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Vashi2Panvel.Com: Navi Mumbai: July 9: A mobile phone graduated from being a luxury item to a necessity to a fashion statement in record time. And now the rush is on to see whether you can own the latest mobile. There’s so much to choose from. With the technology advancing at a fast pace, the cell phone manufacturing companies are tracking the markets with their latest launches of the techno series. Nokia has launched “N-70 and the N-90” with a dual camera, the latest in the range of N-Series phones, costing approx Rs.20, 000.

Although these N- series are rage among youngsters but to keep competition at bay Nokia has also recently launched its new series of ‘B- Class’ phones which they claim is exclusively for the business and corporate class.

Although the market leaders remain to be Nokia another brand which has a major fan following is O2. This brand primarily caters to the techno-savvy elite. The lightweight, touch screen phones have a starting range of Rs.35, 000, which justifies the elite audience they cater to. The latest collection is the “O2 Atom” which is a PDF phone for the business class having 64MB RAM memory and a 2 Mega pixel camera.

Mr. Nadeem, the sales manager of Mobile Kingdom, Vashi feels that the mobile usage among the people in Navi Mumbai has undergone a significant change, essentially in the time span of last two years, “People nowadays are keener on knowing the add-on features in the device apart from the normal characteristics,” says Mr.Nadeem. “The distinction that we have noticed over the last two years is that people in Navi Mumbai have now got the resources to purchase expensive mobiles,” he adds. The views of Mr.Azim Ayub Qazi, the Sales manager of “Phone Shop”, in Center one, Vashi were quite on the same line as that of Mr. Nadeem, “The increasing business opportunities in Navi Mumbai has resulted in people going in for the latest technologies and updated mobile phones. The people are now comparatively much more techno freaks than what they were till a few years back. Almost 15-20% of the people are going for the O2 series phones which are costing above 35, 000,” he informs.

“I agree that the mobiles today are more of a style statement today. Personally I feel that looks of a phone matter to me more than the features,” says Ms Deepti Gupta who works in Infosys technologies and has recently purchased a N-70 for herself. Although Deepti feels that looks matter more than features there are also many other who think otherwise. “The features that a phone offers are very pivotal, because a phone with updated features can be a boon and can also help in a major way in business networking,” opines Mr.Vivek Lakkimar, who works for Amway.

Contrary to these views the youngsters perceive mobile phones as “catching on the trend”. “When you are in college you are with most people of your age group and you tend to follow the crowd. “I feel nowadays college students opt for expensive pieces only because they see their friends or classmates sporting one,” avers Ms. Shivani Singh, a student of S.I.E.S. College, Nerul.

The views may be diverse, the needs may be many, the users wish list might be poles apart; but one thing, which stands undeterred, is that mobile is all about the STYLE quotient today.

Smriti Mishra