Trojan Hits again

According to reports, a trojan that seizes control of PC files, and demands ransom money from users has been doing the rounds for almost a month. The phenomenon is termed "Ransomware" while the trojan is dubbed "Archiveus". The newly-discovered trojan does not allow victims to access their hard drive, unless the ransom money is paid-up. "Archiveus" copies all files from the 'My Documents' folder to a new folder, encrypts these files with a 30-digit complex password, and deletes the original documents. The trojan leaves a note on the desktop, advising the user not to tell the police, and asking him/her to pay the ransom. -->In some of the reported cases, victims were actually asked to buy drugs from an online chemist to get the password for accessing the PC; in some other cases, they were asked to transfer the ransom money to an overseas bank account. In the former case, the trojan attempted to force victims to buy pharmaceuticals from a Russian Web site for $ 75 or more, depending on the drug. However, the good news is that anti-virus companies have found the password to unlock the data inside the encrypted file that was being used by hijackers to make money. Interestingly, this password was found within the code of the trojan virus itself. It is also learnt that "Archiveus" is using some parts of another ransoming virus called Cryzip that was circulating in March 2006. The scam is believed to have started in the US last year, and has now shown up in Britain. The first victim claimed by the scam, Helen Barrow, a 40-years old nurse, was instructed to buy drugs from an online pharmacy. Her PC got infected when she opened an email attachment that claimed to be an anti-virus. The earlier versions of this trojan were mainly spyware, identity theft, and adware/spyware, some of which instructed victims to pay the ransom money through Web sites including eGold, Webmoney, etc.

Visual studio 2005 free of cost by microsoft

Microsoft launched a free tool for India's growing student and
technology enthusiast community - the Visual Studio 2005 Express Editions.

Visual Studio 2005 Express Editions are light-weight, easy-to-use/learn offerings that enable both professionals and novices to quickly develop dynamic Web applications and Windows applications.

Through this, Microsoft is encouraging the large community of software
enthusiasts and students, including beginner Windows developers,
hobbyists, Web developers, amateur game developers, and even hardware
developers, to experiment with software development.

Microsoft's Visual Studio 2005 Express Editions consist of Visual Web
Developer Express, Visual Basic Express, Visual C# Express, Visual C++
Express, and Visual J# Express.

Sheila Gulati, director - developer and platform evangelism, Microsoft
India, said, "We believe that it is important to put the power of software into the hands of young and upcoming developers, and that is the reason for making the Visual Studio 2005 Express Editions available free-of-charge. Software has the capability to change lives. The free availability of the Visual Studio Express Editions will provide the fast growing student, hobbyist, professional developer, and novice developer communities the opportunity to familiarize themselves with the rich functionality of a development suite used the world over. This will also give them the chance to
experiment with cutting-edge technologies and learn new skills at an early age."

With this announcement, the Visual Studio 2005 Express Editions are set to join the SQL Server 2005 Express Edition as a no-cost offering within the Microsoft application platform.

According to sources, to address bandwidth issues in the country,
Microsoft is giving out CDs of Visual Studio Express Editions. The CD is available to the first 20,000 developers that register on the site
www.vsexpress.in http://www.vsexpress.in/, and will be shipped to them
free-of-cost.

Alienware Announces SLI Notebooks

Alienware has introduced two new ultra-powerful mobile systems loaded with dual Nvidia GeForce Go 7900 graphics processors (GPUs) in SLI configuration. The two SLI notebooks, namely the Aurora m9700 and the Aurora mALX, provide up to twice the graphics performance of a single-GPU mobile system for a blistering gaming experience.


Moreover, these are the first mobile systems to feature ground-breaking True MIMO wireless technology from Airgo Networks for faster, more reliable Wi-Fi performance over greater distances. The Aurora m9700 is the industry's first and only 17-inch mobile system to offer the powerful dual-graphics capabilities of Nvidia SLI technology.

This cutting-edge mobile desktop also provides up to 240GB of storage, thanks to dual SATA hard drives in RAID configurations, and includes AMD Turion 64 processors to enable simultaneous 32-bit and 64-bit computing and enhanced wireless compatibility. Meanwhile, the Aurora mALX delivers the ultimate mobile solution for playing games in immersive, cinematic detail on an expansive 19-inch wide-screen LCD. It also features exotically stylish, airbrushed, custom paint artwork that boldly implies power and strength. Mark Vena, vice president - marketing, Alienware, said that with this announcement, Alienware has completely eliminated the typical per-formance gap between mobile and desktop systems with the introduction of their latest mobile systems. Vena said that the Aurora m9700 and Aurora mALX give customers two incredibly powerful and exciting mobile options, and that these new systems underscore Alienware's ongoing commitment to uncompromised performance at home, the office, or on-the-road. Alienware's mALX system costs $4490 with shipments starting on June 26, while the Aurora m9700 costs $2398 and the shipments start on June 19, 2006.

Hutch Tamilnadu Offers Crazy Mohan Tools

Hutch has launched "mobisodes," mobile episodes of humorous clips from plays in association with "Crazy" Mohan - the popular Tamil playwright, with a view towards providing enhanced value-added services to its customers in Tamil Nadu. Hutch's mobile subscribers can now dial 123456 and listen to Crazy Mohan's mobile episodes or mobisodes as they are popularly called. This is for people who would like to have some humorous clips as caller tunes. Mohan mobisodes are of 2 to 3 minutes each. Hutch has split one of Crazy Mohan's plays "Satellite Samiyar" into 25 mobisodes. Each episode is anywhere between one minute and three minutes in duration. This value-added service comes at Rs 6 per minute for subscribers. -->According to company sources, other plays like "Aladdin and the 100 Watts bulb" are also planned to be split into similar episodes. The service will be available to both post and prepaid subscribers of Hutch. The daily contest called "Crazy Mohan question of the day" based on the previous day's mobisode is an added attraction. A set of autographed Crazy Mohan CDs awaits the winners and what's more, if you listen to Crazy Mohan everyday, you could walk away with a Loyal Listener prize. All participants of the Question of the day contest will be invited to an exclusive Crazy evening, and the winners will get a chance to perform on stage. A set of six humorous clips are available as caller tunes at a charge of Rs 30 a month for three tunes.

Group Talk Magic

Idea Cellular and Kodiak Networks have announced the introduction of Group Talk - a compilation of innovative group-oriented voice applications, for customers in the Maharashtra and Goa circles. Idea intends to make Group Talk available to the company's 7.3-million odd prepaid and postpaid wireless subscribers in subsequent months.

Kodiak's Real-Time Exchange (RTX) system has been deployed by Idea for enabling the voice services applications that use SIM cards as delivery mechanism. The applications are enabled through Kodiak SIMpower - a smart thin client providing premium voice service functionality on existing GSM handsets.
The Group Talk application suite includes the following voice services: Voice Bridge, an instant group conferencing application that offers quick setting-up of full-duplex and mobile-originated conference calls, accommodating up to ten participants; Instant Availability that is similar to instant messaging applications; Walkie-Talkie that is push-to-talk calling along with other Group Talk users; Group SMS that complements existing voice services, by enabling discreet text communications in the event of unavailability of recipients; Quick Groups; and Contact and Groups Management.

Vikram Mehmi, chief executive officer, Idea Cellular, said, "We selected Kodiak Networks because they could help us address the voice services requirements for group communication of the corporate and SME customers who are predominantly on postpaid, and the youth segment who are largely on prepaid. By utilizing the SIM and the Symbian Applet as the delivery mechanism for these enhanced voice services, we have obviated the need for custom handsets, thus enabling the entire customer base to avail of the services. With Group Talk, our customers can quickly and efficiently access the best group communications experience possible."

Kris Patel, executive vice president - products and customer support, and chief technology officer, Kodiak Networks, said, "Idea Cellular is leading the industry by offering these advanced voice services to their prepaid and postpaid customer base of over 7.3 million users. As these applications are group-oriented, they require that end users can easily create communities of friends, family, and colleagues at the touch of a button. Leveraging the SIM to deploy these applications should expedite service adoption and rapidly increase usage among customers."

Google got US patent for a voice interface for search engines.

In a win-win for Google, co-founder Sergey Brin along with three other persons has been granted a US patent for a voice interface for search engines.

This essentially means if and when Google has a product to show for its patent, users will be able to phone an internet search query or say it aloud instead of typing it in - the way they do presently. Of course naysayers predict that not all patent applications necessarily translate into prospective product announcements for the company.
Alexander Franz and Brian Milch - authors of the patent application, had written about such an interface in their 2002 academic paper dubbed "Searching the Web by Voice". Brin and company filed the patent in 2001, post which Google did make the voice search feature available though briefly through Google Labs, its veritable hotbed for just-out-of-the-egg ideas.

The patent filing is reportedly worded, "there exists a need for a voice interface that is effective for search engines". The document suggests that Google will be utilizing the reams of its stored text and audio queries to enhance speech recognition and relevance.

Although analysts are betting upon the chances of search engines treating speech and speech-related issues as the hot new topic; for entities such as the US Department of Justice and others, this could well be reason for some more sleepless nights over concerns regarding individual privacy.

India Added 3.9 new GSM user

India, the world's fastest growing mobile phone market, added a record 3.9 million new GSM users in March, an industry body said on Saturday.

A statement from the Cellular Operators' Association of India, which represents the country's nine GSM carriers, said the past month's additions boosted the total GSM customer base to about 69.1 million.

Including subscribers on the rival CDMA technology, India added a total of 5.14 million mobile customers in March, taking the total number of mobile users to 90.54 million.

March CDMA figures were released earlier this week by the Association of Unified Telecom Service Providers of India.

India, which is Asia's third largest economy, has among the world's lowest call rates at less than 2 U.S. cents a minute, charges that have been attracting subscribers in the millions.

Competition among providers is intense with demand for mobile services growing fast and carriers have been expanding networks in rural areas where two-thirds of India's billion-plus people live.

India's top telecoms firm by sales, unlisted state-run Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd., added nearly 1.1 million subscribers in March, raising its GSM user base to 17.2 million.

India's top mobile services firm, Bharti Tele-Ventures Ltd., also added about 1.1 million new users, propelling its customer base to 19.6 million.

UK-based mobile giant Vodafone Group Plc owns a 10 percent stake in Bharti, which is also 30.84 percent owned by Singapore Telecommunications Ltd. (SingTel).

Hutchison Essar Telecom Ltd., the Indian wireless operation of Hong Kong's Hutchison Telecommunications International Ltd., added more than 0.8 million new users in March. The firm's user base now stands at about 15.4 million customers.

Rival CDMA operators include Reliance Communications Ventures Ltd., which added 784,211 users in March taking its base to 15.4 million, while the salt-to-software Tata group's unlisted Tata Teleservices Ltd. saw its user base rise by 477,136 additions to nearly 4.9 million.

Reliance Communications also has GSM operations via Reliance Telecom Ltd. which added 103,905 users in March, raising its mobile base to over 1.9 million.

Sony Ericssons W608i anounced

Sony Ericsson widened its portfolio of 3G handsets with the launch of the K608i, a dual camera 3G Mobile Phones . The Sony Ericsson intuitive dual front camera phone design makes the handset a phone when it is vertical, and a 1.3 Mega pixel camera when it is horizontal.

According to the company sources, the K608i with an aluminum feel has a user interface that is easy to use and navigate. The camera includes an active lens cover for swift activation and extra protection. It also offers video telephony. The large 1.8-inch, 262K TFT color screen with the direct video telephony button ensures video calls are crisp and clear.
The K608i is also a music player with high quality audio, coupled with an FM radio and the ability to download full music tracks directly to the phone. Personal creativity tools allow customers to personalize ringtones, wallpapers, still shots and video footage. In addition, the K608i features a suite of business applications that manages personal information and PC-synchronization via USB or Bluetooth, making it the ideal executive work tool, providing business efficiency with high-speed access. The phone comes pre-loaded with Vijay Singh Pro Golf 2005 in 3D from Gameloft.


The features that K608i packages with it are a 1.3 Megapixel camera, Digital Still Camera user interface, 176 x 220 pixel TFT display, 262K colour display, Video recording and fullscreen playback, SMS and MMS, Wireless village, Adobe picture PC software, VideoDJ Photo light 4X Digital zoom, Macromedia Flash Lite (trademark of Macromedia), Push e-mail, Entertainment Video Call, FM radio, Media player (MP3/AAC), 32MB User Memory, Pre-loaded games, 72 polyphonic ringtones, USB support, PC synchronization and Bluetooth.

K608i is priced at an MRP of RS.10,295 and is now available in all retail stores across the country.

Google anounced new search algorithm Orian

Google has bought a new search algorithm penned by Ori Alon, an Israeli student from the University of New South Wales, Australia. Apparently they beat Microsoft and Yahoo, who were also interested in the super-advanced technique for prioritizing relevance in text-searches.

The algorithm called Orion, works out the most relevant text on which to perform a search. It only works in English and rates the text by quality of the site in which it appears. Orion will make searches less-time consuming, by working with existing search engines and expanding on their function. Moreover, instead of finding pages on the net that contain keywords, then providing links, the new search engine will provide expanded text extracts which will eradicate the need to open every link.
Orion had sparked interest from the likes of Google, Microsoft and Yahoo, with Google eventually acquiring the rights to the algorithm. Alon stated that Orion would improve the speed and focus of internet searches making it an invaluable service. As its developers say, the new search-engine tool will revolutionize the way people retrieve information from the internet. Alon further explained that, it also provides a list of terms or topics related to the original search keyword. This new tool would make net surfing much easier and less frustrating, giving information directly and immediately making it a great time-saver for users.

According to sources, it is confirmed that Ori Alon works at Google's Mountain View, California offices. Unfortunately there is no public demo of Orion, but this system is said to give users the most relevant results and a list of suggested topics that the user may not be aware of.

Panasonics Laptops Soon In India

Panasonic Systems, one of the leading manufacturers of electronic and electrical products for consumer, business and industrial use, reportedly plans to launch the ToughBook T2 in India by the end of this month.

According to the company, Panasonic Toughbook T2 is ultra portable, super slim and loaded with long lasting power. Durable, compact and versatile, it boasts of a full magnesium alloy case with a shock mounted hard drive. The Toughbook T2 comes equipped with an Intel Pentium M processor, operating at 1.2 GHz. The included robust 40 GB Hard drive gives you enough space for all of your pictures, music, home movies and all other essential data. It has the 12.1" TFT active matrix display.


The product specifications look something like this - Intel Pentium M 1.2 GHz ULV Processor, a 12.1" Screen TFT active matrix XGA (1024 x 768), 256 MB (installed) / 512 MB (max) DDR SDRAM memory, 40 GB Hard Drive, Input Device like Touch Screen, Touchpad, Keyboard, comes with integrated features like 56 Kbps Fax/Modem, Speaker and wireless LAN antenna. It weighs 2.6 lbs and includes Microsoft Windows XP Professional.

Panasonic Toughbook T2 comes with a 3 years warranty limited on parts and labor. The product will be available in India at a price of around Rs.1,60,000 excluding tax through their sole National Distributor, Third Wave Exim.

Singapur Student Wins Google Code Jam

Google Inc. has announced Ardian Kristanto Poernomo from Nanyang Technology University in Singapore as the grand prizewinner of the 2006 Google India Code Jam, the company's second annual computer programming competition in India. Ardian competed against thousands of participants from around the world to bring home the Rs.122,000 grand prize. Ardian was also the winner of the Google India Code Jam 2005.
"We are honored to host some of the most talented computer programmers in the world for this competition," said Alan Eustace, vice president, Engineering and Research, Google Inc. "Google engineers love solving technical problems, and we are pleased to celebrate the fields of engineering and computer science through the Google India Code Jam."
The second through fifth place winners all received a Rs.56,000 prize. The winners included Abishek Kumarasubramanian, Shreevatsa Rajagopalan, Phuong Ngoc Nguyen and Prima Chairunnanda.
Cash prizes were awarded to all of the top 50 finalists who came from Bangladesh, India, Indonesia and Singapore. Finalists were flown in to compete in the championship round of the coding competition held this year in Bangalore.
This is the second year of the Google India Code Jam, produced in conjunction with TopCoder, the leader in online programming competition, skills assessment and competitive software development.
The competition, which began March 20, 2006 attracted more than 14000 participants from India and South East Asia. All entrants participated in an initial qualification round with 500 progressing to the second round. The top 50 scorers from round two were brought to Bangalore for the finals.

RIL+F-Secure

F-Secure Corporation, Finland, a leading global provider of data security for consumers, has announced a partnership deal with Reliance Communications. The deal will provide data security services and ensure safe surfing for Reliance Communications broadband customers in India. F-Secure will provide its F-Secure Service Platform for Consumers, a solution that allows ISPs to offer their residential and small office customers a complete security solution that protects their computers against viruses, external attacks, harmful content and spam. The Service will provide direct accessibility to customers having self-subscription module as well. -->Reliance Communications is the first broadband service provider in India to partner with F-Secure and offer security as a value added service integrating the offering into monthly Internet package. Speaking about the deal, Prakash Bajpai, president broadband business, Reliance Communications Ventures, said that they are delighted to have F-Secure's security solution. With dependence on computer at an all-time high in personal and professional lives, there is a need for a fail-proof security solution that guarantees the customer peace of mind. Moreover, the reason for having an alliance with F-Secure, Bajpai revealed that they have mainly focused on security solutions in which F-Secure is the leader. It is the company whose product folio is complete and has a philosophy of giving quality service. Bajpai further pointed out that although it's not an exclusive partnership that comes with an expiry date, it is going to be there as long as both the parties mutually benefit from each other. Risto Siilasmaa, president and CEO, F-Secure, meanwhile, stated that he is delighted to acknowledge their partnership with Reliance Communications, a company that has shown great forward thinking in the manner it approaches its customers, particularly in the matter of data security provision. Siilasmaa added that Reliance's innovative approach and high ambition to become the largest broadband provider in India are values which they strongly support and by offering superior data security services to their customers they hope to underpin their continued success. F-Secure Service Platform for Consumers is available in two packages including Reliance PC Protect Basic and Family Packs. These packages include a combination of anti-virus, spyware, firewall, parental and spam control. The packages are optional and come at a price which hasn't yet been finalized. Reliance broadband packages will also be available without F-Secure services.

Wipro announced Bharat Pc

Wipro Infotech has announced the 'SuperGenius Bharat PC' in an attempt to bridge the digital divide in the country. SuperGenius Bharat PC is based on Intel's innovative PC platform that is developed exclusively to meet the needs of villages and rural communities in the country. The hardware and software features of the Wipro SuperGenius Bharat PC differentiate it from the standard desktop PCs and make it an attractive platform for the rural environment. Designed to define locally relevant computing solutions based on Intel technology, the Community PC platform is equipped to operate in a community setting, while accommodating the varying environmental conditions prevalent in the country. -->K.S. Viswanathan, chief executive - India Geography, Wipro Infotech, said that with the innovative spirit that pervades at Wipro, they are constantly conceiving newer approaches toward affordable computing. It is a step towards taking basic computing closer to the common man. In order to address the issues of weather conditions, such as heat, dust and humidity, and unreliable power sources, Wipro SuperGenius Bharat PC has been developed to be a fully functional, expandable and shared-access computing solution. It consists of a rugged chassis that is engineered to resist extreme dust and heat conditions. Additionally, unlike typical desktops, this new PC can continue to operate if AC power is unavailable without loss of any data. The Central Power System Unit (CPSU) enables the system to operate on both AC and DC (battery) power. The System Maintenance Center (SMC) software of the PC empowers the system owner with self- diagnostic and self-maintenance capabilities. It also includes system diagnosis software for detecting and removing viruses. The Battery Wizard Software enables the operator to establish system-level power management and battery power functions and provides real-time status of battery charge. Anil Jain, vice president - personal computing division, Wipro Infotech, further points out that rural India deserves a superior, customized yet, affordable PC that can operate despite environmental and infrastructural bottlenecks. Wipro SuperGenius Bharat PC is an earnest technology offering that aims to increase and facilitate PC usage in rural India.

Wipro Planes to Expand in Andhra Pradesh

Bangalore-based IT major – Wipro Ltd is planning to expand its operations in Andhra Pradesh. The company plans to invest around Rs 950 crore in the state and provide employment for 28,500 IT professionals.

Wipro chairman Azim Premji, who made a courtesy call on Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy during the latter's visit to Bangalore Monday, briefed him about the firm's expansion plans.

Wipro is looking at investing around Rs 750 crore in Hyderabad with employment potential for 15,000 people. The company is also looking at investing around Rs 200 crore in Visakhapatnam.

According to the company statement, it requires 300 acres in Hyderabad and 50 acres in Visakhapatnam for the proposed investment for the new facilities.

Currently, Wipro has operations on a 30-acre campus in Andhra Pradesh with an investment of Rs.200 crore and employs 2,000 people.

Sony Ericsson announced w700i

Sony Ericsson has announced the launch of their W700i cell phone with a built in MP3 player and a camera.

The Titanium Gold W700i is the 8th walkman phone from Sony Ericsson, a product to combine a Mobile Phone , a high quality digital music player, FM radio with RDS, and a 2.0-megapixel camera. The W700i comes with 256 MB memory that is enough to hold about 4 hours of music. But users can expand memory up to 2 GB using Memory Stick Pro Duo cards available in the market.
Supplied with high-quality headset that plugs into a standard connector, consumers can also connect their favorite headset to the W700i. There is also a full range of available plug-in music accessories, from small portable speakers to car systems.

Jan Wareby, corporate executive Vice President, Head of Sale and Marketing, Sony Ericsson said that the W700i builds on the legacy of the first Walkman phone, the W800i. This phone will appeal to anyone who wants a quality music player in their phone for occasional listening. Like the W800i, the W700i will have all the usual features including 1.8-inch 262 K color, 176 x 220 pixels TFT display, Bluetooth 2.0, Tri-band connectivity and dedicated music buttons. One useful feature is the ability to use the music player with the phone turned off, which is great for use in flights.

The Sony W700i's music quality is enhanced by using the integrated graphic equalizer (software) and Mega Bass. The bundled software, Disc2Phone, is sufficient to get going, ripping CDs and transferring them to the phone.

The W700i will be released globally in second quarter of 2006 and will also be available in a Smooth White colour variant in some markets. The local price of this model is not known yet.

Rils new Chota LifeTime offer

Ril offured new CHOTa Life Time offer of 10 years in 795 rs

As compared to most mobile operators who have received their license in 1994 and as such their license would be valid only till 2014, RIL's current 15-year scheme is believed to be superior. As an enhancement to this, RIL has now introduced the ten-year lifetime validity product. Under the new scheme, the recharge option of Rs 795 available with E-recharge comes pre-loaded with Rs 25 worth of talk-time. Subscribers will be able to make outgoing calls at rates of Rs 1.99 per local call, and Rs 2.99 per call within the country.
As in case of the existing recharge option of Rs 995, with the Rs 795 recharge option the subscriber will not be bound by any particular tariff plan for a lifetime. He/she will be able to choose from the company's wide range of prepaid vouchers and tariff plans, with Reliance India Mobile. Subscribers will also have the option of choosing between the existing and the new lifetime schemes.

Xeroxs new WorkCentre PE 220

Xerox India Ltd has launched its WorkCentre PE 220, a multi-functional device designed for medium and large enterprises.
Xerox WorkCentre PE 220 is ideal for today's business environment as it comes with special space and time enhancing features. Its easy to use interface makes it a product of choice for medium and large enterprises. It has a compact design with a “plug and play” set up. It offers a printing speed of up to 20 ppm and has a duty cycle up to 5,000 pages/ month. It also has a print and scan resolution of 600 dpi x 600 dpi and has a 16 MB memory.
Price: Rs. 18,500/-

TRAIs pushback to LifeTime operators

With subscribers having had a string of lifetime offers thrown at them recently by service providers, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has rightfully stepped-in and issued much-needed regulations on this slew of schemes.
TRAI has given an order that bars telecom operators from charging tariff on lifetime prepaid offers as long as they remain in business. TRAI's directive is intended to protect the interests of subscribers who make an upfront payment in lieu of certain promised features including validity, as also to bring more clarity to the concept of lifetime validity.
Issuing the order, TRAI has further pointed out that in case of tariff plans offered or marketed as having lifetime or unlimited validity in lieu of an upfront payment, subscribers of such plans will continue to get service as long as the service provider is permitted to provide such telecom service under the existing or renewed license.
Service providers are required to inform subscribers of the month and year of the expiry of the current license.
TRAI has prohibited operators from hiking tariffs for any service specified in the lifetime tariff plans, during the entire lifelong validity period.
Furthermore in case of tariff plans other than plans with lifetime validity that have a component of upfront payment, the service providers are not allowed to hike tariffs during the promised validity period of such plans.
Like in the case of lifetime validity plans, subscribers of other tariff plans will continue to get service during the entire promised validity period.
Meanwhile operators have conveyed that if regulatory or policy changes do not make the lifetime plan viable, they retain the freedom to withdraw it at any point of time.

Logitech Launched Bluetooth Headset

Logitech, $1.5 billion Swiss digital lifestyle peripherals company, has launched a new compact Bluetooth mobile phone headsets, the Logitech Mobile Traveller Headset.

The headset features a very small form factor and uses advanced Bluetooth 1.2 technology, which includes Adaptive Frequency Hopping (AFH) technology to reduce interference. The Mobile Traveller headset includes the WindStop technology, which ensures clear conversations even in windy conditions.

“As the market for Bluetooth mobile phone headsets continues its dramatic growth, headsets must continue to deliver safety and convenience benefits while also including stylish designs and additional features to appeal to the tastes of mainstream customers,” said Moninder Jain, director, South Asia, Logitech.

“Logitech's new Mobile Traveller headset not only frees people from the hassle of wires, but offer more distinct advantages. Those seeking a sophisticated design and advanced technology, like WindStop, will appreciate the Mobile Traveller headset,” he added.

The Mobile Traveller Headset, which weighs 0.6 ounces, features an over-ear design with a cushioned ear pad that rests on the outer ear instead of inside it, and an over-ear soft rubber earpiece, which wraps around the ear.

This headset also includes Logitech's WindStop technology, an innovation that surrounds the microphone with an acoustical barrier to filter the disruptive effects of wind noise, enabling clear conversations in adverse conditions.

The Mobile Traveller headset offers seven hours of continuous talk time besides 280 hours of standby time. The product includes a call/answer button located directly on the headset. The Logitech Mobile Traveller Headset also supports several features built into many mobile phones, such as voice dialing, three-way calling and mute.

The Logitech Mobile Traveller Headset is available all over India at a suggested MRP of Rs 4995 and comes with a two-years warranty.

Google Top Once again

Google has beaten arch rivals to once again notch top slot in the search engines' category.

As per the Nielsen/NetRatings report Google has been voted the world s most popular search engine, with 48.5 percent of all searches conducted in the US in February 2006 having been carried out on Google.

Lagging behind Google are Yahoo that managed 22.5 per cent of online searches, while MSN took-up 10.7 percent of the total online search share. AOL and My Way Search rounded out the top five search providers with 6.6 and 2.7 percent of searches, respectively.

Search share among these five providers has remained relatively flat since January 2006, with all providers gaining or losing less than one percentage point only.

Meanwhile rival comScore Media Matrix has reported that Google's share of the search market increased by 6 percent this year, to reach 42.3 percent of total search in February 2006. Yahoo's share according to Media Matrix fell to 27.6 percent from the 31.1 percent a year ago, while MSN dropped down to 13.5 percent from the earlier 16.3 percent.

Michael Lanz, vice president - search industry solutions, Nielsen/NetRatings, said that the numbers of people searching had stayed the same, although they seemed to be searching more and more.

The total number of searches were found to have increased by 38 per cent, from 3.8 billion in February 2005 to 5.3 billion in February 2006.

Lanz sees search usage intensity increasing, not only in the number of searches done per person for general web content, but also for searches initiated specifically for photos and graphics, as well as for comparison of shopping information.

According to Web Analytics, this growth is due in large part to an increased number of searches per person, particularly in the image search and shopping search categories.

Google was found to be holding a comfortable lead in image search as well. According to Nielsen/NetRatings, 71.9 percent of image search was conducted through Google. However in terms of market share, Google lost 4.4 percent if compared to February 2005.

Yahoo was able to raise its image search share from 13.9 percent to 19.1 percent. Ask.com climbed from 1.5 percent to 3.5 percent, and AOL gained 1.0 percent to 1.4 percent. MSN's image search was listed unchanged at 2.3 percent.

The increase in image searches is attributed to the growing number of broadband households, and the rising popularity of social-networking sites.

Sun anounced mobile.java

Sun Microsystems has announced the launch of mobile.java.com, a site that offers mobile Java technology-based applications for purchase and download, along with information for consumers about Java technology and the Java brand.

Subscribers on more than 250 wireless carriers world-wide can access the new site via a web browser on any Java-powered mobile device (cell phone, PDA, etc).

According to Sun, the new mobile Web site is a companion site to Sun's
java.com, the popular consumer entertainment site for Java-powered games, productivity tools, etc, and the global home to "Get Java Free" for the desktop.

Upon its debut, mobile.java.com will already contain a range of Java-powered mobile applications including: Action game Cannon Fodder,
racing game Lotus Challenge, timed puzzle game Sudoku Solver, a winter
wonderland-themed game called Snow Doku, and NetChess that enables
interactive games with live Chess-masters around the world.

K P Unnikrishnan, marketing director, Sun Microsystems India, said,
"Sun's java.com, the popular consumer entertainment site for Java-powered games, productivity tools, etc, has met with huge success from developers and users alike. Java.com has seen unprecedented growth with more than one million new visitors added per month from more than 210 countries."

"The decision to start mobile.java.com was to complement this site, and to also leverage the strength of the Java brand and readily deliver the content consumers are looking for in their mobile handsets. World-wide, there are over 3 billion handsets that are Java-enabled, and this number is expected to further grow over the next three years. This site will help us address this huge audience. It will also help address the developer community, by providing them with a platform to showcase their applications that have been developed on Java," Unnikrishnan said.

On mobile.java.com, Java developers can sell and deliver their games,
ringtones, videos and other applications directly to users world-wide on any network, and use Bango - the mobile content enabler, to bill consumers anywhere in the world for their content. Powered by Bango's "browse and buy" technology, developers retain total flexibility and control over product offerings and pricing. This "direct-to-consumer" approach operates in conjunction with mobile carriers' content portals, and offers consumers a range of ways to pay depending on the network that they are on.

SMS to Send your RESUME

Picture this. Your environ restricts you from applying for a job that comes with an ASAP tag. You're stuck at your workplace and can't send your resume from the office computer.
Also imagine the similar situation with a tinge difference. You can't afford an Internet connection at home and there's no café nearby. How about sending your Curriculum Vitae through an SMS?
Yes you've read it right! The above-mentioned tricky situations can be a thing of the past, thanks to a new website smsresume.com.
All one needs to do is register with the Hyderabad-based website and create an ID. Once a registered user you can send resumes using the cell phone. To apply for jobs one needs to compose resume, user's mail id, recruiter's mail id, subject and send it to the number, 3030.
The smsresume.com server collects the data and sends it to the desired mail ID along with the covering letter the user posts on his account. The mail that goes to the recruiter looks as if it has been send from the applicant mailbox and not through an SMS.
What's more satisfying is that the user receives a confirmation immediately after the resume delivery. In a nutshell the process is an amalgamation of the mobile and the Internet technology.
“These days even villagers possess cell phones. Even if one doesn't have a cell phone, it can be borrowed easily from friends. But how many have access to the Internet? It's simple and easy. By sending an SMS, one can send his/her resume to the desired organization. It's spontaneous and real time,” explains HR consultant Sreenivas Rao Chennamaneni of smsresume.com.
One thing that comes to the mind is that covering letter saved may not apply to all the jobs. “For this one can save a general covering letter that can be used for all the jobs,” prescribes Sreenivas.
The recently launched website now has more than 500 registered users. So far about 150 users have made us of the service provided by it.
To enhance the website, plans are afoot to introduce job alerts and work force management sections. “We are working to include job alerts and workforce management. The workforce management will work in a similar fashion. Anyone who needs workers can send an SMS and we'll send the information to the persons cell phone inbox,” says Sreenivas.
The website, run by indianhr.com, is in talks with companies in Kuwait and Malaysia for partnership. “In future we would like to sell certain tools to some companies. For that we will customize the service for those companies,” informs Sreenivas.

Reliance Cuts its ISD Rates

Reliance Infocomm (RIL) has announced an across-the-board reduction in ISD tariffs by 45 per cent to 69 per cent for all calls to USA, Canada, Europe and the Middle East.

The reduced rates are applicable across all plans and schemes under both post paid and prepaid categories. In effect Reliance says its customers are the privileged ones to possibly be able to make the cheapest international calls from the country.

The ISD rates for calls to USA, Canada, New Zealand, Australia, South East Asia and to fixed phones in Europe will now be Rs 6 per minute, down from the earlier Rs 14.25 per minute - under all One Nation Plans. In case of other plans, ISD rates have been cut down from the previous up to Rs 14.25 per minute to Rs 7.20 per minute.

International calls to the Middle East, the Gulf and Africa will now be charged at Rs 8 per minute vis-a-vis the earlier Rs 17.25 per minute - under One Nation Plans. As regards other plans, ISD rates have been brought down to Rs 9.99 per minute, from the previous up to Rs 19.99 per minute.

S P Shukla, president - wireless, Reliance Infocomm, said, "We are proud to lead the way in reducing the transactional cost for
Indians who are interacting with the world more and more. The ISD call
rates have now come down below the levels STD rates were a few years back. The indirect economic value added to the economy of the country by this rate reduction is much more than actual rates itself."

Reliance One world One Number

Reliance Infocomm (RIL) has launched the 1World.1Number seamless inter-standard international roaming service, featuring a single number on international CDMA and GSM networks.

In effect the caller line identification of Reliance customers will remain the same, even if they happen to be roaming on a GSM network - for instance in Europe.

With the new service, Reliance subscribers will not have to resort to call-forwarding whilst traveling from a CDMA to a GSM network and vice versa.

RIL says that with 11 major CDMA networks and 340 GSM networks under the 1World.1Number umbrella, it can qualify as the numero uno service provider in terms of offering the widest international roaming coverage at the lowest possible roaming rates.

For Reliance customers traveling abroad, they can subscribe to this new service at any of the Reliance WebWorlds. Customers will be provided with a SIM Card which together with a suitable GSM handset will enable them to roam on GSM networks. CDMA handsets can be used for roaming on CDMA networks.

Apple Anounces iPod Hi-Fi

Among a slew of products - Apple Computer has announced its iPod Hi-Fi, touting it as a high-fidelity speaker system which works seamlessly with the iPod to redefine the home stereo system.

Apple Computer says that its iPod Hi-Fi offers a superlative sound experience in an all-in-one design. The iPod Hi-Fi includes two custom-designed wide-range speakers, and a tuned ported bass system, making for reduced vibration and better sound quality. The device is powered from a wall socket or by six D-cell batteries, and can be controlled using the Apple Remote.

The Hi-Fi sports features such as handles for easy transportation of the stereo; removable front grille with precision-mounting clips; and touch-sensitive volume control buttons.

Hi-Fi incorporates seamless integration with all iPods via a dock connector; and includes features like Tone Control, Large Album Art mode and volume mirroring. It has a dual-purpose 3.5-mm auxiliary input which accepts either analog or digital signals for easy connection to a wide range of audio sources.

Steve Jobs, CEO, Apple Computer, said, "Apple is reinventing the home stereo with the new iPod Hi-Fi, the first iPod accessory that adds true high-fidelity sound quality to the iPod. iPod Hi-Fi s unrivaled acoustic performance and stunning design is at home in any room in the house."

Along with its iPod Hi-Fi, Apple has introduced a new leather case meant for the fifth generation iPod and all iPod nano models - made of fine hand-crafted Italian leather.

The iPod Hi-Fi is available from all Apple Authorized Resellers for Rs 27,700; and ships along with a removable grille, an AC power cord, ten Universal Dock adapters and the Apple Remote.

The leather case for iPods - both 30GB and 60GB models as also for the iPod nano is available for Rs 6,200 per piece.

Bharti Signed Deal with Nortel

MUMBAI: Bharti Tele-Ventures has entered into a five-year managed services agreement with Nortel to host contact center services for the subscribers of Bharti's Airtel GSM mobile, broadband and fixed line services.

According to a Bharati statement, Nortel will create a Network Operations Center (NOC) in New Delhi that would provide network design, integration, support and maintenance services for Bharti's contact center architecture.

A 24x7 'virtual storefront' voice portal based on Nortel's interactive voice response (IVR) solution will form the basis for Bharti's new contact center operation.

Calling a single number from anywhere in India, Bharti's wireless and wireline customers will be able to speak in English, Hindi, or four other regional languages to complete routine transactions and subscribe to new services while the system interacts with them in a natural, conversational manner.

Nortel has also designed the architecture for future interactive video response capability.

Bharti has also designed with Nortel an innovative 'per call' approach to paying for Nortel's hosted services, linking its contact center cost structure to network traffic, service levels and customer growth.

The Nortel solution also includes virtualization of the contact center infrastructure, world-class technology for call forecasting, call routing, call prioritization, multimedia, unified messaging, and IP-enabled video.

Airtel Goes Classical

In a step guaranteed to bring cheer to classical music fans, Airtel has made available to its subscribers more than hundred pieces of the choicest classical music from some of the country's best known exponents in the form of Ring Tones and Hello Tunes. The company says this is the first time such a rich variety of the country's classical music fare has been made available on the mobile music platform.

Speaking at the occasion, Hemant Sachdev, director - marketing and communications, Bharti Tele-Ventures, said that with Airtel Music Maestros, the company is promoting the country s rich classical music tradition and extending its reach from a niche audience to a much wider audience.

The chosen classical items comprise genres like Thumri, Dadra, Chaiti, Kajri, Kheyal, Bandish, et al, by stalwarts such as Pandit Bhimsen Joshi, Pandit Ravi Shankar, Pandit Jasraj, Pandit Hari Prasad Chaurasia, Pandit Shiv Kumar Sharma Ustad Amjad Ali Khan, Ustad Bismillah Khan, Ustad Zakir Hussain, among others.

In order to avail the new service, Airtel subscribers can either call 678-517 to download the selection as Hello Tunes; or they can call 646-517 or alternatively log onto Airtel's live! WAP portal in order to download as Ringtones.

In another initiative, Airtel has launched Easy Music wherein subscribers can access up to 18,000 songs in 20 different languages. Subscribers need to simply walk into any Airtel Easy Music outlet, make their choice, and the retailer will download the song onto their phones.

Walky with FM TATA

Tata Indicom introduces for the first time in India -
Mobility with Entertainment
Introducing for the first time in India “Walky with FM”
Choice of 10 FM stations
Available at an attractive entry cost of Rs 1999/- New Delhi, March 2006: Tata Indicom, India’s premier telecom service provider today pioneered another initiative in the desktop phone category. For the first time ever in India, phone users can now enjoy listening to their favourite FM station exclusively on Tata Indicom “Walky with FM”. Available on the Axesstel P830 instrument, Tata Indicom “Walky with FM” is targeted at housewives, shopkeepers, and the youth segment.
Tata Indicom is the dominant and consistent leader in the desktop phone category. Keeping in line with this, the new Tata Indicom ‘Walky with FM’ brings to its customers their favourite FM stations with a host of features. Additionally customers have a choice of 10 programmable radio stations, which can be automatically or manually adjusted. Besides, customers can also has the option of setting their Morning Alarm ring tone to the FM channel of their choice.
The Tata Indicom “Walky with FM ” has been introduced at an attractive price point of Rs. 1999/- with no extra charges for FM. Besides, existing customers can exchange their existing Walky instruments by paying a one-time, non-refundable charge of Rs. 1000/-. Further attractive HOME 2 Mobile tariffs on Walky make the overall package extremely attractive.
The new Stylish Walky - Axesstel P830 is an extension of the increasing popularity and ‘overwhelming customer response’ of the Tata Indicom desktop phone service across India. It offers a variety of benefits and power packed features like 12 polyphonic ringtones to choose from, dual speaker phone system, Internet capability, group messaging to 20 multiple destinations, internal phonebook supporting upto 99 entries, large screen with backlight and dual language menu.
Speaking on the occasion, Mr.Vinayak Deshpande, President Enterprise BU, Tata Teleservices said, “The launch of Tata Indicom Walky with FM for the first time ever in India is an extension of our commitment to continuously innovate and offer a host of novel features on ‘Walky’ to our customers. With the new Tata Indicom Walky with FM we wish to redefine the entertainment space in the country. We are confident and optimistic that our new ‘Walky with FM’ will receive tremendous response from the market.
The market response to our Walky product has been very positive and we see tremendous growth potential in this category. With the launch of Walky with FM, we plan to address a much wider market and consolidate our leadership position in this category.” Mr. Deshpande added.
Tata Indicom was the first to launch CDMA-based Fixed Wireless Service in the country. As the service operates on Tata Indicom CDMA wireless platform, it offers several advantages over the landline, as it does not require any physical wiring for last mile connectivity. Hence customers can expect instant connections (as it eliminates the need for cables to be laid), the ability to retain the same phone number within the city for customers who shift residence/office, better security and all weather proof (unaffected by rains / harsh climatic conditions) service.
Around the globe, manufacturers had considered Fixed Wireless Service as a dead product. But after the success of Tata Indicom Fixed Wireless Service in India, today international vendors are investing money and are taking interest in Research and Development (R&D) on Fixed Wireless Service.

Familier with One India get Introduced to One World with TATA

Tata Indicom to shortly launch International Roaming
‘One World One Number’
First telecom service provider in the world to launch a single T-SIM product for International Roaming
One Number Across The World - Customers can roam while using the same Tata Indicom number
Tata Indicom post paid customers can roam in 186 countries New Delhi, March 11, 2006: In a major initiative, Tata Indicom, India’s premier telecom service provider in India, today announced that the company would be soon launching International Roaming Services ‘One World One Number’ across 186 countries.
With the forthcoming launch of One World One Number International Roaming Service Tata Indicom will become the first telecom service provider in the world to launch a single T-SIM product for International Roaming. Customers will be able to enjoy both CDMA & GSM services without having to change their number by switching between the two networks freely with only one dual mode T-SIM.
Besides, pan-India National Roaming in over 2500 towns Tata Indicom customers will be able to roam internationally in 186 countries across 291 GSM roaming partner and few CDMA partners.
Tata Indicom One World One Number facility not only fills the gap where CDMA roaming is not available in Europe, Middle East, Africa and some parts of Asia but will also allow a post paid customer the benefit of receiving and sending SMS and voice mail service.
Mr. Darryl Green, CEO Tata Teleservices said, “We are proud to announce that we are pioneering yet another initiative in the telecom industry that will benefit all our customers who travel abroad. With the launch of One World One Number International Roaming Service we have tried to bring the world closer. We are confident and optimistic that this service will get a tremendous response. The One World One Number Service offers the customers a unique service which will connect them across the globe.”
The Tata Indicom International Roaming Service allows friends, family members, business associates and clients to reach you at home and abroad using the same Tata Indicom mobile number when in home network or when roaming abroad. This service is available for 186 countries, 291 GSM roaming partners and 5 CDMA partners.
Tata Teleservices has succeeded in building a substantial presence in the country’s telecom space, and is all set to redefine the existing benchmarks of the telecom service category in India through marketing innovations and introduction of new generation value-added services. The Tata Indicom brand name spans across retail, enterprise, wholesale as well as international services offered by the telecom services arms. Today TTSL is committed to providing the best services to all its the customers and making Tata Indicom the preferred choice of millions of customers across the country.

Oracle today introduced Oracle Business Intelligence Suite, open, standards-based software designed for all users and business processes throughout the enterprise. Oracle Business Intelligence Suite unites Oracle's business intelligence (BI) middleware with Siebel Business Analytics.

“When combined with Oracle E-Business Suite, Oracle's PeopleSoft Enterprise, Oracle's JD Edwards EnterpriseOne, Oracle's Siebel prebuilt analytic applications, the Oracle Business Intelligence Suite addresses the complete spectrum of BI and analytical requirements facing customers today, including historical, real-time and forward-looking insight, with data integration, and management,” an Oracle statement said.

The suite, along with other software components of Oracle Applications, Oracle Database, and Oracle Fusion Middleware, delivers enterprise-wide business intelligence that is “hot-pluggable” into existing operational systems.

racle Business Intelligence Suite Standard Edition offers pre-integrated BI infrastructure software and tools for an Oracle environment. Oracle Business Intelligence Suite Standard Edition One is designed as a specialized offering for small and medium businesses (SMBs). Oracle Business Intelligence Suite Enterprise and Standard Editions are available today. The Oracle Business Intelligence Suite Standard Edition One offering is planned for availability in the next fiscal year.

Oracle Business Intelligence Suite Enterprise and Standard Editions are generally available today. Oracle Business Intelligence Suite Enterprise Edition is priced at $1,500 per named user. Oracle Business Intelligence Suite Standard Edition is priced at $400 per named user.

Oracle Business Intelligence Suite Standard Edition One is priced at $25,000 and is planned for availability in the next fiscal year.

Fresh on the heels of a delay in broad availability of Windows Vista, Microsoft confirmed late Thursday that it is also pushing the mainstream launch of Office 2007 to next year.

As with Vista, Microsoft hopes to finish the code for Office 2007 this year and make it available to some large businesses by the end of December.

Microsoft announced the Vista delay Tuesday. With the twin push backs, the PC industry's holiday season is shaping up to be quite different than the one originally expected. Microsoft has said it doesn't expect the Vista delay to dent PC sales in the fourth quarter, but analysts have largely disagreed.

Microsoft is making major changes with the new Office, which will feature all-new XML-based file formats as well as a completely overhauled user interface, among other changes.

By pushing out the Office launch date, however, Microsoft will regain the ability to launch the two products in tandem. Microsoft had been planning a massive fourth quarter launch for the products.

Earlier on Thursday, Microsoft announced it was naming Office head honcho Steven Sinofsky to head a new Windows and Windows Live development group. Microsoft said Sinofsky will work with Microsoft Business Division President Jeff Raikes in the coming weeks to help determine who will lead the Office business after his move.

The change in launch timing for Office 2007 was noted earlier Thursday by Jupiter Research analyst Joe Wilcox on his Microsoft Monitor blog.

Microsoft in November had released an initial test version of Office 2007, then known by its Office 12 code name. A broader test version is planned for this spring.

Spice in March

Spice Telecom, the oldest cellular service provider in Karnataka, has lived up to its reputation of continuously being in the news...

Last month, the company announced its foray into the handset market with four new handset models. This month, Spice has announced the launch of a few interesting schemes like "Calling India," an offer giving attractive STD rates. Spice customers - both prepaid and postpaid, can now make calls anywhere in the country for just Rs 1. It will cost Spice customers 30 paise to make calls to other Spice phones, and Rs 1 to other phones.

Spice has also announced an offer on SMS services, proposing a charge of 30 paise for every local or national SMS on a package involving a Rs 49 monthly rental. The ISD rates are charged at Rs 7.2 per minute.

Navin Kaul, chief operating officer, Spice Telecom, said that the drive behind this tariff is to give the best of the rates in the industry to Spice customers.

Further - according to latest reports - Spice has added new cell towers across the state of Karnataka covering areas including Yarmal, Uchila, Hejamadi, Mulki, Karkala Road, Paradise Island Resort, Malpe Beach, etc, to offer clarity in voice and coverage to its subscribers.

Apparently the company has also carried out a new system doubling of the switch capacity, thereby increasing the network's capacity to accommodate more subscribers as also helping in maintaining service quality.

Paypal Going Mobile

aypal - the online payment service owned by eBay, is reportedly testing a new offering that allows consumers to make purchases and money transfers using simple text messaging through mobile phones.

The latest service dubbed "PayPal Mobile," is currently being tested by several eBay employees, and is slated to launch in the next couple of weeks in USA, UK and Canada - with over 55 other countries expected to follow suit.

PayPal Mobile promises to allow people make payments, buy various items, etc, using mobile devices. PayPal Mobile offers two options for transferring funds by phone; payments can either be sent over the phone via a text message, or a call can be made to an automated customer service system, and funds can be transmitted using voice commands.

In case of either option, users have to first register their mobile devices with PayPal's Web site and select a code to protect themselves against unauthorized users.

If the user opts for text messaging, he/she has to send a text message containing the amount to be transferred and the recipient's phone number to PayPal. The sender is then called back by a PayPal computer, and asked to confirm the transaction. Post this, PayPal immediately notifies the recipient and tells him/her how to claim the payment online.

In the event the user chooses the second option, he/she has to call 1-800-4PAYPAL for the transaction to be realized.

PayPal says that its PayPal Mobile service might effectively transform mobile phones into electronic wallets of sorts...

Microsoft Delays Vista

In an announcement, the company has pushed-back the launch of its already delayed Vista to consumers - from late 2006 to early 2007, quoting the reason that PC manufacturers need sufficient time to test the running of this platform on their systems. But yes - the business version will arrive till November 2006, though home users will have to wait until Jan 2007.

Jim Allchin, co-president, Microsoft Corp, said that the industry requires greater lead time to deliver Windows Vista on new PCs during the holiday season, and that hence the company has decided to separate business from consumer availability.

Windows Vista is being awaited with baited breath - especially since it is Microsoft's first major update to its operating system - since the launch of Windows XP in late 2001.

Currently available in limited beta version, Microsoft plans to make available six versions of Windows Vista. Vista promises to be an improvement over Windows XP in terms of security functions and a quicker start-up. Yet it is believed that when Vista releases, some of the key features that were originally intended - will be conspicuously absent.

Although disappointment hangs in the air post Microsoft's announcement, most users are in agreement over the premise that it is better for Microsoft to ship a completed product rather than one like the much criticized Windows XP.

Sify introducing Mobile Shoping

Things just got better for mobile phone users on GPRS services! Sify Limited's online shopping portal, www.sifymall.com, has announced a tie-up with JiGrahak - a mobility solutions provider, to enable millions of mobile phone users on GPRS services to buy a wide variety of products and services over their phones.

SifyMall will utilise JiGrahak's m-commerce/m-payment platform "NGPay" (Next Generation Pay), in order to provide the new mobile shopping service.

Speaking at the launch, Surya Mantha, senior vice president - interactive services, SifyMall, said, "We are happy to be working with JiGrahak in bringing secure M-Commerce services to the millions of mobile subscribers using GPRS services in India. With the Indian mobile subscriber base growing at the rate of about 2 million users a month, and expected to touch 200 million by 2007, the potential for mobile shopping is huge. We expect to grow the mobile shopping service space with this 'one-of-its kind' offering, and work towards being a leader in this area. In addition to buying products and services from SifyMall, Sify broadband users can now also renew their broadband subscriptions through this application, using their mobiles for convenience."

Sourabh Jain, partner, JiGrahak Mobility Solutions, said, "JiGrahak is excited to have Sify on board the NGPay platform. The potential of 'Anytime, Anywhere' commerce has been talked about since quite some time, but technology and business challenges have remained. We believe that NGPay would help realize this immense potential, and define the world of mobile commerce and mobile payments. End-users from around the world can download and use (free-of-cost) the NGPay application on their mobile handsets from anywhere in the world, provided they have a J2ME-enabled phone and an appropriate GPRS subscription."

Other than basic models, most mobile phones are GPRS compatible. Users can call their service operators to enable GPRS facility on their phones, so that they can shop over their phones, book airline tickets online, browse websites, etc. With a GPRS-enabled mobile connection, users can log on to www.ngpay.com and download the NGPay application on to their mobile handsets.

Once installed, this application can then be used to shop "Anytime, Anywhere" for various products such as flowers, books, Movie DVDs and VCDs on SifyMall.com.

To start with, payments can be made using credit cards; later users can graduate to making payments from bank accounts.

Microsoft coming in ad network

In an attempt to catch-up with rivals including Google and Yahoo, Microsoft has started testing online ads on Live - its new web services network.

Microsoft plans to display ads from around 20 advertisers as part of a year-long trial program, on its network comprising Office Live, email service Windows Live Mail and social networking service MSN Spaces.

Although Microsoft attracts a huge online traffic, the company has lagged behind its rivals in terms of generating ad revenue. Microsoft is hopeful that its Live.com portal will be useful in eventually creating an advertising network.

In a separate announcement, Microsoft has launched the beta version of its Windows Live Family Safety Settings service.

"Family Safety Settings" provides several free tools to work with Windows Live and other Microsoft applications, to offer enhanced safety in PC- and Web-based activities.

The new service incorporates features such as content filtering for the Web, contact management tools for e-communications, online activity reports, etc.

The content filtering feature lets users apply settings like "allow" or "block" to different Web sites or content categories. Contact Management is applicable to Microsoft online communications services, and enables parents to create lists which either allow or restrict children from accessing specific sites. The Online Activity Reports feature makes it possible for parents to access information about what their family members are doing online.

The new service is slated to become available this summer, and will be offered to customers using Windows XP Service Pack 2 and Windows Vista. Microsoft says that it prefers calling its new product Family Safety Settings rather than Parental Controls, since neither parents nor children are too fond of that particular term.

Apparently as Microsoft does not consider itself an expert in child psychology, the company has teamed up with third party experts such as the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), which was responsible for creating the recommended default settings of the new service. Tie-ups with similar such organizations are in the pipeline.

Microsoft maintains that its aim is to be less intrusive, and to make Family Safety Settings something which will go down well with both parents and kids.

Hp Announced Pen Keyboard for Indian Lang.

HP Labs India Wednesday introduced its pen-based keyboard for Indian languages, including Devanagari (Hindi), Kannada and Tamil.

Priced at Rs 2,000, the gesture-based keyboard helps solve the phonetic language entry problem by allowing users to input text and data with a pen.

The innovative technology also allows any Indian script to be recorded and stored directly on the computer.

"The hi-tech keyboard makes it easier for even non-English speaking people and those who can't type to communicate with others effortlessly. It is meant to bridge the digital divide by simplifying the use of IT," HP Labs India director Ajay Gupta said at a preview of the product here.

Designed and developed at HP Labs India, the keyboard is currently available in Hindi and Kannada scripts along with English fonts.

ATI s new X1800

ATI Technologies has announced the latest entrant to its Radeon X1800 family, the Radeon X1800 GTO.

ATI Technologies says that its Radeon X1800 GTO will deliver outstanding gaming performance, as compared to other graphics options in the same category.

The Radeon X1800 GTO features both high definition rendering (HDR) and anti-aliasing (AA) support, and incorporates the ultra-threaded shader architecture and revolutionary new memory architecture of ATI's award-winning Radeon X1800 XT and Radeon X1800 XL GPUs.

ATI's Radeon X1800 GTO also features the company's Avivo visual technology, which makes it capable of delivering superior high definition video playback and image quality.

Radeon X1800 GTO incorporates features such as 12 pixels shader processors, 256-bit GDDR3 memory interface, 500 MHz core speed, and 1000 MHz memory speed.

Vijay Sharma, director - desktop discrete graphics, ATI, said, "ATI recognizes that there are gamers at every price point, and the Radeon X1800 GTO is a clear price-performance winner. The X1800 GTO is an important addition to the Radeon X1800 series, further strengthening the mid-range market and giving users a powerful gaming card with a range of multimedia functions."

The Radeon X1800 GTO will be available from ATI's add-in-board partners by end March 2006, at a suggested retail price of $249.

Emirats wins Skytrax award

Emirates has once again gained prestigious industry recognition at the 2006 Skytrax Awards for Airline Excellence, taking top honours in the category for Inflight Entertainment Excellence.

Emirates' award-winning entertainment system, "ice" - an acronym for information, communication and entertainment - is now offered on over 35 per cent of the fleet. It offers over 500 channels of entertainment, video and audio on demand, over 40 games and live news headlines, and is available to travellers in every class.

Customers also have access to e-mail and SMS messaging and satellite telephones. On the Emirates A340-500 there is also a WiFi e-mail service available.

Last year Emirates was adjudged the best in this category at the Skytrax World Airline Awards.

Relience with New Planes

Reliance Infocomm (RIL) has announced a posse of improvements to its One Nation plan, under both post paid and prepaid categories.

In the post paid category, Reliance has introduced two new schemes with lower rentals of Rs 299 and Rs 399.

For the post paid scheme - Reliance "India One 399" and Prepaid RCV 1100, calls between two Reliance phones anywhere in the country will cost only 40 paise, while calls to all other phones anywhere in the country will be charged at Re 1 per minute.

Under Post paid "India One 299" and One Nation Prepaid plans (excluding RCV Rs 1100), all Reliance to Reliance intra-circle calls will cost just 40 paise per minute, while calls to any other phone anywhere in the country will be charged at Re 1 per minute.

For NJ 499, RIL has reduced the One Nation tariff to 75 paise per minute for all calls to any phone in the country, while for NJ 399 the tariff has been reduced to 85 paise per minute.

The new rates for NJ 499 and NJ 399 are applicable to all existing customers as well as new subscribers. Intra-circle calls to Reliance phones will continue to cost 40 paise per minute.

S P Shukla, president - wireless, RIL, said, "We are striving to go beyond the ordinary, to bring our customers a wider choice depending upon their usage patterns. These plans are created based on inputs from our customers. A family with members spread over various states, will find Reliance One India 399 plan and prepaid Rs 1100 RCV very attractive, as it will enable them to be connected at just 40 paise per minute anywhere in the country, despite paying low rentals."

Samsung In India

Samsung Electronics opened a new mobile phone facility at Gurgaon in Haryana.

The ceremony was attended by over 100 business and government leaders including the Governor of Haryana, B S Hooda; the President of the India Mobile Phone Association, Pankaj Mohindroo; among others.

Production is slated to begin immediately, and the new plant is expected to produce one million mobile phones in the coming year - with output capacity to be expanded over time.

Speaking at the occasion, Kitae Lee, president - telecommunication network business, Samsung Electronics, said, "The Indian economy is rising by more than 7 percent a year, and the growth potential for the mobile phone market is unlimited. Our Indian mobile phone plant boasts highly advanced production facilities and technologies, along with an excellent workforce. As such it will become a world-class operation."

Bsnl+OnMobile offering VAS

BSNL (Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited) has tied-up with OnMobile - a leading provider of telecom Value Added Services (VAS), to launch a slew of Marathi, Hindi and English-based value added services on the voice platform, for its Maharashtra CellOne and Landline subscribers. Kuldeep Goyal, CGM, BSNL, Maharashtra, said, "This is the first time in Maharashtra, that landline users can also take advantage of value added services like ring tones, prayers, cricket commentary, songs, news and more, in addition to mobile users. We will be working with OnMobile to continually increase and improve the services available for our subscribers."
Using a single number 12555 to dial any mobile or landline user of BSNL can access and interact with the new service, by speaking in his or her natural language be it English, Hindi or any other regional language. Users will be charged Rs 1.20 per minute for landline, and Rs 5 per min for mobile. Goyal said, "Additionally, the multimodal call back number of the service 12555XX allows users to reach the desired service without going through main menu navigation. This feature will help in increased uptake of the service, as regular users will be able to reach the desired application directly." Arvind Rao, CEO, OnMobile, said, "We at OnMobile are committed to improving the usage experience of all telecom subscribers in their natural language, with our innovative voice enabled services platform. The services offered to BSNL subscribers are already being tried and tested by multiple operators across the country, and today BSNL Maharashtra adds to our customer base of more than 25 million users across the country." As of now, value added services including Ring tone downloads, dial-a-song, cricket scores, jokes, prayers, contests, movie zone, and star specials are available to BSNL customers.

Nokias Life Blog 2.0

At the ongoing CeBit Trade Show at Frankfurt in Germany, Nokia introduced the Nokia Lifeblog 2.0 - which the company says is a unique collection and storage solution for personal multimedia content, designed exclusively for Nokia's Nseries multimedia computers. With the new Nokia Lifeblog 2.0, users can create a rich personal multimedia diary with photos, video clips, messages and text notes all stored in one place. With content organized in a systematic manner, it is easy to browse, search, view and share the content both on the user's mobile device as well as on a compatible PC.
The latest version of Nokia's Lifeblog builds on the qualities of its pre-decessors by adding audio notes, calendar entries and location information to the diary. The user's Nokia Nseries device can be set to immediately link his/her photos to information about his/her location, calendar entries, etc. With the push of a button, all content including photos and video clips can be conveniently transferred to a compatible PC, making for permanent storage and also freeing up memory space on the user's Nokia NSeries device. Nokia says it is essential to install Nokia Lifeblog on the user's Nokia Nseries multimedia computer, in order to enjoy the complete Nokia Lifeblog experience. Mikko Pilkama, director, Nokia Nseries, said, "With imaging becoming an integral part of mobile devices, the way people approach photography is changing. You are able to capture events and create memories in a spontaneous way as your device is always with you. Because of this we have developed a version of Nokia Lifeblog that works exclusively with our Nokia Nseries range. This new version of Nokia Lifeblog provides users with a simple solution to store, manage and share the personal multimedia content they've created. It's like having a photo album and a multimedia diary that builds itself." Available for compatible PCs, the new Nokia Lifeblog PC software can be downloaded for free from www.nokia.com/lifeblog. The new mobile software which is compatible with all Nokia Nseries devices, is expected to be available for free download beginning end April 2006.

Apple to start new Tech support Center

Apple Computer Inc. is setting up a technical support center in Bangalore, India, according to a report Thursday in a local Indian newspaper.
Apple will hire 1,500 staff at the technical center by the end of this year, according to The Times of India newspaper. The center will have 3,000 staff at the end of next year, the report said.
Representatives from Apple's Indian operations were not immediately available for comment.
A number of multinational technology companies, including computer maker Dell Inc. have set up technical support centers in India, to support their global operations.

Windows Live Search is Launched

Microsoft Corp has announced the availability of its Windows Live Search Beta, which promises to help people find information on the Web which matters most to them. Microsoft has also released an updated version of Live.com and a Windows Live Toolbar beta - both complementing Windows Live Search. Windows Live Search incorporates rich viewing and organizational tools, extensive search categories such as image and local search, and services which will help users customize results.
Windows Live Search promises to provide better control over search by incorporating new features such as search preview, scoping tools, search slider bar to increase level of information on the results page, and smart scrolling to enable people view search results without having to move from page to page. Windows Live Search also offers specific search categories including the new image search, news search, RSS feeds, email search, local search, and searching of MSN Shopping and MSN Spaces. Windows Live Search is geared to deliver a singular search experience across all upcoming Windows Live services such as Windows Live Messenger and Windows Live Mail. As part of the Windows Live Search experience, Microsoft has launched the Windows Live Search Macros beta which enables users to save and share specific queries plus search scopes, and to customize their search results. The other service launched by the company - Windows Live Toolbar, allows people to search from any Web page using Windows Live Search; and to easily save, organize and share the information they find online. The beta offers advanced protection against phishing and pop-up blocking, so that people can browse more safely while they search. The Windows Live Toolbar incorporates features such as Onfolio technology, RSS detection, automatic aggregation to the user's personalized Live.com home page, effortless customization, and tabbed browsing for quicker Web surfing. The latest version of Live.com released by Microsoft sports a new design plus features that help users quickly customize their home page, preview content, create multiple pages based on their interests, and add their favorite content from various information sources and RSS feeds. Microsoft will for the first time make Windows Live Search available on Live.com. Live.com will feature advanced search services; and new gadgets including image search, a clock, Windows Live Favorites, stock quotes, MSN video and MSN Infopane. Microsoft plans to constantly update Live.com with new services, based on customer feedback. Christopher Payne, corporate vice president - Windows Live Search, Microsoft, said, "We're unveiling a range of innovations that deliver an outstanding level of power and simplicity to search. Combined with the rich browsing and integrated searching services delivered by Windows Live Toolbar and Live.com, the new search service offers customers the next generation of unified services today." Microsoft's new services will be available in the US, and in select international markets wherein feature availability will vary.

A notice to telephone operators from trai

Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has issued showcause notices on network congestion to cellular operators including Bharti Tele-Ventures, Tata Teleservices, Reliance Infocomm, Reliance Telecom, BPL Mobile, and Spice Communication. TRAI stated that in the quarter ended December 2005, the networks of these operators had registered an increase in the number of point of interconnections (PoIs) having congestion more than the 0.5 percent benchmark.
Hutchison-Essar, Bharat Sanchar Nigam, Mahanagar Telephone Nigam, and Idea Cellular were not sent notices since according to TRAI, their networks did not show a similar increase in congestion vis- -vis the TRAI benchmark. Post studying the performance of various cellular mobile service providers in the quarter ended December 2005, TRAI found that though there had been some improvement in meeting prescribed standards as regards service quality, the performance of most operators had deteriorated in respect of PoI congestion. The regulator expressed the view that looking at the state of affairs, it was obvious that either service providers had not taken necessary steps to reduce the time period for provision of interconnection as laid-down in the interconnection agreement; or they had not approached the Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT) to resolve the dispute - if any, regarding effecting a reduced time period for augmentation of interconnection. On November 29, 2005, TRAI had issued a directive to all cellular operators asking them to ensure that by December 31, 2005, all service parameters including levels of PoI congestion, would be brought within TRAI benchmarks. Before that, a study through July to September 2005 had shown that PoI congestion was more than prescribed benchmarks in almost 364 locations; the figure rose to 398 by end December.

Epson Introducing a new all in one

Epson has announced the launch of its Stylus CX3700 all-in-one printer which allows users to print, scan and copy photos directly, and promises to provide excellent print quality at an affordable price.

The Stylus CX3700 uses Epson's new Durabrite Ultra Ink - optimised for low-cost printing, to provide users with BorderFree printouts up to A4 size. The CX3700 includes Epson's intelligent Inkdividual cartridge system, which allows users to replace only that ink which has been used-up. The built-in Black Ink Save Mode facilitates intelligent mixing of colours, whenever black ink runs low thereby ensuring colour consistency and continued printing.

The combination of Epson's new Ultra Glossy Photo Paper and the ability of the Stylus CX3700 to print at 5760 optimised dpi, ensures photo quality prints.

Epson's Stylus CX3700 features a simple control panel allowing fast operation of the printer in stand-alone mode; 600dpi CIS scanner which cuts down warm-up time substantially; Epson's Creativity Suite designed to automate tedious printing tasks; Epson Easy Photo Print offering users a three-stage interface for choosing, positioning and printing images; scan to email/fax function; Colour Restore function to re-vitalize old photos; and Epson's Micro Piezo print head technology which lets ink droplet sizes to be varied down to a minimum of 4 picolitre thus optimizing performance.

S M Ram Prasad, business manager - consumer products, Epson India, said, "In today s busy lifestyle, cost-effectiveness and durability are the key to consumers who require a long-lasting solution that meets their needs. The Epson Stylus CX3700 provides the best-value printing and copying option for home and SOHO users, so that they can now achieve long-lasting quality printouts easily and cost-effectively."

Epson Stylus CX3700 is available at all Epson authorized dealers at an MRP of Rs 6,220.

Cisco= SIP+IP

Cisco Systems has announced plans to adopt a key Internet Protocol telephony standard, which will allow for the addition of new network service features and will let companies like Microsoft integrate their communications products with Cisco gear.

Cisco Systems said it will add support for SIP (session initiation protocol), to its IP PBX software.

SIP helps establish contact between IP phones, and enables addition of special features such as presence awareness, video or mobility capabilities, onto a Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) network. SIP also allows companies using VoIP to considerably lower the cost of deploying such a network.

The latest version of Cisco's product - CallManager 5.0, will include SIP capabilities for Cisco IP phones, multimedia communications software, and presence-awareness software.

So far Cisco has been the only major supplier not to support SIP in its IP PBX software. Barry O'Sullivan, vice president - IP communications, Cisco, said that the company move is in line with the fact that IP telephony is no longer restricted to toll bypass, and that people need to be able to communicate and collaborate through the means that best suits them.

Although CallManager 5.0 is geared to work with any SIP-based phone, Cisco intends to support a softphone or PC-based phone client for Research In Motion's BlackBerry handheld and Nokia's new dual-mode phones.

In another announcement, Cisco said, it plans to bring together the worlds of voice, data, video and mobile communications in the form of a new architecture dubbed the Cisco Unified Communications system.

A key part of this architecture - the Cisco Unified Personal Communicator would combine different communications media. Unlike its pre-decessors, the new Communicator will be made available in two versions; one based on Microsoft Communicator, and the other based on Linux.

Cisco announced it is working with Microsoft Corp to integrate Microsoft's Office Communicator 2005 and Office Live Communications, with Cisco's Unified Communications System.

In effect, users will be able to launch a VoIP conversation directly from their Microsoft Outlook client. The interoperable package is expected to ship in August 2006.

Samsungs New 8 GB Phone

Samsung has announced plans to launch its SGH-i310, a 8GB Windows Mobile-based cell phone, in the second half of 2006.

Samsung's fourth model to incorporate a hard-disk drive, the SGH-i310 is a candy-bar form factor handset which looks similar to the i300 HDD phone launched by Samsung last year. Like the i300, the i310 also includes a music player, dual speakers, an amplifier and a Bluetooth stereo link. The music player supports MP3, AAC, AAC+, WMA, WAV and Ogg music file formats.

With dimensions of 112 x 48 x 20 mm and weighing around 120 gms, the SGH-i310 features a 2 megapixels digital camera, Bluetooth printing and video output connector. The phone is compatible with GSM, GPRS and EDGE technologies, and runs the Windows Mobile 5.0 for smartphone operating systems.

Samsung's 1.5GB HDD phone, SPH-V5400 launched in September 2004 was the first-ever to have an embedded hard-disk drive. The SPH-V7900 and SGH-i300, each incorporating a 3GB hard-disk drive soon followed suit.

The latest phone will reportedly be unveiled later this week at the Cebit Show beginning Thursday at Hanover, and is expected to hit European markets in the second half of 2006. The pricing has not yet been announced.

Oracle Starting New search Engine

Oracle has staked out ground in the rapidly changing enterprise search industry with the introduction of Oracle Secure Enterprise Search 10g, a standalone engine that can search databases, file systems, enterprise content management systems, portals, e-mail systems and enterprise applications for internal corporate use.

Oracle enters as the corporate search market is realigning and expanding. Two of the major providers of corporate search technology have merged, with Autonomy's acquisition of Verity last year. Then there is Google's entrance into the space. IBM has also thrown its hat into the ring with the introduction of its own standalone engine, OmniFind.

Sahara anounced its Intel Celeron NB

As part of its effort towards increasing computer penetration within the country, South-Africa based Sahara Computers and Electronics Limited (SCEL) has announced the availability of its latest Intel Celeron based notebook, the NB5610-L1.

The NB5610-L1 weighs around 2.5Kg, and features Intel's Celeron M Processor 360; 256 MB DDR RAM upgradeable up to 2 GB; 40GB HDD; 14.1-inch TFT-LCD display; Wi-Fi support; built-in stereo with 3D sound effects; DVD/CD-RW combo drive; and pre-programmed application launch keypad with functions including Internet browser, volume mute, WLAN activation plus email.

SCEL's NB 5610 - L1 incorporates 4 USB 2.0 ports and one port each for sound/volume control; S-Video TV Out port; DC in Jack; Headphone Out Jack; Microphone Jack; and compatible RJs for phone plus LAN.

Speaking at the occasion, George Van Der Merwe, chief operating officer, SCEL, said, "The launch of this notebook reflects SCEL's strategy of offering carefully tailored mobile solutions to the newly emerging markets in India like students, young executives, SOHO etc."

"Our new endeavour has been made possible because of SCEL's sound vendor relationship spanning the globe, and high economies of scale undertaken in the process. We are confident that our latest offering, which is at a price that is marginally higher than a desktop PC, will create fresh demands in the market," Van Der Merwe said.

NB5610-L1 is available nation-wide through Sahara authorized dealers, at a price of Rs 25,999. Over 1,200 certified engineers from SCEL will be made available for customer service on the national toll free number - 1800 180 SCEL (7235).

Nokia Phones Prices in march

Idea Launches One india Plan

Idea presents One India Tariff on Pre and Post Paid

*Local and STD calls at Re 1 New Delhi, March 2, 2006: IDEA Cellular, India’s leading cellular operator, today announced its One India Tariff plans for it’s pre and post paid customers, just one week after launching the revolutionary 2 Minutes Outgoing Free to any phone anywhere in India.
In the Pre Paid segment:
Recharge 249:
o All Local and STD calls at Re 1
o Zero Talk time
o One Month Validity for Tariff
Recharge 899:
o All local and STD calls at Re 1
o Rs 550 Talk time
o One-month validity.
In the Post Paid segment:
Total Rental 299
o Idea to Idea (Local) at Re 1 for 2 mins.
o All other Local and STD calls at Re 1.
Commenting on the offering, Mr. Vikram Mehmi, CEO, Idea Cellular Ltd said “This launch is only a reaffirmation of our commitment to pass on any and all benefits to our valued customers. I am confident that with both our 2 Minutes Outgoing Free and One India Plan, we will address the needs of Outgoing users and bring in higher ARPU customers into our fold. The two offers are unmatched in the industry presently and I am confident of it working well”

Kyocera launched its new phone KOI

Kyocera Wireless Corp - a global manufacturer of CDMA wireless phones and devices, announced the immediate availability of its megapixel camera phone - "Kyocera Koi" in the country. The Koi marks Kyocera's entry into the megapixel camera phone market. Kyocera Koi has a "swivelling" design and a large external display. It features a 1.2 megapixel digital camera with built-in flash and 5x digital zoom; MPEG-4 video record and playback; and 16 megabytes (MB) of onboard memory. Koi provides a camera phone solution with sharp resolution for saving, printing and framing photos as large as 4-inches x 6-inches. The handset also features a sliding protective lens cover, to protect the lens from scratches.

Expanding on Kyocera's renowned user interface, the phone features an user-friendly "pinwheel" menu option to quickly scroll through its many features. It also has large, easy-to-press keys for number input and text messaging. Weighing 114 grams and measuring 100 x 50 x 25 mm, the Kyocera Koi is priced at approximately Rs 15, 600 (MRP), and is available in 14 cities across the country.

Benq starting in 10 cities

Post the launch of the first BenQ IT Zone in Delhi on Feb 14 in association with BenQ's channel partner, Skope, the company has now announced plans to open BenQ IT Zones in ten major cities including Mumbai, Kolkota, Pune, Ahemadabad, Chandigarh, Chennai, Hyderabad, Guwahati and Bangalore. Ish Bawa, head - marcom, BenQ India, said, "Eighty percent of sales for the LCD monitors happen in these major cities, and thus we will concentrate on these cities first and later will spread across the country. Though the IT zone will display the entire range of BenQ products, it will focus more on LCD monitors of all types."
According to company sources, the BenQ IT Zone is expected to reach out to brand-conscious and digitally inclined customers to help them make a pertinent choice. The IT zone will display the largest available collection of BenQ LCD Monitors, including wall mounting monitors, touch panel monitors, etc, for customers to experience live demos and realize the difference. Customers visiting the IT zones in the country will be able to experience hi-end technologies such as Fast Response Time, AMA, Senseye, and TV Tuner Application, for their individual requirement of LCD monitors. BenQ plans to promote its "shop-n-shop" concept with BenQ spots at various locations. Bawa said, "The IT Zone will certainly make BenQ products more affordable to Indian customers, and provide them the unique experience of feeling the quality and performance of every product before purchase. The Zones will have trained executives to advise the customer about the best suitable product for them". BenQ's IT Zone will be a platform to present Hi-tech & Hi-touch IT products. It will showcase BenQ offerings such as LCD Monitors, Joybooks, keyboards and Optic Mice. BenQ intends to establish 50 BenQ IT Zones across the country this year; with the next such zone soon coming up at Andheri in Mumbai by March 15.

Bloggers Update urs blog now on Sony Ericsson

Sony Ericsson has announced a tie-up with Google, to incorporate the search giant's Web search and Blogger features in its mobile phones.

The company said that Google's search engine will become the standard search engine for all its Internet phones. Google's search feature will be tightly integrated into Sony Ericsson's phones, so as to enable consumers to directly activate a Google Web search option from whichever page they are viewing, sans the need to launch a new Web page to complete the search.

As regards Google's Blogger feature, through software preloaded on Sony Ericsson's phones, subscribers of Blogger.com will be able to update their personal blogs from their cell phones. Sony Ericsson says it is the first company to offer an integrated blogging tool on its phones.

Jan Wareby, corporate executive vice president, Sony Ericsson, said that with the phenomenal growth in blogging, the company sees working with Google as offering people a quick and easy way to blog.

Nikesh Arora, vice president, Google said that by providing users with direct access to features like mobile search and blogging, Google will be able to create a more personalized and user-friendly experience.