Datawind
has unveiled a new version of its PocketSurfer mobile internet device with the
option of unlimited web access for a £60 fee.
The PocketSurfer2R, available from late October, is the third generation of
the
pocket-sized
clamshell device which opens up to reveal a Qwerty keyboard and 640 x 240
screen.
Unlike a smartphone, PocketSurfer is a dedicated web browsing device, and its
£199 price includes 20 hours per month of web access for a year.
After this, a subscription fee of £39.99 provides an additional year's
access, while users can upgrade to unlimited access for £5.99 per month.
The PocketSurfer2R features an improved colour display and a touchpad that
replaces the four-way navigation key in older models. This enables users to
navigate around pages faster, according to Datawind.
The device is aimed at users wanting to access the web anywhere while on the
move, according to Datawind UK head David Elder.
"You can browse the web on a bus or a train, anywhere where you might have
two or three minutes and you need to check on something," he said.
Although limited compared with smartphones, Elder said that PocketSurfer2R
offers faster access to web pages than any other device, and enables users to
access email, instant messaging and Google's online applications.
With built-in GPS, the device can also be used as a navigation aid when used
with Google Maps.
Also new with the PocketSurfer2R is that users can now pay an additional
£59.99 fee to get unlimited web access for the life of the device.
Users can also surf the web while abroad for just 5p per minute in the US and
Europe, according to Elder, rising to 25p per minute elsewhere.
"You do not have to sign a contract, and there is no fair use policy, and no
asterisks. When we say unlimited, we mean it," Elder said.
The company is able to offer this to customers because the device uses little
bandwidth, receiving web pages from a proxy server in a compressed form over a
GPRS connection.
Datawind also makes some money by placing small banner adverts along the top
of the display.
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