms of connectivity the handset does offer GPRS and Bluetooth but there is no EDGE or WiFi Connectivity. This mobile comes with MSN, Yahoo, Opera Mini, ngpay and Snaptu as the pre-loaded applications. Another notable feature of this handset is that it’s a Dual Active handset, which means that if you have an active call on SIM 1, the SIM2 incoming call will be depicted as call waiting. Lava M30 is powered by 1200 mAH li-ion battery and delivers the company claims in regards to backup.

Alternatively The Lava M30 priced at Rs 4,300 has alternative as Colors X9 for Rs 4,599. n team@mymobile.co.in

verdict

GPRS/ 3G | Yes/No

Looks

Bluetooth/WiFi | Yes/No

Features

Phonebook Capacity | 1000

ease of use

Camera | 2.0 megapixel

perfoRmance

Frequency | GSM 900/1800

value for money

Others | FM radio, audio player, Dual Active

Price: Rs 4,300

58 MYMOBILE aug 15 to sep 14 2011

overall

80%

www.mymobile.co.in

Rage Smart

Small phone that fits

Great features, smart price

easily in your pocket

ment of affordable devices. The phone supports all popular music formats. The music player of the phone is plain in appearance and does not have good additional features like equalizer settings, 3D sound effects, etc. A music player shortcut button in is given on the front panel of the phone. For imaging, the camera comes with a VGA camera. You can set resolutions of up to 640x480 pixels for taking picThe new tures. The camera has picture hexagonal enhancement options like D-pad white balance, scene mode and adds to effect setting, and picture qualthe phone’s ity is acceptable. The phone design supports video recording too.

The Rage Smart is a new entry in the dual SIM segment that is very popular in the country today. This devices supports two GSM networks. The SIM slots are under the battery cover with calling keys on front panel. While all contacts and messages are shown together, the phone, however, does not have dual standby service, so when a call is active on the any connection, the second network will show as being out of coverage area or switched off. The handset is made from a combination of black and red plastic which is not very attractive. The front and back panels are black and a red strip runs around the side panels. There is no shortcut key on the side panel of

Pros  Supports

two GSM connections

 Facebook

104.15 mm

Pocket sized

Cons  Average

quality

On the app front

Weight | 75 grams

The Rage Smart has a good social networking application. The phone has Yahoo!, MSN and Facebook applications – and checking your status is just a login away. The phone also comes with links to online stores, where you can download games, videos and music. The phone does come with three installed games, but none of them are really worth a mention. The internal memory of the phone is 45 KB, which can be expanded up to 4 GB through a microSD card. The Li-ion 1050 mAh battery provides a decent back up.

Memory | 45KB, microSD

Alternatively

Battery | Lithium 1050 mAh

The Rage Smart is priced at Rs 1,449. Another option in this price range is Akai Samurai for Rs 1,600. n

build

 Low

internal memory

and Yahoo integration

the phone. The bottom panel has a USB and mini pin charger slot while the upper panel has a torch light (for which, there is again no shortcut button). The navigation buttons have some pre-saved shortcuts, you can edit them and you can also add torch shortcuts on any of these. The front of the phone has a 1.8 inch display, below which is a hexagonal D-pad, surrounded with six soft buttons. The phone is small, and with dimensions of 104.15mm x 43.20mm x 15.10mm, it can easily fit in your pocket.

The multimedia side Although the Rage Smart is a sub-entry level device, it has decent multimedia muscle in the form of FM radio, music player and VGA camera. The FM reception of the phone is good and you can store up to 30 radio channels. The phone does have FM recording but does not have wireless FM connectivity – you need to plug in the earphones to listen to the radio. The audio quality of the phone is average on both loudspeaker and earphone. There is no scheduled FM recording feature on the phone, which is a rather common feature in this seg-

43.20 mm

tech specs Size | 104.15 x 43.20 x 15.10 mm

Screen | 65,536 colours Talktime/Standby (hours)| Up to 4 hours/Up to 300 hours GPRS/3G | Yes/No

team@mymobile.co.in

verdict Looks

Features

Phonebook Capacity | 500

ease of use

Camera | VGA

performance

Frequency | GSM 900 / 1800

value for money

Bluetooth/WiFi | Yes/No

Others | MRP Store, Yahoo!, MSN, Facebook

Price: Rs 1,449

7 8

overall

76%

aug 15 to sep 14 20111 MYMOBILE 59

burn test Acer Liquid Mini The liquid

metal gets a mini avatar

The liquid metal shrunk? The Liquid Mini, as its name suggests, is the mini version of the previously released Liquid Metal. It has the trademark curved look that is accentuated with the chrome-coloured plastic strips placed at the top and bottom of the device. The front panel has a 3.2-inch capacitive touchscreen and four touch buttons for Home, Search, Back and Menu. There is a hardware camera key placed on the right panel, making photography more convenient. The camera is placed on the back panel but there is no flash to accompany it. The back panel of the phone comes in colourful options and apart from silver, you can also go for orange. Overall, the device is well-designed.

Although it doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have a slim profile, it is still convenient to hold and use.

A phoneful of Froyo As in the Liquid Metal, the Mini also enhances the plain android interface with Acerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s own interface. The phone runs on Android 2.2 which is looking a bit long in the tooth now that 2.3 has been around for a while but considering the price point and relatively little difference in functionality, we are not too unhappy with it. The 600 MHz ARM 11 processor gives an acceptable performance and the touch response of the phone is also good. The idle screen is like a notebook page that can be turned over by swiping across the screen. On the home screen, the notification bar is placed at the top. The screen is divided into two parts. The top part has a screen swiping right on which gives you access to the history of functions visited on the phone

The touch interface makes access easy

Mini USB is an efficient means of connectivity

60 MYMOBILE aug 15 to sep 14 2011

Hardware shutter release key is a welcome addition for easier image capturing

www.mymobile.co.in

so you can easily access anything that you have accessed recently without going into the menu. Swiping left gives you access to the Media Manager from where you can access all your videos, photos and music. In this mode, there is a small square called the Widget icon on the left of the screen, tapping on which takes you to the regular homescreen panels.

QWERTY keypad in the landscape mode is more comfortable and the portrait mode is pretty crammed. The Social Jogger application integrates your Facebook and Twitter accounts and shows all the updates in an interesting scroll-like interface. The phone also comes with a smart dialer which is very handy for accessing contacts quickly.

Customisations galore!

Pros

Snap pics, play music

110.4 mm

You can change the homescreen settings by long pressing on the screen and disable App History and Media Panel or remove

Memory | 512 MB, microSD

The Acer Liquid comes with a 5.0-megapixel camera but has no flash, and the picture quality is just about passable. Rather irritatingly, only video and still mode, gallery, and zoom modes can be accessed from the camera’s viewfinder screen. For the rest, you will have to dig around the Settings menu. The camera is capable of capturing 720p videos which are pretty good. Video resolution can be chosen to record for YouTube and you can record either in MPEG4 or H.263 formats. The music player sorts music on the basis of artists and albums, and thanks to Dolby Mobile, the sound quality is good. In a neat touch, when the music player is playing in the background, the album art becomes the wallpaper of the homescreen. Apart from the default gallery, there is Nemo Player too, that consolidates all the content on the phones including music and lets you manage it easily through its simple on-the-screen interface. For radio freaks, there is FM radio. The battery backup of the phone was a bit of a downer. Unlike the Metal, it did not survive a day’s adventures. Ah well, it is a Mini after all.

Battery | Li-on 1300 mAh

Alternatively

Screen | 262,144 colours

The Acer Liquid Mini costs Rs 11,500. Other option could be LG Optimus One P500 costing Rs 11,000. n

 Affordable  Wi-Fi with DLNA, 3G with

HSDPA

 Various colour options

Cons  No secondary camera  No Android 2.3 out of the box  Battery performance could

have been better

57.5 mm

tech specs Size | 110.4 x 57.5 x 13 mm

the widget icon that gives access to the homescreen panels. This along with the wallpapers is pretty much everything that you can do to customise your homescreen. Below the screen there are eight menu icons and swiping up on the screen reveals the whole menu that is spread across three panels by default, although you can increase the panels by simply dragging the icon to the corner on the screen. The eight shortcuts on the home screen can be customized in the same way. On long pressing the menu screen panel, you get the option of customizing it by adding shortcuts and folders. In the default settings, there is a feature called Acer settings for quick access to strategic settings like Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS, etc. Browsing the Net on the device is comfortable with the multi-touch support for gestures and kinetic scrolling making browsing even more convenient. As the phone has Flash support, we were able to watch YouTube videos in the browser itself. The phone comes with support for all major e-mail services as well as Microsoft Exchange through RoadSync Mail. Attachments can be easily opened using Documents To Go but in order to be able to create and edit documents, you will have to buy the full version. Using the virtual

Weight | 108 grams

Price: Rs 11,500

team@mymobile.co.in

verdict Looks

Features

ease of use

perfoRmance

value for money

overall

80%

aug 15 to sep 14 2011 MYMOBILE 61

burn test Huawei Ideos X5 Android

There are plenty of handset makers that are looking to encash on Android and Huawei is one of them. The company had launched a handful devices last year so as to test the waters, is now getting more aggressive with its Ideos range. And the X5 is its high-end challenger. The Ideos X5 is a slim handset with a soft rubbery finish for a good grip, which makes it quite comfortable to hold. It comes with a 3.8 inch capacitive touch screen. Below the screen are four soft touch buttons that are for Back, Menu, Home and Search. The top of the phone has the power on/off button and a 3.5 mm audio jack. The back panel has a 5.0 megapixel camera and loudspeaker, while the left side houses the shortcut key for volume increase and decrease. The charging/USB slot is on the lower part along with the microphone. Though we like the overall look and feel of the device, the protruding camera lens was a bit of a turn off. The most noteworthy thing, about this handset is its screen. It has

a screen resolution of 800x480 and PPI of 245, which ensures that watching videos and pictures is a treat. The miscro SD card of the Ideoas X5 is hot swappable.

Apps aplenty, but why Froyo? The Huawei Ideos X5 is running on Android 2.2 (Froyo), which is not the latest version of Android, 2.3 (Gingerbread). Huawei has also opted not to place any layer on top of Android, giving the handset a vanilla Android interface, which is handy but not really spectacular. The handset comes with five home screens to have personalized widgets but there was no option to increase or decrease the number of these screens. There are three default touch buttons on the bottom of the screen, which house shortcuts to

120 mm

with multimedia muscle

Screen magic

62 mm

Pros  Bright screen

 Android 2.2, rather than 2.3

 Good multimedia

 No camera shortcut button

experience

 720p HD video recording

62 MYMOBILE aug 15 to sep 14 2011

Cons

 No FM radio

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Call Log, Menu and Browser. Long pressing the Menu bar brings on the five home screen panels and one can easily toggle between them. Right on the top of the screen is the notifications bar, which intimates when one has mail, calls, software updates and messages. The handset comes pre-loaded with Google Maps, Latitude, Gmail, Layar, Hi Space, Google Search, Richpad and YouTube. Facebook and Twitter are also present, as are social networking integration for your contacts. In terms of connectivity, the handset comes with Wi-Fi connectivity, but has a slightly dated version (2.1) of Bluetooth. It also has 3G HSDPA connectivity, which is capable of delivering downloads speeds up to 14.4 MBPS, and the option to act as a Wi-Fi hotspot. From an e-mail perspective, apart from the native Gmail application, the handset also supports Microsoft exchange, IMAP, POP3, and SMTP to ensure that one is always connected. One can input text through a virtual QWERTY keyboard, which comes pre-loaded with the SWYPE application. The pre-installed version of Documents to Go could open MS Office and PDF files but did not let us edit them. Its 800 Mhz processor enables the Ideos X5 to perform creditably, although it does seem slower than some of the 1GHz monsters we have handled recently.

Entertainment on the move As already mentioned the handset comes with a 5.0 megapixel camera. Camera settings include setting focus (auto setting/macro and infinity), setting exposure, white balance, zoom, and flash, which are usually present in most cameraphones. However, there was no camera shortcut button and the zoom function could be only accessed through the touchscreen and not through physical buttons. Images can be geo-tagged and shared via Twitter, Facebook, Picasa, Google Plus and Gmail. The handset supports 720p HD video recording, and videos on this handset can be shot on 3GPP. Videos can also be shared across social networks and mail as in most Android handsets. Moving on to the music, the handset does not have FM radio. But it does have an audio player, which supports MP3, AMR, WAV, AAC and MIDI formats. The sound quality of the handset through the earplugs was really good, and decent through the loudspeaker, although we wish the loudspeaker was slightly louder. On the video front, the handset supported MPEG4, MOV, 3GP, RM, MP4 and WMP formats. Its crystal clear screen made it pleasurable to watch movies and video clips. Unfortunately, the handset did not support XVID, DVID and even AVI video formats,

Plain vanilla Android

interface

offers good

functionality

Four

capacitive

touch keys have been given for

easier access

which limited its utility unless one was ready to invest some time in format conversions. The call quality on the handset was quite

clear through the earpiece and the headset but there was a lot of distortion on the loudspeaker mode. The internal memory for this device was 2GB, which can be exhausted easily with a bit of videos and photos to make most of this mobileâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s screen and so one expand it by further 16GB through a Micro SD card. The handset has a 1500mAh battery that easily lasted a day with normal calls along with a bit of e-mail and social networking.

Alternatively The Huawei Ideos X5 costs Ra 14,990. Other options that you can consider Samsung Galaxy Ace for Rs 15,500 or HTC Widfire S for Rs 13,800. n team@mymobile.co.in

verdict Looks

Features

ease of use

Frequency | GSM 850 / 900 / 1800

perfoRmance

/ 1900

value for money

Bluetooth/ WiFi | Yes/Yes Phonebook Capacity | Shared Camera | 5.0 megapixel

Others | SNS Integration, Google services

Price: Rs 14,990

overall

80%

aug 15 to sep 14 2011 MYMOBILE 63

burn test Nokia E6 Touch and

type with Symbian Anna! The interface is smooth and convenient

D-Pad comes to rescue

where the icons are

too small for touch

Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a six! Nokia E6 which is a bar phone with a QWERTY keypad and a touchscreen â&#x20AC;&#x201C; the first of its kind in the E-series. While the build quality is excellent as usual, the design of the phone evokes a sense of deja vu as it lies somewhere between the E63 and E72. The front panel has the 2.46 inch landscape capacitive touchscreen with a D-pad right beneath it. On either side of the D-pad are the control keys for Home, Calendar, Mail, Contacts and the Calling Keys. As the controls are placed on a single plastic sheet, your fingers tend to slip especially if you have nails. Below the keypad lies the trademark Nokia QWERTY keypad which is comfortable to use. At the back lies a 8.0-megapixel camera with a dual LED flash.

Anna is here The E6 is also one of the first phones to feature the latest version of Symbian, called Anna,

64 MYMOBILE aug 15 to sep 14 2011

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Pros

USB 2.0, WiFi and 3G. The E6 also comes with support for VPN (Virtual Private Network). And like all recent E-series devices, the E6 comes with free navigation and Ovi Maps.

It has a fun side too It might be mainly an enterprise phone, but the E6 has entertainment value too. Its 8.0megapixel camera produces decent pictures and shoots 720p video at 25 FPS. However, the absence of auto focus significantly limits the camera’s functionality. There are quite a few shooting options (various scenes, facedetection and self-timer, to name a few) but you need to look around to find them. As far as video playback is concerned, the video player comes with DivX/XviD support and can play 720p files with ease. There is a video editor too that lets you make new videos, edit existing ones and also lets you create slide shows out of pictures. There is an image editor too, where you can crop and rotate pictures or add effects to them. The music player of the E6 supports all popular formats and the interface is similar to that seen in other Symbian^3 devices. It sorts music on the basis of artists, albums and genres and comes with a number of equalizer presets along with sound enhancement options like stereo widening and Bass Booster. The music quality of the phone is acceptable. It also has FM radio with RDS which can be played through speakers. The internal memory of the phone stands at 8GB and you can expand it further with a microSD card. It also supports USB-on-the-go. Battery life is exceptional, as in all E-series devices - one full charge easily lasted for two days with extensive usage.

115.5 mm

which features an improved interface. Homescreen panes can now be swiped seamlessly and the icons are more clearly defined and colourful. However, the menu still follows the folder-in-folder approach. The browser, on the other hand, has been given a good makeover. Now, there is an onscreen search integrated address bar and an always present Back button. Multi-touch has been added which responds nicely and the browser now offers a better response and faster loading. You can open multiple tabs and can simply scroll between them.

 Updated Symbian Anna OS  Wi-Fi, 3G and USB-on-the-go

support

 Social networking integration

Cons  Fixed focus camera  Small screen not optimized for

touch

 Limited availability of

applications

Kinetic scrolling makes navigation a whole lot easier. The browser comes with Flashlite 4.0 support. That said, it is still no match for the browser experience on Android and iOS . Some of the icons in the touchscreen are too small for touch so using the D-pad is the best option. A trackpad would have been a better choice but we are not complaining. The five homescreen panes are editable and cutomisable but five is the highest that you can go. The menu icons can also be rearranged and you can also create new folders. If you touch the top right corner of the phone’s screen it opens the connectivity options along with battery status and notifications. E-mail has been Nokia’s strength and the E6 continues its proud tradition - it comes with pre-loaded settings of popular e-mail services, and you can also configure an e-mail account easily. The QuickOffice suite handles editing and creating documents. On the social networking front, the Nokia Social client lets you integrate your Facebook and Twitter accounts under one tab and the contacts too come with social networking integration. We still wish we had separate official Facebook and Twitter apps as on other platforms, though. Connectivity options abound – the E6 comes with Bluetooth 3.0,

59 mm

tech specs Size | 115.5 x 59 x 10.5 mm Weight | 133 grams Memory | 8 GB, microSD

Alternatively Nokia E6 is priced at Rs 17,500. Another option could be HTC ChaCha priced at Rs 15,000. It comes with a 5.0-megapixel camera and runs on Android OS. n

Battery | Li-Ion, 1500 mAh Screen | 16.7 million colours

team@mymobile.co.in

Talktime/Standby| Up to 14. 8 hours/ Up to 681 hours GPRS/3G | Yes/ Yes

verdict Looks

Features

Phonebook Capacity | Shared

ease of use

Camera | 8.0 megapixel

perfoRmance

Frequency | GSM 850/900/1800/1900

value for money

Bluetooth/ WiFi | Yes/Yes

Others | USB-on-the-go, WiFi Hotspot

Price: Rs 17,500

overall

80%

aug 15 to sep 14 2011 MYMOBILE 65

burn test HTC CHACHA HTC’s social networking jig

The camera is accompanied with a LED flash

A touch and type dance Handset brands seem to have caught the social networking fever too. Rare is the handset these days which does not come with some provision to keep its users connected to their social networks. HTC has gone a step further and launched the ChaCha which is being touted as the Facebook phone. This is due to the fact that the phone comes with a dedicated Facebook key. The ChaCha is a QWERTY keypad plus touchscreen phone in a cool white avatar. HTC’s well known chin that has been a part of a few earlier designs is seen here too. And looks great. The build of the phone is sturdy and the phone is comfortable to hold. The front panel has a 2.6 inch landscape display, below which are four capacitive keys for Home, Menu, Back and Search. At the top right is the secondary camera. The phone has a QWERTY keypad with island type keys and two hardware calling keys above it.The keyboard of the phone is The ChaCha comes with a capacitive

touchscreen and a QWERTY keypad

Pros  QWERTY keypad with

touchscreen

 Gingerbread OS with

HTC Sense

 Secondary video-call

comfortable to use and the arrow keys at the bottom right come in handy for navigation. A number of keys have also been allotted multiple functions. For instance the “.” key doubles up as the camera key and the tab key also works as the voice recognition key. Below the keyboard lies the Facebook key that gives you direct access to your Facebook account. There is a lot of blank space between the screen and the keyboard which we think could have been better used. The capacitive touchscreen responds well but its use is limited by the relatively small screen size. Overall, the phone is good looking and convenient

Socially yours The phone comes with HTC Sense 2.1 for messenger, but has a few features in it that have been picked up from HTC Sense 3.0. For instance, the lock screen has the same ringlike interface that we saw in the Sensation. There are seven homescreen panels that can be customized as per your convenience. However the touch keys for app tray launcher and personalisation are visible only on the default homescreen. We would have preferred if they were visible on all of them. You can access the leap view (bringing all the homescreen panels on a single platform) by pinching on the screen or double tapping on the home key. You can neither add nor delete these panels. In

camera

Cons  MicroSD card slot not

hot swappable

 No built-in video

calling app

 Average video

recording

Facebook button

gives direct access to your facebook profile

66 MYMOBILE aug 15 to sep 14 2011

www.mymobile.co.in

all this happen smoothly is the 800MHz processor at the core of the device.

Cha

Adding entertainment The ChaCha comes with a 5.0-megapixel camera accompanied with a LED flash. Apart from the usual color effects and image adjustments, it also comes with face detection and a selftimer option. You can toggle between the front and back camera and video and still mode from the viewfinder itself. The camera quality is Ok. Videos can be shot at 720 x 480 resolution and the quality is just acceptable. Flash can be used in video mode and you can use the zoom tool as well. In terms of video play back the phone cannot play HD files but it supports popular formats like MP4, AVI, etc. It also comes with DivX and XviD support. And oh yes, you can geotag images if you wish. The music player sorts songs on the basis of artists and albums. You can search for videos related to a song but there are no sound enhancement features. The sound experience of the phone is just about all right. The phone

114.4 mm

terms of personalization, you can add scenes, skins from HTC. The main menu is divided into three tabs for all, frequent and downloaded apps. The contact tab comes with deep SNS integration and you can send a message or an e-mail to a person straight from there. The Facebook profile of the contact can also be viewed. Speaking of Facebook, the dedicated Facebook lets you update your status with a short press if you are on the homescreen. A long press takes you to Facebook Places. If you are accessing a feature, then pressing the Facebook button allows you to share that activity on Facebook. There is a dedicated Facebook chat too. Also present is a Twitter application and the Friend Stream app combines all your social networking activity in one window. For e-mail, the phone comes with Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync support along with POP and IMAP compatibility. The browser comes with multi-touch support, with text reflow, which is a relief. However, the small screen does detract from the browsing experience. There is no office suite app pre-loaded on the device but you can always download QuickOffice from HTC Hub. The phone comes with GPS with A-GPS support and Google Map, so you can use it to find your way around. For connectivity, it has Wi-Fi and is also capable of supporting HSDPA speeds of up to 7.2 Mbps. You can also create a portable Wi-Fi hotspot and can connect up to eight devices to it. Helping

64.6 mm has FM radio with RDS support and a pleasing interface. It can be played via speakers but you have to have the headphones plugged in to make it work. The battery gives a day of normal usage with full charge â&#x20AC;&#x201C; standard for Android.

Alternatively The HTC ChaCha is priced at Rs 15,500. You can choose Nokia E6 which is an Anna based device for Rs 17,500 or Samsung Galaxy Pro running on Android 2.2 and costing Rs 10,500. n team@mymobile.co.in

verdict Looks

Features

8 9

ease of use perfoRmance

value for money

overall Others | HSDPA 900/2100, Smart dial

Price: Rs 15,000

82%

aug 15 to sep 14 2011 MYMOBILE 67

burn test HCL ME Tablet AM7 HCL pops an Android tablet

HCL gets into tab mode Considering the boom in tablets, it is no wonder that big IT brands are also eying this segment. So it is hardly surprising that HCL too has launched its tablets in the market, and the one that we are reviewing is the HCL AM7-A1. The AM7-A1 is a compact tablet with a 7.0

The touch

intreface of the tab is

responsive

-inch screen and a cool while coloured body. It has a slightly curved look with the middle part being stouter than the sides. There is a chrome coloured strip running around the screen that adds a classy dimension to an otherwise plain look. The bezel around the screen is pretty thick and we would have been happy with a thinner one, as that would have led to better optimization of space. There are three hardware buttons below the screen in the portrait mode, two on either side have four functions of Home, Menu, Back and Task Manager. In between these two lies a circular key that takes you to the App Tray in home mode and to Home in case you are accessing an application. The SIM and microSD card slots are conveniently covered with a sliding cover. There is a volume rocker and accelerometer lock along with a 3.5 mm jack and power button and all these are placed on the spines of the device. There is only one camera - a 2.0megapixel camera at the front. The back has a nice shiny shimmer effect that adds class to the overall look of the tablet.

Froyo fry, without Android Market The HCL ME runs on Android 2.2, or Froyo as it is better known. Considering that it is competing with the likes of the HTC Flyer, we would have expected it to be at least on 2.3 (Gingerbread). We hope HCL will provide an over the air (OTA) update to its customers in this regard. The interface remains more or less the same as in most Android devices. There are five homescreen panels that you can customise by adding shortcuts, folders, widgets, etc. There are three touch buttons at the bottom of the screen in the portrait mode for Browser, App Tray and E-mail. The notification bar remains at the top but it is plain and doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t provide any extra accessibility as seen in other devices. The main menu of the tablet is in a scrollable grid style with the Home key at the bottom. Surprisingly, there is no Android Market on the tablet, but you can always download it. Instead you have two different app repositories from HCL. One is the HCL App Center, which is somewhat similar to the Android Market. And the second is HCL Smart Apps, which offers a number of applications relevant for the Indian audience. These app stores have been provided to enable better app discovery for the customer since finding an app among millions in the Android Market can be a tough task for some. The tablet has e-mail support for POP3, IMAP and Microsoft Exchange Activesync. Settings for Gmail, Yahoo!Mail and AOL come pre-loaded on the device. The browser of the AM-7

68 MYMOBILE aug 15 to sep 14 2011

www.mymobile.co.in

126

Snap and groove HCL seems to have figured out that a camera on a tab will be used regularly for one thing – and that is video calling or chats. With that taken care of, you can also use the camera to take self-portraits. The highest resolution that you can set is 1600 x 1200 and also regulate the picture quality. The pictures can be geo-tagged too. Videos can also be captured. As far as the video player goes, it is capable of playing full HD videos at 25 frames per second. We tried a few and it worked very nicely. The music player of the device is plain vanilla but still the sound levels are good, although we did feel a mild distortion at full volume. The tablet comes with 8 GB internal memory that can be expanded further using a microSD card. We were not really impressed by the battery back-up of the device. Even in

tech specs Size | 197 x 126 x 13.8 mm

1.3-megapixel front facing

camera is the

only option for imaging

purposes

Pros  Convenient

SIM card and microSD card slot

 Full HD video

playback support

 3G and Wi-Fi

support

197 mm

comes with multi-touch support along with text re-flow. The tab comes with ThinkFree office document editor too. You can make calls and also send messages through the tab. Bluetooth allows you connectivity with wireless headphones. While a built in video calling option is not available in the dialer, you can always opt for a third party app for the same .

Cons  Android 2.2  Battery

performace is disappointing

 A bit bulky

considering the size

Weight | 300 grams Memory | 8 GB, microSD Battery | Li-Po 4200 mAh

The hardware

keys of the tab enhance its

functionality

Price: Rs 22,900

idle mode, a fully charged AM7-A1 ran out of juice in ten hours flat – a far cry from the tenhour battery life (when working) of the likes of the iPad. One can also connect a USB flash drive to the tablet and access its photos and videos through the gallery and the songs through the music client.

Alternatively The HCL AM7-A1 is available in the Indian market for Rs 22,990 and comes with a USB adapter in the sales pack. You can opt for Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.0 inch available for Rs 27,000 and Galaxy Tab 8.9 comes at an MRP of Rs 33,900. HTC Flyer on the other hand comes for Rs 38,990 in the market today. n team@mymobile.co.in

verdict Looks

Features

ease of use

perfoRmance

value for money

overall

80%

aug 15 to sep 14 2011 MYMOBILE 69

burn test Acer Iconia A500 Acer’s

Android tab ace?

An ace in design?

Pros  Android 3.0.1 upgradable to 3.1  USB on the go  Reasonably priced

Cons  Screen gets smudged easily  Could have been sleeker The 2.0-megapixel secondary camera is apt

 No SIM card support

for video calling ans self portraits

The Acer Iconia A500 works in

portrait as well as landscape

260 m

mode

The last twelve months have without doubt been the months of the tablet, with literally millions of tablets being sold all over the world. And Acer has joined the party, with an Android tablet that is feature packed and doesn’t cost a fortune - the Acer Iconia A500. With a 10.1 inch display, this tablet is bigger and thicker than the iPad or the Motorola Xoom. Although the body has a brushed metal finish, we still think that a sleeker form factor would have considerably increased the tablet’s visual appeal. The 10.1-inch LCD capacitive touchscreen’s glossy finish looks good but gets smudged pretty easily. There are no hardware keys on the front panel but you do have a volume rocker, autorotate lock switch and of course the power button on the sides. As far as ports go, it has a mini HDMI (we would have loved a full HDMI considering the size), a proprietary charging port, and what really caught our eyes, a USB and USB on the go port, the first we have seen on an Android tablet. Overall the tablet has a decent if not spectacular design, although we would have liked to see it in different colours.

Dual core power The Acer Iconia A500 runs on NVIDIA’s 1.0 GHz Tegra 2 dual core processor, with 1 GB RAM to boot. So it is hardly surprising that in terms of response speed, the tablet performs creditably, although we did find a lag in response some times. It runs on Android 3.0.1 OS (also called Honeycomb), but can be upgraded to 3.1. The user interface is very similar to that of the Xoom and is on the plain side, when compared to the snazzy ones seen on the iPad, the PlayBook and the Galaxy Tab. The tablet can be used both in portrait as well as landscape mode. As for the interface, there are five screen panels that can be customised through the ‘+’ button at the top right portion of the screen. Just next to it is the apps button that gives access to the menu tray. In the menu, the apps are divided into two segments, “All” and “My Apps.” At the bottom left are the Back, Home and Recent Access keys, and on the right is the time and notification bar. It is standard Android, in other words – fluid, but if you have seen one, you have seen them all. Acer has, however, attempted to spice things up with a few touches, such as adding icons for e-readers, multimedia and games that group similar apps together. The A500 supports only Wi-Fi which kind of limits its use to areas where Wi-Fi hotspots are available. There is a microSD card slot at the top of the tablet, which lets you further extend the 16GB internal memory of the device. On the subject of memory, the tablet also supports USB on the go when we plugged in a USB flash drive into the tablet, it easily detected all the pictures, documents, videos, etc., on it.

Appy fizz!

177 mm

70 MYMOBILE aug 15 to sep 14 2011

The Documents To Go office suite that comes pre-loaded on the device allows you to open, edit and create MS Office files on the device. For input, there is a portrait as well as landscape QWERTY keypad, which is pretty comfortable to use. The

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default browser of the tablet gives a desktoplike experience where you can easily open new tabs, use multi-touch to navigate, share a page, find words on the page, etc. We were able to play YouTube videos on the browser easily and if you do not fancy using the browser, there is a dedicated YouTube app too. For e-mail, there is a Gmail app along with another e-mail application that supports all POP and IMAP accounts along with Microsoft Exchange Active Sync. In the landscape mode, e-mail is displayed in a split-screen mode, with mails listed on one side, and their previews on the other. The A500 comes with Bluetooth file transfer support. Basic navigation is provided by GPS with Google maps, and for those looking for extra apps, there is the Android Market, although apps for Android 3.0 are relatively limited at the moment. There are a number of pre-loaded apps for convenience in the A500. For social networking there is a familiar Social Jogger app that takes care of you Facebook and Twitter accounts, Acer Sync guides you to sync your tab with your PC, and Nemo Player that gives you access to all your multimedia content in the same window (it did not, however, detect content from the USB drive). Another interesting addition is the Photo Browser that gives an interesting twist to the standard photo gallery. It opens the chosen pictures as albums and you can simply flick through them using the accelerometer. And as this is Tegra 2 device, it comes with a Tegra Zone that offers games, which make the most of the tablet’s powerful dual core processor.

The fun side As far as the entertainment goes, the Iconia A500 performs creditably. Let’s start with the music player. While it’s still plain vanilla in terms of features, the sound quality is exquisite, and its interface comes with a number of 3D effects. You can sort songs on the basis of artists, albums, genres and new and recent. Every sorting parameter has a different interface, which really makes the entire process a whole lot more interesting. A 3.5 mm jack le ts you use headphones of your choice with the tablet. There are no equalizer presets for sound enhancements but the quality is impressive. There is MusicA sound recognition app on the device but it only recognises music from external sources. For videos, there is the Nemo Player and the tab is capable of playing HD videos at 1080p. The player has support for XviD, MP4, H.264, H.263 formats, although we suggest that you download a player from the market for a better experience. The tablet comes with a 5.0-megapixel camera with a LED flash. It comes with two focus modes – auto and infinity – and you

have the option of geo-tagging images if you wish. The picture quality, however, is average. You can toggle between front back camera, video, still and storage from the viewfinder itself. The camera is also is capable of capturing 720p videos. The Acer Iconia A500 comes with 3260 mAh battery that gives a good back up and works well for a day with continuous e-mail, and some music, games and watching videos on YouTube. The company claims that the tablet will come with a HDMI cable in the sales pack and a cool tablet cover is also

tech specs Size | 260 x 177 x 13.3 mm Weight | 730 grams

included. All of which makes the Iconia A500 a very decent proposition for those looking for a good, value-for-money Android 3.0 tablet.

Alternatively The Acer Iconia A500 is priced at Rs 27,990. This is by far the most affordable 10.1 inch tab in the market. However you can also consider Motorola Xoom WiFi that comes for Rs 32,990. n

Memory | 16 GB, microSD Battery | Li-Po, 3260 mAh Screen | 262,144 colours

team@mymobile.co.in

Battery Life | 7 hours (approx)

verdict

GPRS/3G | NA

Looks

Bluetooth/ WiFi | Yes/Yes

Features

Phonebook Capacity | Shared

ease of use

perfoRmance

Camera | 5.0 megapixel

value for money Frequency | NA

overall

Others | Tegra Zone, Clear-Fi (DLNA)

Price: Rs 27,990

84%

aug 15 to sep 14 2011 MYMOBILE 71

burn test HTC Flyer HTC’s

tab flies high on style quotient

Berry Smart Preferring 7 inches to 10, Ginger over Honey If you don’t want a 10-inch tablet and instead are looking for a slightly bigger screen than the usual smartphone, then the HTC Flyer could be the tab for you. The tablet has a 7.0 inch, 16 million colours screen which is very good in

Honeycomb platform. What’s more, while HTC has integrated its Sense UI into Gingerbread, the result is that the the Flyer seems more or less like a bigger HTC phone, which can’t do calling. There are four touch buttons for Home, Menu and Back and the Stylus button. There is a set of these keys that is available in the portrait mode too, taking the button count to eight. The touch

interface of the

tab is smooth and intuitive

The scribe

button gives access to

the onscreen handwriting

functionality

Pros  Sense interface, with a

stylus too

 3G as well as Wi-Fi

connectivity

 Great video player

Cons  Overpriced  Like a large HTC phone  No Android 3.0 (Honeycomb)

terms of visibility. The body is made of a combination of metal and plastic and despite being a bit on the heavy side, the Flyer looks sleek. At the back, there are two plastic patches at the top and the bottom. While the bottom one looks detachable, we suggest you let it be - it is actually the top one that hosts the camera that can be removed, letting you insert the SIM and microSD card there. The battery of the tab is not removable. Overall the tablet is pocketable and looks very good in white. Yes, we all know that Android 3.0, i.e., Honeycomb is ‘the’ operating system for Android tablets but HTC has gone with Gingerbread (Android 2.3), which is the latest OS version for Android smartphones. While this version has support for a larger number of apps, it will not support any of the apps made for the

72 MYMOBILE aug 15 to sep 14 2011

Sense and Stylus! The stylus button works only when you touch it with the stylus. This is a special scribe pen or stylus that is battery operated and uses HTC Scribe technology to allow you to scribble or sketch on your Flyer. Once you touch the Scribe button, it gives you the option either to sketch or write. If you choose the sketch mode, then it automatically captures a screen shot and you can then add elements on it. In the write mode, it uses the Evernote application. You can choose between various pen types and also the colour and width of the pen’s tip. All this is available through the semicircular control panel of the Scribe application near the touch button. The pen itself has two buttons. One is a highlighter and the second is the eraser. The Scribe feature is one of the key differentiators for the Flyer, as

www.mymobile.co.in

Price: Rs 37,000

and text reflow, making browsing a breeze. On the e-mail front, the tablet has a Gmail app and also comes with Microsoft Exchange

Support. You can configure other POP and IMAP accounts on the Flyer too. The Flyer does not support calling but you can send messages through it. For connectivity, you can use 3G or Wi-Fi and for navigation, there is a built-in GPS receiver.

195.4 mm

it is one of the first high-profile tablets to come with such a writing instrument. The Flyer uses HTC Sense - a great interface that we have seen in other HTC Android devices too. Here there are eight screen panels on the home screen. These are again customizable with widgets, shortcuts, folders, etc. The usuals like HTC Scene, skins, lockscreen shortcuts as seen in the HTC Sensation are seen here too. The locked screen can be opened by pushing up the ring on the screen. There are four shortcuts on the screen and in case you want to visit any one of them you simply have to drag the icon into the ring. The notification bar is at the top and also gives access to quick settings. There are five touch keys at the bottom of the homescreen for Menu, Notes, Reader, Watch app and Personalization. The menu has been given a tabbed view where you can either see all, frequently used, and downloaded apps separately. The tab comes with apps for Facebook app and Twitter and there is Friendstream for those who wish to combine their social networking activity. As in other HTC devices, the Contact tab comes will full social networking integration. You can send a SMS, e-mail, see the recent activity and also view the online albums of your contacts, all from the contact tab. The browser is the standard Android one with Flash 10.1 support along with multi-touch

Flying fun The Flyer comes with a 5.0megapixel camera. There is no flash but it does have touch focus, face detection and geo-tagging. The picture quality is average, which is hardly surprising as we do not consider a tablet as an optimum picture shooting device. Videos can be shot at 720p but here too we would call the quality to be just about average. In both the modes, the usual options like White balance, image customization, etc., are available. The video player however, excels at playing 1080p videos. The interface is simple and the experience is great. The player also comes with DivX and XviD support. Another highlight of the Flyer is its audio quality that completely blew our minds. There are sound enhancements like SRS enhancements and equalizers, but the latter work only in the headset mode. There is a dock mode too that allows you to use your tablet has a photo frame, DLNA device or a calendar. The 1.5 Ghz processor gives a snappy performance and the 4000 mAh battery gives ample juice to play around with the device for an entire day. You can expand the memory of the Flyer using a microSD card.

122 mm

verdict Looks

Features

The HTC Flyer is priced at Rs 37,000. The other option could be the Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9 expected to have an MRP of Rs 33,900 so the MOP will be even lower. n team@mymobile.co.in

perfoRmance value for money

Alternatively

ease of use

overall

80%

aug 15 to sep 14 2011 MYMOBILE 73

burn test Acer Iconia W500 Good old

Windows arrives in the tablet world

The Acer Ring is a great interface for the W500

The keyboard comes with the sales pack and is very useful

It’s different, yet similar

Windows warrior... Unlike the other tablets in the market, the W500 runs on Windows 7 OS. And this has its own pros and cons. Since it’s a Windows tablet, you don’t have to go through a learning curve to use it if you have been using a Windows PC or a notebook (and most of us have). Secondly, the operating system is completely evolved. It might not have been designed specifically for tablets like its rivals but it has a great ecosystem around it. You do not have to worry about compatibility or support for peripherals or content and if you are an enterprise user, the IT guys will be happy to configure this tablet as per your enterprise network. On the other hand, if you compare it to the experience on the tablets of other operating system, the touch experience is just not there yet. You still have the single click, double click Windows funda

74 MYMOBILE aug 15 to sep 14 2011

Pros  Keyboard in the sales pack  Windows 7  1 Ghz processor

190 mm

It is raining tablets in the market. Everywhere you look there is an Android tab trying to fight its emerge as a worthy challenger to the iPad, which remains the numero uno in tablets. These smart devices are trying to find their place somewhere between a smartphone and a netbook or notebook. But imagine a tablet that works just like your notebook, while providing all the benefits of a tablet. This is what the Acer Iconia W500 offers to someone who wants to get introduced to the tablet world, without leaving that of the conventional computer. It is a 10.1 inch tablet that comes with a full keyboard that can be attached to it in the sales back. When compared to others in this segment, this one is pretty porky. There is a Windows button at the bottom and a secondary camera at the top. As far as the looks go, the dull gray colour and laptop like thickness might not have many takers, but it still is pretty compact and versatile to use.

Cons  Bulky  Old school touch interface  Cumbersome docking

process

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for highlighting and opening applications. The icons are not optimized for touch and you do have to hit them a few times to get results. There is a dock at the bottom that lets you connect the tablet to the keyboard and once you do that, you might not mind the touchscreen as much. There are USB ports for you to connect USB peripherals like a mouse, a printer and just about anything (these are fullfledged USB ports). The keyboard has a nipple mouse pointer but no touchpad, and this was where we appreciated the touch interface a lot.

...with a few Acer touches! Apart from the usual Windows, Acer has added some features that will optimize the touch of the table. The first among these

is the Acer Ring that gives access to all the main features of the tablet. You can double tap on the icon to launch it or if you prefer something cooler, grab the whole screen with your hand’s all five fingers. The Ring, as the name suggests is a ring-like interface that gives access to features like the touch browser, Social Jogger, games, sync, disk cleaner, clearfi and a snipping tool. The touch browser is a touch-optimized Web browser apart from the usual and comes with multi-touch support for easier navigation. The Social Jogger combines your Facebook, YouTube and Flickr accounts. Clear-Fi is Acer’s name for DLNA that allows content sharing over Wi-Fi. At the centre of the ring lies access to device control. The hardware keyboard that comes with the pack

has chiclet-style keys and is convenient to use. There is a sturdy lock mechanism that keeps the tablet locked to the keyboard, making it easier to transport. However, you have to first detach the tab from the dock. The W500 runs on a 1GHz dual core processor and gives a snappy performance. However, we did see a hint of a lag when we shifted from portrait to landscape mode. It has 2GB RAM and a 32 GB storage. Overall it is a sound device that is capable of giving you a seamless computing capability. Although it does have a SIM-card slot for 3G/GPRS access, this has been blocked, leaving you to depend mainly on Wi-Fi for wireless online connectivity. The W500 comes with a 1.3-megapixel camera both at the front as well as back and you can shoot pictures at 1280 x 1024 pixels. However for shooting videos, one has to choose a lower resolution. We didn’t expect much in terms of picture quality, although the results were acceptable. The tablet is capable of playing 720p videos and 1080p videos through HDMI (yes, it has HDMI connectivity). The music player is the standard Windows Music Player and you can also choose and download from a number of options that are available for Windows like the VLC media player. The sound quality of the tablet is great, making it perfect for watching films. Also on board is an SD card reader, which makes sharing and transferring content easy. The battery life of the tablet is reasonable and comparable with a decent notebook - it gives you approximately five to six hours if you use it normally. Obviously, this decreases if you are watching HD videos on it.

Alternatively The Acer Iconia W500 costs Rs 32,500. There is no other Windows tab. In Android you can opt for Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 with a MRP of Rs 36,200. Acer Iconia A500 is another option priced at Rs 27,990. n team@mymobile.co.in

verdict Looks

tethering

Features

Price: Rs 32,500

ease of use

perfoRmance

Others | Facebook, Internet

value for money

overall

275 mm

84%

aug 15 to sep 14 2011 MYMOBILE 75

burn test SAMSUNG GALXY TAB 10.1

Samsungâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Galaxy gets a 10.1-inch tab A perfect ten in appearance! The Galaxy Tab 10.1 is by far the sleekest and most good-looking Android tablet that we have seen. In fact, it rivals the Apple iPad 2â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s new age design. At 8.6 mm it is 0.2 mm sleeker than the iPad 2 and weighs even lesser. It has a smooth curved body and the white colour adds to its overall appeal. The front panel has a 10.1-inch PLS capacitive touchscreen of 1280 x 800 resolution, which again betters the iPad 2. On the downside, the glossy screen is a fingerprint magnet. There are no keys on the front panel. A secondary 2.0-megapixel camera has been added to it though. The back panel again has a glossy finish and sports a 3.0-meapixel camera with LED flash. The design is pretty minimalist with the volume rocker, 3.5 mm jack, power key and the SIM cad slot, all being on one side and the connecting port being on the other (top and bottom respectively in landscape).

and on the right of these is a direct link to the Android Market. The Galaxy tab comes with a Social Hub and a Music Hub. The Social Hub lets you integrate all your e-mail and social networking communication under one head. You can integrate your Microsoft Exchange Active Sync account, POP3 and IMAP accounts, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn accounts in the Social Hub application. The

with Flash support and for those into editing MS Office files, there is Polaris Office to enable creation and editing of documents. Apart from the Android Market, users can get apps from the Samsung App Store too. The Tab has GPS and Google maps for navigation. The touch response is great and the NVIDIA

Buzzing on Honeycomb Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 is the first tablet to come with Android 3.1 (the updated version of Honeycomb) out of the box. And this brings some significant enhancements. The user interface has been polished further for faster and smoother transitions and easy manageability. Pressing the Home button takes you directly to the last accessed home screen panel. The 3. 1 update also brings the capability of resizing the widgets on the homescreen. Long pressing on the widget makes a grid appear and you can simply drag you finger to make it bigger or smaller. The Recent Apps section has also been expanded and now you can scroll through it to see recently accessed applications. There is a Wi-Fi lock that allows the tablet to maintain Wi-Fi connectivity even when the screen goes off. There is also support for Preferred Network Offload (PNO) which enables power saving during continuous Wi-Fi connectivity. The interface remains more or less the same. There are five customisable homescreen panels , the Apps icon is at the top right and the right bottom has the notification bar that also gives access to the settings. There is an arrow at the bottom, tapping which gives access to the Task Manager, Calendar, World Clock, Memo Pad, Calculator and Music. Apart from the Back, Home and Recent Apps button there is another touch button that takes screen shots of the display. The App Tray is divided into All and My Apps

The PLS LCD screen makes visual experience pleasing

Music Hub is supposed to integrate all your music but is not supported in India yet. As mentioned, the Tab supports all popular e-mail accounts and the two window interface is pretty convenient to use too. You can use the tablet both in landscape as well as portrait mode. The browser of the tab has desktop-like feel and with a brilliant screen you will not miss your computer. Apart from pinching, you can simply touch the screen with two thumbs and tilt the tab to just zoom in and out. The browser comes

76 MYMOBILE aug 15 to sep 14 2011

Tegra 2 dual core processor makes performance snappy. The 3.1 update also brings support for additional hardware. You can now connect a USB device to the tablet using an adapter. This capability also gives you option to connect keyboards, USB mouse, game pads, etc. You can also connect these peripherals to the Tab through Bluetooth. Samsung has a special keyboard for the Tab but you will have to buy it separately. There is a ebook reader on the galaxy 10.1. And for news freaks,

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there is Pulse, an app that aggregates and organizes news.

The entertainer The Tablet comes with a 3.0-megapixel camera with LED flash with autofocus and macro mode. One can geo-tag pictures and choose from various scenes like landscape, night, sports, etc. It also has options like self-timer, single shot, smile shot, panorama and action shot. The camera can also

capture 720p resolution videos. Both the picture and video quality of the Tab are acceptable. The video player can also play 1080p videos and comes with DivX and XviD support. The music player sorts music on the basis of artists, albums, genres, composers and years too. There are a number of equalizer presets and you can use custom presets too. Sound effects like externalisation, bass enhancement, etc., are also available. The sound quality of the tablet is great even without the presets. The tab supports HDMI and a

HDMI adapter is available for the same.

Alternatively The Galaxy Tab 10.1’s MRP is Rs 32,600. You can opt for Motorola Xoom 3G +WiFi which costs Rs 39,990. The 3G+WiFi model costs Rs 36,900 for 16GB, Rs 41,900 for 32GB, and Rs 46,900 for 64 GB. Another affordable option is Acer Iconia A500, which too is an Android Honeycomb based tablet and costs Rs 27,990. n team@mymobile.co.in

175.3 mm

Price: Rs 36,200 verdict Features

Cons

Pros  Android  USB

3.1 out of the box

on the go

 Sleek

Looks

256.7 mm

design

 No

expandable memory

 Screen

is a fingerprint magnet

 No

built-in HDMI port

ease of use

perfoRmance

value for money

overall

86%

aug 15 to sep 14 2011 MYMOBILE 77

cell clues

Appleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s iCloud initiative has brought cloud computing back into the spotlight. We take a look at what the cloud can offer us and how we can make the most of it, even as the world gears up for a future that will have clouds not just in the sky but in the digital world as well? Surbhi Chawla 78 MYMOBILE aug 15 to sep 14 2011

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here are always great expectations from World Wide Developer’s Conference (WWDC) that Apple organizes each year and this year was no exception. However, unlike in the past, Apple was not showcasing any new iPhones this time around, but instead introduced a new version of iOS and a new service called iCloud. While the former was expected, the latter was literally a bolt from the blue. The premise of iCloud is basically a cloud computing service that gives Apple users a new way to store and access their data. With the help of this service, one can store all one’s music, photos, apps, calendars, documents, etc., online and these are then wirelessly pushed to all your iOS devices. And this is not just the basic premise of iCloud but a broad outline of what cloud computing can do. With cloud computing, one can have devices running on different formats and yet seamless exchange data and information on them with minimum fuss. All of which raises the question: what makes cloud computing so special that even Apple is now aggressively pushing a service like this? And more importantly, where does India stand in terms of embracing this technology?

Another reason for the popularity of cloud computing is that now people have more than one device. They have a desktop, a laptop, a Smartphone and even a tablet. and a single user access to all the files from different devices can be done efficiently only through the use of cloud computing. Also, in this day and age where speed is of the essence, one would want to have access to all their information at all points of time on all of one’s devices. Which is where cloud computing comes to the rescue again devices. Which is where cloud computing comes to the rescue again.

The power of the cloud

A massive market ...

There are two things that have given cloud services fresh impetus in the current scheme of things. The first is that the world is suddenly becoming a common marketplace. There are now virtual teams that are jointly working on a particular task, meaning a lot of people in different time zones will want to track the same file, data or information in real time - something that can be made possible only with the cloud. If applied to an organization, cloud computing can lead to more efficiency in the work flow. It can help the companies in saving costs as the software that is being used can be shared and be paid as per usage. So, for example, if I work in an organization, and have to use Microsoft Word for 2 hours, Adobe PDF Reader for 15 minutes, and Corel Draw for one hour, then the company will have to pay only for these hours of usage and not for the entire day or a year, as is generally the case in most software applications. Another reason for the popularity of cloud computing is that now people have more than one device. They have a desktop, a laptop, a Smartphone and even a tablet. And a single user access to all the files from different devices can be done efficiently only through the use of cloud computing. Also, in this day and age where speed is of the essence, one would want to have access to all their information at all points of time on all of one’s

The global cloud services market was estimated to be worth USD 68.3 billion in 2010 and the projections are that this market will reach USD 148.8 billion by 2014. There are no specific numbers available for the Indian market, and Sanchita Gogia, Associate Research Manager, Forrester refused to attach specific numbers to a “disruptive force”. “We had done a survey measuring the awareness about the cloud services and 36 per cent of the respondents were aware of cloud computing in 2009. In 2010, the number had swelled to 83 per cent and has almost reached 93 per cent in 2011,” he added. According to Kumar Parakala, Head of IT Advisory, KPMG India and EMA, “Emerging leaders like India and China are leveraging demographics and technology. Increased adoption of the cloud could further strengthen their position to compete with the developed world filling the economic and developmental void.” It’s not just businesses and individuals who stand to gain from this new paradigm. Even sectors like Government, healthcare, and education stand to benefit from the cloud. In a country like India, one of the major challenges has been reaching people in different parts of the country. With mobile phones seeping into each nook and corner of the country, it is expected that the cloud may help in getting some of the basic health, educational and

Governmental facilities that have not yet been able to reach the masses. And that too at an affordable price.

...with its own challenges! A number of companies in India have been excited about the cloud but are a little apprehensive about parking their funds in this new technology – a phenomenon that is often seen in the case of new technologies. Many companies have worked out pay-as-you go models to minimize their risk and also effectively manage their return on investments. Another major challenge that the Indian CTOs have to address about the cloud are the security challenges. Although a lot has been written with regard to how robust our system has become, skeptical minds are not comfortable with the idea that their data would be secure and would not be misused once uploaded onto the cloud. The idea of having their data being outside the confinement of their building is still an issue with some people, who need to be convinced about the security of the cloud. The increasing number of people becoming a mobile workforce could make them change their minds. A report by Springboard Research suggests that India’s mobile workforce will grow 53 per cent over the next four years to reach 205 million by 2015, out of which as many as 65 per cent will be equipped with smart mobile devices. This mobile workforce would need to be constantly connected and as operating systems continue to evolve, it could well convince more people to move to the cloud, as it is simply the best way to keep one’s work force in sync. Steve McWhirter, APAC head for Salesforce.com, feels that “there will also be a push from the enterprise side as they will look to trim costs that their employees may incur on travelling and boarding and cloud computing can be a good alternative for them.”

Cloud computing 2.0 Even though skepticism in regards to cloud computing continues to exist there is already talk of the next generation of cloud computing, referred to as cloud computing 2.0. With the world already becoming a more connected place, this new generation of cloud computing is looking to have applications that are sticky and convenient, freeing users from the need to depend on a single device for any function or file. Salesforce.com already has the AppExchange, which they claim is the first online marketplace for cloud computing. We are going to be hearing a lot about cloud computing in the coming days. This is one cloud that has more silver linings than dark ones. n surbhi@mymobile.co.in

aug 15 to sep 14 2011 MYMOBILE 79

in focus

Has the Online Mall Arrived? A 60 per cent discount on a popular smartphone on an online portal might tempt you to buy it instantly but still there are a few things that you need to consider Sonia Sharma Surbhi Chawla

obile phone shopaholics used to flock the Web to check out mobile devices, compare specs and prices. But purchasing them? Nah, when it came to buying a phone or a tab, handset distributors nearer to home got brownie points for being the person to turn to in case there was a problem with the device or even to demystify the various features that the brand new toy had to offer. The Web was simply considered too unsafe and unreliable for anything more than research.

Trusting the Web However, this attitude is slowly changing, especially with the coming of daily deal sites offering staggering discounts. According to a recent report by comScore, a leading site for measuring online traffic, in June 2011, 4.6 million Internet users aged 15 years and above accessed coupon or daily deal sites. This constitutes to about 10 percent of the total online population.

80 MYMOBILE aug 15 to sep 14 2011

SnapDeal.com was the top site in the category with nearly 1.5 million unique visitors during the month, followed by DealsandYou.com and Mydala.com, both of whom had nearly one million unique visitors. And there are many more leading online stores that are becoming a constant source of shopping for many. These include Letsbuy.com, Naaptol.com, Tradus.in, Futurebazaar.com and HomeShop18.com that also offer value deals for their customers. Most of these sites come out with discount sales or battle deals that they promote aggressively. Naaptol. com claims that they are selling about 50,000 mobiles every month, while Homeshop18.com claims to sell 1,00,000 units through their site. It is not just mobile devices that are popular, but even mobile accessories like Bluetooth headsets, memory cards and cases are attracting interest. Tradus.in claims to be selling one pen drive almost every second. Anisha Singh, founder and CEO, Mydala.com revealed, â&#x20AC;&#x153;We had run a

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Nokia Bluetooth headset scheme on our site and managed to sell 1,000 units in three days and we had to close the deal early because of the overwhelming response. We again reopened the deal and sold another 1,000 units in a short span of time and had to again close the deal early.” Not surprisingly, the Internet and Mobile Association Of India (IAMAI) has pegged the e-commerce market at USD 10 billion by the end of 2011. And while these are impressive figures, some questions have been raised too. Has the hype been created just to lure the customers or are there truly better deals available online? Have all the apprehensions of the Indian consumers been addressed? And will the momentum continue?

Scoring on price! Nothing excites the Indian consumer more than a significant reduction in the price of a product. This along with the mindset shift from being a saving oriented economy to the one that is looking for some sensible shopping is the fuel behind the current growth. According to Manu Agarwal, founder and CEO, Naaptol.com, “A lot of these handsets are picked up by people living in cities other than the Tier 1 cities. The online availability of these products drives the sales for these handsets in these specific locations.” Online sites are also able to offer a wider range of devices, as they are not limited by display size liken traditional retailers. As Sundeep Malhotra, CEO, Homeshop18, points out: “Online channel provides the flexibility for customer to understand a product in greater detail.” But these factors have always been there. Why is it only that customers are flocking for online purchase of mobile devices? Gaurav Kachru, CEO of Dealsandyou.com answers, “One of the drivers for people picking up handsets from the deal sites is that they know that they trust that it will be standard product. That is if they are looking to buy a BlackBerry Curve 8320 Black, then what they get in parcel that will be delivered through courier will indeed be that very product.” Certain brands have been only too happy to use these sites in getting their products to the masses. This seems to be true especially for new product categories such as tablets. Rahul Sethi, President, e-Commerce, ibibo Web Pvt. Ltd. (which owns tradus.in) explains, “Tablets are high-end products and even the channel is a little skeptical in regards to the acceptance of these products. And because of high decibel advertising, companies like want that their products should be widely available. So online retail comes to their rescue at this stage.”

The source code But how do they get these deals? When we

approached the handset brands, most of them refused to comment and those who did said that online retail was still not a part of their ecosystem. In case of devices that are not available in the market, these portals usually source them from abroad. On others, the deals are usually done with local dealers. However, there is speculation that some of the handsets that are offered at 50-60 per cent discount are actually refurbished handsets and hence come with a seller or a third-party warranty. Kachru from Dealsnyou.com strongly denied anything like this on their website and added, “Selling of refurbished handsets is illegal in the country and in fact we do a lot of quality controls before offering any handset to our customers.” Though Sethi of Tradus.in did not deny that some of the portals did offer refurbished handsets, he was quick to add, “We do not offer any product, which has even an iota of doubt. We have a lot of clearance deals, wherein there are products, which are nearing their end of cycle and hence are available at a good price.” He said that the site also offered a lot of valueadds – for instance, at the time of iPhone 4 launch, they were offering another iPhone 4 for free if it was pre-booked from their site.

Challenges galore As Indian consumers continue to be skeptical about swiping credit cards over the Internet, many of these sites offer the facility of cash on delivery. However, this causes the problem of carrying so much of cash in the value chain. Last mile connectivity also is a major concern – there is a large part of the country where there are not too many reliable courier services. As online retail thrives on impulse purchase, a large part of the challenge for all these companies is to ensure that the customer gets a great shopping experience. This means making it fairly easy for the customer to know all about the product, letting them compare it with similar products, making the transaction process simple and hassle free, and finally ensuring that the delivery reaches them in a specific time frame. The deal sites did have an issue in giving instant access to discounts, however, now most of them are either providing these or are in the process of bringing this

functionality to their portals.

Not all roses, really E-retail is gaining momentum and there are many business models that are co-existing at the moment but has it really arrived? Sandeep Komaravelly, head, marketing and alliances, Snapdeal.com, is cautious. “E-retailing is a growing bandwagon but 95 per cent of the sales continue to happen through the offline channel even now,” he points out. There are also a lot of concerns in regards to what kind of business model will click in a market like India. Sanjeev Mahajan, CEO, Spice Retail feels that “It’s the hybrid model that will work in the country, wherein, apart from the online presence, the retailer will have to be well supported on-ground presence as well.” An air of skepticism still remains about e-retail. Consumers would do well to stay on their guard, and pay attention to things like manufacturer warranty and seller warranty. A manufacturer warranty lets you take a product to an authorized service center in case there is a problem, while the same cannot be done with the goods that come with a seller’s warranty. Interestingly, the devices which are being sold online with a manufacturer’s warranty, do not attract massive discounts - there is almost negligible difference in the prices of these products online or offline. The big discounts inevitably come on either end-ofthe-line products or on products that have a six-month seller warranty. So, we would advise you to weigh all the pros and cons in detail before hitting the “buy” button. For all the buzz (and biz) they are generating, the stark fact is that most of these online retailers are bleeding in the heat of giving the best deals as they tend to sell at a price lower to what they are sourcing. One will have to wait for the dust to settle to really evaluate that whether e-commerce is finally coming of age or is it another bubble. Consumers might think they are having the time of their lives, but we would advise caution – the deals may be good, but there is still a long way to go before online shopping replaces its traditional counterpart. n sonia@mymobile.co.in surbhi@mymobile.co.in

aug 15 to sep 14 2011 MYMOBILE 81

in focus

A Pack for the

Family 82 MYMOBILE aug 15 to sep 14 2011

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Gone are the days when, buying a new connection was your personal matter. Thanks to the new family packs by operators, this has become more of a family affair Surbhi Chawla

here is a famous Indian saying “a family that eats together, stays together.” However, eating together seems to be a luxury for the jetsetting modern generation, which has to cope with long working hours and erratic time schedules. So it is hardly surprising that people are increasingly looking at mobile devices to stay connected with their near and dear ones, leading to the popularity of family packs. You could say that today, “a family that uses a family mobile pack, stays together.”

Going the Family way With Mobile Number Portability (MNP) playing havoc with subscriber numbers, family packs are the new mantra being adopted by mobile operators to grab as many subscribers as possible. And it does seem a tempting proposition, especially for the younger generation, which is always looking for the best deal and does not mind moving from one network to another in the process. For them, the sight of Ranbir Kapoor raving about how his father foots his mobile bill represents the ultimate luxury of getting someone else to foot their own hefty bills! And while Closed User Group (CUG) plans have been around for a while, it is the family fever that is bringing them to the limelight. Here are a few family packs that have hit the headlines. They may seem attractive, but as always, we would advise you to read the fine print before joining them.

Tata DOCOMO There are three different tariff options that this operator is offering under its family plan. The first one is the My Family Plan 999 for which there is a rental of Rs. 999, and covers a minimum of two and a maximum of three family members. It offers 50 hours of local/ STD free for any member along with 17 hours of talktime for calling between CUG members. It also offers 500 national/local messages and 500 MB data on the 2G/3G for the family members. The second option is the My Family Plan 1999, that you can get by paying Rs 1,999 and its include two to five family members. It gives 100 hours of Local or STD calls and 25 hours of free calls amongst the CUG. There are also 1000 SMSes and 1 GB of data through 2G/3G networks that is available. The My Family 2999 plan has a rental of Rs. 2,999. Freebies include 33 hours of free

calls in a CUG of two to five members and 167 hours of other local or STD calls, 1500 Local/ STD SMS and 2GB of free data through 2G/3G network. Post the free talktime, one will be charged 1 paisa per 6 seconds for calls made in the CUG. Outside it local calls will cost 1 paisa per second in daytime and 1 paisa per two seconds at night. The on-Net and off-Net STD calls will be charged at 1 paisa per second. Post the free SMSes, the family members will have to pay 50 paisa for a local SMS, Rs. 1 for national and Rs 5 for every ISD text message. One will also have to dole out Rs. 300 to activate any of the My Family Plans.

Tata Indicom Tata Indicom too has introduced family plans for its CDMA and Walky customers. However, the company is currently offering just one plan, which is the Family Plan 499. Under this, the monthly rental is Rs 499 with three members. Post three family numbers, you have to shell out Rs 150 to add a new member and the cap is at five members. It offers 450 free local and STD minutes for the CUG along with 100 Free SMSes. Calls beyond the free offer will be charged at 1 paisa per second for national as well as local. The SMS rates too will be 50 paise for local and national messages.

Idea Cellular Idea first offering is Family Plan Rs. 199. The rental is Rs. 199 and you can add only one more member in it. Free calling is allowed between the two members. Additionally, 250 free local or national SMSes are given. Calls and SMS beyond free usage will be charged at 50 paise per minute and 50 paise respectively. Another plan goes by the name of new add-on, Plan 125. For this, there has to be a primary number, which has a plan of either Economy 199 or Super Value 199 and the other number can be added on at a rental of Rs. 125. This add-on number will get its first 300

With Mobile Number Portability (MNP) playing havoc with subscriber numbers, family packs are the new mantra being adopted by mobile operators to grab as many subscribers as possible

minutes to the primary number for free and the calls beyond that will be chargeable at 10 paise per minute. The add-on number also gets 100 free minutes for local and national calls. All calls beyond the free usage will cost 50 paise/minute for both local and national calls. SMS cost too will remain at 50 paise for each local or national SMS.

Aircel Aircel offers a Jodi plan for its postpaid customers called Jodi Plan 111. The rent for this plan is Rs. 111 and one gets 111 free minutes to call any network and 111 local/national SMSes. Additionally, all calls from the primary number to an add-on number will be free. However, all calls beyond the 111 free minutes will be charged at 50 paise per 60 seconds. There’s also a Family and Friends pack for which one has to pay Rs. 50 to add a member. One can add a maximum of five persons in this plan. The calls within the group will be charged at 10 paise per minute. For other calls, one will have to take an additional voice plan, and the call rates and freebies will be in accordance with that voice plan. However, bills will be generated separately.

Airtel Airtel too does not offer any specific family plans but it does have a Super Five plan in which one can have five members. For the rental of Rs 249, the calls within the CUG will be charged at 20 paise per minute. If any one of the registered five numbers is an STD number, then the call rates to that number will be 50 paise per minute. The calls to numbers apart from the special numbers will be charged at 50 paise per minute for calls made to either Airtel or other local mobile or landline numbers, while STD calls will be charged at Re 1 per minute.

Finally So far, Tata DOCOMO seems to have the upper hand when it comes to family plans, offering the widest choice of family plans, and also the convenience of having one bill for the entire family. These benefits are currently not available through other operators. We do hope they will be, in the coming days. After all, family does matter. Even in mobile plans! n surbhi@mymobile.co.in

Disclaimer: The plan may vary from circle to circle. Please check before deciding

aug 15 to sep 14 2011 MYMOBILE 83

et cetera

Gen-Next Fun For a connected lifestyle

re you sick of buying DVDs and want a device that can play content from any source, be it a SDcard, USB flash drive or a hard drive. Buying a Rs 30,000 LCD TV might be an option, but there is a comparatively afforable device that can sort all your issues and still work with your old flatscreen television. Called the NETGEAR NeoTV NTV550 this device has an SD card slot and USB 2.0 port in the front, while on the back it has a TV output (three PIN), analog TV output, HDMI port, eSATA port, another USB 2.0 port, Ethernet port and the power slot, which pretty much help you to connect multiple devices through this device to your idiot box.

The NeoTV is quite easy to connect with the TV and once connected can easily play almost all the popular audio and video formats on the TV. Additionally, it helps in playing 1080p high definition content, which is an absolute treat to watch. What adds to the high definition is the Dolby Digital surround sound. As a matter of fact, even the content that is not HD ready is quite pleasurable to watch. Another notable feature about this device is that if you stop a video somewhere in the middle (either accidently or deliberately), then NeoTV offers you an option to restart that video from the same point or start afresh. The user interface is easy to understand.

84 MYMOBILE aug 15 to sep 14 2011

Even the remote that is provided along with the NeoTV is quite user friendly. Another advantage of using this device is that one can even stream YouTube videos with ease on the television set. On the downside, to watch any kind of online content one needs to plug in a LAN cable on to this device. The only thing missing in this entertainement enabler is Wi-Fi. With more and more connected devices being used in todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s household it is mandatory for a product of this nature to be Wi-Fi enabled and it is a bit disappointing to note that this device does not support Wi-Fi. The NETGEAR NeoTV NTV550 is available in the Indian market for Rs 14,649. n

www.mymobile.co.in

Magic Moments

Beautiful display of precious memories

ou can now seize those wonderful moments of your life in the Transcend digital photo frame which is the newbie in the range of photo frames available in the markets. The black and white plastic bodied frame comes with a stand pin. The frame has an 8-inch high resolution coloured TFT LCD panel. This device has a sharp 800x600 (4:3) display screen and boasts of 2GB inter-

nal memory which, as per company claims, can store about 9000 images. It supports SD/ SDHC/MMC/CF/microSD/MS/MS pro/MS duo/MS pro duo/MS pro HG duo cards. You can also use USB flash drive. You can either use the buttons given at the back of the frame or can operate it using a remote that comes in the sales pack. There is an option to have background music while the slide show of the images is running on the photo frame. It also doubles up as an alarm clock or desk top calendar. You can use the photo frame in both portrait as well as landscape mode as it has an AOS rotation sensor with adaptive onscreen

interface. It also has options like nature tone colour processing to enhance photo appearance. You can give seasonal frame borders and animation themes to the images. There are various modes to choose from like slideshows, thumbnail, still picture and zoom-in in viewing options. The slideshows can be customised with transition effects. It is power efficient as it has an auto power cutoff system. You can put the settings in any of the 13 languages it supports. So keep it anywhere, be it in office or home and stay afresh looking at those fun-filled pictures of your near and dear ones. The Transcend 8.0 inch PF 830 Digital Photo frame comes at an MRP of Rs 6,600.n

aug 15 to sep 14 2011 MYMOBILE 85

et cetera

Hassle Free communication Making travel convenient

hereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s no dearth of Bluetooth enabled speaker phones in India today but finding a good one is still quite a task. Sometimes you donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t get the right functions and sometimes the performance is such that it turns into a sheer waste of time and money. However Plantronics has tried to address these woes with its new K100 device. This speaker phone looks quite stylish when one first sees it. The front panel has a round volume control dial right in the center. Inside the dial is the power on and off button. On the left of this metallic rind is the FM power on button and on the right is the mute button. The rest of the space on the front is taken by a large speaker. There is a USB charging port on the right panel and two noise cancellation mikes on the top. To connect the device with your mobile is fairly easy over Bluetooth and it is almost ready to use from there on. There is a ringer in the speaker that intimates the users about all the incoming calls though the volume of the ringer is quite feeble and there is no option to increase the same. The voice call quality of the K100 is fairly good especially while on the move. This device is capable of delivering 17 hours of talk time and 15 days of standby time. Which makes it a useful portable communication accessory. Plantronics K 100 also comes with an in-built FM transmitter that can become the Bluetooth-to-FM bridge between a smartphone and a car stereo for audio playback. However, to listen to the FM on this device is a little tricky. The Plantronics K100 comes at an MRP of Rs 4,669. n

86 MYMOBILE aug 15 to sep 14 2011

www.mymobile.co.in

Smarting up entertainment No idiot box, this!

t is not just smartphones that are getting smarter. Even the television is getting a brain infusion. A number of “Smart TVs” have been arriving in the Indian market and one of the first to do so is the Samsung Smart LED TV Series (D8000). Nevertheless, the first thing you notice about this 60-inch TV is its design. The barely visible 5mm brushed metal bezel of this TV not only makes it aesthetically alluring but also enhances the viewing experience. The 3D picture quality of this TV is good, although you do need 3D glasses to view 3D content (there are two bundled along with the TV). It also comes with the ability to convert any 2D content into 3D. Some people might find keeping the 3D glasses constantly charged (they are battery operated) a hassle, though. The TV also provides access to online content and video-on-demand through the Samsung Smart Hub portal. So one can watch TV, surf on the Web and chat with friends on social networks all at the same time. The Samsung Smart Hub platform is expected to get more app support by August 2011. If you are the appy type, you can download a remote application from the Android Market on any Android device and turn your handset into a remote. This TV has provision for four HDMI ports, three USB ports, one Ethernet port, and also has support for Wi-Fi. All said and done, this TV will excite the early adopters, who don’t mind paying a premium to get the latest in technology. The Samsung D8000 comes with a price tag of Rs 4,00,000. n

aug 15 to sep 14 2011 MYMOBILE 87

et cetera germ free mobile Now zap

all those bugs off your phone

ust, humidity and dirty hands, we never bother how or in what conditions we are using our mobile phone. You might not admit but there are grossest of places where you must have used you phone. For instance, your toilet? While you are nodding your head in agreement, you also need to think, how many germs might be accumulating on your phoneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s surface and crevices throughout the day. But now there is a device that will terminate all the bacteria and virus from your phone. Called the UV cell phone sanitiser, this device uses ultraviolet (UV) rays to kill the germs residing in your phone, music players, Bluetooth headsets or even the headphones. The company claims that the device uses

Germicidal UV light that is fatal for any kind of bacteria like strep, salmonella, E.coli, pseudomonas, listeria and H1N1 that might be lurking in your phone. All you need to do is to put your device in the lot and cover it up. Once you do that the device starts its work and after three minutes, it shuts down automatically. Once it does, according to the companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s claims, you can rest assured that your device is 99.9 per cent germ free. So if you are one of those, or know someone who wants their devices to be literally squeaky clean, then this is a perfect device for you or a perfect gift for your friend. The Violight UV cell phone sanitiser is available in the Indian market at the MRP of Rs 3,500.

team@mymobile.co.in

88 MYMOBILE aug 15 to sep 14 2011

service review

Tata V/S Birla:

Who gives better service?

Both Idea Cellular and Tata Teleservices have been around for quite some time now to understand the pulse of the country. But are these two equally proficient in handling consumer issues? It’s time for a reality check Surbhi Chawla

ata and Birla are two of the most trusted names in the country, even today. They are both well known for their business acumen and delivering good results. It is also famous that earlier Tata’s had a stake in Idea Cellular and had proposed to name their brand Batata (as Birla, AT&T and Tata). However, later on Tata Teleservices exited and re-entered the telecom scenario with Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) technology, while Idea continued to function under the leadership of K.M. Birla. Tata Teleservices later introduced GSM services through its Tata DoCoMo brand and paved in the second rung of price wars by introducing per second billing. Yes, there is a lot of history between the two and today these brands stand against each other as rivals. But do they keep this competitive edge alive even in customer care or is it

just another convenient ommission from their list of Do’s? We decided to find out. So we visited the cutomer care center of each of the two and here is what we found out.

Ambience Why do operators have customer care centres, to help the hassled subscribers or make new ones? In both the scenarios, the look and feel of a store become really important as these help in creating the first impression in the customer’s mind. Well maintained premises, adequately furnished counters, proper weather control and proper system in place make things much easier for the subscribers as well as customer care agents.

Tata Indicom As Tata DoCoMo does not have the spectrum to operate in Delhi circle, only Tata Indicom brand has visibility in this circle. An automatic

90 MYMOBILE aug 15 to sep 14 2011

bill payment machine was placed near the enterance of the store and on the right side were a few CDMA handsets displayed. Apart from that, there were a lot of flyers neatly stacked up in front of the showcase. The flyers had details about the latest plans that Tata Indicom was to offer. There were separate flyers containing details of the entire handset range. Unfortunately, the automatic bill payment machine was not working. As we moved on, there were two primary inquiry counters where people could ask their questions. Once our problem got resolved, we were required to take a token from the security guard and go into a small room where six customer service executives had been sitting. There was ample arrangement for seating for the customers waiting for their turn. The store was quite neat but the air conditioning was ineffective. This was because the air conditioners employed were not sufficient to cool

www.mymobile.co.in

much about the other plans that the company had to offer. One really had to wait for quite long to ask all their questions and even after waiting for considerable time, we could not get all our questions answered, while at the Tata Indicom store even the person at the front desk had managed to dispel all our doubts. When we decided that we had waited enough and could not help but walk out, one of the customer service executive apologised and gave his cellphone number and told us to call him back after five’o clock in the evening. However, when we tried to use this lifeline and gave him a call at six o’clock the number was conveniently switched off.

Knowledge Nothing upsets the customer more than having to deal with a company representative, who is not well versed with the nitty-gritty of his brand’s service offering. Sure it is not possible for any human to keep pace with the ever changing plans but in that case how efficiently the executive can dig out the relevant information and how can he keeps the subscriber glued become very important.

Tata Indicom The executives at the Tata Indicom store were well informed and were apt at delivering the information. As a CDMA brand, it becomes important for the executives to give out information about the handsets that the company offer along with their pricing. With the aid of the flyers that were kept in the store, the executives did not find it too difficult to bat off all the questions that we had.

the entire area.

Idea Store The Idea Cellular’s centre was a little smaller. There were three customer service representatives but no inquiry counter or token system. However, there was some seating space for people who would want to sit and wait while the three executives struggled to keep pace with the consumers who kept walking in.

Customer Care Executives How a customer experiences a brand and its services are highly dependent on the customer care executives. They are the first points of contact for any consumer and how they deal with the subscriber helps in creating a relationship that may last for years.

Tata Indicom The processes established at the Tata Indicom store made it easier for the customers to ascertain a specific course of action. For example, as you enter the store, the guard and the persons at one of the two front desks would listen to your problem and then either provide a solution or ask you to get a token. Though it would have been better to have someone greet you and be a little more pleas-

There is a lot of history between the two and today these brands stand against Idea Cellular each other as rivals. But do At the Idea Store, it was not that the executhey keep this competitive tives did not know the answers, but getting edge alive even in customer their attention was a task in itself. Also the same executive was trying to give answers to care or is it just another two-three customers at the same time making convenient ommission it difficult to have a decent conversation. from their list of Do’s ? We Overall Experience decided to find out ant and eager to help in their attitude, but the overall experience was satisfactory.

Idea Cellular The customer service executives in Idea Cellular seemed a little lethargic in their approach. One of the main reasons for the same was that there were not enough of them to handle all the queries that were pouring in. Absence of an automatic bill payment machine also added to the chaos as even people who had come in to pay the bill had to wait for their turn to meet the executive. One of the executives was quite eager to demonstrate the 3G services but did not know

It’s a well known fact that in the mobility business service is one of the most important intangible asset that can not only help the brand in retaining its subscriber base but may also help in spreading its goodwill. Tata Indicom and Idea Cellular are both very well established brands and it’s visible that both these companies have invested a lot in terms of getting their customer experience right. However, in terms of customer delight, Tata Indicom’s performance was a notch higher. Though the Idea Store was definitely cleaner and looked more presentable but it took us way too long to get an issue resolved. n

surbhi@mymobile.co.in

aug 15 to sep 14 2011 MYMOBILE 91

Indiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s best mobile magazine

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MY GUIDE Devices featured in the My Guide have been segregated into four categories based on price and colour-coded as:

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

(Rs 6,000 - 11,999)

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

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 August 3, 2011)

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

Y MOBILE 93 AUG 15 to SEP 14 2011 MY

myguide MODELS

SUB-ENTRY LEVEL

BYOND

PARAMETERS Model Dimension (mm)

CELKON

BY 809

BY 120+

BY 255

BY009

C 770

C777

C007

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

108 x 46 x 14

114.4 x 51.4 x15.1

110 x 48.6 x 15.5

120

Talktime/Standby (hours)

4/240

10/480

4/192

10/240

7/ 550

8/600

8/750

Screen (colours)/Size (inch)

NA/1.5

NA/2.0

NA/2.4

NA/2.2

Inbuilt/Expandable memory

NA/2GB

NA/4GB

1016KB/.4GB

NA/16GB

NA/8GB

Bluetooth/Wi-Fi

NA/No

Yes/No

VGA/No/Yes

1.3MP/No/Yes

100

1000

500

1000

500

Weight (grams)

Camera/Flash/Video Phonebook Capacity 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/No

Propriety

NA/Yes

Yes/Yes

Bar/No/No

1,249

1,799

2,099

2,399

1,999

2,299

2,399

MODELS

Price in Rs.

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

COLORS

PARAMETERS

GENUS

G-10

G-55

G-88

G-66

G123

G313

G444

Dimension (mm)

108.5 x 45 x 14.7

111 x 48 x 15.5

111 x 47.8 x 14.6

111 x 47 x 14.7

102.5 x 43 x 14.2

105 x 46.8 x 13.5

113 x 50 x 12.8

Weight (grams)

100

Model

Talktime/Standby (hours)

5/300

4/200

4/260

10/720

3.5/120

3/160

10/128

Screen (colours)/Size (inch)

NA/1.8

262,144/1.8

262,144/2.2

262,144/2.0

262,144/1.8

262,144/2.0

262,144/2.4

Inbuilt/Expandable memory

NA/2GB

NA/4GB

244.5KB/8GB

123KB/8GB+2GB

Yes/No

No/No

Yes/No

Camera/Flash/Video

VGA/No/Yes

1.3MP/No/Yes

No/No/No

Yes/No/Yes

Digital/No/Yes

Phonebook Capacity

500

1000

200

1000

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/No/No

Yes/No/No

No/No/No

Yes/No/No

Yes/Yes

Bar/No/No

1,749

2,099

2,399

2,499

1,199

1,799

1,999

YMOBILE AUG 15 to SEP 14 2011 94 MY

MODELS PARAMETERS Model Dimension (mm) Weight (grams)

GENUS

GQ523

A100

A180

GS 108

A190

A 120

GS 155

101 x 53 x 13.5

106.5 x 45 x 14

106.5 x 45 x 13.75

103.9 x 43.5 x 12.9

106.5 x 45 x 13.75

108 x 45 x 12.9

103.9 x 44.5 x 13.9

65.4

72.5

3.5/120

9/900

17/882

9/800

5/150

13/1300

15/720

Screen (colours)/Size (inch)

262,144/2.0

65,536/1.5

65,536/1.52

65,536/1.8

262,144/1.5

Inbuilt/Expandable memory

250.5KB/8GB

NA/No

No/No

729KB/No

1MB/2GB

Yes/No

No/No

Yes/No/Yes

No/No/No

VGA/No/No

Talktime/Standby (hours)

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

600

300

1000

500

1000

500

Frequency/Dual SIM

Dual Band/GSM+GSM

Dual Band/No

Dual Band/GSM+GSM

Dual Band/No

Yes/No/No

No/No/No

Yes/No/No

No/No/No

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

NA/No

No/Yes

Yes/Yes

Bar/No/Yes

Bar/No/No

2,000

1,100

1,300

1,650

1,900

MODELS

Price in Rs.

NA Yes/Yes

PARAMETERS Model

MAXX

NOKIA

GS 190

GS 205

MX 128i

MX 365

MX 188

MQ 606

1280

Dimension (mm)

108 x 48 x 14

110 x 48.6 x 14

111 x 42 x 15

105.7 x 45 x 16

111.7 x 49.9 x 15.5

114 x 60.4 x 11.3

107.2 x 45.1 x 15.3

Weight (grams)

50.1

58.4

65.8

74.5

81.92

Talktime/Standby (hours)

9/650

12/560

3.5/250

3.5/300

6.5/600

4.5/500

8.30/528

Screen (colours)/Size (inch)

262,144/2.0

NA/1.8

NA/2.2

Monochrome/1.36

Inbuilt/Expandable memory

11.9MB/8GB

12MB/8GB

500KB/2GB

250.5KB/2GB

500KB/4GB

250KB/8GB

NA/No

Bluetooth/Wi-Fi

Yes/No

No/No

Yes/No

No/No

Yes/No

No/No

Camera/Flash/Video

1.3MP/No/Yes

Yes/No/No

CIF/No/No

1.3MP/No/Yes

No/No/No

Phonebook Capacity

1,000

1000

500

Frequency/Dual SIM

Dual Band/No

Yes/No/No

No/No/No

Generic

Symbian S30

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/No

Yes/Yes

No/Yes

Bar/No/No

Bar/No/Yes

Bar/No/No

2,200

2,300

1,499

1,849

2,199

2,349

1,000

YMOBILE 95 AUG 15 to SEP 14 2011 MY

MODELS

myguide

NOKIA

PARAMETERS Model Dimension (mm) Weight (grams)

RAGE

1616

1800

5030 XpressRadio

C-1-02

X1-01

C1-01

107.1 x 45 x 15

107 x 45 x 15.3

107.7 x 44.6 x 14.55

108 x 45 x 13.8

112.2 x 47.3 x 16

108 x 45 x 14

Robo V

NEW

104.15 x 43.20 x 15.10

78.55

78.5

77.5

91.5

78.8

8.52/540

8.30/528

10/524

10.4/504

13/1032

10.4/540

4/250

Screen (colours)/Size (inch)

65,536/1.8

NA/1.8

Inbuilt/Expandable memory

NA/No

64KB/No

64MB/32GB

NA/16GB

64MB/32GB

45K/4GB

Bluetooth/Wi-Fi

No/No

Yes/No

No/No

Yes/No

NO/NO

No/No/No

VGA/No/Yes

No/No/no

Talktime/Standby (hours)

Camera/Flash/Video Phonebook Capacity

500

1,000

500

1,000

300

Frequency/Dual SIM

Dual Band/No

Quad Band/No

Dual Band/No

Dual Band/GSM+GSM

Dual Band/No

Dual Band/GSM+GSM

No/No/No

Yes/No/No

No/No/No

Yes/No/No

No/No/No

Symbian S30

Symbian S40

S30

Symbian S40

Yes/No

No/Yes

Yes/Yes

Bar/No/No

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

1,450

1,618

1,800

1,900

2,200

1,249

MODELS

Price in Rs.

NR 1,200

RAGE

PARAMETERS Model Dimension (mm) Weight (grams)

RD 20V

NEW

Smart

NEW

104.15 x 43.20 x 15.10 104.15 x 43.20 x 15.10 75

GEM

SAMSUNG Desire

NEW

Striker

NEW

Flame

NEW

1081

113 x 46 x 14.3

115 x 46.5 x 16

114 x 46 x 16.5

115 x 48 x 14

107.4 x 45.5 x 13.6

100

64.5

Talktime/Standby (hours)

4/300

4.5/300

6/500

4.5/300

9/560

Screen (colours)/Size (inch)

NA/1.8

NA/2

NA/2.0

65,536/1.43

Inbuilt/Expandable memory

45KB/4GB

&/8GB

45KB/4GB

250KB/8GB

1MB/No

Bluetooth/Wi-Fi

No/No

Yes/No

No/No

Yes/No

Camera/Flash/Video

Digital Camera/ No/YES

Yes/No/Yes

Yes/ No/Yes

1.3MP/ No/Yes

No/No/No

Phonebook Capacity

500

300

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/No

Yes/No/No

N/A

Properitory

Yes/Yes

No/Yes

Bar/No/No

1,449

1,499

1,549

1,699

1,799

1,050

YMOBILE AUG 15 to SEP 14 2011 96 MY

MODELS

SAMSUNG

PARAMETERS Model Dimension (mm) Weight (grams)

SKY

E 1085

E1175

E1172 Guru 24

E1225 Guru25

E1252 Guru 26

STAR i

LIBRA

107.4 x 45.5 x 13.6

108.7 x 46.1 x 14.1

45.5 x 109.1 x 13.7

111.6 x 45.7 x 13.5

64.5

72.4

9/560

12/650

9/420

11/NA

5/200

7/300

Screen (colours)/Size (inch)

65,536/1.43

65,536/1.52

65,536/1.8

262,144/2.0

NA/1.8

262144/2.0

Inbuilt/Expandable memory

1MB/No

NA/No

NA/2GB

150KB/4GB

294KB/4GB

No/No

Yes/No

No/No/No

VGA/No/Yes

1.3MP/No/Yes

Yes/No/Yes

1,000

400

Talktime/Standby (hours)

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

500

1,000

Frequency/Dual SIM

Dual Band/No

GPRS/EDGE/3G

No/No/No

Operating System

Properitory

Proprietary

No/No

No/Yes

Bar/No/No

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

Yes/No/No

Proprietary

Spread Trum

MTK

No/Yes

Yes/Yes

Bar/No/No

Bar/No

Bar/No/No

1,150

1,300

1,500

1,600

1,800

1,400

1,660

MODELS

Price in Rs.

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

PARAMETERS Model

SKY

VIDEOCON

XAGE

PLANET

Star

Bizz

V1290

M171

M180

M702

Dimension (mm)

107.6 x 45.6 x 12.6

98.5 x 54 x 13.3

100.4 x 44.8 x 14.4

112.5 x 46 x 14.8

105 x 45 x 14

112 x 48 x 13.8

Weight (grams)

Talktime/Standby (hours)

8/300

3/120

3/200

4/140

Screen (colours)/Size (inch)

262144/2.0

65,536/1.8

268,144/2.0

NA/1.44

262,144/1.8

65,536/1.8

262,144/2.4

Inbuilt/Expandable memory

100KB/4GB

64MB/2GB

28MB/4GB

NA/2GB

NA/8GB

NA/2GB

NA/8GB

Bluetooth/Wi-Fi

Yes/No

No/No

Yes/No

No/No

Yes/No

Camera/Flash/Video

1.3MP/No/Yes

Yes/No/Yes

No/No/No

Yes/No/Yes

No/No/No

Yes/No/Yes

Phonebook Capacity

500

200

500

1,000

500

100

1000

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

No/No/No

Yes/No/No

MTK

Yes/Yes

Bar/No/No

Bar/No/Yes

Bar/No/No

2,400

1,523

2,199

1,600

1,599

2,099

2,199

YMOBILE 97 AUG 15 to SEP 14 2011 MY

myguide MODELS

ENTRY LEVEL

PARAMETERS Model Dimension (mm)

XAGE

ZEN

BYONDE

M117

X381s

X400i

M16

BY 260

BY011

BY007

109 X 47 X 9.5

106 X 43 X 14

108 X 44 X 15

109 X 45 X 13

110 x 49 x 11

116.7 x 50 x 14.8

111 x 47 x 14.5

Weight (grams)

99.9

120

125

120

Talktime/Standby (hours)

2.5/180

10/720

4/220

4/240

13/600

10/480

Screen (colours)/Size (inch)

262,144/2.2

65,536/1.5

65,536/2.0

NA/2.2

Inbuilt/Expandable memory

NA/8GB

No/2GB

NA/4GB

NA/16GB

1016.5KB/4GB

1016KB/4GB

Bluetooth/Wi-Fi

Yes/No

No/No

No /No

Yes/No

Yes/Yes/Yes

No/No/No

1.3MP/No/Yes

2.0MP/No/Yes

1.3MP/No/Yes

3.2MP/No/Yes

500

1,000

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

Yes/No/No

MTK

Propriety

Yes/Yes

Bar/No/No

2,499

1,699

1,999

2,499

2,899

2,999

BYOND

CELKON

MODELS

Price in Rs.

Tri 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

PARAMETERS Model

COLORS

GENUS

INQ

Gamestar

G-99

X-9

GQ533

GQ545

Mini

Dimension (mm)

114.3 x 45.5 x 13.6

112 x 60 X 12.6

117.5 x 51.5 x 14.8

112 x 54 x 14 mm

108 x 59 x 12.3

107.5 x 60.5 x 12.5

102.9 x 45.8 x 12.8

Weight (grams)

100

110

127

118

Talktime/Standby (hours)

4/400

6/450

4/400

4/200

3.5/180

5/360

3.3/260

Screen (colours)/Size (inch)

NA/2.4

262,144/2.4

NA/3.2

65,536/2.2

262,144/2.2

NA/16GB

319.5KB/4GB

90MB/8GB

145KB/16GB

314.5KB/8GB

50MB/4GB

Inbuilt/Expandable memory 319.5KB/8GB+8GB Bluetooth/Wi-Fi

Yes/No

Camera/Flash/Video

2.0MP/No/Yes

3.2MP/No/Yes

1.3MP/No/Yes

3.2MP/No/Yes

2.0MP/No/Yes

2.0MP/No/No

Phonebook Capacity

1,000

2,000

1,000

1000

1,000

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 Quad Band/GSM+GSM

Quad Band/No

Yes/No/No

Yes/Yes/No

Yes/No/No

Yes/Yes/HSDPA

Propriety

Yes/Yes

Yes/No

Bar/No/No

Bar/No/Yes

Bar/No/No

Bar/Yes/No

Bar/No/Yes

Bar/No/No

3,299

2,999

4,599

3,200

3,300

3,500

YMOBILE AUG 15 to SEP 14 2011 98 MY

MODELS PARAMETERS Model Dimension (mm) Weight (grams)

INQ

Chat

GB 230

A155

A 165

GU220

C105

T 300

114.5 x 61 x 12.8

101.2 x 49.2 x 15.9

110 x 47.5 x 14.1

104 x 48 x 15.2

114.5 x 59 x 13

95.8 x 50.5 x 11.9

122

90.5

3.5/285

9/500

14.5/665

10/500

16/650

8/500

Screen (colours)/Size (inch)

262,144/2.4

262,144/2.0

262,144/2.2

262,144/2.4

Inbuilt/Expandable memory

100MB/4GB

5.3MB/2GB

3.9MB/2GB

4.5MB/2GB

4.7MB/4GB

20MB/4GB

Yes/No

3.2MP/No/Yes

2.0MP/No/Yes

No/No/No

VGA/No/Yes

1.3MP/No/Yes

1,000

Talktime/Standby (hours)

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

1,000

Frequency/Dual SIM

Tri Band/No

Yes/Yes/HSDPA

Yes/No/No

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

Yes/No/No

1,000

Dual Band/No

Quad band/No

Quad Band/No

Yes/Yes/No

Generic

Yes/No

Yes/Yes

Bar/No/Yes

Slider/No/No

Bar/No/No

Slider/No/No

Bar/No/Yes

Bar/Yes/No

5,100

2,600

2,650

3,000

3,200

3,750

MODELS

Price in Rs.

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

PARAMETERS Model

GX 200

GM 200

S310

X330

T500

GX 300

Dimension (mm)

104 x 48 x 13

106 x 48 x14.5

114 x 48.4 x 10.5

117 x 50.9 x 11.5

109 x 61 x 13.8

105 x 57.3 x 12.9

116 x 51 x 12.8

Weight (grams)

77.5

Talktime/Standby (hours)

S365

NEW

NA/680

10/600

13.5/800

14.5/559

13.5/975

8/720

NA/NA

Screen (colours)/Size (inch)

262,144/2.0

262,144/2.2

NA/2.4

65,536/2.3

262,144/2.8

65,536/2.2

Inbuilt/Expandable memory

80MB/8GB

14MB/2GB

14.5MB/8GB

9.7/16GB

80MB/8GB

NA/8GB

30MB/4GB

Bluetooth/Wi-Fi

Yes/No

Camera/Flash/Video

1.3MP/Yes/Yes

2.0MP/No/Yes

3.2MP/No/Yes

2.0MP/No/Yes

1.3MP/No/Yes

2.0MP/No/Yes

Phonebook Capacity

1,000

Frequency/Dual SIM

Dual Band/GSM+GSM

Quad Band/No

Dual Band/GSM+GSM

Yes/No/No

Yes/Yes/No

Yes/No/No

Generic

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

Price in Rs.

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

Yes/Yes

Bar/No/No

Bar/No/Yes

Bar/Yes/No

Bar/No/No

3,750

3,900

4,100

4,200

4,800

5,300

YMOBILE 99 AUG 15 to SEP 14 2011 MY

MODELS

myguide

PARAMETERS Model Dimension (mm)

MAXX

MOTOROLA

NOKIA

T310i

MX 375

MX 486

EX 115

EX 128

95.8 x 51.0 x 11.9

108.6 x 46.5 x 14.5

115.8 x 51.2 x 12.8

109 x 61 x 12.35

107 x 57 x 12.8

C2-00

NEW

108 x 45 x 14.65

2700 classic 109.2 x 46 x 14

86.5

55.5

62.7

102.2

74.1

14/569

5.5/400

5/520

3/240

3.2/250

5.75//460

6/288

Screen (colours)/Size (inch)

262,144/2.8

NA/2.0

NA/2.4

65,536/2.3

65,536/3.2

65,536/1.8

262,144/2.0

Inbuilt/Expandable memory

18MB/4GB

506KB/2GB

75KB/4GB

50MB/32GB

128MB/32GB

16MB/32GB

64MB/2GB

Yes/Yes

Yes/No

2.0MP/No/Yes

1.3MP/No/Yes

3.0MP/No/Yes

VGA/No/Yes

2.0MP/No/Yes

1,000

1000

Weight (grams) Talktime/Standby (hours)

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

1,000

Frequency/Dual SIM

Quad Band/No

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

Quad Band/No

Yes/Yes/No

Yes/No/No

Yes/Yes/No

Symbian 40

Symbian S40

Yes/Yes

Bar/Yes/No

Bar/No/No

Bar/No/Yes

Bar/Yes/No

Bar/No/No

5,300

2,649

2,799

4,999

5,999

2,950

3,500

MODELS

Price in Rs.

Yes/Yes/No

1,000

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

NOKIA

PARAMETERS Model

X2-01

C2-01

5130

2730 classic

5233

7230

Dimension (mm)

119.4 x 59.8 x 14.3

109.6 x 46.9 x 14.6

107.5 x 46.7 x 14.8

109.6 x 46.9 x 14.4

111 x 47 x 13.3

111 x 51.7 x 14.5

98 x 48 x 14.75

Weight (grams)

107.5

87.7

115

100

Talktime/Standby (hours)

4.3/480

8.4/430

6/288

3.50/340

13.3/540

7/438

5.4/324

Screen (colours)/Size (inch)

262,144/2.4

262,144/2.0

262,144/2.2

16.7million/3.2

262,144/2.4

Inbuilt/Expandable memory

128MB/8GB

75MB/16GB

30MB/2GB

48MB/16GB

70MB/16GB

Bluetooth/Wi-Fi

Yes/No

Camera/Flash/Video

VGA/No/Yes

3.15MP/No/Yes

2.0MP/No/Yes

5.0MP/Yes/Yes

2.0MP/No/Yes

3.2MP/No/Yes

Phonebook Capacity

Shared

2,000

1,000

Shared

2,000

Frequency/Dual SIM

QUAD Band/No

Quad Band/No

Quad-Band/No

GPRS/EDGE/3G

Yes/Yes/No

Yes/Yes/R99

Yes/Yes/No

Yes/Yes/R99

Yes/Yes/No

Yes/Yes/R99

Operating System

Symbian S40

S40

Symbian S40

Symbian S60

Symbian S40

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

Price in Rs.

Yes/Yes

Bar/No/Yes

Bar/No/No

Bar/Yes/No

Slider/No/No

3,500

4,000

4,200

4,400

5,800

5,900

YMOBILE AUG 15 to SEP 14 2011 100 MY

MODELS PARAMETERS Model Dimension (mm) Weight (grams)

NOKIA

SAMSUNG

E2152 Guru 35

DUOS 3212

E2550 Monte Slide

Hero 3210

2222

3213

115.5 x 58.1 x 13.6

111.6 x 46.3 x 13.5

111.6 X 47 X 14.2

98.5 x 48 .5 x 14.3

112.8 x 46.4 x 12.9

109.5 x 61.3 x 11.85

112.8 x 46.4 x 13.2

114

80.4

90.6

87.7

79.3

80.6

7/800

11/660

10/322

6.5/400

8.3/550

11.4/550

8.2/550

Screen (colours)/Size (inch)

262,144/2.4

262,144/2.0

65,536/2.0

256K/2.0

262,144/2.2

65,536/2.0

Inbuilt/Expandable memory

55MB/8GB

NA/2GB

15MB/8GB

36MB/8GB

45MB/16GB

36MB/8GB

Yes/Yes

Yes/No

YES/NO

Yes/No

2.0MP/No/Yes

VGA/No/Yes

VGA/NO/NO

1.3MP/No/Yes

VGA/No/Yes

1,000

Talktime/Standby (hours)

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

Shared

Frequency/Dual SIM

Quad Band/No

GPRS/EDGE/3G

Yes/Yes/No

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

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

1,000

Dual Band/No

Quad Band /No

Quad Band/GSM+GSM

Quad Band/No

Yes/Yes/No

YES/YES/NO

Yes/Yes/No

Yes/Yes/HSDPA

Yes/Yes/No

Yes/Yes/HSDPA

Symbian S40

Generic

PROPRIETARY

Proprietary

Yes/Yes

YES/YES

Yes/Yes

Bar/No/Yes

Bar/No/No

BAR/NO/NO

Slider/NoNo

Bar/No/No

Bar/No/Yes

Bar/No/No

5,950

2,750

3,200

3,400

3,450

Model

C3200 Monte Bar

Metro S 3310

Dimension (mm)

111.8 x 46.9 x 13.3

Weight (grams)

77.3

MODELS

Price in Rs.

SAMSUNG

PARAMETERS

Talktime/Standby (hours)

Metro Duos C3322

NEW

3303 Champ

109.9 x 45.9 x 10.9 113.97 x 47.90 x 13.99 96.3 x 53.9 x 12.9 77

88.9

Ch@t C3222

C5212

C3530

109.7 x 58.1 x 12.3

112.7 x 48.6 x 14.3

112.2 x 46.7 x 11.9

98.7

8.2/500

10.5/600

10/500

12.3/666

11/500

13/281

13/550

Screen (colours)/Size (inch)

262,144/2.0

16Million/2.1

262,144/2.2

262,144/2.4

262,144/2.2

Inbuilt/Expandable memory

40MB/8GB

30MB/8GB

46MB/16GB

30MB/8GB

54MB/8GB

60MB/8GB

50MB/16GB

Bluetooth/Wi-Fi

Yes/No

Camera/Flash/Video

2.0MP/No/Yes

2.0/No/Yes

VGA/No/Yes

1.3MP/No/Yes

3.2MP/No/Yes

Phonebook Capacity

1,000

Frequency/Dual SIM

Quad Band/No

Quad Band/GSM+GSM

Quad Band/No

GPRS/EDGE/3G

Yes/Yes/No

Operating System

Proprietary

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

Price in Rs.

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

Quad Band/No

Yes/Yes

Bar/No/No

Bar/Yes/No

Bar/No/Yes

Bar/No/No

3,850

3,900

4,000

4,200

4,300

YMOBILE 101 AUG 15 to SEP 14 2011 MY

MODELS

myguide

SAMSUNG

PARAMETERS Model

Metro C3560

Dimension (mm)

94.8 x 46.7 x 16.59

Weight (grams)

NEW

Champ Duos 99.90 x 54.90 x 12.95

Metro C3752

NEW

97.9 x 19 x 16.4

SONY ERICSSON

Ch@t 335

Corby Colour

111.2 x 61.2 x 11.9

103 x 56.5 x 12

Corby II

NEW

109.9 x 60.6 x 11.7

Spiro 92 x 48 x 18

100

102

12610

14.3/476

13.3/900

12/520

3.40/500

9.3/620

4.3/476

Screen (colours)/Size (inch)

262,144/2.2

262,144/2.6

65,536/NA

256,000/2.2

262,144/2.8

262,144/3.14

262,144/2.2

Inbuilt/Expandable memory

40MB/16GB

50MB/16GB

40MB/16GB

60MB/8GB

50MB/8GB

21MB/16GB

5MB/16GB

Yes/No

Yes/Yes

Yes/No

2.0MP/No/Yes

1.3MP/No/Yes

3.0MP/No/Yes

2.0MP/No/Yes

Talktime/Standby (hours)

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

1,000

500

2,000

Shared

2,000

Frequency/Dual SIM

Quad Band/No

Tri Band/GSM+GSM

Quad Band/No

Dual Band/No

GPRS/EDGE/3G

Yes/Yes/No

Operating System

Proprietary

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

Yes/Yes

Clamshell/No/No

Bar/Yes/No

Slider/No/No

Bar/No/Yes

Bar/Yes/No

Slider/No/No

4,400

4,500

5,000

5,350

5,200

5,800

4,500

SKY

MODELS

Price in Rs.

Yes/Yes

PARAMETERS Model

SONY ERICSSON

VIDEOCON

Cedar

W150i Yendo

PLANET i

Astro

V 1410

V1424

V 1430

Dimension (mm)

111 x 49 x 15.5

94.0 × 52.0 × 16.0

103.8 x 57.6 x 11.5

107 x 54 x 12.6

112.2 x 62.4 x 13.2

106.8 x 47 x 15.05

109 X 45.9 X 15.9

Weight (grams)

118

Talktime/Standby (hours)

12.5/420

4/400

7/300

3/200

6/360

5/180

13/600

Screen (colours)/Size (inch)

262,144/2.2

262,144/2.6

65,536/3.2

265,144/2.6

65,536/1.8

65,536/2.0

65,536/1.8

Inbuilt/Expandable memory

280MB/NA

5MB/16GB

71.8MB/8GB

128MB/8GB

NA/4GB

NA/2GB

NA/4GB

Bluetooth/Wi-Fi

Yes/No

Yes/Yes

Yes/No

Camera/Flash/Video

2.0MP/Yes/Yes

2.0MP/No/Yes

2.0MP/Yes/Yes

1.3MP/No/Yes

VGA/No/Yes

Phonebook Capacity

2,000

1,000

250

1,000

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

Yes/Yes/HSDPA,HSU

Yes/Yes/No

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

MTK

Nucleus

Propreitary

Proprietary

Yes/Yes

Bar/No/No

Bar/Yes/No

Bar/No/No

4,700

5,200

4,800

2,700

2,500

2,650

YMOBILE AUG 15 to SEP 14 2011 102 MY

MODELS

VIDEOCON

PARAMETERS Model Dimension (mm) Weight (grams)

XAGE

V1475

V1425

V 1606

V1665

VC 1605

V1755

MT711

114.3 x 46.8 x 14.3

108 x 47.5 x 17.5

112 x 48 x 13.3

108.5 x 53 x 14.4

112 x 48 x 13.3

110.48 x 57.28 x 14.65

112 x 60 x 16

107

109

6/NA

8/250

NA/NA

6/340

NA/NA

6/260

Screen (colours)/Size (inch)

65,536/NA

65,536/2.0

65,536/2.4

262,144/3.0

65,536/2.4

262,144/3.2

Inbuilt/Expandable memory

250KB/4GB

NA/4GB

58MB/16GB

NA/4GB

24MB/8GB

NA/16GB

Yes/No

VGA/No/Yes

2.0MP/No/Yes

3.0MP/No/Yes

Yes/Yes/Yes

1,000

Talktime/Standby (hours)

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

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

1,000

2,000

Dual Band/Yes

Dual Band/GSM+GSM

Dual Band/Yes

Dual Band/GSM+GSM

GPRS/EDGE/3G

Yes/No/No

Yes/Yes/No

Yes/No/No

Yes/Yes/No

Yes/No/No

Yes/Yes/No

Operating System

Proprietary

Nucleus

Proprietary

Nucleus

Proprietary

Nucleus

MSTAR

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

Price in Rs.

Yes/Yes

Bar/No/Yes

Bar/No/No

Bar/Yes/No

Bar/No/Yes

Bar/Yes/No

2,945

3,000

4,999

5,250

5,500

5,700

4,699

MODELS

MID LEVEL

ZEN

PARAMETERS Model

M20

Z 77

M40

Z82

S10

Z90

T325

Dimension (mm)

111 x 47 x 14

108 x 45.6 x 14.7

114.5 x 48 x 14

111 x 58 x 12

107 x 47 x 16

68 X 68 X 16

102.4 x 56.4 x 11.9

Weight (grams)

100

106

124

92.5

Talktime/Standby (hours)

4.5/250

5/200

5/220

2/100

2.5/240

7.9/381

Screen (colours)/Size (inch)

262,144/2.2

262,144/2.4

65.536/2.2

262,144/2.4

262,144/2.8

Inbuilt/Expandable memory

No/microSD

10MB/4GB

No/4GB

9MB/4GB

NA/4GB

25.9MB/4GB

30MB/16GB

Bluetooth/Wi-Fi

Yes/No

Yes/Yes

Camera/Flash/Video

1.3MP/No/Yes

2.0MP/No/Yes

2.0MP/Yes/Yes

3.0MP/No/Yes

2.0MP/No/Yes

Phonebook Capacity

500

1,000

500

2,000

1,000

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

Quad Band/No

Yes/No/No

Yes/Yes/HSDPA

Yes/Yes

Bar/No/No

Bar/No/Yes

Bar/No/No

Bar/No/Yes

Slider/No/No

Swivel/Yes/No

Bar/Yes/No

2,599

3,299

3,599

4,799

4,999

5,399

6,800

YMOBILE 103 AUG 15 to SEP 14 2011 MY

MODELS

myguide

NOKIA

PARAMETERS Model

SAMSUNG

P520

X3-02

C3-01

C5-03

X5-01

C6112

Dimension (mm)

109.1 x 56.2 x 12.95

112 x 46 x 12.3

106.2 x 48.4 x 9.6

111 x 47.5 x 11

105.8 x 51 x 13.8

74.3 x 66.44 x 16.85

105.8 x 50 x 16.5

Weight (grams)

120

89.3

100

129

112

Talktime/Standby (hours)

23.8/454

12/630

5/430

5.30/405

11.5/600

4/400

9.3/385

Screen (colours)/Size (inch)

256,000/2.8

16.7million/2.2

262,144/2.4

61million/3.2

262,144/2.36

262,144/2.4

Inbuilt/Expandable memory

13MB/4GB

50MB/16GB

30MB/32GB

40MB/16GB

200MB/32GB

30MB/8GB

Bluetooth/Wi-Fi

Yes/No

Yes/Yes

Yes/No

Camera/Flash/Video

2.0MP/No/Yes

5.0MP/Yes/Yes

5.0MP/No/Yes

5.0MP/Yes/Yes

5.0MP/No/Yes

5.0MP/Yes/Yes

2.0MP/No/Yes

Phonebook Capacity

1,000

Shared

1,000

Frequency/Dual SIM

Quad Band/GSM+GSM

Quad Band/No

Quad Band/GSM+GSM

Yes/Yes/No

Yes/Yes/HSDPA,HSUPA

Yes/Yes/HSDPA

Yes/Yes/HSDPA+HSUPA

Yes/Yes/HSDPA

Yes/Yes/No

Symbian S60

Symbian S40

Symbian S60

Proprietary

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

Yes/Yes

Bar/No/No

Bar/Yes/No

Slider/No/Yes

Slider/No/No

6,800

7,500

7,800

8,300

8,400

9,300

6,200

MODELS

Price in Rs.

Yes/Yes Bar/Yes/No

SAMSUNG

PARAMETERS Model

Star II

Wave 525

Star II Duos 6712 NEW

Monte S5620

Duos B5722

Wave 533

Wave 3G 575

Dimension (mm)

107.5 x 54.0 x 12.4

109.5 x 55 x 11.7

109.5 x 56 x 12.2

108.8 x 53.7 x 12.4

104 x 55.9 x 14.4

109.5 x 55 x 15.2

109.5 x 55 x 11.9

Weight (grams)

100

105.6

100

Talktime/Standby (hours)

8.2/900

15/900

10/550

9.5/769

14/480

14/1090

14.6/1000

Screen (colours)/Size (inch)

256K/3.0

262,144/3.2

262,144/3.0

262,144/2.8

262,144/3.2

256,000/3.2

Inbuilt/Expandable memory

30MB/16GB

100MB/16GB

30MB/16GB

200MB/16GB

30MB/8GB

100MB/32GB

100MB/16GB

Bluetooth/Wi-Fi

Yes/Yes

Yes/No

Yes/Yes

Camera/Flash/Video

3.15MP/No/Yes

3.2MP/No/Yes

3.15MP/No/Yes

3.2MP/No/Yes

3.2MP/Yes/Yes

3.2MP/No/Yes

3.15MP/No/Yes

Phonebook Capacity

1,000

Shared

1,000

Shared

Frequency/Dual SIM

Quad Band/No

Quad Band/GSM+GSM

Quad Band/No

Quad Band/GSM+GSM

Quad Band/No

GPRS/EDGE/3G

Yes/Yes/No

Yes/Yes/HSDPA

Yes/Yes/No

Yes/Yes/HSDPA

Operating System

Proprietary

Bada

Proprietary

Bada

Bada OS

Yes/Yes

Bar/Yes/No

Slider/Yes/Yes

Bar/Yes/No

6,100

6,300

6,500

7,300

7,900

8,500

8,700

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

Price in Rs.

YMOBILE AUG 15 to SEP 14 2011 104 MY

MODELS

SAMSUNG

PARAMETERS Model

SONY ERICSSON

VIDEOCON

Star Duos B7722

Wave 723

W20 Zylo

Elim

J20 Hazel

V1688

V6200

Dimension (mm)

113.5 x 55.5 x 14.3

109.5 x 53.9 x 11.8

103 x 52 x 16

110 x 45 x 14

102.0 x 49.5 x 16.0

105 x 58 x 16

118 x 53 x 15.3

Weight (grams)

112

99.5

115

120

Talktime/Standby (hours)

12.5/420

15/923

4/339

10/430

4/430

6/340

4/400

Screen (colours)/Size (inch)

262,144/3.2

65,536/2.6

252,144/2.2

16million/2.6

262,144/3.2

262,144/2.4

Inbuilt/Expandable memory

250MB/16GB

100MB/16GB

260MB/16GB

280MB/8GB

280MB/16GB

80MB/4GB

32MB/8GB

Bluetooth/Wi-Fi

Yes/Yes

Yes/No

Yes/Yes

Yes/No

Camera/Flash/Video

5.0MP/Yes/Yes

3.2MP/No/Yes

5.0MP/Yes/Yes

2.0MP/No/Yes

Phonebook Capacity

2,000

Shared

2,000

Frequency/Dual SIM

Quad Band/GSM+GSM

Quad Band/No

Dual Band/GSM+GSM

Quad Band/No

Yes/Yes/HSDPA

Yes/Yes/No

Yes/No/No

Bada

Nucleus

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

Generic

Yes/Yes

Bar/Yes/Yes

Bar/Yes/No

Slider/No/No

Bar/No/No

Slider/No/No

Swivel/Yes/Yes

Bar/No/No

10,300

11,200

6,800

8,000

9,000

7,650

9,500

SAMSUNG

VERTU

MODELS

HIGH END

NOKIA

PARAMETERS

PORSCHE

C6-1

P9522

P9521 (silver/club/white)

Wave II S8530

Constellation

Dimension (mm)

113.4 x 53 x 16.8

103.8 x 52.5 x 13.9

119.7 x 62.8 x 11.9

112 x 49 x 12

91 x 48 x 18.4

123.9 x 59.8 x 11.8

109 x 44 x 15.7

Weight (grams)

150

131

146

115

139

135

163

Model

Talktime/Standby (hours)

11/400

12/420

6/450

4/300

3.5/600

14.1/625

4.25/400

Screen (colours)/Size (inch)

16.7million/3.2

16.7milloin/3.2

16.7million/4.0

262,144/2.8

262,144/2.2

16million/3.7

262,144/NA

Inbuilt/Expandable memory

200MB/16GB

340MB/32GB

8GB/32GB

NA/2GB

32MB/4GB

2GB/32GB

NA/NA

Bluetooth/Wi-Fi

Yes/Yes

Yes/No

Yes/Yes

Yes/No

Camera/Flash/Video

5.0MP/Yes/Yes

8.0MP/Yes/Yes

5.0MP/Yes/Yes

3.2MP/Yes/Yes

5.0MP/Yes/Yes

No/No/No

Phonebook Capacity

Shared

5,000

1,000

Shared

1,000

Quad Band/No

Tri Band/No

Quad Band/No

Yes/NA/No

Yes/NA/NA

Yes/Yes/HSDPA,HSUPA

Yes/Yes/No

Frequency/Dual SIM

Quad Band/No

GPRS/EDGE/3G

Yes/Yes/HSDPA

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

Symbian S 60

Symbian 3^

Symbian Anna

Bada OS

Yes/Yes

Yes/NA

Yes/Yes

Yes/No

Slider/Yes/Yes

Bar/Yes/No

Clamshell/No/No

Bar/Yes/No

Bar/No/No

12,000

13,700

21,000

51,000

70,000/85,000

15,800

2,62,000+

YMOBILE 105 AUG 15 to SEP 14 2011 MY

myguide MODELS

ENTERPRISE LEVEL

VERTU

PARAMETERS Model Dimension (mm) Weight (grams)

APPLE

BLACKBERRY

Ascent

Signature

iPhone 4

Curve 8520

Curve 3G 9300

Bold 9780

Play Book

108 x 44 x 22

122 x 42 x 15.5

115.2 x 58.6 x 9.3

109 x 60 x 13.9

194 x 130 x 10

173

196

137

106

104

425

4/270

5/300

14/300

4.5/408

4.5/461

4.5/456

NA/NA

262,144/NA

16million/3.5

65,536/2.46

65,536/2.44

16million/7.0

Inbuilt/Expandable memory

NA/NA

16GB,32GB/No

256MB/microSD

256MB/32GB

16,32,64GB/No

Bluetooth/Wi-Fi

Yes/No

No/No

Yes/Yes

No/No/No

5.0MP/Yes/Yes

2.0MP/No/Yes

5.0MP/Yes/Yes

5.0MP/No/Yes

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

Camera/Flash/Video Phonebook Capacity

1,000

Shared

Frequency/Dual SIM

Tri Band/No

Dual Band/No

Quad Band/No

GPRS/EDGE/3G

Yes/Yes/No

No/No/No

Yes/Yes/HSDPA,HSUPA

Yes/Yes/No

Yes/Yes/HSDPA

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

iOS4

BlackBerry OS

No/No

Yes/No

Bar/No/No

Bar/Yes/No

Bar/No/Yes

Bar/Yes/No

3,07,000+

5,99,000+

34,500/40,900

9,500

13,500

21,500

26,500, 32,500, 37,500

Torch 9800

Wildfire

Wildfire S

Salsa

Desire

S-510 Desire S

111 x 62 x 14.6

106.8 x 60.4 x 12

101.3 x 59.4 x 12.4

109.1 x 58.9 x 12.3

119 x 60 x 11.9

115 x 59.8 x 11.6

MODELS

Price in Rs.

NA Yes/No

PARAMETERS Model Dimension (mm) Weight (grams)

BLACKBERRY

HTC Cha Cha

NEW

114 x 64 x 10.7

161.1

118

105

124

120

135

130

5.5/432

4/120

Screen (colours)/Size (inch)

16million/3.2

262,144/2.6

16million/3.4

16 milion/3.7

16million/3.7

Inbuilt/Expandable memory

512MB/32GB

512MB/microSD

512MB/32GB

1.1GB/32GB

Yes/Yes

Camera/Flash/Video

5.0MP/Yes/Yes

Phonebook Capacity

Shared

1,000

Shared

Quad Band/No

Quadl Band/No

Quad Band/No

Talktime/Standby (hours)

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.

Quad Band/No

Yes/Yes/HSDPA,HSUPA

Yes/Yes/HSDPA

BlackBerry OS

Android OS V2.1

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 V2.2

Android OS, v2.3

Yes/No

Yes/Yes

Yes//Yes

Yes/Yes

Slider/Yes/Yes

Bar/Yes/No

Bar/Yes/Yes

Bar/Yes/No

27,500

12,400

13,800

15,000

20,800

23,200

23,500

YMOBILE AUG 15 to SEP 14 2011 106 MY

MODELS

HTC

PARAMETERS Model Dimension (mm) Weight (grams)

HUAWEI

T8698 Mozart

A7272 DesireZ

A9191 Desire HD

S710-e Incredible S

Sensation

119 x 60.2 x 11.9

119 x 60.4 x 14.16

123 x 68 x 11.8

120 x 64 x 11.7

126.1 x 65.4 x 11.3

Flyer

NEW

195.4 x 122 x 13.2

IDEOS U8500 X2 12 x 58 x 12.8

130

180

164

135.5

148

420

115

4/120

6/120

4/120

8/320

5/300

Screen (colours)/Size (inch)

16million/3.7

16million/4.3

16million/4.0

1GB/32GB

16million/7.0

NA/32GB

Inbuilt/Expandable memory

512MB/8GB

1.5GB/16GB

1.5GB/32GB

1.1GB/32Gb

16.7million/4.3

1GB/32GB

262,144/3.2

Yes/Yes

8.0MP/Yes/Yes

5.0MP/Yes/Yes

8.0MP/Yes/Yes

5.0MP/No/Yes

3.15MP/No/Yes

Talktime/Standby (hours)

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

Shared

1,000

Shared

Frequency/Dual SIM

Quad Band/No

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

Yes/Yes/HSDPA

Windows Phone 7

Android OS, v2.2

Android OS, v2.3

Android OS, v3.3

Android OS v2.2

Yes/Yes

Yes/No

Yes/Yes

Bar/Yes/No

Slider/Yes/Yes

Bar/Yes/No

24,800

25,200

26,800

27,000

30,500

37,000

8,999

MODELS

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

PARAMETERS

HUAWEI

MOTOROLA

Model

IDEOS U8800 X5

Optimus Me P350

Optimus One P500

Optimus Black P970

Optimus 2X

Quench XT3

Quench XT 5

Dimension (mm)

120 x 62 x 11.6

108 x 57.5 x 12.2

113.5 x 59 x 13.3

122 x 64 x 9.2

123.9 x 63.2 x 10.9

114.9 x 56.8 x 12.6

114.9 x 56.8 x 12.5

Weight (grams)

130

110

129

109

139

114

142.5

8.2/380

11/626

8/550

2 GB/32GB

14.5/421

5.8/134

8.20/560

Screen (colours)/Size (inch)

16million/3.8

262,144/2.8

262,144/3.2

6/375

16million/4.0

262,144/3.1

262,144/3.2

Inbuilt/Expandable memory

2GB/32GB

155MB/32GB

170MB/32GB

16 million/4.0

6.4GB/32GB

100MB/32GB

Yes/Yes

Camera/Flash/Video

8.0MP/Yes/Yes

3.15MP/No/Yes

5.0MP/Yes/Yes

8.0MP/Yes/Yes

3.0MP/Yes/Yes

5.0MP/Yes/Yes

Phonebook Capacity

Shared

Quad Band/No

Talktime/Standby (hours)

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.

Quad Band/No

Yes/Yes/HSDPA,HSUPA

Yes/Yes/HSDPA

Android OS v2.2

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

Android OS v2.2

Quad Band/No

Yes/Yes/HSDPA

Android OS v2.1

Android OS, v2.1

Yes/No

Yes/Yes

Yes/No

Bar/Yes/No

14,999

8,400

11,000

20,500

27,000

13,000

13,990

YMOBILE 107 AUG 15 to SEP 14 2011 MY

MODELS

myguide

MOTOROLA

PARAMETERS Model Dimension (mm) Weight (grams)

Charm

Flipout

Backflip

98.4 x 67.2 x 11.4

67 x 67 x 17

108 x 53 x 15.3

Defy

Milestone

107 x 59 x 13.4 mm 115.80 x 60.00 x 13.70

Milestone XT720

Milestone XT800

116 x 60.9 x 10.9

120 x 61.8 x 11.4

110

120

133

118

165

139

137

6.4/267

3.5/377

6/315

6.8/237.6

6.5/350

8/200

5.4/100

Screen (colours)/Size (inch)

262,144/2.8

262,144/3.1

16million/3.7

16.9 million/3.7

16millions/3.7

16million/3.7

Inbuilt/Expandable memory

512MB/32GB

256MB/2GB

2GB/32GB

512MB/32GB

150MB/32GB

1GB/32GB

Yes/Yes

3.15MP/No/Yes

3.2MP/No/Yes

5.0MP/Yes/Yes

8.0MP/Yes/Yes

5.0MP/Yes/Yes

Talktime/Standby (hours)

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

Shared

shared

1,000

Frequency/Dual SIM

Quad Band/No

Quad Mand/No

Quad Band/No

Quadl Band/Yes

Quad Band/GSM+CDMA

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

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

Yes/Yes/HSDPA

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

Yes/Yes/Rev. A

Android OS v2.1

Android OS, v1.5

Android OS v2.1

Yes/Yes

Yes/No

Yes/Yes

Yes/No

Yes/Yes

Bar/Yes/Yes

Swivel/Yes/Yes

Clamshell/Yes/Yes

Bar/Yes/No

Slider/Yes/Yes

Bar/Yes/No

14,000

16,000

19,000

18,990

24,500

27,490

31,999

Xoom 3G/WiFi

E63

E52

E72 White

Dimension (mm)

249.1 x 167.8 x 12.9

113 x 59 x 13

115 x 58.9 x 12.8

116 x 49 x 9.9

114 x 58.3 x 10.1

117.3 x 56.8 x 10.5

115.5 x 59 x 10.5

Weight (grams)

730

126

128

130

133

MODELS

Price in Rs.

PARAMETERS Model

MOTOROLA

NOKIA

32GB/MicroSD

11/432

7.3/400

8/522

12.3/492

9.6/555

14.4/681

Screen (colours)/Size (inch)

10/336

16Million/2.36

262,144/2.36

16Million/2.4

16Million/2.36

16,7million/3.5

16.7million/2.46

Inbuilt/Expandable memory

16million/10,1

120MB/8GB

256MB/32GB

256MB/16GB

250MB/16GB

8GB/32GB

Yes/Yes

Camera/Flash/Video

5.0MP/No/Yes

2.0MP/Yes/Yes

5.0MP/Yes/Yes

3.2MP/Yes/Yes

5.0MP/Yes/Yes

8.0MP/Yes/Yes

Phonebook Capacity

Shared

Quad Band/No

Quad Band

Quad Band/No

Talktime/Standby (hours)

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.

Quad Band/No

Yes/Yes/HSDPA,HSUPA

Yes/Yes/R99

Android OS 3.1

Symbian S60

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

Symbian S60

Symbian^3

Symbian Anna

Yes/No

Yes/Yes

Bar/Yes/No

Bar/No/Yes

Bar/No/No

Bar/No/Yes

Bar/Yes/No

Bar/No/Yes

32,990/39,990

7,900

9,200

10,200

15,250

16,800

17,500

YMOBILE AUG 15 to SEP 14 2011 108 MY

MODELS

NOKIA

PARAMETERS Model Dimension (mm) Weight (grams)

SAMSUNG

Galaxy Pop S5570

B7510 Galaxy Pro

Galaxy Fit

Galaxy 551

5830 Galaxy Ace

113.5 x 59 x 12.9

123.7 x 62.4 x 13.6

110.4 x 60.8 x 12.1

108.60 x 66.70 x 10.65

110.2 x 61.2 x 12.6

111 x 55 x 15.3

112.4 x 59.9 x 11.5

135

176

106.6

106

108

156

113

12/390

9/430

9.5/570

11/610

10.4/642

6.1/520

12/520

Screen (colours)/Size (inch)

16.7million/3.5

16million/4.0

256,000/3.14

262,144/2.8

16Million/3.3

262,144/3.2

16million/3.5

Inbuilt/Expandable memory

16GB/32GB

16GB/No

164MB/32GB

512MB/32GB

160MB/32GB

158MB/32GB

Yes/Yes

12.0MP/Yes/Yes

8.0MP/Yes/Yes

3.15MP/No/Yes

5MP/No/Yes

3.15MP/No/Yes

5.0MP/Yes/Yes

Talktime/Standby (hours)

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

Shared

Frequency/Dual SIM

Quad Band/No

Yes/Yes/HSDPA

Yes/Yes/HSDPA,HSUPA

Yes/Yes/HSDPA

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

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

Symbian^3 OS

Android OS, v2.2

Android OS,v2.2

Android OS, v2.2

Yes/Yes

Bar/Yes/No

Slider/Yes/Yes

Bar/Yes/No

Bar/Yes/Yes

Bar/Yes/No

Slider/Yes/Yes

Bar/Yes/No

22,000

25,850

8,500

10,500

10,800

11,200

14,300

I9003 Galaxy SL

Galaxy S i9000

P1000 Galaxy Tab

I9023 Nexus

Galaxy SII i9100

Xperia X10 mini

Xperia X8

Dimension (mm)

123.70 x 64.20 x 10.59

122.4 x 64.2 x 9.9

83 x 50 x 16

99 x 54 x 15

Weight (grams)

131

118

104

MODELS

Price in Rs.

SAMSUNG

PARAMETERS Model

Talktime/Standby (hours)

SONY ERICSSON

190.1 x 120.4 x 11.98 123.80 x 63.00 x 10.88 125.30 x 66.10 x 8.49 380

129

116

12.8/750

13.3/750

38/NA

13.3/650

19.3/710

4/285

4.7/446

Screen (colours)/Size (inch)

16 million/4.0

16million/4.0

16million/7.0

16million/4.0

16million/4.27

16Million/2.5

262,144/3.0

Inbuilt/Expandable memory

4GB/32GB

16GB/32GB

16GB/No

16GB/32GB

128MB/16GB

128/16GB

Bluetooth/Wi-Fi

Yes/Yes

Camera/Flash/Video

5.0MP/No/Yes

3.15MP/Yes/Yes

5.0MP/Yes/Yes

8.0MP/Yes/Yes

5.0MP/Yes/Yes

3.15MP/No/Yes

Phonebook Capacity

Shared

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

Android OS, v2.2

Android OS 2.1

Android OS, v2.2

Android OS, v2.3

Android OS 1.6

Yes/Yes

Yes/No

Yes/Yes

Bar/Yes/No

Bar/Yes/Yes

Bar/Yes/No

20,300

23,200

25,200

27,300

30,500

10,000

10,200

YMOBILE 109 AUG 15 to SEP 14 2011 MY

MODELS

myguide

SONY ERICSSON

PARAMETERS Model

Experia mini

Dimension (mm)

88.0 x 52.0 x 16.0

Weight (grams)

NEW

Xperia X10 mini Pro Experia Mini Pro NEW 90 x 52 x 17

92 x 53 x 18

VIDEOCON

Xperia X10

LT15iXperia Arc

R800i Xperia Play

Zeus V7500

119.0 x 63.0 x 13.0

125.0 × 63.0 × 8.7

119.0 × 62.0 × 16.0

114.9 x 56.8 X 12.6

120

136

135

117

175

114

5.4/331

4/300

5.4/331

10/415

6.55/430

8.25/625

7/408

Screen (colours)/Size (inch)

16.7million/3.0

16million/2.55

16.7million/3.0

65,536/4.0

16.7million/4.2

16 million/4.0

262,144/3.2

Inbuilt/Expandable memory

320MB/16GB

128MB/16GB

320MB/16GB

1GB/16GB

1GB/32GB

512MB/32GB

156MB/32GB

Yes/Yes

5.0MP/Yes/Yes

8.0MP/Yes/Yes

8.1MP/Yes/Yes

5.0MP/Yes/Yes

Talktime/Standby (hours)

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

Shared

Frequency/Dual SIM

Quad Band/No

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

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 2.3

Android OS 1.6

Android OS, v2.3

Android 1.6

Yes/Yes

Yes/No

Yes/Yes

Bar/Yes/No

Slider/Yes/Yes

Bar/Yes/No

V84

11,000

12,000

16,000

22,900

28,500

30,700

12,500

Burn test Rating

Price in Rs.

Android 1.6

Yes/Yes/Yes

MODELS

CDMA

PARAMETERS Model

V3 Gem

V3 Gem+

Dimension (mm)

106 x 44 x 13.5

106 X 44 X 13.5

105 x 44 x 13

100 x 43 x 13.1

108 x 45.4 x 14.7

Weight (grams)

Talktime/Standby (hours)

Samsung Hero B189 Samsung Superstar

V3 Xing

Samsung Hero B319 Samsung Hero B559

2/NA

2.5/NA

3.3/250

3.3/212

2.5/NA

3/257

Screen (colours)/Size (inch)

NA/1.5

65,536/1.5

NA/1.8

65,536/1.52

Inbuilt/Expandable memory

NA/No

N0/N0

NA/No

NA/8GB

1MB/No

Bluetooth/Wi-Fi

No/No

Camera/Flash/Video

No/No/No

Phonebook Capacity

200

500

Frequency/Dual SIM

CDMA/No

GPRS/EDGE/3G

No/No/No

REX

BREW

REX

BREW

Operating System Music Player/FM Radio

No/Yes

No/FM

No/No

Yes/Yes

No/Yes

Bar/No/No

Burn test Rating

Price in Rs.

999

1,399

1,499

Form Factor/T.Screen/QWERTY

YMOBILE AUG 15 to SEP 14 2011 110 MY

MODELS

CDMA

PARAMETERS Model

Samsung Vstyle

Samsung Super Hero

Dimension (mm)

103 .8 x 43 x 14.7

103.5 X 438 X 15.1

Weight (grams)

Ashwa

NEW

109 x 46 x 14.5

V3 V26

V3 Sleek

105.2 x 46.5 x 15.2

110 x 48 x 14.2

V3 Dew

NEW

102.4 x 56 x 13.45

V3 Boss 110 x 58.5 x 13.5

100

3.8/245

3.25/135

8/400

3/NA

2.5/NA

4/160

3.5/NA

Screen (colours)/Size (inch)

65,536/NA

65,536/1.8

NA/1.8

NA/2.2

65,513/2.0

NA/2.0

Inbuilt/Expandable memory

NA/No

64MB/2GB

NA/2GB

64MB/4GB

NA/4GB

Bluetooth/Wi-Fi

No/No

NA/No

No/No

Yes/No

No/No/No

1.3MP/No/Yes

1.3MP/No/No

VGA/No/No

1.3MP 176X220 Pixels

1.3MP/No/No

Talktime/Standby (hours)

Camera/Flash/Video Phonebook Capacity

1,000

500

1000

500

Frequency/Dual SIM

CDMA/No

CDMA

CDMA/No

GPRS/EDGE/3G

No/No/No

NA/NA/NA

No/No/No

BREW

REX

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

No/Yes

Yes/Yes

YesYes

Yes/Yes

Bar/No/No

Bar/No/Yes

Bar/No/No

1,550

1,700

1,999

2,249

2,500

2,599

MODELS

Price in Rs.

No/Yes Bar/No/No

CDMA

PARAMETERS Model

LG 6160

LG 6210

Samsung B519

V3 Quick

Samsung Guru Muzik 219

V3 Pearl

LG 6400

Dimension (mm)

106 x 47 x 14.5

108 x 45.7 x 15.5

107 x 59 x 12.9

112 x 46.3 x 15.3

119 x 50 x 15

109 x 47 x 13.7

Weight (grams)

110

85.5

3.30/NA

6/300

4/285

3.5/NA

4/230

3/NA

3.30/410

Screen (colours)/Size (inch)

65,536/1.5

262,144/NA

65536/NA

NA/2.4

65,536/1.7

NA/2.4

262,144/2.0

Inbuilt/Expandable memory

NA/4GB

13MB/4GB

NA/2GB

NA/32GB

14MB/2GB

NA/8GB

15MB/4GB

Talktime/Standby (hours)

Yes/No

Camera/Flash/Video

No/No/No

VGA/No/Yes

No/No/No

2.0MP/No/Yes

1.3MP/No/Yes

2.0MP/No/No

1.3MP/No/Yes

Phonebook Capacity

1,000

500

1,000

500

1,000

Bluetooth/Wi-Fi

Frequency/Dual SIM

CDMA/No

GPRS/EDGE/3G

Yes/No/No

Yes/No/NoJ2

Yes/No/No

No/No/No

Yes/No/No

No/No/3G

Yes/No/No

BREW

REX

BREW

REX

BREW

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

Price in Rs.

Yes/NA

Yes/Yes

Bar/No/No

No/No/Qwerty

Bar/No/No

2,550

2,950

3,400

3,499

3,799

3,999

4,500

YMOBILE 111 AUG 15 to SEP 14 2011 MY

MODELS

myguide

CDMA

PARAMETERS Model Dimension (mm) Weight (grams)

LG 6300

Samsung M309

Samsung M 699

106 x 48 x 14.7

113.1 x 46 x 10.9

98 x 48.5 x 16

Samsung Mpower

Samsung TXT M369 Samsung Duos 259 112x60.95x11.96

115.5 x 48 x 15.9

Samsung M569 101.9 x 49.9 x 15.3

100

102

102.3

100

10/NA

3.8/227

3.6/280

3.8/30

4.5/420

4.8/230

2.5/165

Screen (colours)/Size (inch)

262,144/2.0

65,536/1.9

262,144/2.2

62,144/1.9

262,144/2.2

262,144/2.1

Inbuilt/Expandable memory

21MB/4GB

NA/microSD

NA/2GB

15MB/2GB

104MB/16GB

40MB/8GB

NA/4GB

Yes/No

2.0MP/No/Yes

1.3MP/No/Yes

2.0MP/No/Yes

1.3MP/No/Yes

2.0MP/No/Yes

Talktime/Standby (hours)

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

1,000

500

2,000

1,000

2,000

Frequency/Dual SIM

CDMA/No

CDMA/CDMA+GSM

CDMA/No

GPRS/EDGE/3G

Yes/No/No

Yes/NA/NA

Yes/NA/No

Yes/No/No

Yes/Yes/Yes

Yes/No/No

Yes/NA/NA

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

BREW

Proprietary

BREW

Yes/Yes

Bar/No/No

Slider/No/No

Bar/No/No

Bar/No/Yes

Bar/No/No

Slider/No/No

4,750

5,600

5,950

6,499

6,500

7,100

7,500

MODELS

Price in Rs.

BREW Yes/Yes

CDMA

PARAMETERS Model

LG Zip CDMA

Corby CDMA

Blackberry 8530

Blackberry 9670 Style

Blackberry 9650

Dimension (mm)

107 x 55.4 x 11.9

103 x 56.5 x 12.2

110.9 x 60.6 x 12.1

119.5 x 59 x 12.4

109 x 60 x 13.9

96 x 60 x 18.5

112 x 62 x 14

Weight (grams)

106.6

131

105

131

136

Talktime/Standby (hours)

Galaxy Pop CDMA Samsung Galaxy CDMA

5/150

5/200

5/320

7/370

4.5/252

5/312

Screen (colours)/Size (inch)

262,144/

262,144/2.8

262,144/3.14

NA/3.7

65,536/NA

65,536/2.44

Inbuilt/Expandable memory

72MB, 4GB

80MB/8GB

164MB/microSD

NA/32GB

256MB/32GB

512MB/32GB

512/32GB

Bluetooth/Wi-Fi

Yes/No

Yes/Yes

Camera/Flash/Video

2.0MP/No/Yes

3.15MP/No/Yes

5.0MP/NA/Yes

2.0MP/NA/Yes

5.0MP/Yes/Yes

3.15MP/Yes/Yes

Phonebook Capacity

1,000

2,000

Shared

1,000

Shared

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

Price in Rs.

CDMA/No

Yes/Yes/No

Yes/No/No

Yes/Yes/EVDO RevA

Yes/Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes/No

Yes/Yes/Rev. A

BREW

Android OS 2.2

Android

BlackBerry OS

Yes/Yes

Yes/No

Bar/Yes/No

Bar/No/No

Clamshell/No/Yes

Bar/No/Yes

8,000

8,500

9,850

17,000

14,000

22,500

24,000

YMOBILE AUG 15 to SEP 14 2011 112 MY

RNI REG NO./DELENG/2005/15033 DL (ND) - 11/6100/09-10-11 (Posting Date 19-20 of every month)