Bell launched new text message feature

New $5 unlimited international text messaging feature 
Bell clients can now text anywhere in the world from Canada for just $5 per month. 

Apple iPhone 5 Launch

Sales of the Apple’s iPhone 4S are winding down: with the coming of the iPhone 5 and Samsung hits iPhone sales

Get ready for the mother of all product launches.

That was the message earlier this week from the top brass at Apple. Sales of the iPhone 4S are winding down: with the coming of the iPhone 5, Steve Jobs’ heirs are about to face their first real test.

Even by Apple’s own vaunted standards, this is shaping up to be a product launch for the ages. It is hard to overstate the significance of this single gadget to the world’s most valuable company. If sales in the fourth quarter of this year manage even the relatively modest 20 per cent growth that passes for a down quarter at Apple these days then the iPhone 5, which is expected to debut in the autumn, would notch up nearly $30bn in sales in the final three months of this year.

To put things in perspective: that is as much as the entire portfolio of IBM, one of the biggest tech companies in the world, generated in sales during last year’s fourth quarter, which is always Big Blue’s strongest period of the year.

The volatility that has crept into the iPhone sales cycle, revealed in the company’s latest quarterly figures on Tuesday, shows just how challenging it has become to manage the world’s most successful consumer product. iPhone revenues jumped by 120 per cent in the final months of last year after the device was launched, eased back 7 per cent in the next quarter, and have now slumped nearly 30 per cent. That the latest sales drop equates to more than $6bn gives a sense of how much of a rollercoaster the iPhone product cycle has become.

The iPhone’s main selling point has never lain in having industry-leading tech specs, but by making relatively few changes to the last iPhone, there is now a risk that Apple will be perceived to be playing catch-up. Smartphone screen sizes have crept up and Samsung has consciously positioned itself as the tech leader in the category.

The inbuilt advantage that comes with the App Store is still significant, but Apple faces a challenge in turning heads by inventing new things to do with each new generation of the iPhone. The supposed “killer apps” shown with the past two versions – FaceTime video conferencing and the Siri question-and-answer function – have failed to make the leap from gimmick to essential utility. The new Apple maps service will be an essential ingredient of future iPhones, but this will hardly be seen as a differentiator.

Pulling off the company’s biggest-ever product launch is only one part of the balancing act that Tim Cook and the rest of the tech industry’s highest rated management team face this autumn.

The second challenge will be to prove that they can expand the market for both the iPhone and iPad and are not destined to be caught in the trap of high prices. That will mean hitting lower price points without crushing their company’s profit margins.

This is starting to make Wall Street uneasy. From 47.4 per cent in the first three months of this year, Apple is now predicting that its gross margin will drop to 38.5 per cent in the current quarter, about the level it hit two years ago. Average selling prices for both the iPhone and iPad edged down by about 4 per cent in the latest quarter. As growth shifts to the emerging markets and to new opportunities in the developed world, such as the education market, pricing decisions are starting to loom large.

The strategy Apple has chosen is very different from the one it pursued with the iPod. That device became a textbook case of effective market segmentation, as the Mini and Nano enabled it to dominate all parts of the market.

With the iPhone and iPad it has taken a different tack, holding out against diluting the products: instead, it has shaved something off the price of older models. Meanwhile, it is locked in a power battle with the real customers for the iPhone – the mobile carriers who subsidise the device in most parts of the world – to prevent a faster erosion of its prices.

The challenge for Apple has been to manage all this without leaving a pricing umbrella that allows rivals to steal in and take a large slice of the expanding market. Enter the latest challenger: Google’s new 7-inch tablet, the Nexus 7. While the device has drawn glowing reviews for its impressive hardware, the real disruption lies in its price; at $199 in the US, it costs only half as much as the cut-price version of the older iPad.

The time is fast approaching for Mr Cook to prove that his company deserves its place at the head of the new touchscreen computing and smartphone industry. As always with Apple, the hyperbole is likely to be deafening.

Bell launched new Samsung Galaxy S3 in Canada

By now, the story of Samsung’s smashing success in the Galaxy S3 has been often told: over nine million pre-orders internationally, positive reviews and – rather unfortunately – supply issues brought about by overwhelming demand for the smartphone’s North American release. According to MobileSyrup, units of the Galaxy S3 in both Pebble Blue and Marble white colors have started getting to Bell Canada’s retail locations.

Bell Canada offers the 16GB Galaxy S3 at $159.95 and the 32GB model at $209.95 tied up to a three-year contract.

The Samsung Galaxy S III superphone features a 4.8” HD Super AMOLED screen and runs on the blazing-fast LTE network.


Its intuitive motion commands and features make sharing and completing tasks easier. The picture-in-picture display lets you watch videos while checking your email or surfing the Web. Plus, it’s preloaded with the Android 4.0 operating system.

Bonus: get 50 GB of online storage with Dropbox free for 2 years when you get the Samsung Galaxy S III.

Revolutionary motion-sensing features

The Samsung Galaxy S III is truly a natural extension of yourself with innovative motion-sensing features. For instance, it knows when you want to talk – if you’re messaging a friend and want to call instead, simply lift the phone to your ear and it will dial automatically. The phone will also notify you of missed calls and messages, right when you pick it up.

Plus, share photos, music, videos and more like never before between phones with a simple tap, thanks to S Beam™. This incredible superphone only goes to bed when you do: as long as you look at the phone, it maintains a bright display.

Blazing-fast speeds

The Samsung Galaxy S III runs on the Bell LTE network, reaching super-fast maximum download speeds of up to 75 Mbps¹ (expected average download of 12–25 Mbps). Unlike some other carriers, the Bell network never falls back to 2G, so you can surf, stream and browse faster than ever before.

LTE is available in several areas and expanding further in 2012. Learn more about the LTE rollout. Outside LTE coverage areas, you'll get access to 4G speeds of up to 42 Mbps. See the coverage map.

Incredible Mobile TV

With its amazing 4.8” HD Super AMOLED screen, ultra-fast response time, powerful 1.5 GHz dual-core processor and blazing-fast LTE speeds, the Samsung Galaxy S III is perfect for Mobile TV. No matter where you are, you can watch shows, sports and news on over 25 live TV channels with Bell Mobile TV. Plus, catch live HD Olympic Games coverage on the go, only from Bell.

Super-intelligent camera

This amazing 8 megapixel camera has a feature called Burst Shot that lets you take 20 pictures in succession to make a continuous scene. You can also enable the Best Photo option within Burst Shot – it automatically takes a burst of eight shots and chooses the nicest one. Plus, the Samsung Galaxy S III recognizes your friends’ faces and can share photos with them instantly. You can also enable the camera to automatically shoot right from the lock screen, so you’re always ready to capture the moment.

The ultimate Android platform

Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) brings an entirely new look and feel to Android. It has widgets, notifications, efficient multitasking and more. Plus, with access to over 500,000 apps on Google Play, you’ll always have amazing resources and entertainment on hand.

iPhone 5 Release Date: 4″ iPhone Screen, Rumored Specs, iOS 6 Release Date, WWDC & Concept Photos

With the wildly popular World Wide Developers Conference (WWDC) coming in June – only weeks away – the Apple rumor mill is heating up. And with multiple leaked reports confirming a larger iPhone screen, all eyes will be on Apple [NASDAQ: AAPL]. And with WWDC only weeks away the rumor mills surrounding the iPhone 5 release date and iOS 6 sepcs have been rampant. The biggest news from Apple is that it appears that the iOS 6 release date will be aligned with Apple’s WWDC and that you should expect to see an iPhone 5 release date this fall.

Here are the latest in iPhone rumors including what we’ve heard about the iPhone5 release date, larger iPhone screen and the upcoming World Wide Developers Conference.

iPhone 5 Release Date

Even with multiple conflicting reports, we are rather certain that the iPhone 5 will be released this fall. Now that could be either September or October. Even though Apple has unveiled iPhone’s at previous WWDC events, the iPhone 5 will not be unveiled at WWDC this year. Apple broke their cycle of announcing new iPhones in June last year when they announced the iPhone 4S in the fall. Unveiling iOS 6 in June also hints at a definite fall release of the iPhone 5 which will of course be running iOS 6.

iPhone 5 Potential Specs

We’ll start with the most anticipated feature – A MUCH LARGER SCREEN – which has been on everyone’s mind since the release of the second generation iPhone. According to the WSJ, “The new screens measure at least 4 inches diagonally, the people said, compared with 3.5 inches on Apple’s latest model, the iPhone 4S. Production is set to begin next month, the people said. Analysts have predicted that the next iPhone will come out in the fall.”

Here are some pretty killer photos of what the next iPhone could look like, thanks to Mashable.

Ok, back to specs. And the first thing to consider with a larger iPhone screen is the affect on the developer market. When the iPad 3 came out, Apple made developers create entirely new apps in order to fit the new screen resolution. However, Apple has so much control over the market, that they can do this, unfortunately.

Next is 4G LTE compatibility for the iPhone5. Apple is currently late to the game with this as most Android phones are already using the 4G network. Third, a quad core processor and upgraded chipset. Next, is the potential of a 3D camera for the iPhone. Last but not least is the introduction of a “LiquidMetal” casing which would allow for a stronger and unique casing. Check out the report below. In addition to a few new specs, you can expect to see an updated operating system aka iOS 6. Here are some rumors surrounding the iOS 6 release date.

Aside from the above iPhone spec rumors, here is a recent report offering some detail into the new iPhone size, screen and a new connector. From ilounge:

What we’ve learned: the new iPhone will indeed be longer and thinner than the iPhone 4 and 4S. Approximate measurements are 125mm by 58.5mm by 7.4mm—a 10mm jump in height, nearly 2mm reduction in thickness, and virtually identical width. According to our source, Apple will make one major change to the rear casing, adding a metal panel to the central back of the new iPhone. This panel will be flat, not curved, and metal, not ceramic. Our artist’s rendition provides a rough idea of what this change will look like; it echoes the current-generation iMac design, to be sure.

iPhone 5 Concept

iPhone 5 Concepts are a dime a dozen, but this video mockup from Aatma Studios is pretty cool.  Regardless of which concepts are actually applied to the iPhone 5 (if any) the video is pretty creative.

German Court Orders YouTube to Filter Content, Remove Videos

A German court on Friday ordered Google to install filtering software on its YouTube service in Germany to prevent users from uploading copyrighted material.
Hamburg's state court sided with German copyright organization GEMA, which had sued Google's YouTube unit two years ago to have 12 music videos for which it holds copyrights be taken down, the Associated Press reported Friday. GEMA, which represents about 64,000 German writers and musicians, argued that its members were losing money when their music was displayed on YouTube.
YouTube, meanwhile, maintained that it bears no legal responsibility for uploaded content, but checks and blocks clips that are flagged as possible copyright violations. YouTube also offers copyright-holders software to help them flag content that infringes on their rights.
The Hamburg court ordered YouTube to take down 7 of the 12 contested clips, but said the popular site does not have to monitor all the content that is uploaded.
"The platform operator only has the obligation to block the video ... and take appropriate measures to hinder further rights violations after being notified about the copyright violation," the court said, according to the AP. "There is no obligation to control all videos already uploaded to the platform."
Google is expected to appeal the ruling, The New York Times reported. The Mountain View, Calif.-based company called the decision a partial victory, however.
"Today's ruling confirms that YouTube as a hosting platform cannot be obliged to control the content of all videos uploaded to the site," a YouTube spokesperson said in a statement. "We remain committed to finding a solution to the music licensing issue in Germany that will benefit artists, composers, authors, publishers and record labels, as well as the wider YouTube community."
The court case began in 2010, after talks between YouTube and Gema over royalties reached a stalemate. Copyrighted material controlled by GEMA has not been available on YouTube since 2009, when the previous agreement expired. Google said it would resume negotiations, The New York Times reported.

Facebook in Punjabi a hit among youngsters

Ludhiana, April 11
The announcement that Facebook for mobile phones is going to be launched in eight Indian languages, including Punjabi and Hindi, has brought cheer amongst the youth in and around the city.

There is a sizeable and growing community of people in the region using Punjabi as the language for surfing websites. Youngsters from both rural and urban areas in and around the city are connected on Facebook.

Sarabjit Singh, a BA student, said that he used to write in Punjabi using English alphabets. But the introduction in Punjabi on mobile phones would ease things up. "Regional language written using the English alphabet seems funny and frivolous," he says.

According to the noted Punjabi poet Jaswant Zafar, who is a regular user of the popular social networking website in Punjabi, “There is a vast community of Facebook users in Punjabi, but there was always a constraint of using it on computers. Mobile platform may propel the online use of Punjabi."

Padam Shri awardee Surjit Patar said, "Mobile phones these days are very popular with the youth and so is Facebook. It is good that even while using Facebook on phones, there would be no constraint for people to use the Roman script for sharing and writing Punjabi poetry."

“Such initiatives are aimed at increasing the footprint of social networking sites, but they are also facilitate the growth of the languages as a byproduct,” he said.

Bharti Airtel launches the country’s first 4G service in India

New Delhi, April 10
The country’s largest telecom operator Bharti Airtel launched India’s first 4G service in Kolkata today. Airtel’s 4G (TD-LTE) network was launched by Minister of Communications and Information Technology Kapil Sibal.

Airtel, which is a leading global telecom services provider with operations in 20 countries across Asia and Africa, has launched the service on a state-of-the-art network based on TD-LTE, making India one of the first countries in the world to commercially deploy the cutting-edge technology.

With this launch, India joins the most advanced telecom markets in the world and marks the beginning of a new chapter in the country’s telecom success story.

The launch will trigger a new phase of accelerated equitable and inclusive economic growth through proliferation of broadband services as envisioned in the draft National Telecom Policy. It provides for download speeds as high as 40 Mbps and the upload speed of 20 Mbps.

Incidentally, ZTE has built 4G network capable of offering speed of 100 Mbps. Today’s launch is the first in a series of launches planned across the country by Bharti Airtel. It has chalked out its 4G rollout strategy where it will launch 4G services in Bangalore in the next 30 days and has selected Huawei as the network supplier for the Karnataka circle.

In the next phase, the company will launch LTE services in Pune and Chandigarh. Airtel will focus on both individuals and enterprises.

The company has selected Nokia Siemens for Maharashtra, while it is yet to decide the network partner for Chandigarh.

Commenting on the launch, Sunil Bharti Mittal, chairman and managing director of the company said, “Today’s launch is a major milestone for India and Airtel. Over the past 15 years, Airtel has been at the forefront of India’s telecom revolution and has set the technology trends in India by aligning with the global standards.”

“We are delighted to now provide leadership in setting the technology standard for 4G services in India by introducing the cutting edge TD-LTE. We are confident that others will follow in this direction and participate in our pioneering effort of making TD-LTE the de facto 4G standard in India,” he added.

The service will allow superfast access to high definition (HD) video streaming, multiple chatting, instant uploading of photos and much more. Airtel claims that charges for Airtel 4G services are comparable with other leading operators offering broadband services in the country.

Bharti Airtel is one of the founding members of the Global TD-LTE Initiative (GTI) which was launched at the Mobile World Congress 2011. Other key founding members of the global initiative include China Mobile and Softbank Mobile.

lightning fast

NETWORK: Airtel 4G (TD-LTE)

SPEED: 40 Mbps for download and 20 Mbps for upload

BENEFIT: Allows superfast access to high-definition video streaming, multiple chatting, instant uploading of photos etc

CHARGES: Comparable with other operators offering broadband services in the country

NEXT DESTINATIONS: After Kolkata, the company plans to launch 4G services in Bangalore, Pune and Chandigarh