Apple iPhone India launch likely in Sept.

Indians will no longer need to illegally buy, unlock and then use the most-desired item on gadget lovers’ lists — the Apple iPhone. Its much-awaited and delayed India launch is expected with telecom operator Vodafone in the first week of September.  

  

The Cupertino, California-based company, according to Apple retail sources, said initially the 8 GB version of the much-hyped touchscreen device — which combines Wi-Fi capabilities with a powerful email client, TV feeds, online music store and map-based location guide — will be launched at a price ranging between Rs 27,200 and Rs 28,000.  

  

Based on buyer response, the launch of the 16 GB version will be staggered to the middle of 2009.  

  

Apple sources in Singapore, when contacted last month, had maintained that the India launch would happen in 2008, but were tight-lipped on the exact date.  

  

Apple reportedly claims to have shipped four million iPhones this January since its US launch on June 29 last year, and its chief Steve Jobs has targeted sales of 10 million units by December 2008.  

ReadMore at Business Standard

UIQ 3.3 Announced

UIQ 3.3 based on Symbian OS v 9.3 builds on the success of the UIQ 3 family, making it possible for mobile phone manufacturers to produce different kinds of phones on a single code line.

UIQ 3.3 includes incremental enhancements in line with market requirements, including enhanced support for operator services and extensive customization for addressing different market segments. UIQ 3.3 is available for UIQ Technology licensees, partners and third- party developers.

A new version of Opera 9

Includes an extensively enhanced version of Opera browser (9.5) with an improved user experience of browsing on the mobile phone including faster page loads, a new layout engine and a new intuitive user interface including page overview and panning. It also includes a Widget Manager making it possible to see, run, download and remove widgets on the phone. 

A widget dashboard

The new version of the Opera browser also includes a Widget Manager, making it possible to see, run, download and remove widgets on the phone. 

Contains a fullset Java JSR 248

This Mobile Service Architecture is the emerging standard for mobile devices running J2ME and CLDC allowing developers to create a wide range of media-capable applications. Examples of new JSR APIs.

A full-feature unified messaging suite

Contains improvements in SMS and MMS such as a unified message composer allowing for the intuitive creation of SMS and MMS, Voice messaging and rich text messaging. 

News From uiq.com

Nokia 6300 gets Wi-Fi

Nokia’s slim and classy looking 6300 has just got an upgrade. 6300i is what it’s being called and it’s going to be loaded with features that include Wi-Fi and VoIP support. Of course you may also remember the Nokia 6301 that was launched recently that also came with Wi-Fi with the addition of UMA technology. Somehow though it didn't seem like the handset caught on too strong. Oh well, three's a charm. Apart from all that the 6300i still retains the S40 OS.

The 6300i may retain the same design as its predecessor but thankfully it’s distinguishable by its Graphite Grey color that’s quite catchy. It still has a 2-inch QVGA display with a 240 x 320 pixel resolution and 16 million colors. Like the 6300 the 6300i comes with a 2 megapixel camera, Bluetooth with A2DP support, miniUSB connectivity, stereo FM radio and a 2.5mm earphone socket for the headset. It also supports external memory with microSD cards. There’s another handy feature that the handset comes preinstalled with - Nokia Maps. Though don’t get your hopes up guys it doesn’t have in-built GPS, you will have to use an external adapter. Of course the 6300i also supports GPRS and EDGE. 

The Nokia 6300i will be available for about Rs. 10,914(175 Euro)(Approx) .It should be released in the second quarter of 2008.

News From Tech2

Nokia 8800 Sapphire Arte in India Now

Nokia, has launched its premium handset the 8800 Sapphire Arte. 

The Nokia 8800 Sapphire Arte is inspired from nature and makes a unique statement with its single Sapphire (world's most durable material) as the center-key. The handset features 3G capabilities along with 3.2 megapixel auto focus camera and boasts an OLED display.

Devinder Kishore, Director Marketing, Nokia India said,"As part of its premium range, Nokia brings yet another iconic mobile phone. Nokia 8800 Sapphire Arte sets the benchmark for quality and craftsmanship. The high-end materials and seamless surfaces celebrate the art of individuality - inspired by natural light with minimalistic design."

At a Price Tag Of Rs. 62,829.

Read More at Tech2.com

iPhone v2.0 to Rock iPhone again

After the news of the launch of the iPhone’s v2.0 firmware (June) with the official SDK, developers are seemingly thrilled and iPhone users obviously more so. With this latest deliverance from Apple, developers have been at the drawing board working frantically to make sure that the iPhone stays at the top by coming up with plenty of ways to enhance the OS with new apps.
Here are a few features that should brighten up an iPhone user's day -

Mass Email Delete
It’s quite odd when you think about it that Apple, in its first try would not incorporate a feature like this their very first try. Then again they left a lot out. So with the latest firmware ready to be out in June, those of you iPhone users who use their device for emailing can rejoice, your cluttered up mail will be much easier to get rid off now than ever before, so instead of getting irked by the singular deletion feature you’ll able to pretty much wipe all your junk clean with a wave of your hand (quite literally as you can imagine thanks to multi-touch).

Bonjour
This system allows iPhone users to connect computers and other iPhones on a given network. Just like you would connect to other devices using Bluetooth by searching and connecting, Bonjour will be able to do the same on a network.

Full-Screen Mode on Safari
Another feature that should have made it in the first round and didn’t was a full-page web browser. The Safari browser, may be brilliant and all and occupy a good 90 percent of the iPhone's superb display, but hey, why have 90% when you can have it all right?

Scalable Vector Graphics and New CSS Effects
The iPhone, with the latest firmware, would also have SVG (Scalable Vector Graphics). So files can be compressed and their original resolutions can be maintained. The new firmware will also support CSS effects, which works like Flash for animations, effects etc.

PowerPoint Support
The iPhone would also have support to view PowerPoint presentations with the next upgrade.
Locally Stored Web-AppsUsers will also be able to store web-apps on their handsets and use them offline. According to Apple the latest firmware version would also be able to support functional web client-side database API when the network isn’t running.
SearchThe iPhone will also be getting a search option for looking up contacts and other information on the device.

Via Tech2

SE T303-Big in looks,Mini in size

Fresh from its mammoth phone splurge at last month's MWC, Sony Ericsson has released yet another new phone, this time at CeBIT 2008. The new Sony Ericsson T303 isn't quite as fancy as some of the other phones it announced recently, such as the all-singing, all-dancing XPERIA X1. In fact, it's just a basic entry-level phone with minimal features but a rather fancy design (well, fancy for an entry-level phone, anyway).

From the press release:

Sony Ericsson today unveiled the T303, an attractive phone that is small and neat enough to carry with you on every occasion. This compact slider phone has been given the high-end treatment, with a mirrored screen, metal housing and chrome finish.

Read More at mobilementalism

Features of Opera Mobile 9.5

• Opera Mobile 9.5 was recently announced. More specifically, wWith intense competition in the mobile browser market, Opera Mobile 9.5 has its work cut out for it. But, then again, Opera's consistently rolled out innovative mobile browsers so sure they're on their game with 9.5.

• Intuitive user interface
• Tabbed browsing
• Improved text wrap
• Page overview, zooming and panning
• Landscape mode
• Save Web page for future offline access
• Call phone number from Web page
• Send link as SMS/MMS
• Send image as SMS/MMS
• Small Screen Rendering™
• Password manager
• Web address input auto-completion
• History and bookmarks
• Copy text Opera Widgets

Via unwiredview