Samsung India  today announced a fresh thrust on its Dual SIM business by introducing two new Dual SIM handsets in the market –B 5722 Dual SIM GSM + GSM touch screen phone and Duos 259, a Dual SIM CDMA + GSM multimedia phone. The two new launches will strengthen the Company’s Dual SIM offering to 6 handsets , including GSM and CDMA segments.

“Consumers are showing a growing preference for Dual SIM phones both in the GSM as well as the CDMA space. We are working at catering to this growing consumer need by introducing new differentiated Dual SIM handsets that come with the unique Samsung advantage of Dual Active mode” states Mr. Ranjit Yadav, Director –Mobile & IT.  The Dual Active Mode implies that both the sims are active all the times. For example , if a user is talking to someone on SIM 1 and gets a call on SIM 2, then he/she will be able to see the person who is calling and can accept the call on SIM 2.

In fact, the just launched B-5722 GSM + GSM Dual SIM Active Phone, comes with a dedicated SIM switching key and a 7.11 cm (2.8”) Full Touch Screen. Given the growing consumer preference to chat and access SNS on their mobiles, the Samsung B-5722 comes with SNS Quick Links and Instant Messenger (IM). This Dual Sim phone comes with advanced features like Stereo FM with recording, 1200 mAH Battery with  a talk time  of up to 13.4 hours, supports external memory up to 8GB and comes with Advanced Mobile Tracker feature. It is priced at Rs.10,650/-.

The Duos 259 is a GSM + CDMA Dual SIM Active phone  that comes with a 5.58cm( 2.2”) screen, 262K colour TFT display, 1.3MP Camera, Stereo FM Radio with recording, a powerful 1140mAH Battery and SD card support upto 8 GB. It is priced at Rs.7799/-. With the new launches today, Samsung range of Dual SIM handsets across both GSM and CDMA technologies is priced in the range between Rs.4,620/- to Rs.10,650/-. “We are looking at the Dual SIM handsets contributing up to 15% of our total handset volumes this year” states Mr. Yadav.

In view of the growing preference of Indian consumers towards downloading applications and customizing them to meet their needs, Samsung has hosted a Java application store on Samsung Fun club, the site for popular games, music, ringtones, free content, wallpapers and videos.

With approximately 3 million unique users who access the site through both WAP and Web , the Java application store is designed to tap this user base and offer them more downloadable versions of their favorite applications on their mobiles .

Currently users can download from 40 applications, and Samsung India is closely with the developer community to work on these applications which range from  – Communication (IP & VOIP), Messaging, Entertainment, Personal Finance, Lifestyle, Learning, Social Networking to Maps on Mobile and Mobile Internet.

The applications are available for top selling models of Samsung phones like Corby series, Metro, Star series and even the Dual SIM phones. “We plan to add at least 10 more applications on Samsung Fun Club by the end of this month” states Mr. Yadav. The Company plans to introduce its proprietary Bada platform in the country in Quarter 2 and will be working with Indian developers to develop applications for the same.

“We are looking at driving our growth through relevance and innovation, both in terms of the handsets as well as the application space”, states Mr. Yadav. The Company has a portfolio of over 50 models across its entry level Guru Series;  multimedia phone series including the highly popular Metro Series;  touch screen mobiles ranging from the youth oriented; Corby series to the very stylish Giorgio Armani and the Dual SIM phone with the unique Dual SIM Active advantage. The Samsung mobile portfolio is priced in the range between Rs.2840/- ~ Rs.40,000/-