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all in one You can also make a call

Mobile phones are no longer a luxury. Well, that’s not the news. But what is definitely new is that even business phones — mobile phones that work like a mini-computer with facilities like QWERT keyboard, Outlook and MS Office — which were earlier the prerogative of corporate honchos, have lost their niche status as well. Think Nokia N series, Motorola, imate, HTC Touch, 02, Palm Treo. Competitive pricing has brought them within the reach of everyone. What was earlier priced at Rs.30,000 to 40,000 is now available from Rs.12,000 onwards. As a result junior executives and businessmen are lapping it up.

The statistics only substantiate the trend. As per the market research firm IDC’s report for the third quarter of 2007, 135,138 devices were sold between July and September alone. Ajay Sharma, Country Manager, HTC, reiterates the fact. “The year 2007 has been very crucial for us. We have grown three times over 2006.” Changing work trends and higher disposable incomes have increased the demand for such phones and that’s where the economies of scale come in. But there’s more than the price that is luring customers. The idea of an all-in-one phone seems irresistible — a touch or stylus-based screen, an operating system, email, wifi connectivity, multimedia support like MP3 player and megapixel cameras, along with the basic features. Agrees Sumeet Gugnani, Director, MCB (Mobile Communications Business), Microsoft India, “These days people want their phone to do more.And a smart phone is one converging point for both lifestyle and work style related needs. While business wise, we provide them the entire MS office, HTML email and a user interface similar to the one on a computer.”

“The style, look and feel of the hardware is important to the customer, but what they also look for is how easy to use it is. Palm Treo even allows customisation as per the user’s requirement — be it working on business documents or managing your handicap on a golf course,” says Myilravanan Nathar, Sales Director, India, Palm Inc.

MANGALA RAMAMOORTHY

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