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With the launch of the dual SIM phones last year, the Indian handset industry witnessed the arrival of a new technology all together. Dual SIM phones are meant to support two active connections in one phone. This saves the effort and money invested in keeping two handsets for two separate connections. This trend was started by Spice, who launched two dual SIM phones It gained popularity and apart from Spice many companies such as Samsung, Fly and Bleu introduced a number of dual SIM devices. Today, markets are also flooded with unbranded phones offering dual functionality. But the question that crops up with so many launches is that the right dual sim phone.
Connectivity Support
Before buying a dual sim device consumer should consider their con-; nectivity needs. In simple terms the first thing a users needs to identify is whether they will be using two GSM connections or one GSM and one CDMA. A lot of these phones are avail¬able in various combinations. Some support two GSM connections whereas some support one GSM and one CDMA connection. For instance, Spice offers two dual SIM phones. The Spice D88 supports one GSM and one CDMA connection whereas the D80 supports; two GSM connections. Same is the case with the phones launched by Fly and Samsung.
But if your requirement is of just two CDMA connections in one phone, then you need to wait for the time when companies will launch whether these phones will be able to perform and much up to your needs as well as expectation?Well,the answer is yes but only if you go in for a sensible buy considering a few things while buying one.

Many more Indian companies are entering the mobile handset busi- ness. What does this mean for consumers? Sonia Sharma finds out .Around 9 million handsets are consumed every month in India. That pretty much makes us one of the largest mobile phone markets in the world. Also these days, people are getting increasingly conscious about the kind of mobile phones they carry. Everyone wants a good looking phone and possessing one is no longer just the privilege of the upper class. Another noticeable change is that phones are becoming entertainment devices with better music quality along with multimedia features like cameras and GPRS receivers. All this has been achieved without compromising on the phone’s looks.

Ironically, the Indian handset market is marked by the presence of five major and many smaller global handset compa-nies.However, till date only two Indian companies have made it big in this segment. But today, the scenario is changing and many more Indian companies are venturing into this sector to dig into the mobile boom pie. The best part is that these companies are not some obscure newcomers in the Indian market. Some of them are big shots in the consumer electronic segment.
Kunal Ahooja, CEO, Spice Mobiles Ltd, an Indian mobile handset company, says, “The Indian market is the fastest growing in the world. There is a huge demand at the entry level and mid tier segments. This is where we being an Indian company have an edge over the MNCs because we understand the Indian psyche better and build customised handsets for our consumers. On the other hand, global brands that are present here build brands at the global level and then bring them to India - a move which cannot cater to the needs of all segments of mobile users.”
Currently mobile penetration in India is around 25 per cent. It is expected to grow to 40-50 per cent in the next four years. On the other hand, the replacement market is also growing rapidly, making it a very lucrative proposition for these companies.
According to our sources, Onida, a leading brand in consumer electronics like TVs and washing machines, has already launched a handset called V110, which has a standby time of 28 days. This is an important aspect as battery has always been the most important criteria especially in the hinterlands where there is a perennial shortage of electricity. But Onida is not limiting itself to the entry-level and mid-level phones. It will soon come out with a smart phone as well.

While other vendors are focusing on bringing multifunctional devices into thee market Motorola’s focus is on mobile music.

A dedicated music key. Supports for music id feature that allows you to know the details of the song being played in you vicinity.

The first handset based on the linux java operating system. High processing speed applications open up quickly

Suppot for blutoothe version 2

Clear audio output

LIGHTNIGNG FAST

The moto rokr z6 is the first Motorola handset base on the linux java os. This allows you to download java appas which isn’t possible with handsets that were based on the linux os only. The processing is fast apps open up almost the moment that you select them this is easily the fastest os based handset . we have seen . the roker z6 is a plug and play device you can connect the device with your pc via a usb. You can also charging the handset with the usb.

MUSICAL SAGA

The device can e synchronised with windows media player 11 and you can transfer complete play lists at once The z6 supports A2DPprokle for music to ]. Your can also create new folders in the menu.like other motrola devices the rokr z6 too has the talking phone feature which reads out your text messages menu caller id . emails and even the contacts in your phonebook. Mind you the accent and the pronunciations can sound quite hilarious at times.

We were surprised by the absence of a document viewer barcode scanner and most of all an fm radio . Rokr z6 is priced at ts 11999 and the music optimised version bundled with thee snoop is available for rs16299. The 2 megapixel camera yields decent quality pictures . You can also edit pictures using the photo editing options on the handset.

The next time your think of buying a new handset especially of a brand you haven’t tried before pay a visit you its service centre.

We say this because it is highly likely that owning the latest model might turn into a nightmare as you spend tedious hours at customer care centre to get your handset prepared or to get its software upgraded ..in fact it is highly likely that you will end up throwing the phone away to avoid the bother of getting it repaired even if it’s an expensive model.

But why is it so difficult to get a cellphone serviced ? We randomly checked some of the service centered of a few famous cellphone brands. In some cases the poor levels of customer service we found matched what  cellphone users have been telling us in our consumer forum over the last few months . what follows from our investigation is an unhappy tale of how cellphone companies pay little heed to customer service even as they do their best to attract new buyers.

IN SEARCH OF SERVICE

To begin with service centres tend to be tucked away from the public eye . it’s easier to  fnd a mobile retail store because it is usually located on a main street or at advantage spot in the local market. the servcie centre however is more likely to be in an obscure part of the market. Imagine trudging around in the intence heat of summer looking for a service centre in a bustling market. We took nearly half an hour to ferret out mototola’s service centre in the busy rajendra bhawan in west delhi.

We had less luck with a sony ericsson centre in another part of west delhi calle patel nagar. The trip to his place proved to be futile because it had been sealed several months ago but the company had failed to update its website on the location change.

The leading handset manufacturer nokia too hasn’t paid much attention to the need for making all its sevice centres visible.

The attractive design could lure those who have been intimidated by enterprise phones. It packs in multimedia features that were not seen in the Series earlier.

A shortcut button for conference calls on the front panel for the slider connects you to people on hour conference call list

The sliding mechanism is smooth. keys are comfortably placed and are easy to use

There is support for e mail clients like Black berry connect and mail for exchange

Unlike some enterprise phones that steer clear of multimedia features the #65 has a 2 gigapixel camera and comes with real player installed

There is no qwerty keypad

BREAKING CONVENTION

The cool slider design breaks the stereotyped norms of business devices. It is stylish and will even find favour with women users who have avoided venturing into smartphone territory. With features like one button call conference key and emailing thee device idle for office environments where staying connected is crucial.

MULTIFUNCTIONAL

Unlike other e series devices the e65 is versatile and packs in multimedia features like a 2 megapixel camera and a real player. The device could have easily fit into the n series considering its entertainment features.

SYBAIN POWER

Based on symbian s60 lllrd editon the e65 is fast and supports third party applications. There are apps lde teams that allow the user to create different teams for different people for instance you can create a differing team for managers administrative staff and executives.

An attractive phone packed with surprises not the least of which is touch screen

A mid level handset with a physical keypad as well as a touch screen and stylus

Multimedia features include a 2 megapicel camera FM radio mp3 player sound recorder and video recorder

Comes with inbuilt memory of 25mb and a slot for expandable memory t that supports micro sd card

TOUCH ME

On first sight there is nothing go indicate that this is a touch screen handset. Ti is only when the keypad appears on the screen that we realized that the phone had a touch screen. Which of course made us look for the stylus that comes with it mind you if the stylus isn’t your style you could use the physical alpha numeric keypad . and amazingly both these features can also be used simultaneously. If you are not comfortable with on screen keypad you can even write on the screen with your stylus.

MULTIMEDIA RIDE

Made of plastic and metal this dark grey handset is feature packed. There is a 2 megapixel camera and video recorder with zoom. Both offer image setting where you can select from options like normal greyscale sepia green /blue and blackboard. Other multimedia features include and fm radio mp3 player photo editor and sound recorder. Incidentally the sound recorder records sound clips of voice calls general conversations and even music from fm radio.

CHARGE’N CONNECT

The handset includes connectivity potions like infrared and bluetooth. It can also be connected to computer using a data cable. The connectivity port can be used for charging the device. Inserting headsets and even for transferring data.

Design glitches cloud the user experience of this good looking multimedia phone

The Sagem My 411z is  a multimedia device with and in built BGA camera with zoom

Dedicated music keys on the left panel. However there is no FM radio

One cannot access music while charging the handset because of the common port for charger , head phone and usb connection

SMALL IS BEAUTIFULL

The MY 411x is a slim candybar. The Phone is lustrous to lood at and tips the scales at a mere 85 gram. The phone comes in nice colour combinations such as black-  purple. Black- silver and white- cyan. The screen looks small but the clarity of the 65000 colour display compensates for its size.

MULTIMEDIA FEATURES GALORE

This pretty phone has multimedia features such as a BGA camera with 4x digital zoom and a music player. It even supports GPRS. The handheld has and inbuilt memory of 13MB, allowing up to 500 contact and 100 massages to be saved. There is also a provision for using a mini SD card of upto 1GB capacity. You can load song to the music player using a usb cable or bluetooth . However and FM radio is missing

A FEW POITS TO PONDER

As if a missing FM radio were not enough an awkward keypad adds o this phone’s dark side. Your would need long nails to press the closely packed flat keys. Adding to the series of problems is the weak battery life of the handset . The fully charged handset was discharged with in just two hours of calling . A common port is provided for charging headphones and usb cable . The lost of woes does not end there. The font size of messages is too small as eight lines appear on the screen at one time.

This handset with a metallic finish packs in a good set of multimedia features. This  is the slimmest slider available in the market and even has a touch panel

It’s the thinnest slider in the market at 10.6mm

Integrated 2.0 megapixel camera

Hidden touch screen buttons placed on the front panel

Connectivity features such as Bluetooth. GPRS and  EDGE

SLIM AND GOOD LOOKING

The black and silver slicer has such a shiny surface that one can actually use it as a compact mirror, much in line with the LG Shine. The phone has a couple of touch screen keys of the front panel which are not apparent initially. It has a flat keypad, which may not enthuse users who love the tactile touch of rubber or metal keys.

SOUND OF MUSIC

While the phone has FM radio and MP3 it somehow lacks the sound of the music phones of other brands. But then if one wants a music phone . one would try something  from the Motorola or Sony Ericsson stable. It supports almost all video format, although we were not able to best that function.

Armed  with all the features of an enterprise phone, the chunky N92 has extended the definition of a multimedia phone
Unique docking station format, screen format for handsfree/table mountes TV viewing

Excellent battery life (the device works well for two days of usage)

The Nokia Web browser is slow. As with other phones,  Opera Mini provides a better. Faster surfing experience.

True multimedia phone- great screen resolution. DVB-H receiver. Visual FM
LOOK AND FEEL

The n92 looks chunky but once you flip the screen around a 10= degree turn to move from portrait to landscape mode I redeems itself. But often. When changing to landscape mode, it redeems itself . The keyboard could do with improvement as it is sifficult to type without peering at what buttons you are pressing. Each tiny key has two sets of members and alphabets to make it convenient to type in both portrait and landscape mode. While it’s  a great design concept. The result is a strain on the eye.

TELLY PHONE

The Digital video broadcast to handheld receiver allows you to receive terrestrial TV signals on your handset . In India. , currently only DD channels are available over DVB-H provided you are within close range of a TV tower. Once you catch a signal though. The reception is crystal clear even though you would also need sharp hearing o catch the audio in public spaces as the speakers are placed behind the screen. The sounds is whole lot better with a headset. The broadcasts are currently available only in Delhi. The phone is also enabled to receive subscription channels.
MULTIMEDIA

The n92 is a good phone for taking pictures and recording video .The 2 megapixel camera provides good results. The bulkiness of the phone actually adds to the charm as it looks like a small handycam. The phone is Wi-Fi enabled and supports GPRS. And even moves effortlessly from one to the other. When DVB-H becomes available across channels and oer a weider territory. The n92 could be real  value for money phone at Rs 20,999.