Meet sub-Rs 10,000 3G mobile phones

Meet sub-Rs 10,000 3G mobile phones

3G services are finally set to revolutionise Indian telecom landscape. With 3G spectrum allocation over, telcos are now gearing up to roll out the services to users. And very soon Indian consumers will be able to do so much more than just voice and text messaging.

3G will allow mobile users to watch TV, play online games, download videos and listen to streaming music straight on their mobile screens.

But in case your handset is still not 3G ready or you are struggling to find one that suits your pocket, here are some 3G phones in the sub-Rs 10,000 range. Read on..



Samsung S5620 Monte

Samsung recently expanded its touchscreen phone line-up in India with the launch of 3G-ready S5620 Monte.

Featuring a 3-inch TFT touchscreen display, the phone comes equipped with Smart unlock, accelerometer sensor, 3.15 megapixel camera and geo-tagging.

Other features include smile detection capability, Bluetooth, 3.5mm audio jack, Google Maps, Stereo FM Radio and image editing applications.

The phone promises to offer 9 hours, 42 minutes of talk time. The phone's internal memory is 200MB which can be expanded using a microSD card. Samsung S5620 is priced at Rs 8,850 approximately.



LG GU285

Korean electronics giant LG has extended its mobile portfolio with the addition of 3G capable LG GU285. Sporting a 2.2-inch touchscreen screen, the phone packs two cameras - a 1.3 megapixel at the back and a VGA camera on the front side for video calling. The phone supports GPRS/EDGE and is 3G ready.

Other features include expandable memory upto 8GB, music playback, FM Radio and ‘Try & Games’ which has games like Sudoku, and Ferrari GT.

LG GU285 is priced at Rs 6,000.



Nokia 2730 classic

Finnish cellphone maker too offers a low-price 3G phone in its India line-up. Called Nokia 2730 classic, the phone is equipped with Nokia's Ovi Mail, Nokia Messaging, Nokia Life Tools and browsing. The phone also comes with an integrated Opera mini browser.

Available in black and dark magenta colour, the handset measures 109.6 mm x 46.9 mm x 14.4 mm and weighs 87.7 grams. The battery life offers maximum of 7.4 hours talktime and 16.5 days standby time.

The 3G capable phone comes with A2DP Bluetooth, USB port with microUSB but with no WLAN and infrared. The handset also packs a 2 megapixel camera with 1600 x 1200 pixels with video recording of 176 x 144 at 10 fps(frames per second).

As for memory, Nokia 2730 Classic has 30MB internal memory which supports microSD card upto 2GB. The handset is priced at Rs 4,499



Samsung Metro 3G

Samsung recently added another 3G phone to its India line-up. Called Metro 3G, the phone has metallic exterior and is 11.9mm in thickness.

Samsung Metro 3G provides users with easy access to nine social networking sites, including Facebook, YouTube, Flickr, Picassa, Friendster and Photobucket.

Metro 3G also comes equipped with a chat messenger and supports GTalk, AIM and Palringo chat. Other features include 3.2 megapixel camera, with Smile shot and Panorama shot technology, and Bluetooth 2.1 which offers wireless connectivity to headsets, printers as well as mobile and PC devices.

The mobile phone has 105MB internal memory and a microSD support for upto 16GB. Metro 3G is also the first phone in Metro series to offer support in nine regional languages.

The phone is priced at Rs 8,250 approximately.



LG Cookie Plus GS500v

LG has refreshed its touchscreen lineup in the country with the launch Cookie Plus GS500v.

The 3G-capable model LG Cookie Plus GS500v sports a 3-inch LCD touchscreen display and has a 3 megapixel camera. The phone's key features include one touch social networking, editable screen shot, MMS and a 3-way user interface.

The phone comes with 3.5 mm jack and connectivity options include Bluetooth 2.1 and micro USB. The handset also comes with Facebook auto update feature. The phone has 30MB of internal memory that can be expanded up to 8GB.

LG Cookie Plus GS500v is priced at Rs 7,999.



Nokia C5

Nokia recently added 3G phone to its C-series in India called Nokia C5. Sporting a 2.2-inch display with 240 x 320 pixels, C5 comes with 3.5 megapixel camera with LED Flash and video recording VGA at 15 fps (frames per second).

The phone also offers support for Nokia Ovi Maps which enables free global navigation. Running on Symbian OS 9.3, the phone comes pre-loaded with a 2GB memory card. The memory can be expanded upto 16GB.

Other key features include front-facing VGA camera, Class 32 GPRS and EDGE, FM radio, 3G support, Bluetooth 2.0 with A2DP and microUSB 2.0 port.

The phone is priced at Rs 7,999.



INQ Mini 3G and Chat 3G

UK-based handset maker INQ recently added two 3G handsets in India -- INQ Mini 3G and Chat 3G. Measuring 114.5 x 61 x 12.8 mm, INQ Chat 3G mobile comes with QWERTY keypad. The device supports push email, Facebook, Twitter and IM.

The other key features include QVGA display, music player and a 3.2 megapixel autofocus camera. The phone has 100MB of internal memory and can be expanded upto 4GB. INQ Chat 3G is priced at Rs 7,600.

The second handset Mini 3G comes with a 2.2 inch QVGA TFT display. The integrated INQ apps boast of Facebook, Skype, Twitter, and Instant Launcher.



HTC Smart

Priced below Rs 10,000, HTC Smart is the cheapest device ever launched by the company in the Indian market. Sporting a 2.8-inch TFT-LCD touchscreen with QVGA resolution, the phone comes with 3.5 mm stereo audio jack, HTC Sense UI and a 3 megapixel camera.

Other features include GSM/GPRS/EDGE, Bluetooth 2.0, HSDPA/WCDMA and microSD memory card with SD 2.0 support. Smart promises 370 minutes of talktime for WCDMA and upto 450 minutes of talktime for GSM.

The phone has a 300 MHz processor with 256MB RAM and 256MB ROM. The mmory can be expanded upto 16GB. The smartphone is powered by Qualcomm’s Brew operating system.

Smart offers support for Bluetooth withA2DP, 3G, Mini USB connectivity, 3.5 mm headphone jack, FM radio with RDS and music player. However, Smart is not Wi-Fi enabled.

Should I Buy an iPhone 4?

Should I Buy an iPhone 4?

The one question Apple never answers at keynotes—their opinion is implicit—is always the most pertinent: Should I buy this new thing?

Here's a simple guide:


First: How Much Will It Cost?

This will be the largest deciding factor for most people. Here's how it breaks down: $200 and $300 for 16GB and 32GB model, respectively. This is true only if you're a new customer, your contract is over, or—and this was unexpected—your contract is set to end at any time in 2010, meaning some can take the dive six months early, and effectively shorten their total commitment to AT&T by up to six months (as opposed to waiting half a year for their contracts to expire before upgrading.)

If you aren't a new customer, and you aren't eligible for the special upgrade plan, the phones will cost 400 and $500 as upgrades, which is pretty rough. Unsubsidized prices run $600 and $700, which, well, ha ha.

So, back to the original question!


Reasons To Buy

It'll probably replace your pocket camera and Flip cam.
The iPhone 3GS, though its camera specs weren't mindblowing, came somewhat close to replacing point-and-shoot cameras for some users. Assuming Apple's kept the clever metering and solid image quality commensurate with the spec upgrades, and assuming the flash doesn't suffer from the same awful whiteout effect that most cellphones flashes do, this camera could quite possibly eliminate the need to carry a P&S or pocket video camera around. Throw in the iMovie video editing software ($5, weirdly) and you've got a pretty wonderful all-around pocket shooter.

That screen.
So Steve's description of the wonders of the "Retina" display were slightly overwrought—the fact that he resorted to explaining to the audience what pixels are was telling—I can tell you from times with other phones that the experiential gap between 320x480 and 480x854 (like the Droid's or Sprint Evo's) is massive. It doesn't really seem like there are pixels at all. The iPhone's screen is more dense than anything we've seen running Android so far, so expect best-yet visual fidelity here—a huge boon if you read a lot on your phone.

It's better at being an iPhone.
This iPhone improves a lot on the basics: the battery should last longer, it's slimmer, the antenna is (hopefully) more powerful, it's got noise cancellation, its processor is much faster, and so on. As far as the core features—the stuff that the iPhone has traditionally gotten right—this phone is markedly nicer. If you were considering getting an iPhone before, then you should consider much harder now, but only if you're eligible for a reasonable price.


Reasons Not To Buy

It's still just an iPhone.
This is a nice piece of hardware, no doubt. But it won't do that much more than your iPhone 3GS, which will be capable of multitasking, can shoot decent photos and videos, has the same maximum storage options, and operates at the same network speeds. Unless the new camera and flash, screen res and video chat—which is Wi-Fi only, and connects exclusively to other iPhone 4s for now—are things you absolutely need, this is a non-essential upgrade. Apple is the king of incremental upgrade and iPhone 4 is no exception.

• AT&T:
They won't host video calling. They're drawing down data caps. Calls still drop with alarming frequency. And now they're asking for another two-year commitment from you. People have been predicting that the iPhone will be available on another carrier, and it's never happened. But man, it's been three years! And AT&T's giving people an early upgrade option, so maybe they're a little worried?

Without a doubt, the fact you must be on AT&T to use an iPhone is the single-most compelling reason to avoid buying an iPhone 4.

Android and Windows Phone 7 are looking great.
What we saw today is what Apple's going to be selling for the next year, probably. But consider just how much Android has advanced in that time? Android 2.2 is pretty wonderful, and I expect a lot of impressive Android hardware to show up in the next few months, not to mention the forthcoming Windows Phone 7. Think about how you feel today, in terms of enthusiasm. Now try to imagine how you'll feel after six months of what we expect to be relentlessly fast upgrades from Google, and an entirely new OS—and accompanying, varied hardware—from Microsoft. Kind of tempers the magic, no?

Apple still doesn't understand the internet.
Google does, and so does Microsoft. iOS4 does virtually nothing to address iPhone OS's most glaring weaknesses: lack of social media support and cloud services. They will likely continue to lag for at least a year, until the next phone comes out, and possibly further.


Should I Get the 3GS, Now That It's $100?

No. If the 3GS is available to you for $100, that means the iPhone 4 is available to you for $200. Don't even think about it.


So, Who Should Buy an iPhone 4?

The answer is actually pretty simple: If you're eligible for the advertised prices of $199 and $299, don't mind signing up for another two years with AT&T, and don't have any anxiety about Android's rate of progress leaving your iPhone 4 feeling behind the curve, it's a recommended buy, especially if you're currently using a 3G.

But it's hard to swallow at higher prices, and compared the the 3GS, the upgrades feel kind of marginal. For the 3GS user trapped in limbo, waiting for his contract to come to an end, take comfort at just how fast the world (read: Android) is moving and that you're not losing out on too much by waiting.

lll --- india has more cellphones than toilets --lll

India has 545 million working cell phones thanks to its booming emerging economy, a number expected to reach 1 billion by 2015, the UN University said Wednesday.

That number exceeds the number of people who have access to toilet or sanitation facilities - only about 366 million, or 31 percent of the 1-billion strong population.

India's number of cell phone users soared in just 10 years, from 0.35 per 100 persons in 2000 to 45 per 100 persons this year.

Worldwide, an estimated 1.1 billion people of the world population of 6.7 billion people have no access to toilet facilities. The UN Millennium Development Goals call for access to toilets by all people by 2025,
The UN University, a Canada-based think tank, made a study on cell phone users in developing countries to demonstrate that some countries may lag behind in achieving the goal of providing toilets and sanitation for all the world population by 2025.

'It is a tragic irony to think that in India, a country now wealthy enough that roughly half of the people own phones, half cannot afford the basic necessity and dignity of a toilet,' said Zafar Adeel, a director at the UN University.

UN University said it would cost an estimated 358 billion dollars to build toilets for half the world population between now and 2015. Each toilet costs 300 dollars.

The World Health Organisation and the UN Children's Fund said programmes to provide toilets have fallen behind schedule worldwide and the 2015 goal may not be reached.

Google Nexus One

We have been listening Google Nexus news in a big way for the last couple of weeks.It is good to know that people have already started planning to buy this handsome gadget.
Google Nexus is considered the fastest and most elegant smartphone on the market today, solidly beating the iPhone in most ways.

We found the following features to justify why Google Nexus is a big hype now a days.

* Nexus One is the first smartphone that is going to use the latest Google Android 2.1 operating system. We can expect faster performance, an improved look and better memory management of the smartphone.

* The Nexus One features the 1Ghz Snapdragon CPU which is the the most powerful Android phone yet. Up until now, most Android phones have used a processor running at around the 500Mhz mark. It doesn't mean that Nexus one will run twice faster. But, definitely, the performance is going to get improved. It can handle the Nexus One’s 3D graphics, multiple applications running in the background and heavy browser use simultaneously.

* Google smartphone has 3.7 inch 480 x 800 OLED capacitive touchscreen. This is the best mobile phone display on the market today, far better than the iPhone’s 480 x 320 display.

* Google have included Google Earth in the Nexus one. If you are used with the Google Map, then Google Earth is a mind blowing application. You can have a nice rendering of the world like your desktop version that includes 3D navigation, terrain views and superb renderings.

* CoolIris is a free plugin for Firefox, Safari and IE that lets you search your PC’s pics, pics on Facebook and Flickr, and even videos on YouTube, in a free flowing 3D wall of media. Google Nexus incorporates this plugin with the smartphone. Now, using CoolIris, you will be able to see your pics in an interactive free flowing 3D wall.

* Nexus is only 11.1mm thick and that makes it one of the slimmest smartphones around. Compare that to the 13.7mm of the Milestone, the 12.3mm of the iPhone 3GS and the 14.4mm of the Hero and other phones.

* The phone comes with 5 megapixel camera with a flash, GPS receiver, Bluetooth and Wi fi capabilities. The macro and low light modes of the camera are excellent and you take great indoors shots.

* Google Nexus One phone will sell in two ways: unlocked (unsubsidized) and locked with T-Mobile. Google will sell the mobile device unlocked and unsubsidized for $530, and Google will sell it by themselves.

* The other option is the subsidized one. Customers will have to sign up for a 2 year mandatory contract and pay the initial $180 for the phone. So, subscribers have both of the options. They can choose according to their need.

* The Nexus One uses an AMOLED screen that offers very high quality contrast and black levels. The only other Android phone that offers this type of feature is the Samsung Galaxy, which uses a significantly smaller screen.

* The other interesting feature of the phone is Google Voice Recognition that the company already demonstrated during the launch. It has the ability to perform voice recognition while doing other things simultaneously.

* The user interface is very refined and superfast among all other Android phones. You will get an animated feel with icon zoom in and zoom out features.