Category: Technology

Latest Mobile Technology

Nokia launches N95 multimedia phone

Nokia N95 is a descendant of Nokia N80 and offers a first of its kind 2-way sliding construction along with many other high-end features. The integrated GPS functionality has been becoming increasingly popular in hand-held devices. Embracing that trend, Nokia N95 comes with an integrated GPS module which working alongside with the preinstalled Maps application can help you navigate through the busy city streets as easy as you would with a in-dash automobile GPS system. Besides that, it’s the first HSDPA (3.5G) mobile of the Finnish manufacturer. HSDPA is not so wide spread right now but undoubtedly it would be the leading standard for fast data transfers to mobile devices in the future. Besides HSDPA, Nokia N95 features all other current connectivity options such as Wi-Fi, 3G and EDGE, quad-band GSM, stereo Bluetooth, Infrared and USB 2.0 plus a TV-out port.
n95_low_videoscreen.jpg
The all-around musical experience is enhanced by the presence of the built-in stereo speakers, a 3.5 mm audio jack for using regular headphones, FM radio and microSD memory card slot which currently means that the mobile can accommodate up to 2GB of additional memory besides the 160MB internal one. In an attempt to turn it into an all-time reigning multimedia champion, Nokia engineers have integrated into N95 an impressive 5 megapixel camera with Carl-Zeiss optics, autofocus and the capability of recording videos at DVD-like quality.

Having in mind all that, it comes as a pleasant surprise that the mobile has rather reasonable dimensions, being slimmer and even lighter than Nokia N80. The device is equipped with a large 2.6″ TFT display with a QVGA (240×320) resolution.

Nokia N95 would be available in the first quarter of 2007 and is expected to hit the shelves at a price of 550 EUR

n95_low_yahoo_03.jpg

Specifications for the Nokia N95
Band GSM 850/900/1800/1900MHz, UMTS 2100MHz
Data GPRS/WCDMA/HSDPA/WiFi
Size 99mm x 53mm x 19mm
(4.0″ x 2.0″ x 0.7″)
Weight 120g (4.2oz)
Battery Life 8.75 days standby time
2.5/3.5 hours talk time (GSM/UMTS)
Main Display 2.6″ 16M color TFT, 240×320 resolution
Sub-Display N/A
Camera Yes, 5 megapixel w/ Carl Zeiss optics
Video VGA capture/playback at 30fps
Messaging MMS/EMS/SMS
Email Yes, POP/IMAP4/SMTP
Bluetooth Yes, A2DP
Infrared Yes
Java Yes
Polyphonics Yes
Memory 160MB, microSD memory slot
Availability Q1 2007 (manufacturer’s estimate)
Other MP3/AAC/W4A/WMA music player, FM radio, dedicated music keys, speakerphone

Nokia 6288 the upgraded 6280

Nokia has revealed a design update to the popular 6280 slider handset, the new 6288. While no departure has been made from the 6280 in terms of features, the 6288 does include a much cleaner front design.

6288_black_front_low.jpgMirroring the 6280, the 6288 sports a solid all-round feature set. The 3G capable 6288 has imaging covered with a rearward facing 2.0 megapixel camera, plus a forward facing VGA resolution unit for video calling. Shipping with a 512MB memory card, the 6288 is in prime position to utilize its QVGA (240×320 pixel) resolution, 262k color TFT display for video, and Bluetooth wireless technology is available for short range communication. The Nokia 6288 weighs in at 115g (4.06oz), and will be available in both cool white and black color schemes.

Nokia expect the 6288 will be available come this fall, and should retail for around 325 Euro (around US$400) before any applicable operator subsidies.

via [Mobile Burn]

BSNL to launch sub 1000 rupee handsets under BSNL phones banner

BSNL aims to capture the low price market by launching handsets priced at Rs.1000 and below.

It is in talks with Taiwanese and Chinese handset manufacturers for rolling out the sub-Rs 1,000 handset, which will be offered on the GSM platform. 

The telco will sell the mobiles under the ‘BSNL phones’ banner.Sources say that the mobiles will be based on single-chip technology. The SIM card will be non-removable and the mobile will remain on the BSNL network only. BSNL is not targeting the top-end market very aggressively. BSNL sees a low-cost handset a key to increase the market share.

It even expects a reasonable return of 12-14%.

Currently, the cheapest handset in India is monophonic and monochromic (black and white). It is on the GSM platform and is priced at Rs 1700. It offers only basic features. The cheapest CDMA handset is available for Rs 1,999.

via [ET]

Reliance Communications ties up for Nokia 1255 priced at Rs.2000

Finnish mobile handset manufacturer Nokia and Reliance Communications Ltd have joined hands to market the Nokia 1255 mobile handset in India at a price of Rs 1,999.

thehindubusinessline reports

This is Nokia’s maiden offer of a CDMA handset in the sub Rs 2,000 range and is aimed at first time mobile users. There are, however, cheaper CDMA handsets from other manufacturers being offered by operators in the country.

Nokia 1255 is an entry level black and white handset and has features such as a two-way hands-free speakerphone, voice recorder and a calendar with an alarm clock among others.

Nokia 1255 phone: A classic value
nokia_1255_cell_phone.jpgThe value-priced Nokia 1255 phone packs an extra-large feature set into an extra-small package. The 80-gram phone offers productivity tools such as a two-way handsfree speakerphone, voice recorder and a calendar with an alarm clock. Other fun features include two built-in games, 20 ringtones and a selection of user-selectable screen savers. In recognition of the need to stay in touch while minimizing downtime, the Nokia 1225 phone delivers up to four hours of talk time and up to 10 days of standby time. A partial list of additional features includes:
– 250 contact phonebook
– Text messaging
– Stopwatch and countdown timer
– Internal vibrating alert
– Easy-to-use Nokia user interface

3G might soon be rolled out in India

The Government has alloted low power 3G spectrum to MTNL, BSNL, Hutch and Bharti for testing.TRAI will finalize pricing and allocation details by end of this month.Sources say that 3G spectrum allocation will be made available for less than a month. Strength of spectrum allocation will be 1,000 times less than the actual 3G spectrum.

TATA Teleservices had sought 3G trial spectrum but was not considered.Reliance had sought the 1900 MHz Band which did not conform to the International CDMA 3G trial norms.

But if Reliance sought the 800 Mhz band for Testing EVDO , it might be considered

The government’s spectrum allocation to telcos is mainly for equipment testing and
interference measurement.
via [ibn-live]

Airtel GPRS plans

I would like to take you through the various plans available from Airtel for GPRS.

Airtel does not advertise supporting EDGE through their Mobile Office service but you

cansee a noticeable difference in the latency if your handset supports EDGE like my Nokia

6630. Airtel has a Data Card service which competes with Reliance CDMA Data Card and

Tata Indicom CDMA Data Card.

Here are the plans for Airtel Postpaid User

Plan 1

Rs.399 per month
100 MB Free Usage

Rs.5 per extra MB

Plan 2

Rs.599 per month
1GB Free Usage

Rs.3 per extra MB

Plan 3

Rs. 799 per month
1.5 GB Free Usage

Rs.3 per extra MB

The tarrifs are taken from Airtel’s site

The above plans not only allow you to connect to the internet from your mobile phone but also allow you to use your Laptop or PC . Its can be be a life saver in a place where you dont have internet access otherwise and cannot find a cyber cafe.

Zero Rental GPRS

Airtel and Hutch are coming up with Zero Rental GPRS service as pointed out by Mobile Pundit.

Airtel Chennai offers a zero-rental GPRS service for its post-paid customers at pay-per-use rate of Re 1 per 100 kilobytes. Which works out to Rs 10 per 1MB.

Hutch is also planning to bring out something similar.

Its great news for those people who wish to try the service but not willing to shell out a monthly rental.

Reliance India Mobile might be available on GSM also

RIM’s Anil Ambani is now eyeing the GSM Market in India. He plans to invest over Rs.1600 cr for the same.Reliance Telecom Limited, an Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group company, which operates GSM service in eight circles mainly in east and north-eastern states, has worked out expansion plans to increase coverage to about 4,300 towns from the existing 330 towns, according to sources.

RTL operates GSM services in Kolkata, West Bengal, Assam, the north-east, Bihar, Orissa, Madhya Pradesh and Himachal Pradesh circles.

The expansion plans for Anil Ambani’s company comes in the wake of reports that the GSM-based mobile service has shown phenomenal growth in India where out of the 100 million mobile subscriber base, the GSM-based mobile user base is 80 million.

A company official confirmed the development, but declined to give further details.

Nokia 5500 sport – smartphone announced

nokia_5500.jpgToday Nokia announced a sporty mobile phone – Nokia 5500 sport. The name of the model is 5500 Sport and is targetted at sportsmen and women.

Nokia 5500 Sport is not just an ordinary phone. It’s a full-featured smartphone with Symbian OS and S60 user interface. It is equipped with Bluetooth, Infrared port, USB support, GPRS class 10, EDGE class 10, as well as a microSD card slot that would support cards with capacities of up to 1GB. MP3 player and FM radio will please the music lovers.

The phone offers an elegant design with a splash and dust resistant stainless steel body and rubber grips. It’s water and dust resistant and has dimensions of 107x45x18 with a total weight of 103 gr. It has a square 262K colors display with a resolution of 208×208 pixels along with a 2 megapixel camera which would take pictures of up to 1600×1200 pixels resolution and record video of up to 176×144 pixels resolution.

Nokia 5500 Sport is not an ordinary smartphone, either. It has three working modes which are easily interchanged with a single press of a button – the normal phone mode along with the special music mode and sport mode. The handset features exclusive sports features such as pedometer for monitoring the distance traveled and the calories burnt, as well as a text-to-speech module which will read you the status of your workout or the contents of your incoming messages during workout. According to the official statements, the triband (GSM 900/1800/1900MHz) Nokia 5500 Sport will be available somewhere in the summer this year and will be sold at around 300EUR.

Continue reading “Nokia 5500 sport – smartphone announced”

New N-Series From Nokia – N72 N73 and N93

nokia_n73_n93_1.jpgNokia officially announced three new N-Series mobiles – Nokia N93, Nokia N73, and Nokia N72. N93 will feature a 3.2 megapixel camera with Carl Zeiss optics with an astonishing 3x optical zoom. N73 will also boast a 3.2 megapixel Carl Zeiss optics camera. Both phones will have 2.4″ high definition displays. N72 will have a 2 megapixel camera and a 2.1″ display.

The first of the new mobiles and the technologically most advanced is the Nokia N93. We published some pre-release photos of N93 five months ago. N93 is successor of the popular N90 and it has a lot of improvements over its predecessor. It is based on Symbian S60 3rd Edition software and one of the most attractive features is the Carl Zeiss optics digital camera offering 3X OPTICAL zoom. The phone has 50MB internal memory, as well as a hot-swap MiniSD card slot. Among the highly advertised features of the phone will most surely be its camcorder capabilities which allow it to capture DVD-like quality videos into the MPEG4 format with 30 frames per second. Those features are backed up by digital video stabilization, 20x digital zoom, autofocus and macro mode. It will have a 262K QVGA display (N90 has higher resolution display) with wide viewing angles and will support 802.11b/g WLAN, 3G (WCDMA 2100 MHz), EDGE and GSM (900/1800/1900 MHz) networks. Unfortunately, the N93 will most probably suffer the same criticism as N90 did for its large size and weight. What remains to be seen is whether the phone will also miss the vibration feature as N90 did, which would be a great disappointment to all Nokia fans.

Continue reading “New N-Series From Nokia – N72 N73 and N93”

Sony Ericsson launches W700 and Z525

sonToday Sony Ericsson announced two new mobile phones, the W700 and Z525.
The W700 which is the 8th addition to the Walkman series, strongly reminds of the W800 model. The tri-band phone has a 1.8″ 256K colors display with 176 x 220 pixels resolution. The main difference between the new device and the W800 seems to be the smaller Memory Stick PRO Duo card that comes in the box. In this case, it’s a 256 MB one, as in the W800 box it’s 512 MB. Otherwise, the phone has a 2 megapixel camera with LED flash, but without autofocus. W700 has GPRS Class 10 support and has Bluetooth, USB and Infrared connectivity. Stereo earphones are supplied in the original package. Sony Ericsson W700 will come in Titanium Gold color as for some markets there will be a Smooth White version. It will be available in Q2 2006.

The Z525 clamshell is aimed at the US market and succeeds the Z520 model even in design. Unlike its predecessor, it will have Push-to-Talk support. The new device will have a 80 x 101 pixels resolution external display with 4K colors. The internal display will be a 1.8″ 65K colors one with 128 x 160 pixels resolution. The internal memory remains the same as in Z520 – 16 MB. The phone still has a VGA camera, MP3 & AAC support and caller ID associated light effects. The connectivity features of the quad-band Z525 are Bluetooth, USB and Infrared. Sony Ericsson Z525 will be available in New Blue around Q2 2006.

Nokia launches its Nokia Mobility Hosting solution for mobile service providers

NOKIA PRESS RELEASE April 3, 2006

Nokia adds hosting to its fast-growing Services portfolio

Launch new subscriber services more quickly and efficiently with Nokia Mobility Hosting
Las Vegas, NV (CTIA Wireless 2006), US and Espoo, Finland – Nokia today launched its Nokia Mobility Hosting solution for mobile service providers, offering them the chance to quickly roll out new, exciting services for subscribers while keeping investments in check and uncertainties to a minimum.
Separately, Nokia announced it had won a push to talk (PoC) hosting trial agreement with Mobitel Slovenia. In 2005, Nokia won push to talk hosting agreements with mobilkom austria and 3 Scandinavia, and Nokia is currently in hosting solution talks with a number of service providers across the globe.
Hosting is now starting to take off, and is expected to grow sharply in the coming years as operator competition intensifies. Research group Ovum forecasts the size of the hosting market to double to 1.35 billion euros by 2009 from around 670 million in 2005.
“As the telecommunications market converges, operators are increasingly looking in the mirror and asking themselves what sort of role they want to play in this process. They are scrutinizing their business models and asking what is a core activity and what isn’t,” said Jean-Charles Doineau, Service infrastructure practice leader, Ovum.
“We feel operating service platforms is one area that some operators will offload to outside parties in the coming years. Only a handful of vendors have started to look at the potential in this market, and Nokia is one of them,” he said.
The business environment for mobile service providers is becoming tougher, and new multimedia services are becoming increasingly complex to install and maintain. By opting for Nokia’s hosting solution, operators can focus squarely on winning and retaining subscribers by offering popular services such as PoC and multimedia messaging.
“Nokia is unmatched in its ability to serve operators’ needs, from networks to devices to services. With our global footprint of hosting centers, including the new Nokia Global Networks Solutions Center in Chennai, we are in a prime position to tap the growing hosting market and ensure the best hosted solutions for our customers,” said Patrik Sallner, Head of Hosting Service Line, Networks, Nokia.
“Thanks to our broad mobile solutions portfolio and the customer understanding we have from our Enterprise Solutions, Mobile Phones and Multimedia businesses, Nokia can help service providers accelerate the time to market of new offerings. Hosting is a partnership that benefits both sides, allowing them to share initial start-up costs and also reap rewards once the services take off,” Sallner said.
Hosting is one of the many tools that Nokia can offer operators to help grow their business in the face of ever-toughening competition and growing technological complexity. Hosting sits alongside Managed Services to form one of the main pillars of Nokia’s growing Services business unit. Nokia is a leader in the managed services market, with 39 agreements in 30 countries.
Nokia provides a full range of support and services to help operators differentiate and innovate their mobile offerings, with close to 20 years’ experience in the field. Services comprises over 30 percent of revenues in Nokia’s Networks business group, and the figure is growing.

Nokia 3250 starts shipping,Nokia N91 may ship in April

The first Symbian OS 9.1 Series phone and first S60 3rd Edition phone have started shipping in the form of the Nokia 3250. The 3250 is Nokia’s mid-teir music smartphone and costs 350 Euros.The Nokia N91 will start shipping in Europe in the first week of April, and follow in the Middle East and Asia in the second week of April. Shipping dates for the US market are not yet available. The Nokia N91 is Nokia’s high end music phone and will cost 700 Euros

As ever the quoted prices from Nokia re before taxes and subsidies. This means bought SIM free the phones will cost the stated amount + tax, but if subsidised by an operator they will most likely be available for less. For example the Nokia N70 pricing was around 500 Euros at launch. It is now routinely available in the UK for free when bought with a contract.

Both phones are part of the Nokia XpressMusic brand. Features include:

* Dedicated Music Buttons.
* 3.5mm headset jack (either directly or through adaptor).
* MP3, M4A, WMA, AAC and eAAC+ formats support (both phone support WMA DRM ‘Janus’ files so you can ejoy music from music subscrition services).
* 10 hours+ music listening time.
* USB 2.0 and USB Mass Storage Support for transferring music (both phones will sync with Windows Media Player).via [All About Symbian]

Nokia and Vodafone to expand use of S60 as a standard platform

Vodafone and Nokia work together to increase the use of S60 as a standard software platform collaboration between Nokia and Vodafone expands the potential market for S60

NOKIA PRESS RELEASE February 13, 2006

Vodafone and Nokia work together to increase the use of S60 as a standard software platform collaboration between Nokia and Vodafone expands the potential market for S60

3GSM World Congress 2006, Barcelona, Spain/Espoo, Finland – Nokia Corporation and Vodafone have today announced that they are collaborating to strengthen the S60 software platform’s role in Vodafone’s device portfolio. The collaboration will help Vodafone to offer new services more quickly to its customers by increasing the use of S60 as a standard software platform for mobile handsets worldwide.
“Standardisation of handset software platforms across mobile phone manufacturers offers significant opportunities for Vodafone. We will be able to reduce time to market for new products and services and help customers take up new services more quickly. The fact that Nokia is developing the S60 platform in close co-operation with us further enhances our ability to offer innovative and consistent new services in a competitive and efficient way,” said Dirk Wierzbitzki, Deputy Director of Terminals, Vodafone Group.
S60 offers Vodafone the leading technologies in customization, extensive support for new mobile services, and the baseline for best in class user experience. S60 customization capabilities, proven by strong track record in satisfying operator needs, help Vodafone to differentiate their services and applications. Together with the S60 community, Vodafone will also be able to enhance user interfaces (UI) of mobile devices.
“We are very pleased with Vodafone’s choice of S60 as a preferred device software platform. This collaboration is an important step towards increased service differentiation and innovation speed for the whole industry. S60 platform offers a rich application suite, great extensibility and ease-of-use for multimedia, imaging and business services. High priority is given to the customization and application development needs of the operators,” said Matti V?nsk?, Vice President, Mobile Software Sales and Marketing, Nokia.
Nokia and Vodafone will develop a Vodafone-specific software complement on top of the S60 platform. The collaboration also includes the expansion of the licensee base and increased portfolio penetration through open roadmap governance and establishes a strong independent brand position for both the S60 software and the supporting developer activities. In addition, Nokia and Vodafone are working jointly to promote independently licensable reference designs from semiconductor vendors to enable shorter time to market for new S60 devices.
According to Nokia estimates, the total smartphone industry volume reached approximately 46.3 million units in 2005, compared to an estimated 20.6 million units in 2004. Nokia alone will have cumulatively shipped more than 50 million S60 enabled devices by the end of February 2006 (Nokia, February 2006).

About Nokia
Nokia is a world leader in mobile communications, driving the growth and sustainability of the broader mobility industry. Nokia connects people to each other and the information that matters to them with easy-to-use and innovative products like mobile phones, devices and solutions for imaging, games, media and businesses. Nokia provides equipment, solutions and services for network operators and corporations.
About S60
The S60 built on Symbian OS, is the leading smartphone software in the world and it is licensed by some of the foremost mobile phone manufacturers in the market. The flexibility of the S60 platform allows for various hardware designs and software configurations. This is demonstrated through the multitude of S60 devices already available on the market. Through its award-winning user interface, extensive support for new mobile services and the innovation potential for partner solutions, the S60 provides an open and scalable business opportunity for mobile operators and 3rd party developers. For further information about S60 news and community, please visit www.s60.com.
About Vodafone
Vodafone is the world’s largest mobile community, with equity interests in 26 countries and Partner Networks in a further 31 countries, serving over 179 million proportionate customers. Vodafone’s global consumer service offering, Vodafone live!, opens up a world of mobile colour