3G models, pricing...

According to analysts, one of the key hurdles in switching to 3G services for users can be the initial cost of upgrading to a superior handset. Presently, about 15-20 per cent of the mobile phones in India are 3G-ready.

However, now with 3G services only six months away, mobile phone makers are reportedly ready to offer handsets for as less as Rs 3500. Chinese telecom company Huawei Technologies is said to be in talks with Indian GSM operators to introduce a 3G entry-level phone between $80-100.

Other mobile manufacturers like LG and Motorola too foresee a fall in 3G handset prices.

Motorola currently has three 3G models priced between Rs 14,000-19,000.

In India, both Vodaphone and Airtel have priced iPhone in the similar range, disappointing the customers who had expected a price tag similar to that in the USA.

Not Just Linux: LiMo Foundation Gets New Members, Devices

Android’s biggest open source competitor, the LiMo Foundation (formerly the Linux Phone Standards Forum) added new members Monday, iTWire reports. And these new members expand the group’s ecosystem quite dramatically, a foundation representative said.
The 11 new members include ZTE, Telecom Italia, Freescale Semiconductor, Virtualogix and Movial. The latter plans to open source code in the next few months that will allow developers to build user interfaces for Web-based widgets for mobile devices.
Moreover, seven new phones built on the LiMo platform are commercially available from three vendors — Motorola, NEC and Panasonic. The phones are available in Japanese and European markets, the story says.
Android, on the other hand, has been the subject of much debate in the blogosphere. Lately, the question has been about whether Android will merge with the now open Symbian platform. Some say yes, it makes sense. Others say no way.