NEW DELHI: Handset major Nokia Corporation’s global president and CEO Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo on Thursday said that the launch of Apple’s iconic iPhone in India would have an impact on the company here, “When iPhone comes to India, it adds to our competitors here. The entry of a new product in the market creates customer interest and it, therefore, impacts us in India,” Mr Kallasvuo said.
Nokia is the market leader in India and commands a 60% marketshare in the handset space. The company has so far largely remained unchallenged in India as it continues to extend the lead over its rivals in the domestic market.
At the same time, Mr Kallasvuo pointed out that consumer interest in iPhone would lead to an increased awareness on many of the concepts and features available on Nokia’s handsets.
Earlier this month, both Bharti and Vodafone had announced that they would soon be offering the new and cheaper version of iPhone to their customers by the year-end.
According to him, Nokia would continue to focus on its branding, distribution, logistics, services and support to fend off competition from iPhone. “In India we have to scale to manage all our operations in totality. This is an advantage we have over our competitors,” he said, when asked on the company’s strategy to counter the cheap handsets that are increasingly being offered by Chinese players in India.
Nokia also highlighted that it was working towards bringing internet features in its mid and low-end mobile phones to cater to the requirements of rural users in markets such as India. “We are actively working to bring internet services on the low-end handsets. The trials are specifically catered to the Indian market,” Mr Kallasvuo said. He also said that Nokia would soon launch its music stores in India during the second half of the year.
Nokia CEO said that world over while mobile was considered as the third screen (after the television and the internet), the scenario in India was different: “Here, the mobile has the possibility of becoming the first screen. India can lead the development of the mobiles becoming the key access point for the internet access,” Mr Kallasvuo said.
Reiterating its commitment to tapping the rural market here, Mr Kallasvuo also outlined several unique initiatives for the non-urban markets in the areas of microfinance, distribution, agricultural services and after-sales and support services.
“India’s consumption of mobility is growing at a phenomenal pace and it has the potential to make a major contribution to the country’s socio-economic development. Nokia recognises its responsibility and our aim will be to try and bring more consumers into the folds of mobility by maximising value creation,” he added.
Nokia also announced that it is looking at microfinance as a major initiative to increase mobile penetration in India from the current 26%. While India is adding 8-million subscribers a month, the country still has a huge untapped base, constrained due to the initial cost of the mobile phone.
The company is running pilots and trials to gauge consumer response in select markets and will soon come out with specific offerings to make buying a mobile phone more affordable, Mr Kallasvuo said.
The handset major is also looking to tap agriculture-based solutions, and is working with a host of content providers and has started programmes for farmers, which include providing solutions from information on market prices for agricultural products to weather updates to financing options.
iPhone's launch to impact Nokia: CEO
iPhone 3G to make India debut on Aug 22
NEW DELHI/MUMBAI: The new-generation iPhone, which was bought by 1-million customers within three day of its global launch in June, will be available in India from August 22.
The country’s two largest GSM operators, Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Essar, on Wednesday announced that they will begin selling the new model in select outlets from that date.
While the two GSM companies have not revealed pricing for the phone, industry sources said it could be between Rs 25,000 and Rs 30,000. Outside India, this 3G-enabled iPhone model is available for as little as Rs 8,000, but this is a bundled offer which mandates that subscribers stick with the operator for 24 months after buying the phone.
For instance, in the US, Apple is pricing the new iPhone at $199 for the 8GB version and $299 for the 16 GB version, which is nearly 50% cheaper than the earlier version. In the UK, Apple has said that the 8GB handset will cost £99 ($194), but subscribers will need a monthly tariff of £30 or £35 to avail of this offer. ET has learnt that Bharti and Vodafone will not adopt this bundling model in India.
Bharti and Vodafone had opened up bookings for the latest version of the iPhone about two months ago. Both telcos did not reveal as to how many subscribers have signed up for this handset so far. The new iPhone, combines all the revolutionary features of the earlier version with 3G networking, which is twice as fast as the first-generation iPhone.
The new iPhone features built-in GPS for expanded location-based mobile services and iPhone 2.0 software, which supports Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync and hundreds of third-party applications.
The catch is that 3G services are not likely to be available in India until mid ’09. 3G services involves high-end offerings on the mobile such as ultra-fast internet, downloads of movies, music and video clips and video conferencing among others.
“iPhone has been an iconic technological revelation of this year,” Bharti Airtel’s president for mobile services Sanjay Kapoor said in a statement.
The move to partner Airtel and Vodafone marks a major shift in Apple’s global strategy of ‘one country-one operator’. But with India emerging as the fastest-growing cellular market, analysts said Apple would want to tie up with all leading operators to maximise growth and revenues. Airtel and Vodafone have a subscriber base of over 220 million.
The earlier version of the iPhone has been available in the grey market in India for about a year now. Industry estimates peg the number of such devices in India at a whopping 5-6 lakh. Dealers in Mumbai and Delhi started selling it soon after it was launched in the US last year.
BlackBerry makers launch new smart model to take on iPhone
TORONTO: Global telecom major Research in Motion (RIM), makers of mobile handset BlackBerry, has finally unveiled its much touted BlackBerry Bold smartphone.
The new device, which comes within weeks of the global launch of Apple's iPhone, was launched in Austria Thursday. Like the iPhone, the BlackBerry Bold will also operate on the much faster, next-generation 3G network and has a built-in GPS.
Rich in features, including a half-VGA LCD display with 480x320 resolution, powerful 624 MHz processor and one GB internal storage memory, the BlackBerry Bold is being described as a premier smartphone for business and enterprise users by its makers, the Waterloo-based Canadian company.
With a 2 megapixel camera with video recording capability, built-in flash and digital zoom, the new device also boasts an advanced media player that displays pictures and slideshows quickly, plays movies smoothly in full screen mode and manages an entire music collection.
A RIM statement said its audio can be played over the handset's dual speakers in rich, stereo sound, and when using headphones or external speakers, the media player gives the user an equalizer with 11 preset filters - like "Lounge", "Jazz" and "Hip Hop" - that boost or soften audio ranges to create the perfect ambience.
Though the Bold version has been designed to meet increasing requirements of business professionals during the day, the company said the new smartphone also 'indulges the consumer experience during lunchtime, evenings and weekends.'
"The BlackBerry Bold is a breakthrough smartphone for both professional and personal use. We are very pleased to be working with A1 to provide Austrian customers with a superior mobile experience that further enhances the renowned functionality and usability of the industry leading BlackBerry solution," said RIM chief operating officer Don Morrison on the launch of the smartphone in Austria.
iPhone launch in India
Woof…Third generation IPhone for Rs. 8400/-
Now this is really unexpected ! The next Generation 3G enabled Iphone is going to cost you…hold your breath…$199 or mere INR 8400/- . Now that is a real news.
Last month I had written about Apple Iphone officially coming to India through 2 Indian mobile operators. Rumours were rife that Iphone in India (without 3g) will be introduced in India for a price point above 25000/-. I got quite a few comments stating that Apple is using India as a dumping phone for their first generation phones.
Jury is still out on whether this version of the Iphone will come to India or not. But rumours have it that Bharti will be introducing this phone in the market later this year.
Whether or not it gets launched in India, IPhone lovers can surely get their hands on these not-so-pricey phones through grey market for around 10,000 rupees within days from its launch in U.S. The new IPhone, looks very similar to the old one but has a glossy black or white plastic in place of a metal back cover.
Even though this next generation IPhone has much lower price point, it has host of mouth watering features built into it.
The best part is that new Iphone runs on third-generation (3G) wireless networks and loads Internet pages nearly 3 times faster than its previous avatar. The Iphone has much improved email features too.
The new Iphone also includes satellite navigation capability and comes with a inbuilt 8GB memory, which I think is more than sufficient to most of us.
You MUST look at this video to get an idea of new features that IPHONE 3G has introduced…Mouth Watering
iPhone vs HTC Diamond
The Touch Diamond handset was announced on Tuesday by HTC, and as expected, every blog and newspaper is calling it the first real 'iPhone killer'. And here was me thinking we'd expired that term!
Obviously, the Diamond and iPhone have some similarities (even hired similar hand-models!), but the main difference which is dividing everyone's affections boils down to the original format wars - Mac vs. PC. Want a concise break-down of the pros and cons of each mobile? Whoomp, there it is - below the jump.
Dimensions
The Diamond measures 102mm in height, is 51mm wide and 11.5mm thick, whereas the iPhone comes in at 115mm high, is 61mm wide and 11.6mm thick, weighing 135g. The Diamond is a shade lighter, at 110g.
Display
HTC has put a 480 x 640, 2.8" TFT LCD touch-sensitive screen on the Diamond, and as you probably know by now, the iPhone has an impressive 480 x 320 3.5" multi-touch display.
Operating System
The former runs on the new Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional, the first HTC phone to do so. However similar it may be to WM 6.0, HTC has actually layered their own software on over the phone, giving it a more user-friendly navigational system, and TouchFLO 3D technology, which we first saw in the Touch last year.
You can draw a huge comparison between the Diamond and iPhone due to the TouchFLO 3D, with users able to browse through photos and songs sliding their finger along the screen, much as you would on the iPhone.
The iPhone runs on OS X, which is Apple's very own operating system, and as we learned recently with Psystar, very much exclusive to them.
Memory
Buried within the Diamond, HTC has planted 4GB of internal flash storage, plus given the handset 192 MB DDR SDRAM, and a 256 MB ROM. A microSD card slot is supported, for additional storage.
Meanwhile, the iPhone comes in two options, an 8GB or 16GB flash drive, and has 128MB of RAM.
Camera
The camera on the Diamond is quite impressive, with a 3.2-megapixel sensor, and auto focus. The internal accelerometer means the Diamond acts like the iPhone, so photos can be viewed in landscape-stylee and be browsed through with a flick of the finger. The Diamond also has a second camera on the front, a VGA CMOS colour camera, for video-calling.
The camera on the iPhone isn't quite as impressive, with just a 2.0-megapixel sensor, and no auto focus, flash or any editing software.
Media Player
An integrated speaker and FM radio feature in the Diamond, with the iPhone lacking both - well, you can play tunes through the tiny inbuilt one, but we wouldn't suggest it. However, the iPhone's main thrill is indeed the iPod functionality, and with 8GB or 16GB options, that's a lot of AAC, Protected AAC, MP3, MP3 VBR, Audible (formats 1, 2, and 3), Apple Lossless, AIFF, and WAV. Meanwhile, the Diamond supports MP3, AAC, AAC+, WMA, WAV and AMR-NB.
Connectivity
Rumours have abounded since the first generation of iPhones came out, that the next model would have 3G connectivity. We're now hoping for a June announcement and release date, but nothing has been confirmed as yet. The Diamond has managed to pip it to the post, with HSDPA connectivity, and 384 kbps up-link and 7.2 Mbps down-link speeds.
The iPhone, meanwhile, has, err, Wi-Fi, and, uh...Bluetooth...
GPS
The Diamond has GPS and A-GPS, however not much else is known about it than that. The iPhone, on the other hand, has Google Maps, which is a pleasure to use, particularly in conjunction with the multi-touchscreen.
Battery Life
You'll get a fair bit out of the Diamond, with 270 minutes' talktime for WCDMA and up to 330 minutes on GSM networks, whereas standby is 396 hours and 285 hours respectively. When video-calling, users will get up to 145 minutes on WCDMA.
The iPhone is advertised as having up to eight hours of talk time, up to 250 hours of standby, 6 hours of internet use, 7 hours of video playback, and up to 24 hours of audio playback.
Availability and Pricing
The HTC Diamond will be out in June, with pricing not yet confirmed. The iPhone is already out, and available on 18 month contracts for either £35, £45 or £55 a month, plus of course the upfront fee. Apple's third party retailers (O2, Carphone Warehouse) recently cut the price of the 8GB model, to £169, however they appear to not be selling them anymore. The 16GB model is £329 upfront.
iPhone vs Blackberry
With the Wi-Fi-equipped Blackberry 8820 coming soon to an AT&T store near you, business folks around the country will be faced with the decision of switching to the trendy new iPhone or upgrading to a more iPhonesque version of their trusty CrackBerry. To determine whether the grass really is greener on the iPhone side of the fence, we have chronicled the experience of a venture capitalist (who wishes to remain anonymous) who has been using an iPhone and a BlackBerry 8800 side-by-side for the past few weeks. His conclusion: despite the overall attractiveness of the iPhone, it lacks too many vital features to replace the BlackBerry as the corporate weapon of choice.
For starters, a BlackBerry set up with Microsoft Exchange Server sports intelligent push email while the iPhone does not. When an email is sent to an account on a BlackBerry, the message is downloaded immediately and an LED on the phone notifies the user that he or she has a new message. The iPhone, on the other hand, recognizes new messages at most every 15 minutes and must be checked actively to see if anything has arrived. This deficiency makes handling email on the iPhone slower and less efficient; it also translates into wasted battery power as users need to perform the extra step of opening the iPhone’s email program every time they want to check for new mail.
Perhaps even more significantly, the iPhone fails to synchronize as well as the BlackBerry. When a BlackBerry user changes a calendar event or some contact information on his or her desktop computer in Exchange, the changes automatically appear on the BlackBerry. This makes keeping track of basic business information a snap because one never has to worry about acting on outdated data or manually updating one’s handheld. In contrast, the iPhone does not synchronize calendar and contact information wirelessly, which makes it less dependable for information ultimately stored on a server.
In addition to these major drawbacks of the iPhone, our venture capitalist cites the following as reasons to prefer the BlackBerry:
- The BlackBerry 8800 possesses GPS, which makes Google Maps much more useful, especially for turn-by-turn directions
- The iPhone lacks basic cut and paste capabilities
- Despite Apple’s reputation for superior user interface design, the BlackBerry possesses keyboard shortcuts that make navigation around and between applications a breeze
- The BlackBerry’s phone quality is better than the iPhone’s
- The Safari browser is certainly more stunning than the BlackBerry’s primitive browser, but the iPhone seems to load even text-only pages more slowly than the BlackBerry over the EDGE network
- The BlackBerry possesses a general contacts application that makes contacting people by any given method more convenient
- The battery runs out faster on the iPhone simply because it is used for more tasks. This makes it less reliable for when one must take the device somewhere overnight without the opportunity to recharge.
Despite all of these criticisms of the iPhone, our venture capitalist admits that he would switch over to the iPhone if only it supported push email, calendar and contacts synchronization, and GPS. For him, the prospect of ridding his pockets of a separate device for music (an iPod nano), as well as enjoying all of the iPhone’s slick features (such as full-featured web browsing, stocks and weather apps, and its YouTube program), makes the iPhone very tempting. However, until Apple resolves these shortcomings (and perhaps Google makes its applications, especially Gmail, work as seamlessly with the iPhone as Microsoft makes Exchange work with the BlackBerry), others are going to have to pry his BlackBerry from his cold, dead hands (his words, mind you, not ours).
How to Jailbreak an IPhone 1.1.4 to 2.0
How to Jailbreak an IPhone 1.1.4 to 2.0
How to Jailbreak an IPhone 1.1.4 to 2.0 using WinPwn 2.0.0.1
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Important Notes:
- Uninstall WinPwn 1.0 first if you have it installed
- Make sure you have iTunes 7.7 installed
Downloads:
WinPwn 2.0.0.1
iPod Firmware 2.0
Bootloader files for iPhone [bl39.bin and bl46.bin]
Steps:
After you install WinPwn, plug in your iPod/iPhone and launch WinPwn 2.0.0.1
Step 1: Click Browse .ipsw
Step 2: Select your 2.0 firmware and click open
Step 3: Click IPSW Builder
Step 5: Select Install Cydia and YouTube activation fix.
Step 6: Select settings under Advanced for your iPhone
Click on these radio buttons:
* Activate Phone
* No WIpe
* Enable Baseband Update
* Neuter bootloader
**DO NOT UPGRADE OR DOWNGRADE IF YOU DONT KNOW WHAT IT IS!
* Unlock BaseBand
*Autodelete Boot Neuter
Step 6b: You need to show the Bootloader files to WinPwn by clicking on the two buttons and browsing to the folder.
Step 7: Click Build .ipsw and choose were you want to save the custom firmware to.
It will start to build the firmware at this point
Once its done click ok
Step 8: Click on iPwner. Now select the custom firmware you created
It will kill iTunes once done. Now click ok
Step 9: Now open iTunes and put your iPod/iPhone into DFU (Remember that your iPod/iPhone will be black like its off when in DFU mode)
Step 10: Hold Shift key and click restore then select your custome firmware you built.
