TechGazing

All right, we think this is definitely a case of Christmas coming early. Airtel has announced that all its subscribers can access the mobile website of Facebook on their handsets free of cost until August 31. In simple English, that means that all Airtel users can “post status updates, comment and write on walls, message others, and also be able to view or upload photos - all without any data charges” (yes, we got that from the press release, so now you know it is official). As if that were not enough, there is also the fact that in the coming days, Facebook mobile will also be accessible in five different Indian languages (Punjabi, Bengali, Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam) apart from English and Hindi. Now, that is what we call a terrific deal, with no strings attached (and we looked!). Continue reading »

It is not really official, but the tech rumour market in India is abuzz with the news that the new iPhone, iPhone 4, will be seen in India in September. Both Vodafone and Airtel are expected to offer the phone to their users. The 16 GB model is likely to carry a price tag of around Rs 35,000, while the 32 GB model will cost about Rs 40,000. Those are stiff prices, in best iPhone tradition, and one can only hope that the service providers will come up with some subsidy, allowing users to get their hands on the phones for a lower price, while locking them in to a contract. Mind you, that did not happen with the iPhone 3G and 3GS. That said, there will be those who will be willing to shell out even Rs 40,000 for the latest edition of a phone that is being hailed as the best in the world, reception issues notwithstanding.

It has been rumoured to be on its way for months now, but it finally seems that the iPhone 3GS is now only days away from being released in India. While rumour mills are buzzing about the imminent release on the phone any time this week, what gives the entire affair an official touch is the fact that Airtel has posted a press release saying that it would be bringing ” iPhone 3GS, the fastest most powerful iPhone yet, to India in the coming months.” A mini website for the device has also been put in place at http://www.airtel.in/iphone3gs/. Unfortunately, no details about prices, plans or dates are mentioned, but still, at least it is official now that the iPhone 3GS will be coming to India.

While all iPhone fans will be cheering at the news, we are just hoping that the device is launched soon. After all, if past trends are any indication, it is very likely that Steve Jobs will be showing us a new version of the iPhone in a few months, which would pretty much make the iPhone 3GS appear like an old lady.

As far as carrier initiatives go, this has got to be one of the best we have seen. Airtel has announced that it has upgraded all its Airtel Broadband customers to high-speed 2 Mbps connections - free of cost. There is a catch, though - the 2 Mbps speed will be available only when you view the IPL on YouTube at www.youtube.com/IPL. In effect, what this means is that customers will be able to browse at higher speeds only while viewing the IPL live on YouTube. Honestly, even that is not a bad deal - we tried the connection and the site worked just fine even though ours is a 384 kbps connection.