The Indian mobile handset market is growing at the rate of 15% annually but surprisingly, the dual SIM handset market is growing at 30-40%. Dual SIM handsets are very popular among Indian users and shanzhai dual SIM handsets were responsible for the revolution. But shanzhai dual SIM phones are losing ground to Indian mobile makers. Read more....
The magic of Mediatek is making life insecure for multinational branded phones in India. Even the desi (local) manufacturers like Spice are annoyed, as every other day a new local brand like Lava, Karbonn, Pagaria, Intex, Olive, Videocon are popping up, with Mediatek at their core. Read more...
Up until now on Shanzai.com, we’ve mainly talked about technology and its impact on shanzhai culture and vice versa. But the shanzhai phenomenon has touched and impacted many other quintessential parts of the Chinese lifestyle. A resident of Shenzhen could quite conceivably drive through KFG in their Toyota Corolla rip-off, wearing an Adidos t-shirt, whilst talking on their iClone and sipping a Bucksstar coffee! Read more...
Nokia, along with Sony Ericsson and Samsung, were the big mobile handset players in India, up until late 2008 when phones became so feature rich that they were priced out of the range of most middle class Indians. shanzhaiphones surged in popularity with their low price and rich feature sets. But they were often unreliable, and some clever Indian manufacturers saw an opportunity to take over the market the shanzhai had created by offering better quality handsets, with warranties, that still competed with the shanzhai models on price. Read more...
While private telcos and the Indian government are going through a rough time trying to spread 3G services across the country, with the auction of the 3G spectrum yet to happen, chip maker Qualcomm is planning to introduce Long-Term Evolution (LTE) technology based services ... aka 4G ... in India by next year. read more...
Indian IT is always in the spotlight because of its booming IT services industry, but this time India is on the receiving end as Microsoft launches its cloud services in India. India is poised to receive an initial dose of exclusive cloud services as Microsoft is banking on India as a major customer. The leading software maker on Monday announced the commercial availability of its cloud based operating system in India. But will a paid cloud OS flourish in India, where pirated operating systems are all but ubiquitous? read more...
Last Saturday I walked into a BSNL office in Bangalore with one of my friends who was interested in getting Dataone broadband connection from BSNL. When we visited the office I was surprised to see a large crowed fighting to get free 3G SIM cards! I also saw some folks holding shanzhai smartphones in their hand and eagerly crawling into the queue to experience 3G. Read more...
While the rest of world lined up near the Apple stores for getting a sneak peek of first iPhone, it was able to sell only a fraction of its shipment when it debuted in India. Google doesn’t want to repeat the same mistake and is therefore planning to launch an affordable stripped down version of the Nexus in India. But Nexus with cut down features can woo the Indians who have the desire for affordable Nokia, HTC, Samsung and shanzhai touchscreens. read more...
A few years ago in India the term ‘Internet access’ was limited to cyber cafes, homes and offices. But Indian telecom players and mobile device manufactures recorded dramatic growth in 2009; India now has more than 10 millions mobile Internet users. Read more...
From now on all foreign telecom network equipment providers who want to supply equipment to Indian telcos will have to go through a national security test for clearance. Chinese equipment providers are the main target and Indian security agencies want a ban on Chinese made gear in 20 border states of India! Read more...
At last, the tortoise of Indian telecom, BSNL, has decided to install a jet engine on its back to compete with the hare, Bharti Airtel. While the rest of the world enjoys lightening fast broadband Internet, Indians have had to settle with sluggish Internet speeds. Indians can finally let out a sigh of relief: 32Mbps and 16Mbps Internet speeds! Read more...
2010 is already shaping up to be a good year for the shanzhai to set up manufacturing units in India. On Friday, while presenting the annual budget, the Indian Finance Minister announced tax exemptions for mobile chargers, batteries and accessories. This will further reduce the cost of mobile phones, much to the joy of India users! read more...
What can a 5MP camera and a YouTube app on a mobile phone potentially create? Ordinary people with no training whatsoever in journalism now capture vital moments, people, processes and events and then disseminate their home-grown content across the web. By doing so they are producing a grass roots digital history. Read more...
