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Google Mobile on Mei 12th, 2010 |
no responsesStarting today, Google Maps for mobile has a few new ways to help you and your friends quickly get to where you’re going whether you’re on 4 wheels or 2 (or maybe even 3). With Google Maps 4.2 for Android you can now get biking directions on the go, start Navigation from your Home screen, share places with friends, and more.
Biking directions
Since launching biking directions on desktop Google Maps, we’ve wanted to get you biking directions, lanes, and trails on your phone too. Just in time for National Bike Month, select the bike icon when getting directions to get an optimal bicycling route in the U.S. If you’re in the mood for a more scenic ride, you’ll also see the Bicycling layer on the map which shows dedicated bike-only trails (dark green), roads with bike lanes (light green), or roads that are good for biking but lack a dedicated lane (dashed green). You can always turn on this layer from the Layers menu to pick your own route. Add in the Labs’ Terrain layer, and you can decide to either climb or avoid that big hill on the way home!
Google Navigation shortcut
If you’re driving instead of riding, we wanted to make it easier and faster for you to get on the road with Google Maps Navigation as soon as you’re ready. With the new Navigation shortcut, you can pick a destination and be on your way with as little as 2 taps of your finger. Select the “Navigation” icon in your phone’s app launcher to get the new destination selection view. Then, speak or type your destination, pick one from your contacts, choose a starred place, or select a recent destination. Navigation will begin and you’re good to go. Make it even easier on yourself by adding the Navigation icon right on your Home screen.
Sharing
Once you figure out where you’re going, why not get some friends to meet you there? From any search results page, choose to “Share this place” to send that place’s info, such as its address and phone number, to whomever you like. If you want to meet someone on a street corner or gather friends at an outdoor concert, you can also send an exact location from the map — even a snapshot of your current location. Just use the share option after selecting a point on the map, your “My Location” blue dot, or yourself in Latitude if it’s enabled. Whether you’re sharing a place or a location, you’ll be able to send it to small groups via an email or text message or send it widely with apps like Google Buzz, Facebook, or Twitter.
Get these new features by searching for Google Maps in Android Market from Android 1.6+ phones (On your phone now? Tap here). Update Maps to version 4.2, available in all the countries and languages where Maps is currently available. Visit our Help Center to learn more, ask questions in our Help Forum, or give us suggestions and vote on other people’s on the Mobile Product Ideas page.
Posted by Michelle Chen, Software Engineer, Google Mobile Team
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Google Maps for Android Gets Biking Directions, Navigation Shortcut, Sharing, and More
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Google Mobile on Apr 9th, 2010 |
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Last December on the Official Google Blog, we announced how universal search features in Google Suggest could show useful information while the user is composing a query from the Google home page. Today, we are bringing this same functionality to mobile phones so that getting answers while on the go is even faster and easier. For example, let’s say you’re flying to London and want to know: Is my flight on time? Or what is the exchange rate of the pound? As you type the flight “Ba 284″ or “Usd in pounds”, the answers are provided right below the search box, without having to wait for the results page. Other searches that show answers include weather (e.g., “weather london”), stock quotes (e.g., “intc”), current time (e.g., “time london”), calculator (e.g. “29*37″) and unit conversion (e.g., “220 miles in km”).
To try this yourself, go to
google.com on your phone’s browser and type your own query to see these special results under the search box. Note that if you don’t see these results at first, try refreshing the page in your browser. The functionality is currently supported on Android-powered devices, iPhones/iPods and Palm WebOS devices in the US.
Posted by Toshi Tajima, Google Mobile Engineering Team
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Universal search features in Google Suggest for mobile
Posted by admin in
Google Mobile on Apr 1st, 2010 |
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For millennia man and animal have tolerantly coexisted, separated by language and the development of opposable thumbs. Today we can proudly say that we have overcome one of those hurdles. Presenting Google Translate for Animals, a new application available in Android Market.
This application allows you to record animal sounds and have the sounds analyzed and translated by Google Translate into any of the 52 supported languages. With animal translation you can finally understand why Spot keeps peeing in your closet or why Pickles keeps leaving dead mice in the tub. No longer must humanity struggle to comprehend when Lassie warns, “Hurry, Timmy’s fallen down the well!”
The technology isn’t perfect yet, so you may discover some translations that don’t make perfect sense. The algorithms are always improving however, thanks to the large corpus of cute cat videos that have been uploaded to YouTube.
We think that this is an exciting step in understanding and communicating with the world around us. Stay tuned for the addition of “old car” and “stomach” to the translation capabilities of the application this summer.
Posted by Woof Woofington, Product Barketing Manager via Google Translate for Animals
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Grunt, Woof and Moo to you too
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Up Coming Phone on Apr 1st, 2010 |
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Motorola India today introduced its first Android 2.1-powered phone christened as MILESTONE. It touts features such as a high-resolution pinch and zoom display, and a thinner QWERTY slider (13.7mm or 1.37cm).
The model comes with a pre-loaded set of apps: a suite of Google mobile applications including Google Search, Google Maps, Gmail, YouTube, etc. Users also get access to thousands of apps and widgets from Android Market.
Motorola Milestone has a 5 megapixel camera with dual-LED flash, and AutoFocus and image stabilisation.
MILESTONE comes preloaded with lifetime free access to fully voice-guided street-level navigable maps of 401 cities in India. This offers voice-guided navigation and routing in the cities and across major national and state highways. All the consumer needs to do is to launch ‘India’ maps from the MOTONAV application to enjoy an unparalleled navigational experience. The GPS navigation service is free with no activation or data charges, independent of mobile networks and can be used even without inserting the SIM card, as the maps are fully loaded on the MILESTONE.
“As an Android 2.1 device, MILESTONE does what other smartphones don’t. It was designed to enhance consumer experiences – and its full screen Web browsing experience, ability to juggle between multiple apps, and suite of Google applications, deliver. We have been delighted with the anticipation and demand for MILESTONE across the world and are pleased to announce its arrival in India today,” said Faisal Siddiqui, country head, mobile devices, Motorola India.
MILESTONE will be available in India at select retails outlets in select cities at an MRP of Rs. 32,990 /-
Courtesy: motorola.com
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Motorola Unveils Milestone: First Android 2.1 Powered Mobile in India
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Up Coming Phone on Mar 30th, 2010 |
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Personalization is the ultimate expression of luxury. It is also the elemental link in the relationship between a customer and brand, between expectations and service. It is to strengthen this link and to offer a unique experience to its clientele that Gresso has developed a concept of personalization that is totally new in mobile industry, a world first in fact.
Gresso is giving customers the opportunity to create their own mobile phone. This is a phone that will forge an instant and privileged relationship between designer and brand and one that, at the end of the creative process, will assert its unique character. Participating in the creation of such a personal object and playing an active role in determining its final aspect will be an unforgettable experience. In this sense, Gresso is placing the customer right at the centre of the process and thereby determining the shape of tomorrow’s mobile industry.
Almost 40 Combinations
It is only due to a special design of a phone case that the concept of personalization has been brought to life. In its concern to preserve the aesthetic harmony of the whole and not wanting to make an impact with tens of combinations, though this would be technically possible, Gresso opted for a carefully planned personalization system.
For this reason, personalization is based on three elements: case of special titanium alloy with high-tech ceramic covering, various types of leather decoration, keyboard design - absolutely flat or made of polished steel. Engraving the owner’s initials or an inscription on the inside of the device makes the ultimate stage of Gresso personalization service. In total, there are almost 40 combinations available from which to create an exceptional mobile phone that mirrors the owner’s personality.
The personalized phone can be envisaged and designed by the future buyer in the interactive “Online Boutique” on Gresso official website – www.gresso.com – or in the authorized dealers’ stores. It then enters its production cycle in Switzerland and will be delivered within 14 days, as agreed on beforehand with the client.
The price of the Gresso luxury collection starts from US$ 2200.
Courtesy: Gresso
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Gresso Develops Unique Concept of Personalization in Mobile Phone
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Up Coming Phone on Mar 29th, 2010 |
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HTC Corporation, a global designer of smartphones, and Telstra today announced the availability of the Android-powered HTC Desire smartphone, which will be available from 27 April exclusively on Telstra’s Next G network – Australia’s largest and fastest 3G network.
“HTC Desire continues HTC’s leadership in cutting-edge phone design and function,” said Anthony Petts, Sales and Marketing Director ANZ, HTC Corporation. “The new HTC Sense experience enhances the user’s ability to personalise their smartphone, discover endless possibilities with applications, and stay close to people like never before.”
Some of the applications featured on this enhanced version of HTC Sense include a new newsreader application and widget, an innovative seven-screen ‘helicopter’ thumbnail view for quick and easy access to specific screens, as well as a new widget called ‘HTC Friend Stream’ that seamlessly aggregates user’s social communication including Facebook, Twitter, and Flickr into one organised flow of updates.
“HTC Desire gives customers unprecedented ability to personalise their mobile,” said Ross Fielding, Executive Director, Mobility Products, Telstra. “Not only can customers select from a massive ecosystem of free and paid-for applications from the Android Market – as well as Telstra apps like Mobile FOXTEL– but they can completely re-configure how shortcuts and applications appear on their phone. Add to this a fast 1GHz Snapdragon processor, the Next G network’s unsurpassed coverage and speed, and Google’s latest Android operating system for mobiles and you have one of the most responsive, intuitive and exciting smartphones to launch in 2010.”
HTC Desire Key Features:
* The latest HTC Sense user experience
* Operates on Google’s new Android 2.1 operating system for smartphones
* Fast 1 GHz Snapdragon processor
* Integrated applications from Google including Gmail and Google Calendar
* Advanced 3.7 inch, WVGA AMOLED display with pinch-to-zoom capability
* 3.5 mm stereo audio jack
* HTC Friend Stream that seamlessly aggregates all of a customer’s social communication including Facebook, Twitter, and Flickr into one organised flow of updates
* Automatically lowers the ringer volume when the phone is picked up
* Mutes the ringer when the phone is flipped face down
* Backs up certain data and settings to the microSD card automatically, such as SMS/MMS messages, bookmarks, Wi-Fi passwords, and more
Availability and Pricing:
HTC Desire will be available for $0 on Telstra’s $60 consumer Phone Plan for 24 months (minimum total price $1440), or can be purchased outright with a RRP of $779 (INR. 35,000 /- approx.) . Customers can also take the handset on a mobile repayment option (MRO) with an eligible plan and pay off the $779 over 12 or 24 months. It is available from Telstra stores and dealers from the 27 April.
Courtesy: HTC Corporation
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HTC Launches Desire: New Android Smartphone on Telstra’s Next G Network
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Up Coming Phone on Mar 29th, 2010 |
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Living up to its brand promise of make. believe, Sony Ericsson today set off fireworks as its exciting new portfolio of phones was unveiled by Kareena Kapoor - its newly appointed brand ambassador for the region. Taking Sony Ericsson’s entertainment heritage to new heights, the phones - including the much awaited XPERIA X10, XPERIA X10 mini, XPERIA X10 mini pro, Vivaz, and Vivaz pro - combine rich graphics with intelligence capabilities.
Further building up the excitement quotient, Sony Ericsson also announced the roll out of an impelling marketing campaign with a barrage of new elements, including its association with the extremely talented and beautiful Kareena Kapoor. Another interesting aspect of the company’s upcoming campaign will be the greater emphasis on digital and social networks marketing, which is in synergy with what today’s evolving consumer wants.
Speaking on the launch of the new phones, Hirokazu Ishizuka, Corporate Vice President & Head of Asia Pacific region, Sony Ericsson Mobile Communication said, “As a brand, we have evolved. The proliferation of social and digital media is changing the consumer experience with mobile phones and the new portfolio we present today really takes communication entertainment to the next level.”
“Being one of the most widely-followed youth-icons, Kareena matches the level of energy, vibrancy, passion and fun associated with Sony Ericsson, and thereby elevates the aspiration value of the brand. We are also extremely excited about re-energizing the digital space with Kareena, as we debut her social networking that will allow her to engage with the rapidly growing digitally-evolved fan-base over various social networking platforms,” he added.
Speaking on her association with Sony Ericsson, Kareena Kapoor said, “I am very happy to be associated with Sony Ericsson. Having experienced the new phone - the XPERIA X10, I believe that Sony Ericsson truly represents the fusion of communication and entertainment in mobile device. I love my new feature rich Sony Ericsson XPERIA X10 that allows me to easily keep in touch with my family and friends, while keeping myself entertained on the go.”
The new portfolio also introduces a new UX platform that creates a unique Sony Ericsson user experience by combining best-in-class entertainment features with signature applications, unrivalled integration of social media services and a rich graphical user interface. Among the many new features, the new phones introduce signature applications like Mediascape and Timescape™ that lets consumers organise everything in their phone in an intuitive way.
* Sony Ericsson Timescape manages all communication with one person in one place. Users can browse through their conversations the bright way to check out their Facebook, Twitter, photos, emails, and texts all in one go
* Sony Ericsson Mediascape is the smart way to get all the music, photos and videos one wants from their favourite friends and artists. It accesses content from everywhere - the phone, YouTube, PlayNow - and presents all content in one place on the consumer’s phone.
Reinforcing its promise of Communication Entertainment, Sony Ericsson has also partnered with regional and local content and application providers to deliver the latest in entertainment content for consumers. Highlighting one such exclusive partnership, Mr. Ishizuka said, “We have a signed a regional partnership with MTV, whereby the Xperia X10 users will have exclusive access to the MTV application that will provide them news feeds and other updates from the channel.”
With India projected to become the second largest telecom market globally, Sony Ericsson sees immense potential in the region for its new portfolio. According to the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), the number of telecom subscribers in the country increased by 3.5 percent in December 2009, in comparison to November 2009. It is estimated that by mid 2012, around half the country’s population will own a mobile phone.
To tap the booming telecom market in India, Sony Ericsson has invested in multiple marketing campaigns that will help grow the brand’s market share in the region. Commenting on this, Mr. Ishizuka stated, “Social media will play an important role in how we engage with our consumers here in India. Sony Ericsson recognizes the critical need to maintain consumer touch points that incorporate all digital/social media mediums that will give us an opportunity to engage create new and exciting experiences for consumers.”
Sony Ericsson is also partnering with India’s leading content and application providers to deliver the latest in entertainment content for consumers. This includes leading players such as Hungama, MTV India, UTV, Shemaroo, Electronic Arts, Indiagames, and Disney mobile among others, who will come together with the mobile phone brand to offer content and applications to Sony Ericsson users in India. The company already has over 200 active partners in India spanning across entertainment, functional and technical verticals, and it will continue to work towards growing this base to present its evolved Communication Entertainment portfolio to engage the Indian consumer, and excite them through various marketing initiatives.
A sneak preview into the world of Sony Ericsson’s new superstars
Get set to be impressed with the awesome user experience of Xperia X10
XPERIA X10 is the signature phone in a family of phones to deliver a consistent user experience where communication truly becomes entertainment. Its new UX platform, and signature applications like Mediascape and Timescape, lets consumers organize everything in their phone in an intuitive way. While the Sony Ericsson Timescape brings all communication together in one place so users can see at a glance text messages, missed calls, and Facebook and Twitter updates, Mediascape is the smart way to get all the music, photos and videos you want from your favourite friends and artists. It accesses content from everywhere - your phone, YouTube, PlayNow - and presents everything for you. If you are the one who loves photos, then Xperia X10’s intelligent face recognition is dedicated to you! With the capacity to recognize up to five faces in any picture, you can automatically connect photos of your loved ones with your social phonebook and all other related communications with that person. MRP: Rs. 35,795 /-
Great things come in ‘mini’ packages - the infinite possibilities of the Xperia X10 mini & X10 mini pro
The Xperia X10 mini and X10 mini pro with slide out QWERTY keyboard, are compact versions of Xperia X10, and based on the human curvature design philosophy. The two sister mobile phones incorporate the signature application Sony Ericsson Timescape that manages all communication with one person in one place without having to open lots of different applications. To get groovy with your favourite music, let the “infinite button” on the interactive music player pull together all music content from the music store and YouTube! It’s also a smart way to search for new tracks from a favourite artist. So prepare yourself to enter the universe of an open and intuitive communication entertainment experience. MRP: Rs. 25,695 /-
The Xperia X10 mini and X10 mini pro with slide out QWERTY keyboard, are compact versions of Xperia X10, and based on the human curvature design philosophy. The two sister mobile phones incorporate the signature application Sony Ericsson Timescape that manages all communication with one person in one place without having to open lots of different applications. To get groovy with your favourite music, let the “infinite button” on the interactive music player pull together all music content from the music store and YouTube It’s also a smart way to search for new tracks from a favourite artist. So prepare yourself to enter the universe of an open and intuitive communication entertainment experience. MRP: Rs. 25,695 /-
Unleash the movie director in you with the high definition Sony Ericsson Vivaz
With Sony Ericsson Vivaz, communication truly becomes entertainment with high quality HD video. You can produce and broadcast your most memorable experiences with the latest video capture and sharing features. Record spontaneous moments with a dedicated video button that lets you shoot video instantly with continuous auto focus for the perfect film. Review your creation in the standby panel or online via Wi-Fi on the 3.2 inch widescreen, and if it’s praise-worthy, don’t forget to upload your favourite video via Wi-Fi onto YouTube and Picasa. Want more? Enjoy easy access to social networks such as Facebook and Twitter, and music on the Sony Ericsson media player. For your best moments, snap out your Vivaz, and capture life’s moments in high quality with the 8.1 MP camera!
Let your fingers do the magic of speedy social networking with the Vivaz Pro
Stay ahead of everyone else through faster typing on your email, Twitter, Facebook, blogging and chat with the all new Sony Ericsson Vivaz Pro, which adds a QWERTY keyboard to the touch screen offering to deliver a user experience optimized for messaging and entertainment. Like it’s big brother Vivaz, the Sony Ericsson Vivaz Pro also allows consumers to produce and broadcast their best experiences in HD video, viewed on the 3.2″ 16:9 wide touchscreen. Go innovative with the open platform that allows you to personalize their entertainment experience by downloading great applications through PlayNow and the Symbian Developer Community.
Courtesy: Sony Ericsson
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Kareena Kapoor Launches Sony Ericsson XPERIA & Vivaz Range Mobiles in India
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Up Coming Phone on Mar 27th, 2010 |
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The Videocon Group, one of India’s leading global business conglomerates announced the launch of its GSM mobile services. Videocon Telecommunications Limited, a group company, plans one of the fastest sequential roll-outs covering 100 key cities/towns over the next 100 days across the country. The company launched services in the Tamil Nadu circle today and will roll out in key cities across Punjab, Haryana, Gujarat, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh and Mumbai circle over the next fortnight. Videocon envisages investments of around Rs 14,000 crores in Videocon Mobile Services over the next 3 years.
Deploying a future ready 2.75G EDGE GSM network, Videocon Mobile Services offers subscribers innovative Value-Added Services (VAS) and superior customer service. Videocon Mobile Services will offer an unprecedented sub 1 paise effective tariff, which is designed to suit all pockets with a tariff plan that is transparent and simple.
Speaking on the occasion of the launch, Venugopal Dhoot, Chairman, Videocon Group said, “Videocon’s vision is to pioneer truly converged experiences for Indian consumers. We have embarked on a conscious strategy of diversification building businesses that are bound together by the common theme of convergence. With our consumer durable prowess, next generation DTH service and mobile handset technology, Videocon is uniquely positioned to seamlessly integrate technologies, platforms and hardware to offer a rich converged experience to consumers. The launch of Videocon Mobile Services is a decisive step forward in Videocon’s vision of enabling convergence right from within Homes to Outside, from a television’s large screen to a handset’s small screen. Combing innovative technology with effective pricing we aim to democratize technology and make next generation mobile services accessible to all across the country.”
Mr. Venugopal Dhoot added that, “Videocon Mobile Services will leverage the group’s established brand equity and vast retail reach, synergies of an integrated product portfolio and combine that with best of breed partners to offer compelling services. Over 160 million users across India have trusted the Videocon brand over the past 24 years. Videocon Mobile Services is well poised to rapidly build its subscriber base and we target 100 million users within three years.”
Signal of a Future Ready Network
Videocon Mobile Services network has integrated the expertise of global telecom industry leaders by partnering with them in creating a future ready infrastructure. We have partnered with Nokia Siemens Networks, Cisco, IBM, Amdocs, Gemalto, Comverse, Comviva, Avaya, Acision, Wipro, Oracle, Unisys and Huawei.
Signal of Enriched Customer Experience
A wide array of enhanced voice, data and SMS services will be made available to Videocon Mobile Services subscribers. Committed to offering a truly enriched customer experience, Videocon Mobile Services plans a host of global VAS innovations in the coming months.
Signal of Superior Customer Service
Videocon Mobile Services has invested considerably in creating an efficient customer service system which will deliver a high quality customised experience to subscribers. The company will be establishing 8 centres across India, where customers will be able interact with representatives in 15 Indian languages. The trained staff will be ably supported by customised IT solutions created for Videocon Mobile Services by global partners.
Signal of Superior Retail Reach
Videocon Mobile Services will leverage the group’s ability to quickly reach an established, strong dealer network and more than 1000 modern retail outlets including the exclusive tie up with the network of Planet M stores, NEXT stores and DigiWorld stores, where it plans to offer customers easy access to sales and services.
Pakdo Life Ka Har Signal
Videocon Mobile Service’s campaign draws on the thread of life’s myriad ’signals’ and their significance in our everyday lives. The refreshing Pakdo Life Ka Har Signal slogan, underlines Videocon’s commitment to deliver an efficient service through a strong network while also bringing alive the emotional connect as we celebrate life’s many ’signals’.
Courtesy: Videocon Mobile
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Videocon Announced The Launch of It’s GSM Mobile Services
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Up Coming Phone on Mar 26th, 2010 |
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Bharti Airtel and Apple have reached an agreement to bring iPhone 3GS, the fastest most powerful iPhone yet, to India in the coming months. For information please visit
http://www.airtel.in/iphone3gs/.
iPhone 3GS will be made available in two variants, namely, in 16Gb storage capacity that would cost around Rs. 35,500 /- and 32 GB which is expected to be offered at Rs. 41,500 /-
Bharti Airtel Limited, a group company of Bharti Enterprises, is among Asia’s leading integrated telecom services providers with operations in India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. In South Asia, the company had an aggregate of over 131 million customers as of end January 2010, including 121.7 million mobile customers in India. Bharti Airtel has been ranked among the six best performing technology companies in the world by Business Week.
Bharti Airtel is structured as four strategic business units - Mobile, Telemedia, Enterprise and Digital TV. The mobile business offers services in India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. The Telemedia business provides broadband, IPTV and telephone services in 95 Indian cities.
The Enterprise business provides end-to-end telecom solutions to corporate customers and national and international long distance services to carriers. The Digital TV business provides DTH services across India. All these services are provided under the Airtel brand.
Airtel’s national high-speed optic fibre network currently spans over 118,337 Rkms across India. Airtel’s international network infrastructure includes ownership of the i2i submarine cable system and consortium ownership in five global undersea cable systems, SEA-ME-WE 4, EIG, I-ME-WE, AAG and UNITY.
Courtesy: Bharti Airtel Limited
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Bharti Airtel & Apple to Bring iPhone 3GS: Fastest Powerful iPhone to India
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Google Mobile on Mar 26th, 2010 |
no responsesWe’ve previously given you a few tips on using Google Buzz for mobile, and today we’re focusing on the Buzz layer in Google Maps for mobile. As many of you have found out, location puts a different spin on Google Buzz, adding context to posts and letting anyone find relevant public posts in a natural way — on a map! We wanted to share some tips on a few creative ways we’ve seen you using the Google Buzz layer.
Explore the world around you
Are you curious if there’s anything interesting going on nearby? Enable the Buzz layer in Google Maps, then select any icon from the map or open the list view to see all the posts from the map area you’re viewing. We’ve found patients chatting from different hospital rooms, neighbors discussing a power outage, and even some public flirting. Here are a few more awesome examples we’ve stumbled upon:
- A father hearing his baby’s first heartbeats at the hospital
- Status updates of a rooftop fire being put out in San Francisco
- Shooting of the TV show “Trauma” on location
- Photos of the stadiums being built for the World Cup in South Africa
Ask questions and get answers
If you’re exploring a new area and looking for tips, post a question, and someone browsing Buzz in the area may be able to provide a quick answer. A few weeks ago on President’s Day, I was hanging out in the Russian Hill neighborhood of San Francisco. Rather than take my chances, I posted a question asking what the parking rules were. A friendly local soon informed me that I’d be free of parking stress — meters were enforced but permit parking was not.
Share a picture worth a thousand words
Even if you could type 100 words a minute from your phone, sometimes a picture tells a different story than words could ever describe. Google Maps for mobile or the Android Buzz widget lets anyone share a picture of their favorite dish or the funny street sign they’ve found. Just attach a photo to your post or take a new one before posting. We’ve found great cases of citizen photo journalism on the public Google Buzz layer, such as traffic accidents blocking roads and location-tagged Picasa Web Albums showing the earthquake recovery in Haiti.
Give tips or learn about places 
Google Buzz posts you create in Maps will always include your location (i.e. “My Location”) by default, but you can easily change the approximate location to a specific place, such as a restaurant. For example, change the post’s location and select the restaurant from the suggestions list before posting to give a recommendation or tip. Alternatively, you can search for the restaurant in Maps and select the Google Buzz option from the search results page (the post’s location will automatically be the restaurant). Now, people reading your post will know that your recommendation is about that exact restaurant, and your recommendation will be available for anyone browsing that restaurant’s search results page.
…and one reminder
Because we built Google Buzz in Maps for mobile to let you share information about places with the world, posts from Maps are always public to the web and include a location, either your approximate one or a specific place you choose.
To get started, install the latest version of Google Maps 4.0+ on your Android 1.6+, Windows Mobile, or Symbian S60 phone (BlackBerry coming soon; see availability details) by visiting m.google.com/maps on your phone and going to Layers > Buzz from the Maps main menu. From Android, iPhone, and iPod touch devices, you can also use the buzz.google.com Nearby view and map just like the Maps layer.
Visit our Help Center to learn more or tell us your feedback and questions in our Help Forum. Give us suggestions and vote on other people’s on the Mobile Product Ideas page!
Posted by Chris Nguyen, Product Marketing, Google Mobile Team
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Tips for exploring the Buzz layer in Google Maps for mobile
Last December on the Official Google Blog, we announced how universal search features in Google Suggest could show useful information while the user is composing a query from the Google home page. Today, we are bringing this same functionality to mobile phones so that getting answers while on the go is even faster and easier. For example, let’s say you’re flying to London and want to know: Is my flight on time? Or what is the exchange rate of the pound? As you type the flight “Ba 284″ or “Usd in pounds”, the answers are provided right below the search box, without having to wait for the results page. Other searches that show answers include weather (e.g., “weather london”), stock quotes (e.g., “intc”), current time (e.g., “time london”), calculator (e.g. “29*37″) and unit conversion (e.g., “220 miles in km”).
To try this yourself, go to google.com on your phone’s browser and type your own query to see these special results under the search box. Note that if you don’t see these results at first, try refreshing the page in your browser. The functionality is currently supported on Android-powered devices, iPhones/iPods and Palm WebOS devices in the US.
