Tata Docomo has been in the 3G race since quite some time and has continued to impress customers with its pricing and 3G data packages. And now the network is offering revised 3G data packs for modems or dongles. These revised plans will definitely impress new and existing customers alike.

Docomo has introduced a First Recharge Voucher of Rs. 109 and 299 with which users will be entitled to speeds of 3.6 Mbps and 21.1 Mbps respectively. The Rs. 109 pack will come with a data usage limit of 2 GB while the Rs. 299 pack will have a 3 GB limit. Both the FRCs come with a validity of one month (30 days).

Docomo has also changed the existing data plans for the users’ convenience. The data plans with speeds of 3.6 Mbps start from Rs. 352 (350 MB free data) and extend up to Rs. 1250 (10 GB free data). The 7.2 Mbps plans start from Rs. 752 onwards (1.5 GB free data) and will extend up to Rs. 1500 (10 GB free data). The users will have a tough time picking the best plan since the differences between the 3.6 Mbps and the 7.2 Mbps plans are very marginal.

Let’s face it, watching movies in multiplexes today isn’t as economical as it used to be. People have to spend a fortune to watch a movie and the wallet is going to take a hit if friends or families are tagging along. But that is about to change if you are a Uninor customer in the Mumbai telecom circle with the introduction of Uninor Super Hit Wednesday.

The network has now announced a deal with Cinemax according to which, Uninor users will be entitled to a free ticket with the purchase of one ticket. The offer is valid in any Cinemax theatre in the Mumbai circle, but will be available only on Wednesdays. Uninor users can reap benefits of this service by simply dialling 50001 after which a 13 digit number will be given for your reference. This number is to be produced at the ticket counter so that the free ticket will be provided. This offer will benefit most movie goers who prefer going to the movies on weekdays, not to mention movie buffs. This will be a limited period offer valid till the last Wednesday of August.

The backbone of the Indian telecom sector, BSNL has been known for having the best network coverage in the country and also for the offers that it provides. And now, the network is joining hands with Itz, which is known for top up recharge cards for cellphones, DTH services and others. According to this deal, users will be able to make recharges, pay postpaid bills, subscription charges etc with BSNL’s Trust Card. The best part however is that users will also be able to pay other bills that a normal citizen of the country has to deal with like water, cooking gas, electricity, flight/train or bus ticket bookings and a lot of other expenses.

Since this is a new service, it is being rolled out in Chennai, Kolkata, Chandigarh and Pune in BSNL outlets as well as Itz Cash Card outlets. BSNL however plans to roll out the service in other regions of the country as well. The Trust Cards will be available in 3 variants – Rs. 250, Rs. 500 and Rs. 1000. This service will certainly make the process of paying bills much easier, but since the denominations are available only up to Rs. 1000, bills with larger amounts cannot be paid. Either way, this service will be beneficial to many.

Touch and type phones offer good functionality for the texting freaks and the people who prefer a touchscreen. Companies like Nokia, Samsung and a bunch of other companies have pioneered in that segment with their unique range of touch and type phones. And now, LG is new to the list with its Android touch and type handset, the Optimus Pro. This will be LG’s first attempt with a handset of this form factor.

LG will be looking to price the device appropriately (Rs. 13,000 approx) which will make it a handset to reckon with. The Optimus Pro will hit Indian shelves in August according to the source.  LG apparently will launch this mid ranged handset alongside the company’s flagship, the Optimus 3D. This handset will be seen running on the latest iteration of Android. We’ll keep you updated for any new developments.

Specifications:

• 2.8 inch capacitive display.
• 3.15MP camera.
• 800 MHz CPU.
• 256 MB RAM, 150 MB storage (expandable with a microSD card).
• Wi-Fi, HSPA+, Bluetooth.
• Android 2.3.3 Gingerbread

Online payments or mobile recharges are not new to us. Websites like Paytm provide online recharge facilities for mobiles. And now Vodafone has introduced a similar but much better service with the help of social networking site Facebook. The Vodafone Webstore on Facebook will offer a bunch of features for Vodafone users.

Users can recharge their Vodafone number or add top ups, add value added services like dialler tunes, download videos, MMS services, MNP or mobile number portability, music, sports scores or basically do everything which a retailer can do.

With the wide number of Facebook users in the country, it could only make more sense for Vodafone to seek refuge of the popular social networking website. This certainly simplifies the whole process of recharging your mobile number and also brings along a couple of other features to the table. We think other network operators should take inspiration from Vodafone and should introduce services like these of its own. It seems like the folks at Vodafone understand the concept of social media pretty well.

Network operators have been offering special plans for the members of a family or a group of friends since quite some time. The whole point of this plan is to help the users stay in touch more often with the people they interact more. And now MTNL has introduced a Friends and Family Plan for the users of the Delhi. Users with prepaid 2G and 3G connections can apply for this plan.

According to this service, a user can opt for up to 5 local MTNL numbers (both landline and mobile) after which the user will be able to make calls for as low as 10 paisa per minute for the selected numbers. But to avail this service, users will have to make a recharge of Rs. 50 (30 days validity).

Interested users can call 1503 which is a toll free number for MTNL users, after which steps will be taken for the activation of the service. The customers will greatly benefit from the Family and Friends plan from MTNL, and now users will have more than one reason to keep their landline numbers intact.

Most Indian network operators introduced the Mobile Number Portability Service some time ago. This service helps users to switch to other networks according to their liking. And according to the latest numbers, Idea was the top network with over 1.9 million (19,93,684) users switching to the network or otherwise known as port-in customers.

Interestingly, Vodafone had more port ins than Idea but is still behind Idea due to the fact that there were more port outs than Idea, meaning that more users switched from Vodafone to another network. Airtel came in at third place with about 24,07,929 port ins and 17,37,992 port outs, Aircel was fourth with about 6,01,859 port ins and 5,22,672 port outs.

It is not surprising that Idea has emerged on top considering the offers that Idea brings to the table. Though some users have claimed that Idea has been favourable towards particular regions, we have to give credit to Idea. According to the port ins and port outs ratio, Idea loses the least amount of customers per 100 port ins (57 as compared to 67 and 72 from Vodafone and Airtel respectively).

Global tech giant Motorola has now announced the arrival of the mid ranged Android smartphone, the Fire or Motorola XT316. The handset is available in China currently and will be gradually rolled out to other Asian countries, including India.

The handset as we mentioned is a mid-ranged device and nothing fancy can be expected, though the handset comes packing with more than decent specs for a budget ranged Android handset.

The Fire is specifically aimed at developing nations which have a growing market for budget handsets like these. India would be a good place for the Fire given the market conditions. Currently, manufacturers like Micromax and others have a hold on the Indian low end and mid-range cellphone market. But if Motorola prices the Fire appropriately in the Indian sub-continent, we might have a winner in our hands.

Specifications of XT316

• Display – 2.8 inch QVGA display.
• Camera 3MP fixed focus camera.
• 600 MHz processor.
• Memory – 256 MB of RAM with 512 MB of built in storage (with a microSD card slot for memory expansion).
• Connectivity – Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS.
• Platform – Android 2.3 Gingerbread.

Wouldn’t it be nice to keep a record of the previous call transactions? This will help users to keep a track on the data usage, or the amount spent for the previous call. And BSNL seems to understand that and has now introduced a new service which will help the users get a record of up to 5 of the previous transactions.

Users will get to choose to get details about the last transaction or the last 5 of them. And the best part is that this service will not cost users anything. The service has been initially made available in the regions of Chennai (TN) and Kerala.

Users can send an SMS based on what details they want. If they are looking for the last transaction, they will have to send an SMS – LAST and send it to 53733. This will give users the info about the duration of the last call made, the amount charged, data charges and the current balance.

In case users want to get details of the last 5 call transactions, they can send an SMS – LAST FIVE and send it to 53733 which will reveal 5 of the previous transactions with the call duration, data charges and the available balance in the user’s account. BSNL plans to make this service available in other regions of the country as well.

Touchscreen phones are pouring in to the Indian market from both native and foreign manufacturers. But there is a major difference in quality with between the foreign and the Indian handsets. That is mainly because native manufacturers are looking for a spot in the mid ranged consumer market. And now another Indian manufacturer, Maxfone Mobiles, has introduced a new touchscreen phone called the ZT1.

The phone comes with features that most users demand from a mid-ranged handset. It has a dual SIM standby and social networking features (Facebook, Yahoo, E-Buddy etc). It also has motion sensors with which users can change the current music track with a shake. The phone also features a trendy 3D like user interface which will definitely impress users. The handset will be sold for Rs. 4860. The Maxfone ZT1 has a very catchy design with a striking black colour. So no compromises have been made with the design.

Specifications of Maxfone ZT1 -

• Display – 3.2 inch touchscreen display.
• Camera – 2MP camera.
• Memory – Up to 8 GB of expandable memory.
• Connectivity – GPRS, WAP services.