The Nokia N97 was launched in India and the operator partnering the launch was none other than Vodafone. The two companies have come together to introduce the new age phone which will lock horns against the iPhone and its likes. The added advantage for a user buying the bundled Vodafone offering are as follows::

• Free data plan for 3 months of browsing the internet
• Exclusive access to ‘The Groove’, a widget that keeps you updated on the latest happenings

As for the phone, you get a full touch screen phone with accelerometer and handwriting recognition. In addition, the phone is equipped with a 5MP Carl Zeiss camera, 32GB storage capacity which can expanded to 48GB via microSD card, A-GPS and 3G and Wi-Fi connectivity.

All of this is expected to cost you a whopping Rs.35,000, however, the prices haven’t been confirmed.

Ed’s Note: Our overworked brains ditched us. Sorry for the goof up, we have added the plans and edited the story accordingly.

When TeleGyaan did an exclusive review of MTNL’s 2G/3G plans, one of our avid readers voiced his opinion and asked us to look at other operators in the landscape. Given the reader-friendly blog we are, here is a post comparing all the GSM – Blackberry plans on offer::

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A couple of days back Vodafone Essar announced that it has crossed the 7 million subscriber mark in West Bengal to become the biggest cellular service provider in Kolkata and West Bengal circles.

Vodafone has a statewide coverage spanning over 3253 cities and towns and some 31,000 villages in West Bengal. When calculated in February last year, the company’s subscriber base in West Bengal was around 4 million subscribers and now it has shot over 7 million.

We say: Good going Vodafone!

Vodafone announced the launch of a whole new line of ACK stuff, which includes wallpapers, jokes, screensavers, comics and games from the ACK series. Users will now be able to relive those moments through their phone. Here are some specifics of the service:

• Subscription: Rs.30/month
• If you call 567607 and listen in, you will be charged 30p/min as usage charge
• Callertunes: Rs.15/month
• Picture quiz: Rs 5 / story
• Trivia: Rs 10 for a bank of 10 trivia
• Quotes: Rs 10 for a bank of 10 quotes
• Rich Alerts: Rs 30 / month
• Comic subscription: Rs 30 / month
• Wallpapers: Rs 10
• Themes: Rs 15
• Videos: Rs 5 / download
• Ringtones: Rs 15, Rs 20 and Rs 25
• Games: Rs 50 and Rs 99

We say: Though the service is quite appealing to people who would like to experience the whole feel of ACK on their mobile, all of the options on offer are overpriced. It might be only worth one download or view.

Vodafone is trying hard to sell the new BlackBerry Storm, the next best thing after the iPhone. It is currently priced at Rs.27,990 and might turn out to be quite expensive, which is why the operator now gives prospective buyers an EMI option. Some of the options are:

• 6 months: Rs. 4,665 – 4,913
• 12 months: Rs. 2,333  - 2,566

The EMI is different as it is currently being offered by 4 banks viz. Axis, Barclays, Citibank and HSBC. For more specifics and break-up of the EMI’s, just click here. 

With 2008 not being the best year for the iPhone in India, Vodafone is attempting to cover up the disaster by offering discounts on the same. The offer, launched in the first week of January, makes the iPhone cheaper by Rs.5,000.However, this isn’t a direct discount. Vodafone will allow you a credit of Rs.500 on your bill for the first 10months.

Given the high charges for data usage,Vodafone will make sure that you are being billed in four-digits, just clearing the doubts of people who thought their bills would barely come close to Rs.500.

We Say: The offer is a smart way of attracting consumers and though the phone turns out to be expensive in the log term from the users perspective, the discount being offered may be very lucrative to be avoided or ignored. Let’s hope the act gets some additional users to buy the phone.

Following Airtel’s approach to lower its lifetime prepaid start-up amount, Vodafone last week announced its lifetime prepaid at Rs 99. Everything is similar to Airtel’s prepaid pack; the Vodafone card carries a talktime of Rs 10 and offers local calling at a flat rate of Re 1.

With competition heating up and users having better alternatives to switch over to, Vodafone has launched some very effective plans. Here is one for those who have their fingers busy all the time:

• Cost: Rs.35/month
• All local SMS @ 10paise
• 350 local SMS free- Mumbai, Maharashtra and Goa
• SMS: ACT SMS10 to 111 to subscribe

We Say:The plan makes sense and will see many takers as it provides SMS at the lowest possible rates. Although this may not be equally good when compared to similar CDMA plans, it would give Vodafone users some reason to rejoice.

Believe the Unbelievable; Vodafone Essar has launched `Mee Kosam’ in Andhra Pradesh, an offer that allows postpaid customers in the State to make their own tariff plans. With this move, Vodafone becomes the first operator in India to provide freedom to actually allow users to design their own monthly package.

Vodafone postpaid customers can choose from 27 tariff options offering various combinations between call and SMS rates and free minutes. User would be charged a monthly rental of Rs 100 irrespective of the tariff schemes they opt for.

Vodafone has launched its new plan, available to both prepaid and postpaid users, called Vodafone Friends Circle. The much publicised plan allows users to add other Vodafone numbers to their friends list and make local calls to them @ 20paise/min.

However, the ad says that you can add as many friends as you like to this friend list, which does not hold true in reality. The maximum number of friends you can add is limited to 10 for prepaid users. You can change these at your own convenience, but this will cost you Rs.5 for each change. The plan is charged @ 50paise per day.

As for the postpaid users, this might turn out to be quite expensive as the number of Vodafone users that you can add to your list is 5, and each comes at the price of Rs.15/month.

We say: The plan may provide good value for moneyfor a prepaid user, but will also benefit a postpaid user who has majority calling to particular Vodafone number. Also the fact that the plan provides the flexibility to add one or more friends (postpaid) gives it that extra benefit.