'CONSUMER CONFIDENCE LEVEL RISES IN JUNE'
New Delhi: Indian consumers' confidence level rose in June on the back of easing inflation but
concerns remained over job security, says a study by financial
services provider BluFin.
BluFin's Consumer Confidence Index (CCI) rose to 41.9 points in
June, an uptick of 0.5 points over the previous month.
The index is a key 'aggregate' indicator that assesses the pulse of urban Indian consumers with regard to the economy, spending
behaviour and employment. The
index reflects pessimism at below 50 score and optimism above that.
"CCI data suggest job security and availability are gradually becoming a major concern for
Indian consumers, after inflation," BluFin V-P Debopam Chaudhuri said.
"Improvement in inflationary conditions would not be sufficient to boost consumer demand. Since about 60 per cent of Indian GDP is composed of
private consumption, a momentum based recovery in GDP would be possible only after pessimism about employment is
mitigated among consumers," he
added. A sub index, which rates inflation
sentiment, rose by 0.7 points to 27.5 points in June. This is the
highest score since February 2012 when the index languished
at 22 points. Besides, the spending sentiment stabilised at 30.5 points in June.
"The uptick in CCI index has been
attributed to a marked improvement in the inflation
sentiment Index. The prospects of a normal monsoon along with
cooling commodity prices have reduced pessimism about
inflation, paving the way for urban Indian consumers to open
their purses," the report noted.
Talking about spending sentiment, BluFin said there has
been a slight rise in the number of consumers willing to purchase home and two-and four-
wheelers. However, absolute scores still remain much below
the benchmark level of 50. However, pessimistic views on
employment, continue to be a small drag on the the consumer
confidence index with the overall score falling slightly below the neutral mark of 50 to 49.9 in June, 2013.
"The sluggish recovery after a
prolonged economic slowdown is not enough to improve the employment outlook of consumers. Without a recovery in
this index soon, improvement observed in spending sentiment would likely not last," it said.
Another sub-index, which measures future expectations
was at 40.7 points, indicating consumers were still pessimistic
about the economy's prospects.
However, consumers were more comfortable about their present situation with a score of 44.4
points.
In terms of region, consumers in eastern India continue to be the most pessimistic while those in the southern cities show the greatest propensity to spend.
On the employment front,Bengaluru continues to exhibit a
robust employment sentiment,while Kolkata and Cuttack have witnessed an erosion.
The index is based on nation-wide monthly surveys of 4,000
respondents across 18 cities conducted by custom market
research company TNS.
Saturday 29 June 2013
Biz-GOOGLE!
GOOGLE MAKING VIDEOGAME CONSOLE AND SMART WATCH
SAN FRANCISCO:Google is working on a videogame console
and smart watch powered by Android software that has been a hit in smartphones and tablets,the Wall Street Journal reported
Thursday.
The Journal cited unnamed sources as saying that the California-based Internet titan is out to expand its hardware line-up to include a new version of a
Nexus Q digital media device introduced last year but never brought to market.
Google has openly shared a vision of its free Android operating software being used to put brains into a broad range of devices, including typically
'dumb' machines such as refrigerators or clothes dryers.
Efforts to develop a watch and a game console come as rumors spread of plans for a new-
generation Apple TV box, as well as a smart watch, from Google's Cupertino, California-based rival.
Microsoft and Sony have also set out to tighten their grips on
modern-day home entertainment with new generation Xbox One and PlayStation 4 videogame consoles, which are to be
released late this year.
SAN FRANCISCO:Google is working on a videogame console
and smart watch powered by Android software that has been a hit in smartphones and tablets,the Wall Street Journal reported
Thursday.
The Journal cited unnamed sources as saying that the California-based Internet titan is out to expand its hardware line-up to include a new version of a
Nexus Q digital media device introduced last year but never brought to market.
Google has openly shared a vision of its free Android operating software being used to put brains into a broad range of devices, including typically
'dumb' machines such as refrigerators or clothes dryers.
Efforts to develop a watch and a game console come as rumors spread of plans for a new-
generation Apple TV box, as well as a smart watch, from Google's Cupertino, California-based rival.
Microsoft and Sony have also set out to tighten their grips on
modern-day home entertainment with new generation Xbox One and PlayStation 4 videogame consoles, which are to be
released late this year.
SMS BOOKING OF RAILWAY TICKET!
5 EASY STEPS TO BOOK RAIL TICKET THROUGH SMS
New Delhi: Indian Railways on Friday launched SMS-based
ticketing system to tackle the rush at the booking counters.
Indian Railways Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC)
launched the ticket booking which can be done through non-
internet based mobile.
Government is hoping that this new system will help overcome
the menace of touts who fleece unsuspecting people.
But have you tried to book the ticket by SMS? Here’s five easy
ways that will help you book a ticket by using your ordinary
mobile phone.
1) Register your mobile number with your bank. The bank will provide a mobile
money Identifier (MMId) and one-time password (OTP) for
authorization of payment.
2) After getting the MMid and OTP, now you can book your
ticket. For booking, type an SMS with all your travel details like
train number, date of journey,boarding station and destination and Class of travel, besides name,age and gender of the passenger. The SMS should be sent to 139 or 5676714.
3) On receiving the SMS, the IRCTC will send a transaction ID.
The passenger has to reply to the SMS with PAY followed by the
transaction ID and the bank password (OTP).
4) This confirms booking and the ticket amount will be
deducted from your bank account.
5) On successful booking of ticket, a message will be sent to the user by IRCTC which will be
sufficient as the valid travel document along with photo ID
card in original.
Please check the IRCTC link for further queries like seat
availability, Schedule, time table,PNR status
NOTE:
First: The SMS scheme will not be available during 8 am-12 pm for booking ARP/tatkal/general
tickets.
Second: There will be no need for internet at any stage -booking, payment, cancellation
etc
New Delhi: Indian Railways on Friday launched SMS-based
ticketing system to tackle the rush at the booking counters.
Indian Railways Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC)
launched the ticket booking which can be done through non-
internet based mobile.
Government is hoping that this new system will help overcome
the menace of touts who fleece unsuspecting people.
But have you tried to book the ticket by SMS? Here’s five easy
ways that will help you book a ticket by using your ordinary
mobile phone.
1) Register your mobile number with your bank. The bank will provide a mobile
money Identifier (MMId) and one-time password (OTP) for
authorization of payment.
2) After getting the MMid and OTP, now you can book your
ticket. For booking, type an SMS with all your travel details like
train number, date of journey,boarding station and destination and Class of travel, besides name,age and gender of the passenger. The SMS should be sent to 139 or 5676714.
3) On receiving the SMS, the IRCTC will send a transaction ID.
The passenger has to reply to the SMS with PAY followed by the
transaction ID and the bank password (OTP).
4) This confirms booking and the ticket amount will be
deducted from your bank account.
5) On successful booking of ticket, a message will be sent to the user by IRCTC which will be
sufficient as the valid travel document along with photo ID
card in original.
Please check the IRCTC link for further queries like seat
availability, Schedule, time table,PNR status
NOTE:
First: The SMS scheme will not be available during 8 am-12 pm for booking ARP/tatkal/general
tickets.
Second: There will be no need for internet at any stage -booking, payment, cancellation
etc
Biz-FACEBOOK_TWITTER!
TWITTER'R 'VINE' LOSES POPULARTIY AS FACEBOOK'S INSTAGRAM VIDEO-
SHARING HITS NEW HIGH
Facebook added the video sharing feature to its recently acquired photo sharing service Instagram on June 20.
Twitter’s video-haring service Vine has reportedly seen a
downfall in user-sharing following Facebook’s addition of
video sharing to its photo service Instagram.
Facebook added the video sharing feature to its recently acquired photo sharing service
Instagram on June 20 and the number of links to Vine videos
on social networks fell by nearly half a million on the same day,BBC reports.
According to the report,Instagram links were shared on
Twitter and a week after its launch, the links were shared 50
percent more including retweets
and links as there were 1,562,022 mentions of
Instagram and 935,109 mentions of Vine.
Editor of Marketing Land, Matt McGee said that the number of
shares over the past few days is similar to early and mid June but Vine sharing has reduced since
Instagram’s video tool launch.
Twitter’s Vine allows users to upload and share six-second
long clips which play in a loop whereas videos shared via
Facebook-owned Instagram can be up to 15 seconds long and filters can be added to change
the colouring, the report added.
SHARING HITS NEW HIGH
Facebook added the video sharing feature to its recently acquired photo sharing service Instagram on June 20.
Twitter’s video-haring service Vine has reportedly seen a
downfall in user-sharing following Facebook’s addition of
video sharing to its photo service Instagram.
Facebook added the video sharing feature to its recently acquired photo sharing service
Instagram on June 20 and the number of links to Vine videos
on social networks fell by nearly half a million on the same day,BBC reports.
According to the report,Instagram links were shared on
Twitter and a week after its launch, the links were shared 50
percent more including retweets
and links as there were 1,562,022 mentions of
Instagram and 935,109 mentions of Vine.
Editor of Marketing Land, Matt McGee said that the number of
shares over the past few days is similar to early and mid June but Vine sharing has reduced since
Instagram’s video tool launch.
Twitter’s Vine allows users to upload and share six-second
long clips which play in a loop whereas videos shared via
Facebook-owned Instagram can be up to 15 seconds long and filters can be added to change
the colouring, the report added.
NEWS-MICROMAX!
MICROMAX CANVAS 4 PRE-ORDER STARTS, SPECS ‘MISSING’
Micromax has started taking pre-orders for its upcoming Canvas 4
smartphone without revealing its specifications or price.
NEW DELHI: Indian mobile manufacturer Micromax has
started taking pre-orders for its
upcoming Canvas 4 smartphone.
However, it has not revealed the specifications or the price of the handset as of now. On the
Canvas 4 website, Micromax says that it will unveil the phone and its price on July 8.
Previously, Micromax released two teasers of Canvas 4 on its
YouTube channel, which showed
that the phone has a 13MP camera on the back. The tagline
of the smartphone is "Can Life Be Endless" suggests long battery
life. Speculation is rife that the phone will have an eight-core
processor, just like Samsung Galaxy S4. Reports citing sources
at Micromax claim that the phone
will have a price tag of Rs 17,000,run of Android 4.2 (Jelly Bean) and a 5MP camera.
Micromax says that 10 customers who pre-book the device before July 6 will be invited to the
Canvas 4 launch event.
The manufacturer is taking advanced bookings for Canvas 4
at Rs 5,000. The remaining sum
needs to be paid within 7 days of launch and the smartphone will
be delivered by July 15. While Micromax requires the Rs 5,000
to be paid in full at the time of booking, the remainder amount can be paid in instalments.
Those who book Canvas 4 but later decide not to purchase it can ask for refunds at the Micromax e-store. The booking amount will be refunded within
7-10 days without levying any interest, said Micromax.
Micromax in January said that it will launch a total of 30 smartphones this year. Since then, it has rolled out devices like
Canvas HD, Canvas 3D, Canvas Music, Bolt A35 and Canvas Viva.
Micromax has started taking pre-orders for its upcoming Canvas 4
smartphone without revealing its specifications or price.
NEW DELHI: Indian mobile manufacturer Micromax has
started taking pre-orders for its
upcoming Canvas 4 smartphone.
However, it has not revealed the specifications or the price of the handset as of now. On the
Canvas 4 website, Micromax says that it will unveil the phone and its price on July 8.
Previously, Micromax released two teasers of Canvas 4 on its
YouTube channel, which showed
that the phone has a 13MP camera on the back. The tagline
of the smartphone is "Can Life Be Endless" suggests long battery
life. Speculation is rife that the phone will have an eight-core
processor, just like Samsung Galaxy S4. Reports citing sources
at Micromax claim that the phone
will have a price tag of Rs 17,000,run of Android 4.2 (Jelly Bean) and a 5MP camera.
Micromax says that 10 customers who pre-book the device before July 6 will be invited to the
Canvas 4 launch event.
The manufacturer is taking advanced bookings for Canvas 4
at Rs 5,000. The remaining sum
needs to be paid within 7 days of launch and the smartphone will
be delivered by July 15. While Micromax requires the Rs 5,000
to be paid in full at the time of booking, the remainder amount can be paid in instalments.
Those who book Canvas 4 but later decide not to purchase it can ask for refunds at the Micromax e-store. The booking amount will be refunded within
7-10 days without levying any interest, said Micromax.
Micromax in January said that it will launch a total of 30 smartphones this year. Since then, it has rolled out devices like
Canvas HD, Canvas 3D, Canvas Music, Bolt A35 and Canvas Viva.
Friday 28 June 2013
REVIEW-NOKIA ASHA 210
NOKIA ASHA 210 WITH DEDICATED FACEBOOK KEY COMES TO INDIA
FOR Rs 4,499/-
The Nokia Asha 210 handset’s version with a dedicated
Facebook key has gone up for pre-order in India, more than a
month after its sibling with the WhatsApp button entered the
country. Both versions are likely to start shipping in the second week of July. In the mean time,
interested users can pre-order the Nokia handset through
different shopping portals.
Apart from a button on the keypad, all the other components
of the phone continue to be similar to the previously-released
version. The Finnish
manufacturer has carved out dual slots on its chassis for
supporting two GSM SIM cards at the same time. Like most other
contenders from this series, the Nokia Asha 210 will be made
available in multiple shades as well. These include cyan,magenta and yellow, apart from black and white.
The front side of the gadget accommodates a full QWERTY
keypad as well as a 2.4-inch LCD transmissive screen of 320 x 240p resolution. Prospective customers can easily adjust the
screen brightness. Some of the common features that have been loaded in the device include VoIP,
call divert, speed dial and conference call support amongst
others.
Based on the conglomerate’s
Series 40 OS, the phone has been
pre-installed with the Xpress browser for internet access and
potential buyers can use it for the purpose of checking emails
or updating social networking sites. A 2MP fixed focus camera with 4x digital zoom and the
ability to record videos at the rate of 10 frames per second, is perched on the rear side.
All of these attributes have been packed into an exterior measuring 60 x 111.5 x 11.8
millimeters and weighing in at 99.5 grams. In addition to 32MB of RAM, it has 64MB of onboard
memory and a microSD card slot
for increasing the storage capacity by up to 32GB. A USB 2.0
port and a 3.5mm audio jack have also been embedded on
this Wi-Fi-enabled gadget.
The Asha 210 will hit stores in July for a price of Rs 4,499. Those who wish to grab the device
with a WhatsApp button can head over to Saholic or Infibeam,
while Facebook fans should pre-order it from Flipkart.
Key specifications of the phone:
- 2.4-inch LCD transmissive screen
- 2MP camera
- Series 40 OS
- Dedicated Facebook or WhatsApp button
- 64MB onboard memory,expandable up to 32GB
- 32MB of RAM
- 1200mAh battery
- 12 hours of talk time on 2G
- GPRS, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth
FOR Rs 4,499/-
The Nokia Asha 210 handset’s version with a dedicated
Facebook key has gone up for pre-order in India, more than a
month after its sibling with the WhatsApp button entered the
country. Both versions are likely to start shipping in the second week of July. In the mean time,
interested users can pre-order the Nokia handset through
different shopping portals.
Apart from a button on the keypad, all the other components
of the phone continue to be similar to the previously-released
version. The Finnish
manufacturer has carved out dual slots on its chassis for
supporting two GSM SIM cards at the same time. Like most other
contenders from this series, the Nokia Asha 210 will be made
available in multiple shades as well. These include cyan,magenta and yellow, apart from black and white.
The front side of the gadget accommodates a full QWERTY
keypad as well as a 2.4-inch LCD transmissive screen of 320 x 240p resolution. Prospective customers can easily adjust the
screen brightness. Some of the common features that have been loaded in the device include VoIP,
call divert, speed dial and conference call support amongst
others.
Based on the conglomerate’s
Series 40 OS, the phone has been
pre-installed with the Xpress browser for internet access and
potential buyers can use it for the purpose of checking emails
or updating social networking sites. A 2MP fixed focus camera with 4x digital zoom and the
ability to record videos at the rate of 10 frames per second, is perched on the rear side.
All of these attributes have been packed into an exterior measuring 60 x 111.5 x 11.8
millimeters and weighing in at 99.5 grams. In addition to 32MB of RAM, it has 64MB of onboard
memory and a microSD card slot
for increasing the storage capacity by up to 32GB. A USB 2.0
port and a 3.5mm audio jack have also been embedded on
this Wi-Fi-enabled gadget.
The Asha 210 will hit stores in July for a price of Rs 4,499. Those who wish to grab the device
with a WhatsApp button can head over to Saholic or Infibeam,
while Facebook fans should pre-order it from Flipkart.
Key specifications of the phone:
- 2.4-inch LCD transmissive screen
- 2MP camera
- Series 40 OS
- Dedicated Facebook or WhatsApp button
- 64MB onboard memory,expandable up to 32GB
- 32MB of RAM
- 1200mAh battery
- 12 hours of talk time on 2G
- GPRS, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth
Tech-iAppZWorLD!
THE TOP iPHONE AND iPAD APPS ON APP STORE
Top Paid iPhone Apps:
1. WhatsApp Messenger(WhatsApp Inc.)
2. Where's My Mickey? (Disney)
3. Minecraft - Pocket Edition(Mojang)
4. Heads Up! (Warner Bros.)
5. Facetune (Lightricks Ltd.)
6. Icebreaker: A Viking Voyage( Rovio Stars Ltd.)
7. SpongeBob Moves In( Nickelodeon)
8. AfterLight (Simon Filip)
9. Temple Run: Oz (Disney)
10. Infinity Blade II (Chair Entertainment Group LLC)
Top Free iPhone Apps:
1. Despicable Me: Minion Rush(Gameloft)
2. Candy Crush Saga, (King.com Limited)
3. Escape If You Can (Kaarel Kirsipuu)
4. Vine (Vine Labs Inc.)
5. What The Riddle? (Rainy Day App)
6. Instagram (Burbn Inc)
7. Snapchat (Snapchat Inc.)
8. Dumb Ways to Die (Metro Trains Melbourne Pty Ltd.)
9. YouTube (Google Inc.)
10. Hair Salon - Fun Kids Games(George CL)
Top Paid iPad Apps:
1. Toca Builders (Toca Boca AB)
2. Minecraft - Pocket Edition(Mojang)
3. SpongeBob Moves In(Nickelodeon)
4. Where's My Mickey? XL (Disney)
5. Plants vs. Zombies HD (PopCap)
6. Doc McStuffins: Time For Your Check Up! (Disney)
7. Icebreaker: A Viking Voyage(Rovio Stars Ltd.)
8. XCOM: Enemy Unknown (2K Games)
9. Temple Run: Oz (Disney)
10. Survivalcraft (Igor Kalicinski)
Top Free iPad Apps:
1. Despicable Me: Minion Rush(Gameloft)
2. Candy Crush Saga, (King.com Limited)
3. Hair Salon - Fun Kids Games(George CL)
4. Prom Night Makeover(Ninjafish Studios)
5. Monsters University: Catch
Archie (Disney)
6. Toca Hair Salon 2 (Toca Boca AB)
7. YouTube (Google Inc.)
8. Prom Salon (Libii Tech Limited)
9. Pancake Maker! (Ninjafish Studios)
10. Dumb Ways to Die (Metro Trains Melbourge Pty Ltd.)
Top Paid iPhone Apps:
1. WhatsApp Messenger(WhatsApp Inc.)
2. Where's My Mickey? (Disney)
3. Minecraft - Pocket Edition(Mojang)
4. Heads Up! (Warner Bros.)
5. Facetune (Lightricks Ltd.)
6. Icebreaker: A Viking Voyage( Rovio Stars Ltd.)
7. SpongeBob Moves In( Nickelodeon)
8. AfterLight (Simon Filip)
9. Temple Run: Oz (Disney)
10. Infinity Blade II (Chair Entertainment Group LLC)
Top Free iPhone Apps:
1. Despicable Me: Minion Rush(Gameloft)
2. Candy Crush Saga, (King.com Limited)
3. Escape If You Can (Kaarel Kirsipuu)
4. Vine (Vine Labs Inc.)
5. What The Riddle? (Rainy Day App)
6. Instagram (Burbn Inc)
7. Snapchat (Snapchat Inc.)
8. Dumb Ways to Die (Metro Trains Melbourne Pty Ltd.)
9. YouTube (Google Inc.)
10. Hair Salon - Fun Kids Games(George CL)
Top Paid iPad Apps:
1. Toca Builders (Toca Boca AB)
2. Minecraft - Pocket Edition(Mojang)
3. SpongeBob Moves In(Nickelodeon)
4. Where's My Mickey? XL (Disney)
5. Plants vs. Zombies HD (PopCap)
6. Doc McStuffins: Time For Your Check Up! (Disney)
7. Icebreaker: A Viking Voyage(Rovio Stars Ltd.)
8. XCOM: Enemy Unknown (2K Games)
9. Temple Run: Oz (Disney)
10. Survivalcraft (Igor Kalicinski)
Top Free iPad Apps:
1. Despicable Me: Minion Rush(Gameloft)
2. Candy Crush Saga, (King.com Limited)
3. Hair Salon - Fun Kids Games(George CL)
4. Prom Night Makeover(Ninjafish Studios)
5. Monsters University: Catch
Archie (Disney)
6. Toca Hair Salon 2 (Toca Boca AB)
7. YouTube (Google Inc.)
8. Prom Salon (Libii Tech Limited)
9. Pancake Maker! (Ninjafish Studios)
10. Dumb Ways to Die (Metro Trains Melbourge Pty Ltd.)
BizHelp_WINDOWS!
HOW TO CUSTOMISE THE NEW START SCREEN IN WINDOWS 8.1
The Windows 8 Start screen is largely a
love-it-or-hate affair. But even those who
aren't too keen on the screen may welcome the new ways you can
customize it in the Windows 8.1 Preview.
Right off the bat, Windows 8.1 offers a
dedicated Customize button for the Start
screen where you can tweak a variety of
settings. Right-click anywhere on the
Start screen to display the app bar and
click on the Customize button. You can also right-click on any tile to open the Customize view.
The screen dims slightly. You can now
drag and drop any tile to another spot on the screen. Moving a tile by dragging and dropping is nothing new. But in this
Customize view, you can't accidentally
open an app by clicking on or tapping its tile.
You can select multiple tiles by clicking on them, and then drag and drop all of your selected tiles en masse to another spot.
There's an array of other options that
can be run on multiple tiles.
You can unpin them from the Start
screen, uninstall them, resize them, turn off any live tiles, or just clear the selection. You also have more tiles sizes from which to choose. Certain tiles offer a choice of small, medium, wide, and large. You can enlarge the tiles for your favorite apps and shrink the ones for apps you rarely use.
If you organize your tiles into distinct
groups, you can more easily name them.
In the Customize view, simply click on the text box for Name Group and enter a
name.
To get out of Customize view, just click or tap on the Customize button on the app bar.
What other tricks will you find in the new
Start screen? Less clutter for one.
In Windows 8, any app you install automatically takes up residence on the
Start screen, easily turning it into a crowded and disorganized mess. In
Windows 8.1, apps don't make their way
to the Start screen unless you pin them
there.
After you install a new app, click on the
down arrow in the lower left corner of
the Start screen. That takes you to the
App screen where you'll see any recently-installed apps highlighted with the word New. Right-click on the tile or tiles of any apps that you wish to appear on the
Start screen and click on the Pin to Start
button. Windows 8.1 then transports you
back to the Start screen to reveal the new tile.
Finally, more choices are available for you
to change the color and background of
the Start screen.
Hover your mouse over the small dash
icon in the lower right corner of the
screen to display the Charms bar. From
there, click or tap on the Settings charm
and then select the Personalize option.
You can pick background and accent colors from the on-screen palette or
choose a specific background image.
Best of all, you can pick the same
background image used by your desktop. That option makes the visual trip between the Start screen and
desktop less jarring.
The Start screen may still seem like an
unnecessary annoyance to many
Windows users, especially those working with a non-touch PC. Windows 8 does offer a boot to desktop mode where you can bypass the screen entirely. But the latest tweaks in Windows 8.1 do make
the Start screen a bit friendlier and
decidedly easier to manage.
The Windows 8 Start screen is largely a
love-it-or-hate affair. But even those who
aren't too keen on the screen may welcome the new ways you can
customize it in the Windows 8.1 Preview.
Right off the bat, Windows 8.1 offers a
dedicated Customize button for the Start
screen where you can tweak a variety of
settings. Right-click anywhere on the
Start screen to display the app bar and
click on the Customize button. You can also right-click on any tile to open the Customize view.
The screen dims slightly. You can now
drag and drop any tile to another spot on the screen. Moving a tile by dragging and dropping is nothing new. But in this
Customize view, you can't accidentally
open an app by clicking on or tapping its tile.
You can select multiple tiles by clicking on them, and then drag and drop all of your selected tiles en masse to another spot.
There's an array of other options that
can be run on multiple tiles.
You can unpin them from the Start
screen, uninstall them, resize them, turn off any live tiles, or just clear the selection. You also have more tiles sizes from which to choose. Certain tiles offer a choice of small, medium, wide, and large. You can enlarge the tiles for your favorite apps and shrink the ones for apps you rarely use.
If you organize your tiles into distinct
groups, you can more easily name them.
In the Customize view, simply click on the text box for Name Group and enter a
name.
To get out of Customize view, just click or tap on the Customize button on the app bar.
What other tricks will you find in the new
Start screen? Less clutter for one.
In Windows 8, any app you install automatically takes up residence on the
Start screen, easily turning it into a crowded and disorganized mess. In
Windows 8.1, apps don't make their way
to the Start screen unless you pin them
there.
After you install a new app, click on the
down arrow in the lower left corner of
the Start screen. That takes you to the
App screen where you'll see any recently-installed apps highlighted with the word New. Right-click on the tile or tiles of any apps that you wish to appear on the
Start screen and click on the Pin to Start
button. Windows 8.1 then transports you
back to the Start screen to reveal the new tile.
Finally, more choices are available for you
to change the color and background of
the Start screen.
Hover your mouse over the small dash
icon in the lower right corner of the
screen to display the Charms bar. From
there, click or tap on the Settings charm
and then select the Personalize option.
You can pick background and accent colors from the on-screen palette or
choose a specific background image.
Best of all, you can pick the same
background image used by your desktop. That option makes the visual trip between the Start screen and
desktop less jarring.
The Start screen may still seem like an
unnecessary annoyance to many
Windows users, especially those working with a non-touch PC. Windows 8 does offer a boot to desktop mode where you can bypass the screen entirely. But the latest tweaks in Windows 8.1 do make
the Start screen a bit friendlier and
decidedly easier to manage.
Tech_BLACKBERRY!
BLACKBERRY PLEADS FOR PATIENCE AFTER
BRUTAL QUARTER
The company on Friday posted a loss in
its fiscal first quarter, whereas analysts had projected at profit. Compounding the negativity was the eventual disclosure that it only sold 2.7 million BlackBerry 10 devices in the quarter and saw its subscriber base fall by 4 million
to 72 million.
It was a bad day for BlackBerry all around. The surprising and
disappointing numbers underscore the continued challenges the company faces as it continues its slow efforts for a recovery. But with losses expected to continue piling up, some are wondering if a comeback is even possible. With a
market dominated by Apple and Samsung, BlackBerry may be badly outgunned.
What's worse is that the situation doesn't look like it will be improving for a while. BlackBerry warned it will post another loss in the current quarter and said it will continue to invest in products and services over the next three
quarters, suggesting that the company
will remain in the red for another year.
Throughout it all, BlackBerry CEO Thorsten Heins asked for more time and
a longer-term view from analysts and
industry observers who seemed short on
patience.
"It is a complete disaster,"Pierre Ferragu,an analyst at Sanford Bernstein, said in an e-mail to CNET.
Wall Street agreed with his assessment.
BlackBerry lost more than a quarter of its
market value, falling 25.5 percent to $10.69 in early trading this morning.
The sentiment is far different from just a
month ago, when Heins declared during
its annual developer conference that the
company had gotten back some of its groove.
"It hasn't been that easy, and there's still
a lot of work to do, but man, have we
reached solid ground with this company," Heins said during his keynote address at BlackBerry Live in May. At the time, he was met with thunderous applause from the BlackBerry faithful.
Today, Heins endured a string of painful
questions ranging from his thoughts on
the disappointing BlackBerry 10 sales to
how much time the board had given him
before he had to ditch his current plans.
In his response, Heins sought patience from the investment community, saying
that the company wasn't done launching products and noted that they each required significant marketing
investment to stand out in a competitive
market. He said fiscal 2014 (its current fiscal year) marks a period of investment,which will set the company up for growth next year.
"It's a new experience, so this takes a bit of time, it takes some investment," he
said.
Heins, however, demurred on many of
the more pointed questions, such as his
thoughts on what many regard as disappointing unit sales.
"We're in the middle of it, so it's really too
early to say," he said. "You've got to be
on your tippy toe all the time, and that's
what we're doing."
The 2.7 million BlackBerry 10 devices
shipped in the quarter only represented 40 percent of total device sales, which means its older BlackBerry 7 devices still outsold its newer, more profitable product line. The company also didn't break out how well the BlackBerry Z10 did relative to the Q10, which just went
on sale in many markets this month.
The numbers, which represent the first
full quarter of sales of its BlackBerry 10 devices, have some wondering whether
the company can keep up the momentum and excitement it managed to generate after the launch. The stock has been choppy in recent months, but
remain markedly above the January levels as investors took a wait-and-see
approach and erred on the optimistic
side.
But increasingly, some are concerned that enthusiasm and interest for the devices have waned. BlackBerry opted to
launch first with the BlackBerry Z10 to prove that it could compete in the full-
touch-screen category. But in doing so, it may have hurt the momentum it could
have better sustained had it gone out with the Q10, which is what most BlackBerry fans had been clamoring for.
"It appears now very unlikely traction will
come," Ferragu said.
Perhaps as a reaction to the disappointment, Heins re-emphasized
BlackBerry's goal of moving beyond just
being a simple device maker, touting the
BB10 platform's potential, as well as its services and data network business.
But if the company's core BlackBerry 10
smartphones start to falter, those ambitious plans could just end up being
pipe dreams.
BRUTAL QUARTER
The company on Friday posted a loss in
its fiscal first quarter, whereas analysts had projected at profit. Compounding the negativity was the eventual disclosure that it only sold 2.7 million BlackBerry 10 devices in the quarter and saw its subscriber base fall by 4 million
to 72 million.
It was a bad day for BlackBerry all around. The surprising and
disappointing numbers underscore the continued challenges the company faces as it continues its slow efforts for a recovery. But with losses expected to continue piling up, some are wondering if a comeback is even possible. With a
market dominated by Apple and Samsung, BlackBerry may be badly outgunned.
What's worse is that the situation doesn't look like it will be improving for a while. BlackBerry warned it will post another loss in the current quarter and said it will continue to invest in products and services over the next three
quarters, suggesting that the company
will remain in the red for another year.
Throughout it all, BlackBerry CEO Thorsten Heins asked for more time and
a longer-term view from analysts and
industry observers who seemed short on
patience.
"It is a complete disaster,"Pierre Ferragu,an analyst at Sanford Bernstein, said in an e-mail to CNET.
Wall Street agreed with his assessment.
BlackBerry lost more than a quarter of its
market value, falling 25.5 percent to $10.69 in early trading this morning.
The sentiment is far different from just a
month ago, when Heins declared during
its annual developer conference that the
company had gotten back some of its groove.
"It hasn't been that easy, and there's still
a lot of work to do, but man, have we
reached solid ground with this company," Heins said during his keynote address at BlackBerry Live in May. At the time, he was met with thunderous applause from the BlackBerry faithful.
Today, Heins endured a string of painful
questions ranging from his thoughts on
the disappointing BlackBerry 10 sales to
how much time the board had given him
before he had to ditch his current plans.
In his response, Heins sought patience from the investment community, saying
that the company wasn't done launching products and noted that they each required significant marketing
investment to stand out in a competitive
market. He said fiscal 2014 (its current fiscal year) marks a period of investment,which will set the company up for growth next year.
"It's a new experience, so this takes a bit of time, it takes some investment," he
said.
Heins, however, demurred on many of
the more pointed questions, such as his
thoughts on what many regard as disappointing unit sales.
"We're in the middle of it, so it's really too
early to say," he said. "You've got to be
on your tippy toe all the time, and that's
what we're doing."
The 2.7 million BlackBerry 10 devices
shipped in the quarter only represented 40 percent of total device sales, which means its older BlackBerry 7 devices still outsold its newer, more profitable product line. The company also didn't break out how well the BlackBerry Z10 did relative to the Q10, which just went
on sale in many markets this month.
The numbers, which represent the first
full quarter of sales of its BlackBerry 10 devices, have some wondering whether
the company can keep up the momentum and excitement it managed to generate after the launch. The stock has been choppy in recent months, but
remain markedly above the January levels as investors took a wait-and-see
approach and erred on the optimistic
side.
But increasingly, some are concerned that enthusiasm and interest for the devices have waned. BlackBerry opted to
launch first with the BlackBerry Z10 to prove that it could compete in the full-
touch-screen category. But in doing so, it may have hurt the momentum it could
have better sustained had it gone out with the Q10, which is what most BlackBerry fans had been clamoring for.
"It appears now very unlikely traction will
come," Ferragu said.
Perhaps as a reaction to the disappointment, Heins re-emphasized
BlackBerry's goal of moving beyond just
being a simple device maker, touting the
BB10 platform's potential, as well as its services and data network business.
But if the company's core BlackBerry 10
smartphones start to falter, those ambitious plans could just end up being
pipe dreams.
Thursday 27 June 2013
Tech-WINDOWS!
WINDOWS 8.1 ALSO HAS A FEW BUSINESS-ORIENTED TRICKS UP ITS SLEEVE
The Windows 8.1 Preview launched yesterday with much
fanfare at Microsoft’s Build conference in San Francisco. On
the other side of the planet,meanwhile, Microsoft was kicking off TechEd Europe, where it revealed the features and benefits of Windows 8.1 for
business users.
The upcoming free update includes a massive number of
tweaks and new features . Many of them—such as the
ability to swipe your hand in front of a webcam to turn pages,and the ability to wirelessly stream media to a TV via an Xbox game console—are aimed
exclusively at consumers.
Some of the new features,however, will also appeal to
business uers: The return of the Start button, for instance, and the ability to boot straight to desktop
mode. I’ve never really understood or supported the
brouhaha over the missing Start
button in Windows 8, but I must say that
I’m a fan of having it back. It's so much more convenient to be able to right-click the Start button to
access the Control Panel or Task Manager, or to shut down the PC.
Windows 8.1 for IT admins Microsoft has also developed a
number of features and improvements designed specifically for business customers, and to help IT admins deploy and manage Windows 8 devices. John DeVaan, corporate
vice president for Windows Development at Microsoft, shared
the business-centric aspects of Windows 8.1 at a keynote at
TechEd Europe 2013.
The Start button, booting directly
to desktop, and some of the other elements of Windows 8.1
are great for business users as well, but there are two things in particular that IT admins will appreciate: First, Windows 8.1 lets IT admins control the layout of the Windows 8.1 Start screen.
Second, the new Assigned Access
mode lets businesses lock down a Windows 8.1 device, so that it
can only run only a single designated app.
Some companies are stricter than others about how much
autonomy users have to customize and make Windows
their own. Controlling the Start screen layout isn’t a purely draconian control, though. A consistent interface helps users
work more efficiently, and makes it easier for IT support personnel to manage and troubleshoot
user issues.
Microsoft also threw in some features for managing Windows
8.1 mobile devices. IT admins can remotely wipe sensitive data
from Windows 8.1 devices, and Microsoft has worked to integrate Windows 8.1 management with many leading
MDM (mobile device
management) platforms.
At TechEd Europe, Microsoft also unveiled updates to the Microsoft Desktop Optimization Pack
(MDOP) related to Windows 8.1.
Application Virtualization 5.0 SP2
(App-V 5.0 SP2), and User Experience Virtualization 2.0 (UE-
V 2.0) have both been updated with Windows 8 and Windows 8.1 in mind. UE-V 2.0 now supports Windows Store apps,
and it enhances the way settings and applications sync across devices.
Windows 8.1 for business:
At first blush, Windows 8.1 seems to be a dramatic
improvement over Windows 8.
Microsoft has addressed crucial
complaints that have forced many businesses and consumers to avoid Windows 8, and it has
added a variety of features and improvements that make Windows 8 a better operating
system overall.
Will Windows 8.1 spark a mass migration to adopt the new Microsoft OS? Probably not.
Businesses don’t work that way. Even if businesses embrace
Windows 8.1, it will take some time before the deployments catch up with that sentiment.
PCs—as in traditional desktop and laptop PCs—are declining in
relevance. Many users do more personal computing on mobile
devices such as smartphones and tablets. Windows 8.1,
however, straddles the line between PC and mobile—it
provides a full Windows desktop
experience on tablets,
convertibles, and ultrabook hybrids.
Businesses will eventually move
to Windows 8—and Windows 8.1—out of pure attrition. With
Windows 8.1, though, Microsoft has given businesses many
reasons to choose to switch now, rather than doing so under
duress—kicking and screaming—only when there’s no other
option.
The Windows 8.1 Preview launched yesterday with much
fanfare at Microsoft’s Build conference in San Francisco. On
the other side of the planet,meanwhile, Microsoft was kicking off TechEd Europe, where it revealed the features and benefits of Windows 8.1 for
business users.
The upcoming free update includes a massive number of
tweaks and new features . Many of them—such as the
ability to swipe your hand in front of a webcam to turn pages,and the ability to wirelessly stream media to a TV via an Xbox game console—are aimed
exclusively at consumers.
Some of the new features,however, will also appeal to
business uers: The return of the Start button, for instance, and the ability to boot straight to desktop
mode. I’ve never really understood or supported the
brouhaha over the missing Start
button in Windows 8, but I must say that
I’m a fan of having it back. It's so much more convenient to be able to right-click the Start button to
access the Control Panel or Task Manager, or to shut down the PC.
Windows 8.1 for IT admins Microsoft has also developed a
number of features and improvements designed specifically for business customers, and to help IT admins deploy and manage Windows 8 devices. John DeVaan, corporate
vice president for Windows Development at Microsoft, shared
the business-centric aspects of Windows 8.1 at a keynote at
TechEd Europe 2013.
The Start button, booting directly
to desktop, and some of the other elements of Windows 8.1
are great for business users as well, but there are two things in particular that IT admins will appreciate: First, Windows 8.1 lets IT admins control the layout of the Windows 8.1 Start screen.
Second, the new Assigned Access
mode lets businesses lock down a Windows 8.1 device, so that it
can only run only a single designated app.
Some companies are stricter than others about how much
autonomy users have to customize and make Windows
their own. Controlling the Start screen layout isn’t a purely draconian control, though. A consistent interface helps users
work more efficiently, and makes it easier for IT support personnel to manage and troubleshoot
user issues.
Microsoft also threw in some features for managing Windows
8.1 mobile devices. IT admins can remotely wipe sensitive data
from Windows 8.1 devices, and Microsoft has worked to integrate Windows 8.1 management with many leading
MDM (mobile device
management) platforms.
At TechEd Europe, Microsoft also unveiled updates to the Microsoft Desktop Optimization Pack
(MDOP) related to Windows 8.1.
Application Virtualization 5.0 SP2
(App-V 5.0 SP2), and User Experience Virtualization 2.0 (UE-
V 2.0) have both been updated with Windows 8 and Windows 8.1 in mind. UE-V 2.0 now supports Windows Store apps,
and it enhances the way settings and applications sync across devices.
Windows 8.1 for business:
At first blush, Windows 8.1 seems to be a dramatic
improvement over Windows 8.
Microsoft has addressed crucial
complaints that have forced many businesses and consumers to avoid Windows 8, and it has
added a variety of features and improvements that make Windows 8 a better operating
system overall.
Will Windows 8.1 spark a mass migration to adopt the new Microsoft OS? Probably not.
Businesses don’t work that way. Even if businesses embrace
Windows 8.1, it will take some time before the deployments catch up with that sentiment.
PCs—as in traditional desktop and laptop PCs—are declining in
relevance. Many users do more personal computing on mobile
devices such as smartphones and tablets. Windows 8.1,
however, straddles the line between PC and mobile—it
provides a full Windows desktop
experience on tablets,
convertibles, and ultrabook hybrids.
Businesses will eventually move
to Windows 8—and Windows 8.1—out of pure attrition. With
Windows 8.1, though, Microsoft has given businesses many
reasons to choose to switch now, rather than doing so under
duress—kicking and screaming—only when there’s no other
option.
Wednesday 26 June 2013
BIZ_GOVT ORDERS!
GOVT ORDERS INTERNET SERVICE
PROVIDERS TO BLOCK 39 WEBSITES HOSTING OBSCENE CONTENT
The order came after a petition was filed by Indore-based advocate Kamlesh Vaswani, who said that watching obscene videos is not an offence but it is
one of the major causes for crime against women.
Government has ordered internet
service providers in India to block 39 internet sites that host and allow their users to share obscene content.
Providing specific names of the 39 websites, Department of Telecom in its June 13 order said:
"It has been decided to immediately block the access to the following urls (website links)
."
"Kindly do not mention the name
of URLs in the compliance letter,"
it added.
An Internet service provider (ISP) is an entity that offers users access to the Internet and related
services.
An official of Ministry of Communications and IT told PTI:
"We have just followed a court order and asked internet service providers to comply with it."
In April, a bench headed by Chief
Justice Altamas Kabir issued notices to ministries of Information and Technology,Information and Broadcasting
and Home Affairs, and Internet Service Providers Association of India on a petition seeking to bring an anti-pornography law.
The petition filed by Indore-based advocate Kamlesh Vaswani said watching obscene videos is not an offence but it is one of the major causes for crime against
women.
The petition said that absence of Internet laws encourage people to watch obscene videos and as
it is not an offence, over 20 crore such videos or clippings are freely available in the market,which are being directly
downloaded through the Internet or accessed via video
CDs.
Reacting to the development,President of Internet Service
Providers Association of India Rajesh Charia said: "Effective way
of blocking as per DoT's directive is to block the content at origin by respective data centre or content owner if content is
hosted in country... if content is hosted outside India, then it
should be blocked at
international gateway of cable landing stations."
PROVIDERS TO BLOCK 39 WEBSITES HOSTING OBSCENE CONTENT
The order came after a petition was filed by Indore-based advocate Kamlesh Vaswani, who said that watching obscene videos is not an offence but it is
one of the major causes for crime against women.
Government has ordered internet
service providers in India to block 39 internet sites that host and allow their users to share obscene content.
Providing specific names of the 39 websites, Department of Telecom in its June 13 order said:
"It has been decided to immediately block the access to the following urls (website links)
."
"Kindly do not mention the name
of URLs in the compliance letter,"
it added.
An Internet service provider (ISP) is an entity that offers users access to the Internet and related
services.
An official of Ministry of Communications and IT told PTI:
"We have just followed a court order and asked internet service providers to comply with it."
In April, a bench headed by Chief
Justice Altamas Kabir issued notices to ministries of Information and Technology,Information and Broadcasting
and Home Affairs, and Internet Service Providers Association of India on a petition seeking to bring an anti-pornography law.
The petition filed by Indore-based advocate Kamlesh Vaswani said watching obscene videos is not an offence but it is one of the major causes for crime against
women.
The petition said that absence of Internet laws encourage people to watch obscene videos and as
it is not an offence, over 20 crore such videos or clippings are freely available in the market,which are being directly
downloaded through the Internet or accessed via video
CDs.
Reacting to the development,President of Internet Service
Providers Association of India Rajesh Charia said: "Effective way
of blocking as per DoT's directive is to block the content at origin by respective data centre or content owner if content is
hosted in country... if content is hosted outside India, then it
should be blocked at
international gateway of cable landing stations."
Biz-TELECOM!
AIRTEL-GOOGLE TEAM UP TO PROVIDE FREE MOBILE INTERNET TO
SUBSCRIBERS
New Delhi: Bharti Airtel said it has partnered with Google to launch a service 'Free Zone',
wherein subscribers will be able to access Google services such
as Gmail, Google+ and Google search on their mobile phones without any data cost.
The users, however, have to pay for advanced services such as attachment downloads, the
company said in a statement.
"...Free Zone powered by Google, will give Airtel mobile customers access to mobile web search and feature phone
friendly versions of Gmail and Google+ in India. The first page
of a website linked from search results is provided at no data
cost," Airtel said.
The company added when users leave the Free Zone to navigate deeper into a website
or download an attachment they are informed about the
data charges and given the option to purchase an appropriate data package.
"In this market, where feature phones predominate, our
association with Google to bring Free Zone to India will
encourage millions of users to discover the power of mobile
Internet for the very first time and leverage the amazing world of information search, email and social collaboration - at no incremental cost," Bharti Airtel
Chief Marketing Officer (Consumer Business) N Rajaram
said.
Users can have unlimited access to Gmail from their mobile browser but if they click on a link or attachment within the
email they are irected to a page where they can purchase a data package.
In the same way, subscribers can search Internet and access
the first page of websites from the results for free. If they click further into a website after that,
they are directed to a page where they can purchase a data
package, it added.
"The mobile Internet user base is growing really fast in India...
We hope this initiative will encourage more Indians to experience the value of the
Internet and gain from it,"
Google India VP and Managing Director Rajan Anandan said.
SUBSCRIBERS
New Delhi: Bharti Airtel said it has partnered with Google to launch a service 'Free Zone',
wherein subscribers will be able to access Google services such
as Gmail, Google+ and Google search on their mobile phones without any data cost.
The users, however, have to pay for advanced services such as attachment downloads, the
company said in a statement.
"...Free Zone powered by Google, will give Airtel mobile customers access to mobile web search and feature phone
friendly versions of Gmail and Google+ in India. The first page
of a website linked from search results is provided at no data
cost," Airtel said.
The company added when users leave the Free Zone to navigate deeper into a website
or download an attachment they are informed about the
data charges and given the option to purchase an appropriate data package.
"In this market, where feature phones predominate, our
association with Google to bring Free Zone to India will
encourage millions of users to discover the power of mobile
Internet for the very first time and leverage the amazing world of information search, email and social collaboration - at no incremental cost," Bharti Airtel
Chief Marketing Officer (Consumer Business) N Rajaram
said.
Users can have unlimited access to Gmail from their mobile browser but if they click on a link or attachment within the
email they are irected to a page where they can purchase a data package.
In the same way, subscribers can search Internet and access
the first page of websites from the results for free. If they click further into a website after that,
they are directed to a page where they can purchase a data
package, it added.
"The mobile Internet user base is growing really fast in India...
We hope this initiative will encourage more Indians to experience the value of the
Internet and gain from it,"
Google India VP and Managing Director Rajan Anandan said.
Tech-ACER!
ACER ICONIA W3 :– WORLD’S SMALLEST WINDOWS TAB LAUNCHED
Acer is sprucing up its tablet range in India and has launched
the world’s smallest Windows based tablet in the country.
Part of the Iconia range, Acer Iconia W3 comes with 8.1-inch
display and is powered by Intel Atom Z2760 Clover Trail chipset.
The device pairs with an optional full-size Bluetooth keyboard that holds the tablet upright for typing and then conveniently
docks to the tablet to lay flat for easy, screen-protected
transportation. The tab comes with a keyboard the size of the standard 13-inch devices making it convenient to double up the tablet as a laptop or a netbook.
The tablet is priced at Rs 30,499 for the base variant.
Acer Iconia W3 comes with a 2 MP rear as well as front-end
camera. The tablet also comes with Micro-USB and micro-HDMI connection options.
Apart from Acer Iconia W3, Acer also launched Aspire P3
Ultrabook. Aspire P3, which will be available from Rs 54,499/- onwards comes with fast boot
times, and long battery life. The
device weighs 1.3 kilograms and measures 0.77-inches in terms of thinness.
The third device launched by Acer is Aspire R7 notebook . The Windows 8 powered Aspire R7
notebook a desktop replacement features a 15.6" Full HD 1920x1080 touch screen made for the new computing lifestyle,which increasingly combines
touch and type. With a
repositioned keyboard and the
revolutionary Ezel™ hinge that moves the display forward and
into different positions, the Aspire R7 makes the combination of touching the screen and using the keyboard more intuitive and natural. With four modes of operation, the R7
can easily be used as a
conventional notebook, a pad, a
display, or switched to "Ezel™" allowing the screen to float over the keyboard at various angles.
The Ezel™ hinge makes it easy to flip the display over, and to touch or type while creating, browsing
or sharing content. The Aspire R7 will be available from Rs.74,999/- onwards.
Acer is sprucing up its tablet range in India and has launched
the world’s smallest Windows based tablet in the country.
Part of the Iconia range, Acer Iconia W3 comes with 8.1-inch
display and is powered by Intel Atom Z2760 Clover Trail chipset.
The device pairs with an optional full-size Bluetooth keyboard that holds the tablet upright for typing and then conveniently
docks to the tablet to lay flat for easy, screen-protected
transportation. The tab comes with a keyboard the size of the standard 13-inch devices making it convenient to double up the tablet as a laptop or a netbook.
The tablet is priced at Rs 30,499 for the base variant.
Acer Iconia W3 comes with a 2 MP rear as well as front-end
camera. The tablet also comes with Micro-USB and micro-HDMI connection options.
Apart from Acer Iconia W3, Acer also launched Aspire P3
Ultrabook. Aspire P3, which will be available from Rs 54,499/- onwards comes with fast boot
times, and long battery life. The
device weighs 1.3 kilograms and measures 0.77-inches in terms of thinness.
The third device launched by Acer is Aspire R7 notebook . The Windows 8 powered Aspire R7
notebook a desktop replacement features a 15.6" Full HD 1920x1080 touch screen made for the new computing lifestyle,which increasingly combines
touch and type. With a
repositioned keyboard and the
revolutionary Ezel™ hinge that moves the display forward and
into different positions, the Aspire R7 makes the combination of touching the screen and using the keyboard more intuitive and natural. With four modes of operation, the R7
can easily be used as a
conventional notebook, a pad, a
display, or switched to "Ezel™" allowing the screen to float over the keyboard at various angles.
The Ezel™ hinge makes it easy to flip the display over, and to touch or type while creating, browsing
or sharing content. The Aspire R7 will be available from Rs.74,999/- onwards.
Tech-INTEL INSIDE!
INTEL LAUNCHES 4TH GENERATION INTEL CORE PROCESSORS IN INDIA
Intel on Wednesday introduced the 4th generation Intel Core
processor family, dubbed Haswell, in India.
Based on Intel's leading 22nm
microarchitecture, the 4th generation Intel Core processors
promises to deliver up to 50 percent increase in battery life in
active workloads over the previous generation.This is the
largest generation-over-generation gain in the company’s
history, equating to 9 hours of battery life in active workloads
for some Ultrabooks based on the new processors, said the
company.
The 4th generation processors will also serve as the foundation for 2-in-1 computing. A 2-in-1
device works as a PC as well as a tablet.
“Today we deliver on the vision set forth 2 years ago to reinvent
personal computing with the introduction of our 4th generation Intel Core processors,” said Leighton
Phillips, Director, Product Management & Pricing, Intel Asia-
Pacific. “Today’s announcement accelerates a new category of 2-in-1 computing devices
delivering the best of a notebook and a tablet in amazing new
form factors.”
The 4th gen Intel Core
processors promises to deliver improvement in battery life over
the previous generation in active
workloads such as watching movies or surfing the Internet,
and two to three times improvement in standby battery life. For some systems coming to market this year, over nine hours
of active use battery life or 10 to 13 days of standby with fresh
data on a single charge is expected. The latest processors
are capable of delivering up to 15 per cent better performance than the previous generation,
while consuming lower amounts of power.
To achieve this breakthrough,Intel worked on the power
reduction at the CPU level to as low as 6 watts and also worked across the system for power
optimisation, said Debjani Ghosh,Intel South Asia Managing
Director (Sales and Marketing Group).
The 4th generation processor enables every day computing to be about two times faster, helps systems wake up around eight
times faster and allows users to edit and share HD video about 20 times faster, than a similar 4-
year-old computer.
PC makers like Acer, Dell, Hewlett-Packard (HP) and Lenovo are in the process of launching products with the latest Intel
processor.
Acer is expected to launch its ultrabook, starting at about Rs
37,000, during mid-July. The Taiwanese computer marketer
said it will also come out with 15-20 products powered by the latest Intel processor in the next
4 months.
Likewise, Dell will release its XPS 12 ultrabook in the first week of July, whereas, HP will soon be launching its HP Envy AiO (All-in-One) PC.
Similarly, Lenovo will launch its AiO PC in the coming couple of
months, which will be powered by the Intel 4th generation core
processor.
Intel on Wednesday introduced the 4th generation Intel Core
processor family, dubbed Haswell, in India.
Based on Intel's leading 22nm
microarchitecture, the 4th generation Intel Core processors
promises to deliver up to 50 percent increase in battery life in
active workloads over the previous generation.This is the
largest generation-over-generation gain in the company’s
history, equating to 9 hours of battery life in active workloads
for some Ultrabooks based on the new processors, said the
company.
The 4th generation processors will also serve as the foundation for 2-in-1 computing. A 2-in-1
device works as a PC as well as a tablet.
“Today we deliver on the vision set forth 2 years ago to reinvent
personal computing with the introduction of our 4th generation Intel Core processors,” said Leighton
Phillips, Director, Product Management & Pricing, Intel Asia-
Pacific. “Today’s announcement accelerates a new category of 2-in-1 computing devices
delivering the best of a notebook and a tablet in amazing new
form factors.”
The 4th gen Intel Core
processors promises to deliver improvement in battery life over
the previous generation in active
workloads such as watching movies or surfing the Internet,
and two to three times improvement in standby battery life. For some systems coming to market this year, over nine hours
of active use battery life or 10 to 13 days of standby with fresh
data on a single charge is expected. The latest processors
are capable of delivering up to 15 per cent better performance than the previous generation,
while consuming lower amounts of power.
To achieve this breakthrough,Intel worked on the power
reduction at the CPU level to as low as 6 watts and also worked across the system for power
optimisation, said Debjani Ghosh,Intel South Asia Managing
Director (Sales and Marketing Group).
The 4th generation processor enables every day computing to be about two times faster, helps systems wake up around eight
times faster and allows users to edit and share HD video about 20 times faster, than a similar 4-
year-old computer.
PC makers like Acer, Dell, Hewlett-Packard (HP) and Lenovo are in the process of launching products with the latest Intel
processor.
Acer is expected to launch its ultrabook, starting at about Rs
37,000, during mid-July. The Taiwanese computer marketer
said it will also come out with 15-20 products powered by the latest Intel processor in the next
4 months.
Likewise, Dell will release its XPS 12 ultrabook in the first week of July, whereas, HP will soon be launching its HP Envy AiO (All-in-One) PC.
Similarly, Lenovo will launch its AiO PC in the coming couple of
months, which will be powered by the Intel 4th generation core
processor.
Tuesday 25 June 2013
Biz-Innovation_2
NOKIA : NEWS YOU CAN USE!
Six years ago, Finnish mobile phone maker Nokia had a pretty
broad brief for Jawahar Kanjilal:
he had to launch some services targeted at emerging markets.
Kanjilal did some research and zeroed in on an SMSbased
information service called Nokia Life Tools (NLT), which would
provide agricultural information,such as weather reports and
crop prices, and educational services such as English language courses.
He started small with a pilot project in Maharashtra: Nokia
teamed up with the Maharashtra State Agricultural Marketing
Board to provide commodity prices from nearly 300 mandis to thousands of state farmers.
"Back then mobile services were entertainmentoriented, and life-improvement services were missing in 2008," says Kanjilal,
now Vice President and Global Head of Nokia Life, Mobile Phone Services at Nokia.
The pilot was a big success.
Today, Nokia Life has extended beyond agriculture to also
provide information on health and education. It has more than 100 million users, half in India
and the rest in four emerging markets - China, Indonesia,
Nigeria and Kenya. It has joined hands with 20 mobile operators,
has more than 100 content partners and its services are
available in 20 languages across these countries. Kanjilal says he was clear about one thing: the company had to launch the pilot project for emerging markets in a country with geographic
diversity and India was the obvious option. "If we cracked it here (India), it would be doable
(everywhere else)," he says.
So, how does the service work?NLT subscribers pay a monthly subscription, choose a language
and the company delivers information to their mobile
phones. The biggest challenge is collecting information. The
company needs suitable partners such as universities, NGOs and government bodies to gather highly localised information. For
information on its education projects which include English
learning programmes, Nokia has tied up with mobile learning
company Enable Mobile Technologies (EnableM), which, in
turn, has partnered with leading organisations such as Pearson Education.
The education project provides highly localised content by using area pin codes as a differentiator. "Kanjilal helps us
with market inputs, and also aggregating a set of partners
who are experts in their own space," says Amit Zaveri, CEO and
Founder of EnableM.
Once agriculture and education were in place, Nokia turned to
health care. Kanjilal realised many people in rural India do not visit a doctor until they are extremely
sick. He then began providing health-related information on everything from general health
topics to specifics such as maternal and child care. Now
that he has set up NLT, the company's next step is to launch
in many more countries. "There
is a lot of headroom here," he says.
The success in India pushed Nokia Life to spread to other
emerging markets. Today, almost half of its subscriber base is
outside India, with 30 million users in China and 10 million users each in Nigeria and
Indonesia. It has tied up with UNESCO in Nigeria to launch a
service to help educate primary
school teachers. In Jakarta, about 8,000 women use an NLT service called Usaha Wanita which helps
women run small businesses. "A lot of wealth in these countries is in rural and underdeveloped
cities," says Sanchit Vir Gogia,Chief Analyst and CEO of Greyhound Research, an IT
research and advisory firm.The project's global footprint
doesn't stop here. Nokia and telecommunications services company Bharti Airtel have plans to go global with their
partnership: Nokia announced in March it would take services such as Nokia Life across Africa. "We
see a huge need of services like Nokia Life in Africa," says N.
Rajaram, Chief Marketing Officer of Bharti Airtel. "It has been a good partnership in India and now we have taken that to Africa."
Spreading Its Wings
Nokia Life has extended beyond
agriculture to also provide information on health and
education. It has more than 100 million users, half in India and the rest in four emerging markets - China, Indonesia,
Nigeria and Kenya. It has joined hands with 20 mobile operators,
has 100 content partners and its services are available in 20 languages across these countries. Jawahar Kanjilal, Vice President, Nokia Life, says he was clear about one thing: the
company had to launch the pilot project for emerging markets in a country with geographic
diversity and India was the obvious option.
Six years ago, Finnish mobile phone maker Nokia had a pretty
broad brief for Jawahar Kanjilal:
he had to launch some services targeted at emerging markets.
Kanjilal did some research and zeroed in on an SMSbased
information service called Nokia Life Tools (NLT), which would
provide agricultural information,such as weather reports and
crop prices, and educational services such as English language courses.
He started small with a pilot project in Maharashtra: Nokia
teamed up with the Maharashtra State Agricultural Marketing
Board to provide commodity prices from nearly 300 mandis to thousands of state farmers.
"Back then mobile services were entertainmentoriented, and life-improvement services were missing in 2008," says Kanjilal,
now Vice President and Global Head of Nokia Life, Mobile Phone Services at Nokia.
The pilot was a big success.
Today, Nokia Life has extended beyond agriculture to also
provide information on health and education. It has more than 100 million users, half in India
and the rest in four emerging markets - China, Indonesia,
Nigeria and Kenya. It has joined hands with 20 mobile operators,
has more than 100 content partners and its services are
available in 20 languages across these countries. Kanjilal says he was clear about one thing: the company had to launch the pilot project for emerging markets in a country with geographic
diversity and India was the obvious option. "If we cracked it here (India), it would be doable
(everywhere else)," he says.
So, how does the service work?NLT subscribers pay a monthly subscription, choose a language
and the company delivers information to their mobile
phones. The biggest challenge is collecting information. The
company needs suitable partners such as universities, NGOs and government bodies to gather highly localised information. For
information on its education projects which include English
learning programmes, Nokia has tied up with mobile learning
company Enable Mobile Technologies (EnableM), which, in
turn, has partnered with leading organisations such as Pearson Education.
The education project provides highly localised content by using area pin codes as a differentiator. "Kanjilal helps us
with market inputs, and also aggregating a set of partners
who are experts in their own space," says Amit Zaveri, CEO and
Founder of EnableM.
Once agriculture and education were in place, Nokia turned to
health care. Kanjilal realised many people in rural India do not visit a doctor until they are extremely
sick. He then began providing health-related information on everything from general health
topics to specifics such as maternal and child care. Now
that he has set up NLT, the company's next step is to launch
in many more countries. "There
is a lot of headroom here," he says.
The success in India pushed Nokia Life to spread to other
emerging markets. Today, almost half of its subscriber base is
outside India, with 30 million users in China and 10 million users each in Nigeria and
Indonesia. It has tied up with UNESCO in Nigeria to launch a
service to help educate primary
school teachers. In Jakarta, about 8,000 women use an NLT service called Usaha Wanita which helps
women run small businesses. "A lot of wealth in these countries is in rural and underdeveloped
cities," says Sanchit Vir Gogia,Chief Analyst and CEO of Greyhound Research, an IT
research and advisory firm.The project's global footprint
doesn't stop here. Nokia and telecommunications services company Bharti Airtel have plans to go global with their
partnership: Nokia announced in March it would take services such as Nokia Life across Africa. "We
see a huge need of services like Nokia Life in Africa," says N.
Rajaram, Chief Marketing Officer of Bharti Airtel. "It has been a good partnership in India and now we have taken that to Africa."
Spreading Its Wings
Nokia Life has extended beyond
agriculture to also provide information on health and
education. It has more than 100 million users, half in India and the rest in four emerging markets - China, Indonesia,
Nigeria and Kenya. It has joined hands with 20 mobile operators,
has 100 content partners and its services are available in 20 languages across these countries. Jawahar Kanjilal, Vice President, Nokia Life, says he was clear about one thing: the
company had to launch the pilot project for emerging markets in a country with geographic
diversity and India was the obvious option.
BIZ-INNOVATION!
HUL:A CLEAR SOLUTION
Hindustan Unilever's Pureit water filters are touching millions of lives worldwide.
Annisa, a 35-year-old home-maker, lives in the suburbs of Jakarta, Indonesia's capital. She usually starts her day by hauling a 20-litre container to a nearby water kiosk where waits in line
for a couple of hours to fill water for her family to drink and for household chores. Twenty litres last just two days, but millions of Indonesians would rather haul water home like this than drink tap water, which is often
polluted and tastes salty.
On the other side of the world,30-year-old home-maker Marisol,
who lives in a small Mexican town, has a similar problem. A
cholera outbreak in the 1990s,caused by poor quality municipal water supply, destroyed her trust of tap water. Marisol buys 20-litre
containers of water at her local super market every two days.
Consumers like Annisa and Marisol mean business for Pureit,
a water purifier developed for
the Indian market by the world's largest consumer goods
company, Unilever, at its Bangalore research centre. The filter was test-marketed in
Chennai in 2004, and gradually sold across India over the next
four years. Today, it also sells in Bangladesh, Brazil, Indonesia,Mexico, Nigeria and Sri Lanka.
When Pureit was launched,water purifiers such as Eureka Forbes's Aquaguard had been on the Indian market for over a decade. To be successful, Pureit
had to be different. One major difference was price: Unilever
priced the entry-level product,Pureit Classic, at Rs 2,350 - less
than half the entry level prices of other purifiers. The second
important difference was that,unlike other products, Pureit did
not need electricity. "Unilever decided that water would be one
of the key drivers for the future,way back in 2000," says Anupam
Bokey, General Manager (Brand Development) for Pureit.
"Providing safe drinking water was not only looked at as an area which would rake in revenues,
but it also became part of the company's vision to give back to
society."
Unilever's promise that Pureit could make even filthy water fit to drink seems to have been
more than advertising hoopla.One of Pureit's earliest advertising campaigns featured a
man collecting water from a dirty overhead tank and a pond, and
rainwater in a bottle, and challenging a Pureit salesperson
to purify it. The commercial showed the salesman putting the sceptic's doubts to rest by purifying the dirty water right
before his eyes. "We have offered Rs 1 crore in prize money to anyone who can prove that some
other water purifier brand can purify water better than Pureit,and there are still no takers for
that money," says Bokey proudly.
The biggest challenge when Pureit was launched was to win
over consumers. "Though there were many water purifier brands in the market, penetration was low due to steep pricing," says Bokey. "Moreover, water safety was not at the top of people's minds. People preferred to boil water, and would do so only when their kids fell sick."
Another challenge was that while the lack of safe drinking water was a common problem in several countries, each country had its own peculiarities. For
instance, Bokey says, unlike Indians, Indonesians did not boil tap water. However, he adds,
they are more aware of the importance of clean drinking
water. And Mexicans, he notes,have a deep mistrust of tap
water. Consumers in many countries were uncomfortable
with the idea of drinking purified
tap water.
Unilever had to find a way to offer the best technology at a
low price, says Bokey. Most water purifiers used reverse osmosis
technology, which requires electricity. Pureit puts water
through four stage of filtration,in which sediments, dirt,
parasites and residues are removed. The process requires
no electricity, which poor people either lack or find expensive.
"Pureit ensures that you get the level of safe drinking water that meets US Environmental Protection Agency norms from the first litre to the last," says
Bokey. He adds that the product warns the consumer when the
filter parts are due for
replacement, and shuts off when
it can no longer dispense clean water. Thus it ensures that
consumers never drink unsafe water.
Pureit's affordability helped overcome consumer resistance.
"In Indonesia, we told
consumers that the cost of Pureit was 16 times less than a 20-litre container of water," says Bokey.
"Similarly, in Mexico, the cost of a litre of packaged water is 60
times more than that of a litre purified by Pureit."
Hindustan Unilever's Pureit water filters are touching millions of lives worldwide.
Annisa, a 35-year-old home-maker, lives in the suburbs of Jakarta, Indonesia's capital. She usually starts her day by hauling a 20-litre container to a nearby water kiosk where waits in line
for a couple of hours to fill water for her family to drink and for household chores. Twenty litres last just two days, but millions of Indonesians would rather haul water home like this than drink tap water, which is often
polluted and tastes salty.
On the other side of the world,30-year-old home-maker Marisol,
who lives in a small Mexican town, has a similar problem. A
cholera outbreak in the 1990s,caused by poor quality municipal water supply, destroyed her trust of tap water. Marisol buys 20-litre
containers of water at her local super market every two days.
Consumers like Annisa and Marisol mean business for Pureit,
a water purifier developed for
the Indian market by the world's largest consumer goods
company, Unilever, at its Bangalore research centre. The filter was test-marketed in
Chennai in 2004, and gradually sold across India over the next
four years. Today, it also sells in Bangladesh, Brazil, Indonesia,Mexico, Nigeria and Sri Lanka.
When Pureit was launched,water purifiers such as Eureka Forbes's Aquaguard had been on the Indian market for over a decade. To be successful, Pureit
had to be different. One major difference was price: Unilever
priced the entry-level product,Pureit Classic, at Rs 2,350 - less
than half the entry level prices of other purifiers. The second
important difference was that,unlike other products, Pureit did
not need electricity. "Unilever decided that water would be one
of the key drivers for the future,way back in 2000," says Anupam
Bokey, General Manager (Brand Development) for Pureit.
"Providing safe drinking water was not only looked at as an area which would rake in revenues,
but it also became part of the company's vision to give back to
society."
Unilever's promise that Pureit could make even filthy water fit to drink seems to have been
more than advertising hoopla.One of Pureit's earliest advertising campaigns featured a
man collecting water from a dirty overhead tank and a pond, and
rainwater in a bottle, and challenging a Pureit salesperson
to purify it. The commercial showed the salesman putting the sceptic's doubts to rest by purifying the dirty water right
before his eyes. "We have offered Rs 1 crore in prize money to anyone who can prove that some
other water purifier brand can purify water better than Pureit,and there are still no takers for
that money," says Bokey proudly.
The biggest challenge when Pureit was launched was to win
over consumers. "Though there were many water purifier brands in the market, penetration was low due to steep pricing," says Bokey. "Moreover, water safety was not at the top of people's minds. People preferred to boil water, and would do so only when their kids fell sick."
Another challenge was that while the lack of safe drinking water was a common problem in several countries, each country had its own peculiarities. For
instance, Bokey says, unlike Indians, Indonesians did not boil tap water. However, he adds,
they are more aware of the importance of clean drinking
water. And Mexicans, he notes,have a deep mistrust of tap
water. Consumers in many countries were uncomfortable
with the idea of drinking purified
tap water.
Unilever had to find a way to offer the best technology at a
low price, says Bokey. Most water purifiers used reverse osmosis
technology, which requires electricity. Pureit puts water
through four stage of filtration,in which sediments, dirt,
parasites and residues are removed. The process requires
no electricity, which poor people either lack or find expensive.
"Pureit ensures that you get the level of safe drinking water that meets US Environmental Protection Agency norms from the first litre to the last," says
Bokey. He adds that the product warns the consumer when the
filter parts are due for
replacement, and shuts off when
it can no longer dispense clean water. Thus it ensures that
consumers never drink unsafe water.
Pureit's affordability helped overcome consumer resistance.
"In Indonesia, we told
consumers that the cost of Pureit was 16 times less than a 20-litre container of water," says Bokey.
"Similarly, in Mexico, the cost of a litre of packaged water is 60
times more than that of a litre purified by Pureit."
STRANGE FACTS-INTERESTING!
A Blue whale's tongue weighs more than an elephant.
Bruce Lee was so fast that they actually had to slow a film down
so you could see his moves.
That's the opposite of the norm.
Bone is five times stronger than steel.
Longest officially recognized place name is Taumatawhakatangihangakoauauotamateapokaiwhenuakitana
tahu, has 85 letters. It's the name for a hill, 305 metres (1,000 ft) high, close to Porangahau, New Zealand.
111,111,111 x 111,111,111 =12,345,678,987,654,321
Tiger shark embroyos fight each other in their mother's
womb. The survivor is born.
You grow by about 8mm (O.3in)every night when you are
asleep, but shrink to your former height the following day.
Over 4 million cars in Brazil are now running on gasohol
instead of petrol. Gasohol is a fuel made from sugar cane.
Alexander Graham Bell, the inventor of the telephone, never
telephoned His wife or mother because they were both deaf.
If you ate too many carrots,you'd turn orange.
When glass breaks, the cracks move at speeds of up to 3,000
miles per hour.
"Bookkeeper" is the only word in English language with three
consecutive Double letters.
The world's first University was established in Takshila, India in
700BC. More than 10,500 students from all over the world
studied more than 60 subjects.
The University of Nalanda built in the 4th century BC was one of the greatest achievements of
ancient India in the field of education.
315 entries in Webster's 1996 Dictionary were misspelled.
250 people have fallen off the Leaning Tower of Pisa.
Sharks can live up to 100 years.
American Airlines saved $40,000 in 1987 by eliminating one olive from each salad served in first-class.
A normal person will die from total lack of sleep sooner than
from starvation. Death will occur about 10 days without sleep,
while starvation takes a Few weeks.
Due to gravitational effects, your weigh slightly less when the
moon is directly overhead.
Bamboo can grow up to 3 ft in 24 hours.
It would take 1,200,000 mosquitoes, each sucking once,to completely drain the average human of blood.
There are as many chickens on earth as there are humans.
According to German
researchers, the risk of heart attack is higher on Monday than any other day of the week.
If you are locked in a completely sealed room, you will die of
carbon dioxide poisoning first before you will die of oxygen
deprivation.
About 75 acres of pizza are eaten in in the U.S. Everyday.
All the planets in our solar system rotate anticlockwise,except Venus. It is the only
planet that rotates clockwise.
Indians have been biting into juicy mangoes for 3,000 years.
But the western world came to know about it only 300 years
ago!
Rate These Facts Using Number Of Stars Please!
Monday 24 June 2013
NEWZ_AUTOMOBILES!
HYUNDAI PHASES OUT 'ACCENT'
Hyundai Motors has stopped the sale of Accent sedan in the
Indian market, but plans to replace it with an entry-level
sedan, apart from launching a new hatchback later this year.
Hyundai Motor India Vice-President for Marketing and Sales
Rakesh Srivastava told Business Line that Accent had been
phased out of the Indian market because the auto major wanted to launch a newer, advanced entry-level sedan, which is one of
the fastest-growing segments in the country.
Till the production of Accent for the domestic sector was
stopped, it had posted a cumulative sale of 3.8 lakh cars. It
was one of the first models to offer the CRDi diesel engine in
the mid-sized segment. Accent
will, however, continue to be produced for the export market. Hyundai is currently the largest exporter of passenger cars from
India.
The South Korean car maker also plans to have a clear product
differentiation in each of the segments it is in India. This year,
it will launch a new model code-named BA, a premium hatchback positioned between i10 and i20
to cater to a wider base of customers. Hyundai has also
refurbished the i10 and i20 models, apart from repositioning
Eon as a more modern car in its segment.
Srivastava said globally, Hyundai
is consolidating the production capacities as more and more
plants are being opened in different countries. Therefore,
there will be some shift in production patterns across
countries as the aim is to service the domestic demand of the region where the plants are located as well as produce
products for the neighbouring markets to ensure quicker
response time to market,Hyundai’s head for marketing
and sales said.
He pointed out that exports gives
the company strong quality benchmarks, creates higher
acceptance of products worldwide and ensures full
utilisation of its production capacity.
Increase capacity
The car manufacturer currently produces 6.3 lakh units every
year and with some minor changes in the production schedule, the capacity can be
increased to another 40,000 car units. Last year (calendar year),
Hyundai sold 391,276 cars in the domestic market and exported
250,005 cars.
Hyundai Motors has stopped the sale of Accent sedan in the
Indian market, but plans to replace it with an entry-level
sedan, apart from launching a new hatchback later this year.
Hyundai Motor India Vice-President for Marketing and Sales
Rakesh Srivastava told Business Line that Accent had been
phased out of the Indian market because the auto major wanted to launch a newer, advanced entry-level sedan, which is one of
the fastest-growing segments in the country.
Till the production of Accent for the domestic sector was
stopped, it had posted a cumulative sale of 3.8 lakh cars. It
was one of the first models to offer the CRDi diesel engine in
the mid-sized segment. Accent
will, however, continue to be produced for the export market. Hyundai is currently the largest exporter of passenger cars from
India.
The South Korean car maker also plans to have a clear product
differentiation in each of the segments it is in India. This year,
it will launch a new model code-named BA, a premium hatchback positioned between i10 and i20
to cater to a wider base of customers. Hyundai has also
refurbished the i10 and i20 models, apart from repositioning
Eon as a more modern car in its segment.
Srivastava said globally, Hyundai
is consolidating the production capacities as more and more
plants are being opened in different countries. Therefore,
there will be some shift in production patterns across
countries as the aim is to service the domestic demand of the region where the plants are located as well as produce
products for the neighbouring markets to ensure quicker
response time to market,Hyundai’s head for marketing
and sales said.
He pointed out that exports gives
the company strong quality benchmarks, creates higher
acceptance of products worldwide and ensures full
utilisation of its production capacity.
Increase capacity
The car manufacturer currently produces 6.3 lakh units every
year and with some minor changes in the production schedule, the capacity can be
increased to another 40,000 car units. Last year (calendar year),
Hyundai sold 391,276 cars in the domestic market and exported
250,005 cars.
ICC_HUB!
TWITTER REACTIONS TO INDIA'S WIN
England choked in the final overs of the Champions Trophy final to hand India a dream win. India
became the second country and MS Dhoni the first captain to win all the three ICC tournaments - ICC
World Cup, World T20, and Champions Trophy.
The twitter was abuzz with reactions from former and current players congratulating
India on a well-deserved victory.
The reactions to the Indian win were unanimous in hailing the team as true champions for their
all-round show throughout the
tournament.
Here is a list of few tweets from past and current cricket players:-
Congrats too India, they were the best side. England
had it won but fell over at the last hurdle under pressure,Jadeja man of series 4 me
-- Shane Warne (@
warne888) June 23, 2013
Well played India , Dhoni captained the second half
brilliantly ! Ultimately the pressure got to England .
-- fred flintoff (@flintoff11)
June 23, 2013
Correct ,England choked ,but India showed why they
were the best team in the tournament ,jadeja and Ashwin were quality ,Sharma
was lucky -- Darren Gough (@ DGoughie) June 23, 2013
What a fantastic tournament it has been... Brilliant cricket
where every game really counted... Overall India were
by far the best team.!!!
-- Michael Vaughan (@
MichaelVaughan) June 23,2013
Eng panicked towards the end & the team with the stronger temperament came
through. Well done Dhoni !
Well done India !
-- Sanjay Manjrekar (@sanjaymanjrekar) June 23,2013
Well done India. Top team,top performance. Great
Defence of low total. Brilliant from Dhoni at spinners.
-- Simon Doull (@Sdoull) June23, 2013
India played really good cricket they deserve to be the champions
-- Saqlain Mushtaq (@
Saqlain_Mushtaq) June 24,2013
Hats off to Dhoni!!! The only Captain to lift all 3 ICC Titles
and dont forget he took India to N0 1 in tests as well
-- Russel Arnold (@
RusselArnold69) June 23,2013
Well done to India on their Champions Trophy success,
best team on display in the tournament!
-- Shaun Pollock (@7polly7)June 24, 2013
Congrats to India! Def the best team at the
tournament! Deserved
winners! Some good friends in that team, proud of u guys! Well done!
-- Dale Steyn (@DaleSteyn62)
June 23, 2013
Congrats to @BCCI and the whole Indian team. Great to see two dedicated
Zimbabwe coaches
contributing to a world class team #ct13 #IndvsEng
-- Brendan Taylor (@
BrendanTaylor86) June 23,2013
Even Suresh Raina and Ravi Ashwin found time amidst the
celebrations to express their happiness over this vastly popular social platform, while the
English players rued about their loss.
What an unbelievable match to seal off the
ChampionsTrophy.Still feels surreal.A victory for every
Indian cricket fan
pic.twitter.com/qBDIzk5hbO
-- Ashwin Ravichandran (@
ashwinravi99) June 23, 2013
Overwhelmed! Weather, toss- all against us. But we
fought as a team. Hope our win can lessen some of the
pain of the tragedy in
Uttarakhand
-- Suresh Raina (@ImRaina)
June 23, 2013
Life's really not a fairytale I guess. Well played both teams making it a great final
to watch. Well done to India.
Deserved to win. #CT13
-- Ravi Bopara (@ravibopara)
June 23, 2013
England choked in the final overs of the Champions Trophy final to hand India a dream win. India
became the second country and MS Dhoni the first captain to win all the three ICC tournaments - ICC
World Cup, World T20, and Champions Trophy.
The twitter was abuzz with reactions from former and current players congratulating
India on a well-deserved victory.
The reactions to the Indian win were unanimous in hailing the team as true champions for their
all-round show throughout the
tournament.
Here is a list of few tweets from past and current cricket players:-
Congrats too India, they were the best side. England
had it won but fell over at the last hurdle under pressure,Jadeja man of series 4 me
-- Shane Warne (@
warne888) June 23, 2013
Well played India , Dhoni captained the second half
brilliantly ! Ultimately the pressure got to England .
-- fred flintoff (@flintoff11)
June 23, 2013
Correct ,England choked ,but India showed why they
were the best team in the tournament ,jadeja and Ashwin were quality ,Sharma
was lucky -- Darren Gough (@ DGoughie) June 23, 2013
What a fantastic tournament it has been... Brilliant cricket
where every game really counted... Overall India were
by far the best team.!!!
-- Michael Vaughan (@
MichaelVaughan) June 23,2013
Eng panicked towards the end & the team with the stronger temperament came
through. Well done Dhoni !
Well done India !
-- Sanjay Manjrekar (@sanjaymanjrekar) June 23,2013
Well done India. Top team,top performance. Great
Defence of low total. Brilliant from Dhoni at spinners.
-- Simon Doull (@Sdoull) June23, 2013
India played really good cricket they deserve to be the champions
-- Saqlain Mushtaq (@
Saqlain_Mushtaq) June 24,2013
Hats off to Dhoni!!! The only Captain to lift all 3 ICC Titles
and dont forget he took India to N0 1 in tests as well
-- Russel Arnold (@
RusselArnold69) June 23,2013
Well done to India on their Champions Trophy success,
best team on display in the tournament!
-- Shaun Pollock (@7polly7)June 24, 2013
Congrats to India! Def the best team at the
tournament! Deserved
winners! Some good friends in that team, proud of u guys! Well done!
-- Dale Steyn (@DaleSteyn62)
June 23, 2013
Congrats to @BCCI and the whole Indian team. Great to see two dedicated
Zimbabwe coaches
contributing to a world class team #ct13 #IndvsEng
-- Brendan Taylor (@
BrendanTaylor86) June 23,2013
Even Suresh Raina and Ravi Ashwin found time amidst the
celebrations to express their happiness over this vastly popular social platform, while the
English players rued about their loss.
What an unbelievable match to seal off the
ChampionsTrophy.Still feels surreal.A victory for every
Indian cricket fan
pic.twitter.com/qBDIzk5hbO
-- Ashwin Ravichandran (@
ashwinravi99) June 23, 2013
Overwhelmed! Weather, toss- all against us. But we
fought as a team. Hope our win can lessen some of the
pain of the tragedy in
Uttarakhand
-- Suresh Raina (@ImRaina)
June 23, 2013
Life's really not a fairytale I guess. Well played both teams making it a great final
to watch. Well done to India.
Deserved to win. #CT13
-- Ravi Bopara (@ravibopara)
June 23, 2013
Sunday 23 June 2013
SOCIAL_LEAKS!
FACEBOOK ADMITS YEAR-LONG DATA BREACH EXPOSED 6 MILLION USERS
SAN FRANCISCO:
Facebook Inc has
inadvertently exposed 6 million users' phone
numbers and email addresses to unauthorized viewers over the past year, the
world's largest
social networking
company disclosed late Friday.
Facebook blamed
the data leaks,which began in 2012, on a
technical glitch in
its massive archive of contact information collected from its
1.1 billion users worldwide. As a
result of the glitch, Facebook users who downloaded contact
data for their list of friends obtained additional information that they were not supposed to
have.Facebook's security team was
alerted to the bug last week and fixed it within 24 hours. But
Facebook did not publicly acknowledge the bug until Friday afternoon, when it
published an "important message" on its blog explaining
the issue.
A Facebook spokesman said the
delay was due to company procedure stipulating that regulators and affected users be
notified before making a public announcement.
"We currently have no evidence that this bug has been exploited
maliciously and we have not received complaints from users
or seen anomalous behavior on the tool or site to suggest
wrongdoing," Facebook said on
its blog.
While the privacy breach was limited, "it's still something
we're upset and embarrassed by, and we'll work doubly hard to make sure nothing like this
happens again," it added.
The breach follows recent disclosures that several consumer Internet companies
turned over troves of user data to a large-scale electronic
surveillance program run by U.S.intelligence.
The companies include Facebook, Google Inc, Microsoft
Corp, Apple Inc and Yahoo Inc .The companies, led by Facebook,successfully negotiated with the
U.S. government last week to reveal the approximate number
of user information requests that each company had received,including secret national security orders.
SAN FRANCISCO:
Facebook Inc has
inadvertently exposed 6 million users' phone
numbers and email addresses to unauthorized viewers over the past year, the
world's largest
social networking
company disclosed late Friday.
Facebook blamed
the data leaks,which began in 2012, on a
technical glitch in
its massive archive of contact information collected from its
1.1 billion users worldwide. As a
result of the glitch, Facebook users who downloaded contact
data for their list of friends obtained additional information that they were not supposed to
have.Facebook's security team was
alerted to the bug last week and fixed it within 24 hours. But
Facebook did not publicly acknowledge the bug until Friday afternoon, when it
published an "important message" on its blog explaining
the issue.
A Facebook spokesman said the
delay was due to company procedure stipulating that regulators and affected users be
notified before making a public announcement.
"We currently have no evidence that this bug has been exploited
maliciously and we have not received complaints from users
or seen anomalous behavior on the tool or site to suggest
wrongdoing," Facebook said on
its blog.
While the privacy breach was limited, "it's still something
we're upset and embarrassed by, and we'll work doubly hard to make sure nothing like this
happens again," it added.
The breach follows recent disclosures that several consumer Internet companies
turned over troves of user data to a large-scale electronic
surveillance program run by U.S.intelligence.
The companies include Facebook, Google Inc, Microsoft
Corp, Apple Inc and Yahoo Inc .The companies, led by Facebook,successfully negotiated with the
U.S. government last week to reveal the approximate number
of user information requests that each company had received,including secret national security orders.
Biz_InternationaL!
SAUDI ARABIA CHANGES WORKING
WEEK TO SUNDAY-THURSDAY:
OFFICIAL STATEMENT
DUBAI: Saudi Arabia has announced it is
switching its official weekend to Fridays and Saturdays, bringing the kingdom's working week closer in line with other countries in a move long desired by many of
the country's businesses.
Saudi Arabia, the biggest Arab economy, had been the only member of the six-member Gulf
Cooperation Council to have a Thursday-Friday weekend after
Oman shifted to a Friday-Saturday weekend last month.
The surprise move, which will be applied from this week, was
immediately welcomed by Saudi
economists and businessmen as giving the private sector an extra day of alignment with
international businesses.
"It will increase interface with the rest of the world, now
things will move faster," said Ali al-Ajmi, a former vice president at state oil company Saudi Aramco who now runs a project management business.
Abdulrahman al-Ubaid, a former vice president at Saudi Basic Industries Corp (SABIC), the world's biggest petrochemcial
company, and now managing director of Saudi Development
and Innovation Group, also welcomed the change.
"We expect the impact to be positive on the Saudi economy,
we think our business will be easier," he said.
Saudi Arabia is considering opening its stock market to
more direct foreign investment in the future. At present, stocks move considerably on shifts in global equities and commodities markets.
Although the world's top oil exporter had discussed looking
at the change in its weekend in the future, few people had expected it to make the switch
so soon.
However, some Saudi
companies, including food producer Savola had already announced they would change their own weekend to Friday and Saturday to improve their
coordination with regional partners.
The fact the change is
happening in June, after schools have closed and while many Saudis are on holiday before the
Ramadan fast which starts on July 9, means it will be less
jarring, economists said.
"Instead of having just three working days aligned with the
rest of the world, now you will have a full team for most of the
working week that the rest of the world applies. One extra day
does play a considerable role in
increasing output," said John Sfakianakis of chief investment
officer at Masic investment in Riyadh.
Traditionally Saudis had a six-day working week, taking off
Fridays when Muslims are enjoined to attend mosque for communal prayers, but the
government added Thursday to the official weekend.
Some religious conservatives had argued against moving to a Friday-Saturday weekend
because they feared it smacked of westernisation. However, that argument did not enjoy serious support, said Saudi sociologist
Khalid al-Dakhil.
"In terms of religious
opposition, yes there might be some, but there's absolutely no
unanimity in opposing this course among religious people,"he said.
A statement on Sunday on national Saudi news agency SPA said the change, decreed by King
Abdullah, will take effect as of this weekend, "for the sake of putting an end to the negative
effects and the lost economic opportunities consistently associated with variation based on work days between local departments, ministries and
institutions and the regional and international counterparts."King Abdullah issued the decree following a recommendation in
April by the Kingdom's Shura
Council, which advises the government on new laws, to investigate changing the country's official weekend from the current Thursday and Friday.
WEEK TO SUNDAY-THURSDAY:
OFFICIAL STATEMENT
DUBAI: Saudi Arabia has announced it is
switching its official weekend to Fridays and Saturdays, bringing the kingdom's working week closer in line with other countries in a move long desired by many of
the country's businesses.
Saudi Arabia, the biggest Arab economy, had been the only member of the six-member Gulf
Cooperation Council to have a Thursday-Friday weekend after
Oman shifted to a Friday-Saturday weekend last month.
The surprise move, which will be applied from this week, was
immediately welcomed by Saudi
economists and businessmen as giving the private sector an extra day of alignment with
international businesses.
"It will increase interface with the rest of the world, now
things will move faster," said Ali al-Ajmi, a former vice president at state oil company Saudi Aramco who now runs a project management business.
Abdulrahman al-Ubaid, a former vice president at Saudi Basic Industries Corp (SABIC), the world's biggest petrochemcial
company, and now managing director of Saudi Development
and Innovation Group, also welcomed the change.
"We expect the impact to be positive on the Saudi economy,
we think our business will be easier," he said.
Saudi Arabia is considering opening its stock market to
more direct foreign investment in the future. At present, stocks move considerably on shifts in global equities and commodities markets.
Although the world's top oil exporter had discussed looking
at the change in its weekend in the future, few people had expected it to make the switch
so soon.
However, some Saudi
companies, including food producer Savola had already announced they would change their own weekend to Friday and Saturday to improve their
coordination with regional partners.
The fact the change is
happening in June, after schools have closed and while many Saudis are on holiday before the
Ramadan fast which starts on July 9, means it will be less
jarring, economists said.
"Instead of having just three working days aligned with the
rest of the world, now you will have a full team for most of the
working week that the rest of the world applies. One extra day
does play a considerable role in
increasing output," said John Sfakianakis of chief investment
officer at Masic investment in Riyadh.
Traditionally Saudis had a six-day working week, taking off
Fridays when Muslims are enjoined to attend mosque for communal prayers, but the
government added Thursday to the official weekend.
Some religious conservatives had argued against moving to a Friday-Saturday weekend
because they feared it smacked of westernisation. However, that argument did not enjoy serious support, said Saudi sociologist
Khalid al-Dakhil.
"In terms of religious
opposition, yes there might be some, but there's absolutely no
unanimity in opposing this course among religious people,"he said.
A statement on Sunday on national Saudi news agency SPA said the change, decreed by King
Abdullah, will take effect as of this weekend, "for the sake of putting an end to the negative
effects and the lost economic opportunities consistently associated with variation based on work days between local departments, ministries and
institutions and the regional and international counterparts."King Abdullah issued the decree following a recommendation in
April by the Kingdom's Shura
Council, which advises the government on new laws, to investigate changing the country's official weekend from the current Thursday and Friday.
Saturday 22 June 2013
SMART_HUB!
MICROMAX CANVAS 4: WHITE COLOUR VARIANT LEAKS ONLINE BOASTING SLIM DESIGN AND MORE
For the past few days GizBot is keeping its eyes open when it
comes to Micromax Canvas 4. The forthcoming phone is indeed looking gorgeous in white.
What? Has the company announced the device? No, but
the first alleged image of Canvas 4 is here in front of you. You haven't seen this image, we bet?
GizBot's trusty source @MMXNewscaster has sent this latest image of Micromax Canvas
4. The source should be trusted by looking at its past record. Well,GizBot has also found out that the device will be officially announced and released by the
end of next week. Going by the latest image and past leaks, it is clear that the Canvas 4 will come
in two colors including Black and
White and the upcoming handset
will boast more taller and thinner bezel look.
Also the image reveals, the Canvas 4 will not sport a home
button. Looks like, the standard Android buttons will be
incorporated in the software itself. Or if you look deeply then
you will notice three capacitive buttons hidden at the bottom of the screen. Also, have you notice glossy chamfered edges?
It reminded of iPhone 5.However, largely, the basic design of the Canvas 4 seems to
be lifted from Samsung Galaxy S4.
The front panel is made from polycarbonate plastic, while the rear back could be made from
aluminum.
There's a front facing camera on the front along with different
sensors. Both power button (right), and volume-rocker button
(left) have metallic shiny finish to
it. As of now, the price is still a mystery. The company says the
pre-booking will start from June
28.
For the past few days GizBot is keeping its eyes open when it
comes to Micromax Canvas 4. The forthcoming phone is indeed looking gorgeous in white.
What? Has the company announced the device? No, but
the first alleged image of Canvas 4 is here in front of you. You haven't seen this image, we bet?
GizBot's trusty source @MMXNewscaster has sent this latest image of Micromax Canvas
4. The source should be trusted by looking at its past record. Well,GizBot has also found out that the device will be officially announced and released by the
end of next week. Going by the latest image and past leaks, it is clear that the Canvas 4 will come
in two colors including Black and
White and the upcoming handset
will boast more taller and thinner bezel look.
Also the image reveals, the Canvas 4 will not sport a home
button. Looks like, the standard Android buttons will be
incorporated in the software itself. Or if you look deeply then
you will notice three capacitive buttons hidden at the bottom of the screen. Also, have you notice glossy chamfered edges?
It reminded of iPhone 5.However, largely, the basic design of the Canvas 4 seems to
be lifted from Samsung Galaxy S4.
The front panel is made from polycarbonate plastic, while the rear back could be made from
aluminum.
There's a front facing camera on the front along with different
sensors. Both power button (right), and volume-rocker button
(left) have metallic shiny finish to
it. As of now, the price is still a mystery. The company says the
pre-booking will start from June
28.
BIZ-MARKET REPORT!
VODAFONE, IDEA GAIN MOST IN REVENUE,MARKET SHARE
Vodafone and Idea Cellular have managed to grab most of the market that smaller telcos had to leave after their licences were
quashed by the Supreme Court order last year.
Out of the 17 circles where one or more new telcos had to shut down operations, Idea has gained revenue market share in 12 circles during the fourth quarter ended March 31, 2013
while Vodafone has gained in nine such telecom zones,
according to equity research reports by two different entities.
And this has also helped the country’s second and third
largest telecom service providers
by subscriber base to emerge as top gainers in terms of adjusted
gross revenue market share during the fiscal year ended March 31, 2013.
Adjusted gross revenue market share of Vodafone increased by 76 basis points, followed by Idea
Cellular by 75 basis points during the period. But adjusted gross revenue market share of Bharti Airtel, the country’s largest
mobile operator by subscriber base, has come down by 34
basis points during the same period.
Aircel and Uninor gained adjusted revenue market share
by 17 basis points and 20 basis points respectively during the same year. Interestingly, adjusted
gross revenue of the industry has grown just 5.3 per cent
during the fiscal year ended March 31, 2013.
Meanwhile, adjusted gross revenue market share of Bharti Airtel marginally dropped to 30.4 per cent in fiscal year ended March 31, 2013, from 30.7 per
cent during the previous fiscal ended March 2012, according to data published by Telecom regulatory Authority of India
(TRAI) and different equity research reports.
Adjusted gross revenue market share of Vodafone increased to 22.2 per cent during FY13 from 21.4 per cent in FY12. Idea
Cellular’s adjusted gross revenue market share also increased 15.1 per cent in FY13 from 14.4 per cent in FY12.According to a
different report by a global equity research firm, Bharti Airtel,
Vodafone and Idea Cellular together have grabbed 91.4 per
cent of the incremental revenue
market share during the fiscal year ended March 31, 2013,
while the three firms together have a market share of 68.6 per cent in terms of revenue at the end of January-March 2013
quarter.
Bharti Airtel’s revenue market share increased to 29.9 per cent during the quarter ended March
2013 from 29.2 per cent during the corresponding quarter in the previous year. Revenue market
share Vodafone increased from 22.7 per cent to 23 per cent and Idea Cellular’s to 15.7 per cent from 15 per cent during the quarters under review.In terms
of incremental revenue market share, Bharti Airtel is the top
gainer with about 40 per cent of the pie, followed by Vodafone
with 26.8 per cent and Idea Cellular with 24.5 per cent during
the January-March quarter.
Incremental market share is the portion of increase in the revenue of the industry that accrues to a company.
Vodafone and Idea Cellular have managed to grab most of the market that smaller telcos had to leave after their licences were
quashed by the Supreme Court order last year.
Out of the 17 circles where one or more new telcos had to shut down operations, Idea has gained revenue market share in 12 circles during the fourth quarter ended March 31, 2013
while Vodafone has gained in nine such telecom zones,
according to equity research reports by two different entities.
And this has also helped the country’s second and third
largest telecom service providers
by subscriber base to emerge as top gainers in terms of adjusted
gross revenue market share during the fiscal year ended March 31, 2013.
Adjusted gross revenue market share of Vodafone increased by 76 basis points, followed by Idea
Cellular by 75 basis points during the period. But adjusted gross revenue market share of Bharti Airtel, the country’s largest
mobile operator by subscriber base, has come down by 34
basis points during the same period.
Aircel and Uninor gained adjusted revenue market share
by 17 basis points and 20 basis points respectively during the same year. Interestingly, adjusted
gross revenue of the industry has grown just 5.3 per cent
during the fiscal year ended March 31, 2013.
Meanwhile, adjusted gross revenue market share of Bharti Airtel marginally dropped to 30.4 per cent in fiscal year ended March 31, 2013, from 30.7 per
cent during the previous fiscal ended March 2012, according to data published by Telecom regulatory Authority of India
(TRAI) and different equity research reports.
Adjusted gross revenue market share of Vodafone increased to 22.2 per cent during FY13 from 21.4 per cent in FY12. Idea
Cellular’s adjusted gross revenue market share also increased 15.1 per cent in FY13 from 14.4 per cent in FY12.According to a
different report by a global equity research firm, Bharti Airtel,
Vodafone and Idea Cellular together have grabbed 91.4 per
cent of the incremental revenue
market share during the fiscal year ended March 31, 2013,
while the three firms together have a market share of 68.6 per cent in terms of revenue at the end of January-March 2013
quarter.
Bharti Airtel’s revenue market share increased to 29.9 per cent during the quarter ended March
2013 from 29.2 per cent during the corresponding quarter in the previous year. Revenue market
share Vodafone increased from 22.7 per cent to 23 per cent and Idea Cellular’s to 15.7 per cent from 15 per cent during the quarters under review.In terms
of incremental revenue market share, Bharti Airtel is the top
gainer with about 40 per cent of the pie, followed by Vodafone
with 26.8 per cent and Idea Cellular with 24.5 per cent during
the January-March quarter.
Incremental market share is the portion of increase in the revenue of the industry that accrues to a company.
TECH_HUB!
iPHONE USERS ARE BRAIN-DEAD ZOMBIES,
SAYS NEW NOKIA AD
They are red-eyed and dead-eyed.
They are brain-dead and stiff-lipped.
Their pale faces stare at you, ready to infect you, so that they can affect you.
Who are these people? These are the
iZombies.
Yes, no sooner had Samsung become somewhat bored with smacking at Apple's pinata of faith then Nokia decided that it, too, must show iPhone users as a group gone awry.
In a new ad to press home the advantage of the flashy,nonflashy
camera on the 925 phone, Nokia paints
iPhone users as zombies: all flash and no panache.
Here we have the lone Nokia user. Yes,it's David Byrne from his Talking Heads days.
He walks a lonely path. Well, he is the only person in his neighborhood with a Nokia 925.
Some balk at its bulk. Some collapse at its
lack of apps. But it has a wonderful camera.
All around him, there are those who wish
to blind him with their light. He, though,
finds it all rather sinister.
"Can't they see themselves? he wonders.
"Don't they realize what pale imitations
they are? Even Apple admits that all its
users are simply mindless cultists who
need to photograph the world on their
iPhone, rather than, say, living."
It seems they realize nothing. There are
too many of them. They no longer have
minds of their own. They just want to flash him with their wares.
How will it end? Will he end up one of them? Will his eyes turn red, his neck
turn stiff, and his gait become that of a drunk?
I'm in the dark on that one!!
SAYS NEW NOKIA AD
They are red-eyed and dead-eyed.
They are brain-dead and stiff-lipped.
Their pale faces stare at you, ready to infect you, so that they can affect you.
Who are these people? These are the
iZombies.
Yes, no sooner had Samsung become somewhat bored with smacking at Apple's pinata of faith then Nokia decided that it, too, must show iPhone users as a group gone awry.
In a new ad to press home the advantage of the flashy,nonflashy
camera on the 925 phone, Nokia paints
iPhone users as zombies: all flash and no panache.
Here we have the lone Nokia user. Yes,it's David Byrne from his Talking Heads days.
He walks a lonely path. Well, he is the only person in his neighborhood with a Nokia 925.
Some balk at its bulk. Some collapse at its
lack of apps. But it has a wonderful camera.
All around him, there are those who wish
to blind him with their light. He, though,
finds it all rather sinister.
"Can't they see themselves? he wonders.
"Don't they realize what pale imitations
they are? Even Apple admits that all its
users are simply mindless cultists who
need to photograph the world on their
iPhone, rather than, say, living."
It seems they realize nothing. There are
too many of them. They no longer have
minds of their own. They just want to flash him with their wares.
How will it end? Will he end up one of them? Will his eyes turn red, his neck
turn stiff, and his gait become that of a drunk?
I'm in the dark on that one!!
SMARTFONE_HUB!
SPICE COOLPAD MI-515 WITH 5.0-INCH DISPLAY LAUNCHED FOR Rs.9,990
India's Spice Mobiles has tied up with Chinese smartphone maker Coolpad to launch Spice Coolpad
Mi-515 in India. The smartphone carries a price tag of Rs. 9,990
and was earlier listed online with online retailer Saholic.
Spice Coolpad Mi-515 sports a 5.0-inch display with resolution of 540X960 pixels. The smartphone packs in 1.2GHz quad-core processor with 1GB of
RAM. There is a 4GB of internal storage available on the
smartphone, which can be further expanded by up to 32GB via a microSD card.
It is a dual-SIM smartphone with dual standby, which supports 3G connectivity on one SIM. Spice Coolpad Mi-515 runs on Android
4.1 (Jelly Bean) operating system
and comes with a 2,000mAh battery. For camera, there is a 5-
megapixel auto-focus camera with LED flash at the rear, and a
VGA snapper in the front for video calling. Connectivity options
on the Spice Coolpad Mi-515 include 3G, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n,
Bluetooth and GPS/ aGPS.
Commenting on the launch, Dilip Modi, COO & Co-Founder Spice Group, said, "With this new
product, Spice has broken the price barrier and has made
quad-core smartphones affordable for the consumer wanting superlative Internet
access on the move. It is an affirmation of our belief in constantly re-inventing and creating new benchmarks in the
industry. We will be launching many more exciting products
under the Spice Coolpad brand.
We are confident that with our huge distribution network and own Spice Hotspot stores - the
brand will achieve substantial market share in smartphone
category with innovative products."
It is noteworthy that Spice had earlier announced collaboration with Huawei in October 2012 to launch S Huawei brand. It had
launched Ascend Y100 under this brand for Rs. 5,990. So it will be
interesting to see how Spice manages to launch new smartphones with another Chinese manufacturer.
KEY SPECIFICATIONS:
¤ 5-inch qHD capacitive touch screen IPS display
¤1.2 GHz quad-core processor
¤1GB RAM 4GB internal storage,
expandable by up to 32GB through microSD card
¤5-megapixel auto focus camera with LED flash VGA front-facing camera
¤Dual SIM ( 3G + 2G) with Dual Standby 3G, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n,
Bluetooth with A2DP and GPS /aGPS
¤2,000mAh battery
¤Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean)
India's Spice Mobiles has tied up with Chinese smartphone maker Coolpad to launch Spice Coolpad
Mi-515 in India. The smartphone carries a price tag of Rs. 9,990
and was earlier listed online with online retailer Saholic.
Spice Coolpad Mi-515 sports a 5.0-inch display with resolution of 540X960 pixels. The smartphone packs in 1.2GHz quad-core processor with 1GB of
RAM. There is a 4GB of internal storage available on the
smartphone, which can be further expanded by up to 32GB via a microSD card.
It is a dual-SIM smartphone with dual standby, which supports 3G connectivity on one SIM. Spice Coolpad Mi-515 runs on Android
4.1 (Jelly Bean) operating system
and comes with a 2,000mAh battery. For camera, there is a 5-
megapixel auto-focus camera with LED flash at the rear, and a
VGA snapper in the front for video calling. Connectivity options
on the Spice Coolpad Mi-515 include 3G, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n,
Bluetooth and GPS/ aGPS.
Commenting on the launch, Dilip Modi, COO & Co-Founder Spice Group, said, "With this new
product, Spice has broken the price barrier and has made
quad-core smartphones affordable for the consumer wanting superlative Internet
access on the move. It is an affirmation of our belief in constantly re-inventing and creating new benchmarks in the
industry. We will be launching many more exciting products
under the Spice Coolpad brand.
We are confident that with our huge distribution network and own Spice Hotspot stores - the
brand will achieve substantial market share in smartphone
category with innovative products."
It is noteworthy that Spice had earlier announced collaboration with Huawei in October 2012 to launch S Huawei brand. It had
launched Ascend Y100 under this brand for Rs. 5,990. So it will be
interesting to see how Spice manages to launch new smartphones with another Chinese manufacturer.
KEY SPECIFICATIONS:
¤ 5-inch qHD capacitive touch screen IPS display
¤1.2 GHz quad-core processor
¤1GB RAM 4GB internal storage,
expandable by up to 32GB through microSD card
¤5-megapixel auto focus camera with LED flash VGA front-facing camera
¤Dual SIM ( 3G + 2G) with Dual Standby 3G, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n,
Bluetooth with A2DP and GPS /aGPS
¤2,000mAh battery
¤Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean)
Friday 21 June 2013
SAD NEWS! NOT BUSINESS! I FEEL SORRY FOR YOU SISTER :(
MEDICAL STUDENT KIDNAPPED,GANG-RAPED IN KARNATAKA'S MANIPAL
The 22-year-old student was dragged into an autorickshaw by three persons on
a road near the
pharmacology college campus.
MANGALORE: Shock spread through the education town of
Manipal on Friday as news spread of the abduction and
alleged rape of a fourth-year MBBS student by three miscreants when she was on her way to her room, just 1 km from the library complex on Thursday
night.
The 22-year-old student from Thiruvananthapuram was dragged into an autorickshaw by three persons on a road near the pharmacology college campus.The police came to know about
the incident by 1.15am after an engineering student saw three persons dragging a woman into an auto. The girl dropped her purse during the scuffle and the engineering student came to know about her identity from it and informed campus security.
After a futile search, they informed the police.
The girl returned to Manipal at 3.30am even as police were
searching for her. The Kasturba Medical College Estate officer
lodged the complaint of rape with the Manipal police station.
Udupi superintendent of police MB Boralingaiah told TOI, "It's not clear whether she was dropped
off by the abductors or she managed to come back on her
own. The girl is in a state of shock and her statements are
incoherent."
Regarding the miscreants, the SP
said, "The area where the incident occurred did not have CCTV cameras. We examined our footage and we did not see any vehicle of that description passing by. The university CCTV cameras have some footage and
we're examining it."
The girl cannot recall where she was taken, he said, adding. "We
haven't got the medical report,but the estate officer filed a
report of rape.''
A university official said, "We're concerned about the safety of our students. We'll hold a meeting soon to discuss to see
how best students who staying outside can be protected from
such incidents.''
The source added that student hostels are located just beside
the library and students who don't stay at the hostel have
rented apartments behind the library complex, just 1 km away.
The 22-year-old student was dragged into an autorickshaw by three persons on
a road near the
pharmacology college campus.
MANGALORE: Shock spread through the education town of
Manipal on Friday as news spread of the abduction and
alleged rape of a fourth-year MBBS student by three miscreants when she was on her way to her room, just 1 km from the library complex on Thursday
night.
The 22-year-old student from Thiruvananthapuram was dragged into an autorickshaw by three persons on a road near the pharmacology college campus.The police came to know about
the incident by 1.15am after an engineering student saw three persons dragging a woman into an auto. The girl dropped her purse during the scuffle and the engineering student came to know about her identity from it and informed campus security.
After a futile search, they informed the police.
The girl returned to Manipal at 3.30am even as police were
searching for her. The Kasturba Medical College Estate officer
lodged the complaint of rape with the Manipal police station.
Udupi superintendent of police MB Boralingaiah told TOI, "It's not clear whether she was dropped
off by the abductors or she managed to come back on her
own. The girl is in a state of shock and her statements are
incoherent."
Regarding the miscreants, the SP
said, "The area where the incident occurred did not have CCTV cameras. We examined our footage and we did not see any vehicle of that description passing by. The university CCTV cameras have some footage and
we're examining it."
The girl cannot recall where she was taken, he said, adding. "We
haven't got the medical report,but the estate officer filed a
report of rape.''
A university official said, "We're concerned about the safety of our students. We'll hold a meeting soon to discuss to see
how best students who staying outside can be protected from
such incidents.''
The source added that student hostels are located just beside
the library and students who don't stay at the hostel have
rented apartments behind the library complex, just 1 km away.
Wednesday 19 June 2013
GoogleHub!
GOOGLE LAUNCHES 'PROJECT LOON'
As a part of Google's Internet For All Programme,Google launches its new arrival,'Project Loon' .It is a research and development project being developed by Google with the
mission of providing Internet access to rural and remote areas using high-altitude balloons
placed in the stratosphere at an
altitude of about 20 km (12 mi) to create an aerial wireless
network with up to 3G-like speeds.
Even Google thought the idea sounded a bit
crazy, hence its project name was dubbed Project Loon by the company.
The balloons are maneuvered by adjusting their altitude to float to
a wind layer after identifying the wind layer with the desired
speed and direction using wind data from the National Oceanic
and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Users of the service connect to the balloon network
using a special Internet antenna attached to their building. The signal bounces from balloon to balloon, then to a ground-based station connected to an ISP, then onto the global Internet. The system aims to bring Internet
access to remote and rural areas poorly served by existing
provisions, and to improve communication during natural
disasters to affected regions.
Key people involved in the project include Rich DeVaul, chief
technical architect, who is also an expert on wearable technology;Cyrus Behroozi, who is
networking and telecommunication lead; and Mike Cassidy, a project leader.
History :
In 2008, Google had considered contracting with or acquiring Space Data Corp., a company that
sends balloons carrying small base stations about 20 miles up in the air for providing connectivity to truckers and oil
companies, but didn't do so.Unofficial development on the
project began in 2011 under incubation in Google X with a
series of trial runs in California's Central Valley. The project was officially announced as a Google project on 14 June 2013.
On 16 June 2013, Google began a pilot experiment in New
Zealand where about 30 balloons were launched in coordination with the Civil Aviation Authority from the Tekapo area in the
South Island. About 50 local users in and around Christchurch
and the Canterbury Region will test connections to the aerial network using special antennas.
After this initial trial, Google plans on sending up 300
balloons around the world at the fortieth parallel that would
provide coverage to New Zealand, Australia, Chile, and
Argentina. Google hopes to eventually have thousands of
balloons flying in the
stratosphere at an altitude of 20
km (12 mi).
Technology:
The technology designed by Google could allow countries to avoid expensive fiber cable that
would have to be placed underground to connect to the
Internet. Google feels this will greatly increase the use of the Internet in developing countries
that can't afford to lay
underground fiber cable, such as countries in Africa and Southeast Asia.
The high-altitude balloons fly around the world on the
prevailing winds. Solar panels about the size of a card table that are just below the free-flying
balloons generate enough electricity in four hours to power
the transmitter for a day and beam down the Internet signal
to ground stations. These stations are spaced about 100
km (62 mi) apart and bounce the signal to other relay balloons that send the signal back down until
the world is covered with the Internet signal. This then makes the Internet available to anyone
in the world that has the receiver.
The first person to connect to the
"Google Balloon Internet" after the initial test balloons were launched into the stratosphere
was a farmer in the town of Leeston, New Zealand. He was
one of 50 people in the New Zealand area around Christchurch who agreed to be a
pilot tester for Project Loon. The locals knew nothing about the
secret project, but allowed Google to attach a basketball-
sized receiver to an outside wall of their property in order to
connect to the Internet. The receiver resembles a giant,
bright-red Google map pin. The New Zealand farmer lived in a rural location that couldn't get broadband access to the Internet. He had used a satellite Internet service in 2009 but found that he sometimes had to
pay over $1000 per month for the service.
The high-altitude balloons fly twice as high as airplanes, but
below the range of satellites.
Each balloon sends out a signal that covers over 700 square miles. Terrain would not be an
issue of coverage since the balloons fly at such high altitudes
and would cover all of the world.
As a part of Google's Internet For All Programme,Google launches its new arrival,'Project Loon' .It is a research and development project being developed by Google with the
mission of providing Internet access to rural and remote areas using high-altitude balloons
placed in the stratosphere at an
altitude of about 20 km (12 mi) to create an aerial wireless
network with up to 3G-like speeds.
Even Google thought the idea sounded a bit
crazy, hence its project name was dubbed Project Loon by the company.
The balloons are maneuvered by adjusting their altitude to float to
a wind layer after identifying the wind layer with the desired
speed and direction using wind data from the National Oceanic
and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Users of the service connect to the balloon network
using a special Internet antenna attached to their building. The signal bounces from balloon to balloon, then to a ground-based station connected to an ISP, then onto the global Internet. The system aims to bring Internet
access to remote and rural areas poorly served by existing
provisions, and to improve communication during natural
disasters to affected regions.
Key people involved in the project include Rich DeVaul, chief
technical architect, who is also an expert on wearable technology;Cyrus Behroozi, who is
networking and telecommunication lead; and Mike Cassidy, a project leader.
History :
In 2008, Google had considered contracting with or acquiring Space Data Corp., a company that
sends balloons carrying small base stations about 20 miles up in the air for providing connectivity to truckers and oil
companies, but didn't do so.Unofficial development on the
project began in 2011 under incubation in Google X with a
series of trial runs in California's Central Valley. The project was officially announced as a Google project on 14 June 2013.
On 16 June 2013, Google began a pilot experiment in New
Zealand where about 30 balloons were launched in coordination with the Civil Aviation Authority from the Tekapo area in the
South Island. About 50 local users in and around Christchurch
and the Canterbury Region will test connections to the aerial network using special antennas.
After this initial trial, Google plans on sending up 300
balloons around the world at the fortieth parallel that would
provide coverage to New Zealand, Australia, Chile, and
Argentina. Google hopes to eventually have thousands of
balloons flying in the
stratosphere at an altitude of 20
km (12 mi).
Technology:
The technology designed by Google could allow countries to avoid expensive fiber cable that
would have to be placed underground to connect to the
Internet. Google feels this will greatly increase the use of the Internet in developing countries
that can't afford to lay
underground fiber cable, such as countries in Africa and Southeast Asia.
The high-altitude balloons fly around the world on the
prevailing winds. Solar panels about the size of a card table that are just below the free-flying
balloons generate enough electricity in four hours to power
the transmitter for a day and beam down the Internet signal
to ground stations. These stations are spaced about 100
km (62 mi) apart and bounce the signal to other relay balloons that send the signal back down until
the world is covered with the Internet signal. This then makes the Internet available to anyone
in the world that has the receiver.
The first person to connect to the
"Google Balloon Internet" after the initial test balloons were launched into the stratosphere
was a farmer in the town of Leeston, New Zealand. He was
one of 50 people in the New Zealand area around Christchurch who agreed to be a
pilot tester for Project Loon. The locals knew nothing about the
secret project, but allowed Google to attach a basketball-
sized receiver to an outside wall of their property in order to
connect to the Internet. The receiver resembles a giant,
bright-red Google map pin. The New Zealand farmer lived in a rural location that couldn't get broadband access to the Internet. He had used a satellite Internet service in 2009 but found that he sometimes had to
pay over $1000 per month for the service.
The high-altitude balloons fly twice as high as airplanes, but
below the range of satellites.
Each balloon sends out a signal that covers over 700 square miles. Terrain would not be an
issue of coverage since the balloons fly at such high altitudes
and would cover all of the world.
BizTelecoM!
AIRTEL SLASHES DATA USAGE RATES BY 90 PER CENT IN HARYANA AND PUNJAB
Chandigarh:Triggering
competition, Bharti Airtel on Wednesday slashed data usage
charges by 90 per cent for pre-paid subscribers in Punjab and Haryana, a day after Vodafone lowered data charges by 80 per cent for its pre-paid and post-
paid customers in three circles.
Airtel said that the volume based charges (VBC) on its recharge
vouchers for 2G data usage of three denominations have been reduced to 1 paisa per 10 KB
from 10 paisa per 10 KB making internet usage affordable for its subscribers.
The recharge vouchers of Rs. 22, Rs. 25 and Rs. 125 carry a free
download limit of 125 MB for five days, 150 MB for seven days and
1 GB for 28 days.
After the free download, the customers were presently charged at 10 paisa per 10 KB
which have been reduced to 1 paisa per 10 KB with immediate
effect, Airtel said in its release.The release said that the validity
of the Rs. 22 and Rs. 25 recharge vouchers has been increased to
30 days and that of Rs. 125 recharge vouchers increased to
90 days.
"Looking at the increasing number of mobile internet users
in both urban and rural areas,the reduction in rates is further going to boost the usage of mobile internet," the release said adding the benefit, however,
would be available only to prepaid customers.
Vodafone had on Tuesday reduced the price from 10 paisa
per 10 KB to 2 paisa per 10KB for Karnataka, UP West and Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh circles for both pre-paid and post-paid
customers using the 2G network.
Chandigarh:Triggering
competition, Bharti Airtel on Wednesday slashed data usage
charges by 90 per cent for pre-paid subscribers in Punjab and Haryana, a day after Vodafone lowered data charges by 80 per cent for its pre-paid and post-
paid customers in three circles.
Airtel said that the volume based charges (VBC) on its recharge
vouchers for 2G data usage of three denominations have been reduced to 1 paisa per 10 KB
from 10 paisa per 10 KB making internet usage affordable for its subscribers.
The recharge vouchers of Rs. 22, Rs. 25 and Rs. 125 carry a free
download limit of 125 MB for five days, 150 MB for seven days and
1 GB for 28 days.
After the free download, the customers were presently charged at 10 paisa per 10 KB
which have been reduced to 1 paisa per 10 KB with immediate
effect, Airtel said in its release.The release said that the validity
of the Rs. 22 and Rs. 25 recharge vouchers has been increased to
30 days and that of Rs. 125 recharge vouchers increased to
90 days.
"Looking at the increasing number of mobile internet users
in both urban and rural areas,the reduction in rates is further going to boost the usage of mobile internet," the release said adding the benefit, however,
would be available only to prepaid customers.
Vodafone had on Tuesday reduced the price from 10 paisa
per 10 KB to 2 paisa per 10KB for Karnataka, UP West and Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh circles for both pre-paid and post-paid
customers using the 2G network.
BizNewZ!
INDIA'S TATA MOTORS REVAMPS 'WORLD'S CHEAPEST CAR'
MUMBAI — India's top
automaker Tata Motors unveiled a new version of what was once billed as the world's cheapest car
Wednesday, in a bid to reverse a slump in sales.
The jellybean-shaped Nano,which sold for around $2,200
when its first edition went on the market in 2009, has seen
sales drop by more than 27 percent in the last year and Tata's recently-retired supremo admitted the car had an image
problem.
The compressed natural gas(CNG)
-fuelled version of the Nano unveiled on Wednesday is expected to hit showrooms within the next 90 days, the
company said.Tata Motors did not disclose the CNG Nano price, but said it would be announced soon.
"This (CNG) is the first major variant for the Nano since its launch," auto analyst Mahantesh Sabarad of Fortune Equity
Brokers said.Sabarad said the CNG version is being introduced to "give customers a better choice" but
may take away its "affordability" tag.
It was not immediately clear
whether the Nano would retain its title as the world's cheapest car.
In an interview shortly before his
retirement last December, the company's long-time chairman Ratan Tata said it had been a
mistake to market the Nano merely on its low-price, saying
"various stigmas have been attached to it".
Sales of the part-plastic Nano fell
27.7 percent in the fiscal year to March 2013, to 53,847 units,
according to company data.Since its launch, the Nano has had several small makeovers --including upgrades to its interior and a doubling of the warranty to four years.
The unveiling of the CNG Nano -- called E-Max -- was part of a
mega launch by Tata Motors at its factory in Pune where it also
introduced new versions of its existing Nano, the hatchback Indica and Sumo sport-utility
vehicles.
The enhanced Nano -- with features like remote locking and
sleeker interiors -- will cost upward of 150,000 rupees ($
2,580).
In recent quarters, Tata Motors' earnings have been boosted by
the performance of its luxury brands Jaguar and Land Rover,
which have compensated for its
weak domestic car sales. Automakers in India have witnessed an unprecedented
seven straight months of lower car sales, due to a slowing economy and a rise in the cost of raw material.
In May, Tata Motors' total domestic passenger vehicle sales fell 45.69 percent at 11,134 units,from levels a year earlier.
"The market has been bad in the past two months but since then
there has been some
improvements," managing director Karl Slym told reporters on Wednesday, according to the Press Trust of India agency.
Tata Motors bought Jaguar and Land Rover from Ford Motor Co in 2008 for $2.3 billion as part of
plans to expand its reach beyond Asia.
The deal vaulted Tata Motors from a commercial vehicle and small-car maker into a global player whose portfolio includes luxury brands.
MUMBAI — India's top
automaker Tata Motors unveiled a new version of what was once billed as the world's cheapest car
Wednesday, in a bid to reverse a slump in sales.
The jellybean-shaped Nano,which sold for around $2,200
when its first edition went on the market in 2009, has seen
sales drop by more than 27 percent in the last year and Tata's recently-retired supremo admitted the car had an image
problem.
The compressed natural gas(CNG)
-fuelled version of the Nano unveiled on Wednesday is expected to hit showrooms within the next 90 days, the
company said.Tata Motors did not disclose the CNG Nano price, but said it would be announced soon.
"This (CNG) is the first major variant for the Nano since its launch," auto analyst Mahantesh Sabarad of Fortune Equity
Brokers said.Sabarad said the CNG version is being introduced to "give customers a better choice" but
may take away its "affordability" tag.
It was not immediately clear
whether the Nano would retain its title as the world's cheapest car.
In an interview shortly before his
retirement last December, the company's long-time chairman Ratan Tata said it had been a
mistake to market the Nano merely on its low-price, saying
"various stigmas have been attached to it".
Sales of the part-plastic Nano fell
27.7 percent in the fiscal year to March 2013, to 53,847 units,
according to company data.Since its launch, the Nano has had several small makeovers --including upgrades to its interior and a doubling of the warranty to four years.
The unveiling of the CNG Nano -- called E-Max -- was part of a
mega launch by Tata Motors at its factory in Pune where it also
introduced new versions of its existing Nano, the hatchback Indica and Sumo sport-utility
vehicles.
The enhanced Nano -- with features like remote locking and
sleeker interiors -- will cost upward of 150,000 rupees ($
2,580).
In recent quarters, Tata Motors' earnings have been boosted by
the performance of its luxury brands Jaguar and Land Rover,
which have compensated for its
weak domestic car sales. Automakers in India have witnessed an unprecedented
seven straight months of lower car sales, due to a slowing economy and a rise in the cost of raw material.
In May, Tata Motors' total domestic passenger vehicle sales fell 45.69 percent at 11,134 units,from levels a year earlier.
"The market has been bad in the past two months but since then
there has been some
improvements," managing director Karl Slym told reporters on Wednesday, according to the Press Trust of India agency.
Tata Motors bought Jaguar and Land Rover from Ford Motor Co in 2008 for $2.3 billion as part of
plans to expand its reach beyond Asia.
The deal vaulted Tata Motors from a commercial vehicle and small-car maker into a global player whose portfolio includes luxury brands.
Monday 17 June 2013
BizNewZ!
AIRASIA INDIA APPOINTS TCS' S RAMADORAI AS CHAIRMAN
MUMBAI: AirAsia
on Monday said that the company has appointed Tata Group
veteran,S.Ramadorai as the chairman of
its India operations, nearly three months
after the union government allowed the Malaysia based
airline to set up operations in India. The announcement comes a day after Tony Fernandes,
Chairman of AirAsia announced that Ratan Tata, chairman emeritus - Tata Sons was appointed as the Chief Advisor to the new airline.
S.Ramadorai is currently vice chairman at Tata Consultancy Services, where he was CEO from 1996 until 2009. He is also a cabinet ranked official in
Manmohan Singh's government as he is an advisor to the Prime Minister in the National Council
on Skill Development. "I would like to confirm Ramadorai as
chairman of AirAsia India, a giant of Indian industry, and
man from the South," Fernandes said on micro blogging website Twitter.
"That completes our team.
Advisor, chairman, CEO and the board. Quite a heavyweight
team for super exciting AirAsia India," Fernandes added on Twitter.
AirAsia had received approvals from the Foreign Investment
Promotion Board in March this year to set up airline operations
in the country. AirAsia had formed the joint venture with Tata Group and Telestra
Tradeplace after the government relaxed foreign direct investment in the aviation sector.
Union Civil Aviation Minister Ajit Singh had told reporters last
week that all the matters on AirAsia India were resolved. "All matters on AirAsia India have been resolved. The proposal has been sent to the home ministry for security clearance. Once the ministry's nod comes, the civil
aviation ministry will give its clearance", he told reporters.
Ramadorai is the fourth person from the Tata group to hold a position in the airline joint venture after Ratan Tata as chief advisor, and R Venkataraman
(former executive assistant to Ratan Tata) and Bharat Vasani (chief legal counsel of the Tata
Group), who are directors on the
board.
AirAsia India is a joint venture of Air Asia, Tata Sons and Arun
Bhatia of Telestra Tradeplace with 49:30:21 holding.
On Sunday Tony Fernandes promised 'Nano' airfares once it
begins operating flights in the country which is expected by
the fourth quarter of 2013. "Persuading Tata to be advisor
has not been easy. Critical, we have someone of his massive experience to help me chart AirAsia India with Mittu (Chandilya) and myself,"
Fernandes had tweeted yesterday.
On Sunday, Fernandes had also said that the chairman is a towering figure in the country.
"Our chairman is someone who has redefined many parts of India. A towering man who brings unbelievable experience to the Air Asia India board", he
tweeted.
AirAsia is expected to bring in competitive pricing in the Indian
aviation market, once it begins service later this year. Last
month, Fernandes had named Mittu Chandilya as the CEO of AirAsia India.
MUMBAI: AirAsia
on Monday said that the company has appointed Tata Group
veteran,S.Ramadorai as the chairman of
its India operations, nearly three months
after the union government allowed the Malaysia based
airline to set up operations in India. The announcement comes a day after Tony Fernandes,
Chairman of AirAsia announced that Ratan Tata, chairman emeritus - Tata Sons was appointed as the Chief Advisor to the new airline.
S.Ramadorai is currently vice chairman at Tata Consultancy Services, where he was CEO from 1996 until 2009. He is also a cabinet ranked official in
Manmohan Singh's government as he is an advisor to the Prime Minister in the National Council
on Skill Development. "I would like to confirm Ramadorai as
chairman of AirAsia India, a giant of Indian industry, and
man from the South," Fernandes said on micro blogging website Twitter.
"That completes our team.
Advisor, chairman, CEO and the board. Quite a heavyweight
team for super exciting AirAsia India," Fernandes added on Twitter.
AirAsia had received approvals from the Foreign Investment
Promotion Board in March this year to set up airline operations
in the country. AirAsia had formed the joint venture with Tata Group and Telestra
Tradeplace after the government relaxed foreign direct investment in the aviation sector.
Union Civil Aviation Minister Ajit Singh had told reporters last
week that all the matters on AirAsia India were resolved. "All matters on AirAsia India have been resolved. The proposal has been sent to the home ministry for security clearance. Once the ministry's nod comes, the civil
aviation ministry will give its clearance", he told reporters.
Ramadorai is the fourth person from the Tata group to hold a position in the airline joint venture after Ratan Tata as chief advisor, and R Venkataraman
(former executive assistant to Ratan Tata) and Bharat Vasani (chief legal counsel of the Tata
Group), who are directors on the
board.
AirAsia India is a joint venture of Air Asia, Tata Sons and Arun
Bhatia of Telestra Tradeplace with 49:30:21 holding.
On Sunday Tony Fernandes promised 'Nano' airfares once it
begins operating flights in the country which is expected by
the fourth quarter of 2013. "Persuading Tata to be advisor
has not been easy. Critical, we have someone of his massive experience to help me chart AirAsia India with Mittu (Chandilya) and myself,"
Fernandes had tweeted yesterday.
On Sunday, Fernandes had also said that the chairman is a towering figure in the country.
"Our chairman is someone who has redefined many parts of India. A towering man who brings unbelievable experience to the Air Asia India board", he
tweeted.
AirAsia is expected to bring in competitive pricing in the Indian
aviation market, once it begins service later this year. Last
month, Fernandes had named Mittu Chandilya as the CEO of AirAsia India.
BizNewZ Time!
JET AIRWAYS SHARE AGREEMENTS WITH AIR
FRANCE, KLM
Jet Airways and European carriers Air France and Royal
Dutch Airlines (KLM) have entered into a code share agreement to provide seamless connectivity to passengers for destinations in India and Europe.
As per the agreement, Air France (AF) and KLM can place their own codes (AF) and (KL) on Jet Airways domestic flights for
providing connectivity to three major Indian cities beyond South
Indian city of Bengaluru, Delhi
and Mumbai.
Code share is a commercial agreement between two or more airlines that share the same
flight, with all the partnering airlines able to sell seats on that particular flight.
"Customers travelling from Europe to India on Air France flights will now be able to
connect seamlessly with one ticket to Chennai via Bengaluru,Delhi and Mumbai, and to Kolkata,Hyderabad via Mumbai and Bengaluru.
"Likewise, KLM would place its marketing code (KL) on Jet's
domestic flights to four major cities in India beyond Delhi,
allowing passengers travelling from Europe to India to connect seamlessly to South Indian cities
of Bengaluru, Chennai,
Hyderabad and Western Coastal Indian city of Mumbai via Delhi," a joint statement issued by Jet and AF-KLM said.
The tickets are open for sale from Monday for passengers wanting to travel from June 19.
"We are delighted with this enhancement in our relationship with both Air France and KLM...The code share
arrangements will allow our guests the convenience of
enhanced connectivity from across Air France and KLM's networks via their European
gateways in Paris and
Amsterdam to key destinations throughout India," Chief Commercial Officer of Jet Airways,
Sudheer Raghavan said.
Referring to the agreement,Dominique Patry, Air France's
Vice-President, International Affairs and Alliances, said, "we are strengthening our presence in a key market following the
code sharing agreement with Jet
Airways."
Pieter Elbers, MD and Chief Operating Officer of KLM, said
KLM is pleased with this important step in expanding the
cooperation between Jet Airways and KLM.
"Being able to serve our customers an expanded network
in India with four important domestic code share destinations is considered as key
strategic value to our company," he said.
Air France-KLM have 27 weekly long-haul flights between Europe and India, while Jet Airways
operates to 72 places in India and abroad including Abu Dhabi,
Bahrain, Bangkok, Brussels,Dubai, Hong Kong, Jeddah,London, New York (Newark),
Singapore and Toronto.
FRANCE, KLM
Jet Airways and European carriers Air France and Royal
Dutch Airlines (KLM) have entered into a code share agreement to provide seamless connectivity to passengers for destinations in India and Europe.
As per the agreement, Air France (AF) and KLM can place their own codes (AF) and (KL) on Jet Airways domestic flights for
providing connectivity to three major Indian cities beyond South
Indian city of Bengaluru, Delhi
and Mumbai.
Code share is a commercial agreement between two or more airlines that share the same
flight, with all the partnering airlines able to sell seats on that particular flight.
"Customers travelling from Europe to India on Air France flights will now be able to
connect seamlessly with one ticket to Chennai via Bengaluru,Delhi and Mumbai, and to Kolkata,Hyderabad via Mumbai and Bengaluru.
"Likewise, KLM would place its marketing code (KL) on Jet's
domestic flights to four major cities in India beyond Delhi,
allowing passengers travelling from Europe to India to connect seamlessly to South Indian cities
of Bengaluru, Chennai,
Hyderabad and Western Coastal Indian city of Mumbai via Delhi," a joint statement issued by Jet and AF-KLM said.
The tickets are open for sale from Monday for passengers wanting to travel from June 19.
"We are delighted with this enhancement in our relationship with both Air France and KLM...The code share
arrangements will allow our guests the convenience of
enhanced connectivity from across Air France and KLM's networks via their European
gateways in Paris and
Amsterdam to key destinations throughout India," Chief Commercial Officer of Jet Airways,
Sudheer Raghavan said.
Referring to the agreement,Dominique Patry, Air France's
Vice-President, International Affairs and Alliances, said, "we are strengthening our presence in a key market following the
code sharing agreement with Jet
Airways."
Pieter Elbers, MD and Chief Operating Officer of KLM, said
KLM is pleased with this important step in expanding the
cooperation between Jet Airways and KLM.
"Being able to serve our customers an expanded network
in India with four important domestic code share destinations is considered as key
strategic value to our company," he said.
Air France-KLM have 27 weekly long-haul flights between Europe and India, while Jet Airways
operates to 72 places in India and abroad including Abu Dhabi,
Bahrain, Bangkok, Brussels,Dubai, Hong Kong, Jeddah,London, New York (Newark),
Singapore and Toronto.
TECH-INTERESTING!
WANT TO CONFESS YOUR SINS?! THERE'S AN APP FOR THAT!!!!
NEW YORK: A new
smartphone app that lets busy Catholic priests update their
statuses to let people know when and where they are available to listen to their confessions has
been developed
in the US.
Father Richard Heilman in Madison, Wisconsin,is launching a My Confessor App that will let his parishioners know when and where he is
available to listen to their sins.
A red status box means 'Father is OUT'. A green status box
means 'Father is IN'. And priests have a special log in that lets
them easily update their statuses and even post messages,
according to app developer Mary Hoerr, New York Daily News
reported.The app also has a section explaining the sacrament of confession, as well as another place where users can read
priests' bios.
Heilman is the only priest on the app for now but he says several other priests have reached out
and asked to get involved.
The app currently serves people in the Madison area.However,
Heilman sees this going national.The number of Catholic priests in America has declined in recent
decades, according to data collected by the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate.
In 1965, more than 58,000 Catholic priests belonged to the US Conference of Catholic Bishops. In 2012, that number
was closer to 39,000.
On the other hand, the number of people who self-identify as
Catholics has grown from 48.5 million to 78.2 million.
"It's challenging sometimes for
priests to find time for confession because they have
work to do. And parishioners are trying to go easy on Father because they see us trying to
handle multiple things," Heilman
said.
NEW YORK: A new
smartphone app that lets busy Catholic priests update their
statuses to let people know when and where they are available to listen to their confessions has
been developed
in the US.
Father Richard Heilman in Madison, Wisconsin,is launching a My Confessor App that will let his parishioners know when and where he is
available to listen to their sins.
A red status box means 'Father is OUT'. A green status box
means 'Father is IN'. And priests have a special log in that lets
them easily update their statuses and even post messages,
according to app developer Mary Hoerr, New York Daily News
reported.The app also has a section explaining the sacrament of confession, as well as another place where users can read
priests' bios.
Heilman is the only priest on the app for now but he says several other priests have reached out
and asked to get involved.
The app currently serves people in the Madison area.However,
Heilman sees this going national.The number of Catholic priests in America has declined in recent
decades, according to data collected by the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate.
In 1965, more than 58,000 Catholic priests belonged to the US Conference of Catholic Bishops. In 2012, that number
was closer to 39,000.
On the other hand, the number of people who self-identify as
Catholics has grown from 48.5 million to 78.2 million.
"It's challenging sometimes for
priests to find time for confession because they have
work to do. And parishioners are trying to go easy on Father because they see us trying to
handle multiple things," Heilman
said.
BizGooglE!
GOOGLE LAUNCHES 'PRODUCT LISTING ADS' IN INDIA
Search engine giant Google today launched a new ad format 'Product Listing Ads' in India to
provide users information like
images, price and brands of products, which will help people shop better both online and
offline.
Everyday, millions of shoppers use Google search to research
and discover products to purchase online and offline, and
this new format connects users to rich product-information like looks, price and brands, Google India said in a statement.
Product Listing Ads will appear on shopping-related queries on Google.Co.In. This feature will initially be placed on the right-hand side of the search results page above text ads, and it will be labeled as 'sponsored', it added.
This ad format will help users easily find and compare relevant
products and their prices to fine-tune what they are looking for,the statement said.
Product Listing Ads are a great opportunity for merchants to present their business and
promote their products to interested shoppers as well, it
added.
Search engine giant Google today launched a new ad format 'Product Listing Ads' in India to
provide users information like
images, price and brands of products, which will help people shop better both online and
offline.
Everyday, millions of shoppers use Google search to research
and discover products to purchase online and offline, and
this new format connects users to rich product-information like looks, price and brands, Google India said in a statement.
Product Listing Ads will appear on shopping-related queries on Google.Co.In. This feature will initially be placed on the right-hand side of the search results page above text ads, and it will be labeled as 'sponsored', it added.
This ad format will help users easily find and compare relevant
products and their prices to fine-tune what they are looking for,the statement said.
Product Listing Ads are a great opportunity for merchants to present their business and
promote their products to interested shoppers as well, it
added.
NATIONAL FACTS!
70% STUDENTS OWN SMART PHONES NATIONALLY: TCS SURVEY
Nearly seven out of every 10 high school students own mobile
phones and nearly 20% use mobile phones to access the
Internet, says a survey by Tata Consultancy Services. Nearly six
out of 10 respondents own a smart phone, but the difference
in ownership patterns between metros (58.50%) and mini
metros (59.36%) isn't much, with the smaller cities scoring over the larger ones.
The survey, TCS GenY survey 2012-13, was conducted on nearly 17,500 high school
students across 14 cities in the country. It showed common
trends among urban high school students across the country, but also revealed differences between metros and upcoming
Tier II towns which are emerging as mini-metros.
According to the report by TCS, almost 19% of the respondents use tablets, with 20% users in metros and 17% in mini metros.
Mobiles have emerged as the fastest growing mediums for accessing the Internet, with over 18% doing so. Those who accessed internet at home was 72%, while around 14% each
accessed it from home and cybercafes each, the report said.
Social networks like Facebook are the primary and clear favorite among the students to with their
peers with 92% cent of respondents preferring this social platform. Interestingly,preference for Facebook is
equally high among respondents in both metros (92%) and mini metros (91%). Other social platforms like Orkut have taken a back-seat with a 28% preference. Tweeting as a medium of communication is
now being used by one in three students, though only 2% listed
as their favourite site.
As per the TCS report, nearly three out of four students cited
'Research for school' as the main reason to access the Internet.
This was followed by the need to access the Internet for social
reasons like chatting or connecting with friends, with 62% saying they did so.
Nearly seven out of every 10 high school students own mobile
phones and nearly 20% use mobile phones to access the
Internet, says a survey by Tata Consultancy Services. Nearly six
out of 10 respondents own a smart phone, but the difference
in ownership patterns between metros (58.50%) and mini
metros (59.36%) isn't much, with the smaller cities scoring over the larger ones.
The survey, TCS GenY survey 2012-13, was conducted on nearly 17,500 high school
students across 14 cities in the country. It showed common
trends among urban high school students across the country, but also revealed differences between metros and upcoming
Tier II towns which are emerging as mini-metros.
According to the report by TCS, almost 19% of the respondents use tablets, with 20% users in metros and 17% in mini metros.
Mobiles have emerged as the fastest growing mediums for accessing the Internet, with over 18% doing so. Those who accessed internet at home was 72%, while around 14% each
accessed it from home and cybercafes each, the report said.
Social networks like Facebook are the primary and clear favorite among the students to with their
peers with 92% cent of respondents preferring this social platform. Interestingly,preference for Facebook is
equally high among respondents in both metros (92%) and mini metros (91%). Other social platforms like Orkut have taken a back-seat with a 28% preference. Tweeting as a medium of communication is
now being used by one in three students, though only 2% listed
as their favourite site.
As per the TCS report, nearly three out of four students cited
'Research for school' as the main reason to access the Internet.
This was followed by the need to access the Internet for social
reasons like chatting or connecting with friends, with 62% saying they did so.
TechNewZ!
SAMSUNG GALAXY S4 SALES ESTIMATES CUT BY 30%
Analysts fell under Samsung Electronics Co Ltd's marketing
spell when they made what they now admit were hopelessly
optimistic forecasts for its smartphone sales.
Samsung's huge share of the high-end smartphone market
also persuaded some analysts to downplay industry data
pointing to a fast-saturating segment, a reality that is already
eating into sales of Apple Inc's iPhone 5.
Woori Investment &Securities, one of South Korea's largest securities firms, cut its outlook for Samsung's earnings
and target share price on June 5. It was the first to adjust its
view.
A massive wave of downgrades has since followed, with forecasters including JPMorgan,Morgan Stanley and Goldman
Sachs taking a harder look at their assumptions of how well the S4, Samsung's latest Galaxy smartphone, would actually do.
Sales estimates for the S4 were slashed by as much as 30
percent, stirring investor concerns over Samsung's
mobile devices division - the company's biggest profit generator.
Investors in the South Korean IT giant have paid dearly. Samsung
lost nearly $20 billion in market value in a week as shares
plunged following the
downgrades.
"I'd say most forecasters including myself had this
conviction that they'll
outperform again - because it's Samsung," said Byun Hanjoon,an analyst at KB Investment
& Securities. "They had beaten expectations before,
which led many to believe they are bound to excel again with the S4."
The S4 sold 10 million sets in just one month of its debut in late April, outperforming its predecessor, the S3.
Yet analysts now say the high-end smartphone segment is slowing, citing lacklustre prospects in Europe and South
Korea in particular.
The S4, in reality, also lacks any real wow factor, they say.
"The Street, including Goldman Sachs, admittedly extrapolated the first-quarter earnings
momentum through the year,"
Analysts fell under Samsung Electronics Co Ltd's marketing
spell when they made what they now admit were hopelessly
optimistic forecasts for its smartphone sales.
Samsung's huge share of the high-end smartphone market
also persuaded some analysts to downplay industry data
pointing to a fast-saturating segment, a reality that is already
eating into sales of Apple Inc's iPhone 5.
Woori Investment &Securities, one of South Korea's largest securities firms, cut its outlook for Samsung's earnings
and target share price on June 5. It was the first to adjust its
view.
A massive wave of downgrades has since followed, with forecasters including JPMorgan,Morgan Stanley and Goldman
Sachs taking a harder look at their assumptions of how well the S4, Samsung's latest Galaxy smartphone, would actually do.
Sales estimates for the S4 were slashed by as much as 30
percent, stirring investor concerns over Samsung's
mobile devices division - the company's biggest profit generator.
Investors in the South Korean IT giant have paid dearly. Samsung
lost nearly $20 billion in market value in a week as shares
plunged following the
downgrades.
"I'd say most forecasters including myself had this
conviction that they'll
outperform again - because it's Samsung," said Byun Hanjoon,an analyst at KB Investment
& Securities. "They had beaten expectations before,
which led many to believe they are bound to excel again with the S4."
The S4 sold 10 million sets in just one month of its debut in late April, outperforming its predecessor, the S3.
Yet analysts now say the high-end smartphone segment is slowing, citing lacklustre prospects in Europe and South
Korea in particular.
The S4, in reality, also lacks any real wow factor, they say.
"The Street, including Goldman Sachs, admittedly extrapolated the first-quarter earnings
momentum through the year,"
Sunday 16 June 2013
Biz_INTERNATIONAL!
SAUDI ARABIA MAY BLOCK 'WHATSAPP' WITHIN WEEKS
Saudi Arabia plans to block WhatsApp in
coming weeks if the makers of the mobile chat app don't comply with local regulations.
The warning comes after the Communications and Information Technology Commission blocked popular voice and messaging app Viber last week.
"We have been communicating with
WhatsApp and other similar communication platforms to get them to cooperate and comply with the Saudi
telecom providers, however nothing has
come of this communication yet,"
Abdullah Al-Darrab, governor of the CITC,
told English language Arab News.
One of the regulations stipulates that WhatsApp establish a local server that
allows officials to monitor user activity,
Al-Darrab told the news agency.
"We gave them a week to comply and
have been communicating with them since March to no avail," he said.
"Therefore, this has left us with no
choice but to block these services,
beginning with Viber."
CNET has contacted WhatsApp for
comment and will update this report
when we learn more.
The Saudi Arabian government has
cracked down on messaging apps
before, temporarily banning BlackBerry
messenger services after BlackBerry
reportedly didn't adhere to the country's regulatory requirements. The Saudi Government complained at the time that the encrypted security used in the BlackBerry network prevented the government from monitoring communications channels , which it said could be used to threaten national
security.
In March, Saudi officials threatened to
block popular Internet chat, call, and messaging services Skype, WhatsApp,
and Viber if they did not comply with local regulations.
Saudi Arabia plans to block WhatsApp in
coming weeks if the makers of the mobile chat app don't comply with local regulations.
The warning comes after the Communications and Information Technology Commission blocked popular voice and messaging app Viber last week.
"We have been communicating with
WhatsApp and other similar communication platforms to get them to cooperate and comply with the Saudi
telecom providers, however nothing has
come of this communication yet,"
Abdullah Al-Darrab, governor of the CITC,
told English language Arab News.
One of the regulations stipulates that WhatsApp establish a local server that
allows officials to monitor user activity,
Al-Darrab told the news agency.
"We gave them a week to comply and
have been communicating with them since March to no avail," he said.
"Therefore, this has left us with no
choice but to block these services,
beginning with Viber."
CNET has contacted WhatsApp for
comment and will update this report
when we learn more.
The Saudi Arabian government has
cracked down on messaging apps
before, temporarily banning BlackBerry
messenger services after BlackBerry
reportedly didn't adhere to the country's regulatory requirements. The Saudi Government complained at the time that the encrypted security used in the BlackBerry network prevented the government from monitoring communications channels , which it said could be used to threaten national
security.
In March, Saudi officials threatened to
block popular Internet chat, call, and messaging services Skype, WhatsApp,
and Viber if they did not comply with local regulations.
BizReporT!
RATAN TATA TO BE CHIEF ADVISER TO
AIR-ASIA INDIA BOARD
Ratan Tata will be the chief advisor to the board of AirAsia India, the joint venture between the Tata Group, Malaysian low-
cost carrier AirAsia and Arun Bhatia, a close relative of steel
magnate Lakshmi Mittal.The announcement came three days after HT had reported that Tata
would not be on the board of AirAsia India.
Both Bhatia and AirAsia Group CEO Tony Fernandes had
expressed keenness in roping in the former Tata Group chief as
board chairman of AirAsia India.
Fernandes broke the news on micro-blogging site Twitter on Sunday. “I am pleased to announce Ratan Tata as chief
advisor to the board of AirAsia India. A legend in every sense.
Building a powerful team,”
Fernandes tweeted.
“Persuading Tata to be advisor has not been easy. Critical we
have someone of his massive experience to help me chart AirAsia India with Mittu
(Chandilya, CEO) and myself,” his follow-up tweet said.
Asked whether to expect ‘Nano’ priced (referring to the Tata
Nano, the world’s cheapest car, a brainchild of Ratan Tata) tickets, Fernandes replied: “Yes. It’s all about low fares. And everyday.”
Ratan Tata retired as chairman of the Tata Group upon attaining
the age of 75 on December 28 last year, as per the group’s policies.
Fernandes also said the chairman of the AirAsia India board would be named soon. “Our chairman is someone who has redefined many parts of India. A towering
man who brings unbelievable experience to the Airasia India board.”
He said the chairman’s name would be announced in a day or
two. “AirAsia India shaping up
brilliantly. Super CEO. Some great staff. A good board and now
great advisor.”
AIR-ASIA INDIA BOARD
Ratan Tata will be the chief advisor to the board of AirAsia India, the joint venture between the Tata Group, Malaysian low-
cost carrier AirAsia and Arun Bhatia, a close relative of steel
magnate Lakshmi Mittal.The announcement came three days after HT had reported that Tata
would not be on the board of AirAsia India.
Both Bhatia and AirAsia Group CEO Tony Fernandes had
expressed keenness in roping in the former Tata Group chief as
board chairman of AirAsia India.
Fernandes broke the news on micro-blogging site Twitter on Sunday. “I am pleased to announce Ratan Tata as chief
advisor to the board of AirAsia India. A legend in every sense.
Building a powerful team,”
Fernandes tweeted.
“Persuading Tata to be advisor has not been easy. Critical we
have someone of his massive experience to help me chart AirAsia India with Mittu
(Chandilya, CEO) and myself,” his follow-up tweet said.
Asked whether to expect ‘Nano’ priced (referring to the Tata
Nano, the world’s cheapest car, a brainchild of Ratan Tata) tickets, Fernandes replied: “Yes. It’s all about low fares. And everyday.”
Ratan Tata retired as chairman of the Tata Group upon attaining
the age of 75 on December 28 last year, as per the group’s policies.
Fernandes also said the chairman of the AirAsia India board would be named soon. “Our chairman is someone who has redefined many parts of India. A towering
man who brings unbelievable experience to the Airasia India board.”
He said the chairman’s name would be announced in a day or
two. “AirAsia India shaping up
brilliantly. Super CEO. Some great staff. A good board and now
great advisor.”
SUNDAY_FUNDAY BIZ-NEWZ!
NEED FOR FASTER CLEARANCES TO BUSINESS PROJECTS: RAJAN
Raghuram Rajan, Chief Economic Advisor, Ministry of Finance
Government processes in India take too long and the country needs to change regulations that govern business, Chief Economic Advisor in the Finance Ministry Raghuram Rajan said today.
“Things are difficult in India; we have to improve the business
climate and reduce the regulations that govern business.
Some of our regulations come
from British times, we need to change that... We need a thorough revamping of these
rules,” Rajan said.
The government is trying to build ways to get over the problems and according faster clearances to business projects, he added.
“Government processes take too
long. That’s why we have set up new structures to try and
accelerate the process. And even those structures take some time for teething, to find their way...
Rome wasn’t built in a day,”
Rajan told Karan Thapar in CNN—IBN’s show Devil’s Advocate.
The Cabinet Committee on Investment (CCI) has cleared projects worth $25—30 billion
since January, he said, adding that there was a need to attract
more investments, create jobs and boost growth.
Rajan said the macro-economic condition is showing signs of
improvement, with inflation coming down, and that would
give space to the Reserve Bank to lower rates. RBI is slated to
announce its mid-quarter monetary policy review tomorrow.
The WPI inflation fell to a 43—month low of 4.7 per cent in May,
while the retail (CPI) inflation was at 9.31 per cent.
“The fact that inflation is coming down, we still need to see CPI
inflation coming down a little more, but that should give the RBI more room to cut interest rates which then will flow into the economy and allow us to grow a little faster,” he said.
Rajan said he expects the economy to clock over 6 per cent growth in the current fiscal.
“We have taken many actions which have made the economy
more resilient... We created the environment for more
investment... We need to keep doing more,” he said.
The Indian economy grew at a decade’s low level of 5 per cent
in 2012—13.
Raghuram Rajan, Chief Economic Advisor, Ministry of Finance
Government processes in India take too long and the country needs to change regulations that govern business, Chief Economic Advisor in the Finance Ministry Raghuram Rajan said today.
“Things are difficult in India; we have to improve the business
climate and reduce the regulations that govern business.
Some of our regulations come
from British times, we need to change that... We need a thorough revamping of these
rules,” Rajan said.
The government is trying to build ways to get over the problems and according faster clearances to business projects, he added.
“Government processes take too
long. That’s why we have set up new structures to try and
accelerate the process. And even those structures take some time for teething, to find their way...
Rome wasn’t built in a day,”
Rajan told Karan Thapar in CNN—IBN’s show Devil’s Advocate.
The Cabinet Committee on Investment (CCI) has cleared projects worth $25—30 billion
since January, he said, adding that there was a need to attract
more investments, create jobs and boost growth.
Rajan said the macro-economic condition is showing signs of
improvement, with inflation coming down, and that would
give space to the Reserve Bank to lower rates. RBI is slated to
announce its mid-quarter monetary policy review tomorrow.
The WPI inflation fell to a 43—month low of 4.7 per cent in May,
while the retail (CPI) inflation was at 9.31 per cent.
“The fact that inflation is coming down, we still need to see CPI
inflation coming down a little more, but that should give the RBI more room to cut interest rates which then will flow into the economy and allow us to grow a little faster,” he said.
Rajan said he expects the economy to clock over 6 per cent growth in the current fiscal.
“We have taken many actions which have made the economy
more resilient... We created the environment for more
investment... We need to keep doing more,” he said.
The Indian economy grew at a decade’s low level of 5 per cent
in 2012—13.
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