Virgin Mobile data card for Internet in India

In sync with its commitment to offer innovative products and services catering to the lifestyle of the Indian youth, Virgin Mobile today made its entry into the data devices segment with the launch of vLink.The sleek white colored device priced at Rs 2100/- only will be the first in the data devices segment to offer style and dual purpose of CDMA USB Modem and 1 GB data storage.

So now it doesn’t matter if you’re in Nainital or Chinchpokli you’ll be able to access the Internet anytime, anywhere!

And what’s more is that unlike any of the other USB devices in the market, this one allows you the convenience of prepaid. So recharge how much ever you need, whenever you need!

The new data card would be available at a price tag of Rs 2,100. It has two tariff plans — Rs 801 per month (for unlimited data usage) and Rs 349 per month.

This is the first unutilized balance roll over facility for data usage in the Indian market. This plan comes at a competitive 25p/min peak hour rate and a 13p/min off peak hour rate**.”

India has a total internet user base of 49.40 million, skewed towards the ‘younger’ India. The proportion of net users ‘under 25’ years of age is the largest chunk accounting for 52% of the total internet user base in India.

Samsung Marine cell phone for Rs. 7030

Samsung today announced the introduction of Samsung Marine (B2100), its first “Outdoor Phone” in the Indian market. According to a press release, the phone is encased in anti-shock urethane material, and is built to withstand the bumps, bangs, scrapes and even withstand dust and water.


Sunil Dutt, Samsung India Country Head said in a statement “Samsung Marine is the perfect companion for consumers who enjoy active outdoor activities.”

According to a Samsung press release, this cell phone model targeted towards those who live their life outdoors meaning those who are adventurous and require a robust handset.

Featuring the IP57 certification, the phone provides dust protection and water protection (under up to 1 meter of water for 30 minutes). Samsung Marine is adaptable for tough environments, including rain, fog, humidity, sand and extremely hot and cold temperatures, etc. – and is tested under specifications defined by the US Department of Defence with Military Standard 810F (MIL-STD-810F).

Samsung has announced its ‘Samsung Marine’ cell phone handset at a price tag of Rs. 7030 in the Indian market.

Nokia N97 With Personal Internet | Prize

The Nokia N97, the most advanced mobile computer to date, will begin selling in June in the Jordanian market. It will be the first Nseries device to feature a dedicated homescreen shortcut for the easy-to-use Ovi Store, which has now become globally available featuring thousands of applications, games, videos, podcasts, productivity tools, web and location-based services.

The Nokia N97 is the latest "mobile computer" in the Nseries of smartphones by Nokia.
Announced on 2 December 2008,[1] [2][3] the N97 is Nokia's second touchscreen phone (after the Nokia 5800 XpressMusic)that is based on the Nokia S60 platform.

The Nokia N97 will transform the way people connect to the Internet and to each other. Designed for the needs of Internet-savvy consumers, the Nokia N97 combines a large 3.5" touch display with a full QWERTY keyboard, providing an 'always open' window to favorite social networking sites and Internet destinations.

Nokia N97 Features:

* 3.5″ touchscreen
* Can’t escape the World connections – GPS, HSDPA, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, FM Transmitter and tuner
* 5MP camera
* 32GB onboard memory with MicroSD expandable to 48GB
* 3.5mm headphone jack (ie. ‘proper’ size)
* An app with a new buzz word attached – So-Lo - Social location.

The Nokia N97 is also perfectly suited for browsing the web, streaming Flash videos or playing games. Both the physical QWERTY and virtual touch input to ensure
efficiency in blogging, chatting, posting, sending texts or emailing.

Telcos peek into Aladdin's cave

The impending commercial activation of Seacom and updates from several other undersea cables have the telcos making moves to take advantage of what is coming.
Over the last few weeks, some of the more well-known telcos, including Vox Telecom and Internet Solutions, have released a spate of products positioned to use high-speed broadband expected to hit local shores over the next few years.

Huge Group executive chairman Anton Potgieter says the incoming capacity, while not cutting the price of services, will bring new services that were previously unavailable on the limited capacity in SA.

Huge has an overview of the market since the company provides managed solutions using the available telecoms operators and their infrastructure. According to Potgieter, for the telcos, the next big step will be in the video conferencing space. He points to Vox's new product released yesterday, Eyeris.

Eyeris is a high-definition (HD) video conferencing solution, which will use the back-end hosted infrastructure of Vox Orion and Vox DataPro. Industry watchers have questioned the capability to run high-definition video conferencing across local networks; however, the company will combine it with Fishbone, its line binding technology, to increase capacity for the solution.

Even with the expected bandwidth, SA still has a long way to go before it sees services that have become commonplace in cutting-edge markets. “We are still some time away from things like HD streaming video, which we have seen in several established countries.”

Internet Solutions (IS) has been quickly racking up the number of new available products, including a business product for roaming, which allows customers to connect to several WiFi hotspots across the globe.

Despite the mass of exciting products on the horizon, the general consensus is that it will take some time before telecoms prices will actually drop.

New Zealand telecommunications provider TelstraClear

New Zealand telecommunications provider TelstraClear has rolled out xDSL equipment to 21 exchanges across the country and technical trials are moving into live field testing as the company's local loop unbundling roll out progresses.

TestraClear says it has begun customer trials, but will not say where the exchanges are, or when the service will go live - other than that it will be before the end of the year.

The telco has been offering turbocharged VDSL2 service to its business customers since October last year; Telecom plans its own upgrade from ADSL2+ to the faster VDSL2 - the fastest possible copper-delivered broadband - later in the year. VDSL2 offers fibre optic-like speeds - provided you live practically on the doorstep of your local exchange or cabinet. Unlike fibre, bandwidth fades rapidly with distance.

Whisper to a screeching halt
Under the Telecommunications Act’s “local loop unbundling” (LLU) provisions, rivals are allowed to shift their own broadband hardware into Telecom exchanges, allowing them to bypass Telecom Wholesale and be in more control of the speed, and pricing, of their internet service.

Orcon and Vodafone both say they want clarity from the Commerce Commission on “sub-loop unbundling”, or the rental that Telecom Wholesale will charge them to access or install their own gear in its roadside "Whisper" fibre cabinets, currently being rolled out by the telco’s Chorus division.

The commission is due to make its final determination on cabinet pricing this month.

AT&T squeezes wannabe iPhone upgraders

AT&T will charge current US iPhone 3G customers a hefty fee for the privilege of upgrading to an iPhone 3G S before their two-year contracts are up, and American owners of the soon-to-be-second-rate 3G model are none to happy about it.

AT&T has announced new pricing for existing iPhone 3Gs, plus rates for the upcoming iPhone 3G S, scheduled for release on June 19th. Pricing for the new phones are in line with what the telecom giant charged for the 3G, and pricing for the 3G has dropped.

iPhone 3G S will cost $199 (16GB) and $299 (32GB) for new and qualifying customers.
iPhone 3G will cost $99 (8GB) for new and qualifying customers.
The 16GB iPhone 3G will be available for $149 while supplies last.

Add to that the required $30 per month data plan, the aforementioned $18 upgrade fee, another $18 for a “One-time AT&T Upgrade Fee,” plus the over-and-above charges for text messaging (200 messages per month, $5.00; 1500 messages per month, $15.00; unlimited messages, $20.00), and existing AT&T contract holders are facing the withdrawal of a serious chunk of change from their checking accounts.

This report describes the results of a research project designed to explore the current and planned use of IT Infrastructure Management Solutions in North American companies.

With increased government regulation and oversight in the form of mandates such as HIPAA, no company that deals with patient or medical records can afford to ignore the very real challenge of ensuring data security, integrity, and privacy.

Ad-Funded Blyk To Launch In India

The UK's ad-funded, youth targeted mobile service provider Blyk is bringing its model of free talk-time and texts in return for viewing advertising to India. Mint.com reports that senior level recruitment is already underway, according to an unnamed source who was approached for a job at the new operation.

Blyk spokesperson Ann Sarimo confirmed that Blyk plans on entering the Indian market, but declined to comment on timing. After signing up some 200,000 customers in the UK, the only country in which it is operational, it appears that Blyk, which was started by ex-Nokia (NYSE: NOK) president Pekka Ala-Pietilä, and funded by the likes of Goldman Sachs and Sofinnova Partners, has hit a wall.

It reiterated a few weeks ago that it was shifting strategy, calling its UK operations, a "proof of concept," and saying that it was looking to partner with carriers, rather than build their own service country by country as originally planned.

Can the Blyk model succeed in India? No word on which Indian carrier Blyk may have partnered with. But it seems that some think it could work. Sanjay Behl, head of branding and marketing operations at Indian carrier Reliance Communications Ltd, told mint.com, "The model looks like a win-win for all stakeholders?cellular operators, customers and then advertisers.

Sony Ericsson C901 Eco Mobile Phone May Cost More Than £300

Sony Ericsson launched two mobile phones with green eco-credentials; the C901 Greenheart and the Naite showed that the Japanese company was ready to make tackle the threat of environmental disaster with more than just words.

Yesterday, a live chat stream brought together some of the people who worked at Sony Ericsson on the whole ecological and environmental-friendliness of Sony Ericsson as a company and manufacturer of mobile phones, one of the most resource-hungry, polluting and popular "consumables" in the world.

Amongst the various details that were released, we learnt that the recommended retail prices in Germany for the Naite would be 159 Euros and the C901 GH would hit 359 Euros.

Adjusting for the exchange rate and the fact that VAT in Germany is 19 percent, it can be safely assumed that the SIM free versions of the Naite would be sold for £136 while the C901 GH would retail for £307 approximately.

They will also feature a range of environmentally-friendly applications, such as a carbon footprint calculator, and a pedometer, dubbed WalkMate.

The C901 Greenheart is being tipped for release during the second quarter of this year, with the Naite expected to go on sale shortly afterwards.

Sony Ericsson's release schedule for this year also includes the Satio, a 12 megapixel cameraphone, and the successor to the Xperia X1, the Xperia X2.