Apple launches 3G iPad, looks to maintain momentum

In the second stage of a two-part rollout,Apple Inc on Friday began selling the pricier, high-speed wireless version of the iPad in the United States, following the successful launch of the short-range Wi-Fi tablet earlier this month.

Although the event certainly lacked the buildup and excitement of the April 3 debut -- with the heartiest waiting in line overnight -- some Apple retail stores in big cities still saw decent-sized crowds ahead of the 5 p.m. launch.

At a store in downtown San Francisco, roughly 75 people stood in line 90 minutes before the 3G iPad went on sale.

Several people said they had waited for the more expensive version of Apple's tablet because they saw it as a potential replacement for their laptops, at least in certain situations.

"I'm going to take it everywhere with me, I already take my laptop everywhere, and it'll definitely replace my laptop in a lot of cases," said Long Nguyen, 22, who works in IT repair and was first in line.

The 3G model -- which is also Wi-Fi compatible -- starts at $629 and tops out at $829. The Wi-Fi-only iPad starts at $499.

The 9.7-inch touchscreen iPad is essentially a cross between a laptop and a smartphone. It is intended as a media consumption device, good for video, games, electronic books and magazines and Web browsing.

But some said they were hoping to also use it for work, mainly because of the device's thin-and-light profile.

"I travel a lot for work, and I have a lot of projects that are out in the field, so I think it will be useful for some of that," said Gary Riley, 36, an environmental engineer.

"I'm on the road all the time, and I think it will give me a nice choice, especially when I travel," said Bob Geib, a consultant. "It will complement my laptop."

AT&T is providing the wireless data plans for the iPad, charging $29.99 a month for unlimited access.

AT&T is also the exclusive U.S. carrier for Apple's iPhone, and has been subject to plenty of criticism over the quality of its network. It remains to be seen whether iPad users will encounter any problems with their service.

Apple sold 300,000 iPads on launch day April 3 and a half-million units the first week. Although the device won't reach international markets until late May, some analysts expect Apple to sell roughly 5 million or so this year.

The iPad rollout has been accompanied by a crush of media hype, but it has not been without its hiccups. The company delayed the international launch for a month for what it said was stronger-than-expected demand.

Analyst say the company has also had difficulty ramping production of a new product.

Shares of Cupertino, California-based Apple closed down 2.8 percent at $261.09 on the Nasdaq.

Via Yahoo! News.

Bharti Airtel launches “Airtel Talkies”

This Monday, Bharti Airtel introduced “Airtel Talkies” for customers to enjoy upcoming movie releases.

The service offers original dialogues, movie content, song clips and storyline prior to the release of the movie.

Airtel customers can subscribe to this service at Rs 30/month for 4 movies within 30 days validity or 1 movie within 7 days for Rs 10/week.

Airtel Talkies provides a 15 min narrative comprising of songs and dialogues via “Sutradhar” to present a complete feel of the movie.

This service will provide both all-time classics as well as upcoming releases in 5 different languages—Hindi, Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada and Tamil.

‘Airtel Talkies’ to offer movie content on phone

Telecom major Bharti Airtel on Monday launched ‘Airtel Talkies’, for offering exclusive content from upcoming movie releases to its subscribers.The service brings original movie content, dialogues, storyline and song clips before the release of the movie, Airtel said in a statement.

Airtel users can subscribe to Airtel Talkies at Rs 30 per month for four movies with 30 days validity, or Rs 10 per week for one movie with seven days validity, it added.

The format of cinema on Airtel Talkies comprises a 15-minute narrative, where songs and dialogues are connected together by a ‘Sutradhar’ to provide a complete experience of the movie.

Airtel Talkies would offer both upcoming releases and all-time classic movies in five languages — Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam.

“Bharti Airtel is committed towards enhancing the level and experience of customer engagement through their mobile phones. We are confident that Airtel Talkies, our latest initiative, will delight our customers and value-add to their experience with Airtel,” Bharti Airtel CEO (Mobile Services — Delhi and NCR) Shashi Arora said.

Vodafone Launches 3GS Iphone In India

Vodafone launches 3GS iPhone in India. Vodafone has planned for several data plans and bill plans for the users.

It is reported that the new iPhone 3GS is likely to be very fast and it will also give great performance. It will come with more battery life.

The iPhone 3GS has a 3 megapixel camera along with auto focus technology. This model also has an improved video recording facility. The iPhone 3GS comes with various plans.

Chief Marketing Officer, Vodafone Essar, Kumar Ramanathan said, “We are delighted to offer iPhone 3GS in India. We are confident our customers will enjoy the revolutionary iPhone and the flexibility of our tailored tariff plans.”

The price of iPhone 3G 8GB in India is Rs. 29, 500. But, for Maharashtra and MP the price is Rs. 33,500. The price of iPhone 3GS 32GB and 3GS 16GB is priced at Rs. 41,500 and Rs. 35,500 and for the Maharashtra and MP the price is Rs. 47,500 and Rs. 40,500.

Vodafone follows Airtel in launching iPhone 3GS in India

Vodafone Essar, the country's second-largest mobile phone operator, said today that it will start selling Apple's iconic iPhone 3GS from today, after rival operator, Bharti Airtel the largest cellular service provider in India, had made a similar announcement last week.

With the Indian government gearing up to auction the high speed 3G spectrum to cellular companies in the coming weeks, cellular operators are vying to bundle the iPhone 3GS as part of a packaged scheme to their customers.

The Cupertino, California -based Apple had unveiled the new high speed Phone 3GS in June 2009 with more hardware and software upgrades compared to the iPhone 3G.

The 3G S is the fastest, most powerful iPhone yet, packed with incredible new features including improved speed and performance, up to twice as fast as iPhone 3G with longer battery life, a high-quality 3 mega pixel auto focus camera, easy to use video recording and hands free voice control.

But since the 3G spectrum auction and announcement of the winners expected to take approximately two months and cellular operators will be able to offer the 3G services approximately by September, it is advisable to hold on buying the iPhone right away.

Also since Apple usually announces new models of its iPhone in June-July period, and it is expected to launch the fourth generation iPhone at that time, so it makes more sense to wait for the newer model as the 3GS will become obsolete by then.

Nexus One

After being present in the mobile phone industry as just a software manufacturer, Google has finally decided to take the plunge and make its first very own mobile phone to compete with the likes of Nokia, Samsung, Apple and BlackBerry. Its weapon of choice? The Nexus One. Manufactured by HTC for Google, the Nexus One has, by far, one of the most impressive specifications list you can find in a smartphone. Or should I call it Superphone, as Google does.
The Nexus One comes armed with Qualcomm's finest 1GHz Snapdragon processor, a 3.7-inch, 800 x 480 pixel AMOLED display, a 5 megapixel camera, HSDPA, Wi-Fi, GPS and runs on the latest and greatest Android 2.1 operating system.

Although the Nexus One is so far only sold in U.S., we managed to get our hands on one sample in India, which was bought from U.S. We spent some time with the Nexus One and this is what we have to say about it.

The bundle of Nexus One includes :

• Nexus One
• Battery
• Charger
• Headset
• USB Cable
• Carry Case
• 4GB microSD card
• User Guide

Airtel to launch iPhone 3GS in India on March 26

After months of waiting, the iPhone 3GS has finally landed in India. While Airtel did announce last week that they are launching the iPhone in the country, they hadn't revealed price details of the handset.

Well, that was two days ago. We now have the pricing details of the iPhone 3GS in India revealed a few hours ago. Apparently, the older 8GB 3G version of the iPhone will continue to be sold here at a price of Rs. 29,500. The 16GB 3GS will set you back by a cool Rs. 35,500 while the top-end, 32GB iPhone 3GS will cost an outrageous 41,500 in India. These will be available in India from March 26.

Airtel also has a data plan for iPhone users (the handsets will be locked to the Airtel network) that will give the 500MB of free
data every month for an entire year (starting from the date of activation).

You can purchase the iPhone 3GS from an Airtel authorized retail stores across India starting March 26. Head to the iPhone 3GS Airtel website here for more information.

Motorola Milestone Android 2.0 :In Depth

Motorola Milestone android 2.0 handset is based on the Motorola Android operating system offers a QWERTY keyboard, 3.7-inch screen, 5 megapixel camera and all the features you’d expect from a high-end smartphones. The screen has a resolution of 854×480 pixels. The camera is
5 megapixel camera with LED flash and 4x digital zoom. The 5 Megapixel camera lets you take pictures from the maximum resolution of 2560 x 1920 pixels and shoot video in 720×480 pixel resolution. For video that if compared to other devices, the resolution of video is 720×480 pixels higher.

The Milestone is smartphone, with touch-screen, QWERTY keypad and slide-away Android operating system 2.0. This comes with full keyboard and is world’s thinnest android mobile at least for now. It is 115 mm high, 13.7 mm wide and often 60. It weighs 165 grams.

The full keyboard is comfortable, but to enjoy it best you should first get used to the keys dishes and not very large. Initially, you may prefer the keyboard on the screen, but only in panning mode. In retracted, the screen buttons are too close together, as with all smartphones of this type. The pad to the right of the keyboard lets you navigate the menus, but it will be more useful to move within a text, in all other cases, the touchscreen is the best option.

This is a Quad-Band GSM, GPRS and UMTS – HSDPA but HSUPA. The internal memory is 256 MB, but is supplied by a Micro-SD 8 GB.The battery is lithium, from 1400 mAh, Which offers an average of a couple of days scarce. No lack bluetooth (2.1), WiFi (b / g), connect to the PC via USB (proprietary) module and GPS.

The shell of the Milestone is square, with a sliding keyboard that pulls out from under the screen. The basis of the latter there are four touch keys. From left to right, back, menu, home and research. Diagonal high resolution of the handset allows you to see a lot of information, even with small type, without losing legibility. The fonts are clear and sharp, but also a limit for those with sight problems. Continuing the list of qualities, brightness is good, Which restricts the reading problems even outdoors in the sun. The reflections from sources of direct light, however, a problem that Milestone joins the other smartphones like.

On the right is the button to activate and use the camera and one for adjusting the volume. On the opposite side there is only the USB connector, unprotected. The top edge houses the power button on / off and the headphone jack and 3.5 mm.

On the back surface is the target of the camera, flanked by dual LED flash and the flap that hides the battery and SIM and MicroSD slots (you must remove the battery to access it).Finally there is the speaker, hidden and protected by a thin grid.

Nokia 2730 Classic a lowest price and 3G enabled Nokia phone

Nokia is driving us crazy with a dump of so many new models and we are talking about Nokia 2730 Classic. A new 3G phone from Nokia and is the cheapest 3G phone at price Rs. 4,700 from Nokia. The Nokia 2730 Classic phone is pretty cheap and economical and won’t make dent in your pocket. The phone has everything. The one would feel great to spend money on such a phone and is worth your cash.

Nokia 2730 Classic features and specifications: The Nokia 2730 Classic has a Li-On battery (BL-5C) with a standby time of up to 396 hours and up to 408 hours in 2G and 3G respectively. It has a talk time of more than 7 hours and more than 3 hours in 2G and 3G respectively and 12 hours of music play. The Nokia 2730 Classic weighs 87.7 grams and 109.6 x 46.9 x 14.4 mm in terms of its dimensions. It has a TFT display with 256K colours and a 2 inches screen with a 5 way navigation key.

Music will make you drool because the new Nokia 2730 Classic has a 3.5 mm audio jack and radio. This will surely keep your music heads grooving. Nokia 2730 Classic’s internal memory is 30 MB which supports microSD card up to 2 GB and the phone book can store 1000 entries, 20 dialed, 20 received and 20 missed calls. The Nokia 2730 Classic phone supports both 2G and 3G networks fulfilling your internet requirements and bringing the world closer to you. It has a USB port and A2DP Bluetooth making file share easy and exhilarating. Plug to a computer or pair with a device for easy file sharing.

Nokia 2730 Classic other features: In Nokia 2730 Classic, the thing that keeps you connected is a call or even a message and with Nokia 2730 classic you can SMS, MMS, EMS and even email to your kith and kin. Stay connected anytime and everywhere. The Nokia 2370 Classic is powered by a 2 MP camera with 1600 x 1200 pixels with video recording of 176 x 144 at 10 fps (frames per second). Now click and share.

Nokia 2730 Classic value added services: The Nokia 2730 is Java enabled and contains various applications including some games. The phone is available in black and dark magenta. The phone has different interesting applications with some games.

Nokia 2730 Classic price in India: The Nokia 2730 Classic comes with an exclusive price range of Rs. 4,700. The phone is a total worth the money one is spending on it with all the style and elegance.

Nokia's Cheapest 3G Phone Launched for Rs. 4,499

Nokia has launched its most affordable 3G handset in the country earlier today with the launch of the Nokia 2730 Classic.

The phone, priced at just Rs. 4499, comes loaded with a host of features rarely seen on a device in is price range. The 2730 Classic packs in Ovi Mail, Nokia Messaging, Nokia Life Tools, and full HTML browsing as well. It also comes with Opera Mini preloaded.

The 2730 Classic has a 2-inch QVGA display that can display 262k colours. At just 88grams, the phone is quite light-weight. As expected, it runs Nokia's S40 interface. The 30 MB of internal memory can be augmented using a microSD card and the phone comes with a 1GB card - preloaded. It offers a maximum of 7.4 hours talk time and 16.5 days standby time. Music lovers on a budget can rejoice - thanks to the 3.5mm slot this one comes with. If that wasn't all, there is Bluetooth and microUSB support as well.

There is a decent 2 megapixel camera at the rear that should be good enough for casual imaging. Along with 3G, it also supports class 32 EDGE - making it a good device for browsing while on the move. There's FM Radio with RDS as well.

The 2730 Classic should make a decent buy for a feature packed, cheap first phone.

Nokia 2730 classic now in India

The Nokia 2730 classic has everything what one should expect from a basic telephone in the year 2010. Nokia 2730 classic represents a classic “bar phone – available in the colors dark magenta or black. The keyboard is almost as if Nokia’s common practice, a keyboard mat that provides sufficiently large buttons with a reasonably pleasant pressure point. Visually oriented, the more like its big brother Nokia 6700, but is used here in the small counterpart, plastic and chrome, in order to keep up appearances.

The processing of the Nokia, however, has become better in the meantime, thanks to the back, which is just completely take off as a battery cover, the phone feels quite solid. The plastic is fairly valued and so it makes a good impression. The battery comes with good network coverage even times over four or five days, with more voice but it can be empty even after two days, especially in the UMTS network.

There’s still life tools and Nokia Ovi mail that Apps from Nokia, particularly in the area where the emerging promises even something extra return.A browser can be found naturally. The two-inch screen dissolves with 320 x 240 pixels very clearly and is made up of other phones in the price range starting well, here are some lower resolutions still the rule.

Unfortunately, the border around the 2-inch display is a bit too big here, the phone looks more like a toy than for how a “real” phone. Additionally found in the equipment list or an MP3 player with expandable memory, an FM radio and a 3.5 mm jack for standard headphones. The 2-megapixel camera with video capabilities completes this offer. In addition to the above email Ovi and Nokia Lifetool Apps can of course also install other Java applications. For the transfer to the computer by Bluetooth and micro USB cable are available.

This phone has now knocked the Indian door and can be grabbed at Rs 4499.00

AT&T Will Let Revised Sling Player Use 3G on iPhone

The trend toward TV anywhere took another step forward Thursday as AT&T announced that it will support Sling Media's mobile application on its 3G network. Sling, whose player app is already in use on the carrier's Wi-Fi network, released a player for the iPhone late last year.

The announcement reverses a decision by AT&T last spring not to allow the Sling iPhone app because it would increase congestion on its 3G network. In Thursday's announcement, AT&T noted that Sling has developed its wireless app to "make efficient use of 3G network bandwidth" and to "conserve the finite wireless spectrum available to the wireless industry."

Overwhelmed AT&T 

AT&T and Sling are saying that the new app has been optimized for its network, the result of a cooperative effort between both companies. AT&T mobility CEO Ralph de la Vega has indicated that his company will be working with developers to make data-intensive apps more "bandwidth-sensitive."

The Sling app is only useful for consumers with a Sling box. The app allows the user to watch streaming TV from cable, satellite or DVRs from the Sling hardware over the Internet, as well as control the TV sources.

AT&T's bandwidth capacity has become an issue with consumers recently, so the carrier wants to make clear that it is paying attention to bandwidth in adding new video-player capability for the iPhone.

In late December, blogger Dan Lyons -- aka Fake Steve Jobs -- promoted an effort to overwhelm AT&T's network by having thousands of users run data-intensive applications at the same time. The intent was to protest the network performance, but the protest was called off after a warning from the Federal Communications Commission.

iPhone Is 'Test Case' 

According to industry observers, AT&T may have underestimated the iPhone's appeal and the bandwidth needs of those customers. The initial projections by the real Steve Jobs, CEO and cofounder of Apple, were that his company would consider the device successful if it took one percent of the global market. It now has 14 percent.

In addition, there are more than 140,000 apps easily available through Apple's App Store for the iPhone, many of them data-intensive. AT&T Operations President John Stankey has admitted the carrier "missed our usage estimates."

Significantly, when Apple announced its iPad tablet computer, AT&T remains its carrier partner for data, but consumers will be able to move to another carrier if they are dissatisfied with the service.

Avi Greengart, an analyst with industry research firm Current Analysis, noted that "AT&T is actually a bit advanced, compared to other carriers" in dealing with the bandwidth crunch. He said this is because "there are more smartphones on AT&T than on other networks, and the iPhone is the test case for usage models going forward."

In adding Sling's "bandwidth-sensitive" player to the iPhone, Greengart said, "AT&T is clearly trying to find a balance."
Source:Yahoo News