Friday 15 November 2013

    When does Sachin Tendulkar's final Test match start? All you need to know about the Little Master's exit
      Our guide to the Indian batsman's 200th and final Test exactly 24 years after his career began and where you can watch all the action
      End of an era: Sachin Tendulkar is preparing for an emotional farewell from the cricket world
      End of an era: Sachin Tendulkar is preparing for an emotional farewell from the cricket world
      l
      Sachin Tendulkar will call time on his career after India's upcoming Test against the West Indies.
      As the world's leading Test and one-day batsman, the 40-year-old will go down as the greatest of his generation between the stumps.
      And here we have a run-down of where you can catch his predictably emotional farewell in Mumbai.

      Where and when?

      The Test will begin on Thursday November 14 and could last for up to five days. It will take place at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai, with play starting at around 4am (GMT) each day.

      Where can I follow it?

      Each Test will be screened on Sky Sports and Sky Sports HD, with coverage starting at 03:45.
      The first day on Thursday will be live on Sky Sports 1.
      While the TV schedule may not suit British viewers, replays and highlights will be available later in the day.
      Indian cricketer Sachin Tendulkar
      Hats off to him: India will be bidding farewell to a legend

      What are the betting odds?

      While the fairytale finale of a Tendulkar century to close his career may seem a long shot, it is very much a possibility.
      SkyBet are offering odds of 6/1 on the batsman scoring a century in his first innings.
      His dismissal method - should there be one - is also on offer, with the favourite being him caught out, at 13/8.
      However, India are the clear favourites for the Test at 8/15 with the West Indies rank outsiders at 8/1.


India-Republic of Korea Joint Commission Meeting was held
The 7th India-Republic of Korea Joint Commission Meeting (JCM) was held in New Delhi on 8 November 2013. The Indian side was led by External Affairs Minister, Salman Khurshid, while the Republic of Korea (ROK) side was led by Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se. The two nations did a comprehensive review of bilateral relations, which were upgraded to a Strategic Partnership and acquired range and depth over the past few years. Noting that high level political exchanges had imparted momentum to the relationship, India and South Korea discussed the possibility of a visit to India by ROK President Madame Park Geun-hye in early 2014. The JCM discussed ways to add strategic and economic content to bilateral ties including in the political, security, trade, investment, consular, scientific and cultural spheres. Regional and international issues of mutual interest were also discussed. The 8th India-ROK Joint Commission Meeting at a mutually convenient time will be held in Seoul in 2014. 
Coffee Board ready to launch new hybrid varieties of Coffee - 
Jawaid Akhtar, the Chairman of the Coffee Board on 14 November 2013 declared about the plan of the board to introduce three or four new hybrid varieties of coffee during the 55th Annual Conference of the Karnataka Planters Association. 

The board is also trying to expand the land under coffee in the traditional coffee growing states by 20000 hectares. The expansion is also being planned in the non-traditional like Andhra Pradesh and Odisha. 

As per Jawaid Akhtar, the Government supports the efforts of the coffee growers by increasing mechanization. During the 12th Plan Period, the Government has also preparing the scheme for the implementation of the coffee growers referring the increase in the demand of the coffee. -

Sunday 27 October 2013

IT top four-TCS, Infosys, Wipro and HCL Technologies build Rs 56,000 cr cash chest

The combined cash position of these companies stood at about $8 billion at the start of 2013-14 financial year.
The combined cash position of these companies stood at about $8 billion at the start of 2013-14 financial year.


NEW DELHI: Country's top four IT companies -- TCS, Infosys, WiproBSE 2.07 %and HCL TechnologiesBSE 2.38 % -- have seen their combined cash chest swell to a whopping USD 9 billion (Rs 56,000 crore) as their businesses continue to generate profitable growth despite turbulent macroeconomic scenario.


This marks an increase of about $ one billion since the beginning of current fiscal in the four companies' cumulative cash position, which includes cash, cash equivalents, bank deposits and disposable financial investments. The combined cash position of these companies stood at about $8 billion at the start of 2013-14 financial year.

Individually, Tata group's IT arm, N Chandrasekaran-led TCSBSE 2.92 % ( Tata Consultancy ServicesBSE 2.92 %) reported total cash and cash equivalents of USD 1.22 billion as on September 30, 2013.

Its closest rival, N R N Murthy-led InfosysBSE 0.64 % also saw its cash balance stand at USD 4.31 billion at the end of September 30, 2013. Significantly, Infosys accounts for nearly half of the total USD 9 billion cash chest of the four IT giants.

Azim Premji-led Wipro, which continued to post slowest sequential growth in revenues in the quarter ended September 30 among the four companies, reported a cash chest of USD 2.5 billion.

HCL Technologies, the country's fourth largest IT firm, ended September quarter with cash and cash equivalents, (including deposits) of USD 979 million.

Amid expectations that the growing cash position of these companies would be deployed into purposes aimed at generating additional shareholder wealth, all the four companies have seen robust rallies in their respective share prices.

TCS, which commands nearly Rs 4 lakh crore market value, has seen its stock rise from Rs 1,500 levels to over Rs 2,000 range so far in the current fiscal.

Infosys, which has seen a kind of exodus of senior executives in recent months, has also performed strongly in the stock market since Murthy's return and the shares have risen from Rs 2,900 level to above Rs 3,400 now.

Wipro's share price has surged from Rs 440 level to about Rs 480 at present, while HCL Technologies saw its shares soar from Rs 800 range to Rs 1,100 now
.

RBI may hike interest rate this week, MSF rate cut likely: experts

New Delhi: Worsening price situation may prompt the Reserve Bank to raise interest rate by 0.25 per cent in its policy review on Tuesday, but it is also likely to announce some liquidity easing steps.

"I think RBI will give support to liquidity by lowering MSF rates or by announcing OMO auctions," Indian Overseas Bank chairman and managing director M Narandra told PTI.

There may or may not be some symbolic announcement on repo rate front, he added.

"Our expectation is that RBI would raise repo rate by 0.25 per cent, while marginal standing facility (MSF) would be lowered by a similar percentage point," Bank of Baroda executive director Ranjan Dhawan told PTI.

A hike in repo rate by 25 basis points is expected on October 29 to anchor inflationary expectations going forward, SBI chief economic adviser Soumya Kanti Ghosh said.

He, however, added that a simultaneous downward calibration of MSF may be required to reduce the cost of borrowing for banks.

In his first policy review, RBI Governor Raghuram Rajan last month had surprised markets by increasing repo rate by 0.25 per cent in a bid to check inflation.

High food prices, especially of onion and some other vegetables pushed up September inflation to seven-month high of 6.46 per cent.

The Wholesale Price Index (WPI) based inflation rose for the fourth month in a row. Inflation was 6.1 per cent in August and 5.85 per cent (revised upward from 5.79 per cent) in July. In September last year, it was 8.07 per cent.

The sharpest increase was in onion prices which jumped by 322.94 per cent in September, over the same month last year.

Onion prices in some of the cities have gone up as high as Rs. 100 per kg adding pressure on household expenses.

Earlier this month, RBI had lowered the marginal standing facility (MSF) rate by 0.50 per cent to bring down the cost of fund.

"The apex bank reduced the MSF fund from 9.5 per cent to 9 per cent. The average cost of borrowings of the banks from the LAF window has declined by 40 basis points," Mr Ghosh said. Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu India senior director Anis Chakravaty said the RBI seems to be focusing on the twin objectives of anchoring inflation through the repo mechanism and ensuring adequate liquidity in the system.

The RBI will consider raising rates in the current review to bring inflation under control. It is also likely that the RBI will not hesitate to raise rates till the end of the fiscal cycle if necessary, if it finds consumer prices to be sticky and inflation to persist, he added.

Vodafone India to invest Rs. 4,000-6,000 crore annually

UK-based Vodafone has around 154 million subscribers in India. File photo.
APUK-based Vodafone has around 154 million subscribers in India. File photo.

Vodafone India, the nation’s second-biggest telecom firm, will continue to invest a minimum of Rs. 4,000 crore to Rs. 6,000 crore every year to expand operations in the world’s second-biggest mobile phone market, its chief executive has said.
The company, which has invested Rs. 55,000 crore since coming to India in 2007, plans to invest in networks after it gets new spectrum and its licences are extended.
“We see every year investment level of around anything between Rs. 4,000 and 6,000 crore that we have done in last (few) years. On top of that Rs. 11,500 crore is what we paid for 3G spectrum. You can expect that (this) level at least will be sustained,” Vodafone India’s MD and CEO Marten Pieters told PTI in an interview in New Delhi.
He said that the company has invested total of about Rs. 55,000 crore in its telecom networks in period of last six years and paid government an equivalent amount in terms of licence fee, taxes and for buying spectrum.
UK-based Vodafone has around 154 million subscribers in India, and broadly 18 per cent of the Indian mobile market as per August data. It is country’s second-biggest telecom company in terms of user base.
Mr. Pieters, however, said that the investments will depend on spectrum and licence extension, where a lot of clarity needs to come.
“But again I need spectrum for that (investments) because even if I want to I don’t know where to invest. Once I get spectrum, you would see us investing at that level,” he said.
Vodafone India’s licences are due to expire in three metros — Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata. The spectrum held by Vodafone in three metros, Bharti Airtel in two metros and Loop Mobile in Mumbai would be put for auction, which is expected to start in January, 2014.
As per government announcements, the company will have to bid for spectrum in the auction, initially being conducted for three metros, to continue its business in these service areas.
Asked about Telecom Minister Kapil Sibal’s recent statement about Vodafone Group Plc having told him about plans to invest more than $2 billion in the country, he said that spending referred to the UK parent’s plan to raise stake in the Indian unit to 100 per cent.
This follows the government’s decision in August to remove the sectoral cap on foreign firms investing in telecom firms. Vodafone directly and indirectly owns a combined 84.5 per cent of Vodafone India.
Earlier, foreign firms were restricted from holding no more than 74 per cent of telecom firms in direct ownership.
“100 per cent FDI was welcomed by Vodafone because we think that we need more growth opportunity in the future financially. Actually Indian ownership was a restriction which means if you want to strengthen your balance sheet by bringing in equity, also your Indian partner needs to bring in equity which is of course tough. Vodafone will use that opportunity to go to 100 per cent,” Mr. Pieters said.
On the status of Vodafone group’s application before Foreign Investment Permission Board (FIPB), he said: “I know only as much as you know.”
India is fifth largest contributor to Vodafone Plc’s revenues and fourth in terms of profits.
“We are absolutely number 1 when it comes to customers. Since, the customer don’t give us so much money in India, the revenue is about number 5, operational profitability we are number 4 now,” he said.
Mr. Pieters said Vodafone is also working out plans to invest in India under Project Spring where its plans to invest about USD 9 billion in next three financial years across the globe in its 4G, 3G and other telecom networks.
“We are planning for that (Project Spring) of course in India also but again it is very much depending on can we get spectrum to spend that money,” he said.

Festive season hiring may rise 5-12%: Experts


However, an overall weak economic scenario may take a toll on bonus payments for employees as companies seek to spend more on sales and marketing.

Hiring has been subdued for the past few months and some companies have even imposed a freeze on fresh recruitments amid the economic uncertainty. However, with the onset of the festival season there is a renewed focus on employing additional staff to boost business.

"There is an expectation of 10-12 per cent growth in new job creation in the remaining part of the year. Main drivers of jobs would be IT, ITes, hardware, construction and engineering. Major metros are expected to contribute to most of the new job creation," CareerBuilder India MD Pramlesh Machama said.

While India celebrates festivals through the year, the last four months are relatively busier, starting with Ganesh Chaturthi and Dussehra celebrated earlier this month, followed by Diwali on November 3 and then Christmas and New Year.

Consumer spending during these months increases significantly across various products and services and businesses need additional manpower.

Randstad India and Sri Lanka CEO Moorthy K Uppaluri said: "Since customer spending and demand are generally high during festival occasions, we expect hiring to increase by 5 per cent, especially in front-end sales functions."

During the festive season, retailers need extra people for sales and customer service and many consumer durable companies ramp up promotional activities. There is demand for jobs such as cashiers, coordinators and event management staff.

"Various brands unleash their sales campaign and product launches and for this they require manpower to pull it off. It is likely that most flexi staff will be hired in retail outlets, malls, among others, to manage their front-end sales and customer care," Indian Staffing Federation VP Rituparna Chakraborty said.

The hotels and hospitality sector scrambles to find temps while travel companies see increased business.

According to TeamLease Services Co-Founder and Senior Vice President Sangeeta Lala, "Overall, hiring will go up in this season also, though only for extremely short periods and not as a sustained requirement."

Briefly Business: Gold at R32,000 on festive demand

Gold at Rs 32,000 on festive demand
Mumbai: Gold reclaimed the psychological Rs 32,000 per 10 gm mark at the bullion market here amid swelling festive and wedding-related off-take. Standard gold rose by Rs 175 to close at Rs 32,015 per 10 grams, while pure gold of 99.9 per cent purity also rose by Rs 175 to close at Rs 32,165. Silver rose by Rs 360 to Rs 50,540 per kg.
JSW Energy Q2 profit slides 36%
New Delhi: Power producer JSW Energy on Saturday reported 36 per cent decline in net profit at Rs 162.59 crore in the three months ended September, mainly hit by forex losses. The company, part of the diversified JSW Group, had a net profit of Rs 254.04 crore in the year-ago period. In the second quarter of current financial year, the company raked in a total income of Rs 2,024.63 crore compared to Rs 2,076.53 crore in the same period a year ago.
Sundaram Home Fin Q2 profit up 12.16%
Chennai: Sundaram BNP Paribas Home Finance has reported 12.16 per cent increase in net profit at Rs 70.17 crore for the six month period ending September 30. The company, the home finance subsidiary of Sundaram Finance, said home loan disbursements during the period April to September 30, 2013 grew by 7.63 per cent to Rs 1,338.73 crore.
NLC Sept quarter net profit drops 28%
New Delhi: State-owned Neyveli Lignite Corporation (NLC) on Saturday reported 28.3 per cent year-on-year fall in net profit at Rs 240 crore for the quarter to September due to higher expenses

Dhanteras: Gold prices may cross Rs 33,000 level on supply squeeze

Gold prices are ruling at Rs 32,570 in Delhi and around Rs 31,700 in Mumbai, trade data showed. (AP)Gold prices are ruling at Rs 32,570 in Delhi and around Rs 31,700 in Mumbai, trade data showed. (AP)

Gold prices are ruling at Rs 32,570 in Delhi and around Rs 31,700 in Mumbai, trade data Gold prices may cross the Rs 33,000 level on 'Dhanteras', a day considered auspicious for buying the precious metal, on account of rising demand amid tight supplies, experts and bullion traders say.
Despite the expected price rise, the festive demand for jewellery on 'Dhanteras' on November 1 is expected to remain stable, but sale of coins and bars would see a decline by almost 50 per cent from the year-ago period, they estimated.
The all-time record for gold prices is Rs 34,500 per 10 grams in the New Delhi market. The precious metal hit this level on August 28 this year.
Currently, gold prices are ruling at Rs 32,570 in the national capital and around Rs 31,700 in Mumbai, trade data showed.
"There is bearishness in gold prices at present. But some run up in prices are expected, say an increase of Rs 300-1,000 per 10 grams on the Dhanteras day, due to higher premiums with squeeze in supplies," city-based brokerage firm SMC Comtrade Chairman and Managing Director D K Aggarwal told PTI.
Premium on gold could further increase from the existing level of Rs 1500-2000 per ten grams if demand-supply gap widens on the festival day, he said.
However, the year-on-year jump in domestic gold prices on Dhanteras this year would be very small from over last year's period because of weak global factors, he added.
As per the trade data, gold prices rose by 20 per cent to Rs 32,485 per 10 grams on Dhanteras day in 2012. Rates jumped by 37 per cent to Rs 27,130 per 10 grams on the festival day in 2011. In 2010, gold prices on Dhanteras day stood at Rs 19,740 per 10 grams.
In the domestic market, gold is being sold at a high premium due to supply crunch caused by government measures to restrict the import of precious metal in an effort to cut current account deficit.
All India Gems and Jewellery Trade Federation Chairman Haresh Soni said: "Impact of high gold premiums will be there on prices on the Dhanteras day because supplies have dried up in the absence of imports in the last three months due to festival.

Walmart resumes US lobbying on FDI in India

Walmart resumes US lobbying on FDI in India
Washington/New Delhi: Global retail giant Walmart has resumed its lobbying with the US lawmakers on matters related to FDI in India and it spent USD 1.5 million on about 50 specific issues, including those related to Indian market during the last quarter.

“Discussions regarding Foreign Direct Investment in India” is one of the ten-odd specific issues in the area of trade that were carried out by registered lobbyists on behalf of Walmart during third quarter of 2013, according to its latest Lobbying Disclosure Form submitted to the US Senate.

Overall, Walmart lobbyists discussed nearly 50 ‘specific issues’ with the US lawmakers during the quarter, resulting into total expenses of USD 1.5 million relating to lobbying activities for the reporting period, shows the 19-page disclosure report.
HUL reports net profit at Rs 914cr, up 13%

HUL reports profit after tax before exceptional items, PAT (bei), grew by 10% to Rs.883 Crores while Net Profit at Rs.914 Crores was up 13%.

During the quarter, HUL  , the Domestic Consumer business grew at 10%, ahead of market, driven by 5% underlying volume growth. Soaps & Detergents grew 6%; healthy volume growth Skin Cleansing sustained its strong performance, registering its fourth successive quarter of double digit volume growth with Lifebuoy, Breeze and Lux leading category growth. The quarter saw price deflation arising from actions taken earlier in the year to pass on the benefit of lower commodity costs to consumers. In Laundry, growth continued to be led by Surf and Rin while Wheel sales showed signs of stabilizing. Comfort fabric conditioners delivered robust growth on the back of sustained market development. Household Care continues to do very well with both Vim and Domex growing in double digit. Personal Products grew 12% in a slowing market; double digit growth across categories In Skin Care, growth stepped up to double digit, aided by a favorable comparator and good sales in advance of winter. Fair & Lovely was re-launched towards the end of the quarter with the new ‘Best Ever Formula’ and a focused activation plan. Vaseline and Dove lotions did particularly well, Lakme registered one of its strongest quarters of innovation led growth while Ponds saw good growth on talc. The portfolio was expanded with the Lakme Youth Infinity range and differentiated offerings in facial cleansing under Lakme, Ponds and Dove. Hair Care had another very good quarter with broad based double digit volume growth and TRESemmé gaining further ground. Hair conditioners continued to lead market development with sustained high growth. The global portfolio was further leveraged to launch the Toni & Guy range of premium hair care and styling offerings. In Oral Care, both brands delivered double digit growth in the context of a sharp increase in competitive intensity and in media spends. Pepsodent was re-launched with a superior product and proposition while Close Up continued to be driven by exciting activation. A&P investments were significantly stepped up to sustain our competitive position in this category. Colour Cosmetics maintained its strong innovation led growth momentum across the Lakme portfolio. Growth was driven by premium make-up with Absolute and 9 to 5 and a further acceleration in the growth of Elle 18. Beverages grew 16%; another strong performance by tea Tea delivered one of its strongest quarters, sustaining broad based price-led growth and healthy volumes. All key brands grew in double digits led by mix improvements and strong in-market activities. The continued thrust on market development for tea bags enabled flavored and green teabags sales to nearly double in the quarter. In a slowing coffee market, Bru growth was led by the robust performance of Bru Gold. Packaged Foods grew 9%; Kissan accelerates, Kwality Walls steps up Kissan maintained its double digit growth with a very good quarter for Ketchups while Knorr sales was driven by Instant Soups. Despite challenging market conditions, Kwality Walls stepped up to double digit growth through sharper in-market execution and the rollout of the ‘Perfect Stores’ program for the category. Volatile cost environment; competitive intensity heightens The operating context during the quarter was challenging given the volatile cost environment, led by the Rupee depreciation, and heightened competitive intensity. Overall industry media spend was up to its highest levels in over 18 quarters, with a particularly sharp increase in Oral Care. We invested at competitive levels across segments with a significant step up in Personal Products overall A&P spend was up by Rs.185 Crores (+165 bps) in the quarter. PBIT up 11%, margins expand +20bps Despite a sharp increase in A&P spends, Profit before Interest and Tax (PBIT) grew by 11% with PBIT margin improving +20 bps. Profit after tax before exceptional items, PAT (bei), grew by 10% to Rs.883 Crores while Net Profit at Rs.914 Crores was up 13%. The Board of Directors have declared an interim dividend of Rs 5.5 per equity share of face value Re. 1 each, for the year ending 31st March 2014. Harish Manwani, Chairman commented: “We have delivered another quarter of competitive and profitable growth. The consistency and resilience of our performance, in what has been a challenging market environment for some quarters now, is a reflection of the discipline with which we are managing our business and executing our strategy. We continue to strengthen our business for the long term by driving innovation, investing behind our brands and further building organizational capabilities.”



Is Twitter's standalone app for 'direct messages' in the offing?
New Delhi: If reports are to be believed, Twitter is mulling over bringing a dedicated, standalone mobile app for its Direct Messaging (DM) service. While there is no word from Twitter yet, its entry into the world of messaging apps seems likely as the messaging apps market is heating up. Many believe that by introducing a messaging app, Twitter may bring its barely DM feature to the forefront. Experts, on the other hand, question its success. "Many critics have questioned whether diversifying the product focus could distract Twitter from its core service," reports The Next Web. ALSO SEE Twitter now lets you receive Direct Messages from all followers It looks like Twitter is striving to make its long-buried DM service popular. Recently, the company made some change to its DM feature and introduced a new setting that allows a Twitter user to receive Direct Messages from any follower, irrespective of whether a user follows the sender or not. Twitter is gradually rolling out the new feature. While there is no word from Twitter yet, its entry into the world of messaging apps seems likely as the messaging apps market is heating up. (Social Media Message with Icons, via Shutterstock)

Sport makes India debut

British luxury car marque and Tata-owned Land Rover recently launched in India the much-awaited all-new Range Rover Sport. This model sports many features and is leap years ahead of its predecessor.Ammar Alvi finds out how this new beast is all set to shake up the high-end SUV market.
The all-new Range Rover Sport is the first vehicle in its segment to feature an advanced all-aluminium body structure. Engineered for total capability with a number of state-of-the-art technologies, this premium SUV, according to the company, is the fastest, most agile and responsive Land Rover ever. Developed alongside the highly-acclaimed all-new Range Rover, the new Range Rover Sport now delivers the brand’s best-ever on-road dynamics together with class-leading Land Rover all-terrain capability. The new technology-packed Range Rover Sport presents customers with a more assertive and muscular exterior as well as more luxurious interiors. 
Says Rohit Suri, vice-president, Jaguar & Land Rover India, “This premium sports SUV has reached greater heights in design, technology, driving dynamics and interior luxury.”
Audi Q7: Engine:3 litre petrol (329 HP) 3 litre diesel (241HP) 4.2 litre diesel (335 HP) Price: 66.18 lakh- 88.13 lakh (ex-showroom)
As far as engines go, the responsive and ultra-efficient 3.0-Litre SDV6 Turbodiesel has a power output of 292PS, which is a significant power increase over the previous model (256PS). Then there is the formidable 510PS 5.0-litre V8 Supercharged Petrol Engine that retains its place at the pinnacle of the all-new Range Rover Sport line-up. With huge reserves of power (510 PS) and torque (625 Nm), the scale of the performance on offer is reflected in the 0-100 kmph time of 5.3 seconds.
The distinctive design of the all-new Range Rover Sport builds on the core strengths of Range Rover’s design DNA. There are new interpretations of the signature clamshell bonnet, floating roof and side fender vents and the eye-catching details in the front lamps, feature the trademark inter-locking circles and distinctive LED signature graphics. The new model is the first vehicle in its segment with lightweight aluminium construction with its platform being 39 per cent lighter than its predecessor.
BMW X5 Engine: 3 litre diesel (245 HP) 4.4 litre petrol (408 HP) Price : 78.20 lakh- 80 lakh (ex-showroom)
 
The all-new Range Rover Sport is engineered for total capability with state of-the-art technologies, torque Vectoring system, Terrain Response 2 System with Auto Setting, Dynamic Response and Adaptive Dynamics.
The Sport starts with `109.91 lakh for the 3.0 litre diesel SDV6 S variant and goes up to `165.85 lakh for the 5.0 litre V8 SC petrol Autobiography variant (all prices ex-showroom)

How cool are the NWZ-WH303, MDR-10RNC and MDR-10RBT headphones Sony has just brought to India? Especially the first one? Haven’t heard of it before? Well, the NWZ-WH303 is a 3-in-1 headset which reels in one more convenient way of carrying your music with you.
That’s because the peripheral is also capable of storing your music with its 4GB in-built storage. So where do you plug in the device? You don’t. It’s wireless and the MP3 player holding your music is integrated right into the headphones. You only need to connect it to a computer for adding tracks to your collection or powering it up.
Sony NWZ-WH303
Sony says that the NWZ-WH303 can accommodate up to 1000 songs and keep going for roughly 20 hours on a full charge. The specs include 107db/mW sensitivity, 30Ω impedance and a 30 to 20,000Hz sensitivity range. What’s more, the earcups can also be turned into speakers and be made to blare music out loud whenever users wish it.
The Sony MDR-10RBT is a Bluetooth headset, which naturally means no wires. It can even be hooked up to NFC-enabled media players and delivers up to 17 hours of music playback. The peripheral embeds 40mm drivers and renders a 5 to 40,000Hz sensitivity range. The MDR-10RNC is a wired pair with noise canceling as its specialty, 40mm drivers and sensitivity of 6 to 24,000Hz.
Sony MDR-10RNC And MDR-10RBT
We haven’t got a chance to try out any of these Sony devices as yet. But you can scroll down and check out an extremely dodgy video of the NWZ-WH303 in action, if you please. Its cost in India is Rs 8,990. The MDR-10RNC and MDR-10RBT are priced at Rs 14,900 each.

Reliance Jio Infocom gets unified telecom licence


NEW DELHI: Reliance Jio Infocomm Ltd (RJIL), the telecom arm of Reliance Industries, today said it has received a unified telecom licence that will enable it to offer voice telephony and high speed data services across the country.

The Unified Licence for all 22 Service Areas across India will make the company the first telecom operator in the country to get pan India Unified Licence, the company said in a statement.

Sony India eyes Rs 3,500 crore smartphones sales this fiscal


Sony XperiaSony Xperia
SUMMARY'Sony Xperia range starts from Rs 9,000 and higher the better off course.'
Japanese electronic major Sony is targeting sales of Rs 3,500 crore in India this financial year from its Xperia range of smartphones.
According to Sony India Consumer Unit Head (Mobile Division) Tadato Kimura, company's smartphones business in the smartphones segment is growing very fast and it would achieve sales target of Rs 3,500 crore.
Sony, a late entrant in this segment, is heavily investing to capture a sizeable market in a quick span of time.
"In terms of smartphones, Sony is heavily investing in India and our series are growing quite fast," Kimura told PTI.
The company has planned 12 launches during this calender year and most of them has been launched.
In this segment, Sony is getting tough competition from rivals offering low-priced sets but the company is confident of winning customers with its expertise traditionally strong AV technology.
"We are injecting best of all Sony expertise be it camera, display, sound and beats technologies from our famous Walkman series. What ever Sony has is an asset, we are putting in (smartphones)," he said.
According to Kimura, the company is expecting good sales of its Xperia Z series of phones.
"Through this we can catch up (with) the industry. Now the market has shifted from feature phone to smartphone and the people now talk about camera and size of display and quality of sound...this is the area where Sony is raditionally strong," said Kimura.
He further said Sony has different price segments for its customers. Its phones start from even sub-Rs 10,000 and this should serve the needs of the price-sensitive Indian customers.
"Sony Xperia range starts from Rs 9,000 and higher the better off course. I do not think that Rs 9,000 is higher enough and the Young generation is buying them," he said.
On being asked that whether Sony would face competition from its rival Panasonic, which has also launched smartphones in the Indian market with a starting range from Rs 7,990, Kimura said that company was quite confident about its products.
"Actually it is a very very competitive segment and if you want to jump into the segment, you have to reduce the price, you have to talk

Apple's may release iPhone 6 in 2014 summer



Washington, Oct. 27 (ANI): Apple could launch iPhone 6 next year in summers.


In a research note, Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster said he expects Apple's sixth-generation iPhone to come with 'a larger screen option', adding that it could be a 'blockbuster'.
According to the New York Post, the news of early release of iPhone 6 is good news for the phone lovers and potentially for Apple shareholders.
The stock has been sagging over the last 12 months amid slumping sales growth and could use a boost from a 'blockbuster' product.
Last quarter, Apple eked out revenues of 35 billion dollars, which were flat from a year earlier.
In addition to the 'blockbuster' iPhone 6, Apple could also release brand new products like a watch and television, the report added

Samsung to launch Galaxy Golden phone in India: Report

Samsung to launch Galaxy Golden phone in India: Report
Samsung seems to be planning another big launch in the country for the coming festive season
Samsung seems to be planning another big launch in the country for the coming festive season. According to a report on AndroidOS.in website, the company is all set to launch its flip phone Galaxy Golden in India.


As per the news report, "The company has already imported around 1650 units of the phone in the country, which will soon reach the retail stores." An official announcement is expected sometime next week.

Launched in South Korea in August this year, Galaxy Golden has a clamshell design and sports two 3.7" Super AMOLED displays with WVGA resolution. The phone with dual touchscreens also has a alphanumeric keypad.

Galaxy Golden is powered by a dual-core 1.7 GHz processor. On camera front, there's an 8MP rear camera with LED flash and a 1.9MP front camera. The phone runs on Android 4.2 operating system and packs 1820mAh battery.

Though there is no official word on the Galaxy Golden's pricing in India, reports suggest that the phone is likely to be priced above Rs 45,000. 
Earlier this month, Samsung fan website SamMobile too reported that the company will soon launch a flip-phone in a few Asian countries, including India.

Samsung Galaxy Golden was launched in South Korea in August this year.

Samsung recently added another flip phone in its portfolio: Galaxy W789. Samsung Galaxy W789 has two 3.3-inch TFT touchscreens with 480x320p resolution. It is powered by Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean) operating system and runs on 1.2GHz quad-core processor. It has a 1,500mAh battery and comes with a 5MP camera. The phone was launched in China earlier this year.
Weekly roundup: BlackBerry Z30, Huawei Ascend P6, ZTE's Firefox phone launched in India this week



Weekly roundup: BlackBerry Z30, Huawei Ascend P6, ZTE's Firefox phone launched in India this week

Google serves users from 700 p.c. more locations: Study

Google sign at the company's headquarters in Mountain View, California. File photo
APGoogle sign at the company's headquarters in Mountain View, California. File photo
Google search has expanded its network, serving its users from 700 per cent more locations than a year ago, a new study, including an Indian-origin scientist, has found.
Over the past 10 months, Google search has dramatically increased the number of sites around the world from which it serves client queries, repurposing existing infrastructure to change the physical way that Google processes web searches, according to researchers from University of Southern California (USC).
From October 2012 to late July 2013, the number of locations serving Google’s search infrastructure increased from a little less than 200 to a little more than 1,400, and the number of ISPs grew from just over 100 to more than 850, according to the study.
Most of this expansion reflects Google utilising client networks that it already relied on for hosting content like videos on YouTube, and reusing them to relay -- and speed up -- user requests and responses for search and ads, researchers said.
“Google already delivered YouTube videos from within these client networks,” said Matt Calder, lead author of the study.
“But they’ve abruptly expanded the way they use the networks, turning their content-hosting infrastructure into a search infrastructure as well,” said Calder.
Previously, if you submitted a search request to Google, your request would go directly to a Google data centre.
Now, your search request will first go to the regional network, which relays it to the Google data center. While this might seem like it would make the search take longer by adding in another step, the process actually speeds up searches.
Data connections typically need to “warm up” to get to their top speed -- the continuous connection between the client network and the Google data center eliminates some of that warming up lag time.
In addition, content is split up into tiny packets to be sent over the Internet -- and some of the delay that users may experience is due to the occasional loss of some of those packets, researchers said.
By designating the client network as a middleman, lost packets can be spotted and replaced much more quickly.
Calder worked with Ramesh Govindan and Ethan Katz-Bassett of USC Viterbi, as well as John Heidemann, Xun Fan, and Zi Hu of USC Vierbi’s Information Sciences Institute.
The team developed a new method of tracking down and mapping servers, identifying both when they are in the same data centre and estimating where that data centre is.
They also identify the relationships between servers and clients.