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Culture Documents
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Telecom:
8- SIMs & SINs Grow Together
10- PTA Out to Thwart Cellphone Swindlers Activities
12- Mobilink Facilitates 'The Citizens Foundation'
14- Ericsson’s Enriched Messaging Architecture
18- Mobile Phone Users Hit 63.1 Million Mark
20- Expansion or Turmoil
80- Bluetooth's Amazing Makeover
Cover Story:
46- WiMAX: Revolution Begins
Informative:
50- Coming Mobiles
52- Current Mobiles
58- Mobile Reviews
64- In Pictures
73- Enemy Engaged 2 8 SIMs & SINs Grow Together
76- Hot Laptops
Branding:
19- Launch of the Month
22- Building Brands
Facilitates
12 'The Citizens Foundation'
Tourism:
26- Zaver Pearl Continental Gwadar
Briefs:
28-
82-
World in Focus
National 19 Launch of the Month
86- International
Press Release:
90- Latest ZRG Achievements
62
Nokia
7900
Prism
4
80 Bluetooth's Amazing Makeover
Mobile Phone Manufacturing Plant
n a developing country like Pakistan, where greater amount of heads
I have played their role in taking the Telecom sector to record heights
along with the tremendous amount of investment made by foreign
and national cellular companies, now this is the time to think beyond
the numbers of cellular consumers and the revenues generated by the
cellular companies.
Cellular companies are penetrating new market areas, mostly the rural,
with their full strengths. Market analysis expose that around 40 million more
mobile phone users can be added in coming few years.
Despite of regulation policy, 65 million current users, 6 operating cellular
companies, billions of foreign direct investment and many other favorable
motives, Pakistan is still unable to attract any mobile phone manufacturer to
set up its plant here for the local market.
Pakistan has got world's lowest tariffs available - making the cellular com-
munication affordable for every one, yet the high prices of mobile phone
devices remains a dilemma for Pakistani consumer. After sale services
require months if not weeks, leaving the owner in despair.
Manufacturing in Pakistan can shave costs by 3-4 percent - an attractive
edge for handset makers whose margins are being eroded by fierce competi-
tion and heavy advertising costs. Low cost manpower and local market
potential makes the most suitable condition for a manufacturer in Pakistan.
Unavailability of locally manufactured mobile phones and high cost of
imported phones is creating a situation of great demand of grey market and
pirated phones with low quality standards and durability.
Nokia produces over 4 million GSM and CDMA phones and Samsung get-
ting well over million mobile devices from its plant in India. Others include
Motorola and LG who are also playing key role in the production of cell
phones.
Mobile phone plants can not only cut down the mobile needs of our mar-
ket, but they can play very critical role for the economic betterment of
Pakistan. These plants can earn employment of thousands of technicians
and heavy exports.
In a recent statement by Chairman PTA, Maj. Gen. (R) Shezada Alam, he
has urged for manufacturing facility in Pakistan, but feels like there is more
needed in this regard to achieve the desired results.
6
Khuda Keh Liye
Khuda Key Liye by Shoaib Mansoor is a great film. The movie is a
good effort towards presenting a timely depiction of controversial
issues. It should serve as an example for others in our film industry to
make films with other objects than glamour. After a long time, this film
offers an opportunity for families to go to the cinema together.
However, the film sometimes falls short of viewers' expectations, as in
the character played by Indian actor Naseeruddin Shah. Shah is a
great actor, but he was the wrong choice for the role he played in
Telephone Complaints
Khuda Key Liye.
Overall, the film is a welcome change because it deals with real life
PTCL's enquiry No 17 and complaint registration No 18 in Karachi issues. One hopes that more directors will emulate it and revive our
exchange are not maintaining the required standard of service. Contrary nearly dead cinema.
to the service standard claimed by PTCL many system faults still exist M SHAHAAB LODHI, Rawalpindi
without improvement even after its privatization and the services are
unreliable, undependable and unsatisfactory.
In general, the 17 service system is disabled and not equipped with
updated information; as a result the customer enquiries are responded
Seeking Admission
For the last two years I have been trying to enroll in the Master of
with either misinformation or lack of knowledge.
Library and Information Sciences (MLIS) programme at Allama Iqbal
Telephone faults reported in repetition through PTCL No 18 are not
Open University (AIOU). I believe I am quite eligible for this pro-
rectified for months and the written complaints are not given any attention
gramme but have not yet secured admission.
and subscribers have to run here and there experiencing physical and
I assured the university that I would attend workshops anywhere in
mental agony without any gain.
Pakistan which is compulsory for MLIS students. I am serving in a well
When the calls in systematic waiting sequence are transferred to
known private university in Karachi as a librarian in lower grade and
PTCL staff identified by operator number (1, 2, 3, 4 and so on) they are
wish to improve my qualifications. As AIOU is an open university and
heard already talking to someone else around them rather than respond-
offer their programmes to all candidates in the country, I do not under-
ing to callers.
stand why the MLIS programme is not being extended to candidates
Talk Freely No 106 is found always busy and most of the operators
all over the country and is only reserved for Islamabad.
attending to calls are not aware of No 16. At times, the operators attend-
I request the authorities to kindly consider my case.
ing calls talk in most rude, discourteous and proud tone and handle cus-
HUMERA JAMSHED, Karachi
tomers in most unprofessional, ignorant and negligent way.
The automated system at No 17 is not equipped with option to transfer
the call to Duty Officer or AE/DE in case the attending operator fails to
satisfy customer or misbehaves. In such cases, all operators neither pro- Tobacco Hazards
vide nor advise telephone contact of their seniors to discourage com-
Recently Philip Morris announced the closing of one of its two US
plaints against them, which shows operators' monopoly, indiscipline, neg-
cigarette producing plants. The report stated: "The Richmond plant
ligence and mismanagement.
also will switch from making cigarettes destined for both US and inter-
PTCL high-ups are requested to please cross check and update infor-
national markets to a strictly domestic market."
mation not only in PTCL system but also provide training of customer
However, Bangladesh, Beijing, and Budapest most likely will get a
services to its operators at 17 and 18 exchanges, improve their attitude
different and more deadly cigarette than Beverly Hills that will not be
and maintain discipline.
produced and tested in the United States. Big and Brutal Tobacco in
MUHAMMAD TAIMUR HASAN, KARACHI
the US continues to stay a step ahead of the health of humanity.
MIKE SAWYER, Birmingham, Alabama, USA
Send us your letters at flare.mag@gmail.com or at our postal addresses. Flare reserves the right to edit letters for clarity and space. 7
Telecom Zubair Ahmed Kasuri
The role of mobile phone is declared vital in all criminal activities rang-
ing from terrorism, dacoities, kidnapping for ransom, blackmailing and
offensive telemarketing. Amount of unregistered SIMs has created law-
breaking heaven and an atmosphere where incidents of mobile mis-
deeds have reached at alarming heights
ncreasing terrorist attacks in Pakistan is Standing Committee on Interior expressed its and Nadra have gathered their sources and
On average, over 300 complaints are being national identity card number prior to the regis-
tration of the complaint. A subscriber may
registered daily by PTA and CPLC. Out of total check the status of any mobile handset by put-
ting in the IMEI number on Authority's website
96,000 stolen/snatched cellphones which were www.pta.gov.pk Its database has been estab-
lished by PTA. PTA pushes up the complaint to
blocked by PTA, Karachi leads the stats with mobile phone operators who immediately
blocks the working of handset using their IMEI
around 51,000 phones from the city number which can be accessed by dialing
*#06# from the mobile handset.
The Authority, extending further coopera-
mandate to regulate and promote telecom The PTA has set up a complaint cell with tion, has dedicated a countrywide toll free
services, it has taken quantum jumps. More phone number 051-9225329-31 ext.155 and number 0800-25625 besides an e-mail
vistas are being opened to promising invest- e-mail address complaint@pta.gov.pk. The address imei@pta.gov.pk for booking the com-
ments at home and from abroad. In fact PTA is PTA is determined to take appropriate action plaint. Complaints are also entertained at
always looking for fresh challenges every against those involved in these criminal activi- CPLC Karachi at PH: 021-5682222, Fax: 021-
moment to ensure progress and development ties. 5683336 and at their website www.cplc.org.pk
of country's economy, and of course a rapid Similarly, hundreds of cellphones are stolen The IMEI system is yielding encouraging
growth in the telecom segment. The credit or snatched everyday from all over the country. results as the fall in incidence of mobile sets
goes to its dedicated and indefatigable teams, The PTA is not a law enforcement agent but snatching is noticeable. On average, over 300
which played a catalytic role not only in the perhaps it is going beyond mandatory commit- complaints are being registered daily by PTA
growth of an economy but also in the entire ment to the mobile operators and users to miti- and CPLC. Out of total 96,000 stolen/snatched
social, cultural, educational and in general all gate latter's sufferings caused by loss of not cellphones which were blocked by PTA,
aspects of human life. just the gadget but secrecy and privacy too. Karachi leads the stats with around 51,000
Every invention or device is vulnerable to The authority has devised an anti-theft solution phones from the city.
new risks, challenges, high-jacking, fraud, mustering cooperation, coordination and col- So far, PTA efforts are testament of the fact
swindling and of course thefts which result in laboration of mobile operators, City Police that it is pursuing a consumer-oriented
robbing the owner/user of his/her peace of Liaison Committee (CPLC), Federal and approach since its inception. The concerted
mind, privacy and the purse. And it is happen- Provincial police departments. The solution efforts of the regulator have resulted in
ing around the globe from cell phone gadgets called Blocking of snatched handsets through enhanced telecom services across the country.
to nuclear technology. The thieves and International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) It has also protected interests of the telecom
swindlers have devised their own scientific system renders the mobile set inoperative. users by taking effective measures.
techniques and technologies to defy security Within about 9 months, these desperados
barriers and silence alarms. But these criminal onslaught has been significantly checked prov- This article is being printed on a request
10 activities only stimulate the caretaking endeav- ing the experiment formula very effective. from PR Department PTA
Telecom Flare Report
To achieve simple, efficient interworking between messaging services, Ericsson has introduced a new
architecture with a common interworking function (IWF) that features a dispatcher and a common
message store. Ericsson communalized other aspects of messaging servers. The resultant design is a
horizontalization of traditional, vertical messaging solutions which gives rise to lower total cost of
ownership (TCO) and fewer, better-quality components, and yields a simple, scalable, and robust
messaging architecture that maintains all states in the shared message store file system
tudies and market trends show that one mailbox folder per user. The folder con- layer components. It exposes services to appli-
18
Telecom Ahmed Saeed
into
the mud and introduce voice services faster
than MCI and AT&T allowed for Sprint to delve
An Apple customer tries out the Apple MacBook laptop at an Apple store in Palo Alto, Picture shows Japanese an electronics giant Hitachi auto teller machine (ATM) using a
Calif. AT&T Inc. wiped some of the glow off Apple Inc.'s iPhone, releasing numbers that biometric security system to read venous patterns of users' fingers in Tokyo. Taking the
showed fewer people than expected signed up for service in the first two days of the idea of a cashless society to a new level, Hitachia said it will try out a way to let cus-
20 multimedia cell phone's release. tomers pay simply by scanning their finger.
Branding Forum
Thanks and Sorry to Mobilink folks :) It’s like daal chawal in a "balochwarrior"
"balochwarrior"
<balochwarrior@...> changed the name of daal. I would have to thank pester power for
that. Cartoon Network is on TV for most part
y now, most broadcasters have SNMP and Other Remote Monitoring will not protect you from a controller failure.
hairman Hashoo Group, facilities and expansive banquet halls. leyball, picnicking, shell hunting, orienteering,
Robot Hubo:
Albert Einstein goes all Robotic
At first glance, the bulky white figure looks like a prancing astronaut - until it turns round and
its features reveal it to be a Korean scientist's concept of a 21st century Albert Einstein. Then the
robot "speaks" and proves that, as Albert would himself doubtless have pointed out, matters such
as gravity and resemblance are all relative. "Hi. My name is Albert Hubo. I come from South
Korea and I am very happy to be in Valencia," says the creature, after having demonstrated some
rather bizarre hip-hop moves.
Albert's head bears the Einstein's instantly-recognizable facial features and his characteristic
shock of white hair. But Jun has taught the robot a few tricks that the iconic scientist never man-
aged.
He can walk, talk, smile and even have a go at the gentle movements of Tai Chi, thanks to the
advanced technology packed into 66 motors, most of which are situated in his head. According to
Jun, in a few years busy householders might find a use for an Albert in the home undertaking the
daily chores that humans would rather live without.
"They will be able to help human beings in daily tasks," says Jun. Albert, who stands one
metre 37 centimetres (4 foot 5 inches) tall is "based on a Windows XP platform that allows us to
make him as intelligent as we want", he adds. The concept has aroused interest from the military
and law enforcement agencies as well as athletes, architects and real estate professionals, says
the company.
41
Telecom
Punjab Chief Minister Ch. Pervaiz Elahi attending the inauguration ceremony of M3 Industrial City. US Cultural Attaché T.J. Grubisha giving away the certificates among the students
during a farewell ceremony to 58 high school students which selected from all
over Pakistan for the Youth Exchange and Study programme 2007-08 and will be
spending one academic year in US schools.
Despite the provision of computers to the staff for speedy work, the GPO, Rahim
Newly American Ambassador in Pakistan, N.W. Perterson visits computer lab after inaugurat-
Yar Khan, staff still adopt the traditional way of work with paper and pen.
ing Parliamentary Information Technology Resource Centre (PITRC) at MPA hostel in Lahore
A shopkeeper displays a huge size of National Flags to attract the customers for the Pakistan Telecommunication Limited (PTCL) employees taking shelter under a cloth to
upcoming 60th Independence Day celebrations will be marked on 14th of August. save themselves from scorching heat during their work at Meezan Chowk in Quetta.
43
National
A
due to its slow and costly availability of copper
tic behavior in the broadband sec- In response to the complaints from the wire. Since we are coming for both, corporate
tor is soon going to be over. The ISPAK, association for internet service and general user, our price will be competing
light of technological advancement providers in Pakistan, PTA conducted an with any of the DSL provider in the market. We
will welcome all the players equal- inquiry by listening to both the sides. Finally on can provide a connection from 512 KB to 2MB
ly to perform aggressively. PTCL has been August 3, 2007, PTA gave decision through at every corner." About the competition from
stopped recently by PTA to discontinue its order No. 15-70/07(CA)/PTA. 13 point judg- other player he commented, "We had started
practice of atrocities towards local internet and ment has been welcomed by the service work 12 months back and with the backbone of
broadband service providers. It happened providers and other telecom players. fiber optic we are technically very ahead of oth-
when the victimized operators had complained PTCL has been refrained from deceiving ers. Though its Motorola's first largest opera-
against PTCL for its unfair attitude in the sec- other private service providers by stop publiciz- tion in the world, so we had some challenges,
tor. ing its lowest package to public. The entity has but fortunately, they have been according to
Among various charges the focus point was been directed to create a healthy atmosphere our expectations. The engineering staff has
PTCL's non professional and unethical prac- among players by offering them justified and really performed well in Pakistan. Initially we
tices to humiliate and hinder the private broad- competitive bandwidth rates so the later could are expecting 1 million customers, corporate
band operators so they could not provide the offer their customers affordable packages. and general, within one year time."
high speed internet services to their customers Broadband services started in Pakistan in "WiMAX is likely to play a key role in
at competitive prices, hence, increasing the 2002. Due to very slow growth, lack of aware- Pakistan by providing Internet access to many
market share of PTCL's broadband customers. ness among people and few service providers, people and businesses. The communication
The dilemma is that PTCL, even after doing PTA in 2004 allowed ISPs to provide these infrastructure in many places in Pakistan is
these evil deeds, could not perform well. Due services besides regular dialup connections. poor. WiMAX, being a cost effective technolo-
to internal corruption and absence of customer Government set a target of 200,000 broadband gy, connects villages and buildings to local and
services, it had to shut down PAKNET (PTCL's users within the first two years and another broad content. This can translate into economic
subsidiary for internet and broadband) opera- 300,000 users by the year 2009. But due to growth and improvement in the quality of life
tions and suffered heavy losses all born by heavy interference from PTCL and weak policy and education opportunities," said Mr. Shafi.
The technology has already been launched
in Pakistan in 2006. ZTE has tried a pre launch
trial in Islamabad for Wimax. The company
intended to cover the entire city as the broad-
band users were limited due to non availability
of high speed wired internet services. Due to
certain reasons, ZTE could not continue with
operations.
Dancom is another player who is offering
WiMAX services in Lahore, Karachi and
Islambad. After it has been acquired by
Orascom, the company intends to launch these
services in other cities like Peshawar,
Faisalabad, Sialkot etc. Mr. Atif Rauf, Incharge
of Corporate Sales-North told Flare that, "we
are currently having around 400 customers of
Wi-MAX in Lahore, Karachi and Islamabad.
Tayyab Shafi Aamer Manzoor Dr. Shahid Alvi Our plan is to focus on corporate customer
Chief Business Officer, Director Marketing Director instead of regular consumer". To a question
Wateen Telecom World Online Braintel about the competition with coming giant,
Wateen Telecom, he said, "that Wi-MAX servic-
making, Pakistan could create only 65,000 es are dependant on the quality of hardware
The dilemma is that broadband users up till 2007 country wide
against the targeted figure. It only showed a
used and in the potential urban areas, cus-
tomer is very much conscious about the quali-
by government of
Technically we are much more advanced than lar consumers at competitive prices, therefore,
any of our competitor. The service will be a it is likely to see the rates and packages
turning point for the communication industry in offered by any of the WiMAX operator well
Pakistan and its public Pakistan. To a question he said, "DSL has not
even fulfilled the 20% requirement of Pakistan
within the reach of normal user. Currently the
rates offered by various operators are around
47
Cover Story
which are relevant for the communities, must extremely affordable, and therefore ripe for
also be available on such networks to be effec- mass consumption. However, availability and
tive in helping rural population. Furthermore, applications are not sufficient today for mass
the local distribution within the village will be deployment. Today, we see that DSL is avail-
addressed by a cost effective technology today able in pockets, and hence the true growth
and may migrate to WiMAX with the reduction potential has been, at best, stunted. The disad-
in the cost of
technology
ownership.
WiMAX is
an excellent fit,
as one does
not need to
install cables,
and thus instal-
lation becomes
hassle free. It
can be an
excellent tech-
nology to con-
nect remote vil-
lages and sites,
and also for
Key components of Motorola’s WiMAX solutions for wireless access
Wateen Telecom’s customer premises equipment within the vil-
(CPE) lage. It can
Rs. 1,100 to Rs. 1,500 per month for a 128 K prove to be a
DSL and Rs. 1,500 to Rs. 2,000 per month for real competitor
a 256 K DSL. One can easily believe that to DSL and
WiMAX could slash the cost of bringing broad- cable, but this
band to remote areas, and potentially open the is based on
doors to new broadband competition, leading applications,
to lower prices and faster consumer adoption. costs and avail-
The main requirement for the rural areas ability. Today,
today is to break the digital divide. the advantage
Technologically, WiMAX systems have the of DSL and
capability of providing connectivity from exist- cable is the
ing Points of Presence on a village-by-village cost of owner-
basis today. This is achieved via superior line- ship. The CPE
of-sight propagation capabilities of these sys- and overall cost
tems. However, the applications and content, of DSL is
49
Cover Story
50
Informative
Size Size
Dimensions 96.5 x 46 x 17.7 mm, Weight 83 g Dimensions 101 x 50 x 17 mm, Weight 119 g
Display Display
Type TFT, 65K colors, Size 128 x 160 pixels Type TFT, 256K colors, Size 240 x 320 pixels
Ringtones Ringtones
Type Polyphonic (64 channels) Type Polyphonic (64 channels), MP3
Memory Memory
Card slot microSD (TransFlash), 20 MB embedded memory Card slot microSD (TransFlash), 25 MB embedded memory
Data Data
GPRS Yes, EDGE Yes, Bluetooth Yes, v2.0 with A2DP, GPRS Class 10 (4+1/3+2 slots), 32 - 48 kbps
USB Yes, v2.0 EDGE Yes, WLAN Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g, UMA
Features Bluetooth Yes, v2.0 with A2DP, USB Yes
Camera 1.3 MP, 1280 x 1024 pixels, video(CIF), Doja 1.5 Features
MP3/AAC/ACC+ player, T9, Picture editing, Organizer, Built-in hands- Camera 2 MP, 1600x1200 pixels, video(QCIF)
free Voice memo Java MIDP 2.0, MP3/ACC/ACC+ player, T9
Organizer, Voice memo
Samsung S720i presents a more modern look, although fewer Battery
specs, it has a camera of 1.3 megapixel, but it is also capable of CIF Standard battery, Li-Ion 960 mAh, Stand-by
recording. The slider packs GPRS, EDGE, Bluetooth and USB con- Up to 220h, Talk time Up to 3h
nectivity. This handset too comes with a microSD card slot with 20MB
of internal memory also available. The P260 has WiFi and is UMA enabled. Weighs 119 grams and
is 101×50×17 mm. Decked out with a 2 megapixel camera and 262k
color 320×240 resolution display
Samsung P520
Size
Dimensions 88 x 54 x 8.9 mm, Weight 102 g
Display
Type TFT touchscreen, 256K colors, Size 240 x 320 pixels
Ringtones
Type Polyphonic (64 channels), MP3
Memory
Card slot microSD (TransFlash), 50 MB embedded memory
Data
GPRS Class 10 (4+1/3+2 slots), 32 - 48 kbps, EDGE Yes
WLAN Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g, UMA, Bluetooth Yes, v2.0 with
A2DP
USB Yes
Features
Camera 3 MP, 2048x1536 pixels, video(QCIF), Java MIDP
2.0
MP3/ACC/ACC+ player, FM radio, Document viewer (.pdf,
.doc, .ppt, .xls)
TV out, Organizer, Voice memo
Battery
Stand-by Up to 220h, Talk time Up to 3h
Samsung L600
Samsung L760
Size
Dimensions 97.5 x 44 x 16.5 mm, Weight 84 g Size
Display Dimensions 100 x 47 x 15 mm, Weight 93g
Type TFT, 256K colors, Size 176 x 220 pixels Display
Ringtones Type TFT, 256K colors, Size 176 x 220 pixels
Type Polyphonic (64 channels), MP3 Ringtones
Memory Type Polyphonic (64 channels), MP3
Card slot microSD (TransFlash), 15 MB embedded memory Memory
Data Card slot microSD (TransFlash), 40 MB embedded memory
GPRS Yes, EDGE Yes, Bluetooth Yes, v2.0 with A2DP Data
USB Yes, v2.0 GPRS Class 12 (4+1/3+2/2+3/1+4 slots), 32 - 48 kbps
Features EDGE Class 11, 236.8 kbps, 3G Yes, 384 kbps
Camera 2 MP, 1600x1200 pixels, video(QCIF) Bluetooth Yes, v2.0 with A2DP, USB Yes, v2.0
Java MIDP 2.0, MP3/AAC/eACC/WMA player Features
FM radio with RDS, Document viewer (.pdf, .doc, .ppt, .xls) Camera 2 MP, 1600x1200 pixels, video(QCIF, MPEG4 H.263), flash
T9, Picture editing, Organizer, Built-in handsfree Java MIDP 2.0, MP3/AAC/eACC/WMA player, Blog function
Voice memo FM radio with RDS, T9, Picture editing, Organizer, Built-in handsfree
Battery Battery
Standard battery, Li-Ion 500 mAh, Stand-by Up to 220h Stand-by Up to 370h, Talk time Up to 3 h30 min
Talk time Up to 3 h30 min
Clever parts of the Samsung L760 are in software; designed as
This device actually looks kind of cute. Very basic 262k color a bloggers phone, it comes with an RSS reader and tools to upload
176×200 resolution display with a 2 megapixel camera and expand- content directly to providers such as YouTube and Buzznet. It's the
able with microSD, I expect this to be a hit among the teenage girl first "L" series handset we've seen, so we don't know for sure if this
crowd. At only 97.5×44×16.5 mm and weighing jus 84 grams, it is designation will be used for "blogging phones" in the future.
very petite.
52
Informative
Samsung G600
Size
Samsung S730i Dimensions 102 x 47.8 x 14.9 mm, Weight 105g
Display
Type TFT, 16M colors, Size 240 x 320 pixels, 2.2 inches
Size Ringtones
Dimensions 100 x 50 x 14.8 mm, Weight 83g Type Polyphonic, MP3
Display Memory
Type TFT, 256K colors, Size 176 x 220 pixels Card slot microSD (TransFlash), 55 MB embedded memory
Ringtones Data
Type Polyphonic (40 channels), MP3 GPRS Class 10 (4+1/3+2 slots), 32 - 48 kbps, EDGE
Memory Class 10, 236.8 kbps, Bluetooth Yes, v2.0 with A2DP
Card slot microSD (TransFlash), 40 MB embedded memory USB Yes, v2.0
Data Features
GPRS Yes, EDGE Yes, Bluetooth Yes, v2.0 with A2DP Camera 5 MP, 2592?1944 pixels, autofocus, image stabiliser, video, flash
USB Yes, v2.0 Java MIDP 2.0, MP3/AAC/AAC+/e-AAC+/WMA player, Stereo FM radio
Features T9, Organizer, TV out, Voice memo, Bluetooth printing, Built-in handsfree
Camera 2 MP, 1600x1200 pixels, video(QVGA), flash, Doja 2.5 Battery
MP3/AAC/ACC+ player, T9, Picture editing Stand-by Up to 300h, Talk time Up to 3 h30 min
Organizer, Built-in handsfree, Voice memo,
Battery Samsung wants you to ditch your digital camera and just use their
Stand-by Up to 200h, Talk time Up to 6h phones for all your picture-taking needs. At least that's what the upcoming
G600 leads one to believe, what with it having a 5-megapixel camera
Samsung S730i comes with 80 MB internal memory card and if crammed inside. The G600 is in a slick package, similar to the other Ultra
you want to increase your memory then you have a microSD card in Edition sliders. Other than the beefed-up phone, it'll have 3G connectivity,
this phone. You get all the required features in this phone. This stereo USB, Bluetooth 2.0, 2.3-inch TFT QVGA display and a microSD memory
Bluetooth enabled phone can be your best partner while talking. card slot.
Samsung Z630
Size
Dimensions 101 x 52 x 12.5 mm, Weight 95g
Display
Type TFT, 256K colors, Size 240 x 320 pixels
Ringtones
Type Polyphonic (64 channels), MP3
Memory
Card slot microSD (TransFlash), buy memory
28 MB embedded memory
Data
GPRS Class 10 (4+1/3+2 slots), 32 - 48 kbps
EDGE Yes, 3G HSDPA, Bluetooth Yes, v2.0 with A2DP
USB Yes, v1.1
Features
Camera 2 MP, 1600x1200 pixels, video(QVGA), flash; secondary QVGA
videocall camera
Video telephony & streaming, Java MIDP 2.0, MP3/AAC/AAC+/e-
AAC+/WMA player
T9, Document viewer (.pdf, .doc, .ppt, .xls), Organizer, Voice memo
Built-in handsfree
Battery
Stand-by Up to 200h, Talk time Up to 3 h30 min
53
Informative
Nokia 1112
Rs. 2,350
Size
Dimensions 104 x 44 x 17 mm, Weight 80g LG KG110
Display
Type Monochrome graphic, 4-way scroll key
Rs. 2,250
Ringtones Size
Type Polyphonic (20 channels), with MP3 Dimensions 102.8 x 44 x 16.5 mm, Weight 70g
grade tones Display
Memory Type CSTN, 65K colors
4 MB shared memory Ringtones
Features Type Polyphonic (40 channels)
T9, Built-in handsfree, Picture messaging Memory
Speaking alarm and clock, Reminders, Phonebook 500 entries
Demo mode for phone, Exchangeable covers Data
Battery GPRS Class 10 (4+1/3+2 slots), 32 - 48 kbps
Stand-by Up to 380h, Talk time Up to 5h Features
Java MIDP 1.2.1, T9, Calculator, Scheduler
Placing special emphasis on ease-of- Unit converter
use, the Nokia 1112 has a user interface that
makes use of graphical icons and large font LG KG 110 is a stylish and a handy entry level
sizes to make user navigation simple for first- phone. The device is equipped with all basic funda-
time mobile phone users. Timekeeping is mentals with GPRS as an addition. This phone can a
made convenient with the Speaking Clock and fit your pocked well with a mere 70 grams of weight.
Alarm, which announces the time in a range
of local languages. Design: 7.5
Features: 7.2
Design: 7.6 Performance: 7.3
Features: 7.4
Performance: 7.5
Javier Jova, the father of Angelica Cajamarca uses a mobile phone at Zaventem airport, as he
came to protest against the deportation of his eleven-years-old daughter Angelica Cajamarca
and her mother Ana from Ecuador.
Samsung C160
Rs. 3,900
Size
Sony Ericsson J220 Dimensions 106.5 x 43.5 x 15.4 mm, Weight 70g
Display
Rs. 2,350 Type CSTN, 65K colors, Size 1.5 inches
Ringtones
Size
Type Polyphonic (16 channels)
Dimensions 102 x 44 x 18 mm, Weight 82g
Memory
Display
600 KB shared memory
Type STN, 65K colors
Data
Ringtones
GPRS Class 10 (4+1/3+2 slots), 32 - 48 kbps
Type Polyphonic (32 channels)
Features
Memory
FM radio, T9, Organiser, To Do list, Calendar
500 kb user memory
Currency converter, Voice memo, Built-in hands-
Data
free
GPRS Class 8 (4+1 slots), 32 - 40 kbps
Battery
Features
Stand-by Up to 180h, Talk time Up to 2h30 min
T9, Calculator, Exchangeable cover
Image viewer, Calendar, Stopwatch
Built-in handsfree
The SGH-C160 is an introductory market-
Battery
level color GSM mobile phone incorporating FM
Stand-by Up to 280h, Talk time Up to 6h
radio in a basic but undeniably stylish bar design -
perfect for news and music lovers. E-mail and
220i is a mobile phone designed for opti-
Web access also enhance usability while not
mal ease-of-use and with a feature set which
affecting ease-of-use. Entry-level, but aiming high
will appeal to most mobile phone users. Calling
and wide for the best value basic handset!
is easy, messaging is easy and when your
J220i rings, clear-ringing polyphonic ringtones
Design: 7.7
sing out. Enjoy sending pictures and sounds in
Features: 7.5
SMS text messages or MMS multimedia mes-
Performance: 7.6
sages.
Design: 7.6
Features: 7.5
Performance: 7.6
54
Design: 8.0
Features: 7.7
Performance: 7.8
55
Design: 7.9
Features: 7.8
Performance: 7.9
Standby Bettery Time =60 to 70 Hrs. The classically styled Nokia 6070 represents Nokia's
most accessible camera phone, a solid range of functions
Charging Time = 1.30 hrs. to 2 Hrs. for easy messaging, including SMS, MMS, Nokia Xpress
audio messaging, email and instant messaging. For addi-
Call Time = 150 to 180 MTS tional entertainment, the phone comes with a stereo FM
radio and supports true tones, MP3 and polyphonic MIDI
ringing tones.
Design: 7.8
Features: 7.6
Performance: 7.7
56
Nokia 6288
Rs. 17,200 Sony Ericsson K810
Size Rs. 19,000
Dimensions 100 x 46 x 21 mm, Weight 115 g
Display
Type TFT, 256K colors, Size 240 x 320 pixels, 35 x 45
mm, 4-way navy key, Downloadable screensavers,
Ringtones Size
Type Polyphonic (64 channels), MP3 Dimensions 106 x 48 x 17 mm, Weight 115g
Memory Display
Card slot miniSD, 512 MB card included, hotswap, buy Type TFT, 256K colors, Size 2 inches
memory, 6 MB internal memory Ringtones
Data Type Polyphonic, MP3
GPRS Class 10 (4+1/3+2 slots), 32 - 48 kbps, HSCSD Memory
Yes, EDGE Class 10, 236.8 kbps, 3G Yes, 384 kbps Card slot Memory Stick Micro (M2), 128 MB card
Bluetooth Yes, v2.0, Infrared port Yes, USB Yes, v2.0, included, 64 MB internal memory
Pop-Port Data
Features GPRS Class 10 (4+1/3+2 slots), 32 - 48 kbps
Camera 2 MP, 1600x1200 pixels, VGA video, flash; HSCSD Yes, 3G Yes, 384 kbps, Bluetooth
secondary video call VGA camera, Push to Talk Yes, v2.0 with A2DP, Infrared port Yes, USB Yes,
Java MIDP 2.0, Stereo FM radio (visual radio) v2.0
MP3/AAC/M4A/eAAC+ player, T9, Organiser Features
SyncML, Voice dial/memo, Built-in handsfree Camera 3.2 MP, 2048x1536 pixels, autofocus,
Battery video(QCIF), xenon flash; secondary videocall
Stand-by Up to 250h, Talk time Up to 4h 30 min camera, Java MIDP 2.0, FM radio with RDS
MP3/AAC/MPEG4 player, TrackID music recogni-
Nokia 6288 is a compact slide phone device, bun- tion, T9, Image viewer, Picture editor, Picture
dled with a 512 MB memory card making it ideal for blogging, Organiser, Built-in handsfree
watching favorite video clips on its bright QVGA, Voice memo/dial
262,144 color display. Outfitted with a 2-megapixel and Battery
a VGA camera, the Nokia 6288 makes it easy to share Stand-by Up to 400h, Talk time Up to 10h
videos and participate in two-way video calls. Nokia
6288 is for people who want features of the N-series The K810 Cyber-shot phone is a sleek,
but don't wish to pay the price and can do with the sac- high-performance device boasting a 3.2
rifice of some of them in turn for a price cut. megapixel camera including auto focus and
Xenon flash. Innovative applications such as
Design: 8.1 photo fix help to further improve the quality of
Features: 8.1 your pictures, even after you have taken them.
Performance: 8.2 When in camera mode, the Xenon flash with red
eye reduction will help to achieve great picture
results in low-light conditions. Equally, the new
illuminated Camera Icons will allow the user to
select advanced camera settings (such as pic-
ture size & self timer) by simply clicking on one
of the hardkeys; so no need to navigate into the
full camera menu and risk missing that special
shot.
Design: 7.8
Features: 7.9
Performance: 7.8
Size
Samsung U600 Dimensions 95 x 50 x 26 mm, 97cc, Weight 134g
Display
Rs. 18,200 Type TFT, 256K colors, Size 35 x 41 mm
Ringtones
Type Polyphonic (64 channels), Monophonic, True
Tones, MP3
Size Memory
Dimensions 103.5 x 49.3 x 10.9 mm, Weight 81g Card slot miniSD (up to 2GB), hot swap, 128 MB
Display card included, 40 MB internal memory
Type TFT, 256K colors, Size 34 x 44 mm Data
Ringtones GPRS Class 10 (4+1/3+2 slots), 32 - 48 kbps
Type Polyphonic (64 channels), MP3 EDGE
Memory Class 11, 236.8 kbps, 3G Yes, 384 kbps, WLAN
Card slot microSD (TransFlash), 60 MB embedded Wi-Fi 802.11g, Bluetooth Yes, v1.2, Infrared port
memory Yes, USB Yes, v2.0, Pop-Port
Data Features
GPRS Class 10 (4+1/3+2 slots), 32 - 48 kbps, EDGE OS S60 3rd edition (Symbian OS , Series 60 UI)
Class 10, 236.8 kbps, Bluetooth Yes, v2.0 with A2DP Camera 3.15 MP, 2048x1536 pixels, video(CIF),
USB Yes, v2.0 flash; secondary VGA videocall camera
Features UPnP technology, Push to talk , Java MIDP 2.0
Camera 3.2 MP, 2048x1536 pixels, autofocus, video, MP3/AAC/MPEG4 player, Stereo FM Radio
flash, Java MIDP 2.0, MP3/AAC/eACC/WMA player T9, Voice dial/memo, PIM including calendar,
FM radio, T9, Yahoo search, Organizer, Business card to-do list, Built-in handsfree
recognition, Document viewer (Word, Excel, Battery
PowerPoint, PDF) Stand-by Up to 192h, Talk time Up to 3h
Voice memo, Built-in handsfree
Battery The Nokia N80 lets users to network all
Standard battery, Li-Ion 690 mAh, Stand-by Up to 250h their compatible home media with its user-
Talk time Up to 3h30 min friendly, advanced UPnP (Universal Plug
and Play) technology allowing the N80 to be
Member of the Samsung Ultra Edition II range, used as a remote control enabling secure
The Samsung U600 is a slim & stylish slider opening and simple access to compatible PCs,
mobile phone; phone is equipped with a powerful cam- audio systems and TVs. Users can view
era which allows the user to take still photos & video images and video from the N80 or their
recordings at any time. The user can use the high reso- compatible PC on a television while simul-
lution 3.2 megapixel camera feature to capture their taneously listening to stored music
memories as a photograph or as a video recording. through their audio system. The 3.15
The camera feature comes with an auto focus feature megapixel camera features a capture key
& all the useful camera features that are present on a for fast, stable camera activation, a full-
stand alone digital camera but this camera is built into screen landscape capture, dedicated
a stylish & desirable mobile handset. The large high close-up mode switch as well as a CIF
resolution screen works as a view finder for the camera video camera with inbuilt video stabi-
& video feature which provides up to 262,000 colours lization.
on a 2.2 inch LCD colour screen.
Design: 8.1
Design: 8.4 Features: 8.2
Features: 8.1 Performance: 8.2
Performance: 8.1
57
Design: 8.0
Features: 8.4
Performance: 8.4
58
Sony Ericsson W200i is a music device that can store up to 37 full length tracks. This
latest addition to Sony Ericsson's musical family has stamina for up to 18 hours of music
playback. There's no exact equivalent to the W200i in the non-Walkman range, in terms
of hardware specification it's somewhere between the K310 and K510 devices. It has a
128x160 pixel display and a VGA resolution camera.
Of course, as a Walkman phone the Sony Ericsson W200 comes with Sony's
Disc2Phone software and a range of media playback enhancements. Because of the
W200's somewhat limited feature set, the phone's weight is only 85 grams
To make it easy to get to music, the W200 features a dedicated Walkman key that
goes straight to the Walkman player menu. For sharing music with friends, a 128 MB
Memory Stick Micro (M2) card lets users do this in an instant. With memory cards up to 1
GB available, each card will hold up to 255 full-length tracks.
To catch up with the news or listen to live music, the FM Radio allows consumers to
pre-set up to 20 stations. Listen-in via the color-matched Stereo Headset HPM-64; the
first to feature Bass Reflex, an innovation that preserves audio quality when the bass is
turned up. Users can even use the radio as an alarm clock, using the in-built speaker-
phone rather than the stereo headphones.
As well as being a music player, the W200 is a fully featured multimedia device. It fea-
tures a VGA camera with 4x digital zoom and integrated photo album so consumers can
capture and store spontaneous snapshots, or share them with friends and family. It is
also fully equipped for video messaging, offers a full HTML web browser and delivers
business-friendly tools such as push email and PC synchronization.
Informative
Samsung G600
Samsung Mobile has announced a sleek new camera phone, the Samsung
G600. Housed in a fashionable black two-toned slider shell and equipped with
a 5 mega-pixel camera, the Samsung G600 is a fusion of design, photography
and the ultimate in phone functionality.
No matter where it's being used, for phone or camera, the Samsung G600
guarantees to make its users look and feel great.
Additional benefits, such as creative shot modes, microSD external memory
and the Image Editor will make the Samsung G600 a digital must have. For a
better viewing experience, the Samsung G600 incorporates a 2.2" LCD with 16
million colors, a 5 mega pixel multi function imaging system and full Bluetooth
v.2 connectivity. This will enable people to view larger pictures and graphics
and helps users read text or Web pages in full. What's more, these features are
bundled into a tiny 102 mm by 47.8 mm by 14.9 mm frame.
The Samsung G600 is also equipped with a host of multimedia features
designed for those on the go. Music lovers will enjoy the embedded MP3 play-
er, which can be customized to individual tastes and preferences. With
improved internet browsing, users will benefit from NetFront Browser v.3.4,
which provides PC-like browser capabilities on your mobile.
In conjunction with the Samsung G600 launch, Samsung has partnered with
an online digital development retailer, to help users capture their fashion con-
scious moments. The partnership offers each customer 50 prints, a photo mem-
ory book and a collage poster, so people can capture and share their fashion
moments. No word yet over the availability and pricing of this gadget.
60
Informative
Samsung P520
The upcoming Samsung P520 touch-screen mobile
phone claims to become Samsung's iPhone killer. We
yet don't know how the P520's UI will look like, but
there's a serious doubt that Samsung will come up with
something more or equally impressive.
Looking a little like an iPhone that has been through
a hot-wash, Samsung’s P520 cellphone might be the
ideal non-Apple alternative for those with smaller hands
or pockets. Just 88 x 54 x 8.9mm and weighing a mere
102g, it’s a triband GSM handset with, frustratingly,
EDGE rather than 3G. That 262k colour, QVGA touch-
screen - measuring around 2.6-inches - makes up for it a
little, though there’s no word on whether it’s a traditional
display or fancy capacitive one like the LG and iPhone.
Other fancies include a 3-megapixel camera, 50MB
of internal memory with a microSD slot to augment it,
Bluetooth 2.0, WiFi with UMA, a document viewer and a
flip-case that looks similar to the company’s earlier
designs which had extended batteries built in. The
P520 under its own steam can manage up to 180 min-
utes talk time or 220 hours standby.
There’s been some talk about whether this could be a
potential Google Phone, and while it’s tempting to
believe that the search company would partner with
someone producing a handset similar in design to the
celebrated iPhone but with all the joy of Google’s online
applications, the lack of 3G seems like the biggest indi-
cator that it’s not.
Samsung G800
Only a few days after Samsung announced the release of their
G600 phone model, we receive news of an even newer model ready
for release. Samsung G800 will not hit the markets pretty soon,
although many people will be expecting it.
The main feature that this handset holds special as to arouse the
interest of a large number of customers is the 5 megapixel camera.
Many people thrill over the possibility of having an evolved camera
and highly capable mobile phone in one device. Samsung has brought
several devices with huge performances when it comes to taking cap-
tures.
The mobile phone supports a 5.8-17.4 mm focus length along with
the 5 megapixel resolution, which makes it one of the most evolved
devices at this time with support for such capabilities. Unfortunately,
Samsung has offered no official specifications for this handset,
although that is expected to happen quite soon.
Images show the Samsung G800 camera phone as a stylish,
evolved device, with a large screen. This feature will prove to be high-
ly useful especially for viewing images and videos at a considerably
high quality. Such a phone should also include high performances
when it comes to 3G, HSDPA or at least Bluetooth and USB connec-
tivity, matching the evolved camera functions.
There are still things that Samsung should reveal about this device.
It is still unclear whether it is a slider phone or one without a keypad.
In this case, it will also include the touchscreen technology, as it has
proved to be highly appealing in recently developed mobile phones.
61
Informative
Nokia 6288
Nokia 6288 is a high end phone, having quite advanced features, such
as, enhanced voice dialing, an integrated hands-free speaker, email and
Nokia Xpress audio messaging. The 6288 is a slider-phone having 3G
capabilities along with EDGE (Enhanced Data Rates for GSM Evolution)
support. The Nokia phone supports a larger than usual 2.2? QVGA (Quarter
Video Graphics Array) bright screen, with a resolution of 320 × 240, 4.5 MB
of internal storage memory, Blue Tooth 2.0, IrDA, Camera with 2 Mega Pixel
resolution and appropriate flash light. It also features a video camera, FM
radio and PTT (Push to talk).
The slide mechanism of the phone is quite smooth, and the slide moves
up and down with very little effort. The alpha-numeric keyboard appears to
be well-built and has soft touch key buttons. Nokia 6288 comes with a
stereo player, which is compatible with MP3, MP4, AAC and eAAC+ for-
mats, With a 512 Mbyte memory card, for storage of lots of music tracks.
In switch-on condition, the screen of the Nokia 6288 is never turns off in
the sense that you can always see the date and time directly under the sun,
even when the backlight is off. It has a TFT display with 320 x 240 pixels
and 262,144 colors.
The video player in Nokia 6288 is capable of playing back 3GP and MP4
video, up-to the QVGA resolution that it has without dropping any frame.
Nokia 6288 is considered to be a good all-round mobile phone, with
crisp audio quality having enough volume adjustment. The 2 MP camera
produces good pictures. The music player has an excellent audio quality
and adding a audio adapter with a high quality head-phone, gives you the
best out of the player, where the ear phones, which come along with 6288,
does not have much improvement in the audio effect.
Nokia 2626
Nokia 2626 is a phone designed for the style-conscious users. Nokia
2626 is a colorful phone, keeping up with the users in the emerging mar-
kets. It is available in quite ambitious colors of Fiery Red and Spatial Blue,
and to go with the trend, it has a FM Radio for music on the go. The phone
is constructed out of three different plastic materials, with the inset made of
tinted glass, having mirror coating on the front.
Two loudspeakers are situated at the top and right hand sides of the
phone, and the charger input jack and the 2.50mm audio jack, are situated
at the bottom of the phone. Nokia 2626 has a 27×27 mm STN-matrix dis-
play, with a resolution of 128×128 pixels, having 65K colors, while the pic-
ture quality is good.
Nokia 2626 has a similar keypad as that of Nokia 2610, being made in
ledges which make it comfortable to handle. The numeric buttons are a bit
larger than the others, which prevents wrong dialing of numbers.
Nokia 2626 measures 104×43x18 mm, and weighs 91 g. The phone
uses quite a powerful Li-Ion battery at 970 mAh, and has a specified 300
hours of standby and 3 hours of call mode time. The battery can sustain up
to 2 hours of game play.
The phone has a 300-entry phone book, and allows accessing the SIM
card memory, along with the use of the internal phone memory. The user
can also use the SIM card memory simultaneously. The phone offers the
feature of SMS and MMS in the conventional way.
Nokia 2626 has an internal memory of 2 MB, and as for smart features it
has a clock and built-in games. It has GPRS capability enabling high speed
data transfer.
62
Informative
Nokia 6070
Nokia 6070 is a mid-ranged device with basic camera
phone capabilities and stereo FM radio at an affordable
price point. The easy-to-use and reliable handset offers
excellent usability with its large color display and clear key-
pad layout, combined with the intuitive and well-known
Nokia Series 40 user interface.
The Nokia 6070 presents a solid range of functions for
easy messaging, including SMS, MMS, Nokia Xpress audio
messaging, email and instant messaging. Voice communi-
cation features include push to talk, voice recorder and an
integrated handsfree speaker, complemented by an
infrared interface. XHTML browser enables easy browsing
for news and uploading images and videos for sharing
using fast EDGE data communication. For additional enter-
tainment, the phone comes with a stereo FM radio and
supports true tones, MP3 and polyphonic MIDI ringing
tones.
The classically styled Nokia 6070 represents Nokia's
most accessible camera phone. Nokia 6070 underlines
Nokia's continuous commitment to offer consumers a vari-
ety of innovative products to choose from, based on their
individual needs and lifestyle.
63
Informative
Motorola W175 /
Motorola W180
Add a color screen to the W156 and W160 and you
get the W175 (left) and the W180 (right). The W180 is
the variant with the FM radio, and both handsets have
the same illuminated keypad
Technical characteristics of these devices are not
reveled yet, but one can expect them to weight around
80 grams and have 5-7 hours talk time.
Neither of these handsets has a digital camera, and
we can't expect them to have Bluetooth either.
Motorola W206 /
Motorola W213
A return to the styling that Motorola was using a cou-
ple of years ago, the W206 (left) and W213 (right) are
both quite low end handsets. Again, the W213 has an
FM radio; the W206 doesn't appear to have one.
Surprisingly, neither handset has a digital camera.
It's a little hard to see what differentiates the
W175/W180 from the W206/W213 as they both have
similar features.
Despite the basic features, in our view the W213
looks to be a very attractive and well-proportioned
handset. With the built-in FM radio it should be a wel-
come Christmas present for many consumers.
64
Informative
67
Informative
An employee of Japanese camera giant Fujifilm displays the new digital cameras,
"FinePix F50fd" (bottom) and "FinePix Z100fd" (top), during a press preview in Japanese model Moe Oshikiri shows off a Sony Ericsson mobile SO704i covered
Tokyo. FinePix F50fd, equipped with a 12.0 MegaPixel Super CCD on its image with a jewelled panel, worth three million yen 24,500 US$. The mobile maker will
sensor, a 8-24mm/F2.8-5.6 optical zoom lens (35-105mm in 35mm film camera) present the "Jewelry Twinkle Panel" designed by Oshikiri to one person by a
and new dual image stabilization, will be put it on the market on August. Fine lottery.
PixZ100fd, equipped with a 8.0 MegaPixel CCD on its image sensor and a 5.9-
29.5mm/F3.8-4.8 optical zoom lens (16-180mm).
A model displays the world's first Blu-Ray disk (BD)/harddisk drive (HDD) camcorder A boy films tropical fish in Tokyo's Ginza fashion district. Some 1,500 colorful tropi-
"BD cam Wooo", produced by Hitachi, equipped with a 5.3 mega-pixel CMOS image cal fish, brought in from Japan's southern island of Okinawa, are displayed at a
censor with a 30GB HDD and the world's first 8cm-diameter BD recorder which has a large fish tank at Tokyo's Sony building for summer vacationers through.
7.5GB capacity and can record one-hour of high-definition video images (1,920 x
1,080-pixel) in Tokyo. Hitachi will put it on the local market from August 30 and will
export abroad from October.
69
Informative
A model displays new tiny digital camera "Lumix DMC-FX33", equipped with a 8.1 mega- The latest models of Aquos LCD televsion sets, the "Aquos R (top) and G (bottom)
pixel CCD and a 4.6 - 16.4mm/F2.8 - 5.6 zoom lens, equivalent to 28 - 100mm in 35mm series", made by Sharp are displayed at a show room in Tokyo. Japan's Sharp Corp.
camera at a press preview in Tokyo. Cameras will be put it on the market on 25 August. will create an industry center of liquid crystal display (LCD), with the total investment
projected to be some (5.03 billion$), the company said.
Models display Japanese electronics giant Matsushita Electric Industrial's new refrigera- Casio Computer employee displays the new digital camera "Exilim EX-S880 during
tor "Compact-big" which has a large capacity, but a space-saving footprint, for the six- a press conference at a Tokyo hotel. The camera features a pre-installed YouTube
door refrigerator, in Tokyo. The new refrigator has the world's first antibacterial technolo- Capture software to easily upload videos to the website.
gy that uses a silver ion filter and blue LED lighting, which is said to eliminates 99.99
percent of bacterias in the refrigator.
A group of show girl dance at a display by Taiwan computer maker Acer at the The latest Lenovo notebook model is shown at a computer shop in Hong Kong.
opening of the Taipei Computer Application Show in Taipei. More than 200 comput- Lenovo Group, the world's third-largest personal computer maker, record a near 13-
er and peripherals companies from Taiwan and elsewhere in the world are there to fold increase in net profit for the first quarter as it reported strong growth in PC ship-
display their latest line of products at the five-day exhibition. ments. The Chinese company posted a net profit of 66.84 million US$ in the quarter
to June, compared with 5.21 million US$ a year earlier as sales soared 13 percent
year-on-year to about 4.0 billion US$.
71
Event Flare Report
7
ers.
only served as a good platform to showcase expertise but it
also portrayed a soft image of Pakistan across the world.
ITCN is the biggest event in Pakistan where Gurus from
Telecom and IT sector gather under one roof to exhibit their
exciting range of products and services for local as well as global buy-
72
Informative
C games nowadays are having a aide me through the game. As for the storyline, The multiplayer maps aren't any smaller
The Indo-American
start-up is concocting
games based on Bollywood
movies. In a twist, however,
the games won't come out
after the movies, or even at the
same time. They'll be released
about two weeks before. Gamers
will then gather for LAN parties
and competitions. Winners will get
invites to the premiere, meet the
stars and receive merchandise
espite being one of the increas- number was closer to 14 million.) Cell phone Forget the $10 million-plus budget of some
Because the games will primarily be sold in India, in a supermarket - also dictated that the
games come out before the movie. Were they
HP Compaq nx6110
Rs. 46,000/-
Asus W5fe
Rs. 135,000/-
The ThinkPad T61 is a premium product with a durable build; it is geared towards business
users. For somebody that travels a lot or relies on their notebook to earn a livelihood, the build
and reliability factor is probably more important than having the latest and greatest compo-
nents inside.
The T61 body is a rugged plastic that does not flex. Inside the stiff and thick plas-
tic casing is a magnesium roll cage in both the lid and main chassis.
The keyboard is spill proof and has two drain holes to make sure if you
do happen to spill your morning Starbucks coffee, the liquid is carried
away from sensitive components and out through the bottom of
the notebook
The thick metal hinges that attach the screen are very rigid and
ensure the screen does not wobble. The hard drive is protected within
the magnesium roll cage and shock mounted. Even if your T61 is dropped
the included Active Protection System (APS) software will work with the on
board accelerometer to detect a fall situation and end hard drive activity to pre-
vent data loss.
The new widescreen format screen for the 14.1" T-series is either good, bad or
somewhere in between depending on your personal preference. What the T61 screen
lacks is brightness, which has always been the case with ThinkPad notebooks.
The T61 speakers are located on the sides of the keyboard, taking advantage of the extra real
estate width due to the wide format while headphone jack on the front side of the laptop to make it
easier to quickly plug in your headphones and get superior audio.
The ThinkPad T61 uses the Intel Centrino Duo (Santa Rosa) platform. You get a faster processor front
side bus (800MHz), more processor cache (4MB) and an improved integrated graphics solution in the form of the Intel X3100. The included 2GB of
memory and 100GB 7200RPM hard drive will help you to to light a bit of a fire under Windows Vista.
77
IT Flare Report
to get your account stolen. We are always told password or maybe not. 1. '123' (0.3784%)
of stories about breaking easy passwords and It has not gone too far from 'password' but
stealing money. 5. '123456' (0.176%) it is even easier to count to 3 then to count to
Very many people have read and heard Another easy combination that is even easi- 6. Apparently not that many websites require
these stories, but let us see what password we er for the users '123456' it meet the require- users to have a minimum 6 letter passwords.
use the most. ments of minimum 6 letter password and this And it brings us to 4 people out of 1,000 that
password contains numbers in it which is type the simplest combination possible '123'. It
8. 'monkey' (0.133%) another requirement on some web sites. Just is a good thing they don’t type something like
Why monkey? I don’t understand it too. count to six and you get a password. '111' or '222' etc.
Maybe people think that no one would think of If you add up all those percentages you will
this password if they wanted to brake into your 4. 'letmein' (0.176%) get that 1.8 % of people worldwide use one of
account. Usual there is a 6 minimum letter A good desire when you want to check out the passwords from the top 8 list. As a matter
passwords and monkey is a 6 letter word, your account or see if you received any money of fact 6.5 % of people use passwords from
besides it is memorable so maybe this is what there. It is a modern equivalent of 'open the top 100 list. We are glad that the remaining
played its role. sesame' which is longer and takes one second 91.7 % has nothing in common when they pick
more to type. It is something like 'trustno1' a password. It is up to you to decide whether
7. 'charlie' (0.139%) password from X-Files series. to use a longer and stronger password or to
We have got one more name in our top list. use a more memorable one.
Maybe such famous persons like Charlie 3. 'liverpool' (0.182%)
Chaplin, Charlie Sheen or the Charlie from the Liverpool is one of the most popular soccer
78 Chocolate Factory persuaded people to teams in the world and here is the result: one
choose that password. Or maybe people just person out of 550 picks this word as their
Joke
The gentleman replied, "Oh, I eyes and said to his co-pilot,
havn't told my family yet. I just "Such big-shots back there. Shit, I could throw
sit around all of them out of the
and listen to the conversations. window and make 56 million people very
I've changed my will three happy."
times!" ---------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------- Teacher:
Dream
TEACHER: Ellen, give me a sentence starting
A woman awoke excitedly on with "I".
Valentine's Day and announced ELLEN: I is...
enthusiastically to her husband, TEACHER:No, Ellen. Always say, "I am."
"I just dreamed that you gave ELLEN: All right... "I am the ninth letter of the
Teacher me a pearl necklace for alphabet."
Valentine's day! What do you think it means?" ---------------------------------------------------------------
"If there are any idiots in the room, will they With certainty in his voice, the man said, "You'll Traffic light camera
please stand up?" said the know tonight."
sarcastic teacher. That evening the man came home with a small A man was driving down the road. He passed
After a long silence, one freshman rose to his package and handed it to his wife. With anx- a traffic camera and saw it flash. Astounded
feet."Now then mister, why do you consider ious anticipation the woman quickly opened that he had been caught speeding when he
yourself an idiot?" enquired the teacher with a the package to find a book entitled - " The was doing the speed limit, he turned around
sneer. meaning of Dreams". and, going even slower, he passed by the
"Well, actually I don't," said the student, "but I --------------------------------------------------------------- camera. Again, he saw it flash. He couldn't
hate to see you standing Making Happy believe it! So he turned and, going a snail's
up there all by yourself." pace, he passed the camera. AGAIN, he saw
--------------------------------------------------------------- President Bush, First Lady Laura and Dick the camera flash. He guessed it must have a
Hearing Problem Cheney were flying on Air Force fault, and home he went. Four weeks later he
One. George looked at Laura, chuckled and received 3 traffic fines in the mail, all for not
An elderly gentleman had serious hearing said, "You know, I could throw a $1,000 bill out wearing a seatbelt.
problems for a number of years. of the window right now and make somebody ---------------------------------------------------------------
He went to the doctor and the doctor was able very happy." Girl: Teacher, can I become mother?
to have him fitted for a set Laura shrugged her shoulders and replied, "I Teacher: No Baby, you are too little to become
of hearing aids that allowed the gentleman to could throw ten $100 bills out a mother!
hear 100%. of the window and make ten people very Boy pointing to girl: see… hadn't I told you that
The elderly gentleman went back in a month to happy." nothing will happen.
the doctor and the doctor Cheney added, "That being the case, I could
said, "Your hearing is perfect. Your family must throw one hundred $10 bills out of the window
be really pleased that you and make a hundred people very happy."
can hear again." Hearing their exchange, the pilot rolled his
79
Telecom Flare Report
80
National
Over Revenue Sharing institutions are more conscious about data security and need
such solutions", said Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Data
Disagreement between Pakistan and Security System Solutions Tao Teik Guar.
India over the price and revenue sharing
on the planned direct fiber link through
the Wagah border has delayed the first- Suo motu Action against
Open Sale of Cellphone
ever direct cyber contact between the
two countries. The two countries had
almost completed infrastructure develop-
ment, but it's testing and commissioning
could take time due to continuing talks
on its commercial benefits.
Connections
"It's not a big issue, but it has to be resolved first before it gets opera- Chief Justice of
tional," a paper quoted source, as saying. "There are more bottlenecks on Pakistan Justice
the Indian side compared with Pakistan, as India believes the project would Iftikhar Muhammad
benefit Pakistan more," he added. Chaudhry has directed
He said the Pakistani side had completed all due process for laying a fiber to issue notices to
optic cable network in April 2006. "Similarly, work on the Indian side is also Chairman, Pakistan
ready to take off, but due to some discussions going on between the two Telecommunication
sides, it may take time to become operational," added the source. Authority (PTA) and
The source said the designed feasibility of the project suggested compa- Attorney General for
nies involved on both sides would get a share of the revenue under a com- Pakistan and call
mercial agreement, in which the government of each country was not expect- report from Chairman,
ed to interfere. PTA and fix the case
The link with India has, however, attracted praise from experts and opera- in the court.
tors, who say the project would increase reliability and performance of The suo motu action was initiated on a written complaint
Pakistan's telecom infrastructure. "Link with India would provide both the lodged by an Advocate, complaining that connections of different
countries with access and opportunity to interconnect traffic originating to and mobile phone companies are being sold at every nook and corner
from India and Pakistan," said Haroon Rasheed, a telecom consultant associ- of the city to the customers without any identity card, verification
82 ated with the International Chamber of Commerce and Industry. and identification.
National
First India-Pakistan
e-Sports Event
Indiagames has decided
to take a step ahead in unit-
ing the nations through
sports and have sent word
that they will be hosting the Children attending a computer class during the summer camp organized by Children’s Library
first ever Indo-Pak e-sports Complex, getting educational Recreational and sports Facilities for Children between ages 4-14.
event in India.
After the WCG India
finals, the national "Counter
India, Pakistan Allow Bank
Branches Across Border
Strike" champions of India
and Pakistan will go head to
head. The team from Pakistan has already been decided. Havok,
India and Pakistan agreed to open bank branches
consisting of five members will be visiting India. They have met
in each other's territory after talks aimed at boosting
an Indian team before, at the ESWC 2007 in Paris, where they
trade ties between the South Asian neighbors.
took on A+E. Havok has won a lot of awards in their native
Banking ties between the two countries will start in
Pakistan.. The event is being supported by NASSCOM and CII.
six months, Pakistan's Commerce Secretary Syed Asif
"The youth of today are getting more involved in this new phe-
Shah told reporters in the Indian capital New Delhi.
nomenon of e-Sports. We believe sports often succeed over poli-
Two banks from either side will be allowed to open a
tics and diplomacy in improving relations between countries and
branch each, he said.
there is no reason why we should not go beyond Cricket and
A joint committee will also work on how to start
Hockey into the e-Sports arena. We are very excited and see this
truck services across the heavily fortified border.
as an important milestone in the history of Indo-Pak cultural ties.
Pakistan has also proposed cooperation on capital
Events like this will help the growth of computer gaming, internet
markets with India, which will respond to the plan by Sept. 30, both sides said
and broadband in both the countries," said Vishal Gondal, Chief
in a joint statement.
Executive Officer of Indiagames.
The countries plan to start truck services through the Attari-Wagah land
Ahmed Mamoor Amimi, CEO, Playdium.Net, Strategic Partner
route. Goods are now brought to the border and carried across by porters to
of World Cyber Games, Pakistan says, "I would like to see
trucks waiting on the other side.
Pakistan and India competition on this e-sports arena and I am
Bilateral trade between the two countries has grown at ``an impressive
sure it will create more space for love and harmony between both
rate'' in the past two years. Pakistan's exports to India increased to $323.19
countries. I would also like to invite the Indian team next year for
million in the year ended March 31 from $94.97 million two years earlier.
our WCG2008 National Final event, in Pakistan."
India's exports grew to $1 billion from $521.05 million.
The Indo-Pak Counter Strike match will take place on
India and Pakistan are trying to achieve annual trade of $10 billion by
September 10, 2007. 83
2010, India's Commerce Secretary G.K. Pillai said.
National
Investment
the help of multimedia content (sound, images, video)," Frey explained.
"Teradata is keen to increase its volume of investment in Pakistan owing to the tremendous potential
growth in the IT sector", said the Vice President-of Teradata for Europe, Middle East and Africa, Hermann
Wimmer during a recent visit to Pakistan Teradata is the global leader in enterprise data warehousing and a
division of NCR Corporation. According to a press release issued on Thursday "the company will provide
employment opportunity to more IT specialists in Pakistan and groom them as consultants to represent
Pakistan in the international market"
Mr. Wimmer who manages more than 70 countries in the region also added that he could oversee
immense investment opportunities in Pakistan. "Teradata Pakistan has more than 250 IT specialists working in
its consulting to be increased up to 300 by the month of December", said Khuram Rahat, the Country Manager, Teradata Pakistan, Bangladesh
and Afghanistan.
84
National
Five Districts to Get operations of call centres during the last two years. More than
140 such centres are currently operational mainly in Lahore,
Etisalat Launches New When asked on the issue, Chairman Nripendra Misra has just told: "I'm
afraid; TRAI's communiqué to the Asia-Pacific Telecommunity (APT) on
exploring ways to bring down international roaming charges within the
SMS News Services SAARC region along the lines of the European Union (EU) model has not
elicited any response even after six months.
Etisalat has launched SMS breaking news services from Asia TRAI can only make a suggestion in its capacity as regulator. I have no
through its Weyak service. This service from Weyak will bring idea at this stage whether the Indian government will take up the issue with
breaking news from India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, APT."
Nepal and the Philippines directly to customers' mobiles.
Khalifa Al Shamsi, Vice President - Marketing (Consumer &
SMB), Etisalat, said: 'Etisalat has always prided itself on its
understanding of the
requirements of the UAE
communities. We regularly
try to come out with servic-
es to meet the needs of
UAE's multicultural society.
Etisalat's portal 'Weyak'
now brings our Asian expatriate customers SMS-based news
services which will keep them abreast of developments in their
home countries on a continuous basis.'
Weyak offers the following eight subscription-based breaking
news services: India News, Kerala News (in English &
Malayalam), Pakistan News, Philippines News (in Tagalog),
Bangladesh News, Sri Lanka News and Nepal News.
Weyak has ensured that the services are of high quality run
by experienced journalists and obtained from trusted sources,
with the emphasis on content accuracy.
Students from Japan's Waseda University demonstrates an ultra light weight, fuel cell powered
Subscribers pay 10 dirhams a month for news SMS subscrip- vehicle, which uses a fuel cell and capacitor hybrid batteries, and is two meters in length, reach-
tion with updates five to six times a day. ing speeds of 50kph, at the university's open campus in Tokyo.
Mobile Phones Analytics said Nokia should reach 40 percent market share during the second
half of the year, helped by its strong lead in emerging markets such as China
and India.
The European Space Agency's (ESA) Telecommunications
Average selling price for Nokia cellphones in the second quarter was Rs.
Department says that it is supporting the development of technol-
7500. Nokia said it expected global sales of mobile phones to grow 10 per-
ogy needed for satellite systems to broadcast digital multimedia
cent or more this year from 978 million phones in 2006, compared with its ear-
content and data to mobile telephones and vehicle-borne
lier forecast of at best 10 percent growth. Nokia stock trades at 15.7 times
receivers. The development of mobile video services through
expected 2008 earnings, valuing the firm at around US 123 billion dollars, but
satellites will provide content providers and operators with alter-
below many other technology firms' valuations, as many investors think the
native or complementary
dominant player in the market has more to lose than to gain.
solutions to terrestrial
Nokia Siemens Networks, which started operations in April, reported an
based networks and will
operating loss of US 1.79 billion dollars, including restructuring charges and
bring the benefit of the uni-
inventory write-downs. Excluding the one-off items, Nokia said the loss from
versal coverage and broad-
operations was US 88 million dollars.
casting that satellites can
provide.
High-power satellites in
geostationary orbit have
the ability to broadcast to
large coverage areas and
reach huge numbers of users. The proposed system will employ
a mixture of satellites and Earth-based repeaters. Satellites
ensure global coverage and repeaters make it possible to
receive the signals inside buildings.
The system will be able to be integrated into modern mobile
telephone and vehicle-mounted receiver designs at very low
cost, making it ideal for the mass-market.
ESA is supporting European industry and satellite operators
as they open up this important market sector by partially funding
the development and qualification of important components and
subsystems. ESA Telecom's existing satellite infrastructure has
also been made available for feasibility testing.
ESA's technology support for this application area is being
provided under several elements of its Advanced Research in Customers browse through the digital camera floor at the Kimuraya discount chain shop in Tokyo.
Telecommunications Systems (ARTES) programme. Canon Inc. said that its profit jumped 17 percent in the April to June quarter on hot-selling copiers,
88
printers and digital cameras, as well as a weaker Japanese yen.
International
Indonesia Lowers Foreign The new policy, already in place in countries such as Britain,
Japan and South Korea, should encourage operators to provide
a more competitive tariff and better service to lure users from
Ownership for their rivals. "We hope all of the programmes will be set up for
next year," a government official told reporters.
Cellular Operators
The number of mobile phone users in Indonesia is expected
to top 100 million by 2010, but with competition heating up in the
sector, operators may start seeing their margins squeezed.
Indonesia has lowered a limit on foreign owner-
IT at its Rise
he Pakistan Software Export Board (PSEB) held an interna-
advancements and sheer value added services the latest in communication technology to the
country.
At the ceremony future possible partners
Swati, Chief Business Officer Wateen Wateen's Chief Business Officer, Mr. from internet service provider and telecom
Telecom, Tayyab Shafi and CTO Wateen Tayyab Shafi said their company would invest industry were also present at the signing cere-
Telecom, Shahid Mian witnessed the ceremo- 600 million dollar in next two years to bring mony.
ny. Chairman Paksitan Telecommunication latest and most advanced technologies in the After the completion of Wateen's country
authority, Maj. Gen (R) Shahzada Alam Malik country. wide fiber optic network, telecom operators
was also present at the signing ceremony. Mr. Shafi said that Wateen Telecom is have a choice now other than only relying on
Under the agreement these telecom opera- Pakistan's first and largest private sector, PTCL's backbone cable. With 3 out of 6 cellu-
tors will be able to shift their LDI load on the complete communication and media solutions lar operators using Wateen's fiber network will
backhaul fiber optic network of Wateen company. not only create an environment of competition
Telecom that reaches the width and breadth of The company has ushered Pakistan into a but also a chance for operators to provide the
Pakistan. They will be able to use Wateen's digital revolution with its ability to seamlessly best out of them.
state-of-the-art Telecom Infrastructure includ- connect every individual, home, office and
91
Interview Flare Karachi Panel
Performing construction,
installation and maintenance
services as an independent
player, Relacom is able to
offer unique synergies, cost
savings and quality improve-
ments on both a local and
global basis for many of the
world's leading operators and
system vendors
93