SERIES-6T

Sri Lanka Mobile Operators Say Industry Competitive

2008-09-09T14:08:00.001-07:00

Sept 09, 2008 (LBO) - Sri Lanka incumbent mobile operators say the industry has healthy competition and are denying claims by new rival, India's Airtel that anti-competitive practices in interconnection are keeping prices high.

Sri Lanka's Dialog, Hutch, Mobitel and Tigo says the country's mobile penetration reached 38 percent at the end of 2007, which was nearly double that of India's 20.5 percent due to competition and good regulation.

They say the industry has achieved 70 percent geographic coverage and 90 percent population coverage.

"Competition has been healthy and delivered not only successive reductions in pricing levels bringing mobile telephony within reach of all segments of Sri Lankan society, but additionally quality services and advanced technologies well ahead of the region," the four operators said in a statement.

Airtel, has been quoted in media reports as saying existing mobile operators have not given interconnection (rates paid by operators to each other for delivering a call from another network to its own customer) to Airtel on the same terms as practiced among themselves, the mobile operators said.

Airtel is to start operations this year.

Mobile operators say interconnection is based on a 2003 rules issued by the regulator.

A new cost study has been started by the regulator to determine new rates.

Operators say a recent study conducted by Nokia, a handset maker, in 80 emerging markets has found that the cost of owning a mobile phone in Sri Lanka is among the lowest in the world.

In Sri Lanka average revenue per user is below 4.50 US dollars compared to India's 6.00 US dollars, the operators said.

Sri Lanka's progressive regulation had helped it to be the first country in South Asia to deploy GSM (global system for mobile communications) services in 1995, GPRS (general packet radio service) in 2001, 3G (third generation) in 2006 and 3.5G in 2007.

"As strong believers in competition and the resulting dividends to consumers and market growth, Sri Lanka's mobile operators welcome additional competition," the operators said.

New BOI Venture to Launch Mobile Commerce Services

2008-09-08T18:55:00.001-07:00

New venture was approved by the Board of Investment (BOI) to provide mobile commerce solutions for the local market.

The Utiba Mobile Commerce platform is the leading platform in the global mobile payment systems. Currently over 225 million subscribers use an Utiba solution on their phone.

The agreement signed with U.Generations Mobile Solutions (UGEN) is an investment of US $ 900,000 and will generate employment for 20. UGEN is a joint venture between Genesiis Software (Pvt) Limited, a fully owned subsidiary of the Finco Group of Companies and a Singapore based company, Utiba (Pte) Limited, a Singapore based firm. Utiba (Pte) Limited specialises in providing Advanced Mobile Commerce solutions and platforms.

Mr. Nilkamal Weerasooriya, Managing Director of U.Generations Mobile Solutions said he was confident that the market is now ready to accept innovative banking solutions on the mobile phones. The convergence between telecommunication networks and banks will provide cost effective, convenient banking services to all Sri Lankans, he said.

New BOI venture to launch Mobile Commerce services

2008-09-08T18:55:00.000-07:00

new venture to provide mobile commerce solutions for the local market was approved by the Board of Investment (BOI) on Wednesday. Hon Dr. Sarath Amunugama, Minister of Enterprise Development and Investment Promotion formally presented the BOI Certificate of Registrations, signed by Mr. Dhammika Perera, Chairman / Director General to Mr. Nilkamal Weerasooriya, Managing Director of U.Generations Mobile Solutions.
The Utiba Mobile Commerce platform is the leading platform in the global mobile payment systems. Currently over 225 million subscribers use an Utiba solution on their phone.

The agreement signed with U.Generations Mobile Solutions (UGEN) is an investment of US $ 900,000 and will generate employment for 20. UGEN is a joint venture between Genesiis Software (Pvt) Limited, a fully owned subsidiary of the Finco Group of Companies and a Singapore based company, Utiba (Pte) Limited. Utiba (Pte) Limited specialises in providing Advanced Mobile Commerce solutions and platforms.

Mr. Weerasooriya said he was confident that the market is now ready to accept innovative banking solutions on the mobile phones. The convergence between telecommunication networks and banks will provide cost effective, convenient banking services to all Sri Lankans, he said.

BOI Project for IT development from Saudi Arabia

2008-09-08T18:44:00.001-07:00

An agreement signed with Direct Technologies Limited is for a project to develop and export software and provide IT related services for overseas clients. The investment is made by Saudi Arabian company, National Technology Group. The company provides Online Stock Trading Solution, "Mubasher". The project will integrate the global solution with reputable banks and brokers to trade with the solution.

Director / General Manager of the company, Arjuna Nanayakkara said "This is our second BOI project and we have been operating is Sri Lanka for over 7 years. We looked at investment opportunities in other Asian countries but decided on Sri Lanka because we have a good base in Sri Lanka for expansion". He also commended the fast service offered by the BOI.

The venture is an initial investment of US $ 300,000 and will generate around 100 employment opportunities. Mr. Arjuna Nanayakkara (Director / General Manager) signed the agreement on behalf of the company.

Inter-Registrar Transfer Policy – Part A – New IRTP Issues‏

2008-09-08T18:17:00.000-07:00

Public Comment: Inter-Registrar Transfer Policy – Part A ‘New IRTP Issues’
8 September 2008

Background

The Inter-Registrar Transfer Policy (IRTP) aims to provide a straightforward procedure for domain name holders to transfer their names from one ICANN-accredited registrar to another. As part of a broader review of this policy, a Policy Development Process (PDP) is currently ongoing on new Inter-Registrar Transfer Policy issues. These new Inter-Registrar Transfer Policy issues include questions relating to registrar exchange of registrant e-mail information, the potential need for including new forms of electronic authentication and potential provisions for “partial bulk transfers.”

Input requested

The Working Group that was launched following the adoption of its charter by the GNSO Council on 17 July 2008 is requesting your input for its deliberations to answer the following questions (found in Section 1.3 of the issues report):

Issue I – Is there a way for registrars to make Registrant E-mail Address data available to one another? Currently there is no way of automating approval from the Registrant, as the Registrant Email Address is not a required field in the registrar Whois. This slows down and/or complicates the process for registrants, especially since the Registrant can overrule the Admin Contact .

*If you believe policy change is needed, what options could be explored for registrars to make Registrant E-mail address data available? For each option, please identify how this would benefit automating approval, and, if any, what potential problems might be associated with this option.

*Please identify examples or best practices of email address use to facilitate and/or automate approval from a Registrant for a transfer.

*Although it is not the purpose of this Policy Development Process (PDP) to recommend changes to WHOIS policy, it conceivably could be an option to require registrant email addresses in WHOIS. The Working Group is interested in your views on that potential option, without regard to the broader WHOIS issues of availability and accuracy of WHOIS data. The Working Group is more particularly interested in your views about any other options not involving WHOIS.

Issue II – Whether there is need for other options for electronic authentication (e.g., security token in the Form of Authorization (FOA)) due to security concerns on use of email addresses (potential for hacking or spoofing) .

*What security concerns can you identify related to current ways of authenticating registrants. Note, the Security and Stability Advisory Committee (SSAC) has identified a risk of email spoofing for purposes of domain name hijacking, see link. We are interested in your views on this and any other concerns.

*Do you think there is a need for other options for electronic authentication? Please state the reasons for your answer.

*Do you know of any Registrars using additional means for electronic authorization (e.g. security token, digital signatures, etc.)? If so, what are they and who offers them?

*If a need would be identified for other options of electronic authentication, what other options could be explored?

*Of those other options to be explored, please identify the potential benefits but also any potential problems.

*Do you have or know of any data in relation to the impact of the Extensible Provisioning Protocol (EPP) deployment on security in relation to authentication? If so, please describe the source and type of data.

*Do you know of any further examples, apart from those mentioned in the issues report (.uk registry and .se registry), of electronic authentication methods? If so, what are they and who offers them?

Issue III – Whether the policy should incorporate provisions for handling “partial bulk transfers” between registrars – that is, transfers involving a number of names but not the entire group of names held by the losing registrar .

*Should the policy incorporate provisions for handling “partial bulk transfers” between registrars? Please state the reasons and use-cases for your answer.

*Are you aware of any voluntary provisions to facilitate partial bulk transfers? If so, could you please provide further details on those provisions (apart from those already identified in the issues paper – NeuLevel (.biz), Nominet (.uk)).

Background documents / links

*GNSO Issues Report Inter-Registrar Transfer Policy: Set A; “New IRTP Issues” (http://gnso.icann.org/issues/transfers/transfer-issues-report-set-a-23may08.pdf)
*Charter Inter-Registrar Transfer Policy – Part A PDP Working Group (http://gnso.icann.org/issues/transfers/irtp-working-group-charter-jun08.htm http://gnso.icann.org/issues/transfers/irtp-working-group-charter-jun08.htm)
*IRTP Part A PDP Working Group Workspace (irtp part a pdp wg pdp jun08 (https://st.icann.org/irtp_jun08_pdp-wg/index.cgi?irtp_part_a_pdp_wg_pdp_jun08)
*IRTP Part A PDP Working Group E-mail archives (http://forum.icann.org/lists/gnso-irtp-pdp-jun08/)

Deadline and how to submit comments

Comments are welcome via e-mail to tbc until 29 September 2008.

Access to the public comment forum from which comments can be posted can be found at new-irtp-issues@icann.org.

An archive of all comments received will be publicly posted at http://forum.icann.org/lists/new-irtp-issues/.

Sri Lanka Plans Optical Fibre Backbone

2008-09-08T06:13:00.000-07:00

Sept 08, 2008 (LBO) - Sri Lanka is planning an optical fibre backbone to take broadband internet access to rural areas of the island, with the infrastructure to be built as a public private partnership, an official said.
Dharmasiri de Alwis, network chief of the Telecommunications Regulatory Commission says Sri Lanka Railways and the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) would be partners in the project which is backed by the island's ICT Agency.

A 15 million dollar funding package from World Bank is also in the offing he said.

The World Bank has been pumping money to Sri Lanka's ICT Agency to develop rural internet access under an initiative known as e-Sri Lanka.

De Alwis says the high tension transmission network of the CEB would allow fibre optic cables to be drawn deep into rural Sri Lanka at minimal cost.

Since optical fibre uses light to transmit data, there would not be electromagnetic interference from power lines, he said.

The state tailways also has a track network stretching to far corners of the island.

De Alwis says railways tracks have wide reservations of empty land on either side which would allow cables to be easily buried unlike going along narrow public roads.

Sri Lanka Telecom, the island's largest fixed access firm has been laying fibre optic ring around the capital and parts of the island, but Dharmasiri says the planned backbone would stretch wider into rural areas.

Sri Lanka Mobitel Seeks Cheaper International Bandwidth

2008-09-08T06:06:00.000-07:00

Sept 08, 2008 (LBO) - Sri Lanka cellco Mobitel, a unit of fixed access carrier Sri Lanka Telecom is readying to call proposals to buy international bandwidth from cheaper suppliers, because its parent was too expensive, an official said.

"We are not happy with the prices they extend to us," Mobitel chief executive Suren Amarasekera told a regional GSM (global system for mobile communications) Association conference in Colombo.

"We have received approval form our board to call for international RFPs (requests for proposals) to US, UK and Asia Pacific."

Amarasekera said international bandwidth and device costs were the two biggest cost items in providing broadband connections, which was outside the control of the operator.

SLT is a shareholder of the SEA-ME-WE cable consortium and was the sole supplier of submarine capacity to the island for decades, when it was the incumbent operator with an international monopoly.

Amarasekera said proposals may be called as early as this month and Mobitel's new broadband tariffs were announced in expectations of cheaper international connectivity.

"In order to sustain our margins in the broadband market we need to connect to major internet hubs at better rates," Amarasekera said.

He said Mobitel already had about 4,000 customers and hoped to end the year with 15,000 broadband customers.

"Where Next?" Community Event

2008-09-04T02:55:00.000-07:00

Dopplr and Monocle magazine invite you to the first "Where Next?" community event during London Design Week.

It's an informal early evening gathering at Monocle's head office to discuss the coming world of smarter travel, with fellow travellers from around the world.

Tuesday, September 16th at 5.30-7.30pm at Monocle

20 Boston Place, Marylebone
London NW1 6ER

Click here for a map.

Programme: Where Next?
Smarter travel: Tyler Brule of Monocle in conversation with entrepreneur Martin Varsavsky
Fall Travel Outlook 2008: CTO Matt Biddulph and Design Director Matt Jones present where the Dopplr community is travelling next
Autumn sangria and rye snacks will be served

Please RSVP by clicking here

(You will need to sign in to Dopplr)

Google Chrome

2008-09-02T14:47:00.000-07:00

Now you can download Google Chrome the latest browser. Developed in the past two years, the browser is barely noticeable after you open it. It loads faster than Internet Explorer and it has very few buttons and controls.

In fact, Chrome is an ironic name: Google wanted to create a browser that has a minimal chrome (that's how software developers name the menu and the toolbar of an application). The browser replicates the simplicity of Google's homepage that hides the complexity of the search engine.

Even if it's just a beta, Chrome already supports 43 languages and it automatically detects your language. To change your language, just click on the wrench button, click Options, select the "Minor tweaks" tab, click on "Change font and language settings", select the "Languages" tab and change Google Chrome language. That's a lot of clicking, but you won't change the UI language too often.

Nokia N85

2008-08-31T15:09:00.000-07:00

The Nokia N85 offers the latest multimedia features in one package. You can watch videos on the superior 2.6” OLED screen and take take photos with 5Mpix camera with Carl Zeiss optics. The Nokia N85 offers you easy internet browsing, instant messaging and nice and fast music sync with long playback times and excellent audio quality. The Nokia N85 makes it easy to stay in touch with friends; The Nokia N85 offers easy access and use of social networking communities and geo-tagging for captured images and online sharing.

Feature Overview
5 MP camera
2.6” QVGA display
Dedicated zoom and gaming keys
Landscape gaming with dedicated gaming keys
Long playback time and stereo audio quality

Opera Peregrine

2008-08-31T14:56:00.000-07:00

Latin: Falco peregrinus
Norwegian: Vandrefalk (Wandering falcon)

The Peregrine Falcon is often stated to be the fastest animal on the planet in its hunting dive, the stoop, which involves soaring to a great height and then diving steeply at speeds commonly said to be over 322 km/h (200 mph). A study testing the flight physics of an 'ideal falcon' found a theoretical speed limit at 400 km/h (250 mph) for low altitude flight and 625 km/h (390 mph) for high altitude flight.

Apple Misled iPhone Users Over Internet Capability

2008-08-28T15:12:00.000-07:00

The iPhone, the latest must-have gadget from Apple, fails to give users complete access to the internet, the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) rules today.

It said the combined phone, music player and computer is flawed because of the absence of two common website programmes, Flash and Java. As a result, the authority said Apple’s claim that the iPhone gave access to “all parts of the internet” misled customers about its power as a web browser.

Read More

Sri Lanka Dialog Telekom Offers Discounts

2008-08-28T14:34:00.000-07:00

(LBO) – Sri Lank'a dominant mobile phone operator Dialog Telekom said it will offer discounts from August 1 to attract more customers.
A company statement said Dialog has launched a 'Lifetime Discount' programme bringing all its packages under a new tariff platform.

This entitles the entire Dialog customer base – 4.5 million post-paid and pre-paid customers – a range of discount offers, it said.

The discount programme gives customers a 50 percent discount on charges for all local outgoing calls from the third minute onwards.

A 25 percent discount is offered on the second minute.

Dialog, a unit of Telekom Malaysia, is under pressure from growing competition that has eroded its market share, and rising costs.

The company is one of the biggest listed on the Colombo stock exchange.

It maintained rapid growth in customers and profits in its early years.

But growth rates have slowed as competition grew and record domestic inflation began to bite its bottom line as well as consumer spending.

iPhone OS 2.1 Beta

2008-07-29T16:19:00.001-07:00

The talk of the town is that Apple, maker of iPhone has released a beta version of the next iPhone firmware for developers.

Apparently, the new firmware will sport GPS related features such as tracking the direction of the user, the speed of motion etc.

Saudi Telecom To Cut Tariff Upto 69% - Zain Launch 15 Of August.

2008-07-29T09:39:00.001-07:00

Saudi Telecom Company (STC) is planing to bring down international call tariff by upto 69% for 30 odd Destinations.

I beleive this is a move after Kuwaity based Zain, Kindoms third national GSM mobile network officially announced to launch their services on August 15, 2008.

No such tariff cuts announced by Mobily as to my knowledge.

Singapore Puts DVB-H On Test.

2008-07-29T04:22:00.000-07:00

Media Corp of Singapore along with SingTel, MobileOne and StarHub will start a three-month testing of mobile TV using Digital Video Broadcasting - Handheld aka DVB-H technology.

Samsung P-960 handset will be given to all of the 300 participants and the trial will span for three months. During the trial period, which will start next month, the participants will be shown 6 channels, including live 2008 Olympic in Beijing.

Mobile Twitter Application by Kevin Cawley

2008-07-26T05:08:00.000-07:00

Love twitter? Love tweeting from your mobile device? But don't wanna get charged for updates via sms?

TinyTwitter is just what you are looking for and it will work on any Java enabled device.

Enter the following URL on your Java enabled mobile devices micro browser to download the app.;
http://tinytwitter.com/m/

World's First 8mp Camera Phone.

2008-07-25T14:28:00.001-07:00

Samsung has officially announced the launch date of its high-end smartphone - INNOV8 it comes with a Symbian s60 3rd Edition Feature Pack 2 and 8 megapixel CMOS, autofocus camera.

Could have called it a photographer's dream phone if it included a Xeon flash instead of dual LED flash. On the bright side, it offers image stabilisation and face detection for best posible photos with geotagging. Its capable of recording VGA resolution video upto 30 frames per second and is loaded with video editing tool.

For music fans it comes with a built-in FM radio, 3D surround sound speakers and 3.5mm audio out jack.

INNOV8 also known by its model name i8510 is a slider form factor handset sporting a 2.8-inch QVGA which can display 16million colors.

Other key features;
- 16GB onboard memory with microSD card slot for additional memory
- Bluetooth 2.0 with A2DP
- WiFi
- USB 2
- Accelerometer
- Quad band GSM (850/900/1800/1900MHz)
- WCDMA (900/2100MHz) UMTS/HSDPA
-1200mAh battery for longer use.

To be launched in Europe in August 2008.

Domain Name Security Paper Released.

2008-07-25T13:23:00.001-07:00

ICANN's strategic and operating plans call for ICANN to be operationally ready to deploy DNSSEC at the root level and work with relevant stakeholders to determine how this should be implemented. ICANN has prepared a document describing this path to operational readiness for signing the root, which you can download in PDF format [342k].

The purpose of this paper is to:
a) Articulate ICANN's initiatives toward operational readiness for DNSSEC signing; and
b) Help determine the right structure so ICANN is prepared to digitally sign the root using DNSSEC technology by late 2008.

A public forum has been established at http://forum.icann.org/lists/dnssec-roadmap/ and ICANN actively seeks your input on this important matter.

In addition, recently two DNS vulnerabilities to many DNS name server developers have been reported by a prominent security researcher. DNSSEC would be a solution to this vulnerabilities.

Head-on to the ICANN forum and shoot your comments or email it to dnssec-roadmap@icann.org.

How To Fix The Wobble On The N95 Slider.

2008-07-23T11:31:00.000-07:00

To stiffen-up the loose slider on an N95, all you need is a Torx 0.5 driver and adhesive tape, and head on to N95Users.com

Sri Lanka Tigo Launches Plastic Ownership Card

2008-07-16T13:23:00.000-07:00

July 16, 2008 (LBO) – Sri Lanka's Tigo, a unit of Millicom International Cellular is issuing plastic-card ownership certificate in response to anti-terror rules, which can be piggy-backed to give additional benefits to customers, an official said.
The new regulations introduced by the Telecommunications Regulatory Commission of Sri Lanka require mobile customers to give on demand to the law enforcement authorities, proof of ownership, of the mobile phones they use.

Tigo launched a plastic card containing the customer’s name, mobile number, national identity card or passport number as the 'proof of ownership' certificate which can be carried in a wallet.

"It is our responsibility as operators to ensure our customers are not inconvenienced. When regulations are made we have to respond," Tigo chief executive Dumindra Rathnayaka said.

Rathnayaka says the card will also be beneficial to tighten product loyalty.

"It is an opportunity for us to give every customer of ours a card. It is a connection to the customer," Rathnayaka said.

"We can tie this card to many other opportunities around we can give him other offers. There is a whole load of things we can do with this."

The registration process can be completed at any of the 30 Tigo offices islandwide.

"The practicality problem is there. We are now doing in 30 locations but we hope it increase to 500 locations."

The ownership certificate will be issued free of charge, Tigo says.

Sri Lanka Dialog Launches Children's Package

2008-07-16T13:21:00.000-07:00

July 15, 2008 (LBO) - Sri Lanka's Dialog Telekom has started a mobile phone package for kids with child safety features, world filtering, restricted text messaging (SMS) and features to increase parental control over their child's phone, the company said.
Dialog said the package, dubbed 'Kidz Connection' has no picture exchange or internet surfing facility for child safety and calls can be restricted to five numbers chosen by the parent at the time of signing up.

The parent will also get a copy of each text message sent or received by the child.

"Our main goal in launching this package was to promote responsible mobile use, whilst keeping the benefits of mobile communication," Dialog chief operating officer Supun Weerasinghe said in a statement.

"We incorporated several special features to the Kidz Connection with the goal of making the package more secure and safe to be used by children."
The connection is issued under a parent's name.

TRC Tightens Regulations As Part Of Anti-Terrorism Move!

2008-07-12T09:13:00.001-07:00

Sri Lanka's Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (TRC) wants mobile operators in the island to maintain full details of phone users with immidiate effect, as part of anti-terrorism move.

Also, new and current subcribers need to keep a certificate issued by the operator to prove the ownership of the SIM.

Sri Lanka is an island which has a population of 21 million and nearly 10 million active mobile subscriptions shared amoung four operators. Dialog enjoying a larger piece of the 'pie' while Mobitel next in-line. Tigo and Hutch following. Once AirTel enters the market in the last quarter of this year, there wil be five operators.

Ultimate Guide To Switching Devices

2008-07-12T05:23:00.001-07:00

Have you ever wondered how to transfer your old phones data (contacts, calendar, notes and messages etc) to your new phone?

Checkout SymbianGuru's Ultimate Guide To Switching Devices.

Jailbreak Your s60 Nokia.

2008-07-09T06:35:00.001-07:00

Hacking/jailbreaking your s60 phone will let you install unsigned applications without a hassle.

Following is a guide-line published by Mark Guim at TheNokiaBlog: How To Hack s60 Nokia Phones

Using Your Phone Abroad.

2008-07-04T08:39:00.000-07:00

Jonathan Jensen's Thursday Slot - Roaming tips for both NorMobs and Geeks at SMSTextNews.com

ICANN's 33rd International Public Meeting To Be Held In Egypt.

2008-06-30T15:48:00.000-07:00

International Corporation for Assigned Nameing and Numbering's next meeting will be held from 2nd to 7th of November in Cairo, Egypt, at the Intercontinental CityStars. The meeting is free to attend, and open to all.

Attendees are encouraged to complete the online Registration Form so that it would allow them to prepare pre-printed entrance badges etc...

For more information click here! or forward your questions to meeting[at]icann[dot]org

Look Who's Talking!

2008-06-30T15:22:00.001-07:00

ZYB adds life to your handset by bringing your Zyb friends' profile pictures to your addressbook. Simply sync your contacts and you'll automatically populate your phone with the latest picturs of your ZYBers.

Also check out the new Mobyko application on Facebook. Mobyko has come-up with a Widget that copies your friends' Facebook profile pics straight to your phone, so you can see who's calling.

Heres how:
1. Login to your Facebook profile
2. Add the Mobyko app to your profile and sync your mobile.

Voila! Your friends appear on your phone.

Have you tried it out? Please let us know your comments on which one you think is good!

How To Kill The Gallery Button On Your N95.

2008-06-16T22:00:00.000-07:00

Is the gallery button on the N95 is an annoyance to you? Every time by mistake the button get pressed and you have to wait, as it takes considerable time for the gallery to load, then close.

Bloggers at SymbianGuru has come-up with a smart solution. Here's how you do it.

Download and install MagicKey 1.0 and open it. Navigate left to go to the KeyMap list. Press the centre button to open the Default KeyMap. Press the centre button again to Add a KeyPair in the Original Key window, press the Green Call button. The number shown will be switched to 999. Now press the Gallery button - the one you want dead. You will most likely see 230 now. In the Maps To window press the Green Call button again 999 will appear. Now press the Pen key (since this is the least offensive key). You will probably see 18 now. Now choose Ok, then Back. Click on Option and Select Start on Boot and exit.

Now go ahead and see if it is annoying you any more.

Samsung unveils Touch-Screen Smart Phone in South East Asia.

2008-06-16T06:42:00.001-07:00

The Omnia, meaning 'Everything!' in Latin, comes with 5 mega-pixel camera, 3.2 inch touch sensitive screen, with drag-n-drop function and an on-screen Qwerty keyboard. It also sports GPS, and is powered by Windows Mobile professional edition.

No pricing details were available.

The launch came ahead of CommunicAsia, the regions leading information and communications technology conference and exhibition, which begins on Tuesday in Singapore.

Where did the FM Transmitter disapear on my N78?

2008-06-15T23:50:00.000-07:00

The legal status of FM transmission varies from country to country. Due to this reason all regional variants of N78 will not have a FM transmitter.

Therefore before buying your N78 check if your handset has a FM transmitter. If you have already bought one and wondering where did the transmitter disapear, do not wonder any more, probably your's doesn't have one. But don't be dissapointed, coz there's a way to bring the FM transmitter to your existing handset. Just do the following, but do it at your own risk!

Vaibhav Sharma on a comment in his posting All Regional Variants Of N78 Will Not Have An FM Transmitter at The Symbian Blog, says that by changing the product code to 0566375 via NSS and then reflashing the firmware will show the transmitter on your N78.

Do you have a better idea than this?

What is Mobile 2.0?

2008-06-13T22:00:00.000-07:00

It is another (r)evolution, already started and that will change the Web and the mobility landscape that we currently know. The idea is that the mobile web will become the dominant access method, with devices that becomes more hybrid and networks that becomes more powerfull.

Wireless broadband access technologies like 3G/UMTS, the migration of traditional telecom networks to internet technology, the availability of affordable and functional Wi-Fi... will all boost VoIP and ultimately blur the destinction between fixed and mobile services.

If you have used a Nokia Nseries phone, you will have a clear idea of what Mobile 2.0 is all about. Its about connecting your phone through Wi-Fi to browse the net, or use innovative mobile accessible Web 2.0 services (e.g. Downlaoding podcast, doing a one-click image upload to Flickr, finding your way thru Google Map while on the road etc.)

DialogGSM: Flying Talk!

2008-06-13T04:13:00.000-07:00

Sri lankan celco DialogGSM has partnered with AeroMobile to provide in-flight mobile communication, becoming the first in the region to do so.

Dialog Telekom's subscribers could now make calls and send text messages while flying in an air craft.

Put 'JC' Player on your Web page.

2008-06-12T22:00:00.000-07:00

Live video is gaining traction on social-networking arena and sites like YouTube, Stickam have developed extreamly simple ways for anyone to share media.

The JuiceCaster application once downloaded to your mobile phone, lets you send videos and photos to a "JuiceCaster Player" area on your pages at Facebook, Blogger or virtually any other sites. Not only thru the application, you can also add pictures and videos via email and MMS.

JuiceCaster gives you a simple HTML code that you can cut and paste into your page, and that give you a JuiceCaster Player on your page. Then when you take a picture or a video on your phone, it will automatically post to all the places you created a JuiceCaster Player.

Did I say "ANYONE" can share their media content? Not with JuiceCaster, its only available to Europe and the U.S. Thats very disapointing.

New iPhone 3G vs old N95 8GB

2008-06-12T07:18:00.001-07:00

Compared to Apple iPhone 3G, I also consider that the Nokia N95 8GB and also the N82 are simply awsome as a piece of technology, winning on overall: data connectivity; multitasking; camera; and in general as a smartphone tool for anyone with a bit of technological knowledge.

Steve Litchfield looks at the new iPhone 3G and wonders how the flagship smartphone balance has changed.

Indian cellular subcriber base tops 205 million!

2008-06-12T05:00:00.000-07:00

The worlds second largest wireless market, India has touched 205 million celleular connections in May 2008, according to industry association COAI.

Bharti Airtel, which is to commence operations in Sri Lanka by the end of this year, captured one-third of the indian market with its subscribe base toping 47.4 million.

Wireless Philadelphia.

2008-06-12T02:44:00.000-07:00

Philadelphia is trying to become the first compeletly wireless major city. Wireless high speed Internet access is currently available to roughly 80% of the city's household. Learn more!

Feature-Packed BlueAnt X3 Micro

2008-06-11T10:30:00.001-07:00

The BlueAnt X3 Micro bluetooth headset combines a comfortable fit, excellent sound quality with some great features and its not that expensive either.

It has a three-note melody that plays when you are about to move out of range (about 30 feet) from your handset. It also has the ability to switch between three paired devices without you having to disconnect them.

Normal phone calls on the X3 sounds very good, even in loud environment, but VoIP calls sound bassy. The rubberised earbud fits snugly in your ear and the optional ear hook, which adds more stability.

X3 has a 7 hour talk time. And the headset can be charged using a computer, AC Power adapter or car charger, all with one cord.

SLT gets Malaysian directors.

2008-06-09T01:56:00.001-07:00

Sri Lanka Telecom (SLT), islands top fixed access telco said its Malaysian shareholder Global Telecomunications Holdings NV, a unit of Malaysia's Usaha Tegas Group (UT) had appointed new directors after NTT Communications of Japan sold out its 35% stake to UT Group and then UT Group upped its stake to 44.9% following a buyout of other shareholders inorder to appoint the directors.

A New Look For Radar.net

2008-06-05T00:47:00.001-07:00

Tiny Pictures Inc has unvailed Radar with a significantly simplified and refreshing design.

According to them, the 'new look' not only makes the sites farmiliar features fast and simple to use, it also sets the stage for upcoming features to be put in place.

I trust they will make hte video's playable on more handsets, instead of ONLY sticking to iPhone!

Wimax or LTE?

2008-06-02T23:17:00.000-07:00

The two competing 4G wirless systems, Wimax and LTE (Long Term Evolution) offers wide area broadband network connection designed for mobile devices.

Both considered to be broadly similar to each other with a long-range wireless connection ranging from 3 to 5 kilometers.

Wimax is backed by Intel and has won support from computer industry, because its roots lie with wi-fi.

On the other hand, LTE is a technology based on existing mobile network and has a broad support from handset manufacturers and mobile network carriers like Nokia, Motorola, Samsung, LG, Orange, T-Mobile, NTT, China Mobile...

LTE is seen as a evolution to existing 3G network and faster and long-distance compared to 3G, with a range between 3 to 5 kilometers and expected to offer higher speed peaking at 100Mbps download and 50Mbps upload.

Which one do you prefer?