Tag Archive for Qwerty

Localization of Qwerty keypad

Wyncomm telcom has launched India’s first Hindi QWERTY keypad Y-45 mobile phone targetting youths at Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities in India and thus enabling texting in Hindi.

Y-45 also allows a consumer to send free SMSes across India, the UAE, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Malaysia and the Philippines instantly with an in-built soft key for 160by2 — free mobile phone application that allows users to send free SMSes via the Internet.

 Wyncomm Y-45

Other features are It has a dual SIM (GSM+GSM) capacity with a 2.2-inch 262 TFT colour screen. It supports social networking sites like Opera Mini, Snaptu, Nimbuzz, Facebook, Twitter, MSN etc and also has a geographic location finder – Saarthi, 1.3 MP camera,  Bluetooth with A2DP, e-mail facility, PC Sync, video recording and Playback.

Its clearly a smart move by Wyncomm to target youths In smaller cities where English language is a big hurdle for communicating over SMS, Y-45 will definitely overcome this problem and can make texting hasslefree.

-Hitesh, vcBytes.com

Social Phones – Kin1 & Kin2

Kin1 and Kin 2 are social phones from MSEvery company seems to get a pie of cell phone market  and MS known for its mobile OS launched  two new phone models, called Kin 1 and Kin 2, the Kin brand is designed for teens and Social is part of the DNA of this phone.

Kin 1 and Kin 2 have similar features, and run the same Kin version of WinPhone7, with touchscreens, slideout QWERTY keyboards, etc. Differences include size – the Kin 1 being the smaller, squarish one, with a 5.0 megapixel camera/SD video, mono speaker, and 4 GB of memory built in, compared to the Kin 2’s larger screen and keyboard, stereo speakers, 8.0 megapixel camera/HD video and 8 GB of memory.

In terms of softwares , first the basics – has a browser, Bing search, and Zune software built in – so it should be pretty nice for music. But it’s NOT a smartphone – Microsoft built the Kin for Social. The camera software with social features built in – allowing you to upload straight from your phone to your social sites.

But the coolest feature is Kin Studio which allow user to access, sort, and most importantly, backup everything on your phone – from Contacts, to texts, to pictures and videos.

MS has launched Kin website also.

-Hitesh, vcBytes.com

Emergence of Micromax

Micromax Q3

Micromax is now India’s third-largest GSM mobile phone vendor with a market share of 6 percent after Nokia (62 percent) and Samsung (8 percent), according to research firm IDC. It sells anywhere from 700,000 to one million mobile phones every month. And by its own estimates it is now selling nearly Rs.1,500 crore worth of phones annually.

Their Killer category is dual sim phones and this dual sim feature is today present in 20 to 30 percent of all mobile handsets sold in India. Micromax Mobiles — offers this feature on 22 out of the 26 phone models it sells in India. The Q3 itself, though fancy looking, costs only Rs. 3,700. Strangely Nokia doesn’t have a single phone with dual sim feature and i am sure micromax growth story will force nokia to adopt dual sim feature in some of their phones.

The guys at Micromax have two aces up their sleeve — a keen eye for what the customer needs, and the ability to swing their supply chain.  Micromax was selling computers and “fixed wireless” public phones (PCOs) before entering the crowded mobile phone market. The company’s first phone, the X1i, was born from the realisation that many Indian villages and towns didn’t get enough electricity to even recharge a phone daily. By increasing the size of the battery to 1800 mAh, Micromax was able to tout a standby time of 30 days for the X1i. And at the rather affordable price of Rs. 2,150, the phone was a big success in rural India.

Intense competition among mobile operators for subscribers would inevitably lead to multiple connections per user. But carrying two phones around in your pockets wasn’t something most people fancied. The seemingly obvious solution — handsets that accept two SIM cards simultaneously — became Micromax’s second killer category.

-Hitesh, vcBytes.com