(8 March 2006 2:00 pm)

MUMBAI: Web portal Rediff.com has announced the launch of Rediff Newshound service on Wap enabled mobile phones. Newshound provides a capsule of news headlines across categories such as entertainment and cricket updated every five minutes.

The Rediff Newshound service can be accessed free of charge using WAP, on any GPRS enabled phone from http://nh.rediff.com.

Rediff Newshound provides headlines, categorised by topics, regions and sources from over 1,000 news sources. This service helps to cut through information clutter and saves time. Newshound gathers news automatically from online sources every five minutes and categorizes them under headers like Business, Sports, Entertainment, Health, etc. Newshound also empowers the users to view several news sources on one single page instead of visiting multiple web sites.

Rediff.com chairman and CEO Ajit Balakrishan said, “Rediff.com has proved that it’s not just technology but relevant and innovative applications that make all the difference. Today nearly all GSM handsets are GPRS enabled and utilization of this cutting edge technology will service the need of users who want news updates at their convenience.

"That will be the new paradigm for news services among mobile users who seek convenience and speed of service. GPRS today can be used for much more than just downloading ringtones and wallpapers. Young executives today with GPRS enabled handsets can access innovative services such as Rediff Newshound that is also high in utility value.”