Technology Blog of Vikas SN

The much hyped iPhone 3G is coming on BSNL networks soon. According to BSNL, it plans to launch the phone by Dec 2008 along with the launch of 3G network.

This might be a severe blow to its competitors Vodafone and Airtel, who currently hold the license to distribute iPhone in India since BSNL phones will support 3G network right from its inception unlike themselves.

But the big question is that whether BSNL will also carry the same price tag as its rivals Vodafone and Airtel or will opt for a price cut on the phone?

The only answer to this is to wait and watch.

Hoping that the BSNL's entry will lower the price of  iPhone. :)

What do you say?

Update 1: iPhone Loans

Apparently Both Vodafone and Airtel have tied up with banks such as ICICI Bank, Axis Bank and Barclays Bank etc to provide loans to potential customers who are planning to buy the iPhone but can’t afford it immediately.

“As per the arrangement, customers who hold a credit card of any of these banks can avail iPhone without any down payment and at a rate which will be significantly below the interest rates charged for credit cards or personal loans,” said a top official of a leading telecom service provider.

Update 2: Bharti Airtel has said that Apple iPhone will first be launched across six cities in the country. On the other hand, Vodafone, the other player in the fray, also has launched the gadget at the same time.

The phone was sold at Hyderabad and Bangalore besides the four metropolitan cities today. It will be later introduced in 65 cities.

According to Airtel, it has received 2,00,000 pre-bookings for the phone since the process had started about two months back.

Airtel Head is however unperturbed about the availability of number of softwares in the market for hacking the iPhone. He is optimistic that the customers who will opt for Airtel will be able to enjoy iPhone's full benefits including its attractive data plans.

Vodafone has finally announced its prices for iPhone 3G. It is 31,000 for 8GB model and 36,100 for 16GB model. Therefore even a minute chance of buying it for me goes off!!!

What do you say? Do you still wanna buy iPhone 3G?

So you still interested ha!!! Then hurry to Vodafone Stores coz they have very limited stock it seems and also be ready to cough up 10,000 rupees as an advance to confirm your booking. The iPhone 3G will be available at select Vodafone Stores.

All you need to do is drop in at any of the select Vodafone Stores between August 20 and 21 and make the advance payment by cash or credit card. Don´t forget to show the iPhone booking SMS, which you would have received from us, when you visit the Vodafone Store to pay the advance. To find a Vodafone Store near you, click here.

Once you pay the advance, they will immediately give you an appointment date and time, starting August 22 when you can come and experience a full demonstration and collect your iPhone, all ready to use with your contacts and settings, by paying the balance amount.

And for Non Vodafone people i.e. people who do not have a vodafone connection, you will have to buy a vodafone connection.

Happy buying :)

The 3G version of Apple iPhone was officially released on June 10th. You are thinking what's new in this phone. Well let me tell you some of the important updates done to the new iPhone 3G.

From the design point of view, Apple has modified the phone and the phone is lot slimmer than the last model. A new color "White" has also been added to the lineup of the phones, though it is available only in 16GB models and all the other models will now have a glossy black rear casing. The earphone socket has also been adjusted to accommodate normal 3.5mm pins, so that people can simply plug in any headphone of their choice. The back of the phone has also been changed from simple flat back to a tapering back to give it a sleeker look. Nothing much has changed design wise. But one of the missing features is a secondary camera in the front since this is a 3G phone and should support video calling

Features wise, iPhone 3G is faster than the previous model, it also has a better battery life which is would approximately 5hrs of talktime. The new iPhone 3G is equipped with an integrated GPS unit along with other location based services to enhance the feature especially with Google Maps and photo Geo-tagging. An option to delete emails in bulk has been provided, a new Contact search has been provided to find names in the address book. Complete support has been provided for viewing Microsoft and also iWork documents. It also has a brand new scientific calculator, but the best part is that it gives a total enterprise support to the business users. It also supports Push email, Push contacts, Push Calendar, Auto-discovery of Exchange servers, Global address lookup, and a Remote Wipe security feature.

iPhone 3G also has 'Typepad', a blogging application for the iPhone, through which bloggers can easily upload images and content. iPhone 3G will also have application called "Mobile News Network" through which it is possible for the users to watch news videos as well upload images to the site of Associated Press.

Fresh New games will be available for download at The AppStore at $9.99 per game. The games available for download include Sega's Monkey Ball, 3D Racing etc. The iPhone 2.0 SDK will be available from July, for free(for only iPhone users, iPod Touch will have to pay up $10 for the kit).

But one of the major things, Apple has missed out is Bluetooth Radio that has still not been updated to support an A2DP profile. But that aside, I am curious to know as to when would the iPhone 3G arrive in India and also how much would it cost considering the drop in the pricing of iPhones ($199 for 8GB model and $299 for 16GB model). Hello!!! Airtel/Vodafone people, you listening?