ME AND MY iPhone

Sanath Babu of Sri Durga is
probably one of the first, if not the only channel partner in India, using an
iPhone currently. On a recent trip to Fries in the US, he came across the 8GB
version of the iPhone at Rs 33,000. He had always wanted to own one, and decided
to buy it there and then.

What is unusual about this acquisition is not that the product is not
officially available in the country. What makes its usage difficult is that the
iPhone is exclusive to certain telecom service providers who are authorized to
provide the network on it. There is a software that controls this, and users who
want to use the iPhone have to sign up with that particular service provider.

Since the iPhone has not been officially launched in India, none of the
service providers support it. So Babu had to get the software unlocked by a
local dealer and now he is using it.

“What I like most about this handset is its battery life of three days,
despite an extensive talktime,” he beamed. Being among the few to own this set
gives him a kick.

“The best feature of the iPhone is the ability to see the other person, just
like video conferencing. Unfortunately, that is not activated in my handset
because the telecom service providers do not support it,” Babu added.

Other than that one, he finds the handset virtually perfect. The only other
grouse he has with it is that the speaker volume is not very high, and therefore
he can't use this feature outside the confines of his office. But for the
privilege of being one of the few to use the iPhone, he is willing to live with
this minor flaw.

VINITA BHATIA

vinitavs@cybermedia.co.in