Xpertfeed

India handset manufacturer partners telcom to drive data growth Summary:  Micromax inks strategic partnership with Aircel to drive data growth in India, which the telco believes will showcase the benefits of 3G to smartphone buyers and drive adoption. Micromax, India's leading handset manufacturer, has entered into a strategic partnership with Aircel to drive data growth in the country. Under the new agreement, both companies will share their channel and retail networks, sales resources, and run an integrated device sales activation program. From left to right: Aircel CMO Anupam Vasudev, Micromax co-founder Vikas Jain, Micromax's vice president of marketing Sunil Kuttam With the alliance, Micromax introduced Reverse Bundling handset offers worth 12,000 rupee (US$200) per month for every new customer of Aircel. The operator has positioned itself as a data-led telecom player and aimed to make 3G affordable to the masses by launching its Pocket Internet Smart se

India needs to manage youth access to electronic devices Summary:  A recent survey indicates nearly 82 percent of kids in India's metropolitan cities, aged 5 to 12, have electronic devices and this is leading to negative consequences like insomnia and social isolation. Who's to blame? Nearly 82 percent of kids living in India's metropolitan cities, aged 5 to 12, have electronic devices and this is leading to negative consequences such as depression, insomnia, and social isolation, indicates a survey. The study was conducted in 10 major metropolitan cities across India, polling 2,500 tech-savvy boys and girls. In addition to having access to computers, internet, and home entertainment systems at home, about 25 percent of these kids admitted their use of electronic devices was also effecting their quality of sleep, reported  The Times of India . Does a 5-year-old kid really need a mobile phone? That's an obvious conclusion, in my view. While I don't d

Free SMS news service launched by All India Radio Summary:  On Monday, Information and Broadcasting Minister Manish Tewari launched All India Radio’s free SMS news service, providing news updates, for subscribers. The service which started as a pilot project 6 months ago and has 200,000 subscribers was officially launched to the public on Monday, with plans to increase the number of subscribers to 500,000 by the end of the month, reports  The New Indian Express . Upon subscription, All India Radio will send both free news and even public utility messages, to all registered subscribers. To subscribe, all mobile users need to do is SMS ‘AIRNEWS’ ‘their name’ to 08082080820 or give a missed call to the same number. All India Radio plans to recover the costs of sending the free messages from the departments and ministries who want to use their service to send messages. A novel idea, but it appears to be more geared for Indian government messages instead, if you ask me. Mo

Nokia is dead, Newkia rises from its ashes Summary:  Singapore-based Newkia was formed the day the US$7.2 billion Microsoft-Nokia deal was announced, with the sole aim of acquiring Nokia employees and know-how but focusing on the Android platform. SINGAPORE--Nokia's fate would have been a lot different today if it had taken the Android route, and this is what freshly minted company--aptly named Newkia--plans to do by acquiring as much of Nokia's know-how as possible. "Nokia, which only three years ago was the world's runaway market leader in mobile phones, is today a small and insignificant brand," he said, noting that the purchase price announced yesterday represented just 2 percent of Nokia's market cap over 10 years ago. Speaking  in an interview Thursday, Thomas Zilliacus, executive chairman and founder of Mobile FutureWorks, did not mince his words when asked about his views on Microsoft's US$7.2 billion deal to buy out Nokia's devices