Saturday, October 13, 2012

Infosys Q2 results, Complete coverage


Infosys, India's second largest IT company, on Friday posted a net profit of 24% and the company also reported in-line with estimates profit after tax (PAT) of Rs 2,370 crore. Infosys gave 6-8 per cent salary raise to its employees.

However, Infosys CFO V Balakrishnan's decision to step down adds to the perception that Infosys is fragile at the top. Here's a complete coverage of Infosys' second-quarter results.

US Internet ad spending slows but hits record, Data


US Internet ad spending slowed sharply in the first half of the year after a strong recovery in 2011, but still hit a new high of $17 billion as smartphones and tablet devices became more popular. 

Data released on Thursday from the Internet Advertising Bureau and PricewaterhouseCoopers showed the growth slowed to 14 percent from 23 percent in the year-ago period. David Silverman, a partner at PwC, said 2011 benefited from a comeback after advertisers put the brakes on spending during the recession. 

Voter details may soon be available on Google Maps

The next Delhi assembly election may see the electorate accessing google maps for various poll related information like location of polling booth and checking their names in the electoral rolls. 

The initiative is being taken by the Election Commission to encourage people to exercise their franchise and the national capital is all set to become the first state to have the facility, Chief Electoral officer of Delhi Vijay Dev said today. 

Hacker exposes bug in Google Chrome


A hacker has won a 60,000 dollar prize from Google for finding a major security flaw in the internet search giant's Chrome browser. 

The anonymous teen techie, who goes by the name Pinkie Pie, cracked the problem in Chrome and won the cash prize during a hacker conference on Wednesday in Kuala Lumpur. 

According to the New York Daily News, this is the second successful hack for Pinkie Pie this year, after he took home his first 60,000-dollar prize in March. 

Firefox 16.0.1 goes offline over hacking concerns


The new Firefox 16 was taken offline only a day after its release by its maker, Mozilla, after a major "security vulnerability" was discovered.
"Mozilla is aware of a security vulnerability in the current release version of Firefox. We are actively working on a fix and plan to ship updates tomorrow. Firefox version 15 is unaffected," The Age quoted Mozilla's Director of Security Assurance, Michael Coates, as writing in a blogpost.

Apple likely to unveil iPad mini on Oct 23


Apple is expected to take the wraps off its highly anticipated iPad mini at an October 23 invitation-only event, reported tech blog AllThingsD on Friday, citing sources familiar with the company.
The event would come before Microsoft unveils its latest operating system, Windows 8, and its new Surface tablet on October 26.
An Apple spokesman declined to comment.
Speculation has been swirling for months that Apple was planning a smaller, less expensive version of its popular iPad to take on cheaper competing devices.

Balakrishnan will be in reckoning for Infosys CEO


 V Balakrishnan will definitely be in the reckoning to succeed S D Shibulal as chief executive officer of India's second-largest software exporter, Infosys founder N RNarayana Murthy has said.

Heaping praise on his protege, Murthy described Balakrishnan, who will give up his role as CFO at the end of this month, as an "extraordinary individual" who represents the "best traditions" of Infosys.

Infosys to hire 6,000 engg, MBA grads, promote 12,000

IT services firm Infosys will hire 6,000 students from engineering and MBA colleges this year. This is a sharp drop compared with the 19,000 they hired last year. 

But Human Resources head Nandita Gurjar said if needed Infosys would hire more through off-campus placements. Off-campus hiring takes place when companies recruit students who have not been placed during the regular hiring season. 

iPhone 5 price in India likely to be Rs 45 to 48,000


Apple iPhone 5 is expected to be rolled out in India on October 26 at an expected price ranging between Rs 46,000 to Rs 48,000 for the 16GB model. 

The 32GB variant is likely to be priced between Rs 51,000 to 53,000. The 64GB top variant of the iPhone 5 will bear a likely tag in the Rs 58,000-61,000 price band. 

When contacted, a company spokesperson refused to confirm the price or launch date. But the market, and even the carriers, are agog with speculation that October 26 is indeed the launch date for iPhone 5 in India. 

10 Interesting Facts About Amitabh Bachchan


Amitabh Bachchan himself once said, "Everyone must accept that we will age and age is not always flattering."
Though he mouthed the words himself, his very success contradicts the very notion. Amitabh Bachchan may be growing old but he has shown no signs of slowing down and has indeed been the perfect example of 'aging gracefully'. In an era starkly different from his time, the seventies, Bachchan still holds a firm place in the industry and commands a sense of power and respect that is unmatched till date.

amitabh

1. Amitabh Bachchan is ambidextrous hence, can write with both hands equally well.

Infosys results, 10 things you must know


The bellwether software company, Infosys reported a profit of 24 per cent, meeting expectations for the second quarter ended September 30, 2012.
According to data released by Thomson Reuters, Infosys was expected to post a 24.9 per cent rise in profit in the quarter ended September 30 to Rs. 23.8 billion.
While Mr. V. Balakrishnan will be giving up his position as CFO from October 31, 2012. Mr. Rajiv Bansal, currently Vice President - Finance will take over the position from November 1, 2012.
This is a list of the some of the important facts you might want to know from the company’s earnings.
(Images: Reuters, Getty Images and Yahoo!)


Infosys results: 10 things you must know

Revenue
Not only did the company meet forecasts in terms of revenue based on rupees which summed up to Rs. 9,858 crore but also did well in dollars. With a growth rate of 2.9 %, the dollar revenue is at $1,797 million for the year 2012 when compared to $1,746 million in 2011.
(Images for illustrative purposes only)

Samsung unveils Galaxy S III Mini


Samsung Electronics Co. has unveiled a smaller and cheaper version of the Galaxy S III smartphone with the same screen size as the iPhone 5. Samsung says the Galaxy S III mini features a screen measuring 4 inches diagonally, smaller than the Galaxy S III's 4.8 inch display but the same as Apple's iPhone 5, which was Apple's first upgrade of the iPhone screen size. Samsung said the mini will be launched in Europe later this month but kept mum on schedules for other countries. Samsung's German mobile shop lists the mini's price at $516 versus $711 for the cheapest S III. The mini is powered by the latest version of Android software but does not support faster fourth-generation wireless networks.


Samsung unveils Galaxy S III Mini

Samsung Electronics Co. has unveiled a smaller and cheaper version of the Galaxy S III smartphone with the same screen size as the iPhone 5. Samsung says the Galaxy S III mini features a screen measuring 4 inches diagonally, smaller than the Galaxy S III's 4.8 inch display but the same as Apple's iPhone 5, which was Apple's first upgrade of the iPhone screen size.

Travel Postcard, 48 hours in Cadiz, Spain


The coastal fortress city of Cadiz is one of Spain's most attractive destinations boasting a history of almost legendary proportions.


CADIZ, Spain (Reuters) - Not as famous perhaps as other cities in the south of Spain such as Seville, Granada and Cordoba, and not as frequented by foreign tourists, the coastal fortress city of Cadiz is one of the country's most attractive destinations boasting a history of almost legendary proportions.
Founded more than 3,000 years ago, it is the oldest city in Europe and was home at different periods to an astonishing variety of civilizations from the times of the Phoenicians, to the Greeks, Visigoths, Romans, and Moors, up to the modern day.

How to Stop Mindless Snacking


So how can you get yourself to hold back from cleaning out the entire bowl of peanut M&M's? You actually have the willpower in you-and these tiny moves can help you channel it.


The binge trigger: You're on edge. 
Stress depletes your stores of glucose, which your brain needs to fuel smart decision making, says Ken Cheng, Ph.D., professor of biological sciences at Macquarie University. Meaning when you're wigging, you have less mental mojo to walk away from the goodies.

Expert Tips for a Clean Body


To stay protected, it is important to keep our body clean from outside and as well as from inside. Here, are some of the expert tips for a clean body.


Are you enjoying how the trees are changing colours, the air is much cooler, and it is night before we know it? But, are you aware that how the change in weather brings along viruses which affect our immune system? To stay protected, it is vital to keep our body clean from outside and as well as from inside.

Global Handwashing Day

Prepping up for the Global Handwashing Day on October 15, 2012, we must know that hand washing with soap is the most inexpensive and effective way to prevent most of the infections. What started off, as an event for children in schools has now become a global phenomenon for everyone.

The Worst Cancer Risk Factors

Fake sugar, plastic, bacon: We asked top cancer experts to rank the risks. Turns out we're all probably worrying about the wrong things. 

9.5: Smoking 
Tobacco is responsible for 80 percent of lung cancer deaths in American women and increases your risk for cervical, pancreatic, kidney and oral cancers. Quit now-after 10 years, your risk of dying from lung cancer is cut in half. 

7 British stars born in India

Rudyard Kipling
Novelist
Born: 30 December 1865, Bombay

The year 1865 brought one of the best English poets, short story writers and novelists to the literary world.  Most famous, perhaps, for his much loved 1894 novel Jungle Book, made exceptionally recognisable by the adaptation Disney has since produced, Kipling also scooped up The Nobel Prize in Literature 1907 before he died aged 70 in Middlesex, London.
Fact: When he was six, Kipling was sent from India, where his parents lived, back to England. He stayed with a very strict family whom Kipling later described as causing him such great terror that it led him to write.

Viru fit to face Knight Riders

Johannesburg: Virender Sehwag has not been having a great time on the field. Criticised for his form, of late the dashing opener has often been plagued by injuries as well.

With a long season awaiting Team India, the Champions League T20 would be an excellent 'practice pitch' for Sehwag to find his strokes back. But an ankle injury had almost ruined that possibility.

However, the opener had a reason to smile when he was declared fit for the Delhi Daredevils' opening CLT20 game against the Kolkata Knight Riders, at Centurion, on Saturday.

On Thursday, Sehwag reportedly gave a fitness test. He not only cleared that scrutiny, he also went on to play in the Daredevils' warm-up game, against CLT20 competitors the Sydney Sixers.

Deccan Chargers terminated from the IPL


Hyderabad, (IANS): The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Friday terminated the contract of the Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Deccan Chargers after their failure to pay the stipulated bank guarantee of Rs.100 crore.

Careers In Today s Booming Industries


According to government reports, hiring is picking up in several sectors. So how can you prepare to get in on the action? Read on to learn more.

By Amy Winter
Do you want to pursue a career that's in demand?
Although jobs aren't booming in all industries, if you look at the U.S. Department of Labor's latest "Employment Situation Summary - April 2012," there are a few fields - like health care and professional business services - that are experiencing a hot hiring streak.
According to the Department of Labor's summary, employment in the professional and business services field added 62,000 jobs in April, while the health care field added 19,000 new jobs.

Space shuttle Endeavour starts road trip to new L.A. home


According to LinkedIn, Here s Where Everyone Wants to Work


Companies are always on the lookout for talented employees, but those in the work force are also judging companies — and some are more desirable than others. 
In LinkedIn's ranking that came out today, the company cross-referenced data from thousands of surveys in more than 15 billion interactions to pinpoint the 100 most sought-after companies in the world.
Here are the top 30:

Friday, October 12, 2012

Free message apps to cost telecom companies dollar 23bn in 2012


Global telecom operators are expected to have lost $23 billion in SMS revenues by the end of 2012 as smartphone users shift to free messaging applications, an industry report said Thursday.
Technology research company Ovum forecast the losses would more than double to $54 billion by 2016 as the traditional Short Messaging Service (SMS) gives way to Internet-based platforms such as WhatsApp.
This compares with estimated losses of $8.7 billion in 2010 and $13.9 billion in 2011.
"Social messaging is becoming more pervasive and operators are coming under increased pressure to drive revenues from the messaging component of their communications business," said Neha Dharia, consumer telecoms analyst at Ovum.

Aircel partners with NEC for cloud solutions

Aircel and NEC India, a display, network and IT solutions provider, announced their strategic partnership for Software as a Service (SaaS), where NEC will provide the cloud aggregation platform, along with a portfolio of cloud offerings to Aircel. Aircel will be responsible for managing the end-to-end customer relationships, including pre-sales and sales engagements, delivery and support, and billing and contractual relationships. 

eBay unveils big redesign with a nod to Pinterest

ImageeBay has redesigned its website to encourage visitors to browse and collect items they might want to buy later with something it calls the ``feed.'' 

The feature, reminiscent of popular sites like image-heavy Pinterest, shows users items based on things they purchased in the past or items they've clicked on the site. Shoppers can also edit their feed by adding or removing categories and individual items. 

Internet search for financial products growing among Indians, Google


HDFC Bank, Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) and ICICI Direct were the most popular financial providers Indian internet users searched for in 2011-12, according to internet giant Google.
HDFC BankBSE 1.04 % was the most frequently searched bank, followed by State Bank of IndiaBSE 1.87 % and ICICI BankBSE 0.43 %. Among insurance providers, LIC ranked the highest, followed by ICICI Prudential and Bajaj Allianz, and among brokerages, ICICI Direct was ranked the most-searched followed by Sharekhan and HDFC Securities.

Samsung Mobile eyeing 60 percent marketshare in India


The Indian mobile handset market is estimated to reach 251 million units in 2013, an increase of 13.5% over this year, according to a global research firm. The mobile handset market is expected to show steady growth through 2016 when end-user sales will surpass 326 million units, as per estimates from Connecticut- based Gartner Inc. 


Third of world s population has Internet, UN agency

ImageMore than a third of the world's population is online while mobile phone uptake increased by more than 600 million in 2011 to around six billion, a UNagency said Thursday. 

But the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) highlighted huge disparities in the cost of services, with the poorer parts of the world tending to pay the most. 

Samsung unveils Galaxy S III Mini

Samsung today unveiled the Galaxy S III Mini, the smaller and toned-down iteration of its current flagship smartphone, in Germany. The all-new device features the 'pebble' design language that the Galaxy S III and Note II have, but features a smaller 4-inch SuperAMOLED display. 

The Galaxy S III Mini runs Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean) with Nature UI and is powered by a 1GHz dual-core processor, which will be much slower than the 1.4GHz quad-core processor used in the S III. The phone will be available in 8GB and 1GB variants, which will support microSD card up to 32GB. 

BSNL Penta T Pad WS703C tablet launched at Rs 6,999


Pantel Technologies has announced the launch of India's first 2G SIM Slot Tablet PC, the Penta T-Pad WS703C, today.

Present at the announcement was the Minister of HRD, Telecom and IT, Govt of India, Kapil Sibal, launching India's first Voice call based tablet PC with 3D enabled capacitive touch screen, the Penta T-Pad WS703C today. Penta T-Pad WS703C comes with TF card expansion slot, voice call feature, 7-inch 3D-enabled capacitive touch screen, front and rear cameras and HDMI ports.

Telenor sets new India venture after divorce from Unitech


Norwegian telecoms group Telenor has dissolved a joint venture with India's Unitech Ltd, hoping to distance itself from a scandal over the award of operating licences and setting out a new plan to win business in the subcontinent.
Telenor said on Thursday it would set up a new entity through which it could bid for operating licenses, after courts cancelled 122 regional operating permits held by eight carriers - including the Telenor/Unitech venture - granted in a scandal-tainted licensing round in 2008.
The move could make it easier for Telenor to continue doing business in India, although it still has decide whether to spend the billions of crowns required to buy back the lost licenses.

NextPrev Editor s PickNews Article Nokia Maps available in over 4,000 cities in India


Nokia said that its mapping service is available for over 4,000 cities of different categories with over seven million points of interest across India. 

"In India, Nokia Maps are available for over 4,000 cities of tier-I, tier-II and tier-III having over seven million points of interest across the country," the company said. 


Thursday, October 11, 2012

Oracle mulls opening data centre in India

ImageOracle Corporation may look at opening a data centre in India in the next few years as it sees greater adoption of technology across Indian companies, said a senior executive of the $37-billion technology major. India, with a 30,000-strong workforce, has been shortlisted as one of the countries where the Redwood City, California-based company could open a new facility as it beefs up its cloud play.

At present, Oracle operates only one data center in the Asia-Pacific region in Australia, while another one is going to come up in Singaporesoon. But the final decision on India will depend on investments that will be allocated globally to this region, Steve Au Yeung, MD (Asia-Pacific), Oracle, told TOI on the sidelines of the company's annual event 'Oracle OpenWorld 2012'. "Although growth has slowed down in India, we have registered double-digit growth," Yeung said. The Indian market is already opening up to innovations in cloud strategy within the telecommunications and banking industries, he said.

Google, Yahoo hijacked, users rerouted to fraud sites


 Ireland's internet domain authority said that Irish pages belonging to Yahoo and Google were hijacked on Tuesday following an unauthorised change to their registrar's account.
The IE Domain Registry, which administers Ireland's .ie internet code, said in a statement that visitors to two high-profile Irish sites were redirected to "allegedly fraudulent addresses" on Tuesday. The registry didn't identify the sites by name, but Irish internet users flooded the web with complaints about www.google.ie and www.yahoo.ie .

Hackers using Skype to attack Windows PCs

Free internet-calling service Skype is being used by hackers to distribute a 'worm' that infects users Windows PCs. 

On clicking an instant message saying "lol is this your new profile pic?" users are unwittingly downloading a file containing a Trojan   horse  malware file. 

This opens a backdoor allowing hackers to hijack infected PCs and recruit them into a "botnet army". 

Spot your train on Google map with RailRadar

ImageNow you can spot a train's exact location on a Google map. 

Railways have just launched online application RailRadar, where one can find the exact geographical location of about 6,500 trains on a Google map on real time basis. 

The system enables a colour code method as trains highlighted in blue indicate those that are running on time while the red markers indicate the trains that are delayed or behind schedule. 

On road to IPO, Twitter seeks to avert Facebook fate

ImageAli Rowghani got a voice mail on his mobile phone from   Steve Jobs on a Saturday in early 2010. The Apple co-founder wanted to keep Rowghani, then chief financial officer at Walt Disney's Pixar, from leaving to become finance chief at Twitter. Jobs, who also led Pixar before selling it to Disney, made several calls, as did Disney chief executive officer Bob Iger, said a person with knowledge of the matter who asked not to be identified because the interchange was private. Rowghani left anyway. 

Grim quarter, IT revenues seen to rise by just 2 to 5 percent


With Infosys kicking off the earnings season on Friday, analysts believe that a 2% to 5% growth in revenue (in dollar terms) is likely in the July-September quarter of this year when IT majors report earnings. The September quarter is usually the strongest quarter for IT firms, but analysts see this year as slightly weaker.

"For large caps, we expect a revenue growth of 2% to 4% while for the mid tier firms, it is likely to be in the range 2% to 5%. For Infosys, we have revised revenue guidance to 1%-2%," said Shashi Bhushan, senior research analyst at Prabhudas Lilladher, a brokerage firm.

Apple iPhone 5 launching on Oct 26 in India


After the initial round of global iPhone 5 launches, Apple seems set to launch the latest version of its iconic smartphone in India on October 26, industry sources say. However, Apple spokesperson refused to comment on the matter.

iPhone 5 is eagerly awaited in the country and is already available in the grey market at sky-high prices, touching over Rs 1 lac. It is the fastest selling smartphone of all time, with 5 million units sold over the first weekend itself. With this device, Apple broke its mould of 3.5-inch screens and ventured into the 4-inch screen size domain and introduced the all-new Lightning dock connector and EarPods.

In India, iPhones have commanded top dollar and are out of reach of the masses, one of the main reasons for the meager market share of Apple's phone in India as compared to Android phones. Last year, the base variant of iPhone 4S was launched at Rs 44,500 in the country and currently costs Rs 41,500 after the recent price revision. In contrast, no Android smartphone in India currently costs above Rs 40,000, though it must be remembered that Samsung Galaxy S III was priced around Rs 43,000 at the time of launch. However, the company soon brought the official price of the device down to Rs 38,900 and currently the phone costs Rs 35,500 on the company's e-store.

Indias IT spending to reach dollar 71.5 billion in 2013, Gartner


IT spending in India is projected to total $71.5 billion in 2013, a 7.7 percent increase from the $66.4 billion forecasted for 2012, according to Gartner. 

Peter Sondergaard, senior vice president and global head of research at Gartner, provided the latest outlook for the IT industry here today to an audience of more than 700 CIOs and IT leaders at Gartner Symposium/ITxpo, which is taking place here through October 12th. 

How to create a personal website for free


Professionally created websites & custom domain names can cost a lot of money. However, you can also create and host as many websites as you like without spending anything, explains ET. 

Instant Homepages 

ABOUT.ME 

Samsung Galaxy Note II, Bigger, better, smarter


Galaxy Note, a smartphone so big that it created its own category termed phablet, was a sleeper hit. Its success seems to have inspiredSamsung to do even better. And better in this case is the Note II, a hunk of a device in terms of looks as well as its top-of-the-line hardware.

Note II is a powerful and multi-functional device. It is not a smartphone because it is too big. And it is not a tablet because it is too small. But it can function like both and given its powerful hardware and some smart software can do justice to its all-in-one credentials.

Wednesday, October 10, 2012

HP s troubles to hit Mphasis

Mid-sized information technology services firm Mphasis, which has been struggling to grow its revenue, seems headed for tougher times after its parent and biggest client Hewlett Packard cut its sales forecast.

Late last week,  HP CEO  Meg Whitman  warned of a sharp fall in HP earnings this year, with revenue declines in each of its business divisions except software. Mphasis, the India-based IT services subsidiary of HP, gets around 50% of its revenues from the troubled PC maker.

Monster.com, F1 team join hands to recruit talent


Riding the racing wave, Monster India, one of the leading online career and recruitment solutions providers, on Monday announced its global partnership with theMarussia F1 Team to globally recruit personnel for the technical and commercial success of the team.
"The Marussia F1 Team is leveraging Monster's technology and global job seeker reach to help ensure that the team receives the most qualified applicants from all over the world," a company statement said.

Cyberattacks against US rising unchecked, Study

The number of  cyber attacks  targeting US organizations  has doubled over the past three years, leading to hefty losses, a study released Monday showed. 

The study conducted by the Ponemon Institute and sponsored by Hewlett-Packard said most of the attacks involve malicious code, denial of service, stolen or hijacked devices, or "malevolent insiders." 

"The occurrence of cyberattacks has more than doubled over a three-year period, while the financial impact has increased by nearly 40 percent," the report said. 

Indian IT companies may see uptick in outsourcing business


 India's leading software exporters could see a modest uptick in outsourcing business from the United States and Europe despite a warning from theInternational Monetary Fund that it sees the risk for a serious global slowdown as "alarmingly high." 

India's National Association of Software and Service Companies, or Nasscom, expects the sector to expand exports by 11-14 per cent in the current fiscal year that ends in March, compared with 16 per cent last year and about 30 per cent before the global financial crisis. India's $100 billion software and services industry relies on the United States and Europe for three-quarters of its revenue. 

Amazon opens checkbook, includes pay for performance provision in Epix deal


 Amazon.com Inc's deal to purchase streaming movies from cable network Epixcould transform the way such deals are done, thanks to a pay-for-performance sweetener that had not been previously disclosed. 

According to an executive directly involved in the deal,Amazon agreed to an earn-out provision payable to Epix over time if the number of subscribers to Amazon's Prime Instant Video service rises above a certain threshold. That comes in addition to a fixed upfront fee, the basis for most subscription video-on-demand deals up to this point. 

Expect more visas for Indian IT professionals, Geithner


India's recent reform measures are "very significant" and will fuel private investment in the economy, US TreasurySecretary Timothy Geithner said during a visit to New Delhi on Tuesday. 

India has announced a series of measures, including raising the price of subsidised fuel and opening the retail sector to foreign supermarkets, to revive economic growth, which has slowed to a near three-year low. 

He also tried to address India's concerns over visa to IT professionals. We expect significant increase in visas, he said after the meeting. 

"The reforms outlined by the government of India offer a very promising path to improving growth outcomes for the Indian economy," Geithner said at a joint news conference with IndianFinance Minister P. Chidambaram. 

Facebook partners with retailers to test want button

Facebook Inc is testing a feature that lets users of the social network create "wishlists" of home furnishings, clothing and other retail products, laying the groundwork for what some believe could be an eventual push into e-commerce. 

Facebook said it is working with seven retailers, including Pottery Barn and Victoria's Secret, to test the new feature that will allow certain users to flag images of desired products by clicking a special "want" button.

Aakash 2 will have a SIM card, Kapil Sibal


The UPA government is committed to ensure that the virtual world infrastructure is completed as early as possible to connect 250,000 gram panchayats through the National Fibre Optics connectivity, Human Resources Development Minister Kapil Sibal said here today. 

"Government's plan is to connect 2.5 lakh panchayats through the National fibre optics connectivity, the last mile of which would be through wireless broadband," he said. 

Apple orders 10m iPad Mini units, Report


Tech giant Apple has reportedly placed an order for 10 million units of the iPad Mini with component suppliers in Asia in the fourth quarter.

According to suppliers, that is roughly double the order that were placed for Amazon's Kindle Fire tablets in the same quarter.

The figure indicates that Apple believes demand for the product will be strong, despite stiff competition in the market, the Wall Street Journal reports.

Micromax enters home entertainment domain with LED TVs


Indian handsets manufacturer Micromax on Tuesday forayed into the home entertainment market, launching a new range of LED televisions priced between Rs 15,990 and 1,29,990.
The company is targeting 8 percent market share and plans to invest Rs 100 crore in the segment over the next three years.
"We plan to invest Rs 100 crore in the next two to three years and are targeting a market share of 8 percent in the next two years," Mukesh Gupta, director, told reporters at the launch.

Tuesday, October 9, 2012

Pakistan blocks 20,000 objectionable websites


Pakistani authorities have blocked about 20,000 websites, including YouTube, for hosting "objectionable" material like footage from the anti-Islam movie "Innocence of Muslims", an official said today.

"We have blocked 20,000 objectionable websitesand blogs since the blasphemous film surfaced on the internet," an official of the PakistanTelecommunication Authority told PTI.

Proposed visa norms in UK may affect profitability of Indian cos


Raising its concerns over visa problems being faced by IT professionals in the UK, India said the proposed visa measures by Britain may affect profitability and competitiveness of Indian companies.

The issue came up for discussion during a meeting of Commerce and Industry MinisterAnand Sharma and visiting Lord Mayor ofLondon David Wootton here.

Sharma raised issues pertaining to visa and post-study work visa with Lord Mayor, the Commerce Ministry said in a statement.

"The new measures that the UK government has proposed for are likely to affect the profitability and competitiveness of Indian companies," it said.

YouTube, other video platforms may be on a path to replace television


A visit to YouTube these days shows so many professionally produced channels that it could be confused with a TV guide. There are channels for ABC News, Taylor Swift, Nike Football, America's Test Kitchen and the Obama for America campaign. 

The oddball videos of gurgling babies, teenagers crashing their skateboards and synchronized wedding dances are still there. But they have been increasingly buried under what YouTube calls original channels - polished, highly produced videos financed by YouTube. It is part of YouTube's strategy, started a year ago, to lure television viewers and advertisers by helping to produce high-quality videos that cater to niche interests. 

Polycom to launch new cloud based video conferencing solution


Polycom, which competes with  Cisco in videoconferencing, hopes to move ahead of the pack with its new cloud-based product in a market it says will be worth $12 billion by 2015.
Videoconferencing is on the brink of widespread adoption as technology moves from expensive and complex boardroom products to technology that allows video communication on desktops, smartphones and tablets, and vendors are scrambling for their piece of the pie.
"Video is becoming more and more mission-critical, but it has not been taken up massively because of interoperability issues and inconsistent user experiences," said Sudhakar Ramakrishna, president of Products and Services at Polycom.

HTC s Q3 profit falls 79 percent, misses forecast


Taiwan's HTC, the world's fifth-largest smartphone maker, said its third-quarter net profit fell 79 per cent, missing forecasts, as its flagship phones failed to keep pace with Apple's iPhone  and Samsung Electronics's Galaxy range. 

The former contract maker has been suffering a sharp decline in its fortunes since the second half of 2011 following a fairytale ride when it built a strong global brand with phones based on Google's Android software. 

Cisco cuts ties with ZTE after Iran probe


Cisco Systems has ended a longstanding sales partnership with ZTE after an internal investigation into allegations that the Chinese telecommunications equipment maker sold Cisco networking gear to Iran.
Cisco's probe followed stories by Reuters in March and April that documented how Shenzhen, China-based ZTE had sold banned computer equipment from Cisco and other US companies to Iran's largest telecom firm. ZTE also agreed last year to ship millions of dollars worth of additional US tech products, including Cisco switches, to a unit of the consortium that controls the telecom firm.

Micromax tops tablet market in India, Research


Sales of tablets in the country crossed half a million units in the second quarter ended June this year, led by Micromax, and followed by Samsung and Apple. This represented an increase of 59% quarter-on-quarter, and a year-on-year jump of 673%. 

Increase in shipments is mainly due to entry of new tablet vendors, and introduction of offerings from existing vendors at low- to-medium price points.