By Kartik Rai:
Browse through facebook friend list and you will be amazed to see how many people have their Blackberry Pin or BB pin, as most call it, almost inscribed in their profiles like words of wisdom. Ooops, wait, writing something about Cell phones and I do not start the discussion with Apple’s I Phone. I think I am Guilty here so let me start all over again.
Apple’s I Phone is by far the “coolest” thing to hit the telecom market for years. Blackberry in India does sell like hot cakes. Samsung’s next generation smart phones or even the less glamorous ones, do have a pretty big share in the telecom market in India, which seems like its growing faster than the population here, but then thats exaggerating. Some actually quite fancy the Sony Erricksons’ and the Motorolas’. Small players like Micromax (which is a company beyond the Bling phone) are actually eating quite big slices of the Telecom Pie which once was and still is ruled by Nokia (though its slowly sliiping ground). So the big question, “Is it Cool to own a Nokia these days?”
The answers may vary based largely on the mobile phone you have lying right next to you as you read on. That one rocks doesn’t it? Or may be it’s time for a makeover? Either ways just sit back and ask yourself this fairly straightforward question. If you were allowed to take a phone in this world for free, which one would it be? Relax.Think about it. Okay. Is the answer a Nokia? If it is, there is always the comments section right below the article. Flood it with your thoughts. If it isn’t, read the title of the article again and then flood the comments section. I have a hinch that the answer is a no.
Well, as much as I hate to admit it, but Nokia is loosing out. Basic functionality and I guess Nokia would stand out but in the race for smart phones, its loosing out by a margin which is bigger than the margins by which Usain Bolt wins his races (which as you all would agree is quite substantial).
Lets take a look at why Nokia is loosing out to its biggest competitors, especially in the smart phone race.
Now clearly there are a thousand reasons why Nokia’s top of the line model like an N97, N900 or even the upcoming N8 looses out to the iPhone. The two reasons that stand out for me are probably Touch and Applications.
First things first, just the feel of the iPhone in your hand and the effortless ease with which you can scroll or navigate makes it legendary. The phone’s maneuverability is magical. The fact that Steve Jobs is perhaps the best publicist of his products in the world also helps.
Secondly, the Apps.  iTunes App Store offers cell phone addicts far more satisfation than an Ovi Store could ever do but then the Ovi is still in its growing stages so lets wait till we can make some accurate predictions cause the  iTunes App Store clearly has a head start.
Just to gauge the popularity of this manufacturer, check out the following link where Rishabh Prasad wonderfully illustrates why Blackberry is such a big brand today and how its latest offerings stand out.
http://www.youthkiawaaz.com/2010/08/blackberry-torch-9800-touch-slide-type-pics-specs-and-video/
I am withdrawing myself from writing abut the controversies Blackberry is facing cause that I think is a different issue all together and having made that clear let’s hit the nail right on it’s head. I think Blackberry’s Instant Chat feature is one that everone would kill to possess. In the ever growng race for professionalism or atleast appearing professional, Blackberry beats everything else hands down.
Easy unlimited email access which of course the CEO’s and the CFO’s can not live without probably makes Blackberry the best Corporate Phone out there in the market and with the company now also doing a fair bit to release phones of a lower Retail Price and better multi-media functionality, I actually think that Blackberry can make it big in India.
Samsung and Android based phones:
An additional third competitor is in the form of the next generation Samsung Wave and Galaxy phones and other phones based on Google’s Android OS. Since Android is Google run, you can bet your house on the fact that it will in the near future have something revolutionary, almost like Google itself. But as it has really not found its feet in the Indian market yet, I refrain from throwing more light on Android.
So, Just in case if you are lost in wondering when you are going to get your dream phone afer all this, a reminder that Nokia still owns 52.2% of India’s total market share (from Voice&Data). But that is not the problem. The problem is that its share has fallen by atleast 12% which is alarmings for Nokia. Plus a major chunk of the non smart phones market is still dominated by Nokia but new players are acting as party poopers. Lets wait to see how thigs unravel.
And just for the record, I do own a Nokia and I love it… but then as I read this over again for some finishing touches, a strange question confuses my mind. How much does the latest iPhone 4 cost?
A hush- hush conversation with the writer’s mother follows…
The writer is a Correspondent of Youth Ki Awaaz and also a student of Delhi University.