mymobile-apr-may-2011 by Aman Saxena

apr 15 to may 14 2012  Rs 75

www.mymobile.co.in

for a connected lifestyle

tabs have arrived!

The affordable tablets of today are all set to change your world P 22

æ HTC ONE X

Challenges the Competition The OneX takes on the bestselling Samsung Galaxy SII and iconic Apple iPhone 4S P 36

HTC ONE X

æ Is SMS dying?

Are messenger apps and services killing the most popular VAS service in the world? P 28

æ Money Money!

Here are the services that will turn you mobile phone into a money machine P 86

æ Reviewed!

Asus Transformer Prime, Lenovo ThinkPad Tablet, Samsung Galaxy Y Pro Duos, Nokia 603, HCL Me U1, Micromax Funbook and many more! P 42

first call

othing warms our hearts more than a promising technology going mainstream. If you had told us in April 2011 that we would be able to purchase tablets of decent quality for less than Rs 10,000 in a year's time, most people would have thought you were either playing an April Fool's Day joke on them, or worse, had had too many drinks. After all, just a year ago, getting a decent tablet for less than Rs 20,000 was next to impossible. How wrong they would have been. For, today, even as we go to print, tablets are set to enter the mainstream segment of the Indian tech market, with prices that are well below the five figure mark. And we are not talking of devices with modest specifications running older operating systems to cut costs – as was the case of netbooks – but gadgets that are relatively robust and in some cases, even running software that is newer than those of their higher priced contemporaries. Will this dramatic drop in prices make tablets as common as smartphones now are and see bigger players too join the fray at the lower end of the market or is this going to be a temporary blip or worse, another sign of the digital divide in the country? Read our cover story to find out more. Tablets indeed seem to have been the flavour of the past month with a number of interesting devices hitting the market, with a variety of form factors, functions and price points. On the one hand, you had the ultrabook-like (in price and form) Asus Transformer Prime; on the other, the relatively simple and lowcost Micromax Funbook with its emphasis on education; and on still another, the navigation oriented Carpad from MapmyIndia. Needless to say, we have covered them all in this issue. What is truly fascinating is how tablets have altered our perception of mobility. Many people had laughed when Steve Jobs had referred to them as the "third screen," the one that came between the ubiquitous handset and the popular notebook, but today, tablets have become part and parcel of the arsenal of the mobile warrior. With tablets getting more affordable, it is definite that more and more people will use them. And that will spur more innovation bringing in still more powerful and versatile devices. Speaking of smartphones, this is the month that has seen the first quad core processor driven handset arrive on Indian shores – the HTC One X. Of course, it takes more than a tech spec sheet to impress us, so we have not just reviewed the handset but also pitted it against two other iconic devices (the Samsung Galaxy S2 and the iPhone 4S) in a multimedia superphone face-off. Read on to find out which one emerged standing when the dust of war had settled. That apart, you will find the usual array of features and reviews in this issue of your favourite mobile technology magazine. Be it ultrabooks, scanners, headsets or portable storage options, if it has a circuit and moves, you can be sure to find it in My Mobile. Happy reading.

E D I T O R I AL Pankaj Mohindroo |

Editor-in-Chief

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

C I R C U LA T I O N Amit Prakash | Circulation Manager

ADVISORY BOARD Prithipal Singh S.C. Khanna S.D. Saxena Rajan Mathews T.R. Dua T.V. Ramachandran Shiv K. Bakhshi Sonu Halan Bhasin Bejon Misra

Edited, published, printed and owned by Pankaj Mohindroo, Published from Flat No. 25, First Floor Shankar Market Connaught Place, New Delhi – 110001. Printed at HT Media Ltd. B-2, Sector 63, Noida. Distributed by Central News Agency Pvt Ltd and India Book House (Maharashtra & Gujarat). Copyright 2005. My Mobile is a registered trademark of My Mobile Infomedia Pvt Ltd . All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form– electronic, mechanical, or otherwise, without prior permission.

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 VIII Issue III, april 15, To May 14, 2012

04 MYMOBILE apr 15 to may 14 2012

content

spotlight

lead Story Tabs for less than Rs 10,000! Are they worth it?

Is SMS getting slaughtered by messengers?

22 28

Chief Speak

Gautam Advani, EVP and head of mobility, HCL Infosystems talks about company’s future plans for tablet territory

Face To Face Frank Rong, director- India, Shenzen Utility Power Source discusses the importance of battery in a mobile phone

Sanjay Kasturia, vice president-Indian Sub Continent, Syniverse Technologies talks about MNP’s future in India

Y. Guru, managing director, Celkon Mobiles, talks about the company’s future plans and his excitement on signing Virat Kohli as a brand ambassador

cell-ebrity

Chhote Nawab reveals his techy side

Letters

Mobile Doctor

Consumer Forum

News

headon

The new challenger HTC ONE X takes on the reigning rulers - Apple iPhone 4S and Samsung Galaxy SII

06 MYMOBILE apr 15 to may 14 2012

content

just in Sony Xperia S and Samsung Galaxy Ace Plus are all set to enthrall mobile lovers

Nostalgia

my guide

Journey of a mobile phone, from 2007 to 2012

38 sneak peek

A glimpse at the much awaited Motorola Razr Maxx and Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 10.1

et-cetera

BURN TESTS redd a9 rage pro iball SHAAN fAb 9 intex avatar nokia asha 300 micromax funbook hcl Me u1 reliance CDMA tab micromax a85 nokia 603 samsung galaxy y pro mapmyindia carpad htc one x asus TRANSFORMER PRIME lenevo THINKPAD

From printers to scanners to cameras, we bring you lot more from the world of technology

42 43 44 45 46 48 50 52 54 56 58 60 62 64 66

vas With new players joining the league, what is the future of mobile payments in India? With its presence everywhere, what could be better than a mobile phone for your brand promotion?

event

One of the top leaders of mobile industry, Samsung discusses its future strategies

78 86 88 90

India looks forward to digital future

114

Boredom Busters

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

08 MYMOBILE apr 15 to may 14 2012

Want to enjoy new angry birds? Or would like to try some doodling? Here you go!

smart apps

Travel around the world or dive into the world wide web, all this and much more with your mobile phone

letters I am a big fan of My Mobile magazine and I want to thank the entire team of yours for imparting great knowledge about mobile world to  U P DAT E D ! us. I love the way in every issue you bring us the whole world  Gadgets Galore of mobility in a very interesting manner. So I eagerly wait for  the next issue every month. One thing which I found missing in the magazine is that there is no SUPER AFFORDABLE  BARCELONA feature around Wi-Fi technology. SMARTPHONES CALLING Therefore I request your team to kindly do some good features around Wi-Fi and if possible about 4G as well. Looking forward to have interesting articles in the next issue as well. -Kamal Rajpal, Delhi MAR 15 to APR 14 2012  Rs 75

www.mymobile.co.in

to your new interesting projects in the coming issue. Best of luck for your future endeavors. -Kritika Mahajan, Chandigarh

FOR A CONNECTED LIFESTYLE

Has the camera phone killed the digital camera? A face-off in the snapper battle P 46

Phones that will rock your world with their performance without burning a hole in your pocket P 48

Gadgets and apps that grabbed the spotlight at the 2012 Mobile World Congress P 24

I have been reading My Mobile magazine from last one and a half year and I must say that I found it an only useful magazine I have ever comes across. For a mobile enthusiast like me; the magazine is a great way to get BURN TEST information about devices and technology. -Tapas Mahakal, Chhattisgarh 5

WWW.MYMOBILE.CO.IN

customer care agent to resolve the issue.

LG OPTIMUS NET P-698

(DUAL) Andoid Optimused - Over Two SIMs

Multimedia: Not “flash”y, but decent enough

The Optimus Net Dual comes with a 3.0megapixel auto focus camera, but does not have a flash. The picture quality is acceptable. On the video front, it can shoot videos of acceptable quality of 640 x 480 resolution at 24 frames per second. You can add colour effects to the videos and adjust the video quality. The Optimus Net P-698 comes with a music player that is pretty plain vanilla with no equaliser presets or sound effects. The sound levels are good both on loudspeaker as well as through headphones. Songs get sorted on the basis of artistes and albums and you can choose to shuffle or repeat them. The FM radio comes with a nice scrolling mechanism for channel search - you can switch it off and on from the homescreen itself and also play it through the loudspeaker.

TECH SPECS

Size | 114 x 59 x 11.7 mm

Weight | 124 grams

Memory | 160 MB, microSD

Pros

Battery | Li-Ion 800 mAh Screen | 262,144 colours

 Dual SIM with single

button switch

Talktime/Standby | Upto 11.5 hours/ Upto 556 hours

 Android 2.3.4

While the touch and the features of the phone worked well, the only thing that bothered us was the response time especially while making calls. We also found the transition times between screens to be a bit on the slow side. The phone is sturdy in built and runs on the latest Android operating system, and is definitely a step up from the previous Optimus Net. The battery backup of the phone is good. One full charge lasts more than a day with extensive usage.

Bluetooth/ WiFi | Yes/Yes

Cons

114 mm

User Experience: Lags apart, not bad at all!

GPRS/3G | Yes/Yes

 Good music experience

Phonebook Capacity | Shared

 Still on dual standby

Camera | 3.0 megapixel

 Slow response

Frequency | GSM 850/900/1800/1900

 No flash in camera

Others | Remote Call, Social+

Price: Rs 10,500

Looks: Going regular

After a brief sabbatical, LG has returned to the smartphone segment with the newly-launched Optimus Net P-698(Dual). As its name indicates, it is the successor of the earlier Optimus Net and while the overall appearance remains the same, there are more than a few changes beneath those similar exteriors. The phone, just like the earlier one, is stocky with average looks, although the black and grey colour combination at the back does give it a sophisticated look. There is a 3.2 inch capacitive touchscreen in the front. The deep black front panel is complimented by a contrasting metallic grey back panel that hosts a 3.0-megapixel camera. The sides, incidentally, host a 3.5 mm

HIGHLIGHTS

I am an ardent reader of My Mobile magazine, as it gives me insight into the 80% industry with well researched articles and features. The mobile sphere is evolving at a rattling speed and I feel that this magazine helps me a lot to keep myself updated. I really liked some of the handset reviews in the magazine and feel that they portray a holistic picture of the handset. I would like to see some stories on Location-based services in your magazine. As I surf internet and read newspapers, I feel these services will certainly help the users in future. -Danish Khan, New Delhi

59 mm

The SIM switch key offers convenience while using dual SIM

The camera could have worked better with a flash

jack, USB cum charging port, power cum lock key and the volume keys. There are four keys in the front for Options, Home, Back and Search. The middle two are separated from the corner ones by a silver colour piping. The front and the back blend on the sides, forming a dynamic wave-like effect that is pleasing.

Hardware: Standard, solid

The hardware of the P-698 is pretty much par for the course for the price segment, as one would expect from a brand as big as LG. The phone runs on a 800 MHz processor, and the 3.2-inch touchscreen responds well. The P-698 is LG’s first Android dual SIM phone and one of its highlights is that you can easily switch

between the two SIMs using a single key, be it for calling, messaging or general functioning of the phone. On the down side, it is a dual standby device so only one SIM will be active during a call. On the connectivity front, it comes with both GPS as well as Wi-Fi capabilities and lets you share content using DLNA. The internal memory of the Optimus Net is pretty low at 160 MB but it can be expanded using a microSD card - the microSD card slot is hot-swappable and a 2 GB card comes bundled with the phone.

Software: Good new Android The Optimus Net runs on Android 2.3.4, also known as Gingerbread, which you can

The phone comes with a 2GB microSD card

The Dual SIM slots are under the battery cover

customise in best Android tradition, with folders, shortcuts, widgets and the like. The notification bar at the top gives access to silent profile, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS and data connectivity. At the bottom of the screen are four touch buttons for Calling, Contacts, Messaging and Menu. You can integrate your Facebook, Twitter, Google, MySpace and MS Exchange accounts and view photos, and updates from the Contacts section itself. In a neat touch, the dialler comes with smart dialling - making calls a whole lot easier. SIM 1 of the Optimus Net Dual is capable of providing HSDPA connectivity. The browser comes with multitouch capability along with Flash support. Facebook and Twitter apps do not come

Conclusion

3.5 mm jack offers convenience to use headphones of your choice for a better music experience

The LG Optimus Net Dual P-698 retails at Rs 10,500. If you are looking for a dual SIM Android, you can also consider the Samsung Galaxy Y Duos which is a dual SIM Android touchscreen phone costing Rs. 10,500. 

team@mymobile.co.in

preloaded but there is an integrated SNS app called Social+ that enables you to manage your Facebook, Twitter and MySpace accounts from one window. Polaris Viewer lets you open MS Office files but you cannot create any. Apart from Android Market, the phone comes with a link to LG World from where one can download LG SmartWorld, which is another repository of applications for LG phones. An interesting feature is the Remote Call app that lets LG customer care remotely diagnose any problem with the phone without you having to go to the service centre. Once you call the customer care, the agent gives you a six digit code. You have to enter the code in the phone and it gives remote access of your phone to the

54 MYMOBILE MAR 15 to APR 14 2012

VERDICT LOOKS

FEATURES

EASE OF USE

PERFORMANCE

VALUE FOR MONEY

OVERALL

MAR 15 to APR 14 2012 MYMOBILE 55

3/7/2012

7:48 PM

My Guide English Mar.qxd

Page 2

3/7/2012

7:56 PM

Page 3

MODELS

SUB-ENTRY LEVEL

BYOND

PARAMETERS

Model

Dimension (mm) Weight (grams)

CELKON

BY 809

BY 120+

BY 255

BY009

C207

C33

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 16

120

PARAMETERS

C 66i NA NA

Model

Dimension (mm) Weight (grams)

KARBONN

LAVA

NOKIA

ARC21

KKT 34+

A 230

110 x 46 x 14.65

113.5 x 51.2 x 16

108.6 x 46.6 x 13.8

112

81.4

1280

100

101

107.2 x 45.1 x 15.3

110 x 45.5 x 14.9

81.92

15/300

3/120

12/720

17/809

8.30/528

7.2/840

NA/1.5

NA/2.0

65,536/1.8

262,144/2.0

262,144/2.4

Screen (colours)/Size (inch)

262,144/2.4

65,536/1.8

262,144/2.4

262,144/1.77

Monochrome/1.36

65,536/1.8

NA/2GB

NA/4GB

1016KB/4GB

468KB/8GB

303KB/4GB

NA/16GB

Inbuilt/Expandable memory

NA/8GB

250KB/8GB

NA/8GB

25MB/8GB

NA/No

Bluetooth/Wi-Fi

NA/No

Yes/No

No/No

Yes/No

VGA/No/Yes

1.3MP/No/Yes

Yes/No/Yes

1.3MP/No/Yes

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

Price in Rs.

100

10/480

1000

4/192

10/240

500

1000

500

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

No/No/No NA

Yes/No/No

Proprietary

Yes/No/No RTOS

NA/Yes

Yes/Yes

Bar/No/No

1,249

1,799

2,099

2,399

1,499

1,599

2,299

Bluetooth/Wi-Fi

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

Price in Rs.

CHAZE

PARAMETERS

Model

Dimension (mm) Weight (grams)

KARBONN

C159

C234

C245

C249

K 486

115 x 48 x 14.6

118 x 52 x 13

121 x 53.8 x 16.6

116 x 50 x 13

109 x 47.8 x 14

Dimension (mm)

Weight (grams)

121

133

4/NA

7/NA

5/NA

12/NA

7/600

65,536/2.0

65,536/2.2

262,144/2.4

65,536/2.0

45KB/4GB

NA/4GB

45KB/4GB

123KB/8GB

136KB/8GB

45KB/8GB

32MB/8GB

Yes/No

Yes/NA

Yes/No

Camera/Flash/Video

1.3MP/No/Yes

1.3MP/Yes/Yes

1.3MP/No/Yes

VGA/No/Yes

Phonebook Capacity

250

500

1,000

500

1500

300

Frequency/Dual SIM GPRS/EDGE/3G

Operating System

Music Player/FM Radio

Form Factor/T.Screen/QWERTY Burn test Rating

Price in Rs

NA/No

69.6 7.2/840 65,536/1.8 NA/No

Yes/No

No/No

1.3MP/No/Yes

No/NoNo

VGA/No/Yes

1.3MP/No/Yes

No/No/No

1,000

500

1,000

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

Yes/No/No

Yes/No/No NA

500

Dual Band/No

Dual Band/GSM+GSM

Yes/Yes/No

No/No/No

Symbian S30

No/No/No S30

Yes/Yes

No/Yes

Bar/No/No

2,100

1,820

2,200

2,450

1,000

1,250

1,500

5/500

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

Yes/No/No NA

Yes/Yes

Bar/No/No

Bar/Yes/No

Bar/No/No

1,350

1,650

2,500

2,150

2,200

1,800

94 MYMOBILE MAR 15 to APR 14 2012

NOKIA

PARAMETERS

C133

107 x 46.5 x 13

9/NA

65,536/1.8

Inbuilt/Expandable memory Bluetooth/Wi-Fi

Model

C123

109 x 49 x 15.6

Screen (colours)/Size (inch)

Talktime/Standby (hours)

6/300

6/120

NA/1.5

NA/2GB

4/240

Talktime/Standby (hours)

115 X 50 x 15.5

6/120

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

Talktime/Standby (hours)

MODELS

P 52

Camera Phones Take on Digital Cameras

My Guide English Mar.qxd

MODELS

15 hottest gadgets and phones tested

I have been reading national and international magazines for some time now and I recently saw My Mobile. And while you have quite a lot of content in the myguide magazine, I didnt find much updated content on the website except the news updates. It would be great to see some new devices being reviewd regularly on the web too. The video part is good intitiative as it helps people to relate with what you are saying about the product. -Sahil Sharma, Bangalore MODELS

BlackBerry PlayBook and six other devices get an OS refresh, and get ready to change the game P 36

Talktime/Standby (hours)

RAGE

SAMSUNG

X1-01

C1-01

Smart 2

Striker 2

1081

112.2 x 47.3 x 16

108 x 45 x 14

108 x 42 x 14.25

117 x 50.2 x 15.4

107.4 x 45.5 x 13.6

91.5

64.5

E 1085

Hero Music

107.4 x 45.5 x 13.6 110.60 x 45.35 x 13.90 64.5

73.2

9/560

NA/1.77

NA/2.4

65,536/1.43

64MB/32GB

45KB/4GB

1MB/No

No/No

Yes/No

No/No

Yes/No

Camera/Flash/Video

No/No/No

VGA/No/Yes

Yes/No/Yes

1.3MP/No/Yes

No/No/No

Phonebook Capacity

500

1,000

500

1,000

Frequency/Dual SIM

Dual Band/GSM+GSM

Dual Band/No

Operating System

Music Player/FM Radio

Form Factor/T.Screen/QWERTY Burn test Rating

Price in Rs.

No/No/No

Yes/No/No

S30

Symbian S40

7/200

105

11/1000

65,536/1.8

NA/16GB

GPRS/EDGE/3G

10.4/540

65,536/1.8

Inbuilt/Expandable memory Bluetooth/Wi-Fi

13/1032

78.8

Screen (colours)/Size (inch)

MTK

4MB/4GB

Dual Band/No

Dual Band/GSM+GSM

Yes/No/No

No/No/No

Yes/Yes/No

MTK

Proprietary

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

Yes/No/No

11.1/580 65,536/1.8

Yes/Yes

No/No

No/Yes

Yes/Yes

Bar/No/No

Bar/NoNo

1,850

2,350

1,349

1,849

1,100

1,250

1,750

MAR 15 to APR 14 2012 MYMOBILE 95

I am a Reliance Communications subscriber and have been repeatedly made victim of the VAS activation by the operator without taking any prior permission or consent from the subscriber. While i have many times fought to get back my money, the whole process is nothing less than a torture. I would request you to please bring this matter to light, as there must be a number of subscribers like me who are suffering because of this, but have not complained about it thus the opertors are blatantly disregarding the issues of the subscribers and earning money. -Amit Jain, Mumbai While most of the people are after new handsets and devices, I really fail to undestand why services are not considered as a part of technology. Now-a-days there are a number of services which are driving the growth of telecom and very little is written about them. Thus the consumer gets to know very less about them and is not able to benefit from it. I would request you to write more about services and give a step by step guide about how to use them. It will be of great help. -Rakesh Sinha, Pune

I am a frequent reader of you magazine. Your research about technology is plausible. I am not a tech savvy, but going through your articles and reviews, I found it easy to understand and stay C E L L- E B R I T Y updated about new innovations. He is one of the few to have moved smoothly from the small screen to the big one. And he has done so without having Your cover designs are to give up his gadgets. We talk tech with Rajeev Khandelwal of Sach Ka Samna fame Harshita Rastogi very cool and the e the I WOULD LOVE nd hav quality of a s e m n TO DESIGN a drea ellpho n the magazine c i t MY OWN PHONE y u e o k also azy ab atest ines? is awesome. you cr pen a few l ews and can ds on the l you have it e r A Celebrity’s for n think ur han tial to interviews are an poten have a nose ve to lay yo em? If you dia’s to th u ra interesting read Do yo ? Do you c orld about sh your CV y Mobile, In w u ne as they help us headli and tell the g for you. R r name in M n s ou i know which device gizmo e are look .in to see y w do our favourite o , in you mymobile.c e. celebrities use. n i @ z team bile maga Looking forward o

“

First things first - which handset do you use? I have an iPhone 4S.

Are you a gadget freak? No, I am not at all a gadget freak. I don’t have anything against them but I am not really drawn to them either. They are more need based for me.

You have designed a car for yourself (Mahindra Xylo Extreme, which is patented on his name), so given a chance would you like to design a handset as well? I would love to design my own phone. In terms of features, I would like to have a phone which has the sense to reject calls of people I don’t want to talk to at that moment. I know there are facilities which enable you to reject or block calls and SMSes from a number, and I can also easily escape by keeping my phone on silent mode but still I want my phone to have a kind of a sixth sense so as to keep nuisance mongers away while the phone is still on ringing mode. If you were left on a deserted island with just your mobile and no network, what would you do with it? I will celebrate. I sometimes feel that these things take away your peace. At such an island I would feel rather heavenly sans certain luxurious things!

Are you on any of the social networking sites? No I am not on any social networking sites and neither do I plan to come on them. It is not that I don’t like connecting or interacting with my

well wishers and fans but I like to do it on a more personal level. Whenever I get a chance, I love to meet and interact with people and I always look forward to such opportunities. I blog whenever I feel like it, or when I have something to share. Everyone knows that you are a fitness freak, so are there any applications on your handset that help you in keeping fit? I use no application except Google. I keep Googling a lot of things to deal with fitness, be it some diet charts, or exercises to or not to do. Also, I don’t want to rely on ideas through my handset to keep my regime right. I trust my trainers and also the research that I have done for the last so many years. Do you have any applications installed on your phone? No, currently there are no applications that I have downloaded on my handset. All right, finally a question on show business. Apart from Will You Marry Me, which other movies can we expect to see Rajeev Khandelwal in? There will be a supernatural film called Raakh, directed by Tanuja Chandra that is up for release next. There is another movie opposite Prachi Desai, where I play a single father to a four year old but the title of the film has not been finalised yet. Another movie will be Fever and lastly I have signed When Love Happens. 

harshita@mymobile.co.in

90 MYMOBILE MAR 15 to APR 14 2012

10 MYMOBILE apr 15 to May 14 2012

best m

mobile doctor constraint, we would go with the HTC One X, as it is the only one of the three that comes with Ice Cream Sandwich, the latest version of Android, pre installed on it, and is also the only one of the trio with a quad core processor. As if that were not enough, it also has the largest display of the three and a very versatile camera. You might find it a tad bulky to hold, but in terms of performance, we reckon you will have very few complaints. Since I travel a lot, I am looking for a smartphone that I can use instead of a laptop. I want a phone with strong set of features and money is not a problem. -Vidhyadhar We think that you are looking for a device that combines both a touchscreen and a QWERTY keyboard. It all really depends on what you wish to do with the device – if you tend to browse the Web more and need a larger display, then the Nokia E7 might be a very good option for you. If on the other hand, you are the type that tends to type more and browse lesser, we would suggest the BlackBerry Bold 9900 for you. Both devices combine the best of touch and type. I am using Sony Ericsson Xperia X8 that I have upgraded to Android 2.1 operating system. But now I am not able to transfer any applications to my memory card. Is there any way to do that? Kindly suggest. -Tabrej Akhtar The problem is that you can save applications on your SD card only with the Android 2.2 upgrade. The 2.1 upgrade brings some eye candy and much smoother operation, but saving apps on a SD card is not an option with it. I want to buy an Android phone and have shortlisted the Samsung Galaxy S2, HTC One X and Sony Xperia S. Please help me to choose the best one? -Dishad Abdul Jabbar All three are large screen Android devices and have excellent configurations. If budget is not a

I want to install a file manager in my Sony Ericsson W150i Yendo. Please suggest how can I do it

I want to buy a Dual SIM (GSM) Android 2.3 smartphone that should be able to offer good Internet browsing experience along with 3G connectivity, video calling capability and a camera with minimum 3.2-megapixel resolution. -Mahender Singh The newly launched Samsung Galaxy Y Pro Duos meets all your requirements. It runs Android 2.3 and supports two GSM SIMs. It also sports a 3.2-megapixel camera. What's more it combines touchscreen capabilties with a full QWERTY keyboard functionality. It is a brand new handset and should be available in the market for about Rs 10,300. I have a Samsung S5620 Monte. Is it possible to install a Facebook Messenger in it? -Mohsin The Samsung Monte is not a smartphone, so we would recommend you try downloading the Facebook for Every Phone app on to it, to be able to access most features of Facebook on your phone. You can try downloading the app by entering http://d.facebook. com/install in the browser of your phone and following the installation instructions that follow to get Facebook functionality on your phone.

without creating any issues with the phone.. -Lalit Pukhramban Even though the Sony Ericsson Yendo comes with an interface that resembles that found in Sony Ericsson smartphones, the Yendo itself is not a smartphone and runs on a proprietary operating system. This restricts the number and kind of apps you can install on the phone. You could try File Explorer that allows you to look up the files on Java-based handsets, but we are not too sure how well (or indeed, if) it would work on your handset.

12 MYMOBILE apr 15 to may 14 2012

I am using the Samsung L700 for the past three years and it has not given me any problems till now. But since the past 5-6 months, whenever I browsed the Internet, its display starts getting brighter and the phone restarts on its own. Please suggest a remedy to this issue. -Bablu Kumar This is indeed strange behaviour. We would recommend you put the phone back to factory settings (do remember to back up your information before you do so) and see if the problem persists. If it does, then we would suggest

taking your phone to a support centre. I want to buy a phone that has good battery back-up, camera, Internet browsing speed, option to minimise apps and Android OS. I have a budget of Rs 10,000. Please suggest a good phone for me. -Sambit Samal In your budget, we would recommend that you go for the HTC Explorer. It sports a 3.2-inch touchscreen, comes with a 3.15 megapixel camera and runs Android 2.3. Android anyway allows you to switch between apps smoothly – you will need to download a task manager to be able to shut them, though. Its battery backup is about as good as you can get in a device in that price range. And of course, HTC's Sense interface makes it a joy to use. I want to buy a Samsung Galaxy Y Duos. I want to know whether I can get it in White colour and if its possible to increase the megapixel of the phone’s camera? -Roni kumar As far as we know the Galaxy Y Duos is available only in black. You could try to get its face plates changed, although that might void the warranty if you get them from a party other than those approved by Samsung. And no, we do not know of any effective way of increasing a camera's megapixel count. And believe us, we have tried!

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.

consumer forum Complaint 1 I have an Airtel (Maharashtra & Goa) mobile connection and the operator is deducting Rs 5 from my balance every day. I got my service deactivated but still the operator is deducting money from my balance and that too in large amounts. On January 23rd, 2012, Rs 409 were decucted from my balance and on 27th January again Rs 72 were deducted. Please do something to stop this unfair practice by the operator. -Lokesh Navlani Airtel’s Reply Awaited

tomer care executive says that all the information of my usage has been deleted and there is no trace that I ever used this number. Please help me in getting my number back. . - Krishna Praneeth Airtels Reply Awaited.

Complaint 4 I bought a Sony Ericsson W395

open it, or get it repaired from an unauthorised service centre. I filed a complaint with the head office of the company but in vain. It has been more than a year now and there is no sight of any resolution for my problem. Please help. -Pawan Saxena Sony Ericsson’s Reply Awaited.

Complaint 5 I have a Tata DOCOMO number and most of the times money from my account gets deducted for no reason or rhyme. Sometimes I get a message saying that a certain service has been activated on my number but it’s actually never activated

Complaint 2 I am an Airtel subscriber from Kolkata. I surrendered my two Airtel connections in December and now suddenly after four months I have received a bill from the operator. The recovery agents have come to my house and threatened me to pay up. I keep receiving bills for my data card every month despite the fact that I had requested for discontinuation of services four month ago. Please look into the matter and suggest what I should do on an urgent basis.. -Shaunak Basu Airtel’s Reply Awaited.

Complaint 3 I I have been using Airtel for the past three years. On March 13, 2012 when I tried making a call from my phone I got an error message saying "SIM PROVISIONING REQUEST FAILED". I went to nearest Airtel customer relationship center in Visakhapatnam and was told that there is some problem with the SIM card. I tried to explain to them that if the SIM card is a problem then why the people who are calling me are getting the number does not exist message? After a few when I called the customer care, I was shocked to hear that my number has been allotted to USB MODEM to someone else in Hyderabad. All my efforts to get my number back have failed. Now the cus-

handset on October 4th, 2009 from The Mobile Store, Lucknow. The handset worked fine for a few months but after some time the screen started giving me problems. It used to turn completely blank. I took the phone to the same mobile store where they asked me to take it to Sony Ericsson’s service centre in Lucknow. I submitted the phone with the service centre on July 26th, 2010 when the phone was still within warranty. I was told that the phone will be repaired with in a week. But after some time they called me up to say that the phone could not be repaired as it had been tampered with. Whereas, I had never tried to

14 MYMOBILE apr 15 to may 14 2012

and I have not got it activated. However, when I call the customer care, they say that the service has been activated by me and after a lot of argument I am able to get a refund. At times the customer care executives have misbehaved with me too. I am really hassled with this kind of arbitrary behavior and it's not just me but a few of my friends who are also facing the same problem. Please help me. -Abhilash Verma Tata DOCOMO’s Reply Awaited.

Complaint 6 My problem is related to my new mobile Spice Knight 6900. I purchased this phone

in September 2011 but after 15 days only it started hanging. So I took my phone to the Spice customer care centre but when I got my phone back, I found that the camera settings of my phone had been tampered with. Now every time when I took a picture with my phone’s camera it got stored on a 90 degree angle. So the landscape picture got stored in portrait mode and vice versa. I went back to the service centre but they refused to help me. I don’t know what to do now. Please help me. -Yudhishthir Mahato Spice’s Reply Awaited.

Complaint 7 I am writing to you with regards to my Vodafone connection. On July 1st, 2011 I had written to the operator to convert my phone from post paid to a pre paid connection. The customer care executive told me that for that I will have to clear my outstanding amount first. So I cleared all my bills and applied again but did not get any response from them. Despite repeated attempts no action has been taken by the operator so I have stopped paying my bills. They discontinued my outgoing but there seems to be no resolution to my problem. Please help. -Dhiraj Vodafone’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.

NEWS bits Policy& Regulations HANDSETS & MORE Another low cost tab Now there is another affordable tablet to promote education in the country from Wish Tel. The company launched a tablet PC and named it as ‘Ira’, the name of Goddess Saraswati. The device has two versions and currently runs on Android 2.2 OS. One is IRA and the other is IRA Thing with feature support for native Indian languages. The tablets are available between the price range of Rs 4,000 to Rs 5,500 through over 350 distribution and support centers. The Ira Thing and Ira feature highresolution 7.0 inch capacitive and resistive touch displays respectively, with 720p HD video support.

Jabra unveils UC voice series headsets Hands-free communication device company Jabra has announced the launch of four new unified communication-based headsets for cost-effective UC deployments. The headsets in the Jabra UC Voice series—Jabra UC Voice 150, 250, 550, and 750 are designed keeping in mind the requirements of companies looking for reasonably cost effective headsets to be deployed across an organisation and to accommodate different working styles and environments - without compromising on quality. All the headsets come with noise reduction feature and have enhanced sound quality. These are offered with a two year warranty period.

Crucial Tec to target Indian mobile brands for its trackpad business Crucial Tec, the inventor of trackpad in mobile handsets like BlackBerry, Samsung, HTC has announced that the company is going to focus on Indian brands like Spice, Lava and Karbonn. According to Crucial Tec, 90 per cent of BlackBerry handsets carry their trackpads. Crucial Tec is also going to introduce trackpads in laptops, digital cameras and in security USBs. As per the company, Crucial Tec is a pioneer in the trackpad business with a strong presence in 70 countries.

Micromax unleashes the Funbook at Rs 6,499 Micromax has joined the league of device brands promoting education in the country through tablets by introducing the Funbook, a tablet that aims to provide education and entertainment – for as little as Rs 6,499. The tablet runs on Android Ice Cream Sandwich (4.0.3) and features 17.78cm (800x480 pixels) capacitive display. It runs on a 1.2 GHz processor along with 512 MB RAM, and has 4GB internal memory, which can be further expanded up to 32 GB with the help of a microSD card. In addition to this, it also boasts of a VGA front facing camera and HD video playback that supports all popular formats.

Toshiba joins the race of slim Ultrabook Toshiba India has launched its new product, the Portégé Z830 in India. The tablet weighs only 1.12 kg and is 15.9 mm thick, and comes with a 13.3 inch HD LED backlight display powered by Intel Core i3, i5 or i7 processor (depending on the configuration) and has RGB, USB 3.0, twin USB 2.0, Ethernet and HDMI ports. It starts up in about 13 seconds and offers a battery backup of approximately 8 hours. The Ultrabook can accommodate RAM up to 6 GB DDR3 and comes with a 128 GB SSD (Solid State Drive). All these features are available at a jaw dropping price point of Rs 96,290.

Lecom, another mobile brand enters Indian market Lecom, a new mobile phone brand, has marked its entry in the Indian mobile space. The company which has R&D center in Shenzhen has already established 400 after sales service centers in India. Initially Lecom will launch seven entry level handsets in India and is planning to launch an Android device in second financial quarter alongwith 3G devices in the third financial quarter. The target consumers for the brand are the youngsters in the age group of 20 to 30 years. The company is going to start its distribution from across the country. Handsets from Lecom will made available in the market from the first week of April. All the handsets will be priced comfortably, keeping price sensitive Indian market in mind.

16 MYMOBILE apr 15 to may 14 2012

TRAI directs telcos to keep transparency in tariff ads The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) directed telecom operators to bring more transparency in tariff advertisements. The move was taken to prevent misleading tariff advertisements. “A tariff advertisement is considered to be misleading, which in any way, is likely to induce the consumer to subscribe to a tariff plan, which he would not have subscribed; contains an untrue statement; omits a material fact having bearing on the subscriber’s decision; and fails to disclose attached limitations and restrictions,” a released report said. According to TRAI, advertisement should disclose all material information in an unambiguous manner; contain the website address and customer care number of the telecom access service provider; and the advertisements issued in vernacular languages contain all the mandatory disclosures in the same vernacular language.

SC to hear government’s plea for 2G verdict The Supreme Court has accepted the Union government’s review petition on its 2G spectrum license cancellation judgement. However, the court rejected the petition of seven telecos challenging the cancellation of licences and a review petition of former telecom minister A. Raja calling apex court’s ruling unfair. The court’s decision to revisit its earlier order means that using auctions as the only way to distribute rights to exploit natural resources is now open to review.

Techiewood Minisha Lamba becomes the face of Fujifilm Bollywood seems to have bitten by the bug of technology as more and more actors are getting associated with consumer electronics. Joining the league is actress Minisha Lamba who has become the new face of camera brand Fujifilm. “It is a proud moment for me to be associated with the one of the world’s largest photographic solutions company. I am very passionate about photography. It’s great to see the wonderful new cameras of Fujifilm with great features and cool looks. I am eagerly looking forward to using my new Fujifilm JZ100,” said Lamba.

NEWS bits Spreadtrum joins hand with Micromax for chipsets Spreadtrum Communications, Inc. a fables semiconductor provider in China with advanced technology in 2G, 3G and 4G wireless communications standards, along with Micromax Informatics Limited, one of the Indian mobile brands, recently announced a partnership to work together to grow the market for innovative handset products in India and other emerging markets. As per the agreement, Spreadtrum will invest US$10 million in Micromax Informatics Limtied and become one of Micromax’s preferred mobile chipset suppliers. In this partnership, the two companies will work together through a joint R&D collaboration to deliver feature-rich innovations across Micromax’s portfolio of products.

Windows 6.X devices to lose Mobile Marketplace support Microsoft has sent out an official notification saying that it will discontinue Windows Marketplace support for phones running Windows Mobile 6.x operating system. Windows Mobile 6.x users thus will not be able to browse, buy or download apps directly from the Marketplace. However, as per the notice, the applications and games acquired and installed from this Marketplace on Windows Mobile 6.x phones will continue to work even after services have been discontinued.

operators & tariffs Idea strengthens its 3G services in Maharashtra and Goa

Idea Cellular has announced its 3G data plans for its prepaid and postpaid mobile customers in Maharashtra and Goa. The new data plans allow Idea prepaid and postpaid 3G customers to experience unlimited 3G services, with rentals starting from Rs. 750 for post-paid customers and Rs. 950 pre-paid customers. With a monthly rental of Rs 750, postpaid subscribers will get unlimited usage, and beyond 3 GB usage the connection speed will be up to 128 Kbps. Whereas on monthly rental of Rs 950 the prepaid subscribers will get unlimited usage and after reaching the 6 GB usage mark the speed will be up to 128 Kbps.

Value Added Services/Applications/ Games Evernote launches text-to-speech on Android Evernote, a note taking application on mobile phone, has recently added a feature of text-to-speech to its functionality to make note taking even easier. This speech recognition feature will enable the applications to make text notes based on the users voice inputs The audio also gets recorded while dictating and is attached to the note. In addition to this, there are also a bunch of new features for the Evernote Widget app available as a separate download from the Google Play Store. This will enable the user to customize widget colour, buttons, take quick snapshots and do more. These features are available on Android v4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) operating system and some devices with Android 2.2 version and above.

SATO for Indian market Sato, a barcode printing, labeling and EPC/RFID solutions provider, has announced opening of its full-fledged office in Gurgaon, India. SATO has already been operating and offering products in the market from the last 20 years through strategic partners. The purpose of setting up new office is to provide better service to customers and support SATO’s market position in the country. To reinforce SATO’s commitment to the Indian market and to further strengthen its base here, SATO has also appointed Thanuj Madanakesari as the country director for South Asia, SATO.

Movie characters get into game mode to promote movies Bollywood has of late been using the gaming platform as an active way of promoting movies. While we have often seen games based on films, various celebrities are now making guest appearances on gaming platforms to promote their flicks. Mumbai Underworld on ibibo. com is one of the popular games in India with about 3 million game players, as per the company’s claims. Recently, it featured a surprise entry of Agent Vinod aka Saif Ali Khan in to the game. Similarly, Vidya Bagchi, the lead character of Kahaani was introduced in the game –The Great Indian Parking Wars. It seems that Bollywood is also mastering the art of making the games work for them.

Albion introduces Idea Management and Innovation Management solutions Albion, an IT service company, along with Exago Markets, a Portugal-based Innovation Solutions Company, has recently launched its Collaborative Idea Management and Innovation Management Solutions in India. The solution is designed to help a company in effective usage of the potential of its employees, customers and partners to address innovation-based challenges. Other than providing IT consulting services, Albion provides Business Process Outsourcing services, Cloud Computing services and Management services.

18 MYMOBILE Apr 15 to may 14 2012

fa c e t o fa c e

“Our target is to go past 15 per cent worldwide as a cell supplier” Mobiles might be becoming more powerful and versatile, but their battery lives have been declining. The days of charging a device a few times a week seem history. Will they return? Few people are as well placed to answer this query as Frank Rong, Director-India Market, Shenzhen Utility Power Source, a leading Li-ion cell and battery manufacturer Harshita Rastogi

Tell us something about UTL limited. With total domestic investment of Rs 160 crore and staff numbering more than 2,500, UTL is one of the biggest Li-ion cell and battery manufacturers in terms of investment and technology in China. How big is the mobile battery market in India? We think that in India, the batteries sold along with the handset are about 4.5 crores in quantity annually, while the replacement battery for replacement market is 2.5 crore. The market is growing at about 15 per cent. What is your market share in India and worldwide? Where do you stand in comparison to the competition? UTL’s current market share stands at about five per cent and our target is to go past 15 per cent globally as a cell supplier. We are almost at par with Bak nowadays in quantity, and are targeting the same with eBak in India. Could you share the names of some brands and models that are utilising your batteries? UTL is making batteries for Karbonn, Micromax, Spice, Lava, Videocon, Maxx, and Intex directly or through China OEM/ODMs, such as HQ , CKT, SIM, Wingtech and Sprocomm and so on. How do you plan to promote your brand in India? UTL plans to keep supplying consistent quality products at competitive costs. We have launched the India operation to provide better service to our business partners. We are also finalizing a local battery pack factory using our battery cells for local production. What measures would you take to ensure good quality? We are having a QC team in each process of the production including material incoming and outgoing control, and our R&D and engineering department keep improving techniques and material control for better performance. Battery power is becoming very important with the growing popularity of smartphones. How are you dealing with the demand of stronger batteries? This is a very critical problem for mobiles. Due to the size of the traditional Aluminum case mobile battery, the capacity is limited within 1500mAh, which is not enough. We have developed aluminum soft pack polymer battery and gel polymer at more than 2000mAh to meet increasing consumer needs. What is your strategy for eco-friendly battery disposal? The Li-ion battery is more “green” than other type of battery, but we still care about its impact on the environment. We have set up a recycling system, in which the useful part of the battery material can be separated through recycling, and hazardous chemicals avoided. We are also developing a new technology, using pollution-free material. n harshita@mymobile.co.in

20 MYMOBILE apr 15 to may 14 2012

Aegis Graham Bell Awards - Overview Aegis Graham Bell Awards is India’s Largest Innovation Awards in the field of TIME (Telecom, Internet, Media & Edutainment) and to provide recognition for outstanding contributions. The first jury round of Aegis Graham Bell award was successfully held

from 21-23 Mar’12 during 20th Convergence India 2012. The 2nd jury round will be held on 11th may 2012 in New Delhi. The companies who have already participated in round one can also nominate for round two if they have any other product or solution.

“Missed the chance to nominate your innovation, here’s the opportunity” Inviting nominations for round II (Deadline 27 April’12) for contributions in the field of TIME (Telecom, Internet, Media & Edutainment) Knowledge Partner

Associate Sponsor

Supported by

Media Partner

Supporting Journals & Online Portals

Participants of Round I

Contact: Mohit Varshney, Aegis Graham Bell Awards Coordinator Mob.: +91 969 902 8589 Ň Email: mv@bellaward.com

SJ Singh, Vice President, Exhibitions India Group Mob.: +91 997 115 6901 Ň Email: sjsingh@eigroup.in

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lead story

E B tA L T S Get PocketFriendly...At Last!

22 MYMOBILE apr 15 to may 14 2012

www.mymobile.co.in

Gone are the days when owing a tablet PC meant burning a big hole in your budget. After quite a bit of struggle, we finally have tabs that serve up a decent experience, while costing less than Rs 10,000 Sonia Sharma

ot too long ago, the very thought of owing a tablet had most of us sighing longingly â&#x20AC;&#x201C; for most of the iconic devices in this category, from the new Apple iPad to Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 to the Asus Transformer Prime, all shared the quality of costing almost as much as a decent notebook, and were thus not really in everyoneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s budget. These devices therefore ended up being limited to the high end urban markets, and failed to bring the tablet experience to the masses. Fortunately, that seems set to change, thanks to the arrival of a host of affordable tablets. These feature rich devices promise performance and utility and do not cost the earth. These smart tablets are today available for less than Rs 10,000, and unlike in the past, are being offered by established players with good support networks. Mind you, it did take SOME doing for tablets to reach this pass.

In the beginning... When it comes to ingenuity, the Indian mobile market is brimming with talent. The players in the market understand the aspirations of the Indian consumers and try to combine that same aspirational aspect with affordability. In 2010 when the iPad was making rounds in the global markets, an Indian brand called Olive launched a seven inch tablet called the Olive Pad. Although it did cost more than Rs 25,000, it paved the way for other brands to enter the Indian market

apr 15 to may 14 2012 MYMOBILE 23

lead story with their tablet offerings and for the consumer to experience the tablet for the first time. Then came Samsung’s first tablet the Galaxy Tab 7000 followed by the Apple iPad in the beginning of 2011 and Research In Motions Playbook coming in June 2011. In the beginning there was just one category of tablets - those priced above Rs 20,000 and way beyond the reach of the common person. According to a Cyber Media Research report dated September 2011, a total of 1,58,000 tablets were sold between October 2010 and June 2011. Though a very small number as compared to the overall handset market it India, this did mark the beginning of a new device segment in the country. Gautam Advani, HCL Infosystems says, “Till 2011 the tablet market was considered to be very niche. However, this year it is expected to be more than a million units and will grow up to 2 mil-

lion plus units in 2012.”

The trickle down effect Apart from high-end devices and some obscure offerings in the grey market, there was literally no option for the user looking for an affordable tablet. Most of the devices that were launched in the affordable category were launched after cutting corners in technology in order to reduce costs. They did not have enough processing power, came with dated technologies like resistive touchscreens, and were badly designed. What’s more, these were primarily launched by relatively unknown brands which still had not been able to win consumer’s trust. Overall, the tablets in the affordable category were not able to offer a great experience, or for that matter even a decent enough experience, to convince them to adopt this technology. That said, consumers were curious and eager to try out tablets and one could safely say that the tablet market was looking for a tipping point. The question was, who would bite the bullet? And the answer came when Reliance Communications launched their 3G tab for Rs 12,999 in 2011. Powered by the Android 2.3 operating system and sporting a capacitive touchscreen, it was the first tablet that offered a standard Android experience at a price point which was way below the norm of Rs 20,000-25,000. It had a 800 MHZ processor with 512 MB RAM, dual camera with a 2.0-megapixel one at the back and a VGA one in the front and came bundled with data plans that enabled fast 3G Internet browsing. And then the floodgates of budget tablets opened on the Indian consumers with

brands trying to outbid each other by lowering prices or pumping up the specs. Soon after, Beetel launched its Android Magiq tablet at Rs 9,999 that ran on 1 GHZ processor but had a

24 MYMOBILE apr 15 to may 14 2012

resistive touchscreen. This was followed by the HCL ME X1, which became the first tablet with a capacitive touchscreen to be sold in the range of Rs 10,000 – it retailed at Rs 10,990.

The new budget crop While the year 2011 can be termed as the year in which manufacturers finally decided to tap the affordable tablet segment, 2012 so far can be termed the year in which the segment came to stay and saw some real growth. The trend started at the end of 2011 when BlackBerry slashed the prices of its Playbook to as low as Rs 14,000. Brands like Reliance also upped the offerings with their tablets, piling on the freebies. Soon Gingerbread 7.0-inch tabs started mushrooming all over, all priced in the vicinity of Rs 9,000-Rs 10,000. And the past few weeks have seen the price bar being lowered even more dramatically. There are tablets running the latest flavour of Android, which is not seen even in some highend devices, that are available for as low as Rs 6,500. Players like HCL and Micromax have entered with their offerings in this price range, and even new players like Zync have upped the ante and entered the market with featurerich products that do not cost the earth. And don’t look too bad either. Deepak Mehrotra, Micromax avers, “There is a growing demand for tablets in the Indian market. We have entered this market now as more and more youth are demanding affordable devices in this category and we have been able to bring in a product that can fulfill their needs.” The fact that you can today get a tablet with Ice Cream Sandwich, capacitive touchscreen, and 1 GHz processor tablet for less than Rs 7,000 tells you just far the Indian tablet market has come over the past few months. According to a recent report by Research and Markets, a Dublin based research agency, India’s Tablet PC market is anticipated to grow at the CAGR of around 50.96 per cent with wide acceptance and increased demand from enterprises, filling the gap that exists between a notebook and a smartphone. Small and

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Top Tabs: Tested and compared Tablet Aakash Tablet

Beetel Tab

Classpad

HCL Me U1

Operating System

Android 2.2

Android 4.0

Processor Type

A8 700MHz

1 GHz

1.3 GHz

1GHz

256MB

8GB

4GB

Resistive

Capacitive

7.0

800 X 480

1024 x 600

800 x 480

190.5 X 118.5 X 15.7mm

209 X 108 X15.5mm

192.8 X 117.28 X 12.53

350

500

350

x þ x x þ x þ x x x þ x þ þ x þ

þ þ x þ þ þ þ

x þ x x þ þ þ

x þ x x þ x þ

2.0

VGA

x þ þ þ þ x þ

x x þ þ þ þ x þ

x x þ x þ þ x þ

2GB card with sales pack

Trackpad

e Books, projects

HCL ME Apps Store

2,500

9,999

7,500

7,999

Features

Memory Screen Type Screen Size (inch) Screen Resolution (pixel) Size (mm) Weight (grams) Battery Life ( hours) 3G WiFi DLNA GPS USB-on the go Bluetooth Expandable Memory Front camera Back Camera HD video recording HD video playback HDMI 3.5 mm Headphone Jack Music Player Document Editor Accelerometer Others

Price My Mobile Rating

medium enterprise and educational institutions are also rapidly adopting tablets for their sheer portability, functionality and affordability. Mr Naveen Mishra, Lead Telecoms Analyst, CyberMedia Research, feels that, “In a short span of time, the market has already seen ‘verticalised’ product offerings and during 2012 this will become an even stronger trend. For

2.0

now, education seems to be the vertical with highest priority of adoption and a large number of models are positioned at this segment.”

Caveat emptor...even now!

All seems hunky dory in the tablet world as the consumers are spoilt with choice in the

affordable tablet category. However, one needs to keep in mind the fact that affordability is not everything and sometimes a device is been created by compromising the performance, experience or quality. Who can forget the Aakash tablet debacle which despite the backing from the Government failed to deliver even a decent enough performance, disappointing

apr 15 to may 14 2012 MYMOBILE 25

lead story Top Tabs: Tested and compared Tablet Features

Micromax Funbook

Magnum Tab

Milagrow MGT01

Tabplus Rio

Android 4.0

Android 2.2

Android 2.3

1.2GHz

800MHz

1.2 GHz

1GHz

4GB

2GB

16 GB

4GB

Capacitive

Resistive

Capacitive

7.0

8.0

7.0

800 X 480

800 x 480

192 x 122 x 10.5 mm

190.5 X 118.5 X 15.7 mm

204 x 166 x 13.5 mm

203 x 120 x 13

Weight (grams)

360

350

455

350

Battery Life ( hours)

27.67

Expandable Memory

x þ x x þ x þ

x þ x x þ þ þ

x þ x x þ x þ

Front camera

VGA

CISF

Back Camera

x x þ þ þ þ x þ

x x x þ þ þ x þ

2.0 MP

x x þ þ þ þ þ þ

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

Built in 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

YoutTube, Play Store 6,490 82

millions of consumers in India? Consumers therefore need to be on their guard when they set out to buy a budget tablet and keep certain points in mind. For instance, a resistive touchscreen doesn’t gel well with the Android interface. Similarly, 3G support might not always mean SIM support - it can be through a USB dongle too. USB ports might not support

External keyboard connec- education and women apps tivity 8,500 4,500 NR NR

every USB device that you plug into them, and some of tablets might come without Bluetooth connectivity or with the Google Play app repository.

Waiting for the really big brands For now, one can safely say that consumers

26 MYMOBILE apr 15 to may 14 2012

þ þ þ þ þ x þ

ES Image browser 9.900 82

will have a wide variety of tablets to choose from in the price range of less than Rs 10,000. And while the hardware and operating system issues have been dealt with, there are still some significant issues that the tablet market has to tackle. For instance there is a need to provide relevant content to the audiences that these tablets are targeted at. Broadband con-

www.mymobile.co.in

Vizio Tab 101

Wespro Tab

Mercury M Tab

Zync Tab 990

Wishtels Tab

Android 2.2

Android 2.3

Android 4.0

Android 2.2

800 MHz

1.2 GHz

1.2 MHz

800 MHz

2GB

8GB

4GB

2GB

Capacitive

TFT

Capacitive

7.0

800 x 480

800x480

800 x 480

192.3 x 122.2 x 12.4 mm

206 x 11.7 x 17mm

193 X 117 X 14 mm

197 X 120 X 12.5 mm

203 X 137 X 14.5 mm

330

400

380

370

þ þ x x x þ þ

x þ x x þ x þ

VGA

1.3 MP

VGA

x x þ þ þ þ þ þ

x þ þ þ þ þ x þ

x x þ þ þ þ x þ

x x þ x þ þ x þ

x þ x x þ x þ VGA

x x þ þ þ þ x þ Document viewer

DIVX/XVID Support

3D Games

3D games

Skype, Gtalk

6,499

7,999

9,499

8,990

5500

Disclaimer: The specs and prices of the tablet might vary please check with the vendor before buying.

nectivity is still a big issue in the country as 3G has not been spread across the nation and Wi-Fi remains a largely urban phenomenon. All in all one can say that the tablet market is at the same place as smartphones were in 2009 when they started coming down from the high end segment and became more mainstream with the Indian brands launching

smartphones for as low as Rs 7,000. Now all we have to do is wait for the leading brands like Samsung and Motorola to bring products in for less than Rs 10,000 to truly change the ball game in this market. Who can forget the BlackBerry curve 8520 launching at Rs 15,000 or the Nokia E63 being introduced at the rocking price of Rs 11,000? If it could happen in

smartphones, it could happen in tablet. And if there is something to be learnt from the smartphone category, it is that technology really spreads when it becomes more affordable. So when (and not if) you get to see a sub-Rs 10,000 tablet from one of the tech giants, remember – you read it first here! n sonia@mymobile.co.in

apr 15 to may 14 2012 MYMOBILE 27

spotlight

SMS:

Over and Out?

Once considered a “killer service” on handsets, SMS is facing a stiff challenge from a number of IM services, as users get more comfortable with accessing the Web on their handsets, data charges decline and handsets themselves get smarter. But does this mean doom for SMS and the end of a revenue stream for operators? Or is this a phase which too will pass? Harshita Rastogi

ech pundits are fond of saying that the world is made up of two types of people – those who use text messaging services and those who do not use cellphones. Yes, so ubiquitous is text messaging – SMS – that for many people, not using it seems unimaginable. Globally text messaging was amongst the most widely used mobile data service, with 74 per cent of all mobile phone users worldwide, or 2.4 billion out of 3.3 billion phone subscribers, at the end of 2007, being active users. In countries such as Finland, Sweden and Norway, over 85 per cent of the population used SMS. The largest average usage of the service by mobile phone subscribers is in the Philippines, with an average of 27 texts sent per day by a subscriber.

28 MYMOBILE apr 15 to may 14 2012

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“SMS has matured and is considered part of basic telecom services. The growth in penetration and traffic is certainly slower than 2007-08 but that’s expected and usual.”

come of age in the last 5 years”, says Joby Babu, Head-Operations, Nimbuzz, a popular IM service. Smriti Vishwakarma, an architect and an avid user of Internet on her mobile feels, “WhatsApp is very lively and is far more interesting to use. I have seen myself suddenly spending relatively more time chatting on the phone than earlier. When I am busy I update my status saying “busy working” or “no chats”, people get the message straight and do not ping.” All of which has led to SMS facing some very stiff competition, even though operators themselves are putting a brave face on the scneario. Sharad Arora, chief officer, Tata Teleservices- wireless solutions group, says

For many people, texting was almost as important and far more affordable than making calls.

The Mobile Internet effect However, the wave of texting seems to be receding of late as more people access the Web on their mobile devices. There are now 1.2 billion mobile Web users worldwide, and nearly 85 per cent of new handsets available today are capable of accessing the mobile Web. Data plans too have got cheaper. And suddenly people have realised that they can keep in touch with their friends just as easily by using e-mail and IMs under a fixed cost data plan, instead of using SMS. “The internet has made it possible to share emotions real time. The concept of community chatting is gaining traction. A mobile allows users make it even more happening and relevant. Users have evolved and they look for more from the devices. Messaging, chatting, networking, calling, entertainment, users want everything for free. The new concept of free communication adds fuel to the desire to stay connected. So, the IM applications have really

However, the wave of texting seems to be receding of late as more people access the Web on their mobile devices. There are now 1.2 billion mobile Web users worldwide, and nearly 85 per cent of new handsets available today are capable of accessing the mobile Web. Data plans too have got cheaper. And suddenly people have realised that they can keep in touch with their friends just as easily by using e-mail and IMs under a fixed cost data plan, instead of using SMS

IMs: Pros and Cons As their name suggests, Instant Messengers are instant in nature. These are more interactive and immersive as compared to the traditional message service. IM applications like WhatsApp, eBuddy, Nimbuzz etc are data driven applications that allows the users to send data in various forms like pictures, audios and videos, even while they chit-chat using text. Some of these applications also provide an option to call other users at a nominal cos or sometimes no cost at all. Users pay for the amount of data consumed and just need a fixed data plan. A number of these IM applications are available free of charge as well. Some of the major advantages these applications offer are: n They allow one to send a message or make a call without having to worry about it being charged per unit as it is charged on data basis. So, unlike an SMS where you would be charged per message, here you are charged as per the data consumed. n They replicate the PC chat experience on the phone. n The applications are instant in nature and also allow the sender to have an idea if the receiver has received the message or not. Users can also show their statuses in them and find out when someone is writing a message to them. n People can send interactive and expressive messages by using emoticons, images, audios, videos, locations, and a whole host of other things via IMs. You can even play games from inside some of them. n There are applications like ebuddy, Nimbuzz, Social Hub, and Chat Pro that allow the users to integrate multiple platforms and social networks like Facebook, Twitter, Gtalk and Yahoo! Messenger, allowing you to access them all in one place. n Unlike the cap on SMSes, which limits a user at 200 messages per day, there is no restriction on these. Of course, it is not all roses and honey in the world of IM. These apps do come with their share of headaches as well as compared to SMS. n IMs are data centric, so one needs to have a proper Internet connection for them to work. SMS is ubiquitous and works on all handsets and with basic telecom service – no need for a special data connection.

apr 15 to may 14 2012 MYMOBILE 29

spotlight n All users need to have accounts with the IM provider to be able to use the service. Although this is free, some might find the logging in process irritating. n IMs keep running in the background, draining battery. As if IMs were not sufficient challenge in themselves, SMS has also had to face stiff opposition from messaging services that come bundled with specific handsets. The most popular of these is perhaps the iconic BlackBerry Messenger (BBM), but hot on its heels are Apple’s iMessage, and Samsung’s ChatOn. These applications work just like IMs with one specific restriction – they generally are linked to a specific device, so users need to be using similar devices to be able to communicate with each other.

Biting into the SMS revenue pie?

The number of subscribers and traction of these applications clearly shows the users love for such communicative apps, which in term is becoming a reason of concern for network operators, who are seeing their data revenues increase but their SMS revenues decline. As per the reports by Portio Research (January 2011), the worldwide mobile messaging market will be worth over US$200 billion in 2011, with SMS alone contributing to $127 billion of this, and reaching $334.7 billion by 2015. However, according to Juniper Research (May 2011), by 2016, application-to-person (A2P) messaging will overtake person-toperson (texting) messaging, being worth more than US$70 billion. Here A2P messaging includes messages to or from an application to or from a large number of customers in financial services, advertising, marketing, business administration, ticketing, television voting etc. Another report by Juniper Research(June 2011) has stated that mobile IM users will exceed 1.3 billion by 2016. However, the most telling statistic comes from a report from Ovum that telecom operators have lost $13.9 billion in revenues to social messaging applications. Tata Teleservices’ Sharad Arora, however, feels that IM and SMS are totally different kettles of textual fish. “Short Message Service and Instant Messengers are separate services and thus cannot be viewed from the same prism. Both services have their pros and cons. SMS, is the traditional text communication medium and since it has had a first mover advantage, it has been so widely accepted by 1st generation VAS that its now considered by most as mainstream basic service. The view that SMS is on its way to extinction is unfounded. Even in developed markets,

As if IMs were not sufficient challenge in themselves, SMS has also had to face stiff opposition from messaging services that come bundled with specific handsets. The most popular of these is perhaps the iconic BlackBerry Messenger (BBM), but hot on its heels are Apple’s iMessage, and Samsung’s ChatOn while the young users have shown tendency to switch to IMs, SM Services are heavily utilized across all categories of users. In the developing markets like India where smartphone penetration is still relatively low, IM applications have struggled to reach higher penetration levels,” he points out. When asked whether IMs will ever replace SMS he said, “No, we do not think that IM’s can replace the utility of SM services.” However, he and other Indian operators did not divulge relevant revenue details in this regard. Mahip Vyas, Country Manager (India), mig33, however, does not totally agree. He says: “While SMS has a benefit of reaching to any handset, an IM service might work on limited handsets and platforms. But the core benefit of IM service is real time communication at very low cost as compared to SMS. Users on mig33 connect with friends across the globe on our IM service for free and delivered more than 300 billion chat messages in 2011.”

The SMS-IM debate

All of which has laid the foundation of a major debate in the industry over the viability or otherwise of SMS. Nimbuzz’s Joby Babu is very much in the app camp here. “Why an IM application scores big over SMS service is because they allow users to engage in multiple activities in a more cost effective way. IMs mostly come free of cost. IM has been one of the key services that has acquired data users,” he says. “Though IM services come free of cost, data consumption has been a revenue generator for telecom operators. Though IM based revenue generation has been low, IM and the broader communication cate-

30 MYMOBILE apr 15 to may 14 2012

gory has helped users step on to data services and has helped in retaining the users on data services. Data services have grown from being not much of a contributor to even 5 per cent of the total operator revenues in select cases.” One of the users from Ericsson research tried to distinguish between SMS and IMs in this manner: “IMs and other texting applications are usually used with person one is very close to or with peer groups. These are more personalised and often have short messages. However, SMS are usually used for all sorts of people. You can send an SMS for an official work or to send a text someone not very close on personal front but can’t make use of an IM there. Applications like WhatsApp are agnostic and thus allow you to send text to even those who are not using the application.” Katyayan Gupta, Analyst and Lead communication, Forrester Research differs, pointing out that “Different markets have different market dynamics so there is no trend that the global market follows in terms of usage of data. So, standardizing one trend across the globe will not be correct. For instant Philippines is SMS dominated and is also data dominated, so saying that SMS is dying would not be true in terms of global market.” Arun Tanksali, Head - Mobile Lifestyle Business Unit, Comviva also feels that the rumours of the death of SMS have been exaggerated: “There is definitely an upsurge on the instant messaging services, though it will be worthy to note that such services require basic facilities like a data connection and the client application installed over a feature handset. SMSes on the other hand are ubiquitous, platform independent and tend to be more cost effective than data plans. For the same reason we believe that users would continue using SMSs as the default platform of chatting. SMS traffic undoubtedly would continue to grow in the coming years, although it might not match up to the previous growth figures,” he says. Whatever your stance on this argument, there is no doubt that operators have started looking for an alternative to win back their SMS revenues. As per a report, telecom operators in France, Italy, Germany and South Korea are working on a messaging system called Joyn which is said to come inbuilt on all phones. This will allow users to chat and also share files. However, with a smartphone available for as low as Rs 5,000 and the noticeable drop in the data plans, it will really have to be something special to beat the IM wave. Battle has been declared and joined the text message area. Who will emerge victorious will be revealed in the coming years.n harshita@mymobile.co.in

c e l l- e b r i t y

Agent Vinod’s a BlackBerry Boy! Few people come with the kind of pedigree that he does – the son of one of Bollywood’s most famous heroines and arguably India’s greatest cricket captain. But Saif Ali Khan has managed to carve a niche for himself over the years in the world of entertainment, earning critical and commercial acclaim along the way. And he does have a tech side to him, if the ads showing him gaming away on his console were any indication. We get up and close with the man they call Chhote Nawab Waseem Ansari How was it shooting in Delhi for Agent Vinod? We have shot some part of the movie in Delhi. In fact, parts of the climax have also been shot here. We are going to various places in India for the promotion of our film, but the charm of Delhi is incomparable. Having stayed here with my grandma, I feel a strong connection with the Capital. I have some beautiful memories with this city. What do you usually do to promote movies to reach the audience? We use all sort of digital mediums to promote our movies. Today, everyone has got a digital device, be it a TV or a phone or a laptop. We try and interact and reach people through various channels. How have you used mobile phones to promote Agent Vinod? We are doing something different to promote our movie using mobile phones as a medium. We have tied up with Airtel and Reliance to reach the subscribers of each. Have you also developed a game on the same? Yes, of course. We have developed a game based on the film which the users can play on mobile phones. Talking about phones, which handset does Saif use? I have a BlackBerry. You have launched a comic on the character Agent Vinod. So do you read comics? I love reading comics and Batman has always been my favourite comic character. I hope the comic we have launched for Agent Vinod will be liked by our readers. n waseem@mymobile.co.in

apr 15 to may 14 2012 MYMOBILE 31

chief speak

“A good tablet under Rs 5000 is not possible today” HCL has been quite active in the tablet market since last year, how has been the growth of this segment and how do you expect it to grow? Till last year it was a very niche market with a market size of about 3,50,000 units. In 2012, though we expect the tablet- market in India to be a million plus. It’s really growing very fast and at this pace, we expect that by 2013, it will be at least 2 million plus. So, that is the trajectory, the tablet market is taking and is expected to witness an explosive growth in the coming days. What according to you are the drivers for the tablet market in India? If we compare ourselves with the worldwide adoption of tablet technology, you will find that we are a bit late. So we can say that since it is a very strong global trend, it is bound to be adopted in India. Apart from that, another important aspect is that the youth of today are very Internet savvy. They understand the technology and use it extensively. As a result they are looking for ways and means to fit this into their lives. Here a tablet plays a crucial role and this is resulting in the growth of this segment. What challenges is the tablet facing in India? Though the demand for tablets has been picking up and people are using tablets for reading playing, games, movies, etc., broadband penetration in the country is one very crucial challenge that we need to overcome to enable the tablet market to grow even faster. Apart from that there is a need to highlight the use of cases for the tablet. Examples need to be communicated clearly and creatively to the consumers as people are still not aware of the usage and benefits of the device. Which price category of tablets will see the highest growth, in your opinion? I was reading a research the other day which said that for tablets 60 per cent of the market will be in the low end/affordable category. Obviously, you cannot negate the presence of high-end brands but when it comes to numbers and growth, it will come from the adoption in the affordable category. Thus, that is

32 MYMOBILE apr 15 to may 14 2012

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Tablets are finally going mainstream in India. And leading the charge is HCL with its low cost range of tablets that combine entertainment and education. We caught up with Gautam Advani, EVP and Head of mobility, HCL Infosystems, to discuss the future of tablets in India and what role HCL plans to play in it. Sonia Sharma something that we are catering to and want to get a strong market share in. So will HCL play only in the affordable category or...? While the affordable tablet category is very important for us, there is no doubt that we are also looking at the high-end tablet segment. We are working on a few more tablets and very soon, we will be bringing them to the market. Can we say that the tablet is eating into laptop and PC market? Tablet is primarily a consumption device. Here you use it to consume content, be it browsing the net, reading a book or watching a movie. A laptop or a PC is a creation device. So, they have a very different usage and functionality. We feel that tablets will not cannibalise the laptop or the PC segment and will emerge as a strong independent vertical. What about the smartphones that are getting bigger by the day? We need to understand that there is a demand for a larger screen and there is a consumption pattern. So, whether a phone becomes a tab or a PC becomes small, it doesn’t matter. So, if you ask me that whether I’ll launch a phone tablet. I will say may be. But doesn’t that clash with your commitment to Nokia? There is a certain screen size that we will never come into as that will then become a direct competition with Nokia. But if you say that we might launch a bigger screen phone tablet, it is obviously very much possible. However, we will never get to the 4.5-5.0 inch screen size category. HCL has a very strong presence in the education segment. So why is there not a tablet from HCL at the Aakash price point? If we could why would we not? We believe that to provide a good tablet under Rs 5,000 is not possible today. So, what is the mass market price for tablets? Currently the market was working between the price range of Rs 9,999 to Rs 13,000. But now we are seeing that the price point has changed

and is settling at 7,999. However, what will happen in the future is difficult to predict with technology. How do you see the competition in the Sub 10,000 price category? What makes you different from other players? For us it’s a very logical extension from our PC lineage. We were earlier doing PCs and now we are doing tablet PCs. So we are not a fly-by-night player who sees a big market and enters to make a quick buck. We are there for growth, we support it with our service network and provide value to the customer. The HCL brand is well known brand in the technology which itself makes us stand apart from the competition. Any strategy to push the growth of Indiarelated apps in both B2B and B2C segment? We are very open to innovation. So, if there is a spark of an idea in the VC community or an app developer comes up with the next big App, we will incubate and support them. The second thing is that we also have a strong App road map. So you will see a lot of activity in the Apps segment in the coming days as we are dedicated to it.. There has been some significant verticalisation of the tablet market. How are you catering to it? Have you been able to establish some tie-ups? HCL has a very strong B2B lineage and we are very powerful in this segment with our network of people and the kind of business that we do. I see us having a clear advantage owning to the sheer number of “feet on the street” available to leverage the table and business. We are working on SFA, field, force automation, medical apps, etc. Tie-ups are still a bit away but they will happen in the coming days. Any figures to measure the success of your first tablet? Our first run has been great and we have garnered 15 per cent of the tablet market in the country. If we keep the 15 per cent share in this growing market in the coming days, we will be more than happy. n sonia@mymobile.co.in

apr 15 to may 14 2012 MYMOBILE 33

fa c e t o fa c e

“MNP’s Future Is Very Bright!” It has been around for a while, but Mobile Number Portability (MNP) still faces a number of challenges in India. We caught up with Sanjay Kasturia, vice presidentIndian Sub Continent, Syniverse Technologies, one of the licensees for Mobile Number Portability in the country to talk about MNP and its future in India. Heena Jatav and Mukesh Kumar Singh

What are the challenges you have faced while making the concept of MNP work effectively in India? Whenever you start any business in any part of the world, there are always some challenges that come in the way. It has been a very interesting journey so far because this is probably a unique project which requires operators, government and other agencies like us as well. Good understanding of the Indian market really helped us in implementation of mobile number portability. It has been more than a year now and MNP is doing fine. During the process, regulators have brought in strict controls, making sure any issues coming on from the customers’ side should be taken care of. Operators too are very supportive. After the 2G scam verdict, players like Uninor and Etisalat have decided to quit from Indian market. Do you think our ecosystem is strong enough to provide MNP

to the subscribers of those operators? Our platforms are designed in such a way that we can handle anybody coming for porting activity. Whether that subscriber is coming from Etisalat or Uninor or Airtel, it does not really matter. Any port which gets initiated, we are going to process it. Also, our systems are rugged enough to handle huge volumes and we have been managing it successfully so far in the country. Is MNP in India different from global trends? The global average for MNP is 2 to 4 percent. If we talk about India we are seeing those numbers here as well. Will it rise or not is difficult to say but 3 to 4 percent of a huge mobile base is not a bad number, though the numbers keep fluctuating. The unique part in India is that there are lots of activities going on in the ecosystem and a number of subscriber additions are also there. It may not be the same 20 million or 15 million but still millions of subscribers have been added. The other reason why this trend may continue for a little longer is because earlier the awareness was not there

34 MYMOBILE apr 15 to may 14 2012

outside big cities. Now, the awareness is going into other areas. So, I think if large cities are not going to give us the numbers, the other cities will. Apart from India, in which other countries are you working? We look at Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and in Nepal. In a very limited way we are focusing on these countries. But we have a major focus on India because there are so many opportunities here. In terms of operators, how is the Indian market is different from other markets? I think operators are very similar. The only difference is the size of the market. Indian operators are a lot bigger than the operators you see in countries like Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. Bigger not only in terms of subscriber base but in terms of revenues, number of people working with these operators, etc. India is in a different league altogether. What is the future of MNP in India? Very bright. From percentage point of view, India has 3 to 4 percent MNP market which are not bad numbers. We consider it good not because of the numbers but because of the fact that it has given us a very different position in the market. n heena@mymobile.co.in

headon

 5.0 megapixel auto-focus

Light, Sound, Camera: let the battle begin camera, LED flash

 BlackBerry OS v6

 DivX and XviD video support  Smart dialling

t is boom time for those who love multimedia on the move. Not too long ago, multimedia phones were supposed to be devices that specialised in snapping pics and playing music and videos, but had hardly any other strings to their bows. Today, the multimedia and smartphone segments have merged with some staggering results – we now have phones that not just match computers in processing power but also attempt to match digital cameras and MP3 players in the camera and music segment. And few devices do all these tasks better than the grand threesome of the HTC One X, the Apple iPhone 4S and the Samsung Galaxy SII. All three are iconic and packed with a host of features. But which one is the best when it comes to multimedia? We threw them into our ring to find out.

36 MYMOBILE apr 15 to may 14 2012

Looks and build quality | It might look like a carbon copy of the iPhone 4, but the iPhone 4S still looks the sleekest and most stylish of this threesome. In terms of solidity, we would go with the One X’s polycarbonate body, which feels reassuringly strong. The SII’s plasticky build lets it down here. If we had to pick between the iPhone 4S and the One X, we would opt for the former here, simply because of its more compact form factor.

Rank | 1 Apple iPhone 4S | 2 HTC One X | 3 Samsung Galaxy SII

Specifications | It might look awesome, but when it comes to the spec sheet, even the iPhone 4S is run ragged by the overwhelming power driving the One X. The One X takes this round, thanks to its awesome quad core processor, which makes both playing multimedia and editing it on the move a snap for it. The SII and the iPhone 4S are neck and neck for the second spot, but we are going with the former for this one, thanks to its faster processor.

Rank | 1 HTC One X | 2 Samsung Galaxy SII | 3 Apple iPhone 4S

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Display | We would call this the mother of all cellphone spec battles – the fantastic Galaxy SII’s 4.3 inch Super AMOLED Plus display against the iPhone 4S’ Retina display against the HTC One X’s 4.7 inch SLCD display. On first glance, the SII’s brilliantly colourful display holds sway but look a little more closely, and the iPhone 4S’s and the One X edge it out, thanks to their higher resolutions. And between those two, the One X’s larger and higher resolution display wins, especially when one considers the multimedia angle.

Rank | 1 HTC One X | 2 Apple iPhone 4S... 3 Samsung Galaxy SII...

Camera | This is an out and out clickfight between the two 8.0-megapixel shooters on the One X and the iPhone 4S. While the results from both devices were excellent, we would award the palm to the One X simply because of a richer native camera app which includes features like shooting four frames a second and the option to click pictures even while shooting HD video. The SII is reduced to bystander status in this department, even though it is by no stretch of the imagination a mean performer. Ranking | 1 HTC One X | 2 Apple iPhone 4S| 3 Samsung Galaxy SII

Video playback | The One X really comes to the party here with its quad core processor and large display enabling it to serve up an awesome HD video viewing experience that frankly cannot be matched by the other two devices in this face-off. It is a fight for second spot then, and we would go with the Samsung Galaxy SII over the iPhone, as videos do tend to look a whole lot better on the SUPER AMOLED Plus screen.

Rank | 1 HTC One X | 2 Samsung Galaxy SII.. 3 Apple iPhone 4S

Interface and ease of use | Speaking purely from the aspect of general interface, the iPhone 4S holds way easily here, but when we look at the multimedia angle (and this is what this comparison is all about, remember!), we have to confess that the fact that you have to rely on iTunes to make the most of its multimedia muscle, puts it second to both the Androids, which allow much easier and flexible handling of music. If we had to pick one of the two, then we think that the One X wins, thanks to its smoother running Sense overlay.

Rank | 1 HTC One X | 2 Samsung Galaxy SII.. 3 Apple iPhone 4S

Sound | A few weeks ago, we would have handed this one to the iPhone 4S on a platter, but we must confess that the HTC One X with its Beats Audio beats it (pun intended) in this department. There will be those who will argue that the 4S sounds better if one uses headphones other than the rather ordinary ones that come bundled with it, but that argument applies to just about every device. The SII finishes a very distant third here, and even it delivers excellent sound. Which should tell you just how good the competition is. Rank | 1 HTC One X | 2 Apple iPhone 4S... 3 Samsung Galaxy SII...

Multimedia apps | There was a time when you depended totally on the apps that came bundled with your handset for your multimedia experience. However, this is the smartphone era and multimedia fanatics tend

to spend ages online just surfing around for new apps to tweak their music, videos and images. Apple’s App muscle scores here, with some very high quality apps like GarageBand and iPhoto, while HTC One X and Samsung SII are casualties of Android’s relative lack of high quality apps.

Rank | 1 Apple iPhone 4S | 2 HTC One X... and Samsung Galaxy SII...

Battery life | After trailing its newer counterparts in most of the stakes so far, the SII roars to life with its markedly superior battery life. Of the three devices, it was the only one that comfortably saw out a day with extensive use of multimedia as well as normal smartphone use. The One X and iPhone 4S both need at least a recharge a day, especially if you intend using them for a lot of photo snapping (and it would be criminal if you did not, considering the quality of cameras on the devices).

Rank | 1 Samsung Galaxy SII,...... | 2 Apple iPhone 4S | 3 HTC One X...

Value for money | You would have thought that being the least expensive of the three devices would have handed this round to the SII, but we would go with the One X here, simply because for about ten per cent more money, it offers a much more powerful processor and bigger screen with a better resolution. Throw in the Beats Audio angle and you have an excellent proposition if you are looking for a device to enjoy films and music, even while snapping away merrily. The iPhone 4S does not even enter the picture – we still think it is overpriced! Rank | 1 HTC One X | 2 Samsung Galaxy SII. 3 Apple iPhone 4S... team@mymobile.co.in

Conclusion | Yes, we will trot out our normal “it all depends on your needs” line here too, but given its sheer overwhelming performance – it won seven of the ten rounds and came second in three others - we would have to concede that purely as a multimedia phone, the HTC One X is perhaps the best high-end option one can get at the moment. It won the three categories that mattered most – video, camera, and sound – even though it was pushed close by the iPhone 4S in all three. The iPhone 4S for its part, remains a very stylish device whose interface and app edge still makes it an outstanding performer. The Samsung Galaxy SII remains an attractive proposition at its price point. But yes, if it is a smartphone with great mulitmedia capabilities and processing power that you want and budget is not a restriction – we would recommend the HTC One X.

apr 15 to may 14 2012 MYMOBILE 37

n o s ta lg i a

This Month, Five Years Ago The mobile industry has evolved in an interesting way and we have witnessed its glory and success. We take you down the memory lane to the times when the term smartphone was yet to become a reality and music was all every one cared about Mukesh Kumar Singh Year- 2007, April 15-May14 Phone Tested- Motorola ROKR E6, Sony Ericsson W880i, Nokia 5300, Samsung C300 and the Nokia N93i. Year- 2012, April 15-May14 Phone Tested- HTC One X, Nokia 603, Micromax A85 and Samsung Galaxy Y Pro

year is a long time in technology. Five years can virtually be said to be a lifetime â&#x20AC;&#x201C; it is a period in which products can sink out of sight and new ones carve a niche for themselves. In fact, if we had a time machine and could travel back in time, it is a fair chance that we would see not even a hint of the products that grace the market today. If that sounds a bit difficult to believe or an exaggeration, just see what the mobile scene was in the milestone year of 2007.

Remember the time..

In 2007, feature phones still ruled the roost as far as the market went, with smartphones being restricted to a relatively small niche. Rich multimedia features were the demand of the hour and customers were more concerned about whether a phone has FM and music player or not, which formats the music player supported, whether one would have to use proprietary headsets or use any pair (3.5 mm audio jacks were not the rule yet), and of course, just how good the camera on the device was. Infrared remained a popular connectivity option, even though Bluetooth was making its way onto mid-segment devices. 3G was a distant dream and GPRS was the best one could do in terms of mobile Internet â&#x20AC;&#x201C; even EDGE support was limited to a few handsets.

38 MYMOBILE apr 15 to may 14 2012

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Touchscreens were a rarity and were restricted to high end phones. The keypad remained the main medium of input. And as for apps, well, they were around, but hardly a rage. Phone display sizes were considered large if they spanned 2.4 inch and not too many were concerned about processors or RAMs.

My Mobile - April-May 2007

Of course, My Mobile was covering the Indian mobile scene even at that time. A look at 2007 April-May issue shows a mobile market \ visibly dominated by companies like Nokia, Sony Ericsson, and Motorola, with the likes of Samsung and LG making their way in. Our burn tests in that issue covered worthy handsets like the Motorola ROKR E6, Sony Ericsson W880i, Nokia 5300, Samsung C300 and the Nokia N93i. And the winner in a very close finish was the Motorola ROKR E6. Interestingly, the ROKR E6 was a harbinger of the times that were to come – it was an all-touchscreen device. Yes, the screen was resistive and needed a stylus, but it proved that a phone did not need a keyboard to succeed. It delivered stunning music and came with a shortcut key for accessing music player on the front and shortcut keys for controlling music on the side. The phone was equipped with what now seems an almost unbelievable 8 MB internal expandable memory, and had a 2.0 megapixel camera and web browser that was just about basic. It also came with support for iTunes and Real Player, and a 3.5 mm audio jack, which allowed external speakers to be connected to the device. The camera of the device could also be used as a Web camera for video chatting. It came in black colour and was priced at Rs 17,990. Its multimedia muscle combined with its compact design and what was for us at that time a very innovative interface, won it the Phone of the Month title.

Fast forward to...today

By today’s standard, the ROKR E6 would have been considered to be nothing more than a run of the mill device capable of delivering some very good music. And while a touchscreen in a music phone had surprised us at that time, today we would be surprised to see a keyboard in a high-end device. Note that we did not use the term “music phone” - the genre has been more or less submerged today, with smartphones of different configurations ruling the roost. Today, we have quad core phones that are very powerful devices in their own right, with music being just one of their many features. The 2.4 inch display of the ROKR E6 would also seem tiny by modern standards, where most touchscreens sport at least a 3.5

inch display and some go all the way up to 5.3 inch. And of course, very few touchscreen device manufacturers today would be caught selling a product with a stylus. Features like FM, audio player, and 3.5 mm jack are common these days and the megapixelage of cameras is rapidly near double digit territory. On the connectivity front, Infra-red is almost history and Bluetooth and USB On the Go are becoming the rule at the higher end, while 3G and Wi-Fi are almost expected even in mid-segment devices. Looming on the horizon is Near Field Communication (NFC) which let users share data simply by tapping NFC enabled phone with other NFC enabled device. And of course, today a person looks at a phone just like a computer – factors like processor speed, RAM, storage, operating system, software availability...all come into play. Some might say that it was a simpler world in 2007. But then they are unlikely to have experienced the thrill that we felt when we touched the ROKR E6. This was uber cool, we thought. And it was. Today, you will struggle to find it in an electronics store. Five years is a long time in technology...We know it at My Mobile. n mukesh@mymobile.co.in

apr 15 to may 14 2012 MYMOBILE 39

just in Samsung Galaxy Ace Plus Stacked with features

amsung has recently launched the Galaxy Ace Plus in the Indian market. With the introduction of this handset, Samsung has 17 smartphones to offer in India. The Galaxy Ace Plus is an extension of its Galaxy series. The handset runs on Android 2.3 Gingerbread (no ICW yet) with a 1 GHz processor and HSDPA 7.2 Mbps connectivity to provide seamless browsing and multitasking. It has dimensions of 114.7 x 62.5 x 11.2mm and weighs 114 grams. The phone comes with a 5.0-megapixel camera with 3x digital zoom, auto-focus and LED flash. It has a 2.7 GB of storage capacity which is expandable up to 32 GB. The device features Samsung’s TouchWiz user interface. The new music playback functionality it comes with, features a play progress bar and the ability to view music tracks in folders. It offers the option of using ThinkFree Office that enables viewing and editing of MS Office documents, including MS Word, MS Excel, MS PowerPoint and PDFs. For connectivity, Samsung has Social Hub and ChatON services pre-loaded in the phone. Samsung’s ChatON feature provides instant messaging, group chatting and sharing of content in multiple formats including images, video, voice, contacts, calendar, etc., for an intuitive chatting experience. The phone is priced at Rs 18,150 and comes with a free Samsung Bluetooth Headset (model BHM1000) priced at Rs 1,299, however this scheme is valid for a limited period only. n

Sony Xperia S Shooting for megapixel glory

ony’s Xperia range of handsets has given the brand a refresh in the market. Cashing in on the popularity of the brand, Sony has added another handset to the Xperia line up: the Sony Xperia S. The device is introduced with Google Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) which will be updated to Android Ice Cream Sandwich (v4.0) in the second quarter. It runs on a 1.5GHz Qualcomm dual core processor, ensuring smooth functionality and a good user experience. The phone features a 4.3 inch scratch-resistant TFT touchscreen and has dimensions of 128.0 x 64.0 x 10.6 mm. And at a time when other manufacturers are going to cameras with higher megapixel counts, Sony has upped the ante and packed a 12.0-megapixel shooter into the Xperia S. It has a 16x digital zoom and is capable of HD recording. Going by our past experience, the camera should deliver excellent results. In terms of entertainment, its music player comes with Sony’s patent xLoud technology along with 3D surround sound. It also has 3D and motion gaming, and networking sites like Facebook and Twitter come integrated with it. The phone also features NFC, enabling smooth wireless transactions. The internal memory of the phone is 1.5 GB and the flash memory is 32 GB. The handset is expected to be available at Rs. 33,000 n team@mymobile.co.in

40 MYMOBILE apr 15 to may 14 2012

sneak peek Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 10.1 The stylus marches on

ecently Samsung announced the Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 . The tablet blends Samsung’s Galaxy range of tablets with the Galaxy Note, pairing a 10.1 inch screen with the pressure sensitive S Pen. With a stylus handy, the device will join the league of tablets with styluses and might give another reason for the developers to make stylus friendly apps. As this tablet comes with a Pen, there are some stylus-friendly versions of Adobe Photoshop Touch and Adobe Ideas bundled along with it, which have again created a buzz in the market. The device runs on Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich with Samsung TouchWiz UI, and 1.4 GHz dual-core processor. It will have a 3.0 megapixel autofocus rear camera with full HD 1080p video recording capabilities at 30fps and a 2.0 megapixel front facing camera which would enable video calling and other functions. It will be available in 16 GB, 32 GB and 64GB internal memory versions with 1 GB RAM and offers an option for Micro SD card support for up to 32 GB. It comes with a 7000 mAh battery, A-GPS, Bluetooth v3.0, USB 2.0, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n and Wi-Fi Direct. The tablet is expected to be available in the coming days. Will the stylus work its magic on a bigger screen? We will find out.

Motorola Razr Maxx

– for Razr sharp performance

he name Moto Razr reminds one of the sharp edged device that had created a rage in the market with its sleek and smart design. Motorola attempted to revive the brand, giving it a dash of Android with the Droid RAZR and now is soon going to come out with another variant in the Razr line. The Motorola Razr Maxx has already earned some accolades internationally for its long battery life - the device has a 3300mAh battery which in itself will be a benchmark for large screen smartphones. It comes with support for LTE, which is just making its presence felt in India. It will run on Android 2.3.5 Gingerbread and is upgradeable to v4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. It will have an 8.0 megapixel rear facing camera with 8X digital zoom and a 1.3-megapixel front facing one with 720p HD video capture. For connectivity it has the basic Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and hot spot creation for up to 8 devices. It will be available in dimensions of 130.7 x 68.9 x 8.99 mm (slim as ever) with a 4.3 inch Super AMOLED display. Although such a huge battery is expected to make its weight heavier, the phone will weigh 145 grams which we feel is acceptable considering the size of the device. It also will be made of Dupont’s KEVLAR fiber and scratch-resistant Corning Gorilla Glass. There will be more features to talk about when we get our hands on the device in the coming days. n team@mymobile.co.in

apr 15 to may 14 2012 MYMOBILE 41

burn test REDD A9 New

Pros

entrant with smart looks

 2.6  Dual

Looks: Pleasantly plump

GSM support

Cons  Average  Less

picture quality

applications and games

1116 mm

The name A9 seems to have some charm attached to it - every second brand is coming out with a product using it. The latest in this league is REDD, which has launched its A9 model. The phone comes packed in silver body with a steel strip across it. The front is dominated by a 2.6 inch screen below which is a rectangular D-pad with keys for calling and multimedia options. There are no short cut keys on the sides of the device, and the top panel has got a mini charger port and 3.5 mm audio jack. The phone looks nice enough, although it does seem a bit on the fatter side.

inch display

Hardware: Solid enough The phone surprised us with its build quality and good display. While most devices lag behind in accessories at this price point, the REDD A9 scores with its bundled headphones and charger, which are very decent indeed. It comes with a 1650 mAh Li-ion battery, which offers very good backup and has support for GPRS and Bluetooth, besides coming with dual SIM (two GSM) functionality.

53 mm

Software: Nothing raveworthy

tech specs

While the hardware of the A9 is worthy of praise, things are relatively sparse on the software side. The wide screen does make browsing a better experience but we were not too impressed by the browser’s performance. The phone comes pre-loaded with Rocketalk, Facebook, MSN, Twitter and Skype applications, letting you access these services by just clicking on an icon.

Size | 116 x 53 x 12.3 mm

Multimedia: Decently stacked

Talktime/Standby | Up to 10 hours/

The Redd A9 comes with a music player, FM radio and 1.3-megapixel camera. Sound quality is average on both headphones and loudspeaker, while the music player gives you an equaliser option with six setting options. FM reception was good even in closed areas and came with the option to record songs and other live items from FM, as well as the ability to save save up to 20 channels. The camera does come with some shooting options like white balance, image setting and night mode, but is at best a very plain affair.

User Experience: Heavy, but not humble The A9 looks good, especially with its

Weight | 94 grams

large-ish 2.6 inch screen which is rarely seen in the market at this price point. There are a variety of reasonable multimedia features in the phone and the battery backup it offers is good as well. We would have liked some games on it too, but even without them, the A9 can easily be considered as a good option in this segment .

Memory | NA, microSD

Conclusion

Battery | Lithium 1650 mAh

The REDD A9 is available for Rs 1840. You can also consider the Karbonn K9 which costs Rs 2100 as an alternative to it. n

Screen | 262,144 colours

Price: Rs 1,840

42 MYMOBILE apr 15 to may 14 2012

team@mymobile.co.in

verdict Looks

Features

ease of use

perfoRmance

value for money overall

82%

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Rage Pro Fusion of

touch and type

Looks: Decent to hold

Pros

Price: Rs 2,749

sound quality

 Hard

 Wireless

camera quality Keypad

 Inconsistent

touch

one can also record songs and programs from FM. Music quality, as in most Rage handsets is very decent.

The Rage Pro’s screen is wide enough to be used as a touchscreen – it comes with a stylus for ease of use. And if you are not the touchy type, it has an alphanumeric keypad as well, with no D-pad. It might look good but when it comes to use, the keys are hard to type, and unlike the regular keypad with keys to scroll up and down, there is no such option here, forcing the user to use the touchscreen. There are, however, shortcut keys for

Size | 120 x 57 x 13.6 mm

 Poor

 Good

Hardware: Simple stuff

tech specs

Cons

screen

 Wide

120 mm

The colour white is becoming a rage in handsets. And not just at the higher end, as the Rage Pro proves. A wide screen touch and type handset, it comes in pearl white with metallic red colour. The handset looks nice without being too flashy, which is an achievement when you consider that it is partly red, and a glossy red at that. The placement of keys is different from those usually seen in the segment. The handset has a micro USB port at the lower end and a 3.5 mm jack on the right side. All in all, a handset that is definitely decent enough to hold.

User experience: Just about average

57 mm the message box, camera, music player, and phonebook list. The handset comes with a 2000 mAh battery and a 1.3 megapixel camera with flash.

Software: Not much to boast of Running on Java, the handset has three home panels with three soft keys, namely dialer, messaging and main menu given in a strip on the screen. The main menu is further divided into three screens and has several applications like file manager, e-book reader, currency converter, Facebook, MSN and Opera Mini. Browsing the Web is a decent experience, thanks to the large display. There is also an application on Health which tells you the percentage of BMI: Fat after you enter your weight and height details in it.

Multimedia: Great sound, so-so pics The Rage Pro comes with a 1.3 megapixel camera but its results are not the greatest. FM, however, works fine even without the headphones and offers good and clear sound. There are options available for sound recording and

The handset has a handful of options to offer to its consumers. It looks nice and comes with a wide screen which is good for browsing, but is neither great at touch or type. The touch interface of the handset is honestly not the best we have used in this segment and we reckon you will wish the phone had come with hard navigation keys. Where it scores is in sound and decent battery life.

Conclusion The Rage Pro retails for Rs 2,749 and is not a bad deal for music lovers on a relatively tight budget. However, if you are looking for alternatives, you can also consider the Nokia Asha 202 at Rs 3,200 n team@mymobile.co.in

verdict Looks

Features

ease of use

performance

value for money

overall

78%

apr 15 to may 14 20121 MYMOBILE 43

burn test iBall Shaan Fab 9 Music

Pros  Wireless

 Good

bomber

 Uncomfortable  Poor

113 mm

Software: Simple though The interface of the phone is like any other basic phone. It comes with some preloaded applications like e-book reader, currency and unit converter, and stopwatch. The audio and video players support all popular formats. For social networking, the phone has pre loaded MSN, Yahoo! and Facebook apps. Nothing exceptional, nothing too bad either.

Multimedia: The sound of music The sound quality of the music player is the phone’s biggest strength by far. We found it impressive in both earplug and loudspeaker mode. The phone has got wireless FM but its reception left a bit to be desired. If you do get through, you can record FM radio programmes as well. When it comes to the camera, we were frankly disappointed by the results. The phone has a video player,

keypad

camera quality

which is handy for playing the videos and songs that come preloaded on the memory card in the pack.

User Experience: Could have been better The Fab 9 is all said and done a decent phone for the price it commands. Its features like good sound quality, wireless FM and mobile tracker and of course, the 4 GB micro SD card in the sales pack, will attract many users, even though its camera is ordinary. We were also disappointed by its keypad whose keys were hard to press. The battery backup of the phone is decent – it will easily see through a day of extensive use.

Hardware: Decent enough As far as hardware goes, the phone is built on sturdy lines. It comes with a 2.4-inch display and an alphanumeric keyboard. The phone comes with dual SIM support, and with a microSD slot for expanding storage upto 16 GB (the sales pack contains a 4 GB card). It also has a dedicated key for music and two separate keys for SIM 1 and SIM 2. The device has got a 1.3 megapixel camera and supports Bluetooth with A2DP, WAP and GPRS. It has a 1200 mAh battery that can deliver up to 7 hours of talk time according to company claims.

music quality

Cons

Looks: Nothing unusual In terms of appearance, the iBall Fab 9 has just regular looks. It is a bar phone with a glossy body which is a fingerprint-magnet and thus gets smudged easily. The phone has a black body with a yellow strip running along its sides, while its D-pad has a red coloured button in its centre with the ‘i’ of the iBall logo on it. The back panel contains a camera and speaker. The top houses a 3.5 mm audio jack, while charging slots are placed on the lower side.

48 mm

tech specs Size | 113 x 48 x 14 mm Weight | 94 grams

Conclusion

Memory | NA, microSD

The iBall Shaan Fab 9 is priced at Rs 2,799. One can also look for Chaze C333, Karbonn KKT39 and Rage Pro as good alternatives in this price category. n

Battery | Lithium 1200 mAh Screen | 65,536 colours Talktime/Standby | Up to 5 hours/Up to 300 hours

team@mymobile.co.in

verdict

GPRS/3G | Yes/No

Looks

Bluetooth/WiFi | Yes/No

Features

ease of use

perfoRmance

value for money

Phonebook Capacity | 1000 Camera | 1.3 Megapixel Frequency | GSM 900/1800 Others | E-book reader, Mobile Tracker

Price: Rs 2,799

44 MYMOBILE apr 15 to may 14 2012

overall

70%

www.mymobile.co.in

Intex Avatar 3D

Pros

Three dimensions that fit any pocket

 Dual

 Relatively

 Average

camera

102 mm

Hardware: Touchy feely stuff

 Average

bigger screen  Low internal memory  Solid build

Looks: A chunky Avatar The latest from Intex is the new Avatar 3D phone. The device seems very sturdy in terms of looks and design. It has a silver finished look on the front and a shiny black finish at the back.

SIM

Cons

The avatar 3D comes with a 2.8 inch resistive touchscreen, with an acceptable enough response. It is a dual SIM phone that can support two GSM connections, though it comes with dual standby function. Other connectivity options include USB, GPRS and Bluetooth. Internal memory of the phone stands at about 67 MB and can be expanded using a micro SD card - a 4 GB card comes bundled.

Software: The 3D side The highlight of Intex Avatar is its 3D capability. There are some interesting UI touches too. You get the option of having a pond as your screen saver where you can add and delete fish, lotuses, and leaves. Similarly, digital snow keeps falling on the homescreen, covering the

Price: Rs 3,500

55 mm elements on the screen – a privacy feature that stops people from snooping at your phone’s contents while it is in idle mode. Then comes the app tray. Swiping up the tray makes the menu icons swirl up and swiping down makes them fall. All of which is cool, although it does not really add much in functional terms. On the 3D front, the phone comes with 3D content like movies and also claims to be able to convert 2D content into 3D and vice versa. You will need 3D (anaglyph) glasses to view 3D and they come in the sales pack. The 3D experience, alas, is forgettable and blurry – yes, we had not expected much at this price level but we still wish it had been executed better. The phone comes with two high profile games Fbird and FruitNinja.

Multimedia: Nothing to rave about

strongest point. Alas, it is a bit of a damp squib in terms of execution. That apart, we found the device to be a decent dual SIM affair, with nothing rave-worthy, but nothing too bad either. The battery of the phone gives a decent backup, one full charge with three hours of videos, music and calling lasts for more than a day. If you are really into 3D then you can consider this device.

Conclusion Intex 3D Avatar is priced at Rs 3,500. It is difficult to get a 3D phone at this price point. However, you can consider Karbonn K1818 with a 3.2-megapixel camera and costing Rs 3,700. n team@mymobile.co.in

verdict Looks

The Avatar comes with a music player and FM radio. The loudspeaker is in the front and serves up sound of an acceptable quality. The FM radio reception is okay. The phone also has a 2.0-megapixel camera with a LED flash, but the results are nothing to write home about, notwithstanding features like night mode, continuous shot, white balance, and self timer. The video quality is average.

User experience: An average deal The 3D aspect is supposed to be the Avatar’s

7 8

Features ease of use

performance

value for money

overall

74%

apr 15 to may 14 20121 MYMOBILE 45

highlights

burn test Nokia Asha 300 Solid, affordable, entertaining

The S40 interface is familiar and easy to handle

49.5 mm

112.8 mm

tech specs Size | 112.8 x 49.5 x 12.7 mm Weight | 85 grams

Cons

Pros

Camera | 5.0 megapixel

 Touch and type

 No Wi-Fi

Frequency | GSM 850/900/1800/1900

 1 GHz processor

 Fixed focus camera

Others | Angry Birds, Zenga TV

 3G connectivity

 No video calling camera

46 MYMOBILE apr 15 to may 14 2012

Price: Rs 6,300

www.mymobile.co.in

2.4-inch capacitive touchsreen is good to use

5 The multitap keyboard is comfortable to use

Offers HSDPA and HSUPA 3G connectivity

Looks: Piling on the style

Software: The S40 effect

When it comes to affordable phones, Nokia still rules the roost in India, with devices that exude quality and deliver a solid performance, earning the consumers’ trust for decades now. The latest in this tradition is the Asha series, which is getting rave reviews for combining functionality and affordability. Nokia Asha 300 is the newest member of this family and when it comes to looks, it does look like a mixture of the X2-02 and the very popular 2600. It is a bar phone with a 2.4 inch screen and a multitap keypad which has been aesthetically placed for a smart appeal and simple usage. The familiar curved and polished look makes it comfortable to handle and easy to use, while being very nice to look at. Over all, the phone has a contemporary design combined with a simple interface – making it perfect for those who want style but not at the cost of affordability and functionality.

The Asha 300 belongs to the affordable feature phone category and therefore, runs on a version of the Symbian Series 40 software which has been optimised for touch. The homescreen has the same segmented view but the unlock screen has been given a new slide look seen in some high-end devices. Icons have been given a rounded look, that is reminiscent of that seen in Symbian Anna devices. Swiping right on the homescreen gives access to the game folder and a left swipe gives access to the application folder, also called collection. The hierarchical menu continues where you have to go to the group folder to access a feature. There is no accelerometer on the phone so if you wish to see a photo or video in landscape mode, you have to adjust the view manually. There is a plethora of apps on the phone like Nokia Communities for social networking, Nokia Life Tools, Nokia Music for downloading free songs, and the Nokia Store for apps. Among notable third-party apps are the iconic Angry Birds and Zenga TV for watching live TV on the go. You can set up e-mail using the Nokia Mail service. The phone offers a decent browsing experience considering its screen size, with kinetic scroll and good page rendering even though it does not have support for full Flash.

Hardware: Getting into gigahertz territory As one would expect from a Nokia device, the Asha 300 is sturdily built. Even though it has an all-plastic body, it is strong enough to handle the perils of daily usage. The phone has some great specs packed inside too. For starters, it runs on a 1 GHz processor, making the response quick and hassle free. The screen of the phone is resistive but in spite of that, the response is better than other resistive screen phones launched by Nokia itself. The multi-tap keypad is quite comfortable to use. The device comes with 128 MB of RAM and 256 MB ROM, enabling it to perform most tasks without lags. On the connectivity front, the device has 3G connectivity and is capable of giving HSDPA speeds of up to 10 Mbps and HSUPA speeds of 2 Mbps. It also comes with Bluetooth and USB On the Go support but lacks Wi-Fi, which is really surprising as it has become a staple feature in phones of this price range. Also, you will have to buy the USB On the Go adapter for the phone separately – we wish Nokia had bundled it, as it is very handy for most users. The microSD card is under the battery cover but can be hotswapped easily. All in all, on the hardware front the phone exudes quality and solidity.

The 5.0megapixel camera takes decent pictures

Multimedia: Entertainment encore With a 5.0-megapixel camera, music player, FM radio and video player, the Asha 300 is a fully packed multimedia phone. Although the camera comes with fixed focus (in keeping with Nokia’s recent preference for them), picture quality is acceptable, even though the absence of a flash restricts its utility in low light conditions. It also comes with features like photo sequence, white balance, colour effects and self timer. The camera interface has been updated a bit to give it a more Symbian-like look. It is also capable of recording VGA videos at 15 frames per second, which is again decent enough for this resolution. The video player comes with DivX and XviD support and supports all popular formats. However, resolution support is limited.

On the music front, there is a music player that offers a great experience and music quality. There are a few equaliser presets and two options to create your own equaliser profiles in the player. Songs get sorted on the basis of artists, albums and genres. The 3.5 mm jack allows you to use headphones of your choice, further improving your listening experience. There is a FM radio that works only when wired headsets are connected to it - the reception is good and the interface is simple.

User experience: Nokia’s legacy speaks The Nokia Asha 300 brings with it the comfort, solidity and familiarity of a Nokia device combined with quality that sets it apart from other devices in this price segment. On the downside, the lack of Wi-Fi, the fixed focus camera without a flash, and relatively limited browser, left us feeling a little deprived. Still, all said and done, the phone delivers a fairly decent punch in terms of multimedia, and has very good battery life – a single charge will see you pass a day comfortably.

Conclusion the Nokia Asha 300 is priced at Rs 6,300 which is a very compelling package. Other option that you can consider in this price segment is Samsung Wave 525 costing Rs 6,000. n team@mymobile.co.in

verdict Looks

8 9

Features ease of use

perfoRmance

value for money

overall

82%

apr 15 to may 14 2012 MYMOBILE 47

burn test

192 mm

Micromax Funbook

122 mm

ICS flavoured budget warrior!

Pros  Android Ice Cream Sandwich, 1.2

GHz processor

 HDMI and Flash support

highlights

4 1

The 7.0inch screen gives ample real estate for a good visual experience

Looks: Not at all cheap-looking The Indian tablet market has become very competitive in the recent past. And this finally seems to be bringing prices southwards – we now have decent tablets that are available for less than Rs 10,000. And they don’t look cheap either, as any who looks at Micromax’s Funbook will testify. The 7.0-inch tablet is sleek and comes packed in a plastic body that looks anything but low-cost. The broad bezel around the screen, however, does make display look a lot smaller than it actually is. In terms of weight, the tablet stands on the lighter side and is comfortable to hold. The front panel has got two hard keys namely the back key and home and option keys. Considering that the Ice Cream Sandwich edition of Android (on

Three hardware keys have been added for better navigation

 Very reasonable price

which the Funbook runs) offers onscreen keys for the same functions, we were surprised to see them, but are not complaining. The top and left side of the tablet are totally plain, the right side houses a power button and a volume rocker, while on its lower part reside a host of ports - micro USB, HDMI, 3.5mm jack, memory card slot, and a charging port. The back is plain too with only a speaker grill and the front also has a VGA camera, the only snapper on the unit.

Hardware: We are impressed! It is not just the looks of the Funbook that belie its price. Its specs do the same. The device comes with a capacitive touchscreen, and runs on 1.2 GHz Cortex A8 Processor.

48 MYMOBILE apr 15 to may 14 2012

The VGA camera in the front comes in handy for video calls

It comes with 512 MB RAM, has an internal memory of 4 GB which can be expanded further up to 32 GB using a micro SD card. The tablet does not have a full USB connectivity, which restricts the usage of USB supporting accessories. Besides, it has support for Wi-Fi and can connect to 3G via a USB dongle (a Tata Photon postpaid connection comes bundled with the tablet). The HDMI enables you to connect it with TV and watch content on it. Quite a handful of options for a user to get an engaging experience.

Software: Ice Cream Sandwich appiness! As we mentioned earlier, the Funbook runs

www.mymobile.co.in

5 Play app store.

Multimedia: Adequate, really

The VGA front facing camera on the device is best used for video chats. The tab is, however, decent at handling multimedia – it can play HD movies and while the sound quality is not the greatest through the loudspeaker, it is very acceptable through headphones. There is an option to watch videos in 3D as well, but we could not figure out how THAT works. And before you ask, no, there is no FM radio on the tablet.

tech specs Size | 192 x 122 x 10.5 mm Weight | 360 grams

User experience: Very very satisfactory

Memory | 4GB, microSD

After the Aakash fiasco, we have tended to have low expectations of low-cost tablets. But the Funbook surprised us with a remarkably steady performance. While it did not perform quite as smoothly as we expected a tablet with a 1.2 GHz processor to, there were very few lags and niggles. The 2,800 MHz battery gave us about six to seven hours of usage, but we did get a bit concerned at how warm the tablet got sometimes. Still, we think the Funbook does enough for us to rank it as one of the most appealing low-cost tablet we have seen so far in the Indian market.

Battery | Li-Ion 2800 mAh Screen | 16million colours Runtime/Standby | Up to 5 hrs/ Up to 250 hrs

Cons

GPRS/3G | Yes/Yes

 No SIM card support  Occasional lags

Bluetooth/ WiFi | No/Yes

 Heats up a bit

Phonebook Capacity | NA

Conclusion

Camera | VGA

5 The tablet is sleek and lighter than its contemporaries

The touch sensitive buttons offer standard Android functionality

At as low as Rs 6,499 the tablet is so far the cheapest offering running Ice Cream Sandwich, and that too without compromising on basic quality. The HCL ME U1 costing Rs 7,999 is the closest alternative to it – and interesting it too was launched with similar features and tagged as being a device suitable for both education and entertainment. n

Frequency | NA Others | Educational content

Price: Rs 6,499

team@mymobile.co.in

the latest version of Android, Android 4.0 or Ice Cream Sandwich. And it is easy enough to learn for both Android newcomers as well as tablet newbies. You have five homescreens, which can be customised with shortcuts and widgets. There are soft buttons for back, home, recent apps and the system bar in the bottom left. On the right are day, date and time, the Wi-Fi connectivity, battery status and settings. The recent app function gives you the option to close an app by a simple sideways swipe. You can access both application and widgets in the menu with an easy swipe. The tablet comes with support for most Web mail services and also for MS Exchange. Given Android’s reputation for social network-

ing strength, we were surprised to see no social networking apps on the device, although these can be downloaded from Google Play, th app repository for Android devices. Micromax has attempted to position this tablet as an “edutainment device.” The Funbook, therefore, comes pre-loaded with content for information as well as entertainment. It has got digital edu-content support from Pearson, Everonn and Vriti with freemium as well as paid models; and on the fun side has applications like movies powered by Bigflix, games from Indiagames, live TV from Zenga, and songs from Hungama. In software terms, this is one appy tablet that has content relevant to the Indian customers along with the global content that it available on Google

verdict Looks

Features

ease of use

perfoRmance

value for money

overall

82%

apr 15 to may 14 2012 MYMOBILE 49

burn test HCL ME Tab U1 An affordable tablet for

me and you

Looks: All in white HCL’s latest seven inch tablet comes with an all-while plastic body and the front panel too has a broad white plastic strip around the capacitive touch screen, which is even broader on one side where the camera has been placed. While we are all for white coloured devices, we still think that the border strip could have been avoided or at least made slimmer. The plasticky felling is another thing that we would have liked to avoid. Apart from that the tab is slim, acceptably heavy with a nice and shiny finish.

Hardware: Some serious stuff The tab comes with a 7.0-inch capacitive touchscreen that gives a good touch experience. It runs on a 1 GHz processor, and performs at a brisk rate while handling multi-tasking well. The itsy bitsy thing that left us a bit confused was the placement of the volume and power keys – the rocker-type keys are actually the volume increase and the power on/off key, while the seemingly stand-alone key is the volume decrease key. There is no primary camera on the tablet, just a front facing VGA one. It has an internal memory of 4 GB which can be expanded further using a microSD card. It also comes with full USB connectivity, allowing you to add a 3G USB dongle or a peripheral like a mouse to work with the tablet. The tablet supports Wi-Fi connectivity. Overall, it has a decent set of specs for its price range.

Software: Stay cool The U1 runs on Android 4.0 (Ice-cream Sandwich). A few changes have been made

Pros  Android Ice Cream Sandwich  1 GHz processor  Full USB support

Cons

tech specs Size | 192.8 X 117.28 X 12.53 mm Weight | 350 grams Memory | 4GB, microSD

to the interface. The lock screen now has two options: you can either unlock the homescreen or access the camera through it. The homescreens have been simplified and there are five of them which can be customised. There is a colourful button on the top that takes you to the skip view and you can see all the five panels in a cool 3D interface. You can now also create folders on the homescreen by simply stacking once app icon over another. The touch buttons of back, home and recent apps stay on the bottom right and the system bar is on the right, with a number of functions including date and time, Wi-Fi connectivity and settings. The settings menu has been divided into four sections, wireless and networks, device, personal and system. Options like data usage have also been added. All of which would be familiar to anyone who has used Honeycomb (Android 3). There are three browser apps, the default, iBrowser and ICS Browser+. The default one doesn’t have Flash support but the iBrowser does. The tablet comes with support for MS Exchange on the e-mail front, and has Thinkfree Office for creating and editing MS Office files. There are a number of apps on the tab like Naukri.com, ibibo Rummy, Saavn, Twitter and LinkedIn, although Facebook is missing. Surprisingly, HCL has kept Google Play, off the tablet. Instead, there is HCL Me Apps which offers some apps for the tablet. There is also a HCL Touch app which lets you access a helpline straight from the tablet.

Multimedia: Covering the basics There is no primary camera in the tablet, only a front one of VGA resolution, which totally limits its use to video calls. So one can safely say that on the imaging side there is not much that you can expect from the tab. When it comes to video playback, the tablet comes with a default video player as well as a Vortex Video app, and played 1080p videos with ease. There is a music

 No SIM support  Screen could have been bigger  No Google Play store

50 MYMOBILE apr 15 to may 14 2012

Price: Rs 7,999 player in the tablet that comes with sound enhancements like equaliser presets and customization along with bass boost and 3D effects. While the sound experience didn’t impress us much through the loudspeaker, it was much better through the headphones. There is no FM radio in the tablet.

User experience: Decent for first-timers Considering its price, the experience with the tab is something that a first time user will appreciate. If it had SIM connectivity and had used the front panel better, we would have called it the perfect entry-level tablet. But even without them, it turns in a decent show on the browsing, mail and video fronts, with acceptable battery backup – it lasted us a day with an hour and a half of videos and day long browsing it easily lasted for a day.

Conclusion The HCL U1 costs Rs 7,999. It is one of the cheapest ICS tabs with an acceptable performance. You can also opt for Micromax Funbook costing Rs 6,499 and comes preloaded with educational content. n team@mymobile.co.in

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highlights 1

The tab has a front facing VGA camera

2 192.8 mm

USB support allows using USB peripherals and 3G dongles

3 The plastic band around the screen saves it from scratches

4 The touchscreen response is acceptable

5 Being ICS run tablet there are no hardware keys on the front panel

verdict Looks

Features

ease of use

perfoRmance value for money

8 9

overall

80%

117.28 m

apr 15 to may 14 2012 MYMOBILE 51

burn test CDMA gets tabby! Reliance re-enters tab territory - with CDMA

110 mm

Pros  Android 2.3 OS  Very affordable  Wi-Fi hotspot creation

Cons  No USB connectivity  No built in receiver for calls  No built-in video calling

application

190 mm

highlights

2 1

Sleek form factor makes it easy to handle the tab on the go

Looks: Familiar, familiar... After launching a pretty decent 3G tablet in the affordable category, Reliance Communications has come out with the country’s first CDMA tablet. And it bears more than a passing resemblance to the 3G version – it too boasts of a 7.0-inch capacitive touch screen and has more or less similar looks and design but with some variations. The all-black body is accentuated with silver coloured strips on the sides which expand to a broad band on the top of the camera highlighting it. The back panel has a rubberised finish unlike the shiny silver coloured one we saw in the GSM one. There are three touch keys on the front panel for home, menu and back, and a 2.0-megapixel camera at the

RWorld gives easy access to content

2 back and a VGA one on the front. The tab comes with a micro SD card slot, RUIM card slot and a 3.5 mm jack on the sides along with the power, volume buttons and a proprietary charging slot. While it might not be a unique tablet design it is decent and smart enough to appeal to those on a tight budget.

Hardware: Budget stuff The CDMA Tab runs on a 800 MHz processor and works well enough. The touch experience of the device is good, allowing us to navigate apps and browse the Web easily, although we would have liked a higher resolution than the 800 x 480 sported by it. It comes with dual cameras, and apart from CDMA, supports

52 MYMOBILE apr 15 to may 14 2012

Three touch keys have been given on the front panel for navigation

Wi-Fi (with hotspot creation) and Bluetooth too, although it has no USB 2.0 port. The 4000 mAh battery gives a decent performance, lasting for up to two days of constant mail and social network connectivity. We just wish it was detachable. The device also comes with calling capabilities – you can use wired or Bluetooth headsets for convenience. All of which is pretty much par for the course for a budget tablet.

Software: The smell of Gingerbread The tablet runs on Android 2.3.5, which is recent enough, while not the latest (Ice Cream Sandwich has that distinction). As in the 3G

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4 features like the Dolby Mobile settings seen in the GSM version. The sound quality of the tablet is pleasant, although we would have liked a bit more power. The formats supported by the player are AAC, AAC+, AMR/AMR-NB, MP3 MIDI and Ogg PCM/WAV. The tablet has a dedicated video player application and it supports for MP4, H.263, and H.264 video formats. For imaging there is a 2.0-megapixel fixed focus still camera that comes with picture quality and colour effect settings. You can set the exposure, ISO, white balance, and contrast saturation as well. The picture quality of the tablet is average and lack of flash dents the performance. However, we are not fans of cameras in a tablet considering the inconvenience of shooting with such a big device. The tablet can capture VGA videos, letting you set video quality, choose video and audio formats for shooting, set the video duration and add colour effects. Again, video quality is average. While you can geo-tag pictures, the same is not possible for videos. There is an app call Big Flix on the tab that gives access to video content like trailers, music videos, and movies - it basically streams the video enabling you to stay entertained on the go.

tech specs Size | 190 x 110 x 13 mm Weight | 389 grams Memory | 4GB, microSD

Battery | Li-Ion 4000 mAh Screen | 262,144 colours Talktime/Standby | Upto 5 hours/

User experience: Value for money

Upto 150 hours

Camera | 2.0 megapixel

Considering that it is a mass market device, the fact that features like USB connectivity and FM radio have been left out did not go down well with us. However, as far as the user experience goes, the tab works efficiently without any visible lags. And the fact that it is the only CDMA tablet in the market gives it a strong option for CDMA subscribers.

Frequency | CDMA 800

Conclusion

GPRS/3G | Yes/Yes Bluetooth/ WiFi | Yes/Yes Phonebook Capacity | Shared

There is a VGA camera in the front for video calling

A number of apps come preloaded on the tab including Facebook and YouTube

tab, Reliance has not messed around much with the standard Android interface. The homescreen has five screen panels that can be customised with shortcuts and widgets. The main menu has a grid view and the tablet comes with standard Google apps and also Relianceâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s RWorld online. In RWorld online, you have various options like Full2Music, Mobile Health, Cricket, Star Talk, Simply Music, Music Mania and Sampoorna Jyotish pack. There is support for POP, IMAP and Exchange accounts on the mail front, and of course, there is the customary Gmail app (hey, this is an Android tablet after all). For those wishing to open, edit and create MS Office files, there is DocumentsToGo.

Others | RWorld, Big Flix, mobile TV

Price: Rs 12,990

The tab is the only CDMA offering in this category in the market today. Therefore alternatives do not exist. We hope that this will change in the coming days. n team@mymobile.co.in

The browser of the tablet supports multitouch along with full Flash support. You can open multiple windows and can search words on page, forward a page or share it via Bluetooth, e-mail, SMS, Facebook and Twitter. There is a file manager too, which is of great convenience to search and manage content on the phone, especially for those who love dabbling with file structures. The tablet has a smart dialer which adds to its convenience and usability as a phone, albeit a bulky one.

Multimedia: Standard fare On the multimedia front, the tablet does not have a FM radio but sports a music player, which is plain vanilla. There are no additional

verdict Looks

Features

ease of use

perfoRmance

value for money

overall

78%

apr 15 to may 14 2012 MYMOBILE 53

burn test Micromax A85 A dual core

smartphone for Rs 15,290 4

118.7 mm

60.1 mm

Looks: Sleek and stylish Micromax has launched its first dual core Android smartphone called the A85. The device dons a serious hardcore smartphone avatar with a dark grey chassis and a metal battery cover. The front comes with four touch keys and a secondary VGA camera. The phone is a bit thick and heavy and still remains a plain Jane when compared to the devices in its price range.

It runs on a NVIDIA Tegra 2 chipset and comes with a ARM 9 dual core processor. The 3.8-inch capacitive touchscreen is good to work with and delivers a very sensitive touch experience. The phone comes with 8 GB internal memory along with 512 MB RAM. The memory can also be expanded using a microSD card. The A85 is capable of 3G Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity. The 1500 mAh battery lasted for about a day with average usage.

Hardware: Going dual core

Software: Dated Droid

The phone has some pretty strong tech specs.

The Micromax A85 runs on Android 2.2 ver-

54 MYMOBILE apr 15 to may 14 2012

sion of the operating system which is a huge surprise, considering the kind of specs it packs in. It is also a bit out dated with ICS doing the rounds in the market now. The interface has been modified a bit and there are two modes, Launcher and Launcher+. There are bigger icons and more active apps on the homescreen in the Launcher+. You can have upto seven homescreen panels that can be customised. The app tray is also spread across four panes and you can simply swipe sideways to navigate through them. The notification bar gives access to settings of features like Wi-Fi, Bluetooth,

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highlights

pictures outdoors in well-lit conditions. A flash would not have hurt considering that the camera features are pretty basic and no value additions have been made to it. The video quality of the camera is average and again the video camera comes with default settings like video quality, white balance, etc. As far as the video playback goes, the device is capable of playing 1080p videos with ease. There is no FM radio on the phone which is a bit surprising considering that Micromax is usually tuned to the needs of the consumers. It does have miRoamer, which is an Internet radio application that allows you to hear Internet radio stations from across the world. Another app called Mitrim lets you edit videos. The music player of the phone is also plain vanilla and as far as performance goes, while we liked the quality of sound, the volume levels did not impress us much.

1 The secondary camera comes in handy for gesture control

tech specs Size | 118.7 x 60.1 x 13.8 mm The four touch keys at the bottom make accessing the phone easy

Weight | 152 grams

Memory | 8 GB, microSD Battery | Li-Ion 1500 mAh

3 5.0-megapixel camera takes decent images

Screen | 16million colours Talktime/Standby | Upto 3.2 hours/

User experience: Droid Ease

Upto 250 hours

The phone serves up a standard Android experience. While newcomers to Android will not miss any of the core features that they find in products from bigger brands, those used to Android will perhaps miss having an innovative UI and of course, a more recent version of Android running on the device. We also would have loved to see better multimedia capabilities in the phone considering that it’s a dual core, can perform most tasks at a brisk pace.

GPRS/3G | Yes/Yes The 3.5-mm jack allows you use headsets of your own choice

Bluetooth/ WiFi | Yes/Yes

Phonebook Capacity | Shared Camera | 5.0 megapixel

5 Standard Android interface is familiar and convenient

Frequency | GSM 850/900/1800/1900

Price: Rs 15,290 Pros  Dual-core 1.0 GHz Cortex-A9

processor

 Gesture control

Cons  Dated Android 2.2  No flash with the camera

team@mymobile.co.in

 No built in video calling

verdict

 Compelling price

GPS, sound, data, brightness and automatic rotation. The phone also has some gesture control which uses the front camera for motion detection. You can use it for gallery, music, e-mail, phone and calls. For instance you can skip photos by swiping left or right, activate speaker during call, play or pause music and so on. While the idea is great we feel that the implementation could have been better. It’s more of hit-and-trial affair as sometimes even the right gesture doesn’t do anything. The device comes with the usual fixes of e-mail support and the Google suite of apps. Along

Conclusion The Micomax A85 is priced at Rs 15,290. While there is no dual core Android phone available in this segment, those looking for a bigger brand at the same price level might feel tempted by the Motorola Defy+ which has a single core 1 GHz processor but better build quality. If it is a dual core phone that you need, then the lowest priced option for you would be the LG Optimus 2X, which costs approximately Rs 22,000. n

Others | Nimbuzz, Opera Mini

with that it has some interesting apps like the Android Booster task manager, InStocks BSE/ NSE stock market, ibibo Teenpatti, Opera Mini, Nimbuzz, and even an IPL T20 cricket game. You can integrate your Facebook, Nimbuzz, corporate and Google contacts in the contacts tab and the e-mail app comes with the support for Microsoft Exchange.

Multimedia: Vanilla entertainment On the multimedia front, the Micromax A85 has a 5.0-megapixel camera which takes decent

Looks

Features

ease of use

perfoRmance

value for money

overall

80%

apr 15 to may 14 2012 MYMOBILE 55

burn test Nokia 603 The

New Belle in Town

113.3 mm

Cons

Pros  Scratch resistant ClearBlack

 Fixed focus camera

 NFC, 3G and Wi-Fi connectivity

 No flash with the camera

display

 Needs a micro-SIM

57.1 mm

highlights

 1 GHz processor

Symbian Belle interface in an improvement over previous versions

Looks: Straight up sturdy

Hardware: Bring on the gigs!

Over the years, Nokia has built a reputation for coming out with solid, sturdy devices, rather than flashy glitzy ones. The Nokia 603 lives up to this legacy - it is a well-built candy bar touchscreen phone that exudes quality. The front panel has a 3.5 inch ClearBlack touchscreen display which serves up a very good visual experience. The rubberised back panel is great for grip. There is just one bar on the front panel, housing the calling keys and the Home-cum-Menu key. The ports and buttons like the lock key, volume keys, etc., are placed on the sides. The microSD card can be hot swapped. No, it is not the thinnest phone we have seen, but is very comfortable to use.

The relatively plain looks, however, conceal some great hardware. The 603 runs on a 1 GHz processor coupled with a 2D/3D graphics hardware accelerator. This along with 512 MB RAM and 1 GB ROM ensure brisk performance. On the connectivity front, the device is capable of 3G speeds of up to 14.4 Mbps (HSDPA) and 5.76 Mbps (HSUPA), and comes with Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connectivity along with NFC capabilities which can primarily be used for content transfer. There is USB On the Go support on the phone too.

Software: Belle boy! The 603 runs on the latest flavour of Symbian,

56 MYMOBILE apr 15 to may 14 2012

3 The touch response of the phone is good

Symbian Belle. While OS improvement has been slow, the changes made are commendable. There are up to six homescreens and each one of which can be customised by using a different wallpaper, widgets and shortcuts. In the menu, you can arrange the shortcuts as per your need or alphabetically. Thankfully, the whole folder in folder hierarchy has been given up but if you liked it, fear not, you can create folders in the menu. Another welcome change is the abolishing of the text edit box, which made entering text cumbersome. Now the keypad pops up right below the text box. One also has the option of a QWERTY keypad in the portrait mode and you can also shift to an alphanumeric key-

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face detection and self-timer functions along with usual features like white balance, exposure, light sensitivity, contrast, sharpness, etc. You can geo-tag pictures too. The camera can capture 720p videos at 30 frames per second and the quality is again acceptable. There are features like shake control, white balance, exposure and geo-tagging. As far as playback is concerned, the phone is capable of playing 1080p videos with ease. There is a music player and FM radio and the sound quality of the phone is really good. There are five equaliser presets apart from the default ones. You can also activate loudness and stereo widening features.

tech specs Size | 113.3 x 57.1 x 12.7 mm Weight | 109.6 grams Memory | 2GB, microSD

User Experience: Standard Symbian, blues and all

Others |Angry Birds pre-loaded

Price: Rs 13,299 5 Fixed focus 5.0megapixel camera lacks flash

The phone comes with lifetime free navigation

Conclusion

The hard keys on the front panel simplify the usage

The Nokia 603 is priced at Rs 13,290 and the other option that you can consider is Samsung Galaxy Ace, an Android phone costing Rs 13,500. n

board. In landscape, only the QWERTY option is available. The keys are a bit too small for comfort in the portrait mode, but work fine in landscape mode. The whole improved functionality along with easier usability makes the 603 comfortable to use, although a few things need to evolve further. Pressing the menu key shows all the running tasks, and gives you the option to shut them. The Social app from Nokia has been integrated in the device and you can set up Facebook and Twitter accounts in it. There is also an Angry Birds app whose levels can be unlocked using NFC. The 603 comes with the usual set of features like e-mail support for POP, IMAP and Exchange accounts along with

The Nokia 603 offers a standard Symbian experience. While Belle does simplify a number of things, a number of perplexing niggles remain. Grouping apps remains troublesome - you cannot just drag and drop them but have to long press on the app and select the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;move to folderâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; option in the sub menu that opens up. There is no direct folder creation option on the homescreen - you will have to create the folder in the menu first and then place it on the homescreen. However, there is still no direct Send button. After writing, you need to tap on the right button, after which the Send option becomes visible. We were also depressed by the fixed focus camera, as we do tend to expect a lot more from Nokia in the imaging department. That said, we had no complaints about the performance of the device

team@mymobile.co.in

pre-loaded settings for many Indian clients like Sify, Net4india, etc. On the other hand, only a QuickOffice viewer version is available and to be able to create MS Office files you need to buy an upgrade. The browser comes with Flash Lite support but there is no full Flash support. The interface of the browser is comparatively more intuitive. Of course, Ovi Store also comes pre-loaded.

Multimedia: Sound Senses The phone comes with a 5.0-megapixel camera, which like many recent Nokia smartphones has fixed focus. The picture quality of the camera is acceptable and it comes with

verdict Looks

Features

ease of use

perfoRmance

value for money

overall

80%

apr 15 to may 14 2012 MYMOBILE 57

burn test Samsung Galaxy Y Pro Duos This Galaxy’s a double

SIMmer!

Pros

Cons

 Touchscreen with full

QWERTY keypad

 HSDPA with Wi-Fi

connectivity

 No flash with the camera  Dual standby  Relatively small screen

 Dual GSM SIM support

110.8 mm

highlights

63.5 mm

The QWERTY keypad is comfortable to use

The power cum lock key is on the side spine

The 3.15-megapixel camera lacks flash

5 2 The trackpad almost makes you forget about the touchscreen

58 MYMOBILE apr 15 to may 14 2012

The home button is only hardware key on the front panel

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Price: Rs 10,300 Looks: QWERTY on the go The Samsung Pro series has been bringing forth some good touch plus QWERTY Android devices and the latest in this segment is the Samsung Galaxy Y Pro Duos. Targeted at the youth (hence the Y), this phone has been designed to be light and compact with a comfortable QWERTY keypad for quick and easy chit-chat on the go. The phone is sleek with a glossy and brushed metal finish in grey colour. As the phone is targeted at Gen Y, we expected it to have more colours, but even with its sober and simple design, it does look pretty smart and sophisticated.

Hardware: Type...and touch too The screen of the Galaxy Y Pro Duos stands at 2.6 inches, which we think could have been made a bit wider. Unlike the earlier Pro, this one has flat keys that are well-spaced for easy

typing. The touch response of the screen is good but with the keypad and the optical trackpad along with the four keys for options, home, back and search, you will rarely need to use it. The phone has dual SIM connectivity but there is no hot-swap option for any of the SIMs. It supports dual standby, so one SIM appears to be switched off while the other is working. The notification bar has two buttons for both the SIMs so you can choose which SIM you wish to use. Personally we prefer having that choice in the app we are using. For instance, while calling you can choose which SIM you want to use before making a call. But that feature is not available there. The device is capable of offering HSDPA speeds of up to 7.2 Mbps and it also comes with Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connectivity. The build quality of the phone is pretty good and it comes with a 2GB micro SD card. The battery backup is also good - one charge easily goes on for more than a day. Powered by a 832 MHz processor and 512 MB RAM, the performance of the phone is smooth without any lags or hiccups.

Software: Droid Pro, with Gingerbread

in video calling feature.

Multimedia: Snap and groove The Galaxy Y Pro Duos comes with a 3.2megapixel camera but the lack of flash is a bit of a letdown. The camera takes decent pictures and you can adjust image quality, white balance and add effects to it. It can take a smile shot as well as continuous and panorama shots. The camera is capable of taking 320x240 p videos and one can also adjust video quality and white balance. The video player is capable of playing MP4/WMV/H.264 formats but lacks DivX and XviD support. On the music front, there is a music player that sorts music on the basis of artists and albums. There are 10 equaliser presets and two sound enhancements. There is also a 5.1 channel feature but this along with the sound enhancements (excluding the equalisers) works only with headphones. The sound quality was good, both through the loudspeaker and headphones. The FM Radio has a simple dial like interface. The reception is good and so is the sound quality.

User experience: Pro on the go

The Galaxy Y Pro Duos runs on Android 2.3, which is now par for the course for phones in this price range. Covering it is Samsung’s own TouchWiz UI. On the homescreen there are three screen panels by default, which you can increase up to seven. The usual customisations are available and you can also group apps into folders. There are four touch buttons on the right of the screen for dialer, messaging, contacts and menu. The notification bar stays at the top and gives access to Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS, silent mode and auto-rotation lock. The menu is also spread across multiple screen panels and you can edit the placement of icons. The browser comes with full Flash support but you can either double tap to zoom in or out or use the touch zoom button. As far as e-mail goes, the phone has support for Microsoft Exchange and POP and IMAP clients. In contacts too you can configure contacts from Microsoft Exchange, Windows Live, Yahoo!, Facebook, Twitter, Mail for Exchange and obviously Google. An application called the Samsung IM takes care of all your Instant Messaging and Social Hub combines all your e-mail, messaging and social networking activity. There is a built in file manager but it works only when an SD card is inserted. There is no pre-loaded navigation app except Google Maps, but you can use voice commands for initiating search, navigation and communication, once you sign in to your Google account. Polaris Office not only lets you open MS Office files, but also lets you edit and create new ones. There is a secondary camera on the phone and it comes with built

While the experience on the phone was pretty standard Android, but being a youth-centric phone, we expected more India content discovery apps along with apps like Samsung’s own ChatOn. The phone is good quality and has good functionality for an affordable Android device. Adding to this is the large repository of apps that Google Play and Samsung’s own app store bring. All of which make this a very handy option for those looking for a touch and type smartphone with dual SIM capability.

Conclusion Samsung Galaxy Y Pro duos is priced at Rs 10,300. Another dual SIM Android in this price range is the LG Optimus Net Dual for Rs 10,500. n team@mymobile.co.in

verdict Looks

Features

ease of use

perfoRmance

value for money

overall

80%

apr 15 to may 14 2012 MYMOBILE 59

burn test highlights

MapmyIndia CarPad

Enter, the auto tab

3D maps and voice guided navigation work like clockwork

4 2 Accessories with the carpad come in handy for a diverse usage in the car

198 mm

The touch sensitive buttons offer standard Android functionality

1 4 The screen is optimised for a good visual experience

5 The carpad has a strong and sturdy build

122 mm

60 MYMOBILE apr 15 to may 14 2012

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Pros  MapMy India real 3D

navigation software

 3G connectivity  Qualcomm Snapdragon S1

processor

Cons  Dated Android version  A bit expensive  No secondary camera

Looks: Plain old tab Navigation experts MapmyIndia have attempted to bring their expertise to tablet territory with the new Carpad. The tablet comes with a 7.0-inch capacitive touchscreen, with four touch buttons below it for home, options, back and search. The back panel has a shiny silver finish and is not detachable. On the whole, while the design does not exactly stand out, the tablet is handy enough to use and carry.

Hardware: Packs a decent punch The tablet’s touch experience just didn’t live up to our expectations, especially since it runs on Qualcomm’s Snapdragon S1 processor and does most other tasks relatively briskly. There is a 2.0-megapixel primary camera and the device also comes with an 8 GB microSD card to handle your storage needs. On the connectivity front it support 3G, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. You can also create a Wi-Fi hotspot through the tab. As far as the sales pack goes, there are a number of freebies in it, including a car kit containing the headrest mount, windshield mount, CarPad holder and car charger.

Software: Find your way The CarPad runs on Android 2.2, which is a bit dated. As far as the UI goes, it is standard Android. But what marks it out as being different from others is navigation. The tablet comes with pre-loaded MapmyIndia maps that give turn-by-turn voice guided navigation. There is a Navigator app that offers directions while driving as well as walking. The map interface has been given a cool 3D effect with various points of interests (POIs) highlighted in bright colours. You can find a POI and navigate to it, pre-configure regular routes like home and even add GPS coordinates. The interface is simple and easy to use and works well while driving. There is another app that

lets you find your tab in case you lose it just by using the PIN number of the tablet. Apart from that there are a number of apps like BookMyShow, Cleartrip, and Zomato to enable you to take full benefit of the location based prowess of the tablet. On the social networking front, it comes with Facebook and eBuddy messenger apps, apart from having Android’s general mailing and social networking muscle.

Multimedia: Entertaining enough Though location and navigation are the core strengths of the tablet, it does come with some entertainment features. The 2.0-megapixel

tech specs

camera is limited in terms of features, both for stills and videos. As far as the video playback goes, it doesn’t support HD video playback, which is disappointing. There is a FM radio on the tab along with a music player. The player is plain vanilla with acceptable sound quality.

User experience: Traveller’s tab The CarPad works well when it comes to navigation. The fact that it comes with so many docking options is also great. However at this price point we would have loved to see some good multimedia capabilities for entertainment on the go and a newer version of Android.

Conclusion The MapMyIndia CarPad costs Rs 22,990, including all accessories. It is the only navigation-oriented tablet in the country, but considering the fact that you can get a good PND for lesser, we think it is a bit on the expensive side, both for a navigation device and an Android tablet. n

Size | 198 x 122 x 13.2 mm Weight | 472 grams Memory | 105MB, microSD Battery | Li-Ion 3400 mAh

team@mymobile.co.in

Screen | 262,144 colours

verdict

Talktime/Standby | Upto 7 hours/ Upto 420 hours

Looks

GPRS/3G | Yes/Yes

Features

Bluetooth/ WiFi | Yes/Yes

ease of use

Phonebook Capacity | Shared

perfoRmance

Camera | 2.0 megapixel

value for money

Frequency | GSM 850/900/1800/1900 Others | SNS apps

Price: Rs 22,990

7 8 7

overall

76%

apr 15 to may 14 2012 MYMOBILE 61

burn test 1

HTC One X The One X ups the

performance stakes in smartphones

134.4 mm

highlights

69.9 mm

Looks: Polycarbonate delight One X is a big phone with 32 GB memory, quad core processor, 8.0-megapixel back camera, and 1 GB RAM and yet it is surprisingly light. This can be because of the fact that HTC has given a polycarbonate body to the device, instead of taking the metallic path. The 4.7inch Gorilla Glass display sports one of the highest resolutions seen on a handset display in India. There is a slight curve at the lower end of the phone, adding a touch of class.

Hardware: Heavy metal The phone has some serious processing power with a NVIDIA Tegra 3 1.5 GHz quad core processor. HTC has also added a fifth

The Sense 4.0 UI brings familiarity to the new operating system

processor that works in low intensity mode and helps in power management. The internal memory of the phone stands at 32 GB and cannot be expanded further. Apart from the 8.0-megapixel camera at the back, it also has a 1.3-megapixel camera at the front. However, there is no built in video calling feature so you will have to depend on third party apps for the same. The 4.7-inch Super IPS2 LCD screen is vibrant and delightful and delivers a terrific visual experience while watching videos. On the connectivity front there is 3G, Wi-Fi as well as Bluetooth connectivity. The phone is capable of offering 3G connectivity and in terms of hardware, there is no denying the fact â&#x20AC;&#x201C; the One X is a BEAST.

62 MYMOBILE apr 15 to may 14 2012

The micro SIM slot is at the top. The SIM extractor comes in the sales pack

Software: Sense-ible stuff The One X runs on the newly launched Android 4.0 (Ice-cream Sandwich). Running on top of this is HTC Sense 4.0, which keeps up HTCâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s legacy of offering an experience that is different from what you get on the routine Droid. The homescreen can have up to seven customisable panels. You can go to the homescreen leap view by pinching on the screen. You can now also create folders on the homescreen by simply stacking one app icon over the other. Unlike the default ICS menu which is divided into two segments (apps and widgets), the menu of the One X has three categories - all, frequent and downloads. The new look for the options menu (i.e. the three

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is up there with the best we have seen. HTC has also made some changes in the interface of the camera. Now instead of one, there are two shutter keys on the view finder - one for still and the other for video, allowing you to capture a still frame even while shooting a video. Speaking of video capture the camera is capable of capturing full HD 1080p videos. The camera has features like slow motion video capture and HDR (as seen in the iPhone 4) which captures multiple shots of the same frame and lets you choose the best among it. It also has face detection, smile capture and stereo recording for videos. It handles HD videos effortlessly and supports most popular video formats. On the sound front, the One X comes with Beats Audio for great sound. There is a sound enhancer feature too, which works only when the headsets are connected the sound experience through the headphones with Beats Audio on is a treat for music buffs. The music player app’s interface is designed to access all your music from a single screen.

2 3

Pros

Talktime/Standby | Upto 10 hours/

 Quad-core processor

Upto 290 hours

 Android Ice Cream

GPRS/3G | Yes/Yes

Sandwich

User experience: Smooth as silk

Bluetooth/ WiFi | Yes/Yes

 Exceptional 8.0-

megapixel camera

Phonebook Capacity | Shared Camera | 8.0 megapixel

 Micro SIM

Frequency | GSM 850/900/1800/1900

 No expandable memory  Battery is not detachable

8.0megapixel camera is one of the best in the market

A secondary camera has been added in the front for video calling

Others | Media Link HD, Sense 4.0

Price: Rs 37,990 5

The experience with the HTC One X has been a pleasant one. While the quad processor doesn’t really get a chance of showing off its muscle in routine tasks, there are soon going to be apps that will put it to efficient use. We would have loved to see a stronger battery – it drains really fast if you use the camera extensively and barely makes it through a day.

Conclusion The HTC One X is priced at Rs 37,990 in the market. In terms of configuration and specifications, it is currently the only smartphone with a quad core processor in the country. If you are willing to forego the quad core processor and Ice Cream Sandwich experience, you can try the Samsung Galaxy Note for Rs 32,000. n

Pressing the option keys on the front panel gives access to recent apps

team@mymobile.co.in

dots) of ICS has been retained in the Sense UI too. The settings menu has been divided into four sections - wireless and networks, device, personal and system. Options like data usage have been added, which show app wise data consumption along with day wise usage. You can add your Facebook, Flickr, HTC, Email, MS Exchange accounts and sync all your contacts in the phonebook. Friend Stream integrates all your social networking activities into one window. A number of apps come preloaded on the phone, including the likes of Saavn, Soundhound, Twitter, eBuddy XMS, and Bollywood Hungama, etc. Dropbox support comes with 25 GB of cloud storage for two years, and for creating and editing MS Office

files, there is Polaris Office. Another interesting aspect of the phone is the Media link HD, which allows you to share content with your TV or computer over Wi-Fi – it is as simple as a three finger swipe, if you have a special dongle that needs to be plugged into the TV or computer. The browsing experience on the phone is great, courtesy the large display and Flash support.

Multimedia: Unleash hell! The highlight of the HTC One X is its camera. Yes, an 8.0-megapixel is not something new, but its ability to capture four frames per second (it can keep capturing up to ninety shots) in continuous mode is! Picture quality

verdict Looks

Features

ease of use

perfoRmance

value for money

overall

86%

apr 15 to may 14 2012 MYMOBILE 63

burn test

Asus transformer prime! Touch, Type, Transformer highlights 1

A 1.2-megapixel resolution secondary camera has been added to the front panel

The three touch keys of Andorid 4.0 negate the need of many hard keys

The docking system with the keyboard is simple and sturdy

263 mm

3 4 The keyboard is comfortable to use

Pros  Android 4.0

OS, quad core processor

 18 hours of

5 The touchpad of the keypad has multitouch support

Looks: No, it’s not an ultrabook We have always been fascinated by new form factors in devices. Which is why we were so taken by the Asus Transformer Prime, also known as the Asus TF20. As far as the looks go, this is easily among the sleekest and slimmest devices we have even seen, even when you include the keyboard. It comes with a brushed metal finish that makes it look more like an ultrabook than the keyboard-tab combo that it is. Sans the keyboard, it is like an average 10.1 inch tablet with smooth and curved finish. The keyboard in itself is also pretty sleek with island-type keys that are comfort-

battery life (with the dock)

 Keyboard dock

able to use, but have a metallic finish. On the whole, the Transformer Prime is a very handsome package.

Hardware: Prime cut It has a 10.1 inch Corning Gorilla Glass display, with no hardware keys at all. There is an 8.0megapixel camera at the back accompanied with a flash and a 1.2-megapixel camera at front. The internal memory of the tablet that we got for review was 64 GB but it also comes in a 32 GB version along with 8 GB Asus webStorage. The highlight of the tab is its quad core processor, which definitely makes for

64 MYMOBILE apr 15 to may 14 2012

a zippy performance. As far as the connectivity goes, the tab only has Wi-Fi support. It has a microSD card slot and the keyboard dock has a SD card slot along with a USB port. While the tab has HDMI connectivity through a mini HDMI port, there is no USB connectivity. The charging port is also proprietary and the keypad as well as the tablet come with charging slots. In a neat touch, both keyboard and tablet come with their own battery and when used in combination, can give a battery backup of up to 18 hours – which is the best we have seen on any tablet. When docked the keyboard battery drains first but continues to work

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full Flash support along with multitouch the touchpad also has multi touch. On the e-mail front, it supports most Webmail services and also has MS Exchange. Polaris Office lets you create and edit MS Office files easily – handy, considering the keyboard attachment.

tech specs Size | 263 x 180.8 x 8.3 mm

Cons

Weight | 586 grams

m 180.8

 Only Wi-Fi

connectivity

Multimedia: Groovy Transformer!

Memory | 64GB, microSD

 Limited apps to

support the quad core processor

 Definitely on the

expensive side

Phonebook Capacity | NA

For imaging enthusiasts, the Transformer Prime comes with a 8.0-megapixel camera that takes impressive images for a tablet. It has a dial like interface with features like auto focus, infinity focus and continuous auto focus, and scene options like landscape, night, snow, and sunset. The tablet is capable of capturing 1080p full HD videos and has some special effects called silly faces and background. The tab comes with a music player with a number of equaliser presets. The sound quality of the tab is good both through the loudspeaker as well as headphones. Needless to say, it plays 1080p videos with ease.

Camera | 8.0 megapixel

User experience: Prime time

It might be future proof on the spec front, but we must confess that in performance, we could not see a marked difference between the Transformer Prime and the dual core tablets that we have used. That said, the Transformer Prime was comfortable to use - we were able to type long articles and do our research at the same time and the battery just rocked. We would have loved to see more gesture control on the touchpad, though. We also expected 3G connectivity on this expensive device.

Frequency | NA Others | Polaris Office, Tegra Zone

Price: Rs 49,000

Conclusion The Transformer Prime retails for Rs 49,000. We think this is a bit on the higher side for a device with no 3G connectivity, but when it comes to specifications and seamless keyboard connectivity, we must confess it has no competition. n team@mymobile.co.in

verdict even when completely drained, drawing power from the tablet. All in all, this is by far the most powerful tablet we have seen in terms of specs – future proof for a while, certainly!

Software: Ice Cream Sandwiched! The Transformer Prime runs on Android 4.0 (Ice-cream Sandwich). The lock screen now has two options; you can either unlock the homescreen or access the camera through it. The homescreens have been simplified and there are five of them which can be customised. You can now create folders on the

homescreen by simply stacking once app icon over the other. The touch buttons of back, home and recent apps stay on the bottom right and the system bar is on the right, with considerable functions of its own (it shows date, time, Wi-Fi connectivity, battery status and settings). There are various modes for battery, and screen settings can also be changed easily. In the recent apps function you can simply swipe the app sideways to close an app resulting in better power management. The menu has been divided into two parts now, the apps and the widgets which can be accessed swiping sideways. The browser comes with

Looks

Features

ease of use

perfoRmance

value for money

overall

80%

apr 15 to may 14 2012 MYMOBILE 65

burn test lenovo Thinkpad The ThinkPad

comes to tablet land Looks: It’s a ThinkPad!

Lenovo’s ThinkPad tablet is a complete departure from the tablet norm and in keeping with its “notebook for professionals” image. When it comes to looks and design, it exudes serious business sense with its all black body which, in spite of being a tad bulky, exudes subtle class. Giving it an additional professional flavour is the keyboard dock which comes in a case made of black leather-like material, and connects to the tablet via USB. The back panel has a smooth rubberised finish. The front panel of the tab has four hardware keys for home, back, browser and rotation lock. The SD card and SIM card slots are securely covered while the mini-HDMI, USB 2.0, 3.5 mm jack and the USB port are placed on the sides. Lodged in one of the sides is a digital pen/stylus. Another dash of red is to be seen in the keyboard, which sports a red trackpad in the middle. Overall the package exudes power and sturdiness.

Hardware: Rock solid The tablet comes with hardware that is designed to get work done rather than be flaunted. The 10.1 inch screen is bright and made of scratch-proof Corning Gorilla Glass. Powering the tab is a 1 GHz NVIDIA Tegra dual core processor. There is a 2.0-megapixel front camera and a 5.0-megapixel one at the back. On the connectivity front, the tablet supports 3G, Wi-Fi, GPS, Bluetooth, HDMI and also USB On the Go support. An important part of the ThinkPad tablet is the keyboard. Though sold as an accessory, it will appeal to those who want to type away. It connects to the tablet through the USB port, and draws power from the tablet only (no ports or extra battery on it). The keys of the keyboard are well spaced and optimally sized, serving up a laptop-like typing experience. The trackball is handy for moving the cursor, but for not much else. There are two clickable keys at the end of the keyboard, and they work just as they do in a notebook. A number of shortcuts have been given on the top row of the keyboard for volume control, home, brightness, lock zoom, settings, media control and a few others. In a neat touch, a number of the keyboard shortcuts we are accustomed to using on Windows work fine here as well (Ctrl+C, Ctrl+V, Ctrl+S, etc.)

Software: Honey(comb) for money The ThinkPad tablet runs on Android 3.1 (

tech specs Size | 260 x 181.7 x 14 mm

Honeycomb), which now seems a bit ancient, when you consider that 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) is in the market. An update for the tablet is expected in May 2012. The interface is standard Android with a few additions from Lenovo. For instance the homescreen has a Launch Zone where you can set your favourite shortcuts for easy access. Similarly, an icon at the bottom centre of the screen gives you access to a shortcut tab where again you can add or remove favourites. In addition to the standard Android Market (now called Google Play), there is also a Lenovo App Shop that shortlists apps for the tablet. This being a ThinkPad, there are a number of enterprise apps preloaded on it, such as Absolute Software for device security, Citrix Reciever for virtual desktop, Arc Sync, DocumentsToGo editor, and a USB file copy utility. Of course, there is also an email client with Microsoft Exchange support, and the usual Android goodies in mail and social networking. There is, however, only one app (Notes Mobile) that has been designed for the stylus. It comes with some lick features like convert to text and a special menu that lets you export content as text or as a picture.

Multimedia: Sight and sound The tablet comes with a 5.0-megapixel camera at the back, which has autofocus and infinity modes for shooting. The picture quality is average, but then one would hardly use this big a device for impulse snaps. For music, apart from the default music player, there are apps like mSpot Music which lets you access music stored in the cloud or Internet radio. The sound quality on both loudspeaker and headphones was honestly below par, although the tablet proved a dab hand at playing HD videos in popular formats.

User Experience: Legacy continues In our opinion, the Thinkpad tablet comes as close as an Android tablet can to Windows PC functionality. And while everything generally worked well on it, we did experience the odd lag, making us wonder whether the 1 GHz processor was enough for its needs. There is no doubt that Lenovo has put in a lot of thought in the whole hardware and design of the tablet, making it stand out from the routine tablet crowd. While it does live up to what we had expected from the ThinkPad brand, we feel that the keyboard could have some more functions.

66 MYMOBILE apr 15 to may 14 2012

Price: Rs 54,000 Pros  1 GHz Dual core processor  Enterprise features  10.1 capacitive screen with stylus

Cons  Relatively bulky  A bit expensive with the

keyboard dock

 Limited apps for stylus input

Conclusion At Rs 54,000 for the 64 GB edition (there are 16 GB and 32 GB variants too) with the keyboard dock, the ThinkPad tablet commands a pretty steep price. However, those looking for enterprise functionality combined with the portability of a tablet might consider it. The tablet alone is available for a starting price of Rs 30,000. A keyboard-tablet option that you can consider is the Asus Transformer for Rs 52,000. n team@mymobile.co.in

highlights 1 Customised interface on the homescreen works well

2 3 The keyboard docking system lets you adjust the viewing angle

2.0-megapixel secondary camera lets you do video calling

260 mm

The stylus comes handy for scribbling notes

5 The ports have been placed on the sides for easy connectivity

4 181.7 mm

verdict Looks

Features

ease of use

perfoRmance

value for money

overall

3 5

78%

apr 15 to may 14 2012 MYMOBILE 67

boredom buster

Ride ‘em, Cowboy! Going wild in the wild wild west

levels (and bank balance). However, we did find esterns have always had a cult following. Being a cowboy has its Rating the missions to be a bit random, with the only introductions coming from a saucily dressed own charm and with Six Guns, barmaid who gives a brief background for what you get to be one. The game is set in the you need to do. The touch controls of the game wild west and you play as Buck Corshaw a are reasonably easy to handle and are spread across cowboy looking for some adventure. The 3D the screen, with special buttons for things like speedgraphics of the game are convincingly realistic and so ing up your horse, quickly moving from one place to is the fair madam who helps you from time to time another without having to use a horse, and dismountwith tips and hints. You have to choose your mission ing from the horse. The graphics and the animations from a map and compete it without getting killed of the game are great – very Red Dead Redemption - that includes killing robbers, witches and night– but yes, we would have appreciated greater variwalkers (some sort of human eating monsters), ety in the missions that the game offers. And yes, racing with the bad boys, shooting snakes and the in-game buying system was a big put-off for rabbits, and other things. The game follows the us. Still, if it is cowboy thrills that you seek, Six fermium model where you can download the Guns is about as good-looking app for free from the iTunes App Store but a game you will get on your then can choose to buy powerups within iOS or Android device. n the game to keep going or collect enough gold coins to be able to buy them. You either sonia@mymobile.co.in play the game endlessly or fork out the cash We tested it on the for a quick finish, depending on your patience Apple iPad2

68 MYMOBILE apr 15 to may 14 2012

78%

www.mymobile.co.in

High-def, high octane action!

the game is to find manic genius Dr. Edgar Simon and in process destroy his mutant army. The game is available in two versions Shadowgun which works on Tegra 2 devices and is available for approximately Rs 335; and Shadowgun THD which comes for the same price but works on devices with NVIDIA Tegra 3 processors. And no this is not just processor hype - the first thing that you t’s always fun to be a warrior and fight and notice is that the game has strikingly amazing subdue hostile enemies on their own turf. graphics giving it a console-like experiAnd if this warrior is a modern day ence. We found that while the visual mercenary or bounty hunter based in the year 2350, that’s even better! The Rating experience was great handling the controls was not that easy. The screen best of these mercenaries are called is divided into two parts, the left part Shadowguns and you, John Slade are is for movements and the right one has the best of the best. Your mission in

Console-like gaming on a tab? Hell, yes!

83%

(too many) controls for moving the viewing angle, shooting, reloading and rolling over. John Slade is not alone in the adventure. He has S.A.R.A.—Slade’s personal android assistant to support him. There are three modes to play the game, easy, normal and hard. The action is almost non-stop, the locales stunning and the gaming experience is hampered only by the less than touchscreenfriendly controls. If you have a high performance device like an Asus Transformer Prime, this is one game you have GOT to play. n sonia@mymobile.co.in

We tested it on the Asus Transformer Prime

apr 15 to may 14 2012 MYMOBILE 69

boredom buster The Doodle game Using that

sketch itch to win

friend or pick a rann these hectic times, however, one does dom online player. Giving not really get the time to play classic the right answer wins you coins with social games like Pictionary and dumb which you can buy more colours and bombs charades. If you are one of those who miss that help you in guessing the answer by them, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s time to rejoice, for something simiremoving the wrong letters from the alphalar is available for you on your smartphone. bet tray that is given to you to key in Draw Something is an app that can be the right answer. There is also a free downloaded from Google Play or version of this app that comes with the iTunes App Store for approxiRating a limit of using around a thousand mately Rs 50. words, and is ad supported. The fact Playing it is incredibly simplethat it is very non-intrusive and can you need to draw a picture based actually be played at any time makes it on a word prompted by the game interesting. And the drawing part is fun - no and another person has to guess it, with matter how hard you try, your drawings the help of a group of jumbled letters and are more likely to be funny than accurate your sketch! Only in this case, the person (sketching on touchscreens with a finger is not sitting across the table but could be is tough!). The interface is simple, there anywhere in the world. Charades meets are different difficult levels to choose from, Pictionary online. and whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s more, it can be played across You can invite one of your friends to play platforms. So, if you are an Android user the game or create a game where you can you can challenge your iPhonechoose an opponent from Facebook, e-mail a toting friend and vice versa. Small wonder it has become a raged. n

82%

sonia@mymobile.co.in

We tested it on the Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc S

70 MYMOBILE apr 15 to may 14 2012

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Howzzat! Sticking

with cricket

ricket is like religion for most of us Indians. Be it the World Cup or the Indian Premier League, everything related to cricket is watched and followed by something that borders on interest and fanaticism. Time and again app developers have tried to encapsulate the game’s magic on handsets, and amongst the few titles that have managed to do is Stick Cricket. It is one of the most played cricket based games and has now

made it to the Google Play app store. The app can be downloaded for free, but also has two paid versions called the Pro-pack and World Cup. You can learn the tricks of the trade at the Stick Cricket Academy and then play tournaments like the All-Star Slog and World Domination. The All-Star Slog has three versions - 5 overs, 10 overs and 20 overs, but the latter two are available in the (paid) Pro pack only. In it, you can play as players of different countries against an All Stars XI comprising some of the game’s legends. In World Domination, you play as theAll Stars XI and take on different teams one by one. The graphics of the game are on the simple

side, and the scoreboards and sound quality are decent but what makes the game tick is its sheer simplicity – you just have to tap the screen at the right time to hit a good stroke. There’s no stroke selection, footwork or anything, just timing. The bowling is canny enough to make run scoring difficult at times, and you have real player names in teams that get updated. All said and done, this is the perfect five minute time waster for all cricket fans! n sonia@mymobile.co.in

We tested it on the HTC One X

Rating

85%

apr 15 to may 14 2012 MYMOBILE 71

boredom buster

Fowl Play in Space Angry Birds

are back, and this time they are fighting not just pigs, but gravity itself

fter creating a rage and gathering accolades on the gaming planet, the Angry Birds now literally get into space for a new battle. Their enemies remain the same – the pigs who are after their eggs. Angry Birds Space is the next in Rovio’s Angry Birds series and comes with completely new gameplay. The story begins when a monstrous claw from space comes down to look for a

ing back for more. There are four levels golden egg and, along with the golden one, picks one of those belonging to Rating - Pig Bang, Cold Cuts, Danger Zone and Eggsteroids, so far with different inter the birds, who, you guessed it, get levels in them. You only move to the angry. The birds then follow the claw next level after unlocking all the stages of to the space to get back their eggs and the previous one. And in the middle of the take on the pigs once more. This being game you can actually stumble across other space, the battle field is full of stars, asteroids mini-games – we tapped on a worm hole and other celestial bodies. There are 60 interstellar levels with different backgrounds set on and found ourselves playing a birdy version of Space Invaders at one stage. All of which planets and in zero gravity. The mode of battle makes Angry Birds Space a worthy addition remains the same as in previous models – you to the series. It retains the strengths – simple shoot the birds using a catapult aiming them physics-oriented gameplay – and throws in at the pigs who are hidden inside fortificathe element of gravity. Awesome, we think. It’s tions. However, this being space, gravity acts free on Android and costs $ 2.99 differently, and in many cases, not at all, which for iPad and $ 0.99 for iPhone. n makes the attacks all the more challenging to plan. The physics applied might take you time harshita@mymobile.co.in to understand – birds go round and round and planets and drift away sometimes – but once We tested it on the you get the hang of it, you will keep comApple iPad 2

70 72 MYMOBILE MYMOBILE feb apr1515totomar may14142012 2012

87%

Smart apps

Go Travel Make

your travel bucket list

ll of us have a list of places that we wish to visit and experience. However, few of us are actually able to visit them, thanks to the daily business of life. If the fact that you have not been able to go to the places you always wanted to has been gnawing away at you, well, there is an app that could help. Aptly named 1000 Places To See Before You Die, the app is available for free download from the iTunes App Store, and is based on the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s best selling travel book by veteran travel Rating journalist Patricia Schultz. The app is designed in the form of a map, with places worth visiting in each country being indicated clearly. To get more details about a place, just tap on it. This reveals information like the culture, weather, traditions and so on. You can also view places based on categories like wildlife, adventure, beaches and getaway islands, etc. You can add a place as having been visited or put it on your wish to go list. You can even share your list with your friends over Facebook. You can save your best moments in the app by uploading pictures taken during a trip and can also see which of your friends using the app have added places in their lists. It is simple to use, works smoothly, and will satisfy your wanderlust. For a while, at least. n

82%

sonia@mymobile.co.in

We tested it on the Apple iPad 2

apr 15 to may 14 2012 MYMOBILE 73

Smart apps Browse, I say! Surfing with

gestures and your voice

is simple and comes with multi-touch supmagine just speaking to your bowser to go port for easy browsing, as well as support for to a website rather than having to type in Chinese, Japanese and Latin languages. There words using the keypad. Well that is one of is a toolbar on the top right which lets you go the things that the new Dolphin HD browser full screen and use various add ons as well, does in your Android device. One of the most which enable you to change the look and feel powerful third party browsers available for of the browser and add various capabilities smartphones, it not only does the basics right to it. The browser has some gesture control but also throws in a number of customisafunctions too - you can simply draw a figure tions when it comes to functionalities. on the screen to make the browser take For instance, it allows you to choose an action like refresh, new tab, go back, whether you want Flash support all the time or not and also gives you Rating head to a specific website, etc. Then comes Sonar, the voice command a choice for rendering the pages capability of the browser. To access as per an Android phone, desktop, it, you can either shake the phone iPhone or iPad. The browser interface

83%

74 MYMOBILE apr 15 to may 14 2012

or press the mic icon on the address book. Once you have uttered the words you want to search, the browser looks around for relevant information and lists the links. As in other voice control apps, we found it a bit iffy when it came to Indian accents. But all said and done, Dolphin HD provides an excellent and innovative alternative to your devices stock Android browser. We hope it inspires other browsers to get on to the gesture and voice-oriented navigation bandwagon too. n

sonia@mymobile.co.in

We tested it on the HTC One X

www.mymobile.co.in

Some serious protection Keeping

the apps on the phones to detect virus threat, while the paid version lets you protect your phone while surfing the Web. You can also activate parental control where you can choose level of protection like teen, pre teen and child. There are also options to blacklist numbers and block calls and texts from them, and a martphones may have become more list of annoying numbers which get disconpowerful, but are also now more susRating nected within three seconds. The remote ceptible to virus attacks, apart from wipe system lets you locate and wipe your the usual threat of getting lost or stolen. An lost or stolen phone through an online portal anti-virus solution therefore is very much without having to send any SMS. You can a necessity in these times. Trend Micro's sound an alarm, wipe your phone and lock it personal security app for Android devices is making it useless. an excellent option. It not only scans the phone for One license works only for one device. Best of all, viruses but also lets you put in filters in various the app works smoothly and is easy to install, confunctions for hassle free usage. It also comes with a figure and operate. A must-have if you have mobile tracker which can help in remotely wiping sensitive information on your handset. n the content of your lost or stolen phone. The app can be downloaded for free from the sonia@mymobile.co.in Google Play store, but one can also buy a two year We tested it on the license for Rs 455. The free version of the app scans Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc S

you phone's data safe!

82%

apr 15 to may 14 2012 MYMOBILE 75

Smart apps Waze to go Busting those traffic blues

raffic jams and snarl-ups are part and parcel of the lives of those living in urban India. Indiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s road system being even more dynamic than the monsoons in Mumbai, is almost impossible to predict what will happen traffic-wise. The only respite which most of us have are the periodic announcements that one gets on FM radio based on inputs of fellow travelers, but even those are sporadic in nature. Fortunately, now there is an app that Rating actually implements the motto of help thy fellow traveler, combining social networking with GPS and navigation functionalities. Called Waze, it offers turn by turn voice navigation along with social network integration. Download the app, set your destination and you will not only get details of the route to follow but will also be able to send posts under various categories like hazard on road, police trap, etc., which can be viewed by other drivers and you can also view alerts and comments posted by other members of the community, allowing you to know what lies ahead on the road. As the maps are generated by tracking the GPS coordinates of the drivers, these are as real time as they can get. One can also enable the app to automatically post road reports, destination and expected time of arrival, on social networking sites. Of course, it works best on popular routes in big cities and you depend totally on the community for information, but it is still a better than nothing. Waze can be downloaded from the Google Play Store for free. n

80%

sonia@mymobile.co.in

We tested it on the Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc S

76 MYMOBILE apr 15 to may 14 2012

fa c e t o fa c e

“Kohli is aggressive, So is Celkon” Even as his company makes steady progress towards becoming a leading player in the mobile market, Y. Guru, managing director, Celkon Mobiles, talks about the company’s future plans and his excitement on signing Virat Kohli as a brand ambassador Mukesh Kumar Singh Celkon is a relative newcomer in the Indian market. How has the journey been so far? We started in year 2009 and due to our sheer determination and hard work, we have been able to make our presence felt in the Indian market. Our success can be measured on the basis of the fact that in such a short duration we have already launched more than 60 mobile phones and 90 per cent of them proved successful. Our main headquarters is situated in Hyderabad. We are a leading mobile phone brand in Andhra Pradesh and the second largest in the entire southern region. At the national level, Celkon is the third largest selling Indian mobile phone brand in the country. We have also recently launched our handsets in other parts of the country including Delhi, Punjab, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh. You have recently signed cricketer Virat Kohli as your brand ambassador. How will he help in building the brand? Virat Kohli is a very successful player of the Indian cricket team and there is a fair possibility of him becoming the next captain of the team. Kohli today can be considered a powerful youth icon, which will really help our brand in gaining fame

among the youth of India. On his personality front, Kohli is very aggressive and Celkon too as a brand considers itself aggressive in terms of making new innovations. We believe Kohli would be a great factor in promoting our brand and keeping it in the limelight. Our aim is to spread across the nation as a powerful brand. Many Indian handset brands are coming up with low cost tablets these days. Does Celkon have any such plans? Surely there are many Indian brands launching tablets these days but in our opinion those

tablets are lacking some or the other important aspect due to the low cost factor. We will come up with our tablet in June this year with full preparation. How important is the quality and after sales service of the product for you? More than 40 engineers work 24x7 in our R&D set ups and we constantly check our products on quality parameters. For after sales service, we ensure that spare parts of the phone are available in the market even before its launch. Also, we deliver our service within two hours for minor problems and for major problems we take 24 hours to get the handset repaired. We have 337 service centers all over the country to provide after-sales service. What is your sales target for the next year? Right now we are selling four lakh units per month but in the next one year we have set a target of ten lakh units per month. What are the company’s plans for the IPL? We have shot a commercial with Kohli which will be played on television after 20 April during IPL matches. The advertisement will run on other popular channels as well. People will also see hoardings and POP advertisements with cricketers promoting Celkon. n mukesh@mymobile.co.in

apr 15 to may 14 20122 MYMOBILE 77

etcetera Scan on the move

A scanner that you can carry

ortronicsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Scanny 4 is a scanner that has been designed for work on the move. You do not need to insert documents into it - to scan an A4 page, just move the Scanny on the surface of its surface. No, you do not need to attach it to a computer for it to work. The results can be seen on the 1 inch LCD screen with 2x, 4x , 8x zoom and also can be downloaded to computer through USB â&#x20AC;&#x201C; no need to install any software (the joys of plug and play). What is more, it scans your documents with auto white balancing feature and supports upto 600 DPI resolution. In terms of times, we found the Scanny to a reasonably quick performer for something that is so portable - it takes 12 second for a high resolution with color scan and almost 8 second for a high resolution with mono (A4 and standard size) scan. The scanner comes with ABBYY OCR Software CD, two AA Akaline Batteries, USB cable, Pouch, and calibration paper accessories but you will need to invest in a microSD card, as you cannot scan documents without it. It supports upto 32 GB of storage. You can save images in JPEG or PDF format on the microSD card and can also delete files. All of which makes it a very decent option for those who never know when the need to scan might hit them! The Portronics Scanny 4 is available for Rs 6,499 in India. n

78 MYMOBILE apr 15 to may 14 2012

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I Folio Magic! HP

gets into the ultrabook segment with style

t is raining ultrabooks in the Indian market and now one of the biggest players in the market has come to the party. HP’s Folio 13 is one of the newest entrants in the category and is certainly one of the most impressive we have seen. Although we were disappointed to see yet another Ultrabook in grey, the HP Folio still cuts a very prim figure in best ultrabook tradition, being less than an inch thick and tipping the scales at a shade under 1.5 kg. Its brushed aluminium looks will turn a few heads too. Inside that frame are some very impressive specs – a 13.3 inch display, 1.5 GHz Intel Core i5 processor, 4 GB RAM, and 128 GB SSD storage. Connectivity options include USB, Wi-Fi, HDMI and there’s also an

external DVD drive bundled along with the device. In terms of operation, the Folio was one of the fastest performing ultrabooks we had seen, booting up almost as quickly as the 11 inch MacBook Air and handling most tasks – from word processing to image tweaking – with a fair degree of aplomb. The keyboard is comfortable to use and the bundled DVD writer handy for those times when you want to watch films. Battery life, at nearly eight hours, is impressive. All of which makes the Folio 13 one of the best ultrabooks we have seen. At Rs 69,990, it is priced well below the offerings from Asus and Lenovo in this division. If you are looking for a solid yet stylish notebook this side of the MacBook Air, it would be difficult to do better. n

apr 15 to may 14 2012 MYMOBILE 79

etcetera NFC Talk Lets get near to communicate

okia is one of the global brands that is aggressively promoting and utilising Near Field Communications (NFC) technology in its products. Recently, it had launched a range of mobile handsets that offered NFC functionality and now it has introduced a Bluetooth headset that uses NFC technology for easier connectivity with the phone. Called the Luna, this headset comes in a cool triangular shape along with a circular dock that charges the headset and comes with the NFC chip. The convenience of NFC is that to connect it to a NFC enabled device with just one tap without having to go through the hassle of switching on Bluetooth, searching the device and then pairing and connecting it. The pro-

cess is much quicker as one tap with the NFC enables phone, automatically switches on Bluetooth and connects the headset to it. However, the Luna does not only work with NFC enabled devices, we were able to connect it to phones withput NFC too. The voice quality of the headset is good. It weighs only five grams but the new design at times make it a bit difficult to fit into everyoneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ears and does not come with adjustability options. As per the companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s claims, the Luna is capable of giving talk time of up to eight hours and standby time of up to six days and the headset stands true to these claims. The Luna is available in a vide variety of bright colours for Rs 4,350 in India. n

80 MYMOBILE apr 15 to may 14 2012

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Pixel Fun A Multimedia

printer for the masses

anon has recently released a new printer that is targeted at home users as well as offices. The Canon Pixma E500 can not only print documents and still photographs, it is also capable of printing movies. It offers innovative Full HD Movie Print and Fun Filter Effect to your photos and also comes with fantastic features like calendar print. You can print an image in calendar format just by clicking on calendar print option. You can print an image with five different fun filter effects fish eye effect, miniature effect, toy camera effect, soft focus and blur background. It has a classy combination of Black and Blue color. The Pixma E500 features a thin shape

and a unique design that incorporates folding trays for better storage. Canon Pixma E500 Colour inkjet printer is offering all in one printing functionality like print, copier and scanner at an affordable price. Just install the setup in your PC and in 10-16 minutes its all set to go. Once installation is complete, users will notice several new buttons displayed above the taskbar on the lower right side of the computerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s screen. These shortcuts are designed to give you quick access to five of the most commonly used printer functions: Notices, Auto scan, Layout print, Photo Print, Show Main Screen, and Hide. The print quality of the E500 is good and it costs Rs 5,999. n

apr 15 to may 14 2012 MYMOBILE 81

et cetera

Go extreme The successor is here

hen it comes to Bluetooth headsets, the most important aspect to choose the right one is voice performance. And one brand that has time and again pushed the limits of a great Bluetooth experience is Jabra, which has now brought out the second headset in the Extreme series called the Extreme 2. The headset boasts of features such as Noise Blackout 3.0 that reduces ambient noise, HD audio and voice guidance that makes it easier to manage and communicate with the device. The voice guidance alerts you about the battery and connection status also gives you step by step instructions for setup and pairing. The A2DP feature lets you stream audio from your device to you headset wirelessly. The Extreme 2 can be paired with two devices at one time and its light and sleek body makes it comfortable to wear even for long hours. It also comes with an over the ear loop for those who prefer that option and has various gel styles too so that you can choose as per your preference. The Extreme2 has very simple switch on and off sliding button which was of most convenience and also helped in saving battery. The headet is easy to connect and use and gives a good range and disconnected only when there was a significant blockade between the device and the headset. The sound qyality is good and voice commands help a lot. The Extreme2 is priced at Rs 4,999 in the Indian market. n

82 MYMOBILE apr 15 to may 14 2012

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Stripey Sound A

booming experience

f you want a good sound experience without having to spend loads of money on high end home theatre systems then the Zebronics ZEBT9200RUCF is for you. The cost at which these speaker systems are available makes them a completely viable value for money alternative to the expensive home theatre systems. The Zebronics ZEB-SWT9200RUCF is equipped with one subwoofer and five speakers. The speaker system can deliver sounds in a clear and sharp manner. The interface is simple and touch enabled, making it convenient to use and good to look at. You can connect the speakers to other devices like laptop and PCs or plug in a USB drive or a SD card to access content. It comes with a built in FM radio along with a built-in 6 channels amplifier. There is a remote control to wirelessly control the speaker system. It supports MP3 file format and comes with 2.0 stereo and 5.1 ch/AC-3 input option. The sound quality of the system is good only if the finishing of the product could have been done in a better way. Although it has a smooth and sophisticated look, the finish in of the way the USB port was played spoilt the overall look and quality of the product. The Zebronics ZEB-SWT9200RUCF is priced at Rs 6,200 in the Indian market. n

apr 15 to may 14 2012 MYMOBILE 83

etcetera

scan it up A scan-

ner with smart features

leek form factor of a device is not just important with respect to its looks and design. It is also important for the portability and compact usage which helps in saving costs and increasing the efficiency of any office. Keeping this in mind, Plustek has introduced its new smart and stylish scanner called the SmartOffice PL1530. The salient feature of the scanner is that it can be connected to two computers at the same time through the availability of two USB ports in it. As far as the looks go, the scanner is an eye catcher. It is decked up in terms of features too and is capable of scanning up to 50 pages document in one go. One can choose whether the document should be scanned using ADF (Automatic Document Feeder) or flatbed mode and can also create searchable PDFs. Not only this, the single touch scanning buttons placed on the device allowed users to share the scanned document instantly to the PC and can also create all popular image file formats. SmartOffice PL1530 is compatible working with Windows 2000, XP, Vista and 7. It also has 512 MB RAM and 800 MB free HDD space. The SmartOffice PL1530 is priced at Rs 27,300 in the Indian market. n

84 MYMOBILE apr 15 to may 14 2012

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A Powerful Shot Time to go beyond the ordinary

anon which is among the top market leaders in DSLR camera category aims to lead in the compact camera category too. The SX40HS is the latest model of Canon Digital camera series. It features a 12.1-megapixel back-illuminated CMOS sensor, DIGIC 5 image processor, 4.5-stop optical Image Stabiliser with new Intelligent IS technology. Features like electronic viewfinder and manual controls make using the phone easy. The Canon PowerShot SX40 HSâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; shooting mode dial offers up to 11 settings, Auto, Program, Shutter-speed priority, Aperture priority, Manual, Creative Filters, Sports, Scene, Movie, Custom 1 and 2 recording modes. Switch to the SCN mode and can select High Speed Burst HQ. This offers a host of quick fire continuous capture of up to 10.3 frames per second for up to eight shots and 120fps or 240fps slow motion video replay options at 640x480 or 320x240 pixels respectively. The SX40 HS allows you to record images at four different resolutions, in four different aspect ratios and in the choice of two JPEG compression levels. The best feature of this camera is that it is easy to use. Its can be easily used by a professional or amateur photographer. Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a thumb rest on the back with embossed dots, it helps to handle the camera with one hand. It is prices at Rs 28,995 n

apr 15 to may 14 2012 MYMOBILE 85

Va s

Money Goes Mobile! It started off as an instrument to make calls. Then allowed to send texts and mails. Then allowed you to browse the Web and install apps. And now, seems all set to act as your wallet. Yes, the arrival of mobile money could do just that to your handset Heena Jatav

orgotten your wallet at home or need to send money to a friend on a holiday when both the banks and courier services are closed? You need not to worry. All you need is your trusty handset and a mobile money service to make a payment, at any time, at any place. The concept of mobile money revolves around letting you make a payment through your mobile device rather than using cash or credit cards. And no, we are not talking about a niche service that is available only to a few. A survey conducted by Alcatel Lucent with members of the Alcatel-Lucent Youth Lab Online Community in 10 different countries, revealed that as many as 81 per cent of the survey respondents indicated they were ‘extremely interested’ in the idea of using their mobile phone as a wallet. And that is hardly surprising given the convenience that this would bring. “Think of the situation when someone close to you is in urgent need of money and you can actually fulfill that need in few minutes irrespective of your current location and time. The concept is amazing,” says Vaibhav Razdan, a software engineer in Rajasthan. Small wonder a number of mobile companies are jumping on to the mobile money bandwagon.

Sevices Galore Airtel Money

India’s leading service operator Bharti Airtel recently introduced its mobile wallet service. The service allows instant money transfer between its own prepaid wallets and to bank accounts. Airtel Money is an account on a mobile device can be used for transferring money and pay bills for various products and services. A customer can avail of two accounts. The Express account is an instant basic account which allows you to pay for all utilities, while the Power account comes with additional features such as sending money and more payment options. “Airtel Money offers a safe, secure, reliable and easy to use medium to send money

86 MYMOBILE apr 15 to may 14 2012

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and make payments. Moreover, with cash out facility on the horizon via a bank partnership, our product offering will only get strengthened,” says Sriram Jagannathan, CEO, Airtel M Commerce Services.

Vodafone M-Paisa

After the success of its international concept M-Pesa in different parts of Africa, Vodafone has its m-Paisa service for its Indian customers. Calling it a product of financial inclusion, Vodafone launched the service in collaboration with HDFC bank in November 2011. The service allows customers to make basic banking transaction on their mobile phones, and even deposit and withdraw cash at appointed Vodafone m-Paisa outlets, without having to go to bank branches. “Vodafone M-Paisa is modeled on the lines Vodafone’s M-Pesa product running in three different countries of Africa, offering more than 17 million people, basic financial services, beyond the reach of traditional banking,” said Sunil Sood, chief operating officer, Vodafone India while launching the service.”

It might offer a whole new world of financial convenience to users, but like all new services, mobile money too has a number of challenges to overcome before it can fulfil its potential

MORE TO COME Google Wallet

The mobile wallet service by search giant Google is believed to be on its way to India. The service can let you transact in different ways like pay in stores by using NFC or paying online by signing in your account. It can offer you discounted deals and is fully secure too. Though the cost of the service is bit on the higher side but it is likely to be adopted by consumers for the ease of use it provides. Currently the service is available in the US. The mobile wallet service by search giant Google is believed to be on its way to India. The service can let you transact in different ways like pay in stores by using NFC or paying online by signing in your account. It can offer you discounted deals and is fully secure too. Though the cost of the service is bit on the higher side but it is likely to be adopted by consumers for the ease of use it provides. Currently the service is available in the US.

YpayCash

Another service which is also going to join the mobile money league soon is YpayCash by eMudhra, a consumer technology service provider. The service can be installed on almost all smartphones by sending an SMS or through an app downloaded directly by Android users from Google Play or from BlackBerry App world by BlackBerry users.

Customer Concerns

It might offer a whole new world of financial convenience to users, but like all new services, mobile money too has a number of challenges

to overcome before it can fulfil its potential. Firstly, consumers need to be assured about the security of the medium and the service. Airtel’s Jagannathan does just that when he points out that “Airtel Money offers one of the most secured platforms for mobile transactions to its customers. The transmission between the customer and the server is highly secure and is done using encryption mechanism ensuring highest safety and security standards.” Then there is the issue of interoperability which hinders in seamless interaction between players from different vendors. “It has to be noted that most of the offerings by various issuers are closed loop, which means that customers, who are part of the same issuer, can transfer money between each other or pay at limited merchant outlets. This inhibits the growth of services as the universality of the program is missing,” points out Srinivas Nidugondi, Head Mobile Financial Solutions, at Comviva, a VAS Solution Provider. Third comes the cost part. India being a price sensitive market, the cost of the service will play crucial role in the service becoming mainstream or staying restricted to a niche. Another thing that needs to be taken care of are the legal formalities and simplicity of user interface like filling up of application form or activating the service online can make consumers paranoid and sometimes even averse to joining a service.

Future prospects With the growing wireless user base and rising number of mobile Internet users, the future of mobile money seems bright in India, even though some players (most notably Nokia) have brought the shutters down on their mobile money businesses. “The penetration of mobile telephony currently enriches the lives of over 900 million people in the country and can facilitate a paradigm shift in the way India transacts,” feels Jagannathan. Nidugondi agrees, pointing out “Nokia’s decision to exit mobile money operations in India was a strategic decision, as it was not their core business. At Comviva we believe there is a huge opportunity in the mobile financial space, which will definitely happen in India and will reach its inflection point in the next 2- 3 years.” According to a report by research and analytics firm Gartner, money transfers and prepaid top-ups will drive transaction volumes in developing markets. These are seen as the “killer apps” in developing markets, where people value the convenience of sending money to relatives and topping up mobile accounts. As per another report by Capegemini, the volume of mobile payments is expected to grow at almost a 50 per cent in the next three years. The handset is all set to become your wallet. To quote a famous ad: Don’t leave home without it. n heena@mymobile.co.in

apr 15 to may 14 2012 MYMOBILE 87

Va s

Advertising Gets Really Mobile Given its popularity, it is hardly surprising that the mobile phone has emerged as one of the prime media for advertising. But advertisers need to walk a careful line so as to avoid alienating not just potential customers, but telecom authorities as well Heena Jatav

ention “advertising” and “mobile” in the same sentence and you will see winces all around you. Consumers will think you are referring to the deluge of promotional texts and phone calls that they used to receive on their handsets, while advertisers will think you are talking about the clampdowns by the regulatory body Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) in this regard. While both would be right to an extent, the fact is that notwithstanding this pessimism and pain, the mobile remains a powerful medium of advertising. And is witnessing a number of innovations that are not just enabling advertisers to get their messages across, but also actually benefitting consumers.

Ring out the old, ring in the new

Until not too long ago, mobile advertisements mainly took the form of promotional SMSes but with increasing regulatory restrictions as well as growing mobile Internet usage, banner advertisements on WAP sites are emerging as popular options. These ads can tell the advertiser the number of times they have been viewed or clicked by a viewer, offering a measurability quotient, and giving the advertiser an idea of whether the ad has value to its audience. “Mobile advertisements have evolved from the first phase of text only (SMS) and voice based (audio jingle) impressions to more and more data-centric advertisement options. Other options are based upon QRC codes, mobile games, in-app placement, location based targeting and rich media,” says Suresh Kabra, founder and CEO, Clk2c.com. Debadutta Upadhyaya, VP, Vdopia, agrees on this shift. “Brands have been accumulating tremendous mindshare from online and mobile advertising in order to deliver the complete brand experience through unique and interactive ad formats. Rich media and video advertising are gaining prominence as the shift starts

88 MYMOBILE apr 15 to may 14 2012

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happening from ROI (return on investment) to ROE (return on engagement).” With the rising number of smartphone users in the country, more people are heading towards accessing Internet on their mobiles. And this is paving the way for some interesting, unobtrusive advertising opportunities. RingAd, a popular Android app is a prime example. The app provides the user with mobile recharge and discount coupons for using the app and listening to ringtones. Websites like Snapdeals.com. dealsandyou.com, and mydala. com are adding a new dimension to brand promotions. Merchants post their advertisements offering interesting deals on various products on these sites, which can be accessible to consumers through mobile apps. “We provide deals to our customers not only of merchants who are exhibiting with us but also other offline deals that can help our users,” says Anisha Singh, founder and CEO, My dala.com. “The mobile’s popularity among the brands will be driven by the platform’s ability to offer location based consumer offers, interactivity. Those days of only 50 per cent of advertising working for brands are over. Mobile marketing will bring in greater accountability,” says

With the rising number of smartphone users in the country, more people are heading towards accessing Internet on their mobiles. And this is paving the way for some interesting, unobtrusive advertising opportunities Madan Sanglikar, CEO, ad2c, a marketing and advertising agency.

Moving on to video and other means

Video content is another strong and interesting option for brand promotion on the mobile platform, and with the arrival of 3G, is more accessible to a number of users. “By delivering a meaningful mobile video commercial to the target group, brands can build a huge traction with their target group. It gives unparalleled flexibility to the user to interact with the brand at his or her convenience, offers a rich video experience and is not transient in nature,” Kabra points out. Nitin Mathur, senior director marketing, Yahoo! India, seconds this line of thought, while pointing out other innovations. “What we are seeing right now is that people are very interested in experimenting with video advertising. And then there are lots of location based services too. Now there are far more intuitive apps which are coming on smartphones and are far more richer and interactive way of advertising,” he says. Then there is the option of bundling advertisements in applications, resulting in a reduction of their price to the consumer. A number of popular apps and games today have paid and free avatars, and in most cases, the only price that a consumer has to pay is viewing an ad while using the app. However, for all their innovation, the fact remains that mobile advertisements can still be seen as intrusive by many consumers, as they are after all, merely an add-on to the main product (an app, a website, etc.). “You have to think if you are serving the right advertisement to the right person at the right time. It is about privacy and intrusiveness. Large brands like us are very conscious about that. So we have developed tools in the Web like interest manager. You can go and choose what advertisement you want to see and over the period of time system learns and then will not throw irrelevant advertisements,” says Mathur.

Get those mobile ad budgets ready!

Social networking sites too have boosted the use of mobile internet significantly due to their easy accessibility on handsets. According to a Buzzcity report India was ranked first among the top 50 mobile advertising countries. The ad impressions served in Q4 2011 were 9,556,851,244 with an annual growth of 197 percent. India served over 32 billion ads in the course of 2011 to over 93 million unique users per month. The report expects India to remain on top with its young, mobile savvy population and low mobile data rates. According to Andrew Frank, research vice president at Gartner, “Brand marketers who want to include mobiles in their advertising initiatives should not delay their trials, and should have their budgets in place now to take advantage of mass consumer adoption of smartphones and media tablets.” And the scenario is particularly bright for mobile advertisers in India. “India has a bright future as a mobile marketing destination with insatiable consumer appetite for mobile content, games, news, music, video, applications, and rich media,” says Anuj Khanna Sohum, Founder and Chairman, ad2c. The statistics certainly seem to bear him out. According to a report released by Inmobi, a mobile ad network in 2011, India is one of the most influential markets in Asia Pacific for mobile advertising space. “Indian companies are now putting more confidence in mobile and online Internet advertising and many are ready to commit advertising dollars in this marketing channel for this year and in years to come,” feels Upadhyay. And in doing this, Indian companies are only following the examples set by their counterparts in other countries, who are increasingly looking to handsets to get their advertising messages across. A report released by Gartner says that worldwide mobile advertising revenue will reach $20.6 billion by 2015, but not all types of mobile advertising will generate the same opportunity. Search and maps will deliver the highest revenue, while video/audio ads will see the fastest growth through 2015. “Mobile advertising budgets are set to increase tremendously across the various categories and regions, growing from 0.5 per cent of the total advertising budget in 2010 to over 4 percent in 2015,” says Stephanie Baghdassarian, research director at Gartner. A new era is set to get underway in the world of mobile advertising. And judging by the number and kind of innovations happening in it, this time neither the consumer nor the regulatory bodies will be complaining. n heena@mymobile.co.in

apr 15 to may 14 2012 MYMOBILE 89

event

The future is here One of the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s leading electronics brand, Samsung gives us a glimpse of what is to come up ahead Sonia Sharma

nnovation and style are two words or characteristics that truly encompass what Samsung stands for. Needless to say that when the brand held its regional forum in March 2012 at Bangkok all eyes were glued to what was about to be unveiled. From smart products to smart services, Samsung displayed its technology prowess and enthralled the viewers with some much awaited launches. While on the other hand there were a few much awaited launches that were missed by the technology enthusiasts.

Smart entertainment is here

Samsung has been holding the title of the global television market leader and it doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t come as a surprise as the brand showcased some of the most innovative technologies in the audio video segment.

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Called the Smart Interaction technologies that are available in its flagship TVs including the LED ES8000, these enable user to control their televisions through voice and gesture/motion controls. These technologies also enable facial recognition offeing convenience to the consumers and thus maintaining and edge in the market.

Bringing IT with style

Stiff competition in the IT segment demands innovation and technology to go hand in hand in order to succeed. Samsung is doing just that and has launched series 9 notebook and its first ultrabook. While the series 9 notebook boasts of being the thinnest premium notebook in the market, the Series 5 Ultrabook is the brandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s answer to the ongoing ultrabook race in the notebook segment. Available in 13.0inch and 14.0-inch sizes the series 5 ultrabook packs high performance in an ultra portable chasis. The 13â&#x20AC;? and 14â&#x20AC;? Ultrabook models have been introduced in the Indian market in February 2012 and are priced at Rs. 48,990/and Rs. 54,390/- respectively.

Calling mobility Like the other categories Samsung has been a leading brand in the mobility segment too. and

taking the legacy of innovation further it showcased the first projector Android smartphone called the Galaxy Beam and launched another tablet called the Galaxy Tab2 310 in the Indian market. This Android Ice Cream Sandwich tab comes with a built in receiver for video calling and is powered by 1 GHZ processor. The tablet will be available in the Indian market for Rs 23,250. Apart from the device Samsung again delighted its consumers by tying up with Rovio Mobile and launching the new version of Angry Birds game called the Angry Birds space. Apart from that a number of wireless technologies for the consumers as well as businesses were showcased at the event.

Missing in action

While there were many things to unravel and experience at the Samsung forum, there were a few which were missed. Like the Google Nexus phone, which the Android fans are waiting for and the Samsung Galaxy S III which too has been running around the rumour mill but remains elusive. However from consumer electronics to business applications, the Samsung regional forum 2012 at Bangkok was the true indicator of the exciting future that awaits the Samsung consumers. n sonia@mymobile.co.in

apr 15 to may 14 2012 MYMOBILE 91

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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:

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

(Rs 6,000 - Rs 11,999)

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

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 April 3, 2012)

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

Y MOBILE 93 APR 15 to MAY 14 2012 MY

myguide MODELS

SUB-ENTRY LEVEL

BYOND

PARAMETERS

CELKON BY 255

BY009

C207

C33

C 66i

Dimension (mm)

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 16

Weight (grams)

120

BY 809

Model

BY120+

Talktime/Standby (hours)

4/240

10/480

4/192

10/240

6/120

15/300

Screen (colours)/Size (inch)

NA/1.5

NA/2.0

65,536/1.8

262,144/2.0

262,144/2.4

Inbuilt/Expandable memory

NA/2GB

NA/4GB

1016KB/4GB

468KB/8GB

303KB/4GB

NA/16GB

Bluetooth/Wi-Fi

NA/No

Yes/No

No/No

Yes/No

Camera/Flash/Video

VGA/No/Yes

1.3MP/No/Yes

Yes/No/Yes

1.3MP/No/Yes

Phonebook Capacity

100

1000

500

1000

500

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

No/No/No

Yes/No/No

Proprietary

RTOS

NA/Yes

Yes/Yes

Bar/No/No

1,249

1,799

2,099

2,399

1,499

1,599

2,299

MODELS

Price in Rs.

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

CHAZE

PARAMETERS Model

C18

NEW

Jewel

NEW

KARBONN C555

NEW

C666

NEW

LAVA

K 486

ARC21

Dimension (mm)

118 x 51 x 118

118.6 x 51 x 15.6

117 x 53 x 13.7

121 x 56 x 13

109 x 47.8 x 14

115 X 50 x 15.5

110 x 46 x 14.65

Weight (grams)

121

103

121

123

112

81.4

9/720

7/600

5/500

6/300

3/120

Screen (colours)/Size (inch)

262,144/2.4

262,144/2.6

262,144/2.8

65,536/2.0

262,144/2.4

65,536/1.8

Inbuilt/Expandable memory

187KB/microSD

187KB/8GB

428KB/8GB

233KB/8GB

32MB/8GB

NA/8GB

250KB/8GB

Yes/No

Camera/Flash/Video

1.3MP/No/Yes

VGA/No/Yes

1.3MP/No/Yes

No/NoNo

Phonebook Capacity

500

300

1,000

500

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

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

Dual Band/No

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

Yes/No/No

Yes/Yes

Bar/No/No

1,750

1,850

1,950

2,100

1,800

2,100

1,820

YMOBILE APR 15 to MAY 14 2012 94 MY

MODELS PARAMETERS Model

LAVA KKT 34+

LECOM 3100

NEW

8200

NEW

8202

8222

NEW

8500

NEW

8585

NEW

Dimension (mm)

113.5 x 51.2 x 16

106 x 45 x 14.6

112.7 x 49.5 x 14.8

110 x 48 x 13.1

114 x 48 x 13.8

116.5 x 50.5 x 14.9

116.8 x 50 x 14.8

Weight (grams)

100

110

Talktime/Standby (hours)

12/720

3.3/NA

4.3/NA

3.2/NA

5/NA

8.3/NA

Screen (colours)/Size (inch)

262,144/2.4

NA/1.8

NA/2.2

262,144/2.2

NA/2.4

Inbuilt/Expandable memory

NA/8GB

NA/32GB

NA/8GB

Bluetooth/Wi-Fi

Yes/No

No/No

Yes/No

Camera/Flash/Video

VGA/No/Yes

Yes/No/No

Yes/No/Yes

Yes/No

Yes/NA

Phonebook Capacity

1,000

300

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

Yes/No/No

Yes/Yes

Bar/No/No

2,200

999

1630

1880

1930

1990

2099

LECOM

MODELS

Price in Rs.

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

PARAMETERS Model

8555

NEW

NOKIA

A 230

1280

100

101

X1-01

C1-01

Dimension (mm)

117 x 51.3 x 13.6

108.6 x 46.6 x 13.8

107.2 x 45.1 x 15.3

110 x 45.5 x 14.9

112.2 x 47.3 x 16

108 x 45 x 14

Weight (grams)

100

81.92

69.6

91.5

78.8

5/NA

17/809

8.30/528

7.2/840

13/1032

10.4/540

Screen (colours)/Size (inch)

NA/2.4

262,144/1.77

Monochrome/1.36

65,536/1.8

Inbuilt/Expandable memory

NA/32GB

25MB/8GB

NA/No

NA/16GB

64MB/32GB

Bluetooth/Wi-Fi

Yes/No

No/No

Yes/No

Camera/Flash/Video

Yes/No

1.3MP/No/Yes

No/No/No

VGA/No/Yes

Phonebook Capacity

300

1,000

500

1,000

Dual Band/No

Talktime/Standby (hours)

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/No

Yes/No/No

Yes/Yes/No

No/No/No

Yes/No/No

Symbian S30

S30

Symbian S40

Yes/Yes

No/Yes

Yes/Yes

Bar/No/No

2399

2,450

1,000

1,250

1,500

1,850

2,250

YMOBILE 95 APR 15 to MAY 14 2012 MY

MODELS

myguide

RAGE

PARAMETERS Model

REDD

Smart 2

Striker 2

Dimension (mm)

108 x 42 x 14.25

117 x 50.2 x 15.4

105.7 x 45.5 x 15.6

107 x 43.6 x 17.3

108 x 44.6 x 17.3

116 x 53 x 12.3

Weight (grams)

105

Talktime/Standby (hours)

R1200i

NEW

R1670

NEW

R6800

NEW

R24

NEW

7/200

11/1000

6/240

12/720

10/620

Screen (colours)/Size (inch)

NA/1.77

NA/2.4

65,536/1.8

262,144/2.0

262,144K/2.4

262,144K/2.6

Inbuilt/Expandable memory

45KB/4GB

NA/4GB

NA/8GB

Bluetooth/Wi-Fi

Yes/No

No/No

Yes/No

Camera/Flash/Video

Yes/No/Yes

1.3MP/No/Yes

VGA/No/Yes

1.3MP/No/Yes

Phonebook Capacity

500

1000

500

1,000

500

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

Yes/No/No

MTK

Yes/Yes

Bar/No/No

1,349

1,849

999

1,399

1,499

1,649

1,840

MODELS

Price in Rs.

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

PARAMETERS Model

REDD

SPICE

1081

E 1085

Hero Music

E2230

E2232

M-5005

Dimension (mm)

114.5 x 50 x 15.4

107.4 x 45.5 x 13.6

110.6 x 45.35 x 13.9

109.2 x 46.0 x 14.9

110 x 45 x 14.6

Weight (grams)

64.5

73.2

Talktime/Standby (hours)

HD88

SAMSUNG

NEW

10/620

9/560

11.1/580

14.7/660

NA/500

9.2/276

Screen (colours)/Size (inch)

262,144/2.4

65,536/1.43

65,536/1.8

65,536/1.77

65,536/1.8

Inbuilt/Expandable memory

NA/8GB

1MB/No

4MB/4GB

4MB/8GB

20MB/8GB

NA/4GB

Bluetooth/Wi-Fi

Yes/No

No/No

Yes/No

No/No

Camera/Flash/Video

2.0MP/No/Yes

No/No/No

VGA/No/Yes

Phonebook Capacity

1,000

500

1,000

500

Frequency/Dual SIM

Dual Band/GSM+GSM

Dual Band/No

Yes/No/No

No/No/No

Yes/Yes/No

Yes/No/No

No/No/No

Proprietary

Properitory

Yes/Yes

No/No

No/Yes

Yes/Yes

Bar/No/No

1,949

1,000

1,150

1,700

2,050

2,250

1,300

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

Price in Rs.

YMOBILE APR 15 to MAY 14 2012 96 MY

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

MODELS

ENTRY LEVEL

SPICE

PARAMETERS Model

UFX

BYOND

M-5350

M-5455

401

BY 260

BY011

BY007

Gamestar

Dimension (mm)

104.8 x 56 x 13.2

113 x 51.6 x 13.7

102 x 43 x 15.5

110 x 49 x 11

116.7 x 50 x 14.8

111 x 47 x 14.5

114.3 x 45.5 x 13.6

Weight (grams)

120

125

120

100

Talktime/Standby (hours)

3.50/300

4/230

3/300

4/240

13/600

10/480

4/400

Screen (colours)/Size (inch)

262,144/2.36

2,621,442.40

65,536/1.8

NA/2.2

NA/2.4

Inbuilt/Expandable memory

NA/8GB

110KB/8GB

128MB/2GB

NA/16GB

1016.5KB/4GB

1016KB/4GB

319.5KB/8GB+8GB

Bluetooth/Wi-Fi

Yes/No

Camera/Flash/Video

VGA/No/Yes

1.3MP/No/Yes

VGA/No/Yes

2.0MP/No/Yes

1.3MP/No/Yes

3.2MP/No/Yes

2.0MP/No/Yes

Phonebook Capacity

500

1,000

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

MTK

Proprietary

Yes/Yes

YesYes

Yes/Yes

Bar/No/No

Bar/Yes/No

Bar/No/No

2,050

2,250

1,999

2,899

2,999

3,299

MODELS

Price in Rs.

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

PARAMETERS Model

CELKON C99

KARBONN C333

K44

K33

K1818

K1616

Dimension (mm)

117 X 57 X 13

110 x 55 x 13

114 x 62 x 13.8

95.5 X 46 X 16.8

15.8 x 51.5 x 107

106.6 x 54.3 x 12.7

116 x 61 x 12

Weight (grams)

114

117

135

Talktime/Standby (hours)

C 227

CHAZE NEW

6/120

5/480

6/NA

2.5/190

4/300

4/500

6/312

Screen (colours)/Size (inch)

262,144/2.8

262,144/3.2

262,144/2.4

262,144/3.2

262,144/3.5

Inbuilt/Expandable memory

256MB/16GB

1.96MB/8GB

233KB/8GB

64MB/4GB

95KB/8GB

Yes/8GB

Bluetooth/Wi-Fi

Yes/No

Camera/Flash/Video

3.2MP/No/Yes

1.3MP/No/Yes

3.2MP/Yes/Yes

VGA/No/Yes

2.0MP/No/Yes

3.2MP/No/Yes

Phonebook Capacity

2,000

350

1,000

2,000

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 Dual Band/GSM+GSM

Yes/No/No

RTOS

Yes/Yes

Bar/Yes/Yes

Bar/Yes/No

Clamshell/No/No

Slider/No/No

Bar/Yes/No

3,699

2,800

2,850

2,600

3,000

3,700

4,700

YMOBILE 97 APR 15 to MAY 14 2012 MY

MODELS

myguide

LAVA

PARAMETERS Model

KKT39

A10

A16

M70

C105

A200

S365

Dimension (mm)

116 x 47 x 11.5

120 x 47.5 x 13.1

114.5 x 59 x 13

99.8 x 51 x 15.8

117 x 50.9 x 11.5

Weight (grams)

80.5

105

100

110

Talktime/Standby (hours)

10/NA

3.1/220

16/650

14.5/559

Screen (colours)/Size (inch)

262,144/2.2

262,144/3.0

262,144/2.6

262,144/3.2

262,144/2.2

65,536/2.2

NA/2.4

Inbuilt/Expandable memory

NA/16GB

200MB/16GB

32MB/MicroSD

30MB/32GB

4.7MB/4GB

128MB/8GB

9.7MB/16GB

Bluetooth/Wi-Fi

Yes/No

Camera/Flash/Video

VGA/No/Yes

3.2MP/Yes/Yes

3.2MP/No/Yes

5.0MP/Yes/Yes

1.3MP/No/Yes

2.0MP/No/Yes

Phonebook Capacity

500

2,000

1,000

Frequency/Dual SIM

Dual Band/GSM+GSM

Dual Band/No

Quad band/No

Quad Band/No

Dual Band/GSM+GSM

Yes/No/No

Yes/Yes/No

Genric

Generic

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

Bar/No/No

Bar/Yes/No

Bar/No/Yes

Slider/No/No

Bar/No/No

2,700

3,800

3,900

4,750

2,500

3,800

4,100

MODELS

Price in Rs.

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

PARAMETERS Model

MICROMAX

A350

T500

T515

P520

C375

T310i

X333

Dimension (mm)

116 × 53.3 × 12.85

105 x 57.3 x 12.9

109.1 x 56.2 x 12.95

113 x 61 x 12.9

95.8 x 51.0 x 11.9

103.65 x 57.2 x 13.35

Weight (grams)

91.45

105

120

86.5

Talktime/Standby (hours)

12.5/328

8/720

NA/NA

23.8/454

16/789

14/569

3/200

Screen (colours)/Size (inch)

262,144/2.2

262,144/2.8

256,000/2.8

262,144/2.3

262,144/2.8

65,526/2.8

Inbuilt/Expandable memory

256MB/32GB

NA/8GB

NA/4GB

13MB/4GB

78MB/8GB

18MB/4GB

75KB/8GB

Bluetooth/Wi-Fi

Yes/No

Yes/Yes

Yes/No

Yes/Yes

Yes/No

Camera/Flash/Video

1.3MP/No/Yes

2.0MP/No/Yes

VGA/No/Yes

Phonebook Capacity

1,000

500

Frequency/Dual SIM

Dual Band/GSM+GSM

Quad Band/No

Quad Band/NA

Quad Band/No

Dual Band/GSM+GSM

GPRS/EDGE/3G

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

Yes/Yes/HSDPA

Yes/Yes/No

Yes/No/No

Operating System

Generic

Music Player/FM Radio

Yes/Yes

Bar/No/No

Bar/Yes/No

Bar/No/Yes

Bar/Yes/No

4,100

4,200

4,900

5,000

5,100

5,200

2,883

Form Factor/T.Screen/QWERTY Burn test Rating

Price in Rs.

YMOBILE APR 15 to MAY 14 2012 98 MY

MODELS PARAMETERS Model

MICROMAX

MOTOROLA

NOKIA

X450

EX109

EX212

EX119

C2-00

Dimension (mm)

116.7 x 52 x 20.3

102 x 59.5 x 12.8

106 x 53 x 13.9

103 x 60 x 9.9

108 x 45 x 14.65

114.8 x 49.8 x 13.9

113 x 50 x 15

Weight (grams)

110

105

74.1

Talktime/Standby (hours)

202

NEW

X2-02

4/315

8.3/500

6.25/625

8.3/680

5.75//460

5/400

9.8/443

Screen (colours)/Size (inch)

262,144/2.0

262,144/2.4

65,536/1.8

262,144/2.4

262,144/2.2

Inbuilt/Expandable memory

Yes/8GB

59MB/32GB

5MB/16GB

50MB/32GB

16MB/32GB

10MB/32GB

Bluetooth/Wi-Fi

Yes/No

Yes/Yes

Yes/No

Camera/Flash/Video

2.0MP/No/Yes

3.15MP/No/Yes

VGA/No/Yes

2.0MP/No/Yes

Phonebook Capacity

250

200

800

1,000

1000

Shared

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

Dual Band/No

Yes/No/No

Yes/Yes/No

Yes/No/No

Yes/Yes/No

Symbian 40

S40

Yes/Yes

Bar/No/No

Bar/No/Yes

Clamshell/No/No

Bar/Yes/Yes

Bar/No/No

Bar/Yes/No

Bar/No/No

3,500

3,300

4,600

5,500

2,650

3,200

3,400

MODELS

Price in Rs.

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

NOKIA

PARAMETERS Model

RAGE

X2-01

C2-02

C2-01

Asha 200

C2-03

Pro

Dimension (mm)

119.4 x 59.8 x 14.3

102,8x51,2x17

109.6 x 46.9 x 14.6

111 x 47 x 13.3

115.4 x 61.1 x 14

103 x 51.4 x 17

120 x 57 x 13.6

Weight (grams)

107.5

110

105

115

120

Talktime/Standby (hours)

4.3/480

5/600

8.4/430

13.3/540

7/888

5/400

10/1000

Screen (colours)/Size (inch)

262,144/2.4

65,536/2.6

262,144/2.0

262,144/2.2

65,536/2.4

65,536/2.6

NA/2.8

Inbuilt/Expandable memory

128MB/8GB

10MB/32GB

75MB/16GB

48MB/16GB

NA/32GB

10MB/32GB

125KB/8GB

Bluetooth/Wi-Fi

Yes/No

Camera/Flash/Video

VGA/No/Yes

2.0MP/No/Yes

3.15MP/No/Yes

5.0MP/Yes/Yes

2.0MP/No/Yes

Yes/Yes/Yes

Phonebook Capacity

Shared

1,000

2,000

1,000

Shared

1,000

Frequency/Dual SIM

Quad Band/No

Dual Band/No

Quad Band/No

GPRS/EDGE/3G

Yes/Yes/No

Yes/Yes/R99

Yes/Yes/No

Yes/No/No

Operating System

Symbian S40

S40

Symbian S40

MTK

Yes/Yes

Bar/No/Yes

Slider/Yes/No

Bar/No/No

Bar/No/Yes

Slider/Yes/No

Bar/Yes/No

3,550

4,050

4,150

4,500

4,600

4,650

2,749

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

YMOBILE 99 APR 15 to MAY 14 2012 MY

MODELS

myguide

RAGE

PARAMETERS

SAMSUNG Noble 8

3011

E2152 Guru 36

2222

Flair

Pride

Super

Dimension (mm)

114.4 x 58 x 8.8 mm

115.3 x 49 x 8.85

124 x 55 x 14

112 x 57.6 x 13.1

110 x 45 x 12.2

111.6 x 46.3 x 13.5

109.5 x 61.3 x 11.85

Weight (grams)

115

105

85.5

80.4

Model

Talktime/Standby (hours)

5/400

10/1000

5/400

8/700

11/660

11.4/550

Screen (colours)/Size (inch)

NA/2.3

NA/2.4

NA/2.6

NA/3.2

65,536/2.0

262,144/2.0

262,144/2.2

Inbuilt/Expandable memory

230KB/8GB

145KB/4GB

NA/4GB

4MB/8GB

20MB/8GB

NA/2GB

45MB/16GB

Yes/No

Yes/Yes

Yes/No

Camera/Flash/Video

Yes/Yes/Yes

2.0MP/Yes/Yes

Yes/Yes/Yes

VGA/No/Yes

Phonebook Capacity

1,000

500

300

1,000

Bluetooth/Wi-Fi

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

Dual Band/No

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

Yes/No/No

Yes/Yes/No

MTK

Proprietary

Yes/Yes

Bar/No/No

Bar/Yes/No

Bar/No/No

Bar/No/Yes

2,999

3,099

3,199

3,999

2,650

2,750

3,100

MODELS

Price in Rs.

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

SAMSUNG

PARAMETERS Model

3213

3520

Metro Duos C3322

3303 Champ

Champ2

Ch@t C3222

Champ Delux

Dimension (mm)

112.8 x 46.4 x 13.2

102 x 52 x 16.78

113.97 x 47.9 x 13.99

96.3 x 53.9 x 12.9

96 x 52.6 x 12.15

109.7 x 58.1 x 12.3

101.8 x 55.0 x 12.3

Weight (grams)

80.6

97.5

88.9

79.5

89.7

8.2/550

9.1/610

10/500

12.3/666

10/500

11/500

15.8/500

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

65,536/2.0

262,144/2.4

262,144/2.2

262,144/2.4

262,144/2.7

262,144/2.2

262,144/2.8

Inbuilt/Expandable memory

36MB/8GB

28MB/16GB

46MB/16GB

30MB/8GB

40MB/16GB

54MB/8GB

30MB/16GB

Yes/No

Camera/Flash/Video

VGA/No/Yes

1.3MP/No/Yes

2.0/No/Yes

VGA/No/Yes

2.0MP/No/Yes

1.3MP/No/Yes

Phonebook Capacity

1,000

Frequency/Dual SIM

Quad Band/No

Quad Band/GSM+GSM

Quad Band/No

GPRS/EDGE/3G

Yes/Yes/HSDPA

Yes/Yes/No

Proprietary

Yes/Yes

Bar/No/No

Clamshell/No/No

Bar/No/No

Bar/Yes/No

Bar/No/Yes

Bar/Yes/No

3,300

3,550

3,400

3,650

3,800

4,100

Bluetooth/Wi-Fi

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

Price in Rs.

YMOBILE APR 15 to MAY 14 2012 100 MY

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

MODELS

SAMSUNG

PARAMETERS Model

C3530

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

Champ Duos E2652

Chat 3G 527

Metro C3752

Champ 3.5G S3770

Primo S5610

Star 3 Duos

112.2 x 46.7 x 11.9 99.90 x 54.90 x 12.95

103 x 55 x 12

97.9 x 19 x 16.4

118.9 x 49.9 x 12.8

102 x 58 x 11.51

95.5

13/550

14.3/476

3/288

13.3/900

6/350

15.67/960

14.3/520

Screen (colours)/Size (inch)

262,144/2.2

262,144/2.6

262,144/2.4

65,536/NA

262,144/2.8

262,144/2.4

262,144/3.0

Inbuilt/Expandable memory

50MB/16GB

80MB/32GB

40MB/16GB

30MB/16GB

110MB/16GB

20MB/16GB

Bluetooth/Wi-Fi

Yes/No

Yes/Yes

Yes/No

Yes/Yes

Yes/No

Yes/Yes

Camera/Flash/Video

3.2MP/No/Yes

1.3MP/No/Yes

2.0MP/No/Yes

3.0MP/No/Yes

2.0MP/No/No

5.0MP/Yes/Yes

3.0MP/No/Yes

Phonebook Capacity

1,000

2,000

1000

Frequency/Dual SIM

Quad Band/No

Tri Band/GSM+GSM

Quad Band/No

Dual Band/GSM+GSM

GPRS/EDGE/3G

Yes/Yes/No

Yes/Yes/HSDPA, HSUPA

Yes/Yes/No

Yes/Yes/HSDPA

Yes/Yes/No

Operating System

Proprietary

Android OS, v2.3

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

Yes/Yes

Bar/Yes/No

Bar/No/Yes

Slider/No/No

Bar/Yes/No

Bar/No/No

Bar/Yes/No

4,350

4,500

4,700

4,800

5,259

5,700

5750

MODELS

Price in Rs.

Yes/Yes Bar/No/No

SAMSUNG

PARAMETERS Model

SPICE

SONY ERICSSON

Star II

Corby II

Mix Walkman

M-5445

M-6460

M-6700

M-6868

Dimension (mm)

107.5 x 54.0 x 12.4

109.9 x 60.6 x 11.7

95.8 × 52.8 × 14.3

118 x 49 x 11.3

114.5 x 51 x 13.65

111 x 54 x 13.2

114.5 x 63 x 12

Weight (grams)

102

109

100

8.2/900

9.3/620

9.6/465

4.5/400

6/450

6.2/234

4.5/450

Screen (colours)/Size (inch)

262,144/3.0

262,144/3.14

262,144/3.0

262,144/2.4

262,144/3.1

262,144/3.4

Inbuilt/Expandable memory

30MB/16GB

21MB/16GB

256MB/32GB

NA/8GB

500KB/8GB

45MB/16GB

39MB/8GB

Yes/Yes

Yes/No

Yes/Yes

Yes/No

Yes/Yes

Camera/Flash/Video

3.15MP/No/Yes

2.0MP/No/Yes

3.15MP/No/Yes

VGA/No/Yes

2.0MP/No/Yes

3.2MP/No/Yes

Phonebook Capacity

1,000

Shared

1,000

2,000

1,500

Frequency/Dual SIM

Quad Band/No

GPRS/EDGE/3G

Yes/Yes/No

Yes/No/No

Yes/Yes/No

Operating System

Proprietary

Yes/Yes

Bar/Yes/No

Bar/No/No

Bar/Yes/No

5,800

5,950

5,800

2,750

3,050

4,300

5,400

Talktime/Standby (hours)

Bluetooth/Wi-Fi

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 Tri Band/GSM+GSM

YMOBILE 101 APR 15 to MAY 14 2012 MY

myguide MODELS

MID LEVEL

PARAMETERS Model

SPICE

UFX

NOKIA

M-6900

101

201

301

501

300

Dimension (mm)

116 x 62.5 x 11.6

110 x 47.6 x 12.2

111 x 49 x 11.5

116 x 59 x 13.2

115.5 x 58.1 x 13.6

112.8 x 49.5 x 12.7

Weight (grams)

167

79.5

114

Talktime/Standby (hours)

9.4/218

3/300

4/360

7/800

6.9/550

Screen (colours)/Size (inch)

262,144/3.5

NA/2.2

262,144/2.2

65,536/2.2

262,144/2.2

262,144/2.4

Inbuilt/Expandable memory

39MB/8GB

128MB/8GB

55MB/8GB

128MB/32GB

Bluetooth/Wi-Fi

Yes/Yes

Yes/No

Yes/Yes

Yes/No

Camera/Flash/Video

3.2MP/No/Yes

1.3MP/No/Yes

1.3 MP/No/Yes

1.3MP/No/Yes

2.0MP/No/Yes

5.0MP/No/Yes

Phonebook Capacity

2,000

1,000

Shared

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

Quad Band/No

Yes/No/No

Yes/Yes/No

Yes/Yes/HSDPA,HSUPA

MTK

Symbian S40

S40

Yes/Yes

Bar/Yes/No

Bar/No/No

Bar/No/Yes

Bar/Yes/No

5,900

2,699

2,799

2,899

2,999

6,300

MODELS

Price in Rs.

Quad Band/No

Yes/Yes/No

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

NOKIA

PARAMETERS Model

X3-02

Dimension (mm)

112 x 46 x 12.3

106.2 x 48.4 x 9.6

Weight (grams)

89.3

12/630

5/430

Talktime/Standby (hours)

303

SAMSUNG C5-03

500

Star II Duos 6712

116.5 x 55.7 x 13.9

105.8 x 51 x 13.8

111.3 x 53.8 x 14.1

113.4 x 53 x 16.8

109.5 x 56 x 12.2

150

100

8.2/731

11.5/600

7/500

11/400

10/550

NEW

Screen (colours)/Size (inch)

16.7million/2.2

262,144/2.4

262,144/2.6

16million/3.2

16.7million/3.2

262,144/3.2

Inbuilt/Expandable memory

50MB/16GB

100MB/32GB

40MB/16GB

2GB/32GB

200MB/16GB

30MB/16GB

Yes/No

Yes/Yes

Camera/Flash/Video

5.0MP/Yes/Yes

5.0MP/No/Yes

3.2MP/No/Yes

5.0MP/No/Yes

5.0MP/Yes/Yes

3.15MP/No/Yes

Phonebook Capacity

Shared

Frequency/Dual SIM

Quad Band/No

Quad Band/GSM+GSM

Yes/Yes/HSDPA, HSUPA

Yes/Yes/HSDPA

Yes/Yes/HSDPA,HSUPA

Yes/Yes/HSDPA

Yes/Yes/HSDPA,HSUPA

Yes/Yes/HSDPA

Yes/Yes/No

Symbian S60

S40

Symbian S60

Symbian Anna

Symbian S 60

Proprietary

Yes/Yes

Bar/No/No

Bar/Yes/No

Bar/Yes/Yes

Bar/Yes/No

Slider/Yes/Yes

Bar/Yes/No

7,800

7,900

8,700

9,700

11,200

6,000

Bluetooth/Wi-Fi

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

Price in Rs.

YMOBILE APR 15 to MAY 14 2012 102 MY

MODELS

HIGH END

SAMSUNG

PARAMETERS Model

SONY ERICSSON

NOKIA

Wave 525

Wave Y

Star Duos B7722

TXT

Text Pro

Elm

603

Dimension (mm)

109.5 x 55 x 11.9

110.0 x 57.9 x 12.3

113.5 x 55.5 x 14.3

106 X 60 X 14.5

92.0 × 53.0 × 18.0

110 x 45 x 14

113.5 x 57.1 x 12.7

Weight (grams)

100

104.8

112

136

109.6

Talktime/Standby (hours)

15/900

12.1/610

12.5/420

3.2/416

5.1/400

10/430

8.7/540

Screen (colours)/Size (inch)

262,144/3.2

262,144/2.55

16.7million/3.0

252,144/2.2

16.7mollion/3.5

Inbuilt/Expandable memory

100MB/16GB

150MB/32GB

250MB/16GB

120MB/32GB

100MB/32GB

280MB/8GB

NA/32GB

Bluetooth/Wi-Fi

Yes/Yes

Camera/Flash/Video

3.2MP/No/Yes

2.0MP/No/Yes

5.0MP/Yes/Yes

3.15MP/No/Yes

3.2MP/No/Yes

5.0MP/Yes/Yes

5.0MP/No/Yes

Phonebook Capacity

Shared

2,000

Shared

2,000

Shared

Frequency/Dual SIM

Quad Band/No

Yes/Yes/HSDPA,HSUPA

Quad Band/No

Yes/Yes/No

Yes/Yes/HSDPA

Yes/Yes/No

Bada

Bada OS v2.0

Proprietary

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

Generic

Symbian Belle OS

Yes/Yes

Bar/Yes/No

Bar/No/Yes

Slider/Yes/Yes

Bar/No/No

Bar/Yes/No

6,000

7,250

10,700

6,000

7,400

8,000

13,299

MODELS

Price in Rs.

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

NOKIA

PARAMETERS

SAMSUNG

TAG HEUER

C6-01

700

701

Wave M S7250

Wave 3

Meridiist GMT Stainless Steel/Black PVD

Dimension (mm)

103.8 x 52.5 x 13.9

110 x 50 x 9.7

117.2x56.8x11

119.7 x 62.8 x 11.9

113.8 x 63.3 x 12.2

125.9 x 64.2 x 9.9

112 x 46 x 15.5

Weight (grams)

131

146

121

122

155

12/420

7.14/403

17/504

6/450

6.5/480

14.25/535

7/392

Screen (colours)/Size (inch)

16.7milloin/3.2

16million/3.2

16.7million/4.0

262,144/3.65

16million/4.0

262,144/1.9

Inbuilt/Expandable memory

340MB/32GB

2GB/32GB

8GB/32GB

150MB/32GB

4GB/32GB

NA/NA

Yes/Yes

Yes/No

Camera/Flash/Video

8.0MP/Yes/Yes

5.0MP/Yes/Yes

8.0MP/Yes/Yes

5.0MP/Yes/Yes

No/No/No

Phonebook Capacity

Shared

1,000

Frequency/Dual SIM

Quad Band/No

Model

Talktime/Standby (hours)

Bluetooth/Wi-Fi

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

Price in Rs.

Yes/Yes/HSDPA

Yes/Yes/HSDPA,HSUPA

Yes/Yes/No

Symbian^3

Symbian Belle

Symbian Anna

Bada OS v2.0

Yes/Yes

Yes/No

Bar/Yes/No

Bar/No/No

16,000

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

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

14,300

16,300

17,900

21,000

12,500

YMOBILE 103 APR 15 to MAY 14 2012 MY

MODELS

myguide

TAG HEUER

PARAMETERS

VERTU

Link

Meridiist Steel & Gold

Ascent

Constellation Ayxta

Ascent Ti

Constellation Quest

Signature

Dimension (mm)

118 x 67 x 16.6

112 x 46 x 15.5

117 x 46 x 19

100 x 48 x 18

115.5 x 49 x 13.1

116 x 60.8 x 12.7

130 x 42 x 13

Weight (grams)

200

155

148

174

160

165 to 185

166

Model

6.5/336

7/392

4.8/300

6/300

5/300

7.5/349

3.5/300

Screen (colours)/Size (inch)

16million/3.5

262,144/1.9

16million/2.0

16million/2.4

16million/2.0

8GB/32GB

16million/2.0

Inbuilt/Expandable memory

256MB/8GB

NA/NA

8GB/32GB

100MB/8GB

4GB/No

16million/2.46

4GB/No

Talktime/Standby (hours)

Yes/Yes

Yes/No

Yes/Yes

Yes/No

Camera/Flash/Video

5.0MP/No/Yes

No/No/No

5.0MP/Yes/Yes

3.15MP/Yes/Yes

5.0MP/Yes/Yes

No/No/No

Phonebook Capacity

Shared

1,000

2,000

1,500

Shared

2,000

Frequency/Dual SIM

Quad Band/No

GPRS/EDGE/3G

Yes/Yes/HSDPA

Yes/Yes/No

Yes/Yes/HSDPA,HSUPA

Yes/Yes/No

Yes/Yes/R99

Yes/Yes/HSDPA

Yes/Yes/R99

Operating System

Andriod OS 2.2

Bluetooth/Wi-Fi

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

Price in Rs.

Yes/NA

Yes/No

Yes/Yes

Yes/No

Yes/Yes

Yes/No

Bar/Yes/No

Bar/No/No

Clamshell/No/No

Bar/No/No

Bar/No/Yes

Bar/No/No

Starting 3,25,000+

Starting 5,40,000+

Starting 2,89,000+

Starting 3,47,000+

Starting 3,68,000+

Starting 3,86,000+

Starting 7,22,000+

MODELS

ENTERPRISE LEVEL

APPLE

PARAMETERS Model

BLACKBERRY

iPhone 4

iPad 2 Wi-Fi

i-Pad 2 Wi-Fi+3G

iPhone 4S

Curve 8520

Play Book

Curve 3G 9300

Dimension (mm)

115.2 x 58.6 x 9.3

241.2 x 185.7 x 8.8

115.2 x 58.6 x 9.3

109 x 60 x 13.9

194 x 130 x 10

109 x 60 x 13.9

Weight (grams)

137

607

140

106

425

104

14/300

10/720

14/200

4.5/408

10/NA

4.5/461

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

16million/3.5

262,144/9.7

16million/3.5

65,536/2.46

16million/7.0

65,536/2.46

Inbuilt/Expandable memory

16GB,32GB/No

16,32,64 GB/No

16,32,64GB/No

256MB/microSD

16,32,64GB/No

256MB/32GB

Yes/Yes

Camera/Flash/Video

5.0MP/Yes/Yes

VGA/No/Yes

8.0MP/Yes/Yes

2.0MP/No/Yes

5.0MP/No/Yes

2.0MP/No/Yes

Phonebook Capacity

Shared

Frequency/Dual SIM

Quad Band/No

Quad band/No

Quad Band/No

Bluetooth/Wi-Fi

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

Price in Rs.

Yes/Yes/HSDPA,HSUPA

Yes/Yes/No

Yes/Yes/HSDPA

iOS4

iOS 4.3

IOS 5

BlackBerry OS

Yes/No

Bar/Yes/No

Bar/No/Yes

Bar/Yes/No

Bar/No/Yes

9,600

13,990/19,990

13,500

34,500/40,900

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

24,500/30.500/36.500 32,900/38,900/44,900 44,600/50,800/57,500

YMOBILE APR 15 to MAY 14 2012 104 MY

MODELS

BLACKBERRY

PARAMETERS Model

Curve 9380

Curve 9360

9860

Bold 9780

Torch 9800

Bold 9790

9810

Dimension (mm)

109 x 60 x 11.2

112 x 62 x 14.2 mm

120 x 62 x 11.5

109 x 60 x 13.9

111 x 62 x 14.6

110 x 60 x 11.4

111 x 62 14.6

Weight (grams)

130

135

104

161.1

107

161

Talktime/Standby (hours)

5.5/360

5/336

4.7/337

4.5/456

5.5/432

5.1/432

6.5/296

Screen (colours)/Size (inch)

16million/3.2

262,144/2.44

16million/3.7

65,536/2.44

16million/3.2

16million/2.45

16 million/3.2

Inbuilt/Expandable memory

512MB/32GB

256MB/32GB

2.5GB/32GB

256MB/32GB

512MB/32GB

8GB/32GB

Bluetooth/Wi-Fi

Yes/Yes

YesYes

Yes/Yes

Camera/Flash/Video

5.0MP/Yes/Yes

Phonebook Capacity

Shared

Quad Band/No

Frequency/Dual SIM GPRS/EDGE/3G Operating System Music Player/FM Radio

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

BlackBerry OS 7.0

Quad Band/No Yes/Yes/HSDPA BlackBerry OS

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

BlackBerry OS

Blackberry OS 7.0

BlackBerry OS 7.0

Yes/No

Bar/Yes/No

Bar/No/Yes

Bar/Yes/No

Bar/No/Yes

Slider/Yes/Yes

Bar/Yes/Yes

Slider/Yes/Yes

16,200

18,000

20,900

20,500

25,000

28,500

BLACKBERRY

CELKON

9900

XCD35

Aero

Venu

Streak

Venu Pro

Dimension (mm)

115 x 66 x 10.5

108 X 46 X 16

114 x 56 x 12.2

122 x 57.9 x 11.7

121 x 64 x 12.9

152.9 x 79.1 x 10

122 x 63.5 x 15.2

Weight (grams)

130

120

104

164

220

192.8

6.3/296

6/120

4/216

5/400

9.8/400

7/NA

Screen (colours)/Size (inch)

16 million/2.8

262,144/3.2

262,144/3.5

16million/4.1

16million/5.0

16million/4.1

Inbuilt/Expandable memory

8GB/32GB

2GB/32GB

512MB/16GB

Yes/32GB

512MB/32GB

8GB/32GB

Yes/Yes

Camera/Flash/Video

5.0MP/Yes/Yes

3.2MP/No/Yes

3.15MP/No/Yes

5.0MP/Yes/Yes

8.0MP/Yes/Yes

5.0MP/Yes/Yes

Phonebook Capacity

Shared

2,000

Shared

Frequency/Dual SIM

Quad Band/No

Tri Band/No

Quad Band/No

Yes/Yes/HSDPA,HSUPA

Yes/Yes/HSDPA

BlackBerry OS 7.0

Android 2.2

Android OS v2.1

Android OS v2.2

Windows Phone 7.5

Yes/No

Yes/Yes

Yes/No

Yes/Yes

Bar/Yes/Yes

Bar/Yes/No

Slider/Yes/Yes

32,000

4,999

8,500

10,990

21,500

22,990

24,990

Form Factor/T.Screen/QWERTY Burn test Rating

MODELS

Price in Rs.

PARAMETERS Model

Talktime/Standby (hours)

Bluetooth/Wi-Fi

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

Price in Rs.

DELL

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

YMOBILE 105 APR 15 to MAY 14 2012 MY

MODELS

myguide

IDEA

PARAMETERS Model Dimension (mm) Weight (grams)

HTC

ID 280

Blade

Explorer

ChaCha

Wildfire S

102 x 53 x 13

116 x 56.5 x 11.8

102.8 x 57.2 x 12.9

114 x 64 x 10.7

101.3 x 59.4 x 12.4

One V

NEW

120.3 x 59.7 x 9.24

S-510 Desire S 115 x 59.8 x 11.6

130

81.3

124

105

115

130

4/288

4/192

7.6/485

4/120

6.73/261

4/120

Screen (colours)/Size (inch)

262,144/2.8

262,144/3.5

262,144/3.2

262,144/2.6

16million/3.2

16million/3.7

Inbuilt/Expandable memory

152MB/32GB

90MB/32GB

512MB/32GB

512MB/microSD

4GB/32GB

1.1GB/32GB

Yes/Yes

3.2MP/No/Yes

3.2MP/Yes/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

GPRS/EDGE/3G

Yes/Yes/HSDPA

Operating System

Android OS v2.2

Android OS v2.3

Android v4.0

Android OS, v2.3

Yes/Yes

Yes//Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/No

Yes/Yes

Bar/Yes/No

Bar/Yes/Yes

Bar/Yes/No

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

5,850

7,992

9,500

12,000

13,600

17,000

22,500

MODELS

Price in Rs.

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

PARAMETERS Model

HTC

KARBONN

Radar

Rhyme

Sensation XE

Evo 3D

Sensation XL

Dimension (mm)

120.5 x 61.5 x 10.9

119 x 60.8 x 10.85

126.1 x 65.4 x 11.3

126 x 65 x 12.05

132.5 x 70.7 x 9.9

134.36 x 69.9 x 8.9

106.8 x 59.2 x 14

Weight (grams)

137

130

151

170

162.5

130

105

Talktime/Standby (hours)

OneX

NEW

10/480

6.3/265

9.1/310

9.3/358

11.8/360

10/290

4.1/250

Screen (colours)/Size (inch)

16million/3.8

16million/3.7

16million/4.3

16million/4.7

262,144/2.8

Inbuilt/Expandable memory

8GB/No

1GB/microSD

4GB/32GB

1GB/32GB

16GB/No

32GB/No

4GB/32GB

Bluetooth/Wi-Fi

Yes/Yes

Yes/NA

Camera/Flash/Video

5.0MP/Yes/Yes

8.0MP/Yes/Yes

5.0MP/Yes/Yes

8.0MP/Yes/Yes

3.2MP/No/Yes

Phonebook Capacity

Shared

Quad Band/No

Dual Band/GSM+GSM

Frequency/Dual SIM GPRS/EDGE/3G

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

Yes/Yes/HSDPA

Operating System

Windows Phone 7.5

Android OS 2.2

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

Price in Rs.

Android OS 2.3

Android OS, v2.3

Android OS v2.3

Android OS 4.0

Yes/Yes

Bar/Yes/No

22,600

24,500

32,500

34,000

36,000

37,990

4,500

YMOBILE APR 15 to MAY 14 2012 106 MY

MODELS PARAMETERS Model Dimension (mm) Weight (grams)

LAVA

S12

Optimus Me P350

Optimus One P500

Optimus Pro C660

Optimus Net P690

P698

E510

117 x 57.5 x 13.4

108 x 57.5 x 12.2

113.5 x 59 x 13.3

119.5 x 59.7 x 12.9

113 x 59 x 11.7

114 x 59 x 11.7

113.4 x 60.8 x 11.9

120

110

129

121

124

123

10.8/590

11/626

8/550

13.5/852

12/581

11.5/556

Screen (colours)/Size (inch)

262,144/3.2

262,144/2.8

262,144/3.2

262,144/2.8

262,144/3.2

Inbuilt/Expandable memory

120MB/32GB

155MB/32GB

170MB/32GB

150MB/32GB

160MB/32GB

Yes/32GB

Yes/Yes

5.0MP/No/Yes

3.15MP/No/Yes

3.2MP/No/Yes

5.0MP/No/Yes

Talktime/Standby (hours)

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

Shared

Frequency/Dual SIM

QuadBand/No

Quad Band/No

Quad Band/GSM+GSM

Quad Band/N0

GPRS/EDGE/3G

Yes/Yes/HSDPA

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

Operating System

Android OS 2.2

Android OS v2.2

Android OS v2.3

Yes/Yes

Bar/Yes/No

Bar/Yes/Yes

Bar/Yes/No

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

7,000

9,600

10,000

10,500

13,000

MODELS

Price in Rs.

82 7,300

PARAMETERS Model

MICROMAX

E730

Optimus Black P970

Optimus 2X

Optimus 3D

A60

A55

A70

Dimension (mm)

122.5 x 62.5 x 9.8

122 x 64 x 9.2

123.9 x 63.2 x 10.9

128.8 x 68 x 11.9

106.8 x 59.2 x 14

107.2 x 58.7 x 13.5

111 x 58 x 13.5

Weight (grams)

107

109

139

168

105

111.5

Talktime/Standby (hours)

18.5/496

6/375

14.5/421

13/450

4/240

4/144

4/168

Screen (colours)/Size (inch)

16million/3.8

16 million/4.0

16million/4.0

16million/4.3

262,144/2.8

262,144/3.2

Inbuilt/Expandable memory

1GB/32GB

2 GB/32GB

6.4GB/32GB

8GB/32GB

150MB/32GB

160MB/32GB

Bluetooth/Wi-Fi

Yes/Yes

Camera/Flash/Video

5.0MP/No/Yes

5.0MP/Yes/Yes

8.0MP/Yes/Yes

5.0MP/Yes/Yes

3.0MP/No/Yes

5.0MP/No/Yes

Phonebook Capacity

Shared

Quad Band/No

Quad BandNo

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 v2.4

Android OS v2.2

Android OS v2.1

Android OS v2.2

Yes/Yes

Yes/No

Yes/Yes

Bar/Yes/No

17,000

19,000

22,000

27,000

4,600

7,000

7,999

YMOBILE 107 APR 15 to MAY 14 2012 MY

MODELS

myguide

MICROMAX

PARAMETERS Model Dimension (mm)

MOTOROLA

A75

A85

Fire

Fire XT

Milestone XT800

Defy+

120 x 63.5 x 10.9

118.7 x 60.1 x 13.8

116.5 x 58 x 13.45

114 x 61.9 x 11.95

120 x 61.8 x 11.4

107 x 59 x 13.4

Atrix

NEW

125.9 x 66.0 x 10.4

Weight (grams)

135.4

110

84.3

137

118

147

Talktime/Standby (hours)

5/288

3.2/250

7/504

9.7/720

5.4/100

7.10/384

8.9/3821

Screen (colours)/Size (inch)

262,144/3.75

16million/3.8

262,144/2.8

262,144/3.5

16million/3.7

16million/4.3

Inbuilt/Expandable memory

NA/32GB

8GB/32GB

512MB/32GB

1GB/32GB

2GB/32GB

8GB/32GB

Bluetooth/Wi-Fi

Yes/Yes

Camera/Flash/Video

3.0MP/Yes/Yes

5.0MP/No/Yes

3.15MP/No/Yes

5.0MP/Yes/Yes

5.0/Yes/Yes

8.0MP/Yes/Yes

Phonebook Capacity

Shared

1,000

Shared

Frequency/Dual SIM

Quad Band/GSM+GSM

Quad Band/No

Quad Band/GSM+CDMA

Quad Band/No

GPRS/EDGE/3G

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

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

Android OS, v2.3

Android OS v2.1

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

Android OS, v2.3

Yes/Yes

Bar/Yes/No

Bar/Yes/Yes

Bar/Yes/No

8,999

15,290

8,500

9,500

15,500

16,000

22,500

MODELS

Price in Rs.

Android OS, v2.3

Yes/Yes/Rev. A

MOTOROLA

PARAMETERS Model

NOKIA

Xoom 3G/WiFi

RazrXT 910

Lumia 710

Dimension (mm)

249.1 x 167.8 x 12.9

130.7 x 68.9 x 7.1

115 x 58.9 x 12.8

119 x 62.4 x 12.5

115.5 x 59 x 10.5

113.5 x 59 x 12.9

123.7 x 62.4 x 13.6

Weight (grams)

730

127

126

125.5

133

135

176

Talktime/Standby (hours)

10/336

9.4/305

7.3/400

14.4/681

12/390

9/430

Screen (colours)/Size (inch)

16million/10.1

262,144/4.3

262,144/2.36

16million/3.7

16.7million/2.46

16.7million/3.5

16million/4.0

Inbuilt/Expandable memory

32GB/MicroSD

16GB/32GB

256MB/32GB

8GB/No

8GB/32GB

16GB/32GB

16GB/No

Bluetooth/Wi-Fi

Yes/Yes

Camera/Flash/Video

5.0MP/No/Yes

8.0MP/Yes/Yes

5.0MP/Yes/Yes

8.0MP/Yes/Yes

12.0MP/Yes/Yes

8.0MP/Yes/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 3.1

Android OS, v2.3

Symbian S60

Windows Phone 7.5

Symbian Anna

Symbian^3 OS

Yes/No

Yes/Yes

Bar/Yes/No

Bar/No/Yes

Bar/Yes/No

Bar/No/Yes

Bar/Yes/No

Slider/Yes/Yes

32,990/39,990

29,500

9,400

15,500

17,100

19,000

21,500

YMOBILE APR 15 to MAY 14 2012 108 MY

MODELS PARAMETERS Model Dimension (mm) Weight (grams)

NOKIA

SAMSUNG

Lumia 800

Galaxy Y

Galaxy Y Colour

Galaxy Pop S5570

Galaxy Y Duos

Galaxy Y Duos Pro 5512

5830 Galaxy Ace

116.5 x 61.2 x 12.1

104.0 x 58.0 x 11.5

110.4 x 60.8 x 12.1

109.8 x 60 x 11.95

110.8 x 63.5 x 11.9

112.4 x 59.9 x 11.5

142

97.5

106.6

109

112.3

113

13/265

6/120

9.5/570

17.5/630

19.16/740

12/520

Screen (colours)/Size (inch)

16miilion/3.7

262,144/3.0

256,000/3.14

262,144/3.1

262,144/2.6

16million/3.5

Inbuilt/Expandable memory

16GB/No

160MB/32GB

164MB/32GB

160MB/32GB

512MB/32GB

158MB/32GB

Talktime/Standby (hours)

Bluetooth/Wi-Fi

Yes/Yes

Camera/Flash/Video

8.0MP/Yes/Yes

2.0MP/No/Yes

3.15MP/No/Yes

3.0MP/No/Yes

3.15MP/No/Yes

5.0MP/Yes/Yes

Phonebook Capacity

Shared

Frequency/Dual SIM

Quad Band/No

GPRS/EDGE/3G

Yes/Yes/HSDPA,HSUPA

Yes/Yes/HSDPA

Operating System

Windows Phone 7.5

Android OS, v2.3

Android OS, v2.2

Android OS, v2.3

Android OS, v2.2

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

Quad Band/No

Yes/Yes

Bar/Yes/No

Bar/Yes/Yes

Bar/Yes/No

24,500

7,500

7,900

8,400

9,300

10,300

13,500

Galaxy Tab620

Galaxy SII i9100

MODELS

Price in Rs.

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

SAMSUNG

PARAMETERS Model

Omnia W I8350

5830 Galaxy Ace Plus

I9003 Galaxy SL

Galaxy S Plus I9001

Dimension (mm)

115.6 x 58.8 x 10.9

114.7 x 62.5 x 11.2

123.7 x 64.2 x 10.59

122.4 x 64.2 x 9.9

Weight (grams)

115.3

114

131

119

193.65 x 122.37 x 9.96 125.30 x 66.10 x 8.49 345

116

Galaxy Tab 730 230.9 x 157.8 x 8.6 453

7/370

11.1/660

12.8/750

17.3/480

40/1000

19.3/710

NA/1750

Screen (colours)/Size (inch)

16million/3.7

262,144/3.7

16 million/4.0

16million/4.0

16million/7.0

16million/4.27

16million/8.9

Inbuilt/Expandable memory

8GB/No

2.7GB/32GB

4GB/32GB

16GB/32GB

16GB/MicroSD

16GB/32GB

16GB/No

Talktime/Standby (hours)

Yes/Yes

Camera/Flash/Video

5.0MP/Yes/Yes

5.0MP/No/Yes

3.0MP/No/Yes

8.0MP/Yes/Yes

2.0MP/No/Yes

Phonebook Capacity

Shared

Quad Band/No

Bluetooth/Wi-Fi

Frequency/Dual SIM GPRS/EDGE/3G

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

Operating System

Windows Phone 7.5

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

Price in Rs.

Android OS, v2.3

Android OS, v2.2

Android OS, v2.3

Android OS, v3.2

Android OS, v2.3

Android OS, v3.1

Yes/Yes

Yes/No

Yes/Yes

Yes/No

Bar/Yes/No

15,400

16,290

19,000

22,000

26,300

31,700

32,500

YMOBILE 109 APR 15 to MAY 14 2012 MY

MODELS

myguide

SAMSUNG

PARAMETERS

SONY ERICSSON

Galaxy Note

Tab 10.1 1750

Galaxy Tab 680

Xperia Mini

Live with Walkman

Xperia Mini Pro

Dimension (mm)

146.9 x 83 x 9.7

256.7 x 175.3 x 8.6

196.7 x 133 x 7.89

99.0 × 54.0 × 15.0

92 x 53 x 18

106 x 56 x 14.2

92 x 53 x 18

Weight (grams)

178

565

340

104

136

115

136

Model

6/100

9/NA

20/1200

4.75/446

5.4/331

6.7/350

5.4/331

Screen (colours)/Size (inch)

16million/5.3

16million/10.1

16million/7.7

16.7million/3.0

16million/3.2

16.7million/3.0

Inbuilt/Expandable memory

16GB/32GB

16GB/No

16GB/32GB

128MB/16GB

320MB/16GB

320MB/32GB

320MB/16GB

Talktime/Standby (hours)

Yes/Yes

Camera/Flash/Video

8.0MP/Yes/Yes

3.2MP/No/Yes

3.0MP/Yes/Yes

3.2MP/No/Yes

5.0MP/Yes/Yes

Phonebook Capacity

Shared

Quad Band/No

Bluetooth/Wi-Fi

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

Android OS, v2.3

Android OS, v3.1

Android OS, v3.2

Android OS v2.1

Android OS 2.3

Yes/Yes

Bar/Yes/No

Slider/Yes/Yes

33,500

34,000

36,312

9,400

13,800

14,600

14,700

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 Yes/Yes/HSDPA,HSUPA

SONY ERICSSON

PARAMETERS

SONY

Model

Xperia Active

Xperia Neo V

Xperia Ray

Xperia Pro

Arc S

Dimension (mm)

106 x 60 x 14.5

116 x 57 x 13

111 x 53 x 9.4

120 x 57 x 13.7

125 x 63 x 8.7

Weight (grams)

126

100

142

117

175

598

3.2/416

6.9/430

6.8/430

6.9/430

7.4/460

8.25/625

11/430

Screen (colours)/Size (inch)

16million/3.0

16million/3.7

16million/3.3

16million/3.7

16million/4.2

16 million/4.0

16million/9.4

Inbuilt/Expandable memory

120MB/32GB

1GB/32GB

300MB/32GB

1GB/32GB

512MB/32GB

16GB/32GB

Yes/Yes

Camera/Flash/Video

5.0MP/Yes/Yes

8.0MP/Yes/Yes

5.0MP/Yes/Yes

5.0MP/No/Yes

Phonebook Capacity

Shared

Frequency/Dual SIM

Quad Band/No

Talktime/Standby (hours)

Bluetooth/Wi-Fi

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

Price in Rs.

R800i Xperia Play

Tablet S Wi-Fi

119.0 x 62.0 x 16.0 241.2 x 174.3 x 10.1-20.6

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, v2.3

Android OS, v3.1

Yes/Yes

Yes/No

Bar/Yes/No

Slider/Yes/Yes

Bar/Yes/No

16,000

17,500

19,000

19,500

26,000

31,000

21,000

YMOBILE APR 15 to MAY 14 2012 110 MY

MODELS

CDMA

SONY

PARAMETERS Model

Tablet S 3G+Wi-Fi

SPICE Mi 280

MI 350N

Samsung Hero Plus 159

Samsung B209

Samsung B229

241.2 x 174.3 x 10.1-20.6

180 x 79 x 28

105.5 x 57 x 12.9

116 x 61 x12.75

108.5 x 45.8 x 13.3

108.0 x 44.8 x 14.3

108 x 44.38 x 14.20

Weight (grams)

598

372

136

72.3

Talktime/Standby (hours)

Tablet P

CDMA

Dimension (mm)

NEW

11/430

NA/120

3.3/150

5/200

3/230

4.3/470

6.5/720

Screen (colours)/Size (inch)

16million/9.4

16million/5.5

262,144/2.8

262,144/3.5

65,536/1.52

65,536/1.5

Inbuilt/Expandable memory

16GB/32GB

4GB/32GB

134MB/32GB

170MB/32GB

597KB/No

351KB/No

450KB/No

Bluetooth/Wi-Fi

Yes/Yes

No/No

Camera/Flash/Video

5.0MP/No/Yes

5.0MP/No/No

3.2MP/No/Yes

No/No/No

Phonebook Capacity

Shared

1,000

Quad Band/No

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

Android OS, v3.1

Android OS, v3.2

Dual Band/NO

Dual Band/GSM+CDMA

CDMA/No

Yes/Yes/HSDPA

No/No/No

Android OS, v2.3

BREW

Yes/No

Yes/Yes

No/Yes

No/No

Bar/Yes/No

Clamshell/Yes/No

Bar/Yes/No

Bar/No/No

26,000

32,000

5,600

8,500

1,000

1,100

1,200

Samsung B339

Samsung Guru 539

LG 6160

MODELS

Price in Rs.

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

CDMA

PARAMETERS Model

Samsung Hero B189 Samsung Superstar Samsung Hero B319

Samsung B379

Dimension (mm)

105 x 44 x 13

108 x 45.4 x 14.7

Weight (grams)

75.7

77.5

3.3/250

3.3/212

3/257

4.3/470

6/720

3.30/NA

Screen (colours)/Size (inch)

65,536/1.5

65,536/1.52

65,536/1.5

65,536/1.52

65,536/1.77

65,536/1.5

Inbuilt/Expandable memory

NA/No

1MB/No

351KB/No

2.5MB/4+4GB

NA/4GB

Bluetooth/Wi-Fi

No/No

Yes/Yes

No/No

Yes/No

Camera/Flash/Video

No/No/No

Phonebook Capacity

500

1,000

Frequency/Dual SIM

CDMA/No

GPRS/EDGE/3G

Talktime/Standby (hours)

109.5 x 45.4 x 14.2 108.20 x 47.10 x 14.35 109.6 x 44.9 x 14.0

No/No/No

Yes/Yes/CDMA1X

Yes/No/No

Operating System

BREW

Music Player/FM Radio

No/No

No/Yes

Yes/Yes

Yes/NA

Bar/No/No

1,399

1,499

1,500

1,800

2,336

2,550

Form Factor/T.Screen/QWERTY Burn test Rating

Price in Rs.

YMOBILE 111 APR 15 to MAY 14 2012 MY

MODELS

myguide

CDMA

PARAMETERS

Samsung Guru Dual Samsung Duos 169 CDMA

Samsung Guru Muzik 219

LG 6210

Dimension (mm)

112 x 46.3 x 15.3

106 x 47 x 14.5

114.9 x 47.8 x 14.1

Weight (grams)

86.7

Model

Talktime/Standby (hours)

Samsung Mpower TV 239

Samsung TXT M369

Samsung Duos 259

115.5 x 48 x 15.9

118.5 x 50 x 12.45

112x60.95x11.96

115.5 x 48 x 15.9

110

102.3

4/230

6/300

6.5/300

4.5/250

4.4/420

4.5/420

4.8/230

Screen (colours)/Size (inch)

65,536/1.7

262,144/NA

65,536/2.0

65,536/2.2

262,144/2.4

262,144/2.2

Inbuilt/Expandable memory

14MB/2GB

13MB/4GB

7.41MB/4GB

42MB/8GB

85MB/16GB

104MB/16GB

40MB/8GB

Bluetooth/Wi-Fi

Yes/No

YesNo

Yes/No

Camera/Flash/Video

1.3MP/No/Yes

VGA/No/Yes

No/No/No

VGA/No/Yes

1.3MP/No/Yes

2.0MP/No/Yes

1.3MP/No/Yes

Phonebook Capacity

1,000

2,000

1,000

Frequency/Dual SIM

CDMA/No

GPRS/EDGE/3G

Yes/No/No

BREW

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

CDMA/No

Yes/Yes/CDMA 1X Yes/Yes/EVDO Rev.0 BREW

BREW

CDMA/No

CDMA/CDMA+GSM

Yes/Yes/Yes

Yes/No/No

BREW

Proprietary

Yes/Yes

Bar/No/No

Bar/No/Yes

Bar/No/No

2,700

2,950

3,500

4,500

4,600

6,000

7,100

Blackberry Curve CDMA 9350

MODELS

Price in Rs.

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

CDMA

PARAMETERS Samsung Galaxy Pop CDMA

Galaxy Y CDMA

Blackberry 8530

Samsung Galaxy Ace Duos I589

Blackberry 9670 Style

Blackberry 9650

Dimension (mm)

110.9 x 60.6 x 12.1

104.0 x 58.0 x 11.5

109 x 60 x 13.9

112.4 x 59.9 x 12.44

109 x 60 x 11

96 x 60 x 18.5

112 x 62 x 14

Weight (grams)

106.6

97.5

105

125

131

136

Model

Talktime/Standby (hours)

5/320

6/120

4.5/252

7/300

4.5/252

5/312

Screen (colours)/Size (inch)

262,144/3.14

262,144/3.0

65,536/NA

16million/3.5

NA/2.44

65,536/NA

65,536/2.44

Inbuilt/Expandable memory

164MB/microSD

160MB/32GB

256MB/32GB

512MB/32GB

512/32GB

Bluetooth/Wi-Fi

Yes/Yes

YesYes

Yes/Yes

Camera/Flash/Video

3.15MP/No/Yes

2.0MP/No/Yes

2.0MP/NA/Yes

3.15MP/No/Yes

5.0MP/Yes/Yes

3.15MP/Yes/Yes

Phonebook Capacity

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

Dual Band/CDMA+GSM

CDMA/No

Yes/Yes/EVDO RevA

Yes/Yes/HSDPA

Yes/Yes/No

Yes/Yes/Rev.A

Yes/Yes/No

Yes/Yes/Rev. A

Android OS 2.2

Android OS, v2.3

BlackBerry OS

Android OS, v2.3

BlackBerry OS7

BlackBerry OS

Yes/Yes

Yes/No

Yes/Yes

Yes/No

Bar/Yes/No

Bar/No/Yes

Bar/Yes/No

Bar/No/Yes

Clamshell/No/Yes

Bar/No/Yes

12,400

16,900

20,990

22,500

24,000

8,900

YMOBILE APR 15 to MAY 14 2012 112 MY

EVENT

“India is Becoming Digital” With India becoming a key player in global communications market, Convergence India 2012 ringed a new era of digitalisation in India Heena Jatav

he annual 20th Convergence India 2012 expo was held at Pragati Maidan, New Delhi on 21-23 March 2012. The theme of the event was “India Goes digital.” The expo turned out to be an effective global event bringing the industry, policy makers, business analysts and multi-stakeholders together on a comprehensive exhibition and conference networking platform.

The three-day event covered was spread across more than 15, 000 square meters and featured 400 exhibitors from 24 countries. Being South Asia’s largest event on information and communications technology, the event showcased unique technologies and promoted new applications which would enable inclusion and transform lives of people. With a continuous flow of high-profile trade visitors including government officials, diplomats, industry, trade associations, academia, media, and others, the expo was a hub for businessto-business activities and fruitful collaborations. It also witnessed the release of an industry white paper- “Data Services and Customer Experience” by PricewaterhouseCoopers, the Industry Partner of the event. Addressing the industry gathering, Zhang Yan, China’s Ambassador to India, enlightened the need for greater cooperation and support between the countries especially in the field of telecommunications & IT. He hoped that the mutual trade between the two countries would touch over $100 billions by 2015. He was pleased

114 MYMOBILE apr 15 to may 14 2012

to note that Chinese companies were setting their research centers in India to bring tangible benefits to both the countries. Robin Mersh, CEO, Broadband Forum acknowledged the growing potential of broadband within India, saying that the country is set to move into the top ten broadband countries in 2012. According to the Broadband Forum, India achieved a growth rate of 24.5 per cent in 2011 and had about 13.3 million broadband subscribers. The Convergence India expo was organised by the Exhibitions India Group, and was supported by the Ministry of Communications & Information Technology, Department of Telecommunications (DoT) and Department of Information Technology (DiT), Government of India, and Ministry of Information & Broadcasting, Government of India. It also received support from a number of organisations. In all, more than twelve thousand trade visitors attended the event, making it a total success and paving the way for the next edition. n heena@mymobile.co.in

RNI REG NO./DELENG/2005/15033 DL (ND) - 11/6100/2012-13-14 (Posting Date 19-20 of every month)