Telecom major Vodafone India today said it will accept Aadhaar cards as valid proof of identity and address for issuing new connections in Andhra Pradesh.
The company is now the official Authentication Service Agency (ASA) and Authentication User Agency (AUA) of Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) and is all set to issue new connections in Andhra Pradesh using just the Aadhaar letters as per the Department of Telecom's (DoT) directive, Vodafone said in a statement.
The service is initially being launched at Vodafone Stores at SP Road in Hyderabad and Bandar Road at Vijayawada, it added.
The initiative will ensure instant validation and activation of prepaid and postpaid connections, thus making it convenient for customers and saving time, it said.
An AUA is any legal entity registered in India that seeks to use Aadhaar authentication for its services. It is the principal agency that sends authentication requests to enable its services/business functions.
Punjab government would set up 795 new computer labs under the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) project in the state.
Punjab Education Minister Sikandar Singh Maluka today said, under centrally sponsored ICT scheme, the Punjab ICT Education Society (PICTES) had launched a computer learning programme for classes VI to XII in all upper primary and secondary schools in the state.
He said four phases of ICT were fully operational and running as planned in the state. The state government would soon provide computer labs in the remaining government schools as well, he said.
Maluka said all ICT schools have been provided with generator sets and broadband internet connections with unlimited download facility.
He said this programme would facilitate the growth of digital economy in the state and would create job opportunities for students as well as computer teachers.
Mobile handset sales in the country are expected to surpass 326 million units by 2016 against sales of 221 million units in 2012, research firm Gartner said on Thursday.
Mobile phone sales are expected to reach 251 million units in 2013, an increase of 13.5 per cent over 2012 sales, Gartner said in a statement.
"The Indian mobile phone market is very competitive with more than 150 device manufacturers selling devices to consumers," Gartner Principal Research Analyst Anshul Gupta said.
"Most of these manufacturers remain focused on the low-cost feature phone market which still constitutes over 91 percent of overall mobile phone sales, offering a huge market to compete in," Gupta said.
However, the increase in share of smartphone device sales, declining sales to first time buyers and continuous focus of global manufacturers on the low-cost feature phone market, has put many of the 150-plus local and Chinese device manufacturers under survival mode, he added.
"Many of them are already struggling to maintain share in the growing market," Gupta said adding that some of these local and Chinese manufacturers are building capabilities, distribution and brand to compete with the big global players to compete at a larger level covering broader consumer segments.
HTC's mid-range Android smartphone Desire X is now available online in India. The smartphone has been priced at Rs. 19,799 and is expected to be officially launched next week.
Originally announced at IFA Trade fair in Berlin, HTC Desire X features 4-inch WVGA display, 1GHz dual-core processor and 5MP rear camera. The smartphone also comes with 768MB RAM, 4GB of internal storage and 1650 mAh battery.
The smartphone is available in Blue and White colours. Desire X will compete with the likes of Sony Xperia sola, Samsung Galaxy S Advance in the price-bracket.
HTC has been struggling big time and had recent announced the record drop in quarterly profits. The Taiwan based manufacturer started the turn-around of its fortunes with the One series launch earlier this year, but despite the critical acclaims, the smartphones were not able to generate huge sales.
Key specs
- Android 4.0
- HTC Sense 4.0
- 1GHz dual-core Qualcomm S4 processor
- 5MP auto focus camera with LED Flash
- Beats Audio support
- 768 MB RAM
- 4GB internal memory with microSD card support
- 3G, Wi-Fi, DLNA, Bluetooth 4.0
- 1650 mAh battery
Samsung Thursday unveiled the Galaxy S III mini, a compact version of the flagship smartphone Galaxy S III. The Galaxy S III mini features a 4-inch screen and runs Android 4.1 Jelly Bean.
The Samsung Galaxy S III mini is powered by a dual-core 1GHz processor and features a 5-megapixel camera. It has a 1500 mAh battery and 8/16GB internal storage options.
"The Galaxy S III introduced a new concept of smartphone that has proven hugely popular around the world. We're now delighted to bring its revolutionary design, intuitive usability and intelligence to the Galaxy S III mini in a more compact form," said JK Shin, President and Head of IT & Mobile Communications Division at Samsung Electronics. "We continue to make every effort to provide extraordinary mobile experiences to meet a wide variety of user needs."
The Galaxy S III mini inherits Galaxy S III's features like S Voice, Smart Stay, Direct Call and S Beam. S Voice, Samsung's natural language recognition software, lets you use your voice to unlock the phone with simple customised commands, or to play your favourite songs, turn the volume up or down, organise your schedule, or automatically launch the camera and start taking photos.
The Galaxy S III mini also comes with Smart Stay, wherein the phone's camera tracks your eyes and keeps the screen lit as long as you are looking at it. When reading a text message from a friend, Direct Call enables you to automatically dial a call simply by lifting the phone to your ear; and Smart Alert alerts you to missed calls or messages as soon as you pick up your phone.
The S Beam feature lets you share a 10MB music file in just two seconds by simply tapping on another S Beam-enabled device including Galaxy S III or Galaxy Note II, even without a Wi-Fi or cellular signal. The 'Buddy photo share' function also allows photos to be simultaneously shared with all your friends pictured in an image directly from the camera or the photo gallery.
There's no official word on price or availability yet.
Samsung Galaxy S III mini specifications
- 4.0-inch WVGA Super AMOLED display
- 1 GHz dual-core processor
- Android 4.1
- 5-megapixel rear camera with LED flash
- VGA front-camera
- WiFi a/b/g/n, WiFi HT40
- GPS/GLONASS
- NFC
- Bluetooth 4.0
- 121.55 x 63 x 9.85 mm, 111.5 g
- 1,500 mAh battery
