Microsoft’s (MSFT) Bing gained share in the search market for the second month in a row. A good trend, but nothing that is going to make Google nervous yet. And neutral to modestly negative for Yahoo. Microsoft’s Bing search engine maintained momentum in July and gained a bit on both Google and Yahoo.

According to comScore data (Techmeme), as relayed by Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster, Google wound up with July search share of 64.7 percent, down from 65 percent in June. Microsoft was up to 8.9 percent in July, up from 8.4 percent in June. This means Bing has gained 90 basis points of market share in two months or a 11% market share gain. This is not terrible, but not a remarkable success, given how much Microsoft has been advertising it. Bing was supposed to be a big game-changer for Microsoft, and so far, it isn’t. We’ll have a better idea of Bing’s longer-term success in a few months.

If Bing continues to gain share it will present an interesting wrinkle to the Microsoft-Yahoo search pact. Consider the following:

* Microsoft continues to gain share on Yahoo;
* The Microsoft-Yahoo pact takes two-years to implement and perhaps longer if regulators have problems with the deal;
* Advertisers migrate to Microsoft today (from Yahoo) since it will have the ad platform going forward;
* Regulators can the Microsoft-Yahoo deal;
* Microsoft wins anyway.

Meanwhile, Yahoo’s share is falling no longer stable. That’s not good, as Yahoo will only get revenue from Bing searches performed on Yahoo, per our understanding of the deal. Therefore, it needs to grow share, and can’t afford to lose searchers to Microsoft. (As we noted earlier, fixing its mail service is crucial for that.)

More simply, WordPress is what you use when you want to work with your blogging software, not fight it. I have got a nice tutorial on you tube for you.

This beginner-level WordPress tutorial shows you how to use the new WordPress version 2.7 Dashboard, also called the WordPress site administration “back-end” or editing interface. It’s a very basic introduction to new features of the Dashboard like drag and drop admin modules (boxes of content), how to open and close module windows and menu options – very cool! – how to collapse and expand sidebar menus, and how to hide or show individual modules throughout the Dashboard.

For more in-depth comments and a complete list of WordPress tutorials by Mark McLaren of McBuzz Communications, or to contact Mark McLaren with questions or comments, please visit http://mcbuzz.wordpress.com

Source: http://mcbuzz.wordpress.com

American business magazine Fortune has named BlackBerry-maker Research in Motion the world’s fastest-growing company, far outpacing rival Apple Inc. In its annual rankings, released yesterday, the respected U. S. publication said the maker of the BlackBerry topped a list of formidable competitors with average sales growth of 77% over the past three years and average earnings per share growth of 84% over the same time. The BlackBerry as well as Apple’s iPhone have become the sector’s top-performing devices.

Cupertino, Calif.-based Apple, which makes computers as well as the iconic iPod Touch music player and multimedia device, was 39th on the Fortune rankings, with three-years sales growth of 27% on average. Research in Motion was one of two Canadian companies that made the top 10 of Fortune’s 100 Fastest-Growing Companies list after the magazine opened the survey to businesses around the world for the first time. RIM has more than quadrupled its workforce in the last four years to about 12,000 people and seen its profits and revenues soar as the company has expanded sales of its BlackBerry devices beyond the corporate world to the highly competitive consumer market.

The move is a big part of RIM’s explosive growth, the magazine said. In its latest quarterly report, Research In Motion reported that its quarterly profit was $643 million, or $1.12 per share US, compared with $482.5 million US, or 84 cents per share a year earlier. Revenues rose 53 per cent from a year ago to $3.42 billion US. RIM has introduced a flurry of smartphones since the beginning of 2008 designed to appeal to consumers. That includs the BlackBerry Curve. RIM also owns more than 20% of the European market for smartphones, according to analyst estimates. Smartphones, which can surf the Web, quickly check email and download applications and content alongside traditional functions like placing phone calls, represent the fastest-growing corner of the global cellphone market. Smartphone sales have seen double-digit gains in 2009 even as overall handset sales have fallen in step with the recession. The smartphone market is expected to continue to grow rapidly in the next several years as more and more consumers adopt the next-generation devices.

The Fortune article about RIM compares co-CEOs Jim Balsillie and Mike Lazaridis to Apple head Steve Jobs, and says the two Canadians are “more than holding their own” against Apple’s popular iPhone, with RIM retaining “a dominant position in the ultra-fast-growing smartphone business.”

RIM holds a 56 per cent share of the $12-billion American smartphone market, and is expected to see three-year average earnings-per-share growth of 84 per cent and revenue growth of 77 per cent. Fortune says this is largely on the strength of RIM’s foray into the consumer market.

By comparison, Apple takes 39th place in the magazine’s top-100 list.

However, Fortune warns that RIM’s competition is “getting increasingly stiff” and RIM will have to keep up with changing consumer demands.

Shares in RIM lost $1.98 to $78.31 in afternoon trading on the Toronto Stock Exchange, while Potash Corp. shares lost $4.53 to $100.97.

RESEARCH IN MOTION LTD.

Ticker RIM/TSX

Close $78.23, down $2.06

Volume 1,539,972

Avg. 6-month vol. 2,142,391

Rank in FP500 27

Himachal Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation (HPTDC) is offering a special discount of 30 percent to visitors coming to its hotels with a girl child. The discount will continue till Sep 10.

‘Most of our hotels have been packed to capacity once again. The response of tourists towards the offer is quite overwhelming,’ HPTDC managing director Subhashish Panda told IANS.

The corporation has 57 economy and high-end hotels across the state.

‘The first weekend (since the launch of the package Sep 1) saw thousands of tourists, mainly from northern states, thronging hotels across the state,’ he said.

Apart from discount on room tariff, the tourists are being offered a third night’s stay free of charge. ‘This will be a gift from the daughter to the parents,’ Panda said.

According to him, HPTDC marketing offices in Delhi and Kolkata were getting good response to the scheme.

The package is part of the government’s ‘Beti Anmol Hai’ (daughter is precious) campaign launched in Himachal Pradesh in July. At present, the state has 897 females for every 1,000 males.

Rajiv Nag, a Delhi-based stockbroker, said: ‘The government has added the ingredient of discount in an apparent attempt to tell the parents they are at an advantage, if they have a girl child. Our visit is set to be all the more memorable and economical.’

HPTDC has hotels in Shimla, Kufri, Fagu, Narkanda, Barog, Kiarighat, Chail, Manali, Kasauli, Dalhousie and Dharamsala, among others.

Nestled in the lap of the Himalayas, Himachal Pradesh attracted 9.37 million domestic and 367,000 foreign tourists last year. Kullu and Manali are the hot spots for tourists, followed by Shimla and Dharamsala.

- India’s most successful performance luxury SUV in an all new avatar
- Greater sporty elegance, added refinement and enhanced multifunctional luxury
- The sporty SUV available with three powerful engines: 3.0 TDI quattro, 3.6 FSI quattro and 4.2 FSI quattro
- Available across all dealerships from 3rd September, 2009 at INR 53,40,000 onwards (ex-showroom Mumbai)

Audi, the German luxury car manufacturer, today announced the launch of the New Audi Q7 – the latest version of largest selling performance luxury SUV in India. The new Audi Q7 is available in three engine options – 3.0 TDI quattro, 3.6 FSI quattro and 4.2 FSI quattro at Audi dealerships across the country from 3rd September 2009.

The Audi Q7 is a sporty, comfortable, high-performance car for leisure and business. It is the large Audi for customers looking for a vehicle that can take them anywhere and is roomy and flexible. And this character is immediately evident in the design: the side view with the low window area, the arched roof line and the tautly curved body surfaces presents a coupe-like silhouette.

“The launch of the new Audi Q7 comes close on the heels of Audi’s Centennial Celebration and spells exciting times for Audi India. The Audi Q7 was launched in India in 2006 and has since established itself as the numero uno luxury SUV in the country. The new Audi Q7 is unmatched in terms of style, performance, safety, comfort and driving dynamics providing customers the complete driving experience which Audi is known for.”, said Mr. Benoit Tiers, Managing Director, Audi India.

“Audi India achieved a remarkable growth in the first eight months of 2009 by selling 1128 cars (62% growth). The second half of 2009 continues to record impressive sales, August 2009 recording sales of 171 cars (69% growth). With the new Audi Q7, we continue to offer customers products that are progressive, sporty and sophisticated – reflecting the core essence of our brand DNA ‘Vorsprung durch Technik’,” added Mr. Tiers.

The Audi Q7 is 5,089 mm long and has a 3,002 mm wheelbase. It provides generous interior comfort, a cargo volume of up to 2,035 liters, and unsurpassed variability. The customer can order an interior with six or seven seats. Many improvements down to the smallest details enhance personal comfort – including interior lights in the door linings, an inlay on the passenger side, and new colors as well as materials. Many operator-control details have been refined and enhanced with chrome elements in the new Audi Q7.

All engines in the Audi Q7 program are powerful and efficient direct-injection versions. Standard equipment includes a six-speed tiptronic that shifts swiftly and smoothly as it transfers the generated power to the quattro permanent all-wheel drive system, which distributes it to the axles with modest emphasis on the rear.

Some of the standard equipment of the new Audi Q7 includes 18-inch wheels and adaptive air suspension that enhances the sporty precision of the car’s handling as well as its strong off-road performance. The LEDs as a standard fitment in the taillights adds to the appeal of the SUV.

The top-of-the line version of the MMI systems includes a hard disk drive, a single DVD player, and voice control, with the option of including a Bluetooth telephone, an advanced radio tuner, Rear Seat Entertainment

Enhancements in the front include smaller exterior mirrors, contrasting paint finish for the bumper and main body, an enhanced single-frame radiator grille, restyled bumpers, a newly ribbed designed integrated underbody guard in the center section of the bumper, making it more robust. Additions to the rear of the new Audi Q7 have the bumper with a contrasting paint finish and a restyled tailgate.

The new Audi Q7 is powered by highly efficient direct-injection engines and is available in a 3.0 TDI 176 kW (240 hp), 550 Nm torque option, a 3.6 FSI 206 kW (280 hp), 360 Nm torque option and a 4.2 FSI 257 kW (350 hp), 440 Nm torque option.

The new Audi Q7 range starts at (ex-showroom Mumbai) INR 53,40,000 for the 3.0 TDI quattro, INR 55,20,000 for the 3.6 FSI quattro and Euro 42,696 for the 4.2 FSI quattro (non homologated). The new Audi Q7 is available in an exciting palate of new colors like Ibis White, Teak Brown, Orca Black and Graphite Grey as well as the existing colors which include Deep Black, Bahia Beige, Cobalt Blue, Condor Grey, Ice Silver, Garnet Red and Lava Grey.

The new Audi Q7 will be available along with the entire Audi model range comprising the Audi Q5, the new Audi A6, the Audi A8, the Audi A4, the Audi TT and the super sports car Audi R8 at 12 dealerships across the country in Delhi, Gurgaon, Chandigarh, Ludhiana, Mumbai, Pune, Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Chennai, Kolkata and Kochi.

Source: Audi India

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India’s largest IT employer Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) has new openings (vacancies) & will hire 25,000 people globally this year (2009) and 90% of which will be from India only.

Vice-president and head government industry solutions unit Tanmoy Chakrabarty confirmed the plan. “Tier II cities are our only focus for expansion in the country as the top rung are clogged and saturated for space. We will be hiring 25,000 people this year, which means roughly 25 lakh sq ft of work space required and therefore, we need to grow outside the metros, wherever we find the most compelling reason to be.”

TCS has decided to adopt the policy of real-time management whereby we will hire in the last three months of the final year of graduation rather than a year before,” said S Ramadorai, managing director and chief executive officer, TCS. This will not only help the company to optimize and increase its utilization, but also align its hiring strategy closer to the demand and supply of business, a company spokesperson said.

The company is working on ways to reduce the two-month training period by half. TCS, with over 130,000 employees, has already freezed lateral hiring and plans to hire only on need basis. “The decision is also been based on our constant interaction with the academia, which have been telling that students are not pursuing higher studies as they get jobs and also during the academic year they tend to get lax,” added the company’s spokesperson.

The decision will not impact the company’s current hiring plan of recruiting over 24,000 students for FY10. The step comes immediately after the Nasscom announcement to hire students only in their eighth semester. “Some firms were hiring in the fourth or fifth semester of an academic year. However, now the IT trade body and companies have decided to hire only in the eighth semester of the academic year,” said Nasscom President Som Mittal. Mittal felt that this will help the students as well as the industry. “When you hire that early, students get confused and do not focus on their studies. Besides, we also realised that since many would get jobs they would not concentrate on further studies,” added Mittal.

Currently TCS is developing a Rs1,000-crore ‘Passport Seva Project’ to provide speedy passport delivery services. The Union ministry of external affairs has tied up with Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) to ensure availability of passports within 72 hours of completion of formalities in six cities, as part of a pilot project. ‘In the first phase of this project, computerised passport facilitation centres will be opened in Chandigarh, Ludhiana, Ambala, Bangalore, Mangalore and Hubli. ‘Depending on the response, the company plans to increase the number of these facilitation centres to over 70 all across the country by June 2010 Chakrabarty added.

Sony Ericsson Xperia X2

Sony Ericsson Xperia X2 will be official launched to the first few selected markets early in Q4. News has just broken that the re-styled, gutted refresh of Sony Ericsson’s popular (and expensive) X1 is due to hit “selected markets” in Q4. According to a post on SE’s Xperiancers blog, the company is in talks with various carries right now, and will be detailing the plans in the coming weeks.

The handset is the first of second generation Xperia devices and will be the first to ship with the new Windows Mobile 6.5 operating system. Additionally, the blog delivers some info on the device itself, calling out its 8.1 megapixel camera, inclusion of a standard 4GB microSD card, and 13 pre-loaded “panels” in its reworked Windows Mobile skin (which appears to have a new SDK for the forthcoming OS update). Oh, and speaking of Windows Mobile, it’ll be shipping with 6.5 onboard.

Sony Ericsson also added something called the SlideView feature that notifies users to missed calls or new messages and provides quick access to them. Sony Ericsson did not reveal a specific release date or pricing (hopefully, it won’t be $800 again) for the Xperia X2, but, according to the company, it will be available in select markets in early Q4. It will come in two colors: black or silver.

Sony Ericsson Xperia X2 Specifications, allegedly leaked by Someone:

* 8.1mpx auto focus, VGA @ 30fps (MP4 HQ)
* 3.5 inch WVGA OLED (increased from 3.0 from X1)
* GPS, aGPS
* 3.5 mm headphone jack
* Accelerometer
* Faster processor
* 512 RAM
* Custom Windows Mobile 6.5
* XPERIA Panels are modified with plenty of innovative features (PS3 functionality)
* Upgrading to Windows Mobile 7 is supported by Xperia panels

That’s it for the time being. Please keep visiting for more details.