http://www.fonearena.com/blog The Mobile Blog Thu, 09 Feb 2012 13:36:21 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 http://www.fonearena.com/blog/44998/vodafone-3g-now-in-tanjore-in-tamil-nadu.html http://www.fonearena.com/blog/44998/vodafone-3g-now-in-tanjore-in-tamil-nadu.html#comments Mon, 16 Jan 2012 07:56:18 +0000 Srivatsan http://www.fonearena.com/blog/?p=44998 Vodafone has launched their 3G services in Tanjore in Tamil Nadu. They first launched their 3G services in Chennai and Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu. This would let the Vodafone customers experience various exciting 3G services such as faster downloading, video streaming, multimedia gaming, digital TV and much more from their 3G devices. Vodafone 3G is now available in 22 towns across Tamil Nadu including Tanjore. Vodafone 3G is available in Madurai, Salem, Pondicherry, Trichy, Sivakasi, Cuddalore, Kodaikanal, Ooty, Palladam, Ranipet, Sivagangai, Sriperumbadur, Tiruppur, Sivakasi, Villipuram, Vellore, Erode, Karur and Hosur other than Tanjore in Tamil Nadu. Vodafone now offers double data on select plans. Customers with 3G enabled handset can recharge with Rs.102 and get 200 MB 3G data that is valid for a month. Postpaid customers can SMS ACT MI100 to 111 and get 200 MB 3G Data for a period of one month. This offer is valid till March 31st 2012. Customers can dial 116 to get more information about the service and various tariff plans for 3G services in Tanjore.   ]]> http://www.fonearena.com/blog/44998/vodafone-3g-now-in-tanjore-in-tamil-nadu.html/feed 0 http://www.fonearena.com/blog/44932/vodafone-launches-go-bbm-blackberry-service-plan.html http://www.fonearena.com/blog/44932/vodafone-launches-go-bbm-blackberry-service-plan.html#comments Thu, 12 Jan 2012 06:08:51 +0000 Srivatsan http://www.fonearena.com/blog/?p=44932 Vodafone India has launched new BlackBerry service plan, Go BBM for its prepaid and postpaid customers that would let them access BlackBerry Messenger Service. This service costs Rs. 5 per day or Rs. 129 per month for pre-paid customers and Rs. 129 per month for post-paid customers. This plan will be launched next week and offers unlimited access to BBM and users need to SMS ACT BBM129 to 111 to activate it. Additionally, customers who purchase BlackBerry Curve 8520 and BlackBerry Curve 9300 by the end of February 2012 can avail 1 year unlimited access to BBM services from date of purchase as a part of this introductory offer. ]]> http://www.fonearena.com/blog/44932/vodafone-launches-go-bbm-blackberry-service-plan.html/feed 0 http://www.fonearena.com/blog/44750/vodafone-to-provide-free-service-for-blackberry-handsets-in-karnataka-and-andhra-pradesh.html http://www.fonearena.com/blog/44750/vodafone-to-provide-free-service-for-blackberry-handsets-in-karnataka-and-andhra-pradesh.html#comments Fri, 06 Jan 2012 10:52:13 +0000 Srivatsan http://www.fonearena.com/blog/?p=44750 Vodafone, in association with Research In Motion (RIM) is organizing a service camp at select Vodafone Stores in Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. This is available for all BlackBerry Smartphone users irrespective of their service providers and is available for free of cost. They organized similar service camps in Karnataka last year. Customers can avail exciting offers and purchase new handsets in exchange of the old one. Additionally, BlackBerry users can also get the trackball changed, replace back panels, upgrade the phone's software and get free applications. BlackBerry service camps will be held from January 4th -10th, 2012 at select Vodafone Stores in cities such as Bangalore, Mangalore, Manipal, Hubli, Belgaum, Tumkur, Hyderabad, Vijaywada and Vizag between 11 AM to 8 PM. ]]> http://www.fonearena.com/blog/44750/vodafone-to-provide-free-service-for-blackberry-handsets-in-karnataka-and-andhra-pradesh.html/feed 0 http://www.fonearena.com/blog/44699/vodafone-issues-warning-about-unsolicited-international-calls.html http://www.fonearena.com/blog/44699/vodafone-issues-warning-about-unsolicited-international-calls.html#comments Wed, 04 Jan 2012 10:38:36 +0000 Srivatsan http://www.fonearena.com/blog/?p=44699 Vodafone customers have been receiving missed calls from unknown international numbers (looks like +22455104324) for the past few days. Vodafone has issued a warning note to ignore such calls and not call back on those numbers. Some have also reported that people are being charged Rs.45 per minute if they call back to such numbers. They have also said that they are investigating about the issue and want the customers to call the customer care (198 (tollfree) or 111 (chargeable)) and report the number if you receive any such calls. Have you been receiving any such calls on your Vodafone connection? ]]> http://www.fonearena.com/blog/44699/vodafone-issues-warning-about-unsolicited-international-calls.html/feed 0 http://www.fonearena.com/blog/44536/samsung-nexus-s-i9023-now-available-at-vodafone-stores-for-rs-19999-in-india.html http://www.fonearena.com/blog/44536/samsung-nexus-s-i9023-now-available-at-vodafone-stores-for-rs-19999-in-india.html#comments Fri, 23 Dec 2011 10:54:50 +0000 Srivatsan http://www.fonearena.com/blog/?p=44536 Planning to buy a Samsung Nexus S, but can't find it anywhere in the market? The Samsung Nexus S i9023 is now available from the Vodafone Stores across India. The Samsung Nexus S runs on Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) but you can update it to Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) manually. Samsung launched the phone in India this April for Rs.29,950. The Nexus S comes with 16GB of internal memory and a 4-inch Super Clear  Curved LCD display, NFC( Near Field Communication) chip and is powered by 1 GHz processor. Head to Vodafone India site to get full details about the Samsung Nexus S and also find the Vodafone Stores (Change your location from top to choose your circle) to get one. You can get the Samsung Nexus S i9023 from the Vodafone Stores across India for Rs.19,999. ]]> http://www.fonearena.com/blog/44536/samsung-nexus-s-i9023-now-available-at-vodafone-stores-for-rs-19999-in-india.html/feed 0 http://www.fonearena.com/blog/44481/vodafone-launches-new-mini-store-in-chennai.html http://www.fonearena.com/blog/44481/vodafone-launches-new-mini-store-in-chennai.html#comments Tue, 20 Dec 2011 12:55:23 +0000 Srivatsan http://www.fonearena.com/blog/?p=44481 Vodafone has launched a new Vodafone Mini Store in Tambaram, Chennai. This Store will sport a new look and would deliver a complete Vodafone experience for customers. There are more than 380 Vodafone stores and mini-stores across Tamil Nadu including this. Vodafone Customers can now drop in to MG Communications, the new Vodafone Mini Store anytime between 9.30 am and 8 pm throughout the week to pay their bills or fetch information with regarding any service or feature on Vodafone. Customers can also get a new pre-paid or post-paid connection, purchase new handsets, get their SIM card replaced, get handset demos, ask any queries regarding VAS services and more. The new Vodafone Store is located at Elumalai Street, West Tambaram in Chennai. ]]> http://www.fonearena.com/blog/44481/vodafone-launches-new-mini-store-in-chennai.html/feed 0 http://www.fonearena.com/blog/44465/vodafone-to-discontinue-inactive-prepaid-mobile-connections.html http://www.fonearena.com/blog/44465/vodafone-to-discontinue-inactive-prepaid-mobile-connections.html#comments Mon, 19 Dec 2011 12:54:16 +0000 Srivatsan http://www.fonearena.com/blog/?p=44465 Vodafone India has announced that they will discontinue mobile services for prepaid customers on numbers that have no usage such as no Voice Calls (incoming or outgoing), SMS & Data for any continuous period of 60 days. They have implemented this guideline because of DoT’s (Department of Telecommunications) stringent guideline for allocation of new number series based on subscribers in VLR has created acute shortage of numbers, for any telecom company. New customers will be intimated of the deactivation process in their starter kits while existing customers will be informed via SMS and outbound calls wherever possible. This information is also updated on Vodafone website. This is applicable for prepaid customers only. ]]> http://www.fonearena.com/blog/44465/vodafone-to-discontinue-inactive-prepaid-mobile-connections.html/feed 0 http://www.fonearena.com/blog/44302/vodafone-launches-smart-android-phone-at-rs-4995.html http://www.fonearena.com/blog/44302/vodafone-launches-smart-android-phone-at-rs-4995.html#comments Mon, 12 Dec 2011 13:10:45 +0000 Varun Krish http://www.fonearena.com/blog/?p=44302 Vodafone Smart which has been available in India for quite some time now got officially unveiled by Vodafone in India today. Guess the price  ? It is priced at just Rs.4995 or under $100 for a 3G Android Phone, not bad at all. It sports a 2.8 inch capacitive display and is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon S1 processor.It packs a 2 megapixel camera which is capable of video recording. The phone supports video playback( MP4/3GP ) and supports microSD cards up to 32GB and a 2GB card comes in the box. It also support Stereo FM Radio and MP3 playback. It comes with a 2 year warranty and double 3G data for Vodafone subscribers. Vodafone introduced it's Facebook phone at a similar price tag and now I think it is trying to set the world record for the cheapest 3G android phone. Good work Vodafone ! Now can you think of subsidizing high-end smartphones also ? ]]> http://www.fonearena.com/blog/44302/vodafone-launches-smart-android-phone-at-rs-4995.html/feed 0 http://www.fonearena.com/blog/44255/vodafone-launches-start-stop-service-for-easier-vas-management.html http://www.fonearena.com/blog/44255/vodafone-launches-start-stop-service-for-easier-vas-management.html#comments Fri, 09 Dec 2011 05:38:27 +0000 Srivatsan http://www.fonearena.com/blog/?p=44255 Vodafone has launched new 'START STOP' service for making VAS (Value Added Services) management easy. This would let customers subscribe to popular VAS products just by messaging START, and STOP for deactivating the service from collection of Value Added Services including, Astro & Devotional, Music & Movies, Entertainment, Info & Utilities and Sports. To activate, customers can SMS START to 321 to receive a list of content categories and reply with the category number to get the list of services. Customers can then reply with the selected service number to send activation request. To deactivate, customers can SMS STOP to 321 to receive a list of currently active services and reply with the selected service number to send deactivation request. This service is available across all Vodafone circles in India. ]]> http://www.fonearena.com/blog/44255/vodafone-launches-start-stop-service-for-easier-vas-management.html/feed 0 http://www.fonearena.com/blog/44171/vodafone-3g-now-in-karur-erode-and-hosur-in-tamil-nadu.html http://www.fonearena.com/blog/44171/vodafone-3g-now-in-karur-erode-and-hosur-in-tamil-nadu.html#comments Wed, 07 Dec 2011 04:53:33 +0000 Srivatsan http://www.fonearena.com/blog/?p=44171 Vodafone has launched their 3G services in Hosur, Karur and Erode in Tamil Nadu. This would let the Vodafone customers experience various exciting 3G services such as faster downloading, video streaming, multimedia gaming, digital TV and much more from their 3G devices. Vodafone 3G is now available in 22 towns in Tamil Nadu. Press Release Hosur, Dec 7, 2011: Vodafone India, one of India’s leading telecom service providers, today announced the launch of its 3G services in Hosur, Karur and Erode. Vodafone customers in Karur and Erode can now experience various exciting 3G services such as faster downloading, video streaming, multimedia gaming, digital TV and much more at the comfort of their handset. 3G Services will change the way Vodafone customers communicate and experience the advantage of adding power of mobility to the internet. Currently, Vodafone has launched 3G services in 22 towns in Tamil Nadu including Chennai, Ariyalur, Coimbatore, Cuddalore, Kodaikanal, Madurai, Ooty, Palladam, Ranipet, Sivagangai, Sriperumbadur, Trichy, Pondicherry, Salem, Tiruppur, Sivakasi, Vellore, Pondicherry, Villipuram, Karur, Erode and Hosur. ]]> http://www.fonearena.com/blog/44171/vodafone-3g-now-in-karur-erode-and-hosur-in-tamil-nadu.html/feed 0 http://www.fonearena.com/blog/43900/vodafone-launches-sabarimala-pack-for-tamil-nadu-customers.html http://www.fonearena.com/blog/43900/vodafone-launches-sabarimala-pack-for-tamil-nadu-customers.html#comments Wed, 23 Nov 2011 10:14:26 +0000 Srivatsan http://www.fonearena.com/blog/?p=43900 Vodafone has launched new Sabarimala pack for the customers in Tamil Nadu. This would let the customers avail 30 minutes of free-calling and access to special services such as caller tunes, ringtones, trivia and stories of sabarimala. They would also receive information on Sabarimala and Lord Ayyappa through daily SMS alerts. To subscribe, customers can dial 5670309 or SMS ACT SAB to 144 or dial *567* 946#. This pack is available for both postpaid and prepaid customers of Vodafone in Tamil Nadu. The activation charge is Rs. 30 for the pack and Rs 15 for downloading each callertune. This service is valid till 15th January, 2012 and it would be deactivated automatically from 16th January, 2012. ]]> http://www.fonearena.com/blog/43900/vodafone-launches-sabarimala-pack-for-tamil-nadu-customers.html/feed 0 http://www.fonearena.com/blog/43653/the-mysterious-story-of-the-apple-iphone-4s-not-working-in-india.html http://www.fonearena.com/blog/43653/the-mysterious-story-of-the-apple-iphone-4s-not-working-in-india.html#comments Thu, 10 Nov 2011 15:25:21 +0000 Varun Krish http://www.fonearena.com/blog/?p=43653 If you are one amongst consumers who had purchased the iPhone 4S from outside India and were facing issues getting it to work here , good news for you. Many users including me were seeing no signal bars on the iPhone 4S in India. Calls and SMS were not working.Surprisingly 3G data was working fine on most operators including Airtel , Vodafone and BSNL. I had tried using some international SIM cards such as AT&T, T-Mobile , O2 UK, 3 UK, SmarTone (HK). The issue was strange as I had another iPhone 4S which was working perfectly fine with all the SIM cards. Look at the speedtest below on BSNL. Awesome speeds but no signal bars ! Weird right ? Awesome speed yet no bars iPhone 4S was working perfectly fine outside India This is the same phone which was working perfectly fine in the UK. In fact i was using the 4S as a Hotspot for my laptop as I had unlimited data from 3UK. Hardware problem  ? Not convinced If the device had a manufacturing defect or if the hardware was faulty, how would it work in the UK that too for a couple of days without throwing up an error. In fact ...]]> http://www.fonearena.com/blog/43653/the-mysterious-story-of-the-apple-iphone-4s-not-working-in-india.html/feed 0 http://www.fonearena.com/blog/43485/vodafone-launches-voice-based-service-directory-123-to-get-information-about-vas.html http://www.fonearena.com/blog/43485/vodafone-launches-voice-based-service-directory-123-to-get-information-about-vas.html#comments Thu, 03 Nov 2011 12:48:27 +0000 Srivatsan http://www.fonearena.com/blog/?p=43485 Vodafone India has launched new voice based service directory 123, new voice based service that lets you browse through information on various Value Added Services (VAS) by Vodafone. Customers can dial 123 (toll-free) to get information and enjoy easy activation for a  range of  Value added services to suit  their needs. This service offers information about news, job alerts, astrology reports, Sports, Music, recipes, filmy gossip and more. This offers the customers all the information they need in a single number (123) by keeping them updated with their latest offerings. They have also rolled out a fresh ad campaign featuring Irfan Khan and Prakash Raj that explains how 123 will empower customers experience products and services that will help them do much more than just talk on mobile phone! httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0hLAgHJBGDQ ]]> http://www.fonearena.com/blog/43485/vodafone-launches-voice-based-service-directory-123-to-get-information-about-vas.html/feed 0 http://www.fonearena.com/blog/43434/vodafone-launches-appia-powered-mobile-application-store-in-india.html http://www.fonearena.com/blog/43434/vodafone-launches-appia-powered-mobile-application-store-in-india.html#comments Tue, 01 Nov 2011 06:16:40 +0000 Srivatsan http://www.fonearena.com/blog/?p=43434 Vodafone has launched Vodafone Mobile Application Store, Powered by Appia that has vast selection of over 10,000 free and paid applications for different mobile platforms such as Android, Java, Symbian and Blackberry. It shows Featured, Popular and New apps. The popular App categories includes games, entertainment, social networking and local culture. There are also Apps from the local providers, including Hungama, India Games and Nazara, Spice, and Vodafone-branded apps like Portfolio Tracker, Vodafone TV, and Chhota Comics. You can also search for the apps manually. Vodafone customers can sms <VStore> or <Apps> to 111 (toll-free) from their GPRS-enabled handsets and click on the URL in the response message to enter the app store. They can also log-in to live.vodafone.in from the mobile and click the Vstore link on the Vodafone Live homepage. Only the apps compatible with your device are shown and your handset model is automatically detected while you get to the app store via GPRS. The store currently supports over 3,500 different devices that is optimized to match applications to the specific device. The applications are available in the range from free to Rs 20, while the games are priced up to Rs 150. It is available for Vodafone Prepaid & Postpaid Customers on both 2G / 3G. ]]> http://www.fonearena.com/blog/43434/vodafone-launches-appia-powered-mobile-application-store-in-india.html/feed 0 http://www.fonearena.com/blog/42560/vodafone-blue-facebook-phone-review.html http://www.fonearena.com/blog/42560/vodafone-blue-facebook-phone-review.html#comments Thu, 29 Sep 2011 12:46:14 +0000 Srivatsan http://www.fonearena.com/blog/?p=42560 You saw the first impressions of the Vodafone Blue. Here is the FoneArena review of the Vodafone Blue 555 Facebook phone. This phone was launched in India earlier this month. It has dedicated Facebook button that lets you upload pictures, visit profiles and update status at a single click and a dedicated camera button. It has 2.4 inch screen, Full QWERTY keypad and an optical track pad for navigation. Specs of the Vodafone Blue 2.4 inch TFT 256k display Full QWERTY Keyboard and Optical Trackpad Dual Band GSM phone 2MP camera with flash Bluetooth 2.1 and Micro USB 2.0 3.5mm headphone jack and FM Radio Supports multiple audio (AAC, AAC+, AAC+ Enhanced, MP3,WMA, MIDI) and video (MPEG4, H263) formats 40MB internal memory that is expandable up to 16GB with MircoSD 1000 mAh battery that offers 3h talk time and 324 hours standby Unboxing Video httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TKLx1YZ21ic Hardware The phone has good build quality which is sturdy. It has 2.4 inch TFT 256k display, Full QWERTY Keyboard and an Optical Trackpad. There is an optical track pad in the center, below the display and the menu keys are located next to it. The call and end buttons are on either sides. There is a QWERTY keypad below that with also has the shortcut keys for Facebook and ...]]> http://www.fonearena.com/blog/42560/vodafone-blue-facebook-phone-review.html/feed 3 http://www.fonearena.com/blog/42347/vodafone-smart-now-available-in-india-for-rs-6695.html http://www.fonearena.com/blog/42347/vodafone-smart-now-available-in-india-for-rs-6695.html#comments Thu, 15 Sep 2011 05:39:06 +0000 Srivatsan http://www.fonearena.com/blog/?p=42347 Vodafone Smart, also known as Vodafone 858 Smart is now available in India. Vodafone has not officially released the phone but it is available for sale on Flipkart. This phone has 2.2 inch touch and runs on Android 2.2 (FroYo). It features 528 Mhz Qualcomm MSM7225 processor and has 2MP camera. They officially launched the Facebook phone, Vodafone Blue last week. Specifications of Vodafone Smart 2.8 inch (320 x 240 pixels) TFT capacitive touch screen 12.6mm thick and weighs 104g 528 MHz Qualcomm MSM7225 processor 2MP camera 3G (HSPA 3.6 Mbps), Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, aGPS and USB 2.0 3.5mm audio Jack and FM Radio Multiple audio and video playback 130MB internal memory that is expandable up to 32GB with MicroSD 1200 mAh battery that offers 270 min talk time and 380h standby The Vodafone Smart is available for sale on Flipkart for Rs. 6,695, and it would be officially launched in India soon. ]]> http://www.fonearena.com/blog/42347/vodafone-smart-now-available-in-india-for-rs-6695.html/feed 1 http://www.fonearena.com/blog/42187/first-impressions-and-hands-on-with-vodafone-blue-555-facebook-phone.html http://www.fonearena.com/blog/42187/first-impressions-and-hands-on-with-vodafone-blue-555-facebook-phone.html#comments Tue, 06 Sep 2011 15:11:00 +0000 Gaurav http://www.fonearena.com/blog/?p=42187   Well this is not first time a Social Networking oriented Phone has been launched. We have seen INQ phones, HTC ChaCha & Salsa facebook smartphones.  But Vodafone Blue Facebook phone is definitely something different.There are few reasons. 1. The price factor: This new Vodafone Blue is priced for just Rs. 4950/- which includes all taxes (USD 108.00). Except INQ series both HTC ChaCha (Rs. 15,500/-) and Salsa (Rs. 18,900/-) are way expensive. 2. The main USP is Facebook: Facebook has been really deeply integrated in this Vodafone Blue Facebook phone. Every important FB functionality is available in it including Messages, Mail, Photos, Chat, Search, Status updates, News Feed, Groups, Calendar with all friend’s birthdays and various events get synced. The synchronisation is really fantastic for a phone which is just priced at 4.9k. Also the user is not required to manually update the phone but every FB update is pushed to the phone automatically. There is also quite good multitasking for FB Chat, IM, Music and FM Radio background playback and so on.  The instant photo sharing is really a cool feature with dedicated camera button for the same. We actually felt that the phone runs something like ‘Facebook OS’ than some ...]]> http://www.fonearena.com/blog/42187/first-impressions-and-hands-on-with-vodafone-blue-555-facebook-phone.html/feed 0 http://www.fonearena.com/blog/42171/vodafone-blue-facebook-phone-launched-in-india-at-rs-5000.html http://www.fonearena.com/blog/42171/vodafone-blue-facebook-phone-launched-in-india-at-rs-5000.html#comments Tue, 06 Sep 2011 09:46:08 +0000 Srivatsan http://www.fonearena.com/blog/?p=42171 Vodafone has launched their Facebook phone, Vodafone Blue in India. This phone is developed in collaboration with Facebook that has the qualities of a smartphone and social networking functions. The phone was announced in UK this July. This phone has dedicated F button that lets the user upload pictures, visit profiles and update status at a single click. This has 2.4 inch screen, Full QWERTY keypad and an optical track pad for navigation. Specifications of Vodafone Blue 2.4 inch TFT 256k display Full QWERTY Keyboard and Optical Trackpad Dual Band GSM phone 2MP camera with flash Bluetooth 2.1 and Micro USB 2.0 3.5mm headphone jack and FM Radio Supports multiple audio (AAC, AAC+, AAC+ Enhanced, MP3,WMA, MIDI) and video (MPEG4, H263) formats 40MB internal memory that is expandable up to 16GB with MircoSD 1000 mAh battery that offers 3h talk time and 324 hours standby The Facebook profiles are synced with the phone's address book. Other than the integrated Facebook client it has Palringo chat suite that support Google talk, ichat, Facebook, XMPP, ICQ, gadu-gadu and AIM. It also comes with default Email client with POP3 and IMAP4 support and Opera Mini web browser. The Vodafone Blue is priced at Rs. 4,950. ]]> http://www.fonearena.com/blog/42171/vodafone-blue-facebook-phone-launched-in-india-at-rs-5000.html/feed 10 http://www.fonearena.com/blog/42169/tamil-nadu-vodafone-launches-international-roaming-offers-for-sri-lanka-launches-3g-experience-zone-in-salem.html http://www.fonearena.com/blog/42169/tamil-nadu-vodafone-launches-international-roaming-offers-for-sri-lanka-launches-3g-experience-zone-in-salem.html#comments Tue, 06 Sep 2011 07:07:26 +0000 Srivatsan http://www.fonearena.com/blog/?p=42169 Vodafone has launched new offers for the prepaid customers in Chennai and Tamil Nadu travelling to Sri Lanka. These top-up packs would let them make and receive calls at cheaper rates while in roaming. They have also launched new 3G experience zone in Salem, Tamil Nadu. International Roaming offers for Chennai and Tamil Nadu customers RC 497 - Make Outgoing calls at Rs. 30/ min and receive calls at Rs 6/min RC 157 - Make Outgoing calls at Rs. 40/min and receive calls at Rs 15/min The validity of both the recharges are 15 days from the day of recharge, and the customers can avail this offer through E-Top ups. Both these packs were priced at Rs 130/min and Rs. 55/min previously. The customers could get 30 days validity by recharging for RC 497 twice. They have launched 3G experience zone at Vodafone store in Salem that would offer customers experience demos of various exciting 3G services such as faster downloading, video streaming, multimedia gaming, Mobile TV and much more. They could also view the demo of 3G products such as Dongles and Mifi devices. Vodafone 3G experience zone are now present in 16 towns in Tamil Nadu including Chennai, Coimbatore, Madurai, Trichy, Pondicherry, Salem, Tiruppur, ...]]> http://www.fonearena.com/blog/42169/tamil-nadu-vodafone-launches-international-roaming-offers-for-sri-lanka-launches-3g-experience-zone-in-salem.html/feed 0 http://www.fonearena.com/blog/42154/blackberry-torch-2-hits-pre-order-in-uk-free-on-contract.html http://www.fonearena.com/blog/42154/blackberry-torch-2-hits-pre-order-in-uk-free-on-contract.html#comments Mon, 05 Sep 2011 15:47:38 +0000 Asad Rafi http://www.fonearena.com/blog/?p=42154 Last month, Canadian mobile phone manufacturer Research In Motion launched few new BlackBerry handsets in London. BlackBerry 9810 a.k.a Torch 2 was also announced back then and it's a successor to BB Torch which is also a very famous BlackBerry handset. Well, it's currently available in UK for £460 (which is around $760) without contract and it's not affordable for everyone. But if you are a hardcore BB fan and want to get the Torch 2 on contract, then MobilePhonesDirect can help you buying it. They are now offering the device on contract for free starting from monthly rate of £31 and in this price, you get the service from Vodafone UK. Other option is T-Mobile UK, which starts from £35.74 per-month. Vodafone gives you 500 mins, unlimited texts and 500 MB monthly data and T-Mobile offer is probably better, because they are offering 1200 mins, 500 texts and unlimited mobile internet. Check out more plans over here. Interested users can pre-order the handset now and hopefully they will get it by the end of September. Check out the full spec-sheet over here. So anyone pre-ordering the Torch 2? Do tell us in the comment box below! Source: SoMobile ]]> http://www.fonearena.com/blog/42154/blackberry-torch-2-hits-pre-order-in-uk-free-on-contract.html/feed 0 http://www.fonearena.com/blog/41780/co-branded-version-of-opera-mini-launched-for-vodafone-customers.html http://www.fonearena.com/blog/41780/co-branded-version-of-opera-mini-launched-for-vodafone-customers.html#comments Thu, 18 Aug 2011 10:33:43 +0000 Srivatsan http://www.fonearena.com/blog/?p=41780 Vodafone Essar and Opera Software has joined hands to offer Opera Mini browser for the Vodafone customers in India. This would let the users to browse the Internet better and faster and it also comes with customized Speed Dial shortcuts for easy access to unique Vodafone Essar features. Both of them has already extended their global agreement earlier this year. The Opera Mini compresses the data by up to 90% so that you can save time and money. It also has auto complete for address inputs, page sharing and lots of useful features. India is already one of the largest countries for Opera Mini usage globally, and an important region for the rapid expansion for Opera Mini. This version of Opera Mini is available for Download for Vodafone customers, and it supports most of the internet enabled handsets. ]]> http://www.fonearena.com/blog/41780/co-branded-version-of-opera-mini-launched-for-vodafone-customers.html/feed 0 http://www.fonearena.com/blog/41692/vodafone-announces-vodafone-race-to-fame-contest-in-india.html http://www.fonearena.com/blog/41692/vodafone-announces-vodafone-race-to-fame-contest-in-india.html#comments Fri, 12 Aug 2011 12:50:32 +0000 Srivatsan http://www.fonearena.com/blog/?p=41692 Vodafone has announced Vodafone Race to Fame contest for its Indian customers. There are 2 different challenges Vodafone Race to Fame- Life in the fast lane and Vodafone Drive into the Big League. The 4 winners (2 consumers and 2 global enterprise customers) of the Vodafone Race to Fame- Life in the fast lane challenge will get an opportunity to spend the weekend with the Vodafone McLaren Mercedes (VMM) team during the motor racing event that would be held at Noida on 28th to 30th October 2011. The Vodafone Drive into the Big League challenge is for small & medium enterprises (SME’s) and the winners would have their company logo in the VMM cars that will race at the motor racing event in India. The entries for the contest would be accepted from the 3rd week of August 2011. The shortlisted contestants should take part in Go-Karting challenges at select 6 cities in India and they would also undergo other competitive activities. The registration would be open soon on the Vodafone site for the Vodafone customers and Global enterprise customers, where they could register for these challenges. ]]> http://www.fonearena.com/blog/41692/vodafone-announces-vodafone-race-to-fame-contest-in-india.html/feed 0 http://www.fonearena.com/blog/41651/idea-vodafone-still-lead-in-mnp.html http://www.fonearena.com/blog/41651/idea-vodafone-still-lead-in-mnp.html#comments Fri, 12 Aug 2011 12:32:35 +0000 Srivatsan http://www.fonearena.com/blog/?p=41651 The Mobile Number Portability (MNP) was launched across India on 20th January this year. According to COAI report published this March, Vodafone was on top spot in the MNP, followed by Idea Cellular. Now, Idea overtook Vodafone with the net addition of 800 thousand subscribers, while Vodafone moved to the second place with the net addition of 700 thousand. Idea Cellular gained 1.9 million subscribers and lost 10.8 million subscribers with the net porting percentage of 0.87%. Vodafone gained 21.8 million customers and lost 14.7 million customers with the net porting percentage of 0.50%. Bharti Airtel maintains the 3rd place by gaining 23.3 million customers and losing 16.7 million customers and has a net porting percentage of 0.38. Reliance is still at the bottom with the 1.6 million subscribers porting out. BSNL has lost 500 thousand subscribers, and the main reason of the subscribers porting out from BSNL have been reported to be network / coverage issues and  tariff issues. Table showing subscriber porting after MNP (as on 30.6.2011) Source : Medianama ]]> http://www.fonearena.com/blog/41651/idea-vodafone-still-lead-in-mnp.html/feed 0 http://www.fonearena.com/blog/41674/vodafone-offers-100-mb-free-3g-data-in-chennai-coimbatore-madurai-trichy.html http://www.fonearena.com/blog/41674/vodafone-offers-100-mb-free-3g-data-in-chennai-coimbatore-madurai-trichy.html#comments Fri, 12 Aug 2011 05:44:13 +0000 Srivatsan http://www.fonearena.com/blog/?p=41674 Yes that's true. There was an ad in Today's Times of India paper saying that Vodafone customers in Chennai, Coimbatore, Madurai and Trichy would get 100 MB free 3G data after producing the coupon below the ad at the nearest Vodafone Stores. This 100MB data is valid for 30 days for the prepaid customers and they would be charged at 10p /10KB post free usage. The 100MB data is valid for the postpaid customers till their next billing cycle and they would be charged at 2p/10KB post free usage. This offers is not valid for the customers who has already subscribed for other 3G packs. This offer is only valid for the next 7 days. So, Hurry. ]]> http://www.fonearena.com/blog/41674/vodafone-offers-100-mb-free-3g-data-in-chennai-coimbatore-madurai-trichy.html/feed 0 http://www.fonearena.com/blog/41509/vodafone-uk-and-three-uk-to-launch-white-samsung-galaxy-s-ii.html http://www.fonearena.com/blog/41509/vodafone-uk-and-three-uk-to-launch-white-samsung-galaxy-s-ii.html#comments Thu, 04 Aug 2011 21:15:23 +0000 Asad Rafi http://www.fonearena.com/blog/?p=41509 Samsung Galaxy S II is considered one of the best Android devices available in the market at the moment, we recently reviewed it and no doubt it's a good device. At the moment, SGSII is available in only one color and it's black, and black is one of the most common mobile phone colors. Well, if you live in UK and want to get SGSII but not in black color and want it in a unique color like white, then cheer up because it's coming your way. Three UK is planning to launch the white SGSII in UK and they just added it in their Coming Soon list and they are launching it next month. It seems that this version will come with a better and improved battery life, that's what the feature list on Three UK is telling us. Just like White iPhone 4 is sexier than black one, this White SGSII looks more sexy and beautiful than the current version of it. Three isn't the only one to launch it because it seems that Vodafone is also impressed by this phone, as SoMobile is claiming that Vodafone will carry it, and they will also launch it in September, ...]]> http://www.fonearena.com/blog/41509/vodafone-uk-and-three-uk-to-launch-white-samsung-galaxy-s-ii.html/feed 0 http://www.fonearena.com/blog/41399/vodafone-launches-new-121-service-for-tamil-nadu-prepaid-customers.html http://www.fonearena.com/blog/41399/vodafone-launches-new-121-service-for-tamil-nadu-prepaid-customers.html#comments Mon, 01 Aug 2011 07:39:25 +0000 Srivatsan http://www.fonearena.com/blog/?p=41399 Vodafone has launched new 121 (Toll-free) service for Tamil Nadu prepaid customers to get information about new prepaid offers. The Vodafone prepaid customers can choose from 8 different offers based on their needs by dialing 121 from their phone. These offers include, 2 Talk time offers with & without validity and various special offers on local, STD, ISD, SMS and GPRS services. They can choose any of these offers based on their needs. The customers can also dial *121# to check the validity of their recharge. ]]> http://www.fonearena.com/blog/41399/vodafone-launches-new-121-service-for-tamil-nadu-prepaid-customers.html/feed 1 http://www.fonearena.com/blog/41314/idea-3g-going-live-in-chennai.html http://www.fonearena.com/blog/41314/idea-3g-going-live-in-chennai.html#comments Thu, 28 Jul 2011 06:46:33 +0000 Varun Krish http://www.fonearena.com/blog/?p=41314 An Idea user just tweeted that he is able to access 3G services in Chennai. Interestingly the network showed up as Vodafone. Looks like the partnership between Idea , Vodafone and Airtel is falling into place. Turning 3G on my @IdeaCellular brings Vodafone 3G! Well, Idea has partnered with Vodafone to offer 3G services in TN. Any idea users here who can access 3G services on your number ? Via @iVinay ]]> http://www.fonearena.com/blog/41314/idea-3g-going-live-in-chennai.html/feed 1 http://www.fonearena.com/blog/41294/vodafone-uk-cancels-htc-evo-3d-before-release.html http://www.fonearena.com/blog/41294/vodafone-uk-cancels-htc-evo-3d-before-release.html#comments Wed, 27 Jul 2011 16:10:22 +0000 Sandeep http://www.fonearena.com/blog/?p=41294 Vodafone has announced that it has cancelled the HTC EVO 3D even before its release in the UK. The device was supposed to launch in July as we reported earlier. The device has already been removed from the Coming Soon page and pre-orders have been cancelled. The cancellation comes after several delays from HTC regarding the availability of the phone. The Vodafone spokesperson stated that considering the number of delays, the products Vodafone offers and the products in the pipeline, the EVO 3D wasn't really considered necessary. Vodafone believes that customers might be disappointed but products such as the HTC Sensation and Galaxy S II should compensate. source ]]> http://www.fonearena.com/blog/41294/vodafone-uk-cancels-htc-evo-3d-before-release.html/feed 0 http://www.fonearena.com/blog/41270/vodafone-555-blue-facebook-phone-announced.html http://www.fonearena.com/blog/41270/vodafone-555-blue-facebook-phone-announced.html#comments Wed, 27 Jul 2011 10:13:32 +0000 jonchoo http://www.fonearena.com/blog/?p=41270 Vodafone UK today announced the 555 Blue, a budget Facebook phone aimed at the masses. The phone will feature a QWERTY monoblock design, 2.4" touchscreen display with QVGA resolution, Bluetooth, FM radio, 2 Megapixel camera with LED flash and microSD card slot. It relies on 2.5G EDGE data for connection and will not feature any sort of 3G and WiFi connectivity. Like the HTC ChaCha, the 555 Blue will also have a dedicated Facebook button. But unlike the HTC ChaCha, it will run on Vodafone's own OS , so no, you will not find Android here. Unsurprisingly the 555 Blue will feature deep Facebook integration, including the ability to set updates and view newsfeed, wall updates and notifications on the homescreen. In addition to that, Facebook Profiles will also be integrated with the phone book. The 555 Blue will be made available in the UK and other Vodafone markets from next month for around £70. via The Guardian ]]> http://www.fonearena.com/blog/41270/vodafone-555-blue-facebook-phone-announced.html/feed 0 http://www.fonearena.com/blog/41046/vodafone-launches-mms-news-service-newswrap-for-tamil-nadu-customers.html http://www.fonearena.com/blog/41046/vodafone-launches-mms-news-service-newswrap-for-tamil-nadu-customers.html#comments Tue, 19 Jul 2011 09:28:01 +0000 Srivatsan http://www.fonearena.com/blog/?p=41046 Vodafone has launched its new innovative MMS news service, Newswrap for Tamil Nadu customers. This would let the Vodafone customers to get the daily happenings around the world, twice a day (morning and evening) and the breaking news alerts via MMS. The Vodafone Newswrap service also provides the customers with detailed synopsis of the news with the images to enhance the reading experience. This provides news from different genres that include, national, international, business, current affairs, entertainment and sports. To subscribe SMS MN to 111 (toll free) or log subscribe via Vodafone Live. To unsubscribe SMS CAN MN to 111 (toll free). The daily alerts are available at Re 1, weekly alerts at Rs 5 and monthly alerts at Rs 20 and are renewed automatically. The news alerts will soon be available in audio and video formats. ]]> http://www.fonearena.com/blog/41046/vodafone-launches-mms-news-service-newswrap-for-tamil-nadu-customers.html/feed 1