Toys “R” Us Nabi tablet

This 7-inch Android tablet runs a customised interface suitable for kids aged six and above. It only allows access to specific funtions and is priced at US$ 200. It comes with preloaded apps, e-Books and a dedicated App Store that only shows apps suitable for children. It’s powered by a 533Mhz dual core processor and also has a ‘Mommy Mode’ that enables it to function as a standard tablet.

Sony CyberShot HX7V

16MP CMOS sensor, 10X optical zoom with stabilisation, 1080p video recording, Bionz processor
3-inch display, SD card slot, 3D, HDR, GPS, manual controls, ISO 3200, 208grams

Samsung MV800 Review

Specifications
16MP CCD sensor, 5X optical zoom with dual stabilisation, 720p video recording, ISO 3200 3-inch touchscreen flip LCD, micro HDMI out, microSD card slot, 3D, USB charging, 121g Attractive, well-built, feature-packed, responsive touchscreen, intuitive interface No manual exposure, weak battery life.

How many features can you cram into a compact camera that weighs about as much as an average cellphone? Samsung is pushing the boundary with the MV800. The top edge just has a power button, shutter button and zoom lever. The back is dominated by the 3-inch OLED touchscreen and there are only two buttons — home and image playback.

It has all the right ingredients — a stabilised 5x optical zoom Schneider-Kreuznach lens, solid construction, liberal use of metal and a lightweight, attractive design.

The screen flips out and upward, but not downwards. Self portraits and videos are easy, thanks to the second shutter button hidden under the flip-out screen. You would think that you can't take a photo from a high angle since the screen does not flip down — but you can just take a photo with the camera upside down, and it'll automatically rotate the image.

The touchscreen is responsive and has large colourful icons — the interface might remind you of a smartphone rather than a camera (which is a good thing). This is not a camera for the serious hobbyist or for someone who wants to learn photography. It is a camera for someone who just wants to take fun photographs. So there's no manual exposure mode, but the sheer number of effects, filters, frames and scene modes available is mind-boggling.

You can take photographs with various scenes (landscape, beach, sunset etc), within various frames, with vignetting, miniature effect, soft focus, sketch, painting, cartoon, with funny face morphing effects, picture in picture, beauty shot (automatic blemish correction) or with auto background defocus. There's also a built in photo editor that lets you apply effects, fix red eye, crop, rotate, adjust saturation, change contrast & brightness and change colour balance. Then there's the 3D mode and an excellent Live Panorama mode — just pan the camera and it automatically stores a panoramic image (in 2D or 3D)

Some other features you could label as downright cheesy. For instance, the Theme Album lets you choose from one of three themes (travel, wedding or party) — the camera then temporarily places photos in a slideshow with music and page-turn animation effects. The Pose Guide shows you 20 different images of a woman in different poses — you can select any one and the camera will put a wireframe overlay on the screen, to allow you to position your subject in exactly the same way. It's handholding, but taken to a new extreme.

Image quality is a mixed bag — noise is the biggest problem. Even after manually setting ISO to 80, noise is visible indoors. And battery life could be a sore point for some — it can only manage a limited 100 to 120 shots on a charge. Buy it if you need something out-of-the-ordinary. Otherwise, look at Sony’s HX7V which offers better performance at the same price.

Videocon 3G V7400 with Wireless Tethering

Wireless Tethering: Share Your Mobile Internet with 5 devices Likes

-Mobile
-Camera
-Game Console
-Laptop
-Tablet

• 2.8" touch screen
• 3.2 MP camera
• Sterio FM
• 3G
• WI-Fi
• GPS
• Memory Expandable upto 16GB
• Facebook, Gtalk, Youtube, Gmail, Google Maps, Twitter

 Accessories: Handset, Charger, Data cable, Handfree, Battery, Service Center Directory

Ultrabook to Get Tap & Pay Function by Next Year

By next year, you'll be able to place an order for a book on Amazon by tapping your smartphone to your ultrabook. At least, that's what Intel and MasterCard are envisioning. The companies said today they were working jointly to allow customers to pay for online purchases by tapping special MasterCard-powered PayPass cards or phones by their computer. The introduction of the tap-and-pay feature on the ultrabook underscores the proliferation of devices capable of making and receiving mobile payments, a burgeoning field that has attracted power players like Google. A smartphone with Google Wallet, for instance, will be able to work with an ultrabook.

The feature also comes as more people take to their computers for online transactions instead of heading out to brick-and-mortar stores. The benefits are two-fold: customers can more easily make a purchase with the wave of their hand, and the transaction is more secure because of the extra security Intel has built into the hardware. “It is simpler while it increases the security,” said Ed McLaughlin, head of emerging payments for MasterCard.

Both firms are embracing a technology called near-field communication, or NFC, which allows two devices to transfer payment and transaction information through a quick, wireless exchange. MasterCard, among the other credit card companies, have been issuing credit cards with embedded NFC chips. An increasing number of smartphones, including the Samsung Nexus S and new BlackBerrys, come packed with an NFC chip as well.

While much of the attention has been on getting merchants to put NFC into their checkout terminal to enable transactions, the Intel-MasterCard partnership allows the ultrabook to take on that role. Rather than typing in a set of credit card numbers, an individual would just have to wave their phone or card in front of their ultrabook to complete a purchase. “You can use it to streamline the payment and checkout experience,” McLaughlin said. Their efforts constitute a multi-year agreement, and George Thangadurai, general manager of PC client services division at Intel, said the capabilities will move to other Intel-powered computers down the line. But because ultrabooks are a major priority for them, they will get the feature first.

Asus Eee Pad Transformer Prime

While other tablets are still dualcore, the Prime will be the first tablet with a quad-core processor. It’s also a ‘Transformer’, i.e., it can dock with a full-size keyboard. You have a choice of 32GB/64GB storage (expandable via microSD). Other specs include an 8MP camera, Android 3.2, 10.1-inch super IPS+ LCD (1280 x 800 pixels), 14 hour battery life and a starting price of US$ 500. Epson Moverio BT-100: Unlike other head-mounted displays, the Moverio stands out because it has removable, transparent shades and the glasses connect to the supplied control unit via Wi-Fi. The control unit itself runs Android 2.2, has 1GB internal storage (and a microSD card for expansion) with six hours of battery life. It is expected to launch internationally towards the end of this year for US$ 770.

Electronic wristband like your personal trainer

Jawbone’s new gadget is not a Bluetooth headphone or speaker — it’s an electronic wristband that acts like your personal trainer

    Jawbone, the maker of sleek Bluetooth earpieces and colourful wireless portable speakers, now offers a product that monitors your activity and sleep, and, by confronting you with a visual record of your habits, inspires you to work harder.

This isn't a new idea. The active ingredient is the same one found in gadgets like the Nike+iPod. If you conscientiously wear these devices, they work. The simple act of monitoring your own behavior inevitably encourages you — to climb more stairs, park farther away and bike instead of drive.

WHY IT’S DIFFERENT

The Up bracelet tries to improve on earlier devices in two important ways. First, its textured rubber exterior, available in a variety of colours and wrist sizes, is waterproof up to three feet. You can wear the band 24/7, even when you swim or take a shower.

Second, the Up band uses an iPhone app as its brains and screen. Brilliant! You're already carrying around a computer with a colourful touch screen; why shouldn't it work with your glorified pedometer?

THE INNER WORKINGS

The band contains a metal spine; it's flexible but always returns to its closed oval shape when you let go. On one end, there's a clickable metal button and a couple of tiny indicator lights. On the other, a tiny removable cap conceals the Up's connector to your iPhone: a headphone jack. Yes, that's right: the Up band connects to your iPhone through its headphone jack. That's both its most ingenious idea and its most idiotic.

GENIUS IDEA OR POTENTIAL FLAW?

Relying on the headphone jack means that the Up band can, in theory, communicate with any phone brand. But it's not a wireless connection. Jawbone's earpiece and portable speakers are models for clever use of Bluetooth; why on earth can't your bracelet send its data to your phone wirelessly?

The answer, according to the company, is that Bluetooth would shorten the band's 10-day battery life.

Still, that design is a crushing disappointment. Now, several times a day, you're supposed to take the band off, insert the plug into your phone's headphone jack and sync data with the app. Then, after the sync, put everything back together and back on your arm. The plugging-in business just feels ancient and wrong. It means you have to take off your bracelet. It means you'll lose the tiny cap. And get this: the band doesn't even charge in that manner. To charge the band, you're supposed to connect it to a tiny proprietary USB cable that's plugged into a computer. You'll lose that cable, too.

HOW THE APP SHOWS YOU DATA

If you do manage to sync the band to your phone, you see a graph of your health activity, represented by colourful bars.

One shows physical activity, as measured in steps, distance and calories tallied by the band. (I was disappointed not to get any credit for a 90-minute bike ride. It was certainly exercise, but of course my wrist didn't move much. The company says that the current version is tailored for running and walking, but that you can record other kinds of activity — swimming, yoga, rowing machines, and biking — manually. The app can also record your runs, hikes or bike rides using the GPS function.)

If you need further inspiration, the app also lists Challenges offered by fitness companies: to get an extra hour of sleep, to walk 1,00,000 steps this week and so on.

Maybe the best motivator is the sedentarytime alarm. You can set the band to vibrate, cellphone-style, every time you haven't budged for, let's say, an hour. It's an appalling, visceral reminder of how much time you spend sitting there, motionless.

SOME THOUGHTFUL EXTRAS

Like some other products, the Up band also tries to make a graph of your sleep patterns by tracking your unconscious movements: deep sleep, light sleep and lying awake. You have to press the metal button on the end to let it know that you're going to bed, though, which is a little odd. Shouldn't it be able to sense when you've gone to sleep?

The band can also wake you with a vibration. In fact, it's Smart Alarm feature tries to wake you when you're in the lightest phase of your sleep cycle, to avoid the grogginess of waking from a deep sleep. You set an alarm time; if the band senses that you're nearly awake anyway within 30 minutes beforehand, it rouses you early.

It's difficult to believe that you'll actually feel more refreshed with less sleep, but that's the theory; online, a fair number of people say that it works. In any case, there's great value in an alarm that wakes you with a silent vibration. At least whoever's sleeping next to you will certainly find great value in it.

HOW IT KEEPS YOU MOTIVATED

The Up band is also supposed to help you eat better, but its approach is minimalist: you use the phone to take a picture of every meal. That's it. The wristband has no involvement. There's no calorie tracking, no portion control, no guidance whatsoever.

The company suggests that public humiliation is the key. The Up app lets you connect to other Up band owners you may know: your family and friends, for example. Each day, you can compare your own activity, sleep and food records with theirs, side-by-side on a graph on the phone. The idea is that if you're being watched by people whose opinion matters, you'll take better care of yourself.

It's hard to argue with that premise. But how many people do you know who own Up bands, who might become part of your network?

All of this would be much more compelling if the phone software weren't so completely baffling. The graph might say "24%" for food. Percent of what? There are no fewer than three different app screens that show your friends' progress, scrolling like Facebook updates; what's the difference? Why won't the app work in airplane mode? Few people will be able to figure out what the heck is going on with this app.

The Up band is something, but it could be so much more. Fewer bugs. Simpler software. A wireless link. The ability to track other kinds of activity besides walking. A less crude diet manager. Compatibility with other phones.

The company says that improvements will be coming soon. For now, the heart and hardware are in the right place —but the software has nowhere to go but up.

ALTHOUGH JAWBONE does not officially sell the Up wristband in India, it can be purchased online and shipped through various websites. The free iPhone app is required for the functions to work.

ANATOMY OF THE UP WRISTBAND
1. Rechargeable battery
The battery charges using a proprietary USB cable and provides up to 10 days of battery life
2. Vibration motor
This powers the silent alarm that can wake you without disturbing others
3. Precision motion sensor
The sensor determines your movement pattern, tracks steps and also figures out when you go to sleep
4. 3.5mm plug
The 3.5mm plug is what syncs the wristband with the phone app. A wireless version may follow later
5. Flexible spine
The spine secures itself on your wrist and always returns to the oval shape

Olympus Tough 8010

Olympus Tough 8010
14MP CCD sensor, 5X optical zoom with stabilisation, 720p video, HDMI out
2.7-inch display, waterproof, shockproof, TruePic III processing engine, 2GB internal storage,178g

Nikon AW100 Review

Nikon AW100

Specifications
16MP CMOS sensor, 5X optical zoom with stabilisation, 1920 x 1080 HD video recording, GPS
3-inch display, waterproof, shockproof, ISO 3200, Expeed C2 processor, mini HDMI out, 178g

Great image and video quality, water proof, shockproof
No manual exposure control, limited battery life, slow autofocus system

At first glance it is evident that the Nikon AW100 means business. The matte finish, excellent construction and weather seals set it apart from most compact cameras. Because it was designed to be rugged, the lens does not protrude from the body (though optical zoom is present, with an internal mechanism).

At the back is a 3-inch LCD with various function buttons placed neatly on the right. The battery, SD card slot, mini HDMI and the proprietary USB port are placed under a single cover with a twist-to-lock system — this seals off everything from water, dust and dirt. This is smart because there are fewer places that water can enter from. We dunked it into water, dropped it from 4 feet high and even subjected it to -15 degrees Celcius (in the freezer) for several hours. Needless to say, the AW100 lived up to its rugged claim.

Thanks to the 16MP backlit CMOS sensor, images and videos had crisp details and rich colors (even in low light). There is no manual or shutter/aperture priority mode to play around with exposure, but the camera offers numerous scene modes (including a dedicated underwater mode that removes excessive blue/green tints).

You can zoom in/out while recording video and even record high-speed videos up to 240fps (320 x 240 resolution). There is a basic in-camera photo editor for retouching if required. To capture fast-moving subjects, it offers high speed continuous shooting, a ‘best shot’ selector and multi-shot 16 mode.

The in-built GPS can keep a track of where the photograph was taken (geotagging). The GPS locked on in just a few seconds and worked great. The camera also has a preloaded world map, which can be accessed using the dedicated button on the left side.

Battery life with a mixed use of flash came to about 220 shots. The autofocus system sometimes struggled to get a fix, and the problem was compounded in low light. Once the camera beeps to indicate a fix on the subject, it freezes for a second — most likely an issue that can be fixed with a software update.

For someone looking for a ‘go-anywhere, doanything’ type of compact camera, the Nikon AW 100 proves to be an excellent offering — both in terms of performance and build quality. However, at the price, you can get a prosumer camera like the Canon SX220 HS ( 15,995) that shoots at 12MP with 14X optical zoom and also offers full manual controls. If you are specifically looking for a rugged camera (but do not want to spend much), take a look at the Olympus Tough 8010 ( 14,999) which is waterproof, shockproof and freeze proof like the Nikon. It has a 14MP CCD sensor, offers 5X optical zoom and has 2GB internal memory but records videos in 720p HD and has a smaller 2.7-inch display screen.

Automated parking lot opens in Sarojini market

FIRST EVER Facility to make parking hassle-free, ease congestion in bylanes
With the city's first automated multi-level parking facility -with a capacity for 824 cars -being inaugurated in Sarojini Nagar on Thursday, parking in the area will now be a hassle-free affair.

All shoppers will be required to do is leave their vehicles on the ground floor of the facility.
Using pallet technology, the vehicle will be lifted and parked at a vacant spot.

Named `South Square', the facility is expected to ease congestion on the roads and bylanes of the busy market.

The parking facility has been built on a public-private-partnership basis between the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) and construction giant DLF at a cost of R80 crore.

Seven levels of the facility -from 2nd floor to 8th floor -have been dedicated for parking, while the ground and first floor will have commercial outlets such as shops and restaurants.

The retail space will also provide house kiosks that can be converted into seasonal market spaces or festive fairs.

Officials said the automated car park facility required less building volume and ground space, as compared to conventional parking lots.

South Square has a state-ofthe-art security system and car scanning technology, which will also ensure safety of the cars.

The facility was inaugurated by union urban development minister Kamal Nath and chief minister Sheila Dikshit in the presence of NDMC chairperson Archana Arora.

Dikshit expressed hope that with facilities similar to this one being constructed in the city parking woes in the Capital would end by 2012.

GPS-enabled autos to hit Delhi roads

Three-wheeler operators will find it difficult to overcharge after the Delhi government replaces the electronic meters with global positioning systems, which will print fare receipts, by next month.

Arvinder Singh, transport minister, said the receipts would have the distance travelled, the route taken and the registration number of the vehicle. A transport department official said, “To begin with, both the electronic meters and GPS devices will be functional. After the system is reviewed, we will p out electronic meters.“

TRANSPARENCY New device to make travelling safer, to tackle problems such as over-charging and refusing passengers
elhiites will no longer rged by auto drivers. In a move to introduce greater transparency, Delhi government will soon replace the present electronic meter with a new Global Positioning System (GPS) device, which will also print the fare receipt charged by the auto driver.

“A presentation was made by the transport department about the GPS device and the software. We are hoping that the software will be ready by the end of the month. The GPS device will be able to issue fare slips too,“ said Arvinder Singh, transport minister of Delhi.

The receipt will have information about the distance travelled, the route taken and the registration number of the auto rickshaw, which will ensure safety of the passenger.
The government plans to start the installation work by December. A trial run on a sample size will be done before the devices are fitted in every auto.

According to transport department officials, the current electronic meters work according to the rotation of the tyres, whereas the new GPS system would work after grasping information from the connected satellites.

“To begin with, both electronic meters and GPS devices will be functional. After that, a review of the system will be done and we will then phase out the electronic meters,“ said a senior official. Officials said that in case an autowallah refuses to go to a particular destination, people will be able to call on the complaint number and with the help of the GPS system, one will be able to track the location of the auto rickshaw and action will be taken against the errant auto rickshaw drivers.

“This will put an end to the haggling by the autowallahs, which is rampant right now,“ said a senior transport department official.

However, the auto rickshaw drivers are not happy with the government's decision.

“We are not opposed to the scheme but we will not be able to pay as much the government demands. The CNG prices have gone up. We are planning to hold a rally on November 23 as all our demands haven't been met yet,“ said Rajendra Soni, president of Bharat Auto rickshaw Chaalak Singh.

There are 55,000 autos plying in the city.

NO GMAIL FOR BLACKBERRY USERS FROM NOV 22

Blackberry users will not be able to access Google's Gmail application from November 22. The search giant has decided to stop supporting the application for rival Research in Motion's smartphones in a bid to expand its own market. However, there won't be any problem for users who have already downloaded the application.

LG's full HD 3D Cinema projector

H ere's a good news for cinema lovers. LG's full HD 3D Cinema projector -the LG CF3D is the product to watch out for. The single lens projector offers excellent 3D picture quality with a single box set, sans cross talk and cardboard effect. The 3D system uses two projectors combined with only one lens. Priced at R8 lakh, it is available at all leading AV SI partners in India.

Should a hybrid smartphone-tablet be your next gadget?

 Tablets are de rigueur in the tech world these days - everyone wants one, but not everyone likes to carry one around. Sure, they're convenient because the larger screen makes everything seem better, but what's the use if you only manage to spend limited time with the device?

That's the argument behind the smaller crop of 7-inch tablets too - enhanced portability. Many 7-inchers also conveniently double up as GSM smartphones , urging you to carry just one device. But even a 7-inch device only fits in a jacket pocket. Enter the 5-inch form-factor.

These devices are called hybrids because they blur the line between a conventional smartphone and tablet. Smartphone screens usually max out at 4 inches, while tablets usually start at 7 inches and can go up to 10 inches. For some, a device with roughly a 5-inch screen hits the sweet spot.

More screen space to better browse the web, see images and watch videos while still being portable enough to fit into a regular pocket. This is how the devices stack up against each other, along with a little advice on what you should go for.

Buy a smartphone if you only want to carry a small, do-it-all device

The road warrior who wants to travel fast and light is best served with a smartphone. Nothing can match the functionality-per-gram that a high-end smartphone offers.

Plus, if you need it, there are many phones that allow you to connect to a bigger screen or projector (using HDMI) or stream multimedia wirelessly using DLNA technology.

In terms of functionality, you could get most of your work done on a smartphone, provided you have the right mix of apps & accessories (bluetooth keyboard & battery pack for instance). Get one if you are not bothered by the limited battery life (as compared to tablets).

Buy a tablet if screen size is of utmost importance

Tablets are conventionally better if you're going to read a lot of magazines and books or watch a lot of movies. Other than that, most of the basic functionality (email, web, music playback) can be replicated on the smartphone that never leaves your side.

Microsoft's Windows Phone 7.5 Vs. iPhone, Android

Did you hear the news? A new model of a certain black, rectangular, touchscreen smartphone has just arrived. Its new software contains what the company says are hundreds of new features.

The most eye-popping enhancement is speech recognition: you can tell this new phone to call someone, text someone or give you driving directions. I refer, of course, to Microsoft's Windows Phone 7.5. Gotcha! Yes, Microsoft is belatedly trying to take on the iPhone and Android phones with its own phone software.

Phones from Samsung and HTC are already here, whereas other manufacturers are expected to follow suit in the coming months. The Windows Phone 7.5 software, code-named Mango, is also available as a free upgrade for older Windows Phone 7 phones such as Dell Venue Pro.

Windows Phone 7.5 is gorgeous, classy, satisfying, fast and coherent. The design is intelligent, clean and uncluttered. Never in a million years would you guess that it came from the same company that cooked up the bloated spaghetti that is Windows and Office.

What is Windows Phone?

Most impressively, Windows Phone is not a feeble-minded copycat. Microsoft came up with completely fresh metaphors that generally steer clear of the iPhone/Android design (grid-spaced icons that scroll across home pages).

The home screen presents two columns of colorful tiles. Each represents something you've put there for easy access: an app, a speed-dial entry, a Web page, a music playlist or an e-mail folder. More than ever, the text on them conveys instant information, saving you the effort of opening them up.

A number on a tile tells you how many voice-mail messages, e-mail messages or app updates are waiting. The music tile shows album art, the calendar tile identifies your next appointment. A tile for your sister might display her latest Twitter and Facebook updates.

Windows Phone first appeared, incomplete, a year ago. There was no copy and paste. No way to add new ringtones. No multitasking. No tethering option (which lets you use the phone as an Internet antenna for your laptop). No unified e-mail in-box for multiple accounts. No message threading. No Twitter integration. It's all complete now!

The Mango update

In Mango, Microsoft has addressed all of these shortcomings. Most of them bear that new Microsoft finesse and excellence, but there are some footnotes.

For example: You enter the multitasking switcher by holding down the phone's Back button. But this 'multitasking' is the iPhone variety: when you switch out of an app, it doesn't keep running in the background, instead, the app you're leaving goes into suspended animation.

Google Stop Gmail support for BlackBerry users

NEW YORK: Google, maker of Android software for mobile phones, will stop supporting the application for Gmail for rival Research in Motion's (RIM) BlackBerry smartphones.

"Beginning November 22, 2011, we will end support for the Gmail App for BlackBerry (installed native app). Over this past year, we've focused efforts on building a great Gmail experience in the mobile browser and will continue investing in this area," Google said.

This means that from November 22, Google will stop supporting Gmail application for BlackBerry devices and the Gmail applications currently running on the BlackBerry will no longer be maintained and enhanced by Google.

However, users who have already downloaded the app may continue to use it, the company added.

Times Internet Leads Indian E-Space Again

Times Internet Ltd has once again been ranked as the country’s top internet network by Comscore, an agency that tracks online traffic. About 17.5 million unique visitors accessed Times Internet Ltd (TIL) websites in September, compared with 15.7 million for Network 18 and 15.4 million for Rediff.com, according to data compiled by Comscore.
TIL’s audience base grew over 50% in the last one year, on a par with Facebook’s growth and more than double of Google and Yahoo’s.

TIL’s network of websites includes the news portals of Times of India and The Economic Times, music streaming website Gaana.com, online shopping portal Indiatimes.com, zigwheels.com for automobile enthusiasts and deals.com.
The Times of India and The Economic Times websites continued to be the leading news and financial newspaper portals, respectively. The Times of India website had 7.8 million unique visitors, more than double the traffic of its nearest competitor in India.

Within three months of its launch, Gaana.com became the leading music streaming website with 3.17 million unique visitors in September. Around 2.5 million of these visitors were from India, a figure that has tripled in the last three months.

Gaana.com provides free and licensed music through a unique interface. It is also the first major music site deployed in HTML5, and fully compatible on the iPad, thereby making it accessible across platforms.
Zigwheels.com, which offers automobile news, reviews, videos and research, is the leading website in the auto category with 1.6 million unique visitors. And in the hyper-competitive deals space, timesdeal-.com had the second most traffic of all deals sites in India last month.

“Reaching a leadership position in five of our verticals is indeed motivating. This is a result of our continuous effort on innovation and enhancing the user experience, and we intend to keep pushing the envelope with all our verticals,” Times Internet CEO Rishi Khiani said. “The Times network also offers our advertisers a platform to reach out to a wide spectrum of audience.” Through the Indiatimes.com portal, TIL touches the lives of a large audience. Whether it is news, shopping, music, information on automobiles and more, TIL provides a onestop convenient gateway to satisfy diverse needs.

IBM to Groom Women Professionals in Technology and Sales Departments

Indian arm of US-based technology major aims to increase leadership pool of women

    IBM India on Thursday will launch custom-made training programmes for its potential women leaders in technology and sales to create an accelerated leadership pipeline in these two segments traditionally dominated by men.

The Indian arm of the 100-year-old US-based technology major aims to increase the leadership pool of women in technology by 20% and in sales by 15% in the next 18 months through these programmes christened TechAcme and SalesElan.

Anupama Ambe, chairperson of India Women Leadership Council (IWLC), IBM India, says the move has been prompted by the attitude of young women who are becoming more adventurous in moving to new roles. “The 20-somethings are more inclined to innovate. We are tapping this ability through these programmes,” she says. Another reason is that more and more decision makers among IBM’s clients are women, says Ambe. IWLC is responsible for putting together IBM India’s women-centric programmes. TechAcme and Sales-Elan will complement the firm’s succession programme for women in general management that started in 2009. More than 6,000 women have participated in the firm’s leadership programmes since 2006.

“Leadership development is not just about training, but we will also give business opportunities to these women, mentor them and provide executive sponsorship,” says Ambe.
IBM last month elected Virginia M Rometty as the firm’s first woman chief executive officer. She will succeed Samuel J Palmisano as president and chief executive officer from January 1. Palmisano will remain chairman of the board.

Chandrasekhar Sripada, IBM vicepresident and HR head in India and South Asia, says having a healthy diversity ratio in leadership will lead to greater innovation and creativity at the workplace and a better understanding of the marketplace.

Women account for more than 30% of entry-level workforce of the technology industry in the country, according to industry body Nasscom, but less than 4% women reach the CXO levels. IBM has identified women having 6-8 years experience to become part of its leadership pipeline.

Technology leadership programme TechAcme will focus on women in technical functions such as architecture and database administration, while SalesElan will be a multi-tier programme across all levels and business units.

SalesElan—which will add to the existing Sales Eminence programme for building basic selling skills—has been designed by Rometty, currently IBM senior vice president and group executive for sales, marketing and strategy.

Intel Now Risks Missing Ultrabook Goal With Prices

Intel’s mission to get the computer industry to embrace its new ultrabook standard by the end of next year is hitting a roadblock: price. The world’s largest chipmaker aims to convert 40% of consumer laptops to the format, which features slim designs, instant startup and all-day battery life. The idea is to make Windows notebooks more like tablets and smartphones — or at least closer to the skinny MacBook Air, Apple’s best-selling laptop.

Intel’s chips aren’t used in the most popular phones and tablets, so the ultrabook project is a bid to leverage its PC dominance in an era when mobile devices are increasingly the conduit to the Internet. The challenge is that most ultrabooks cost at least $1,000, and Intel has said that the format won’t reach the 40% target until prices come down.

“If the cheapest ultrabook is $1,000, the switchover isn’t going to happen,” said Suji De Silva, an analyst at ThinkEquity in San Francisco. “They put a very ambitious goal out there.” Intel doesn’t make ultrabook laptops itself. It created the specifications and leaves the manufacturing to its partners, such as Acer and Lenovo Group. The early entrants to the market are all under an inch thick and weigh less than 3 pounds, like the MacBook Air.

While reviews have been positive, the cheapest among the three starts at $900. With highend components, the price tag climbs to about $1,500, more than twice the average PC selling price, according to IDC. Consumers have grown accustomed to seeing regular laptops for less than $500. HP, the world’s largest PC maker, offers models that start at $349.

Not Sleek...

• Intel aims to convert 40% of consumer laptops to the ultrabook format, which features slim designs, instant startup and all-day battery life

• The idea is to make Windows notebooks more like tablets and smartphones

• The ultrabook project is a bid to leverage its PC dominance in an era when mobile devices are increasingly the conduit to the Internet

What Are Pesky SMSes?

Unsolicited telemarketing text messages that mobile phone users listed with telecom regulator Trai’s National Do Not Call (NDNC) registry continue to receive. Of the 860 million mobile phone connections in India, about 160 million are listed with the registry.

WHY DID THIS REGISTRY FAIL?

Telemarketers hire multiple individuals, use internet sites like way2sms.com or indyarocks.com, or contract foreign carriers to send SMSes. They use websites with
servers in the US or other foreign countries, where Trai has no authority. Calls from foreign numbers are equally difficult to stop. Marketers also use message gateways like LM, TD and others which can send nearly 2,000 SMSes per second, making it next to impossible for Trai to monitor millions of text messages between 9 am and 9 pm.

SO WHAT ELSE HAS TRAI DONE TO CURB THIS MENACE?

Last month, it hiked penalties up to 2.5 lakh and introduced a provision for blacklisting telemarketers for two years. It allowed customers to block such messages, completely or selectively, choosing segments such as financial products, real estate, consumer goods and automobiles etc. It also assigned a distinct series beginning with 140 to telemarketers to allow customers to identify such calls. Besides, it imposed a termination charge of 5 paise per message to increase the cost of sending commercial SMSes. The regulator imposed a cap of 100 SMSes per day for every mobile connection, but doubled it later. It has issued notices to 1122 individuals, terminated mobile connections of 111 subscribers and imposed penalties in 17 cases for violation of guidelines.

WHAT SHOULD INDIVIDUALS DO TO STOP PESKY SMSES?

Dial 1909 or send SMS to 1909 to register for NDCN and block commercial text messages completely or partially. If pesky SMSes do not stop coming in, inform the service provider, with particulars of telemarketer, the telephone number from which the unsolicited commercial communication has originated, the date, time and brief description of such unsolicited commercial communication. The service provider will revert with the action taken on the complaint within a week.

ISN’T IT POSSIBLE TO BLOCK SUCH MESSAGES ON SMARTPHONES?

Most BlackBerry phones have a built in Firewall to block unwanted SMS and calls. To activate, head to settings > security > firewall. Most users don’t use it, though, because it often blocks even essential messages. For Apple’s iPhone, iBlacklist from the Cydia app store will do the trick.

But for Android phone users, there is a free app available. SMS Blocker from Optinno Mobitech is the best spam blocker out there. Besides, Android phone users can opt for SMS Filter and Private SMS & Call. This app is available for BlackBerry phones too, but at a cost of 140