BANGALORE:
Vodafone and Airtel started pre-registering customers for the iPhone 3G this week, and ever since, offices and blogs have been abuzz with discussions on what Apple’s much-awaited product will be priced at. Many think it will be just a shade over Rs 8,000 — the rupee equivalent of the price in the US, which is $199. Now, that’s a fantastic price for the 8GB product, and will certainly have every competitor worried. Nokia’s 8GB N95 smartphone , for instance, is priced at well over Rs 25,000, and its new N96 is expected to come at over Rs 36,000. But we think the iPhone, expected to hit the Indian market in September, will be priced substantially higher than Rs 8,000. The $199 price is a hugely subsidised one, subsidised by the US operator AT&T. Market researcher iSuppli has just estimated that mobile phone service providers are subsidising each handset to the extent of $300
MAPS WITH GPRS
Find your location, get directions, and see traffic — all from your phone. Maps on iPhone 3G combines GPS, Wi-Fi, and cell tower location technology with the Multi-Touch interface to create the best mobile map application ever.
iPhone 3G finds your location via GPS or by triangulating your position using Wi-Fi and cellular towers. It also finds points of interest by keyword: Search for “coffee” and iPhone shows you every cafe nearby.
Get directions.
Get directions to wherever from wherever. View turn-by-turn directions or watch your progress with live GPS tracking.
Enjoy the view.
Just like Google Maps on your computer, Maps on iPhone lets you switch between map view, satellite view, and a hybrid view of both. Multi-Touch makes the difference: Tap to zoom, pan, and change your view on the move.
See traffic.
Maps on iPhone shows you live traffic information, indicating traffic speed along your route in easy-to-read green, red, and yellow highlights.
Get directions to wherever from wherever. View turn-by-turn directions or watch your progress with live GPS tracking.
Enjoy the view.
Just like Google Maps on your computer, Maps on iPhone lets you switch between map view, satellite view, and a hybrid view of both. Multi-Touch makes the difference: Tap to zoom, pan, and change your view on the move.
See traffic.
Maps on iPhone shows you live traffic information, indicating traffic speed along your route in easy-to-read green, red, and yellow highlights.