Sony Ericsson unveils new Walkman phones

Apple introduced a range of products in the Capital on Tuesday. To start off, the company unveiled a new 1 GB iPod Nano. Priced at Rs 9,700, the new iPod is equipped with the same features as its 2GB and 4GB versions and can hold up to 240 songs and 15,000 photos.

“Now everyone can afford an iPod Nano, with our new 1GB model starting at just Rs.9,700,” said Greg Joswiak, Apple’s Vice-President of Worldwide iPod Product Marketing. “The iPod is the world’s most popular digital music player with over 40 million sold, and now even more music lovers can experience the unrivaled combination of iPod and iTunes,” he added.

In addition, Apple announced that the iPod shuffle was now more affordable than ever with the 512MB and 1GB models priced at Rs 4,600 and Rs 6,500, respectively.

Among the other products that the company unveiled included the new iMac featuring Mac OS X running on the new Intel Core Duo processor. Starting at Rs 79,800, every new iMac comes with iLife’ 06, the next generation of Apple’s award-winning suite of digital lifestyle applications featuring major new versions of iPhoto, iMovie HD, iDVD GarageBand and iWeb, which is one of the new iLife application that makes it easy to create amazing websites with photos, blogs and Podcasts.

“The iMac has already been praised as ‘the gold standard of desktop PCs’, so we hope customers really love the new iMac, which is up to twice as fast,” a statement quoting Apple CEO, Steve Jobs, said.

Apple also introduced its new MacBook Pro notebook computer. “MacBook Pro delivers dual processor desktop performance in a thin, sleek notebook,” said Jobs, adding, “The new MacBook Pro, with its Intel Core Duo dual core processor, delivers the performance of not just one, but two G5 processors in the world’s most stunning one inch thin design.”

Among the other things unveiled by the company were a new Mac mini with Intel Core Duo processor priced at Rs 35,500, iPod Hi-Fi at Rs 27,700. Besides, iLife ’06, and iWork ’06 are priced at Rs 4,800 each as well as a iPod Radio remote at Rs 3,600.

Even as media companies are discovering newer ways to reach audiences with their content, telcos are out to ensure that the hardware is in place. The most recent of such innovations is the launch of ‘Walky with FM’ by Tata Indicom.

Customers in several circles are waking up to their FM stations, thanks to Axesstel P830, which offers access too 10 FM stations at a price of Rs 1,999. The new phone was made available in Chennai recently. The service will prove to be a hit, say Tata Tele officials, given the growing popularity of FM in India.

The new desktop phone provides a dual speakerphone system, a dual language menu, group messaging to 20 multiple destinations, an internal phonebook supporting up to 99 entries, and Internet capability.

The new phone would aid growth of the telecom service provider’s customer base in the state, said Ramesh Thondapi, GM-Marketing, Tata Teleservices, Tamil Nadu. “We hope to have an additional market share of 2 per cent with the launch of the new service. Currently it stands at around 10 per cent.” The provider has around 400,000 customers in the Tamil Nadu circle.

Existing customers have been given the option of exchanging their instruments and picking up an Axesstel P830, for a one-time fee of Rs 1,000. The 10 programmable radio stations can be automatically or manually adjusted, and the instrument comes with a talk time of three hours, and stand by time of 72 hours.

Lenovo has unveiled its branded PCs in India, following the recent introduction of Lenovo-branded PCs to a worldwide audience, moving out from China. Lenovo has also roped in Bollywood brother-sister duo of Saif Ali Khan and Soha Ali Khan to endorse its products.

Commenting on the association with the Bollywood stars, Neeraj Sharma, Managing Director, Lenovo South Asia, said, "We've chosen them carefully to reflect our values of innovation, excellence and passion. They are, we believe, on the path to mega stardom, fan following and commercial success. They appeal to young and old alike as we believe our PCs and notebooks will too."

The company has introduced the Lenovo 3000 family of PCs for the consumer and small business segments. This includes the Lenovo 3000 Q and Lenovo 3000 H desktops aimed at the consumer audience, the Lenovo 3000 J series of desktops for small office and small businesses, and the Lenovo 3000 C series of notebooks targeted at small businesses and individual buyers.

"Lenovo designed the 3000 product lines for customers seeking innovative, stylish and worry-free PCs," said Sharma, adding, "The Lenovo 3000 family presents an attractive option to consumers looking for easy-to-use technology with comprehensive service and support."

The launch of the Lenovo 3000 series further strengthens Lenovo's focus on India, which has been identified by the company as a key growth market. An 'enhanced' distribution model has been put in place using regional distributors, identified to react faster to local reseller needs. These distributors will be in addition to the five national distributors Lenovo currently has.

The brand will also look at growing the Tier-II and III cities with an increased channel and retail presence. Exclusive Lenovo storefronts, multi-branded storefronts and service and support centres across India, will aid reach.

On the customer support front, Lenovo's 'Think' line of products – ThinkPad and ThinkCentre PCs – will be brought under the 'ThinkPlus' programme and serviced directly by IBM. The Lenovo 3000 family of PCs will be serviced under the programme 'Lenovo Care'. The consumer PC (3000 Q and H) range will be serviced by RT Outsourcing and TVSE, while PCs for the small business segment (3000 J and 3000 C) will be serviced by IBM.

"This is a new way of doing business and not just a product announcement. We are touching every element of the customer purchase and experience cycle from product, route to market, marketing to service and support," said Anil Philip, Director, Marketing and Strategy, Lenovo India.

The consumer business in India was being seen as a huge opportunity that Lenovo could tap to build a global brand identity, explained Sharma.

Philips Electronics India Ltd, a subsidiary of Netherlands-based Royal Philips Electronics, has launched the MCM 240, a Hi-Fi system recently. Priced at Rs 5,999, Philips MCM 240 is available across the country and exclusively at Philips Arena showrooms.

Speaking about the Philips MCM 240, Mrugesh Gaglani, Brand Manager, Philips Music Systems, Philips Electronics India Ltd, said, “Philips has always worked towards bringing newer technologies and providing ‘best value for money’ products to the consumers. The MCM 240 is a trendy, progressive Hi-Fi system that not only delivers on sound quality, but also rakes up points due to its compact sleek design. This unique innovation is aimed at consumers looking for convenience and brilliant looks without compromising on sound quality.”

Philips MCM 240 is equipped with a wall mountable feature, which makes it distinct from other systems. The Hi-Fi system also has a sleek front motorised CD door with viewing window, besides there is digital sound control for optimised music style settings. The Hi-Fi system is also equipped with auto digital FM tuning.

Multi-brand luxury goods company Yves Saint Laurent (YSL) has officially entered India with the launch of ‘Cinema’, its new premium perfume for women ‘with a floral fragrance that promises to reveal the star inherent in every woman’, which was unveiled in Kolkata on February 12.

YSL Beaute is the fragrance and cosmetic division of the Gucci Group, the luxury arm of Pinault Printemps Redoute Group, headquartered in France. Apart from Yves Saint Laurent, the other prominent brands are Bvlgari, Davidoff, Jil Sander, Chopard, and Esprit among others.

Speaking at the launch, Mohammed Aljeda, Vice-President and Managing Director, YSL Beaute, Middle East, said, “Cinema is possibly a resurgent or an interpretation of classic modern day fragrances.”

It is for the first time that an international brand has been launched in Kolkata, the favourite destinations usually being Mumbai or Delhi. Commenting on this Aljeda said, “Kolkata is known for its passion for movies and theatre. Also, the women of Kolkata are known for their elegance, so Kolkata was chosen as the launch destination.”

It is for the first time the YSL is officially entering the Indian Indian market. Kolkata-based advertising agency Mileage Advertising Services will handle the media business of YSL.

Said Amitava Majumder, Managing Director, Mileage Advertising Services, “Since the brand is called ‘Cinema’, it is only befitting to use the same media, which, too, has evolved significantly with the multiplex culture. Other than this, there will be mainline magazines, events and advertorials.”

The account size is estimated to be over Rs 2 crore and likely to increase depending on the market response.

Swiss watch company Rado opened its first exclusive boutique in Chennai on Wednesday, a day after it launched a similar boutique in Delhi. The company plans to increase the number of exclusive boutiques from the present five to 15 by mid-2007, while it plans to increase its presence in retail outlets from the present 131 to 145 by December 2006.

Speaking on he occasion, Peter Kaeser, Vice-President, International Sales, Rado Watch Company, said, “Rado is a fast-growing brand across the world, and also in India. Last year, in value terms, we registered a growth of 35 per cent in India. We hope to achieve a similiar growth this year too.”

Apart from Delhi and Chennai, Rado already has exclusive brand boutiques were in Bangalore, Mumbai and Ahmedabad. At the launch of the Chennai boutique, the brand also unveiled a new model, Sintra White. Launched by brand ambassadress Lisa Ray (who has been associated with the brand for over five years now), the Sintra White is priced between Rs 145,000 and Rs 350,000.

Kaeser added, “Chennai is a strong market for Rado in the country today. This is the first boutique we are inaugurating in Chennai. The city deserves the latest international design and displays that have been implemented here today.”

The newly launched boutiques are modeled on international styling, with new furniture concepts adopted by Rado internationally, according to the spokesperson. China, Japan and Thailand are currently the top markets in Asia for the brand.