by Avneet

The Mobile World

With India boasting of having one of the biggest mobile phone markets in the world, it becomes imperative that you stay updated with what all is happening or is in the offing by the mobile phone industry. We are touted as a nation with some of the most brilliant minds. Coupling that with the massive phone user base, mobile based applications and services are poised to become the next platform for communication and entertainment.

With all the technological advances happening around us at such a fast pace, that a new technology today seems outdated a few days later, we present a list of the top phones we currently have our radar fixed on. These phones defy convention, break the mold and come out in the open as uniquely new innovations. They are bound to make your head turn, heart beat stop and set your pulse racing for sure. Be sure to click the names and be guided to pages with complete description and photos.

Google Click

Yes, you read it right. Google is coming out with a phone! Joining the race in the mobile phone market, and looking to give tough competition to the likes of Microsoft and Apple, Google is now foraying into the market with its debut product, Google Click (Working name; final not confirmed). The phone, already being described as the ‘iPhone killer’, has been confirmed to be in the development and testing stages at Google’s headquarters.

As is expected the phone is entirely a touch screen, with no keys and has excellent support for multi touch. The standard features include a mammoth 4 inch screen, camera (expected >2MP), quad band GSM support etc. Then how, you might ask, are people calling it the iPhone killer. The answer lies in the power that Google is feared for the most- Software technology. Combine Google talk with phone services and you get a revolutionary phonebook and advanced messaging and dialing options. Combine Google Maps with GPS, and you get the best positioning system available. Of course, the phone will have an advanced web browser in order to harness the tru essence of Google’s prowess- the Internet.

Its being speculated however, that unlike other phones, it will not have a big storage capacity; rather most applications and storage will be done over the web, making it imperative for Google to introduce a revolutionary wireless networking technology.

Expectancy Rating: 11/10 (Because Google always does something amazing out of the blue and makes everyone go green with envy)

Apple iPhone

This is a pretty obvious inclusion in the list. Everyone who’s anyone wants the iPhone. If not for its stellar looks, then for its advanced multi touch technology. Apple has given consumers a multitude of reasons to buy the ‘revolutionary phone’ as they call it. It launches on 29th June, 2007 at price tags of $500 and $600 for the 4GB and 8GB models respectively.

The iPhone is not just a phone; it is a combination of an advanced web browsing device, an iPod and a camera, its just that it can let you make calls too. The revolutionary multi-touch technology has been implemented in the phone and by the keynote speeces and demonstrations, it looks extremely impressive.

The downsides of the phone however are things that cannot be ignored. The phone has NO keys (apart from the 1 home button) at all, raising doubts over whether people in a country like ours would be able to use it with ease. Another shortcoming is the non-support of MMS (Multimedia Messaging Service). However, it does come with built in Wi-Fi and GPS, thus trying to make up for these shortcomings.

Overall, a gadget I would certainly recommend people to buy and test and use. For the price of $500, you get an iPod, a phone and an excellent screen utilizing the next big thing in hardware- multi touch.

Expectancy Rating – 10/10

Sony Ericsson SO903iTV

If the above name sounds confusing to you, let me summarize it in a different way- its Sony’s TV phone. Yes, building up on the idea of companies like Apple implementing their hit products like iPods onto their phones, Sony now brings the revolutionary Bravia technology engine for televisions onto the phone screens.

Sony has for long been credited as the father of the picture tube technology. Although invented by other companies, Sony has pioneered innovative new technologies that have improved viewing by many folds. Their latest TV engine, Bravia, successor to the hugely popular WEGA engine, is credited as the best LCD/Plasma engine in the world.

Sony’s mobile phone division, Sony Ericsson (50% with Ericsson), has now taken it upon itself to integrate this technology and present to the world the first TV phone. Now you might question that many phones like the presently popular Nokia N95 already offer TV streaming services, what’s so different in this phone? Well the answer is that the screen you hold in your hand while using this phone, is not a standard mobile phone LCD screen, but a small TV screen. Viewing television or movies on this screen would be a whole new experience with a dedicated engine serving the same.

The phone is now in manufacturing stage and will be shipped initially in Japan only (due to TV services being offered on mobile networks there). The overall design, features and the prospect of being able to use the first TV phone, make this phone one hard device to ignore.

Expectancy Rating: 9/10

LG KE850 (Prada Phone)

Now many of us might not know, but LG actually contested claims that Apple copied its KE 850 phone’s design for the iPhone. One look at their model and you can say why. The KE 850, popularly referred to as the LG Prada phone, is already readily available in the markets and had been in design stage since early 2006. The phone’s designing has been exclusively handled by Prada and thus is extremely fashionable.

The phone offers features similar to the iPhone; Multi touch, MP3 player, 2MP camera et all. The phone’s tone however, is not the bright one that Apple generally chooses for its products. It has a dark, yet very stylish, feel to it and thus, although the screen has 16 million colors to display, the main menu and screen are set in a black and white tone. These can be changed, but would not look in tone with the phone’s design otherwise.

As mentioned above, the phone is already available in the market, mostly through Prada boutiques all over Europe. The phone retails for close to $350-400, making it a much cheaper alternative than the iPhone. The points of competency are Apple’s superior software, better multi touch support and a better brand name. The LG Prada phone is only aimed at fashion enthusiasts; testimony to this fact is the velvet cleaning cloth and the designer casing by Prada accompanying all handsets. However, publicity due to comparisons with the iPhone, have now made this phone a must have for all, irrespective of fashion sense.

Expectancy Rating: 8/10

Apart from the above mentioned phones, another head turner is the Nokia E90 . Ever since Nokia introduced the Communicator series of phones, people have been amazed at the innovative thinking they employed for the same. However, each successive model had some shortcomings which made the communicators fail in reaching the expectations attached with them. However, the new Nokia E90 has learnt lessons well from its predecessors and comes like never before. Dual 16 million color screens, mammoth storage options, vibrator (for the first time in a communicator), 3.5MP camera, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, EDGE; the list is endless. A sure shot success; this phone should be highly anticipated by all office executives and students alike.

With a plethora of options coming your way, you can be rest assured that the customer is still the king of the market in the world today. Companies continue to offer wide ranges of products, making consumers actually think as to what product would give them the best value for their money.

Look out for these phones and more, as the Indian mobile market gets set to undergo a massive technological change in the coming years.