Zen Mobiles Launches Flikk M45

Upcoming mobile brand, Zen mobiles has introduced in the market what it calls the next generation Touch Screen phone, Flikk M45. Perhaps, the only in this low-price category The phone comes with a modest price tag of Rs. 5,000. Calling it India’s finest Capacitive Touch Screen phone, Zen mobiles’ Flikk M45 comes with a 7.1cm large display screen, and Zen mobiles claims that its Touch Screen is feather soft and allows easy navigation. Here’s a detailed look at the features of Flikk M45: 3.2 MP Camera Pinch to Zoom in and Zoom Out Customizable widgets Handwriting Recognition 4GB memory with pre-loaded movies like 3 Idiots, Dabanng and Deewar MP3/MP4 with 3.5mm audio jack Applications – Snaptu, Opera Mini Browser, Facebook, Nimbuzz   250hours of battery standby time

Zen Mobile Launches Feature Rich M72 Mobile for Those on a Shoe-String Budget

Zen Mobile has launched quite an attractive feature phone for just Rs.1749. If you’re thinking this is going to be a very basic phone with a tiny display, you’d be very wrong. For starters, it comes with a large 2.4-inch screen. It also boasts of an extra long battery life thanks to the 1800mAh battery. Feature packed The key features include – 2.4-inch screen capable of displaying 262K colors Dual SIM Bluetooth 3.5mm headphone jack Anti-Theft mobile tracker Private data protection 1.3MP camera Dual LED torch 1800mAh battery Expandable memory up to 16GB The pricing seems very attractive given the features you’re getting. Finally, you won’t have to compromise much by paying less, let's just hope it can deliver on all that Zen is promising.

Intex Launches the Tri.Do, a Triple SIM Mobile Phone

If a Dual SIM phone is not keeping you happy beacuse it's just not enough for those with 'active' or 'multiple' lifestyles, Intex launching a triple SIM mobile phone called Tri.Do is sure to put a smile on your face. The mobile phone has three SIM slots, two for GSM cards and one for a CDMA card. The rest of the specifications are the pretty standard ones that you’ll find in most entry-level Java mobile phones.

Three SIMs for 3 different lifestyles

The Tri.Do boasts of a 1800 mAh battery, which the company claims can deliver up to 7 hours of talk time and 300 hours of stand-by. The handset supports formats like MP3, WAV and AMR for audio and MP4 along with 3GP for video. The rest of the specifications are as follows:

• 2.2-inch TFT screen with 65K colours
• Bluetooth
• 1.3 Megapixel camera
• Memory expandable to 32GB
• Wireless FM
• 3.5 mm audio jack

Tri.Do also has some pre-loaded applications for social networking like Facebook, MSN and Yahoo, and there’s Google, as well. It has other mundane features like an answering machine and there’s a mobile tracker application also.

The Intex Tri.Do can be yours for Rs. 3,750 and is available at your nearest mobile phone retail store.

Micromax Launches the Van Gogh X450 Mobile Phone

Micromax didn’t really deliver with the Bling 2, but that’s not stopping them from continuing to release budget handsets in the country. Their latest addition is the Van Gogh X450, which they say is India’s first mobile phone to have a built-in Bluetooth Headset dock. An artistic creation? The X450 is a Java-based Dual-SIM mobile phone and has features like a swappable back panel. The specifications aren’t high-end, as you might have guessed by now, but Micromax has priced it pretty low as well. Here’s what the X450 has to offer: 2.6-inch TFT QVGA display screen Bluetooth 2 megapixel camera Memory expandable to 8 GB FM Radio 3.5 mm audio jack The phone has a multi-format audio and video player. It also allows you to access the internet through Opera Mini web browser and have instant messaging services like Facebook, Yahoo, MSN etc. through eBuddy. The battery looks decent for an entry level phone with the X450 having a 1000 mAh battery to juice it up. The X450 is priced at Rs. 3,499, and is available at your nearest mobile phone retail store.

LAVA Announces M30 Music Handset with Yamaha PA speakers

LAVA International Ltd., one of India’s fastest growing brands in the mobile phone industry have recently unveiled the LAVA M30 music handset. LAVA states that this latest offering is designed exclusively to bring a rich and exhilarating sound experience that proves to be a delight for music lovers. This handset features SRS WOW HD Technology and Yamaha PA speakers and can support music formats like MP3, MIDI, AMR, WAV and AAC.

The M30 handset with SRS WOW HD Technology and Yamaha PA Speakers

In addition to this the LAVA M30 also features a 3.5mm audio jack, whereby it can be connected to a variety of headphones, earphones or speakers. The phone also features IPS screen technology that allows users to have viewing angles and real colour pictures at a 178 degree angle.

Speaking on the M30 handset, Mr. Sunil Raina, CMO, LAVA International Ltd., said that they realized that consumers wanted to have improved audio clarity with reduced background noise to effectively maximize speaker output. They are thus thrilled to bring SRS WOW HD to the M Series mobile phones to deliver an unparalleled multimedia experience that is both impressive and natural.

The additional features of the LAVA M30 include:

• 2.2-inch QVGA Hi-brightness IPS Screen (178 degree wide viewing angle)
• 2 mega pixel camera
• Metallic Body
• Earphone sharing hub
• G-Sensor
• Dual Sim (GSM + GSM)
• Bluetooth
• Snaptu Opera Mini Web Browser
• Used as a web cam / PC Sync
• Auto call recording
• Java Enabled
• Micro SD Card support up to 8GB
• Privacy lock
• 1200Mah Battery

LAVA claims that to provide consumers a first-hand experience of superior music quality of M30, the brand has installed 1500 LAVA M30 Experience Zones pan India. The LAVA M30 is available at a maximum retail price of Rs. 4,499.

Mobile Number Portability: Port of Distress?

The much awaited mobile number portability service was rolled out in January this year after a test launch in Haryana in November last year. According to a report from TRAI (Telecom Regulatory Authority of India), by the end of February, about 38.33 lakh subscribers opted for the service. In a country with over 80 crore mobile subscribers, this is still a significant number. The service allows subscribers to change their service provider while retaining the same number. This is a big draw as many people who were dissatisfied with their service provider would previously grudgingly put up with it solely because they didn’t wish to change their number. With MNP, they can easily change their service provider without having to worry about changing their number.

Roadblocks
While the process seems quite simple, the execution is not without obstacles. People who have tried to port have faced a number of issues, leaving them in a lurch. Take, for instance, the case of Rajiv Patel, who ported from BSNL to Tata Indicom. He says, “I was not satisfied with BSNL mainly because of poor network. As I run a wholesale business, I didn’t want to change by number. So when MNP was launched, I decided to shift to Tata Indicom. Everything went fine; I even received the SMS informing me of the time and date when my number would be activated on Tata Indicom. But when that day arrived, I discovered that BSNL deactivated my number in the morning itself and there was nothing I could do but wait for Tata Indicom to activate my number. Thankfully, my number was activated sometime late in the night. However, the people who tried calling my number couldn’t reach me and were informed that this BSNL number has been temporarily disconnected. This continued for a week or two and finally after complaining, my issue was resolved. All in all, it was a nightmarish experience and I even lost some business as people could not reach me.”
  
Rajiv is not alone, as there many who faced similar predicament. Funnily enough, a few others found that their number was active on both service providers. Aditya Soni, who had a Reliance connection ported to Vodafone realized that his number was active in both places. The entire porting process in itself went smoothly other than this minor glitch, which he says went on for about a week. On the other hand, many users found their MNP request rejected due to various reasons, the most common being that they were part of special group plans. Another common ground for rejection was outstanding payment due at the existing provider.

While the scenario looks chaotic, not everyone faced issues with the porting process. Prateek Chakraverty, who had a BSNL connection and switched to Vodafone, says, “I had a BSNL connection and, as you can imagine, the network quality was pretty lousy. Hence, I decided to move to a private player. The MNP process for me took about 10 calendar days (8 business days). But, of course, it depends on the old network operator. If they choose to delay the process, it might take a while, which is 14-21 business days. There would be a "no service" window for about one hour before your number is ported to the new network operator, about which you will be informed well in advance.”

Is it worth the hassle? Or is it Hassle-Free

Freebies
With MNP, the power is finally in the hands of the consumer. If they are not satisfied with the service, talk plans, network, etc., they can switch to a different service without having to worry about changing numbers. On the other hand, in this highly competitive market, the service providers are tripping over each other to come up with exciting offers in a bid to retain their customers and woo others. While some have waived off the Rs 19 MNP fees, others are offering free talk time, free SMS, and even a free SIM card. But nothing beats the free pizza offer! Many users simply sent the SMS without ever intending to switch services, just for the free pizza.

Where to Lodge Complaints?
Almost all the service providers have set up dedicated helplines for MNP, but the experience is similar to calling up their regular helpline. It’s no guarantee that you will be able to get through, and if you do, you’ll probably be put on hold while the executive tries to figure out what’s wrong. Seven out of ten times, you will be asked to go to the customer care outlets, where you have submitted your documents. Most of the issues should get resolved at this stage. If not, you can approach the nodal officer of your service provider with the docket number of your complaint.

You will find the contact details of the nodal officer on your service provider’s website or the TRAI website. As with anything new, there are teething problems that have come to light and TRAI, along with the major players, is keeping an eye on the situation and making amendments wherever required.


Things to keep in mind before porting

Porting can be done in the same service area only. Mobile numbers cannot be retained for another city.

There should be no outstanding payment with your existing service provider.

Maximum porting time is 7 days in most parts of the country, except for Jammu & Kashmir.

Disruption time while switching off service providers cannot exceed two hours and happens during the night.

You will have to wait for a period of 90 days before you can switch again.

For more information on Number Portability check out our earlier feature here.

MAXX Mobiles Launches Slider Phone for Women

MAXX Mobiles has launched a slider, the MS502 Vista, targeted at women. The slider has a QWERTY keypad, a 3.2 megapixel camera, expandable memory upto 8 GB, and a 1000 mAh battery. It's available in pink, orange and blue, and has dedicated keys for Facebook and eBuddy applications. It features talk time of upto 4 hours. The phone is a Java enabled device and provides browsing on the go via Opera Mini. The phone comes with FM radio with FM scheduling, MP3/WAV/AAC music player and a 3GPP/AVI/MP4 video player.

Also available in orange and blue

The phone also includes dual SIM and GSM support as well as MMS, WAP and GPRS. For connectivity, it comes with Bluetooth, MySync (PC Suite) and USB Mass Storage. The handset will be available for Rs. 4,242, and will release in Mumbai first, before launching in other cities in India

Spice Mi-410 is Now Available for Rs. 13,999

Some more joy for those of you looking at the mid-range category of Android smartphones. Spice had earlier announced the Mi-410 but the handset did not go on sale for quite some time. From what sources say, the Mi-410 has officially gone on sale and is priced at Rs. 13,999. Serious Contender? Quite likely... The smartphone will be running on Android 2.2 aka FroYo and is powered by a Snapdragon processor clocking 1 GHz. The Mi-410 also boasts of the following specifications: 4.1-inch capacitive touchscreen with a 800 x 480 WVGA resolution 3G with HSPA+, Wi-Fi with Hotspot EDGE, GPRS GPS with A-GPS Bluetooth 3.0 with A2DP 5 megapixel camera with autofocus Secondary 0.3 megapixel camera 2 GB memory expandable through MicroSD Card slot HDMI type D port The smartphone also has all sensors - for better interaction with apps, like the gravity sensor, digital compass, proximity sensor and light sensor. We definitely hope that it comes pre-loaded with Google’s apps for Gmail, Maps, YouTube, Picasa and the rest and of course has SNS integration. Looking at the specifications, the M-410 looks like a strong contender to the Galaxy Ace with a bigger touchscreen with better resolution, an HDMI port, a faster processor and is priced in the same range. The only one thing we don’t know for sure is whether the Mi-410 can be upgraded to Gingerbread – something that the Galaxy Ace has. Anyway, stay tuned for a full-fledged review on the Mi-410.

MAXX GLO MX388: The Gamers' Phone

One of India’s popular handset manufacturers, Maxx mobiles has revealed its plans of launching a gaming mobile in the country, today.

Perfect for gamers?!

MAXX GLO MX388 is the brand's entry in the mobile gaming segment and comes pre-loaded with 250 games. The games belong to a variety of genres ranging from action, racing, puzzles, adventure, fighting, shooting and sporting. Maxx claims that Super Mario, Pacman, Race, Trojan, Battle City, are among the pre-loaded games on its gaming phone .The phone also comes with dedicated buttons for games

Here’s a look at the specifications of the MAXX GLO MX388:

• 1.3 MP Camera
• Free 2 GB memory card
• Expandable memory up to 8GB
• MP3/MP4 player
• FM Radio
• Bluetooth
• JAVA enabled
• 800 mAh battery

Priced at Rs. 2,361, the MAXX GLO MX388 will see a Mumbai launch first, before it hits stores anywhere else in the country.

MAXX mobiles Unveil Music Phone, MAXX JAZZ MX349

Upcoming mobile handset manufacturer, MAXX mobiles has rolled out a new music phone in the low-budget segment of the Indian market. The MAXX JAZZ MX349, as mentioned earlier, looks at the music enthusiast section of the Indian audience, who expect a good music listening experience, from a highly affordable phone. Keeping those specifications in mind, MAXX mobiles have unveiled their MAXX JAZZ MX349 with enormous speakers at the rear, which MAXX mobiles claims will deliver an uncompromised music experience.

MAXX music experience..

Here’s a detailed look at the specifications of the MAXX JAZZ MX349:

• Big speaker
• Camera: 1.3 MP
• 1000 mAh battery
• Expandable memory up to 4GB
• Bluetooth-enabled
• MP3/MP4 Player with sound and video recording
• Dual SIM, Dual Standby
• FM Radio with Schedule FM recording
• Torch
• Size: 113.1x49.5x15.5mm
• Weight: 92gm

The phone is now available across the country for INR 1,940.

Airfone Rolls Out Two Phones - AF222VD and AF212

Airfone has a big announcement today, the company has launched two 'affordable' mobile phones. The AF222VD, a Dual SIM phone, along with video calling capabilities is priced at Rs.2,750, while the AF212 which boasts of a 75-day battery life is priced at Rs.2,899.

The AF212: Better Battery Life!

The AF222VD sports a 2.2-inch QCIF resolution display capable of displaying 262K colors. The Dual SIM phone supports Java applications and comes pre-loaded with Opera Mini, along with stereo Bluetooth, GPRS, 2MP camera (0.3 mp front facing camera), FM Radio, MP3 support, etc. The phones do not support 3G however, so we aren't quite sure how the video chat feature will work with other phones and networks other than their own 2G mobile broadband network.

The second major announcement is the AF212 which according to Airphone is capable of a 75 day battery life thanks to its rather large 3300mAh battery. Of course, take that number with a pinch of salt. Other features include a 2MP camera,Bluetooth, support for Java applications and Dual SIM support amongst others.