At a press conference in India, Nokia has launched seven new mobile phones, that provide functions and features specifically designed for consumers in emerging markets. “India is very important to Nokia and to the global mobile communications industry as a whole,” says Soren Petersen, Senior Vice President, Mobile Phones, Nokia. “One of the fastest growing markets in the world, India is also home to several Nokia facilities, including R&D and manufacturing. We’re very proud to be part of their growth.”

Nokia 2630

The thinnest handset in Nokia’s portfolio at 9.9 mm, the Nokia 2630 balances a modern design with a full range of features to meet the needs of emerging market consumers. A camera combined with Bluetooth technology. Convenient productivity tools such as email, MMS, calendar and a calculator satisfy the work side of life, while features such as an FM radio, with direct access shortcut key and MP3 ringtones satisfy the entertainment side

Nokia 2760

The Nokia 2760 features a digital camera, giving many consumers their first experience with digital photography, and Bluetooth technology to make it easy to share the photos that they capture. The Nokia 2760 also features video recording, video playback, and FM radio. The combination of Bluetooth and GPRS creates a convenient way to access data on the go for email and Internet. It also features extra large storage to save up to 1000 contacts in the phonebook.

Nokia 2505

One of Nokia’s sleekest fold-style phones for the CDMA market, the Nokia 2505 offers a unique smooth-back design. The Nokia 2505 is expected to be available in selected markets in Asia/Pacific, Middle East, Africa, China and Latin America during the 2nd quarter of 2007. The phone meets practical needs as well with easy-to-use functions including text messaging, speaker phone, calendar, a personalized voice reminder and an alarm clock. Other features included with the Nokia 2505 include pre-loaded games, a 300-contact phonebook, up to 3 hours of talk time and 156 hours of stand-by time.

It is a very common thing that happens with everybody; you tend to leave back your mobile phone somewhere or the other when you are in hurry. Other than this your mobile phone is also an easy target of thieves; they may even get damaged so on and so forth. But have you thought of the cost that you will have to shell out from your pockets at the time of repairing it or even replacing it? The solution to all these problems is to buy cheap mobile insurance.

Many people assume that mobile phone insurance comes at an expensive price. But this is altogether a wrong impression; mobile insurance actually comes at a very cheap price. The cost of replacing a mobile phone is between 200 to 1000 pounds but the premium that you have to pay in a mobile phone insurance comes between 25 to 100 pounds. You can well imagine and calculate the amount that you have to pay if you buy a mobile phone insurance. It is very cheap and affordable. All you need to find out is the companies that offer you with cheap mobile insurance.

Different policy benefits of cheap mobile phone insurance for anyone above the age of 21 include:

• Accidental damage: It includes the repair or replacement of the same
• Accidental Loss: You may accidentally lose your mobile; your mobile insurance will cover this benefit also.
• Theft: Your phone will be replaced if it is stolen.
• Airtime Abuse: This includes fraudulent and threat calls.
• International Cover: Even if your phone is stolen or is damaged in any foreign country, your cheap mobile insurance will cover the cost of its replacement or repair.
• Additional Benefits: A cheap mobile phone insurance policy will not only cover the owner, it will also cover your partner or spouse on one condition, and that is, you have to live at the same address.

The entire process will require a thorough and detailed investigation. You have to gather information about the various companies that will provide you with cheap mobile insurance. Not only that you should compare the various mobile phone insurance quotes that these companies provide. The internet has come as an easy solution to all these works. You can now surf the net and accumulate all the required information from the

Websites of these companies. Even some companies will provide facilities to purchase cheap mobile insurance through the internet. This has come as an added boon; because now you don’t have to run from one shop to another in search of the perfect quote.  

Beginning in the first quarter of 2008, the world’s fourth-biggest mobile phone maker is set to unveil a range of affordable phones to challenge Nokia’s market dominance.

Until now, Sony-Ericsson has focused on mid- and high-end smart phones, heavily marketing its camera and music features. One of its smart phones was showcased in the latest James Bond thriller, Casino Royale, in a high-profile product placement.

“We want to be in the top three for mobile phones in the short to medium term,” said Husni El Assi, general manager of Sony Ericsson Middle East and North Africa. “To reach that, we have been working on strengthening our entry portfolio.”

In March it signed an agreement for French electronics firm Sagem to produce its new entry-level devices, which will be priced around $60 - slightly more costly than Nokia but with a few additional features, El Assi said.

Nokia phones sell for as little as $20 to $30, and it has enjoyed a clear lead in Middle East and African markets, bolstered by its range of affordable phones that appeal to many in these emerging nations.

“This move is extremely important because we cover a wide area in the Middle East and North Africa where countries are developing,” said El Assi. “You see a clear demand for entry level products. In some countries it makes up over 80 per cent of the market.”

The challenge it faces, El Assi said, is to ensure the Sony Ericsson brand retails its high-gloss appeal even as it produces more affordable devices.

“We don’t want to be the cheapest phones on the market,” he said. “When we go into entry level products we make sure our phones follow the Sony Ericsson touch and feel.”

The fruits of the partnership with Sagem will provide an as-yet unspecified number of entry level devices. To support this push Sony Ericsson will open sales and marketing offices in East Africa and Egypt.

If it is successful, it will be one step closer to achieving its goal of displacing Samsung or Motorola as the third-largest cellphone maker within the next five years.

“Sony Ericsson increasing fast,” noted Simon Baker, telecom analyst at IDC, a market research firm.