Coke zero

Coke zeros campaign “Life as it should be” is real fun on the Internet. You can direct your own small movie and afterwards send it to all your friends. Coke has found some old b/w film clips that you, as the director, can manipulate by using an easy voice recorder. You can write “the conversation” to your own clip and say what ever you want. Afterwards your movie competes with other movies to be the highest rated. This is living “life as it should be”. Beat your friends to it

IT firms lukewarm to EU's Blue Card proposal

The Blue Card plan, if passed, would allow suitably qualified people and their families to live and work within the EU. The EU says it needs 20 million skilled workers over the next two decades and is very short of expertise in engineering and computer technology.

TCS, Infy, Wipro to hire 90,000 in 2008

India's top three IT companies are going to recruit 90,000 more in the Financial Year 2008, a top Kotak Mahindra Asset Management official said in Mumbai on Wednesday.

Computer sales up by 22% in India

According to Computer Association of Eastern India (COMPASS) president Pawan Jajodia, 55 lakh PCs were sold in India in 2006-07 with Eastern region accounting for 15 lakh registering about 30 per cent growth in sales in the region.

New satellite=computers in villages

ISRO officials said GSAT-4 is a technology demonstrator. Its communication payload comprises multi-beam

Bharti offers Rs 2,650 cr for all-India spectrum

Under pressure from rival CDMA operators and government on the spectrum front, Bharti Airtel on Monday offered Rs 2,650 crore (Rs 26.50 billion) for all-India frequency as an initial bid that can be increased further.

IBM to invest more in India labs for IT security

IBM plans to increase its investments in its two software laboratories in Pune and Bangalore as part of its $1.5 billion security initiative in 2008, announced on November 1.

A big fan of iPod and iPhone

Having graduated from the days when his Windows machine gave up mid-presentation, Ajay Adiseshann, managing director and founder, PayMate, has found true love in Apple iPod and iPhone.

Finally, you can buy five iPhones in a single visit

Not to say that the market for unlocked iPhones is quite as white hot as it once was, but Apple's now willing to part with as many as five iPhones per customer, up from the draconian two imposed back in October. The limit had been imposed to put the kibosh on rampant unlocking and selling of iPhones on the secondary market -- particularly abroad -- and Apple must figure that Europeans with a hankering for some Cupertino kit are more likely now to turn to their official domestic options to get hooked up. Of course, supply is probably more plentiful now than it ever has been, too, but whatever -- the point is that Apple's more than happy to take your 2 large in exchange for 5 iPhones if you're so inclined.

Earth From Above

French photographer Yann Arthus-Bertrand's beautiful images of the planet have become a coffee table favorite across the world. Today we are excited to present a new Google Earth layer of nearly 500 of his images, many taken from hot air balloons and all taken from above the earth. Each image is paired with thought-provoking statistics about the current environmental situation they depict. The facts and figures were put together by GoodPlanet.org, Yann's non-profit organization established to promote environmental awareness and sustainable development.In June this year, we launched Google Earth Outreach, a program to empower non-profit groups with resources and tools to use Google Earth to promote their cause. Today's new "Earth From Above" layer (located in the Global Awareness folder in Google Earth) is an excellent example of what such groups can accomplish.Not only can you enjoy these stunning new photographs on Google Earth -- we're also launching an iGoogle gadget you can add to your personalized Google homepage to see a different image each day. You can find the iGoogle gadget and a YouTube interview with Yann here. We hope you enjoy them!

Vodafone not a HIT among users

Vodafone’s entry into India was one of the biggest and the costliest one. After all the rebranding exercises and other supporting stuff, the brand hasn’t managed to keep it’s users happy. We are not the one who are shouting but a poll going on in one of the Vodafone’s community at Orkut which has over 52 thousand members. Of course the number of votes in the poll is pretty less than the total members but come on, everyone needs to be happy. Isn’t it?

Reason cited by them is that Vodafone lifted all the offers which Hutch was offering prior to the name change.

Nokia hopes to bless mobiles with HD recording capability

We've already seen a multimedia processor that can deliver the HD goods to our cellphones, but Nokia is looking beyond the display and hoping to cram HD recording abilities in, too. According to Nokia's Chief Technology Officer Tero Ojanpera, HD recording on a handset "is coming," and he noted that "technically, it is just a couple of years away." Analyst Alan Brown of research firm Gartner chimed in to say that some eight- to ten-percent of all cellphones could actually have HD video capabilities by 2010 or 2011, but he also suggested that the chances of those percentages growing larger than that within the aforementioned timeframe were slim. Still, we can't help but be intrigued by the possibility, but hopefully Nokia (and the rest) will learn a thing or two from the shortfalls exposed in the diminutive pistol-grip HD camcorder segment.

The Samsung Katalyst, T-Mobile's latest Hotspot @Home phone

The rumored t739 Katalyst from Samsung has gotten official today for T-Mobile, shoring up a Hotspot @Home lineup that presently features the lowly Nokia 6086 down in the basement and the BlackBerry Curve 8320 up top. The t739 is the first slider certified for T-Mobile's WiFi-enabled calling service, giving it an instant dose of street cred among folks that love the UMA concept but can't stand clamshells. In fact, with a 1.3 megapixel camera, Bluetooth, and a 220 x 176 display, the Katalyst is essentially a slider rendition of the t409 with the addition of a microSD slot. Yeah, we'd still like to see a little more meat in the lineup -- a 3.2 megapixel camera and 3G would get us to shut up, just as a fr'instance -- but in the meantime, we're always happy for a little choice of form factor. Grab it for a penny shy of $80 on a two-year contract.

Cognizant hikes share repurchase to $200 mn

IT and business process outsourcing services provider Cognizant Technology Solutions Corporation has expanded its share repurchase programme to $200 million.

IBM's India revenues to hit $1 bn in 2007

"We expect our revenues to reach $1 billion by the end of this calendar year up from $700 million in 2006 driven by strong factors. In the first three quarters of the current financial, the company's revenue has grown by over 39 per cent," IBM vice president (financial management) Jesse Green said in New York.

Bharti, Idea, Vodafone to share infrastructure

India's top three GSM mobile operators, Bharti, Vodafone and Idea Cellular have joined hands to set up an independent tower company, Indus Towers, that aims to share passive infrastructure with all telecom players to enable lower cost and a more competitive operative environment.

Vodafone forges Indian alliance

Vodafone, Bharti Airtel, India's largest mobile operator, and Idea, a smaller rival, have agreed to pool network infrastructure in a joint venture that may in the future seek a stock exchange listing.

Beat memory blues with Brain Fitness 2.0

Adults aged 65 and above showed improvements in memory by working for an hour a day for eight weeks on a computer-based programme called Brain Fitness 2.0 from Post Science, a study published on Monday said. By contrast, participants who were given documentaries to watch showed only marginal improvement, it added.

Intel to release dual-core Celerons on January 20th?

If the rumor mill is to be believed, Intel's about to have a pretty busy January -- first delivering Penryn on the sixth, and then shipping the first dual-core Celeron processors alongside those long-rumored Yorkfield and Wolfdale chips on the 20th, according to Digitimes. The new Celeron E1000 will apparently run at 1.2GHz and sit on an 800MHz bus with 512K of cache. The report also lays out specs on the 45nm Yorkfield and Wolfdale chips that are pretty similar to what we'd already heard: quad-core QX9000-series Yorkfields at from 2.5 to 2.83GHZ, and Core 2 Duo E8000-series Wolfdales from 2.66 to 3.16GHz. Hmm, the 20th seems pretty close to a certain keynote, doesn't it?

How would you change Nokia's N95?

We know, Nokia's hotly anticipated (and equally well received) N95 has been shipping to all corners of the globe for much of the year -- save for America, of course. Recently, however, those of us parked in the US of A were able to grab hold of a 3G iteration to call our very own, and while we're mighty confident many owners are just glad to (finally) have one, there's a heightened level of expectations that comes along with a price tag this large. Sure, it's hard to knock the 5-megapixel camera, blazing HSDPA support and integrated GPS, but even Achilles had his heel.

For those of you fortunate enough to own this here mobile, why not release a little steam by venting to us those minor, yet inexplicably annoying quirks that are preventing the N95 from being the phone it could otherwise be? Not quite satisfied with the design? Slightly perturbed by the current storage capacity limits? Do you truly feel as if this thing should handle laundry and Quake in its spare time? C'mon, we're confident this heralded handset has a few niggles holding it down, and while a certain segment of you are already enjoying the niceties presented by the latest firmware release, we know this thing is a few features shy of unequivocal domination. Let's hear it! Oh, and don't spend too much time bragging about ownership -- let's get to the good stuff, k?

Nokia: our Comes with Music service is not Universal's Total Music

Remember Nokia's utopian / not-so-free and crippled "free" Comes with Music offering? We've been in contact with Nokia who'd like to clarify the service. According to Nokia, Comes with Music is, "completely independent from the Universal music store." Nokia further distances themselves by stating that, "Universal was simply the first of these to publicly sign on. The fact that there are some similarities shows how the industry is thinking about the future of digital music - but its not a sign of any direct linkage between the offerings." So, now we know what it isn't, but we still don't know exactly what it is. Regardless, anything can happen between now and the launch in "mid 2008" -- an eternity on a digital music evolution timeline. Perhaps the lack of detail is Nokia's way of farming public opinion before the details are announced. Wouldn't be a first.

Intel intros enhanced laptops

It provides for faster processors and chipsets, better video and graphics, faster wireless signals, better security and manageability

Intel India today announced a host of new technologies, including faster Intel Core2 Duo processors, for its latest-generation Intel Centrino processor technology used in notebook PCs for consumers and businesses.

It provides for faster processors and chipsets, better video and graphics, faster wireless signals, better security and manageability. It is designed for energy efficiency to enable great battery life.

More than 230 Intel Centrino Duo and Intel Centrino Pro processor technology-based designs from PC manufacturers, resellers and integrators around the world are expected to take advantage of these and other features this year. Intel said in a statement.

Notebooks would come with designs ranging from fully loaded, 17-inch wide-screen models ideal for entertainment to tiny, energy-saving notebook PCs that weigh less than three pounds, Intel statement added.

“When we introduced Intel Centrino four years ago, Intel changed the computing landscape with our mobile innovations,” said Ramamurthy Sivakumar, managing director, Intel South Asia. “Now, simply said, we have improved virtually all aspects of Intel-based notebooks, the most popular and fastest growing computing market segment in the world.”

At the heart of the new Intel Centrino Duo and Intel Centrino Pro processor technology-based notebooks is the next-generation of Intel’s highly acclaimed Intel Core2 Duo processor, delivers breakthrough mobile performance and responsiveness for demanding business users and consumers alike.

The Mobile Intel 965 Express chipset family with Intel Clear Video Technology enables an enhanced high-definition video experience. Intel Turbo Memory is an optional feature, that can access frequently used software applications twice as fast and reduce the amount of time it takes to turn on, or boot-up, a laptop by as much as 20 per cent. In turn, these faster speeds save on power consumption and increase battery life.

“Intel's Centrino Pro processor technology now allows the inherent benefits of Intel vPro processor technology to be implemented in a mobile solution. Built-in features like remote management could potentially reduce infrastructure downtime and cost, in a form factor traditionally harder to keep tabs on due to the portable nature of notebooks," said Reuben Tan, research manager, Personal systems, IDC Asia/Pacific.

"E-cigarette" helps you stub out the habit

The world's first "electronic" cigarette hopes to double sales this year as it expands overseas

It feels like a cigarette, looks like a cigarette but it isn't bad for your health.

A Chinese company marketing the world's first "electronic" cigarette hopes to double sales this year as it expands overseas and as some of China's legions of smokers try to quit.

Golden Dragon Group Ltd's Ruyan cigarettes are battery-powered, cigarette-shaped devices that deliver nicotine to inhalers in a bid to emulate actual smoking.

"The nicotine is delivered to the lungs within 7 to 10 seconds," said Scott Fraser, Vice President of SBT Co. Ltd., the Beijing-based firm that first developed the electronic cigarette technology in 2003 and which is now controlled by Golden Dragon.

"It feels like a cigarette, looks like a cigarette, it even emits vapour. In many ways, it is like an actual smoking experience, and that's what makes us different," he told Reuters.

The cigarettes sell for around 1,600 yuan ($208) apiece and are already available in China, Israel, Turkey, and a number of European countries, but not yet the United States.

Golden Dragon's competitors include global giants Pfizer and Novartis AG, which sell more familiar nicotine replacement products such as chewing gum, patches, and inhalers.

But Golden Dragon's financial results show it might be onto a good thing. Sales more than doubled to HK$286.1 million in 2006, after surging more than ten-fold to HK$135.6 million in 2005, a year after the technology was perfected.

China - home to 400 million smokers and a roughly $160 billion dollar tobacco industry - accounts for 65 percent of Ruyan sales. The firm estimates around 10 percent of China's smokers are attempting to quit, and averaging a 2 percent success rate.

Idea, Aircel, Spice in merger talks: Report

Aircel Cellular Ltd. is in talks to merge with Idea Cellular Ltd. and Spice Telecom, an Indian Financial newspaper said today, citing industry executives close to the negotiations.

Idea, Spice and Aircel planned to merge to create "a pan-Indian presence" to compete with larger players, the paper said.

One executive at Aircel - majority-owned by Malaysia's top mobile phone firm Maxis Communications - confirmed the talks, the paper said.

Idea, India's fifth-largest mobile services firm, listed earlier this year, while Spice, which is 49 percent owned by Telekom Malaysia, plans an initial public offering.

A spokeswoman for Idea did not immediately return calls.

Last week, a Spice official said reports that it would merge with larger rival Idea were speculative.

India's mobile market, the world's fastest-growing, is dominated by Bharti Airtel Ltd., Reliance Communications Ltd., state-owned Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd. and Hutchison Essar.

Happiness is an Indian IT worker

Nearly a third of Indian information technology workers are highly satisfied with their job-well above the average for other Indian workers, says a CyberMedia Dice-TNS survey of IT professionals.

70 pc of IT workers surveyed had been promoted in the last year.

60 pc of IT workers surveyed still kept their CVs posted on the internet even when satisfied with their jobs.

9 out of 10 Indian IT professionals say their ideal employer would be a foreign or Indian multinational software firm.

The Net spreads across Asia

Asia is witnessing explosive Internet growth as developing and less-developed countries log on to the revolution. Three and four-digit growth in several countries means the emergence of large markets in the continent.

Countries-Number of users(in millions)-Penetration(% of population)-Usage growth(2000-2007)

Bangladesh--4.7--0.3%--270.0%

China--137--10.4%--508.9%

India--40--3.5%--700.0%

Indonesia--18--8.0%--800.0%

Japan--86.3--67.1%--83.3%

Malaysia--13.5--47.8%--265.6%

Pakistan--12.0--7.2%--8861.9%

Philippines--7.8--9.0%--291.0%

(Figures are till March 10,2007)

Best e-governance State 2000

RANKING

Ranking of states on the perceived improvement in the delivery of government services through e-governance initiative

1. Kerala - 1
2. Delhi - 2
3. Gujarat - 3
4. Madhya Pradesh - 4
5. Goa - 5
6. Karnataka - 6
7. Maharashtra - 7
8. Tamil Nadu - 7
9. Chhattisgarh - 8
10. Andhra Pradesh - 8
11. Uttar Pradesh - 9
12. Uttaranchal - 10
13. Haryana - 11
14. West Bengal - 11
15. Punjab - 12
16. Orissa - 13
17. Rajasthan - 14

IBM bags DLF Rs 120 crore contract

IBM India has won a Rs 120 crore contract from DLF to manage its IT infrastructure. The 10 year contract includes IBM standards,technology and delivery infrastructure for DLF across over 20 locations in India. IBM would also ensure security systems and put a disaster recovery plan in place. DLF's helpdesk wold be operated by IBM.

The Information Technology Amendment Bill, 2006

The Information Technology Amendment Bill, 2006 is available at the
www.manupatra.com webpage. (No Login Required)

Alternative download from the following link,
http://apargupta.googlepages.com/The20Information20Technology20Amendm.pdf

NEW IT HUB

Hi friends,

After Pune and Bangalore, now the new IT hub of India is Going to be in North India and the lucky city is Chandigarh.

I'll keep updating this blog with the latest in IT news

20 m vista copies sold in one month

Hello Friend

Microsoft corp has sold 20 million consumer copies of the new Windows Vista operating system worldwide in february, but analysts said the data shed little light on the programme's popularity during its first month on the market.