Nokia to frequently refresh Windows Phone portfolio

Unlike other companies which treat Windows Phone 7 as the secondary operating system, Nokia is betting big on it. That's why it needs to keep its product portfolio fresh to keep the enthusiasm alive in the market.

Nokia, which may come out with its first Windows Phone probably in September or October this year, is likely to launch newer models on the same platform every few months after that.

"We should be launching new devices in a rhythm that might be every couple of months, every three months, something like that," said Jo Harlow, Nokia's executive vice president of smart devices, to PCMag.

Hardware buttons missing from next Google phone

The next Google phone is being tested on both CDMA and HSPA+, and it appears to have the front facing camera on the top left.

Google's upcoming Nexus 3 smartphone will have no physical buttons on it and will just have a touchscreen in the front, a technology website has revealed.

The phone will use Android Honeycomb operating system, which is meant for tablet PCs. Honeycomb will enable the phone to work smoothly even without physical buttons.

This plan seems very much in line with Google's vision to combine the tablet and smartphone operating systems in a single device. Users won't need hardware buttons simply because all they need will be available on the screen itself.

Sistema Shyam, first in the world to opt for Rev B

 Sistema Shyam Teleservices (SSTL) is the first operator in the world to go for CDMA EV-DO Rev B Phase 2 commercial contract. The EV-Do Rev B Phase 2 commercial launch will commence from Rajasthan circle.

The commercial use of EV-DO Rev B technology will greatly enhance the existing service speeds of mobile broadband for SSTL.

Neotel’s new home phone reviewed

Neotel this week unveiled a new “fixed-wireless” handset aimed at the retail consumer market. TechCentral put the device, made by China’s ZTE, through its paces.

The handset, which uses Neotel’s wireless code division multiple access (CDMA) network, is aimed at consumers who are looking for an alternative telephony solution to options available from Telkom.

ZTE to supply CDMA upgrade to MTS India

India’s Sistema Shyam TeleServices has awarded what is claimed to be the world’s first CDMA EV-DO Rev B Phase 2 commercial contract to ZTE. 

Sistema Shyam, a joint Russian-Indian company which uses the MTS brand, will be able to increase the speed of its services following the upgrade. 

The commercial launch will begin in Rajasthan. ZTE also received CDMA expansion contracts and EV-DO upgrade contracts for 10 of MTS’s districts. 

The Phase 2 technology could further optimise the base station cell capacity, spectrum efficiency and peak rate. It can attain speed rate as fast as 4.9 megabits in single frequency carrier and 14.7 megabits in a three-frequency carrier bundle.

ZTE bags telecom equipment contract from SSTL

NEW DELHI: China-based telecom equipment-maker ZTE Corporation today said it has bagged technology expansion contracts from Sistema Shyam TeleServices Ltd (SSTL) for an undisclosed amount. 

ZTE has won CDMA expansion contracts and EV-DO -- a network protocol used by cell phones for wireless Internet communications -- upgrade contracts for 10 circles of SSTL, which operates under MTS brand, ZTE said in a statement. 

However, the company did not disclose the financial details of the contract. 

The company will commercially launch the EV-DO Rev.B Phase 2 in Rajasthan. The commercial use of EV-DO Rev.B technology will greatly enhance the existing service speeds of mobile broadband on SSTL's network. 

MTS offers Karnataka State Board Exam Results on SMS

CDMA operator MTS  has introduced a new  service for students who have appeared for Pre University Class (PUC) and Secondary School Leaving Certificate (SSLC) examination conducted by Karnataka State Board.  Over 15 lakh students have taken Karnataka State Board examinations in 2011 and now using MTS connection they can know the examination results by just sending the roll number prefixed with the examination type to 58888 and register themselves. Once the State education board announces the result, all registered students will receive their result via SMS at a minimal cost of Rs. 3 per SMS. Students who have not pre registered can also avail this service after the result is announced and can get the result details instantly. They just need to send an SMS in same format & result details will be pushed on their mobile. Similar service from BSNL has also been introduced in Tamil Nadu.

BlackBerry Curve to come bundled with MTS

MTS BlackBerry Curve CDMA handset is likely to be sold at no cost beyond Rs 1,000 per month and a one year commitment to MTS.

MTS, a CDMA service provider in India, plans to launch BlackBerry Curve under a bundled plan in which consumers will get the smartphone free of cost. for Rs 1,500 per month for 12 months, with which they will get 1,500 minutes of talktime; 1,500 SMSes; and 1,500 MB of data at no extra cost. HTC Pulse is currently sold as MTS Pulse.

Sources familiar with the development said to 'The Mobile Indian', "The launch date of this phone is still not clear as the decision in this regard will be taken after analysing the response that MTS Pulse gets, which was recently launched bundled with MTS connection."

Currently, HTC Pulse is sold as MTS Pulse where, subscribers get the phone for free but have to pay Rs 1,500 per month for 12 months, for which the user gets 1,500 minutes of talktime, 1,500 SMSes and 1,500 MB of data at no extra cost.

RCom Introduces India's first user generated caller tune service

RCom users can activate the service by calling 56694400 or can avail it by logging into the operator's website.

Reliance Communications has introduced India's first user generated caller tune service that allows customers to record content via the 'Tune Maker' platform and then set it as their own caller tune. Subscribers can also post their creations on RCom's website for other subscribers' use.

RCom has partnered with Hyderabad based Altruist Technologies to create pan-India infrastructure for the new services.

According to Anil Pande, head, VAS, Reliance Communications, "UGC (user generated content) has seen exponential growth over the last few years. India being a multilingual country, voice is an important part of UGC."

Adding further, he said, "The service allows voice based content of users' choice to be shared and set as their caller tune. The technology support offered by Altruist enables to edit, link, and create content posted by customer, besides activating it as caller tune."

RIM Launches Blackberry Bold Touch 9900

Canadian handset manufacturer Research In Motion has announced two new handsets, the Blackberry Bold Touch 9900 and the 9930, the only difference between the two is that the first is aimed at the GSM market while the other will be sold for CDMA networks.

As its name implies, the Bold Touch 9900 has a capacitive touchscreen, in this case, a 2.8-inch VGA one that RIM calls "Liquid Graphics", which has up to four times more pixels than the previous generation.

The handset is powered by a 1.2GHz single core System on Chip, with 768MB RAM, Wi-Fi, Near Field Communications, a five megapixel camera with AF, flash and HD video recording capabilities, 8GB onboard storage and a microSD slot.

A new Blackberry OS, version 7, will drive the handset, which not only supports NFC natively but also allows custom options for the homescreen, as well as voice activated searches and a new feature called Balance which allows users to manage personal and business data separately.

At 130g and 10.5mm thick, the new Bold Touch 9900 is both slimmer and lighter than the last Touch but still manages to keep its signature keyboard layout and the five proprietary front buttons.

No UK mobile phone operators have announced yet when or whether they will stock the new Bold Touch 9900 and at what price; however given that it will be the top of the range model from RIM, one can expect it to sell on £35 monthly contracts or higher.