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Low-cost MOTOFONE hits India
We knew Motorola had something (really) skinny up its sleeve way back in July, and after it got the ole thumbs-up from our constituents over at the FCC, we knew a whiz-bang release couldn't be too far out. Thankfully (at least for India), today's the day, and the MOTOFONE will finally find its way into (and surely out of) slim fit pockets everywhere. Moto announced immediate availability of the GSM-based F3 within India today at a dedicated event held in New Delhi, and stated that "international markets" could expect to get their palms on one "in the coming weeks." Furthermore, the CDMA sibling (F3c) is slated to hit shelves "before the end of 2006." While pricing details were cleverly omitted, we're sure they'll surface soon when local carriers jump on the bandwagon.[Via Mobiledia]
CDMA phones to get ultra cheap, too
Anyone else notice that most of the fanfare surrounding the concept of the almost-free unsubsidized handset has been largely restricted to the GSM camp? Sure, we have occasional CDMA examples like Kyocera's K122 and K132 -- but with all due respect to Kyocera, cooler looking GSM goodies like the MOTOFONE have been generating just a bit more buzz. No worries, though; a handful of scrappy Korean startups are looking to correct the imbalance, committing to deliver $30 handsets utilizing CDMA2000 1x radios (no EV-DO, we're guessing) to India starting in December of this year with other Southeast Asian countries hopping on the bandwagon in '07. According to Rose Telecom, one of the startups involved in the initiative, the phones should take another dive to the $20 mark in 2008. We can almost sense American prepaid MVNOs expressing interest already.Update: A resourceful reader has pointed out that Motorola's also offering a CDMA variant of the MOTOFONE, which clearly raises the bar for style in the CDMA emerging markets segment. The Korean folks still look to have a slight edge on pricing here -- but with Motorola having suggested that we'll be seeing $15 handsets by '08, they may not for long. [Thanks, Rich]
SpineAssist robot tours spinal canal with camera in tow
While ridiculously small robots crawling around in our bodies seems quite painful (and in some cases, it is), a team headed by Moshe Shoham of Haifa's Technion is developing a smoother riding robot to cruise the friendly passageways of the spinal canal. Dubbed the SpineAssist, this low-powered microbot is being crafted to "aid surgeons in performing delicate spinal procedures" by propelling itself through the water-like cerebral spinal fluid and channeling live video / snapshots back to the doctors in charge. Researchers have already engineered the propulsion system, and describe the device as a "free-swimming endoscope" with two actuators and swimming tails that will lug a camera into the fragile depths. Shoham estimates that a few more years of work will be needed to up its payload capacity and shrink it to an appropriate size, but at least someone's working on taking the back aches out of surgery, eh?[Thanks, William]
LG's Dynamite, Pulse series to take India by storm
Though decidedly less edible sounding than the vaunted Chocolates that have come before them, the old must always make way for the new, and so it goes for LG's new Dynamite and Pulse series handsets that are in the process of an Indian launch. Actually, with slightly lower MSRPs ranging from $111 to $222, these phones aren't destined to replace the Chocolate or any of its variants -- and thank goodness, considering that they're not exactly the lookers that the Chocolates are. Rather, LG has decided to stratify its offerings into different named groups by their price range and feature set. The KG200 and KG300 (both pictured above), offering goodies like video caller ID and FM radio recording, are members of the Dynamite series which will be the first to launch. Phones in the upcoming Pulse series will be positioned below the Dynamites with prices starting well below $200. Whether the new marketing scheme will find its way far beyond Indian borders is unclear, but with as many phones as LG tends to launch in the average quarter, we're all about reducing the confusion.
Mobile ESPN: US out, India in
Disney's sports-oriented MVNO sitting atop Sprint's airwaves, Mobile ESPN, is nothing more than a memory for US customers. Having taken less than one full year to go from hot prospect to spectacular implosion, you might think that the folks in charge would've been left a bit too traumatized to even think about another launch. Alas, the service is getting a second chance at success in mobile-hungry India, though it'll take on less of an MVNO feel this time around. In fact, it's been relegated to nothing more than a WAP-based service offered through a variety of India's carriers, costing anywhere from Rs 50 to Rs 99 (a buck or two USD) per month. Good luck and godspeed, ESPN; we know you mean well.[Via MocoNews]
Samsung abandoning low-end market in India?
In a move that has to have the MOTOFONE's product manager grinning from ear to ear, it seems Samsung has decided that the fight for India's low- and ultra-low-end market isn't worth fighting anymore. If Telecom Korea's unnamed sources are to be trusted, the increasing introduction of smartphones to the country (combined with ever-increasing demand for them) is apparently pushing prices on basic handsets down to the point where the Korean company is ready to take its ball and go home. Don't worry, though, India; Samsung's not leaving you -- not by a long shot. Besides the recent introduction of the SGH-P310 credit card phone there, the company apparently intends to continue launching "color and camera phones" to satisfy Indians' rising demand for upscale products.[Via Mobile Magazine]
Epigon thinks it can make a true WiFi media player
Epigon is putting together all the pieces for what it's calling the "Versus," a new WiFi streaming media player, according to the EE Times. Now of course, this is just a reference design at this point, which means it could turn into any of a reported six possible branded devices. From what we can tell, the Versus is aiming to be what the Zune isn't. That is to say, it'll have real WiFi, according to CTO Jayakumar Singaram, who told the EE Times: "We think the most important feature such a player needs is Wi-Fi connectivity, and so have an on-board Wi-Fi based on silicon from NXP [Semiconductors], so that users do not need to connect to a computer via Ethernet or a USB to download." Beyond WiFi, the Versus may even have an Ethernet jack as well, in addition to the traditional USB jack option. It'll be an interesting project to keep an eye on.
A non-violent first person Hindu shooter using the Unreal engine?
Escapist Magazine has posted a fascinating article detailing the attempts of an heir to a furniture fortune, and graduate students from the Maharishi University of Management in Fairfield, Iowa to create a non-violent first person Hindu shooter.It sounds crazy at first, but when you look at the actual thought and effort that went into the game, it isn't that dissimilar from today's RPGs -- "We had Vedic abilities: astrology, Ayurvedic healing, breathing (meditation), herbalism, Gandharva Veda music, architecture (which let you purify demonic areas) and yagyas (rituals). During the game, you could acquire the siddhis of clairvoyance, levitation, invisibility, shrinking and strength. Your aim was to achieve pure consciousness by cleansing your six chakras in ascending order. But your current karma (depicted as a gray pall over your character's silhouette), if it covered any chakras, prevented you from cleansing them. So you had to remove karma by completing quests before you could purify yourself."The only way to actually win the game would have been to complete it without harming or killing any other living creature. You could die and be reincarnated in a number of different forms like a human, a pig, a dog, or a worm -- but whatever form you came back as would limit the way in which you could interact with other characters in the game. They had licensed the Unreal Warfare engine for use in the game, but eventually things began to fall apart because the graphics looked sub-par, and the producer had to face the facts that the development was beyond the team's ability to create.Still, at least they tried to do something new that wasn't another standard shooter clone and featured some true innovation. It's refreshing when someone takes a risk every now and then and puts something truly unique on the map.
360 booth babes: Kama Sutra edition
TechShout.com spotted what may be India's first Microsoft booth babes at the Xbox 360 launch party in New Dehli. They take it as a sign the country's conservative culture may be loosening up -- as if hiring cute girls in tight mini-skirts to hock a video game console could ever be considered a sign of progress. Well, maybe. Stay tuned for 360: The Bollywood Musical.[Thanks Alden]
Moore talks HD, starvation with Cnet
The always-entertaining Peter Moore said in an interview with CNet that his ideal Xbox consumer "would rather starve to death than not have a high-definition TV." The comment comes in advance of the Xbox's pending launch in India, where Moore says a growing middle class will pick up the premium product. Nearly half of all children in India are underweight, according to The World Bank.Moore also seems less enthusiastic about the much-hyped Wii60 bundle nowadays, saying that he fears Nintendo's system will only be "fun for a few minutes." He also takes the opportunity to dig at Sony's upcoming Playstation 3, saying the system's high initial cost will make it hard to eventually come down to the mass market price of $199.Also see: Some Xbox 360 owners who picked food over an HDTV
Digital cameras save little kids' teeth
Here at Engadget, we're all for preventive medicine. In fact, we're all about preventive anything, unless it's stopping us from getting our hands on the latest gear. Anyway, it turns out that there's a fairly treatable dental disorder called "early childhood dental caries," known in the biz as ECC. Sometimes when babies or toddlers go to sleep with a bottle of juice in their mouth, the sugars from the juice can cause serious dental problems, including tooth decay, sometimes leading to extraction. Ouch. Or to put it in terms that will make your wallet say "ow," annual treatment costs in the community of Rochester, NY, a town of over 200,000, run into the nabe of $1 million. Fortunately for them (and hopefully soon, the rest of us), University of Rochester Medical Center dental researchers have come up with a way of severly reducing this problem before it starts. By taking digital pictures of these tykes' teeth at health clinics and then zipping them off to pediatric dentists at the Eastman Dental Center across town, the problem can be spotted before it gets out of control. There, dentists check out the photos, can diagnose ECC and recommend treatment as needed. If only all dentistry was this easy. But seriously folks, if you really want to save money, try outsourcing your dental photography to India.[Via medGadget]
Xbox 360 to light up India this October
Microsoft has announced that that the Xbox 360 will go on sale in India this October. The launch is fortuitously timed to precede a major Hindu holiday. According to Wikipedia, Diwali (or Deepvali) is a 5 day Hindu festival celebrated in October/November. Known as the "Festival of Lights," it symbolises the victory of good over evil. Lamps are lit as a sign of celebration and hope for mankind. Of course, It's also a good exscuse to blow 23,990 Rupees on a Premium System. Time to light up that green ring India.
Xbox 360 to launch in India before Diwali
Diwali, known more commonly as the "Festival of Lights," is a celebration of hope, of the victory of good over evil. Diwali is also a time to rekindle relationships with loved ones. But this year, on October 21, when Diwali begins, Microsoft is hoping that Hindus, Jains, and Sikhs alike, will spend time during the 5-day celebration to invest in an Xbox 360.Microsoft is poised to grab hold of India's soon-to-boom gaming market, announcing that Xbox 360 will launch before the end of October. Two SKUs will be offered for retail, including the 'Xbox 360 Core System,' bundled with a "leading title" (19,990 rupees; about $430), and the 'Xbox 360 System,' featuring a 20 GB HDD, wireless controller, media remote, component HD-AV cable, Ethernet cable, and batteries (23,990 rupees; about $515).
OLPC update: India isn't buying
It's not like we expected every developing country in the world to jump at the chance to blow $100 million on the minimum order of Negroponte's pull-string powered laptops, but India sure did seem a logical fit. With their burgeoning tech economy, it would seem training a new generation of tech support personnel engineers and programmers would be a priority well met by the OLPC, but the Indian Ministry of Education busted out the vocab and called the laptop "pedagogically suspect." They seemed to think the funds were better suited for building classrooms and hiring teachers, not "fancy tools," and their reasoning is hard to fault in that regard. Education Secretary Sudeep Banerjee also questioned the maturity of Negroponte's plan, and said no major country was seriously interested. Of course, Nigeria just ordered up a cool million, and places like China, Brazil, Argentina, Egypt and Thailand are still likely targets, but it looks like India is content to wait on the sidelines and call sour grapes for now.
Hitachi to start $2.6 million brand marketing blitz in India
We know who Hitachi is. Chances are you do too. The big dogs at Hitachi want to make sure everyone in India does too. They are rolling out a large marketing campaign to promote its LCD and plasma line. India is growing very fast and Hitachi wants a piece of it. They are aiming for a 20% market share of the high-end LCDs and plasmas. They currently enjoy a 17% market share but who doesn't want more? Along with the marketing stuff, Hitachi plans on supporting this effort with increasing their product line that will include their DVD camcorders by years end.
Indian firm boils the mobile phone down to basics
What if you were to take the mobile phone concept and strip away every conceivable nonessential feature. What would you be left with? The Migo, you say? The Firefly, perhaps? Not even; both of those devices have luxuries like selectable ringtones and displays. India's National Institute of Design has devised the "Mini Mobile," which bears a strong resemblance to a remote control but actually functions as an ultra-simplified phone. We can recite the entire spec sheet to you in three words: three speed dials. That's it. No GPS, no display, no dedicated emergency button. (Technically, there are dedicated buttons to send and end calls, though we don't consider those features.) No word on production plans, but the firm is shopping the design around to manufacturers, arguing that a no-nonsense device will appeal to parents and the elderly. One recommendation, guys: the five randomly placed, identical buttons sorta go against your design principle.[Via I4U News]
Samsung "Hero" anti-theft phone for India
We've seen some third-party solutions for this, but Samsung has taken phone theft prevention to the next level in India, adding a "Mobile Tracker" feature to its new SCH-S109 Hero low-end candybar. With its 128 x 128 black and white display the phone itself doesn't seem likely to turn any heads, but in the unlikely event it catches the eye of a hard-up bandit, the Hero will silently send out two text messages to numbers programmed in by the phone's rightful owner as soon as the SIM gets swapped. The text messages contain the new SIM's phone number, so even if you can't get the phone back, you can heckle the thief at all hours of the day and night. The Hero is dropping as we speak on India's Tata Teleservices network; if it's a commercial success, we'll hopefully have some happy endings to report from the other side of the world.[Via textually.org]
Apple drops plans for India support center
Apple has dropped its plans for bolstering off-shore support in India and other countries. MacNN is reporting that the company hasn't been very forthcoming with a reason, but they have laid off all 30 of the employees hired under the subsidiary which would run these Indian support operations, Apple Services India Pvt Ltd (fortunately, the employees received two month's severance pay).This is good news, as I've never heard wonderful things about a company's customer support ratings when they make a move like this. Dell's tanked when they tried it, and last I heard they shut the facility down and moved most of their support operations back to the US. Kudos to Apple for taking a hint from others' mistakes.
Microsoft targets Indian market with steep price tag
Microsoft has announced plans to launch the Xbox 360 in India by October. By being the first "second-generation" console available in the country, corporate global sales VP Mitch Koch declared, "[Microsoft is] going to capture 100 percent market share." Did we mention that the Xbox 360 core system is going to retail for 19,990 rupees? That's $440! Ouch.The plan is to lure consumers with a World Cup tie-in incentive. That is, on June 9, the day the World Cup kicks off, Microsoft will begin offering 10% discounts to those who pre-order the console. According to Microsoft's analysis, India's gaming market is poised to explode. Currently, there are about 1.6 million citizens that spend more than two hours per day gaming.The initial launch will target India's major cities, but the Xbox 360 will eventually be available throughout the entire country at over 1,200 retail locations.[Thanks, steve]
India rejoice! The Xbox 360 is on its way
Gamers in India will have something to celebrate soon: Microsoft is finally bringing them the next-gen console. The estimated 1.6 million gaming fans will even have the opportunity to pre-order the system as early as next month.This is Microsoft's way of spreading their market dominance even more. "We will be in India before our competition has launched in any other market," says Mitch Koch of Microsoft. They're on the move and Sony is too. It'll be a long time before we see other next-generation consoles reach this far into the videogame market. Keep your eyes peeled to see if and how they bridge the gap.
