Sim Cards with 11 Digit Phone Numbers in India

The Department of Telecom (DoT) had previously proposed a transfer of numbers from 10 digit to 11 digit in January 2010. Indian telecom department had planned for 10-digit mobile numbering that would last for 30 years in 2003, but given the meteoric rise in the number of mobile subscribers, the quota is likely to get over very soon, which is why 11-digit mobile numbers will soon come in play. China and the UK are the only countries apart from India using 11-digit mobile numbers. 

India is facing a number crunch because the number of mobile subscribers is increasing astronomically. According to a report from The Times of India, Rajan Mathews, director general of the Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI), "The number series starting with 98 or 99 is reaching the end of its capacity. This may lead to a serious issue if a new series of numbers is not introduced till the middle of next year."

"In order to accomodate new devices, the mobile numbers will have to be increased by one digit. There can be an introduction of 12-digit numbers as well to ensure that there is no scope for any problem,” said Sandip Biswas, director at consultancy firm Deloitte in the report.

Biswas informed that the numbering system is totally goverened by the number of subscribers. The picture has changed after the emergence of mobility. These days the devices connected to the networks range from cars to tablets to washing machines, he added.                  

Jelly Bean update for HTC One X

At a press event hosted in Taiwan, HTC announced that Jelly Bean will be rolled out to the One X in Asia and the handsets will receive the Android v4.1.2 firmware upgrade. This software upgrade will also feature HTC's newest user interface HTC Sense 4+

At the announcement, HTC General Manager, Jack Tong, stated that the One S too will receive a firmware upgrade. However, he didn’t specify when it would be rolled out to this smartphone.

At the event, the main talking point was the introduction of the HTC One X+ and the One S Special edition. Following in the footsteps of One X handset, the latest model, HTC One X, comes packed with hardware that can compete with the best in the business. The design of both handsets is virtually the same.

The highlighted feature of the One X+ is a quad-core 1.7GHz quad-core Tegra 3 AP37 processor, which is faster than the quad-core 1.5GHz CPU found on the One X. Its battery life was a concern for users of the HTC One X, and it appears that HTC has done well to rectify that. The One X+ is fitted with a 2,100mAh battery, which is larger than the 1,800mAh Lithium Polymer battery found on the handset’s predecessor. On the software fron, the HTC One X+ comes with the handset with Android v4.1 (Jelly Bean) and laced with HTC Sense 4+ user interface (UI).

According to the official announcement, HTC has stated, “The HTC One X+ combines the iconic design, amazing camera and authentic audio experience of the HTC One series, with increased performance, longer battery life and expanded internal storage which is now 64GB”.

Apple iPhone5 Prices start at Rs 45,500 in India

Apple iPhone 5, which will be launched in India on November 2, will be priced at Rs 45,500 for the entry-level 16GB model. The 32 and 64GB models will be sold at 52,500 and 59,500 respectively.

The prices have been shared by Redington, one of the two distribution partners of Apple in India, in the country and are in line with the unconfirmed price range that TOI had earlier reported.

Redington and Ingram have also confirmed TOI's Friday report that Apple is set to launch the iPhone 5, its latest smartphone, in India on November 2, 2012. Apple has joined hands with Redington and Ingram Micro to distribute its flagship device in the country.

This is a departure from Apple's earlier strategy of partnering with telecom operators like Airtel and Aircel to retail the phone in India. Redington and Ingram Micro already distribute iPad and iPods in the country.

Considering that the device will not be tied to a few telecom operators only, most telcos in India have readied their stocks of nano-sim cards which can be used only in iPhone 5.

As reported by TOI on Thursday, besides online site Infibeam, another online retailer Saholic has begun taking pre-orders for the 16GB variant of iPhone 5 at Rs 45,500. Infibeam had started taking advance bookings at Rs 5,000, while the remaining amount will be collected at the time of launch.
Apple is yet to launch the unlocked version of iPhone 5 in the US, its home country, and only sells the device with carrier partners like AT&T, Sprint and Verizon.

Windows 8 Official Review

Reviewing an operating system is an odd endeavor, because people don’t really use operating systems; they use applications. The OS should be as transparent as possible, acting as a platform for applications. In today’s cloud-driven world, however, the notion that your application will run in a single OS is tenuous at best. Toss in the increasing use of smart devices, whether phones or tablets, and the idea of a single-platform operating system is less relevant now than it was just a few years ago. These days we have “ecosystems”—Microsoft, Apple, or Google, take your pick.

That said, PC users still expect their Windows applications to run as before, and they want to have the same control over their laptop and desktop computers as they’ve always had. New software features should enable users to do more. And as the reaction to the late, unlamented Windows Vista illustrated, all the shiny new bells and whistles should not harm performance or require new hardware.

Can Windows 8 meet its goal of being one aspect of a new Microsoft ecosystem while maintaining its roots in the PC? Can existing computers run Windows 8 without the need for expensive new touch displays? Will the revamped Windows 8 user interface turn off existing Windows users or pull them into the ecosystem? I’ll try to answer those questions and others as I dive deeply into Windows 8.

This review is based on the Windows 8 final release—what Microsoft calls the “release to manufacturing,” or RTM, version. The final release is available to Microsoft TechNet and MSDN subscribers. Desktop PCs, laptops, and tablets ship with Windows 8 preinstalled on the official launch day, October 26.

We ran Windows 8 on a moderately high-end desktop system along with a standard (nontouch) monitor, mouse, and keyboard. We also used a Samsung Series 9 laptop with an Elan touchpad supporting full multitouch gestures. 

Windows Phone 8 in Nokia Lumia 820, 920

Finally, the much talked about Windows Phone 8 from Nokia is all set to arrive in India tomorrow. The company will be releasing its Lumia 820 and Lumia 920 smartphones in India.

Nokia has been dropping not-so-subtle hints that Wednesday's big Lumia smartphone reveal was the Big Event. It teased Samsung about its first Windows Phone 8 device, and even took to Twitter to thumb its nose at Android. Sadly, the news didn't quite have the impact that perhaps Nokia--and more importantly, Microsoft--had hoped for.

Nokia introduced two phones, both of which run Windows Phone 8: the Lumia 920 and Lumia 820. In terms of specs and features, Nokia did its best to differentiate them from the crowded smartphone masses. Both come in multiple colors on polycarbonate shells.
  
Nokia Lumia 820 will be priced at around Rs 20,000 and Nokia Lumia 920 will cost something around Rs 43,000. 

Nokia Lumia 820 features: 

1) exchangeable covers and 10.9-cm (4.3-inch) screen ClearBlack OLED display.

2) microSD card slot to expand memory. 

3) 1.5 GHz Dual Core Snapdragon S4 processor 

4) 1650 mAh battery with support for Qi wireless charging. 

5) 8 MP rear camera with Carl Zeiss optics and VGA front-facing camera. 

6) available in red, yellow, grey, cyan, purple, white and black color options.

Nokia Lumia 920 Specifications: 

1) 11.4-cm (4.5-inch) ClearBlack IPS LCD panel with 1280x768 pixel resolution support.

2) super-sensitive touch. 

3) dual-core 1.5 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 family mobile processor 

4) Windows Phone 8 operating system. 

5) 1 GB RAM along with 32 GB on-board storage with no capability of adding a micro SD card.                   

Apple 13-inch MACbook Pro

This is another Mac rumour that came true. The retina display has made it to the 13-inch MacBook Pro, which now boasts of a thinner body and an all-flash storage. At a mere 0.75 inches and 1.61 kg, this MacBook Pro can give any Ultrabook a run for its money, except for the fact that it will cost you a lot more money to do that.

"The 13-inch MacBook Pro is our most popular Mac, and today it gets completely reinvented with a new thin and light design, fast flash storage and a gorgeous Retina display," said Philip Schiller, Apple's senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing. "With vivid colours, razor sharp text and more pixels than anyone else's 15 or 17-inch notebooks, the Retina display completely changes what you expect from a notebook."

The new MacBook Pro is a stunner to look at in more ways than one. In fact, it packs more than 4 million pixels into its 13-inch Retina display, nearly twice the number of pixels in an HD television. It uses IPS technology for a 178-degree wide viewing angle, and has 75 percent less reflection and 29 percent higher contrast than the current generation.

"Featuring flash storage that is up to four times faster than traditional notebook hard drives, the all-new MacBook Pro is extremely responsive, whether it's waking from sleep or launching your favourite apps," said an Apple release.

There are many more ports for the power users.  Two Thunderbolt and USB 3.0 ports each and an HDMI port to be precise. It features a FaceTime HD camera, dual microphones, improved speakers, three-stream 802.11n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0, and a MagSafe 2 power port. Apple promises up to 7 hours of wireless productivity with the battery and 30 days standby.

Specification and Pricing: The top of the line features and specs come at a steep price though. The 13-inch MacBook Pro with Retina display is available with:

1) 2.5 GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 processor with Turbo Boost speeds up to 3.1 GHz,

2) 8GB of memory

3) 128GB of flash storage starting at Rs 1,14,900 inclusive of VAT;

4) 256GB of flash storage starting at Rs 1,34,900.

5) Configure-to-order options include faster dual-core Intel Core i7 processors and flash storage up to 768GB.

Smartphones in India

Mumbai is an iconic landmark in a city of landmarks, yet Delhi’s Imperial Hotel is among the most searched for destination on smart phones in India. And Mumbai’s The Trident is the most sought hotel on Google Maps (on smart phones). 

Around 46% of smartphone users in India are using their devices to look up directions, or just simply explore maps, according to a Google IPSOS report on mobile behaviour across Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore released on Tuesday.

Hotels were the most searched for destinations across all three cities, with Bangalore’s Leela Kempinski completing the list. 

Smartphone users in Delhi and Mumbai, according to the report, are also foodies with Karim’s and Hard Rock Café being the most searched dives, respectively.

Expectedly, Bangaloreans seem to prefer food for thought with engineering and management schools being among the most searched destinations on smartphone apps (the Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore was at #2). 

But Bangaloreans also love their malls, and Phonenix Market City tops the search queries.

The southern city has also established itself as a healthcare hub, in comparison to Delhi and Mumbai. In Bangalore, Jayadeva Hospital and the very popular Narayana Hrudayalaya featured high on the search trends.

Delhi and Mumbai showed cultural similarity with location based search interest in religious places — Jama Masjid was most searched in the capital city, and Siddhivinayak Temple in Mumbai.

Google Map Maker, according to the report, has seen the highest number of edits from 2007 till date, with Bangalore, Hyderabad, Mumbai and Delhi showing the highest level of contribution on Google Maps. India is also one of the fastest growing Google Mobile Maps (GMM) countries in the world, the report added.

LG announces world’s first 84-inch Ultra HD 3D TV in India

 LG Electronics India has launched a 84-inch Ultra HD 3D TV with a screen resolution of 3840 x 2160. LG has also introduced new features like LG's Cinema 3D technology, Smart TV ecosystem for easy browsing and navigation with the TV.

LG has also introduced four-mode Magic Remote which allows users to access and navigates the Home Dashboard. The remote also features Premium Content, Smart Share Plus and voice recognition.

The other new features include an imbedded 2D to 3D conversion engine, Dual Play which supports head-to-head gaming by allowing opponents to simultaneously see different images on the same screen, 2.2 Speaker System with two 10W speakers and two 15W woofers

As of connectivity, LG's Ultra HD 3D TV includes built-in Wi-Fi, it supports Intel's Wireless Display (WiDi) technology, which enables easy and quick connectivity between TVs and PCs without the need for cables or internet access.

"LG's 84-inch Ultra HD 3 TV represents a whole new level of home viewing experience because it offers every advanced technology we currently have to offer," said Mr Soon Kwon, MD LGEIL.

The 84-inch Ultra HD 3D TV will be available in the market at a price of Rs17, 00,000 from November 1 onwards.

Cheapest Windows Phone:Nokia Lumia 510

Finally Nokia has announced worlds Cheapest windows phone in India. With the launch of Nokia Lumia 510 it become the most affordable windows phone in lumia series.

Will it make any change in Nokia Survival ????

Here are some of 5 Interesting Things about Lumia 510:

Zeebiz Burea

The entry-level Windows Phone device,Nokia Lumia 510, has garnered a lot of attention from tech lovers.
The struggling tech firm's new launch no doubt aims to attracts new users to a new Windows Smartphone.
The Phone is available in the market now. Let's have a look at five interesting things about the lumia 510.

Windows Phone

You can enjoy the Lumia Windows Phone with Live Tiles on your screen with adjustable sizes. Now incoming messages and calls will be hassle free and updates on the screen just a click away. Here you have access to Microsoft Office and Internet Explorer 9 on the mobile.

Performance

The Lumia 510 boasts of an 800MHz Qualcomm Snapdragon S1. It also has 256MB RAM.Storage-wise it has 4GB built-in memory, 7GB Skydrive cloud storage, no microSD card slot.

Colour Variants

For the trendy fashion lovers,Lumia 510 won't disappoint you. It is available in a range of flashy colours. You can choose from White, Black, Red, Cyan and Yellow. When festivities are around the corners, you can let the colours speak for yourself.

Camera

The camera of Lumia series is always discussed. The low light photography of Nokia has brought a drastic revolution in Smartphone Photography. This smartphone also has a 5MP camera with Auto focus.

Affordable Prize

The Lumia 510 is latest prized at just Rs 9,900 on amazon.in and its the best or cheapest prize of any smartphone with such great speed. Its also said that this smartphone will be most user friendly and its interface will be loved by the people. 

Indian Top 15 most sought-after employers Company

Six major Indian companies, including Bharti Airtel, Infosys and Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), have made the cut in list of 20 'Most In Demand Employers' compiled by professional network LinkedIn.

Wipro Technologies, HCL Technologies and Mahindra Satyam have also found a place in the list, which is topped by Accenture.

The professional network said in India, telecom player Bharti Airtel is the seventh most sought-after company among professionals on LinkedIn.

This was followed by Infosys at eighth spot and TCS at the ninth place.

Wipro Technologies was 11th, followed by HCL Technologies in the 13th and Mahindra Satyam in the 14th place.

LinkedIn analysed a large number of companies and published the list among its 175 million members.

"The three companies of Indian origin that feature in the top 10 list of most InDemand employers... are testimony to the increased importance of developing and maintaining employer brand by Indian corporates," it said.

Among others in the top five are Hewlett Packard, Oracle, IBM and Microsoft.

Cognizant Technology Solutions, Vodafone, Deloitte, Amazon, Adobe, Cisco are the others featuring in the list.

Taj Mahal And Technology

Taj Mahal, India’s heritage site and truly a wonder of our world. It is at its very core a symbol of a man’s love for his wife, learning very detailed historical information from our able guide. I was both spellbound and speechless.

As a child, I remember experiencing the Taj with wonder and amazement. As an adult, I appreciate the pain and patience of the artisans who built it some 350-odd years ago. As a kid I was awestruck by the notion of an empress’s mausoleum; the grown-up version of me was blown away by its beauty.

As I walked across the cool marble, the afternoon sun baking overhead and an almost-dry River Yamuna in the background, I summed up what I was feeling in a tweet: “Just came out of Taj. Intense. Profound. Symmetry. Dedication. Passion. Love. Humbling. Perfection.”

Ironically, those are some of the same adjectives I’ve used to describe Apple and its products. I don’t necessarily want to equate the majestic Taj with mere machines, but they are undeniably similar.

For instance, Taj has intricate flowers and fauna carved into marble and filled with coral, onyx and jade. The three-dimensional nature of these patterns were repeated thousands of time without a blemish.

The geometrical symmetry of the complex extends from one corner to another. Even the shadow reflected in the pool in front of the Taj is perfectly symmetrical with the building.

Emperor Shah Jahan had a perfect replica of a mosque created to give balance to the whole complex. The four minarets lean out just ever so slightly so that in the unlikely event that they do fall, they won’t damage the main building. Now that is some attention to detail.

The Taj is a collection of small perfections that add up to one large perfection, a treasure that cannot adequately be captured by words, photos, eyes, or even the human brain. It was one man’s vision, brought to life by thousands of others who worked tirelessly over a period spanning more than 20 years. There will be nothing like it ever again.

If you had to pick a modern, and technology-specific, analogy of this high ideal, it would be Apple. Like the Taj, where the architects used a double dome to cool the tomb, and elegant air ducts to circulate the cooling air throughout the entire building, the company has combined form, function and art to come up with perfection.

Steve Jobs and thousands of Apple staff have spent more than 25 years trying to create machines that pay similar attention to minor things, sometimes seemingly useless ones. The ability to create Wi-Fi networks comes to mind, as does the ability to zoom in to better view documents. The aluminum unibody of the MacBook Air seems like little more than a beautiful design feature until you realize it’s used to cool the entire machine — just like the double domes and air ducts of the Taj.

Xbox 360 games: Play if you have enough Pocket Money

Microsoft has significantly bumped up the prices of all first party Xbox 360 games in India. 

Master Chief’s latest adventure, Halo 4, will now set you back by a whopping Rs. 3,299 while the Limited Edition will be available for Rs. 4,599. The open world racer, 

Forza Horizons Limited Edition will cost the same as Halo 4, but the Standard Edition will sit a bit cheaper at Rs.2,999.

This price hike isn’t just applicable to the core games; Kinect titles like Dance Central 3, Nike+ Kinect Training, Kinect Sports Ultimate, and Fable: The Journey will all hit the Rs. 2,599 mark.

So finally you have to have enough pocket money to play Xbox 360 games.

There are currently 930 (multiplatform: 721; exclusive: 127; console exclusive: 82) games on this list as of September 27th, 2012. See Lists of Xbox video games for related lists.

LG Nexus 4 Coming Soon

The most leaked handset of the last few weeks has to be the upcoming Nexus handset made by LG. For anyone wondering what to call it the latest leaked info suggests that it will be announced as the LG Nexus 4 and not surprisingly is going to be packed with some impressive hardware.

Features: According to evleaks the Nexus 4 is going to be packing a 4.7" display with a 1280x768 resolution, quad-core 1.5GHz processor and 2GB of RAM. In addition to this there appears to be a choice of 8GB or 16GB of internal storage, a rear-facing 8mp camera which is joined by a 1.3mp front facing one and a 2100mAh battery powering it all. In terms of its dimensions the handset is a slender 9.1mm thick and will weigh just 139g.


It goes without saying that it's going to be running Android 4.1 though which version of Jelly Bean has not been confirmed. All that's known is that it's currently goes by the codename MR1.

The phone may not be the Nexus-branded version of the Optimus G it was once rumoured to be but this latest glut of information shows that it's going to offer comparable hardware. Both have a 4.7" display, 2GB of RAM and a 2100mAh battery.


Although it hasn't been confirmed yet it's looking very much like the Nexus 4 is going to be officially announced at Google's October 29 New York-based event. The event might also see the Nexus 10 and a version of the Nexus 7 with 3G connectivity unveiled, which should steal some of the limelight away from the launch of Windows Phone 8 and the potential launch of the iPad mini in what is shaping up to be an eventful week.

Google's Goggles

The Google is planning for a virtual reality goggles, that will amaze you by the end of this year.
Augmented reality may end up being one of the hottest fashion accessories of 2012. Google is secretly working on Android-powered virtual reality glasses that it plans to begin selling by the end of the year, according to reports in the New York Times and the blog 9 to 5 Google.

Details are scant about the rumored glasses, but the basic idea is to beam contextually relevant information straight to your eyeballs. Like augmented reality apps, the glasses could deliver an added layer of information about, say, a landmark you’re looking at, or offer up a discount to a restaurant that catches your gaze.

“If facial recognition software becomes accurate enough, the glasses could remind a wearer of when and how he met the vaguely familiar person standing in front of him at a party,” the New York Times’ Nick Bilton theorizes. “They might also be used for virtual reality games that use the real world as the playground.”

Indian Telecom Company's in Global Top 20

Four Indian telecom companies were listed among the top 20 global companies based on the subscriber base but all four are at bottom for revenue based.

Bharti Airtel was ranked 4th and Rcom 8th and Idea cellular 14th and last but not the least BSNL at 20th position.

Telecom major Bharti Airtel is the fourth largest mobile operator in the world with over 250 million connnections globally, according to analyst firm Wireless Intelligence.

China Mobile continues to be at the top spot with 683.08 million connections, followed by Vodafone Group (386.88 million) and America Movil Group (251.83 million).

Bharti Airtel (250.04) and Telefonica Group (243.51) are at fourth and fifth position, respectively, Wireless Intelligence said in its 'Mobile operator worldwide group global ranking by connections (Q2, 2012)'

Besides China Unicom (which is at the sixth position), the report said Bharti Airtel is the only other member of the top ten to move up the ranking, recording a 13 per cent year-on-year rise in connections to overtake Telefonica.

Bharti Airtel had become the fifth largest mobile operator in the world following its acquisition of Zain Group's mobile operations across 15 African nations in June 2010, the operator said in a statement.

It, however, added that Bharti's mobile revenue at USD 3.04 billion in the second quarter of FY12 is significantly lower than the other operators in the top five, "reflecting Bharti's presence in the ultra low-cost, low-margin Indian and African markets."

The other Indian telecom operators in the report are Reliance Communications, Idea Cellular and BSNL at eigth, fourteenth and twentieth position, respectively, with 154.60mn,117.16mn and 98.28mn subscriber respectively.

While Reliance Communications has maintained its global ranking, Idea Cellular has moved up three places. State-run BSNL's ranking dropped by two places.

Telenor and Sistema foreign firms with a subsidiary in India were at the ninth and fifteenth position, respectively.

Samsung Galaxy Note2 Get Creative

The launch of the Samsung Galaxy Note last year surprised many by combining the features of both smartphone and tablet, and signalled a new advancement in innovation for Samsung's mobile devices.

Now, buoyed by the success of the first Note and inspired by the innovations of the Samsung Galaxy S III, Samsung has released the Samsung Galaxy Note II, which is bigger, faster and packed with even more fun, creative features.

At the recent launch in Kuala Lumpur, invited guests and media were given a special preview of the Galaxy Note II, including first-hand accounts from three users - local TV host Adam C, actor/host Razif Hashim and Lithuanian artist Ernest Zacharevic, famous for his murals in Penang.

Specification:
The Galaxy Note II has a bigger

1) 5.5-inch HD Super AMOLED screen, which allows users widescreen video viewing up to the 16:9 ratio.

2) 1.6GHz Quad-Core processor

3)  HSPA connectivity, for faster performance

4) A massive 3,100mAh battery for longer usage.

5) 8MP rear camera and a 1.9MP front facing camera with HD video recording.

For those who work on the go, there is the new Multiwindow function, which allows users to run two apps side-by-side on the screen, allowing them to check their mail, surf the internet or take down Notes - multitask.

The new Air View feature also allows people to preview content by hovering their S Pen over icons, letting them preview photos, videos and other content without wasting time clicking and opening apps.

Users who enjoy photo-taking also have a new function to play with called Best Face, which allows you to always get the best picture from group shots.
Anyone who's ever taken a group photo that had at least one person blink or look away will appreciate the Best Face feature, which takes a rapid succession of five shots, and then lets you pick and save the 'best faces' of the five photos into one master photo.

The S Pen itself has also been redesigned to have a more streamlined body and to deliver a more precise writing experience. It also has more functions, letting users crop content in any shape with the Easy Clip feature, and writing notes on the back of photographs with the Photo Note function.

There are also a multitude of Quick Commands that lets users take shortcuts with the S Pen. This is especially good for artists, who can change drawing tools and colours without lifting the S Pen from the screen.
With so many new features packed into the device, it's no wonder that Samsung executives are enthusiastic about the device, especially Samsung Malaysia Electronics managing director Kwon Jae Hoon.

He said at the launch: "It (The Galaxy Note II) is a device infused with capabilities to help people unleash their creativity at work or at leisure. This device is designed to help people harness their individual creativity, allowing them to live a life extraordinary."

The Samsung Galaxy Note II is available in Marble White and Titanium Grey from Samsung partners, as well as via Celcom, DiGi and Maxis mobile plans. It retails for RM2,299.

Worlds Top 10 Powerfull Brands

1) Apple | Rank 1 | Brand value: $87.1 billion 

 

The company manufactures a range of computers, mobile phones and media playing devices, the most popular among them being the iPod, the iPhone and the iPad.

 

2) Microsoft | Rank 2 | Brand value: $54.7 billion

 

Following Apple is Microsoft, another technology giant, which was once the undisputed market leader in this space. The company is engaged in developing, licensing and supporting a range of software products and services.

 

3) Coca-Cola | Rank 3 | Brand value: $50.2 billion

 

The beverage company owns or licenses and markets more than 500 non-alcoholic beverage brands, including soft drinks and juices, ready-to-drink teas and coffees, and energy and sports drinks.

 

4) IBM | Rank 4 | Brand value: $48.5 billion

 

International Business Machines Corp. (IBM) is an information technology company, which operates under five segments: Global Technology Services, Global Business Services, Software, Systems and Technology, and Global Financing.

 

5) Google | Rank 5 | Brand value: $37.6 billion

 

The technology company, a global search engine giant, is now moving into other spheres. The company offers services such as Google Maps and Google Earth, apart from the popular Android mobile operating system.

 

6) Intel | Rank 6 | Brand value: $32.3 billion

 

Intel Corporation designs and manufactures integrated digital technology platforms, which it sells to computer manufacturers the world over.

 

7) McDonald's | Rank 7 | Brand value: $37.4 billion

 

McDonald's Corporation operates McDonald's restaurants in 119 countries. All restaurants are operated either by the company or by franchisees.

 

8) General Electric | Rank 8 | Brand Value: $33.7 billion

 

General Electric Company is a diversified technology and financial services corporation. The products and services range from aircraft engines, power generation, water processing and household appliances to medical imaging, business and consumer financing and industrial products.

 

9) BMW | Rank 9 | Brand value: $26.3 billion

 

The Germany-based car maker owns three brands—BMW, Mini and Rolls-Royce. Its most popular offerings include the 3 Series, 5 Series and 7 Series range of sedans, and the X Series range of SUVs.

 

10) Cisco | Rank 10 | Brand value: $26.3 billion

 

Cisco Systems designs, manufactures, and sells Internet protocol (IP)-based networking and other products related to the communications and information technology industry and provide services associated with these products and their use.

Source: NDTV

Make Free Calls Via Facebook

The giant social networking site Facebook is now all set to allow its user to call freely and it was all possible because of a new application in the app store named Plingm.

A new smartphone app named Plingm will now allow you to make free phone calls within your Facebook contacts without dialling even a single digit. Plingm, a Swedish mobile VoIP, has introduced free phone calls for Facebook's one billion users. "Mobile numbers are legacy. By calling friends with our Facebook feature, you can always reach the person you want to speak to even if they change their number", said Pandelis Eliopoulos, co-founder, Plingm. "With the growing use of social media, the possibility to call your Facebook friends directly without a phone number is a logical evolution of mobile communication.” 

Using this application is pretty easy. Download the Plingm app from the App Store and accept to connect with your Facebook account. The app automatically scans and imports all your contacts. Calls between Plingm users are free, regardless of whether you are in the same town or on the other side of the world.

According to Plingm, “With the numbers steadily increasing and an impressive consumer rating on App Store, the mobile VoIP app Plingm combines high sound quality with user-friendliness. All calls made to other Plingm users are free, regardless where they are in the world and there is no time limit. Calling with this service instead of a traditional operator will save people large sums of money, particularly on international calls. At a low fixed rate, consumers can also call friends not yet using Plingm.” 




 

Java Virtual Machine For Raspberry Pi

Oracle is reportedly working on a Java Virtual Machine (JVM) for the popular Raspberry Pi computer. It is "...based on creating a version that uses the hardware floating point capabilities of the bare board computer," The Inquirer said in a report.

According to Oracle's technology evangelist Simon Ritter, the company plans to bring it to the market in the near future. He was speaking at the Java One conference in San Francisco. 

The $25 Linux-based computer exclusively built for educating students with knowledge on coding has been recently upgraded to 512 MB of RAM from 256 MB with no increase to the price tag. The move follows suggestions for a more expensive version of the Pi with more RAM for those who want to use the credit-sized computer for general computing purposes, according to Eben Upton, founder of the Raspberry Pi Foundation.

He added that the extra RAM is aimed particularly at supporting embedded Java applications on the Raspberry Pi as these are quite heavyweight for 256MB of memory.  

So raspberry pi will give you everything from proggraming skills to oracle virtual machine.

Audi Shark – Flying Sportscar

This impressive concept design by Kazim Doku is a flying sportscar. Meant to combine the raciness of motorcycles with the sleekness of aircraft, the Audi shark is the answer to our collective sci-fi dreams. This award-winning concept design is a two-seater that offers its passengers “strong sensations and high levels of safety”.

Few of the concepts designs presented in recent years have been so bold as Audi Shark! The first thing I saw when I looked at this concept design was the missing wheels. Designed by Kazim Doku Turk, the car is moving like a hovercraft.

 

This great concept will be coming soon to bring smile on all AUDI lovers.....So soon it will not just be Audi A4 or A8 or others but also Audi Shark will also be in race to compete the market.

Join Facebook on mobile and get Rs 50 talktime

Wohhh it was great when I heard this astonishing truth that Facebook is giving Rs50 talk time to its new users who join facebook via mobile.

Facebook has quietly launched this new talktime offer to lure new registrations via mobile phones by offering talktime worth Rs 50 for free in return.

Popular social network, Facebook has started a programme in India under which it is offering new users free talktime worth Rs 50.

So if a user registers himself/herself to Facebook through mobile using the URL - m.facebook.com/tt, his mobile number would get credited by Rs 50. Obviously, this offer is meant for new registrations only and is valid for registrations through mobile only.

After registration, a user has to provide his mobile number on the Facebook Talktime page. "Once you sign up and confirm your account, you will receive the talktime within three days," Facebook said.

Facebook has currently around 50 million users in India, 30 per cent of which reportedly access the social network through their mobile phones. It would thus be interesting to see how many Indian users actually signed up through this offer. Also if it becomes successful, Facebook would have a large database of phone numbers belonging to Indian users who voluntarily provided them during registrations.

It would be interesting to see if any other social network would like to take the same route of offering free talktime or freebies just to register and join a social network.

So guys what are you waiting for have your 1st free talktime joining facebook via mobile.....enjoyyy. 

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iRing:The iPhone Controller

This design created by Victor Soto is meant to control the Playback functionality of your iPod/iPhone device wirelessly through the use of a ring that you wear on your finger. The touch-sensitive function strip and the battery life of 12 hours make the iRing an object of intense desire.

With a stylish design and wireless Bluetooth connectivity with your iPod and iPhone, the iRing allows you to control playback and volume on any of your Apple media devices. iRing features a bright OLED status display with touch-sensitive function strip, and a rechargeable battery life of up to 2 days. Conveniently recharge your iRing using the included cradle. Its minimal size and unique ring-lock mechanism make it an ideal companion for charging and storing your iRing.

This Gadget is unique because its has great concept of Bluetooth ring which has designed by Victor Solo. This ring connectivity with wireless bluetooth of your ipad and iphone. After connected you can play songs, volume control up and down, skip music, and with play and pause function controls on the ring. iRing features as a touch sensitive functions strip.

Its a nice innovative concept and will make life easy for all lazy persons and also for those who are more fancy.

Cloud Sofa:Innovative concept

I'm going to break your heart right off the bat: this is just a concept. But what an awesome concept it is. Dreamed up by D.K. Wei, the Cloud "magnetic floating sofa" captures the kind of thoughts anyone has while lazing around and staring at the clouds.

This is an elegant concept created by designer D.K. Wei. The Cloud sofa is supposed to give one the illusion of floating on their own personal cloud. A magnet in the base is supposed to generate enough magnetic force to hold the sofa aloft. The cloud is constructed from a plexiglass mold.

It is only natural that someone would take the Hoverit one step further with the Cloud sofa. Designer D.K. Wei’s magnetic floating sofa is designed for “ultra comfort and relaxation”. 

The soft upper part can somehow remain airborne thanks to the force generated by the bottom base. I wonder how much the user can move around on the cushion before that upper part cannot be held aloft by the magnetic force.

The Cloud sofa was apparently an entry in a relaxation design contest, and it was good enough to win an honorable mention. 

Sadly, this Cloud sofa still remains a concept now, but I would love to try it out. Granted, I wish there was some support for your back, as I would love to work on my laptop while resting on this

However, I believe the whole point is to allow the user the experience of resting on a cloud. I wonder if it is as relaxing as it looks. 

From the designer:

Cloud is a sofa concept designed for ultra comfort and relaxation. The soft floating upper part is supported by the magnetic force generated by the bottom base. No matter if you want to work and sit with comfort or simply a power nap to release the stress, you can always enjoy your time to relax on the floating cloud.

Raspberry Pi:Best way to Learn Coding

Students Learn Coding In An Hour Using Raspberry Pi, isn't it great!!!!


Broadcom teaches school students--most with no background in programming--how to program a game in 60 minutes using the popular Linux computer.  

The credit-card-sized device with good capabilities at $25 became an instant hit when it was launched earlier this year. Raspberry Pi is a trend-setting device that you certainly cannot ignore. This is the reason why it was the hot topic at the recently conducted Broadcom MASTERS program--short for Math, Applied Science, Technology, Engineering and Rising Stars. 


At the the Raspberry Pi event held in D.C. from 28 September to 3 October, network and communications giant Broadcom used the Linux machine to teach children how to program a game in an hour. 


Starting with a snake game, middle-school students--most with no background in programming, were given a Raspberry Pi during their breakfast programming session. They were asked to expand on the game with an aim to make it a little different within an hour. Kids were segregated into six groups of five; and each group was also assisted by a Broadcom employee and a student from Howard University. 


It is worth mentioning here that kids could successfully turned snake into a multiplayer game. They also created a version of the game with holographic apples that the snake would pass through rather than eat, according to a report by Mashable.


Many small-sized computers have come into the market in the past, but none have made such an impact. The makers of Raspberry Pi chose Linux to keep the cost down. Also, the idea behind making such a device was to encourage programming amongst students. 


According to Eben Upton, founder of the Raspberry Pi Foundation, the beauty of the Raspberry Pi is that almost anyone can buy one and use it as a dedicated programming machine.