Tech 24 Hours

Which are the World's 50 most Innovative Companies

2012-02-15T13:02:00.002+05:30

Fastcompany has rolled out their annual List of World's 50 most Innovative Companies. These companies are in the List, as they in their ways ushered innovations that have an impact across their industries and our culture.

The Top Ten are:

1) Apple
2) Facebook
3) Google
4) Amazon
5) Square
6) Twitter
7) Occupy Movement
8) Tencent
9) Life Technologies
10) SolarCity

To know the rest 40 and why all these companies are in the World's 50 most Innovative Companies List, Go to This Page, and Click on company name to get more reasons.

Google Celebrates Valentine's Day with a Cute Animation

2012-02-14T12:38:00.004+05:30

Google Doodles (the way Google is written on Google search homepage) are known for their creativity.

On the Valentine's Day Eve, the Google Doodle is celebrating the "Essence of Love" with a cute animation. To some the animation will be one of the best ever by Google.

The "Essence of Love" for Google is: "Being in Love doesn't mean bringing the piece of Moon for your beloved; it is simply means Enjoying Simple Things Together".

About the animation above: The Doodle below is a short animated love story of a boy trying to woo a girl. To successfully woo the girl, the boy searched web for gifts. The Boy gives the girl, who is busy skipping, an array of gifts; but fails to get her attention. Finally, much dejected he comes with a skipping rope and starts skipping besides Her. And he instantly gets the much needed attention.

The background track to the story is Tony Bennett's rendition of Hank Williams' ballad Cold, Cold Heart.

AeroShot Inhaler, Your Breathable cup of coffee

2012-02-12T12:53:00.001+05:30

AeroShot Inhaler, Your Breathable cup of coffee

It takes some minutes to feel the ‘Stimulating Effects’ of a cup of Coffee (Caffeine is the stimulating agent in Coffee).

This made a Harvard guy create a product, which allows you to inhale caffeine Instead of drinking it.

David Edwards, a biomedical engineering professor, created AeroShot, a lipstick-sized case of breathable caffeine; claiming to give the user tremendous stimulation at the word go.

The act of putting it in your mouth is the act of breathing — so it’s sort of surprising and often people the first time they take the AeroShot, they laugh, informs Edwards.

Last month, Edwards launched the product commercially with a French company.

Some concerns:

According to some, this instant caffeine inhaler could be misused as a party drug. Making Aeroshot another, Four Loko, the caffeinated alcohol drink launched last year; which was removed from shelves for misuse.

However, Edwards insisted the product is safe.

While AeroShot contains no alcohol, each case packs 100 milligrams of lime-flavored caffeine and vitamin B.
The concerns about Aeroshot emanate from the usual recommendations of the medical fraternity, which keep cautioning people not to ingest too much caffeine, even if they are inhaling it.

What goes against these caffience inhalers is the speed at which they release large amount of stimulant to the inhaler’s blood stream. For instance, if a person drinks 10 cups of coffee, it will probably take him/her a couple hours to get through all that coffee; but with these caffeine inhalers, the person gets all that caffeine within the hour of the inhale.

Aeroshot, which started selling in US last month, for $2.99 a piece, is not selling well.

NOTE: The AeroShot package warns users not to take more than three AeroShots a day (more than three shots a day can result in unconsciousness and even worst). Kids under 12, pregnant women and people allergic to ragweed are advised not to use it.

Move Windows Recycle Bin to System Tray

2012-02-12T12:03:00.002+05:30

MiniBin is for PC users, who are tired of minimizing open windows, everytime they have to access the Windows Recycle Bin on the desktop.

MiniBin is an application, which moves the Recycle Bin sitting on the desktop of Microsoft Windows Operating system to the system tray area, saving you precious few clicks. System Tray Area is the taskbar appearing at the bottom of the screen, accommodating the clock. MiniBin also comes handy when you're hiding the recycle bin from your desktop or if you're using a replacement shell that provides a system tray but no useable recycle bin (like litestep or emerge desktop).

Remember Time is a scarce resource, why waste it on unnecessary Mouse Clicks.

Uninstall any Application on Your Windows PC with Right Mouse Click

2012-02-12T11:32:00.000+05:30

If you see going to Add/Remove Programs in your Windows PC, each time you wish to uninstall an application from your PC, too much effort, then MenuUninstaller is at your service. The application, puts an uninstall option right at the icon of the ‘Application to be removed’. Just Right click on the “Application to be removed” icon and select Uninstall option.

And the MenuUninstall will uninstall it for you.

Kochi India based mobile game in iPhone top 10 List

2012-02-12T11:06:00.000+05:30

A mobile game, named ‘Ghost City', created by a group of youngsters from Kochi, India is currently among the top ten mobile applications listed in Apple iPhone's download segment.

Some Numbers:

The game has been downloaded by over one million or 10 Lakh people across the world, with US and India on top, reports Gokul Elayadath, managing partner of Kochi-based Ether IT Solutions. Aprat from Elayadath, other members in the development team are Sharath Mohan, K R Sujesh, Nikhil Jain, Basil T Paul, S Sreekanth, Jiffin Francis, P M Akhil, B Brijitha, U Sruthy, M V Sona and C A Sreeja.

Interestingly, mobile game development is their part time job only. Their day jobs range from banking to marketing.

About the Game:

Taking inspiration from “Light hating Ghost” from many Indian folktales, the game ‘’Ghost City’ is about a ghost, who hates lights, going around the city breaking lights. The Ghost’s or the Gamer’s aim is to proliferate darkness, by breaking as many lights as possible.

When asked how they got the idea of a game, where the gamer’s objective is to break lights; the team revealed that “in childhood, many children, especially boys, love breaking bulbs and tubes on the streets. Even some grown-ups do the same.

The success of the game depends upon the number of downloads and the ratings given by users.

Popular Indian Blogger Arnab Ray brings out a New Book

2012-02-09T18:07:00.001+05:30

May I Hebb Your Attention Pliss…

Prolific Indian blogger and winner of the Indiblog of the year award twice, Arnab Ray, the writer of the blog ‘Random Thoughts of a Demented Mind’ or Greatbong as he is popularly known, has released his new Book, ‘The Mine’.

Moving away from his signature style of cynical humour, the book promises to be a grave thriller which explores the ‘evil within’.

When asked why he moved away from his signature style, which is reflected in the blog he runs, Arnab has this to say:

“I like to write what I would like reading myself. There are hardly any books in Indian English writing which seriously explore horror. Even film noir in India is missing as the Bollywood horror movies turn it into a quasi-horror comedy,”.

If you are new to Arnab, then check out his blog first. If you develop some fondness for his writing, then buy the book.

Ankit Fadia Tells How to unblock Everything On The Internet

2012-02-09T11:28:00.002+05:30

Indians who are aware of the word “Hacking” are also aware of Ankit Fadia.

Ankit Fadia is an MTV Youth Icon, a Global Shaper according to the World Economic Forum; but his ticket to startdom in India is “Hacking”. Ankit, 26, who has the distinction of being India's youngest cyber security expert; started out young, at 13, and is currently a Global Ambassador for Cyber Security by the Indian Government.

Ankit Fadia has a dozen books to his credit – all related to Ethical Hacking (taking control of a computer system with an objective of informing the owner of the security holes; and suggest remedies to make system more secure. No stealing of Data, money or Trust); and recently launched a new book, called How to Unblock Everything on the Internet!.

Why the New Book?

Fadia, who more than a decade ago, at 13, came to national spotlight; for defacing the magazine Chip's website and placing on its homepage a shot of his website; and has now reached at the zenith of Hacking field, gives reasons for writing the new Book. Here are they:

Interesting Fact: It’s interesting to know, how Fadia landed his first job offer. Soon after defacing the Chip website, Fadia realized the gravity of his action – something which could land him in jail. To make amends, he sent a long email to the editor apologizing for his actions and telling him how he could prevent a similar attack in the future. To his wonder, the reply he received was encouraging. The Chip editor offered him a job. The offer proved to be a milestone and Fadia started on the path of Ethical Hacking or White Hat hacking.

1) Courtesy web (www), just about everything is available online for anyone to freely access. The book is a resource which aims at educating readers, especially students, in simple and easy to understand way on how to access everything useful on Web.

2) With the technology evolving at such a rapid pace, Fadia says that a future, where nearly all the everyday objects that we use today, will have their own internet connection and ip address (IP Address is how web properties like a website, blog etc. is identified on web). Telephones, televisions, refrigerators and even cars are starting to have their own IP address. The flipside to this technological advancement is a greater complexity of its security. The book informs not only about how to access, the inaccessible resources on web, but also in a secure manner.

3) Most Indian colleges habitually block websites. Fadia, who studied at Stanford, finds this absurd; as in Stanford nothing is blocked. Underlining that the Indian colleges should not see Indian students less mature and responsible compared to their American and European peers, Fadia’s new book tells ways to overcome such blocks.

4) With increasing number of countries, which include India and US, trying to censor the web; the book aims at educating a reader to unblock everything.

Interesting Fact: In the 2009 movie, Up in the Air, George Clooney, who plays the role of an always travelling executive living out of his suitcase, specializing in firing people, was chasing one personal goal – To complete to earn ten million frequent flyer miles.

Ankit Fadia may be passionate about securing systems; but he’s also up to a Clooney like Goal – To visit a 100 countries in 10 years. He’s at 97 right now and will reach the 100 mark this March.

How To Unblock Everything On The Internet

How To Unblock Everything On The Internet (at Flipkart in English)

How To Unblock Everything On The Internet (at Flipkart in Hindi)

by: Ankit Fadia

publisher: Vikas Publishing House, published: 2012-01-22

ASIN: 9325956616

EAN: 9789325956612

sales rank: 537374

price: $9.99 (new)

If you are studying in a college, working for a company or traveling to a country that has blocked access to everything cool & fun on the Internet (like Face book, YouTube, Chat and others) and made your life miserably boring for you then this book is sure to come to your rescue! Written in an easy to understand manner that just about everybody can understand, this book will teach you simple things you can do to unblock access to everything on the Internet including: Social Networking Sites (Face book, Twitter etc) Video Streaming Sites (YouTube, Metacafe etc) Cricket Scores. Chat Software Stock Trading Websites. Career Websites. USB Ports. Download & Speed Limits. Torrents And just about everything else! Who should read this book? College Students. Office Goers. Travelers to countries where websites are blocked (China, UAE, Saudi Arabia and others). Anybody else who wants to unblock stuff on the Internet.

New Book celebrates Alan Turing, creator of World's First Computers

2012-02-09T09:32:00.000+05:30

Computers have come a long way: From the ones, which needed halls both to sit and perform kindergarten like calculations, the computers have now reached a stage where they can sit in our pendants. Not to say, a personal computer today is many times powerful than the most powerful computers of mid 1900s.

But all this progress should not make us forget the hard work of those bright minds who took the first steps in commuting.

To celebrate the centenary of Alan Turing’s birth and highlight the importance of his contribution to computing, BCS -- The Chartered Institute for IT, released today its latest book, Alan Turing and His Contemporaries: Building the world’s first computers.

Alan Turing and His Contemporaries: Building the World's First Computers

Publisher: British Informatics Society Ltd, published: 2012-02-06

ASIN: 1906124906

EAN: 9781906124908

price: $22.99 (new), $23.51 (used)

About the Book:

Focuses on the years 1945 to 1955, the book looks closely into the efforts of those who produced revolutionary technology such as the world’s first fully-functioning stored-program computer and the first application to business data processing.

Secret wartime projects in code-breaking, radar and ballistics produced a wealth of ideas and technologies that kick-started the development of digital computers. This is the story of the people and projects that flourished in the post-war period.

By 1955 computers had begun to appear in the market-place. The Information Age was dawning and Alan Turing and his contemporaries held centre stage. Their influence is still discernable deep down within today's hardware and software.

A Book for those who celebrate everything computer; and remain fascinated by iconic figures (like Turing) in the field of computing in the world of computing. After 100 years of his birth, the book celebrates the importance of Turing’s and his contemporaries’ contributions to the world, and their influence on the modern computer. The book also celebrates, how in a post war period, when economic austerity and gloom ruled the typical human mindset, people like Turing started projects that paved the way for modern world.

Third of new service delivery centres opened in 2011 set up India: BPO Jobs

2012-02-07T19:16:00.003+05:30

Third of new service delivery centres opened in 2011 set up India: BPO Jobs

A good news for BPO jobs aspirants in India. According to new data, contrary to the political rhetoric in the developed West against Indian outsourcing sector and talk that India is losing its competitive advantage for IT and back-office services, India continues to remain the preferred offshore destination for technology and service outsourcing.

A look at the new service delivery centres opened in 2011 shows that around one third of the total were set up in India, beating all other regions in the world including Europe, Latin America and China.

NOTE: A service delivery centre is a campus or a unit to carry out IT or other services, either by an independent vendor or the captive unit of a company headquartered overseas.

The data further points out that within India, only cities like Bangalore and Hyderabad are not the destinations of choice; instead many smaller cities such as Ahmedabad, Vadodara, Dehradun, Nagpur and Kochi, are also getting the blessings of big corporations.

Preference for India in the field is due to cost advantage, compared to other countries of the world. That apart, there is cost advantage as well, when the centre scales up operations. A delivery centre in India brings other advantages such as relatively lower attrition levels (employees hopping jobs), low wage inflation and being the employer of choice in the city (getting quality work force becomes easy).

No Start Button in Windows 8 Operating System

2012-02-06T20:05:00.000+05:30

No Start Button in Windows 8 Operating System

Microsoft Windows 8 Operating System, Microsoft’s upcoming OS, will not have a “Start” menu button.

About the Start button:

The Start button, which is placed at the bottom left corner of the “Live Bar”, made its debut in the Windows 95 version of the OS.

The Start button, which had become a habit for millions of Windows Operating system users, be becoming one of the primary methods used to navigate to computer settings, applications, stored files, and more; is removed as part of Microsoft’s Metro-style UI effort to make the user interface more intuitive across multiple devices.

The absence of Start button’s core functionality will be made up with a “hot corner”.

The hot corner can be activated either by touching or mousing over one of the screen’s four corners, which in turn will open a start-style menu screen when the operating system is both desktop and Metro UI mode. The Live Bar, which allows you juggle between opened or frequently used programs, will continue being in Windows 8.

Global Mobile internet usage through Mobile devices doubled year on year

2012-02-06T19:09:00.003+05:30

Global Mobile internet usage through Mobile devices doubled year on year

Global internet usage through mobile devices, “tablets not included”, has almost doubled in the past one year. In January 2011 it was 4.3%, now i.e. January 2012 it has reached 8.5%, according to free web analytics company StatCounter.

Salient points of the report:

1) StatCounter Global Stats highlights the increasing use of mobile devices to access the internet with market share doubling year on year since 2009.

3) Although the Global internet usage through mobile devices is still under 10 percent; but the pace of growth, that's doubling in just year is astonishing, notes Statcounter.

2) Nokia leads worldwide, most probably driven by its dominance in India. Apple is second globally but leads the US and UK markets. In the UK RIM is second only to Apple.

Global use of mobile devices to access internet (excludes tablets*):

Jan 2009: 0.7%
Jan 2010: 1.6%
Jan 2011: 4.3%
Jan 2012: 8.5%

Source: StatCounter Global Stats

Facebook users in US as of end December 2011

2012-02-06T09:51:00.000+05:30

Facebook users in US as of end December 2011

In its documents for IPO filed with the US Securities and Exchange Commission ( SEC) , for the upcoming IPO, Facebook said that in the past one year the number of users in US (MAUs or Most Active Users, those who accessed the network in the last 30 days) grew 16 per cent and reached 161 million MAUs in the US as on December 31, 2011.

Facebook users in Brazil as of end December 2011

2012-02-06T09:48:00.000+05:30

Facebook users in Brazil as of end December 2011

In its documents for IPO filed with the US Securities and Exchange Commission ( SEC) , for the upcoming IPO, Facebook said that it sees Brazil as a geography to focus on. In the past one year the number of users in Brazil (MAUs or Most Active Users, those who accessed the network in the last 30 days) grew 268 per cent and reached 37 million as on December 31, 2011.

Notably, Facebook displaced Orkut as Brazil's Top Social network in mid 2011.

Facebook users in India as of end December 2011

2012-02-06T09:35:00.000+05:30

Facebook users in India as of end December 2011

Indians seem to be graduating to Facebook fast. In the past one year the number of Facebook users in India has doubled. Making Facebook see India as a major growth market.

Facebook users in India and growth in past one year:

The number of Facebook users in India grew 132 per cent (more than double) in the past one year. This is higher than many other countries, including home market in US. Facebook which normally sees varying levels of penetration within the population of Internet users in different countries has an estimated 20-30 per cent penetration rate in India.

Facebook monitors its user base through the number of Monthly Active Users (MAUs), among other metrics.

An MAU is a registered Facebook user who logs in and visits Facebook, shares content or indulges in other activities in the last 30 days as of the date of measurement.

As of December 31, 2011, Facebook had 845 million MAUs, an increase of 39 per cent from December 31, 2010.

The growth is seen across different geographies, with users in Brazil and India representing a key source of growth. An operation team to provide support for users, developers, and advertisers at Hyderabad in India, is specifically set up to solve this purpose. Hyderabad is one among the four regional centres, Facebook has set up in geographies across the globe, which it finds deserving of special attention, for particular reasons.

Facebook had 46 million or 4.6 crore MAUs in India as of December 31, 2011, an increase of 132 per cent from the prior year. The growth in the US was 16 per cent and 268 per cent in Brazil for the same period. Facebook had 161 million MAUs in the US and 37 million in Brazil as on December 31, 2011.

Notably, Brazil like India was a geography where Google’s Orkut was quite popular. Facebook has displaced Orkut as the Top Social network in both the countries. But in its documents for IPO filed with the US Securities and Exchange Commission ( SEC) , Facebook still sees Orkut as a source of competition in India, among other rivals in different countries.

Facebook would continue to focus on growing its user base across all geographies, including relatively less-penetrated, large markets such as Brazil, Germany, India, Japan, Russia, and South Korea.

Competitors of Facebook:

Facebook broadly sees all Google's social networking offerings, including Google+, and also with other, largely regional, social networks that have strong positions in particular countries, including Cyworld in Korea, Mixi in Japan, Orkut (owned by Google) in Brazil and India, as it competitors.

About the upcoming IPO:

Facebook plans to list shares on the New York Stock Exchange after its Initial Public Offer (IPO), which could value the company as high as $100 billion ( 5 Lakh crore Indian Rupees). For Facebook, looking to raise $5 billion (25000 crore Indian Rupees) through initial share sale, India and other key geographies are a key source for future growth.

Facebook has near-zero penetration in China, where Facebook access is restricted.

Google starts country-specific content filtering on Blogger

2012-02-03T20:18:00.006+05:30

Google starts country-specific content filtering on Blogger

So, do we assume that online giants like Google and Twitter, have finally bowed down to the wishes of the countries (including US and India), eager to enforce regulations on the internet?

Although it’s too early to say for sure, but less than a week after a similar move by micro-blogging site Twitter, Internet giant Google has rolled out plans to make content on its blogger platform selectively available, depending on the local rules of each country.

Google’s blogging service -- Blogger – launched in 1999, said the rules will be applicable in many countries, including India, Brazil, Honduras, and Germany etc.

Notably, Google plans to roll the new country specific restrictions globally as well.

What the new country-specific content filtering on Blogger means:

If a blogger blog, has content in violation to the laws of a particular country; then that particular content or the entire blog will not be accessible in the said country.

That apart, Google will now be able to restrict content in individual countries pursuant to requests by the local legal authority. The move will not affect the accessibility of the blog elsewhere in the world. This will allow Google to block content only in those countries, whose laws, find the content illegal.

Google plans to deploy country-specific URL scheme on Blogger

In order to make the country specific content filtering easy for it; Google said it is deploying a country-specific uniform resource locator ( URL) scheme for its blogger platform, which will be redirected to a country-code top level domain, or 'ccTLD', in the coming weeks.

For instance, all the blogger blogs originating in India, will be redirected to, .in , the Internet country code top-level domain (ccTLD) for India. This obviously, will enable blogger to block in India, the content in violation to Indian laws.

Amazon rolls out India Site

2012-02-03T19:40:00.004+05:30

Amazon, world’s biggest retailer, on Thursday launched its service in India.

With this one of world's biggest online retailers, enters India --one of the world's largest retail markets, worth $550 billion.

The Indian website, called Junglee.com, doesn't yet offer customers the option to directly purchase from Amazon. Only allowing potential customers to compare prices and visit the websites of suppliers for purchases.

In its press release, Amit Agarwal, vice president, Amazon.com said,

"We are excited to give customers in India a single online starting point where they can shop a wide selection of products sold by local and global retailers,".

What Junglee.com will offer:

At the launch, Amazon's Indian website will offer buyers an option of 12 million products across 25 categories.

Google says WEOW! about Women Entrepreneurs in India

2012-02-01T20:29:00.003+05:30

Google says WEOW! about Women Entrepreneurs

Search Giant Google, which has many internet properties like Gmail, YouTube and other Google+ products, has launched ' Women Entrepreneurs on the Web ' (WEOW).

WEOW is a Google initiative aimed at helping women entrepreneurs across India grow their online presence.

What will WEOW provide:

The program will provide women entrepreneurs support on using various web-based technologies and eventually help them increase their outreach to the customer base. WEOW is a 5 circle approach that starts with building an online presence and moves towards collaborating effectively, connecting with customers, promoting their organizations to then tracking and optimizing their online presence.

Regarding the new initiative, below is what Google has to say:

"We realized that they were true entrepreneurs who were not afraid to try new things, yet many were unaware of various products that can be used to leverage the full potential of the Internet... The large number of women entrepreneurs in India made it a natural decision for us to pilot this initiative here,”.

8 Things every MBA aspirant in India must know

2012-01-28T20:38:00.000+05:30

8 Things every MBA aspirant in India must know

The fourth edition of Annual B-School Rankings conducted by CNBC-TV18, has not only ranked Business schools in India, it also provided insights, very useful to any MBA aspirant in the country. Hope the following salient points from the study help you choose the best MBA College, here are they:

 IIM-Ahmedabad continues to be the benchmark of MBA education in India.

 IIM-Bangalore is fast catching up with its remarkably improved performance in core areas like industry interface and international linkage.

 On the placement front -- FMCG, Consulting, BFSI and IT -- accounted for 70 per cent of the total B-School recruiters.

 This year, the average salaries at India’s top Business Schools saw an increase of almost 20 per cent.

 When it comes to lower-ranked Business Schools (MBA colleges), they encounter difficulties in procuring placements, and also in terms of intakes and increment in salaries. Hence choose your MBA institution wisely.

 The maximum package offered at IIM-A for an Indian job, this year is, Rs 37 Lakh. The maximum salary for a foreign placement was $ 139.64 thousand (Rupees 70 Lakh) per annum.

 14 per cent of the IIM-A graduates got placements with companies abroad.

 Compared to last year, the top Business Schools in India have shown marked improvement, however, the 4000 plus B-Schools that occupy the middle to lower ranking positions have not registered any significant growth.

About the Survey:

The fourth edition of Annual B-School Rankings conducted by CNBC-TV18, compiled a comprehensive list covering 145 B-Schools, 235 recruiters and 217 faculty members in a Data Based Quantitative Survey Perception Ratings.

Parameters on the basis of which the survey ranked the Business schools in India: Intellectual capital, Placement performance, infrastructure and facilities, industry interface, international linkages and recruiters satisfaction.

Top 10 Business Schools in India

2012-01-28T19:22:00.000+05:30

Top 10 Business Schools in India

The fourth edition of Annual B-School Rankings conducted by CNBC-TV18, saw IIM-A topping the list. With the IIM-Calcutta maintaining its third position, the comprehensive list covered 145 B-Schools, 235 recruiters and 217 faculty members in a Data Based Quantitative Survey Perception Ratings. The survey also took into account current placement scenario in India.

Top 10 Business Schools in India according to the fourth edition of B-School Rankings:

1. IIM-Ahmedabad
2. IIM-Bangalore
3. IIM-Calcutta
4. IIM-Lucknow
5. XLRI, Jamshedpur
6. MDI, Gurgaon
7. NITIE, Mumbai
8. IIM-Indore
9. SP Jain, Mumbai
10. IIM-Kozhikode

Note: ISB, Hyderabad and SIBM, Pune had not participated in the data survey.

Nokia tops dual-SIM mobile phone market in India

2012-01-27T19:17:00.001+05:30

Nokia tops dual-SIM mobile phone market in India

For some time now, Nokia was taking a beating from the Indian phone brands (local brands), in the low-end segment in India. This may have been a cause of worry for the Finnish mobile maker, who ruled the segment eternally in the country. But the recent rupee depreciation has come as a blessing for the most well known phone brand in the country.

Courtesy the recent rupee depreciation, the Indian phone brands are compelled to hike the price of low-end models, giving Nokia the opportunity to not only make a comeback in the low-end segment but also gained a remarkable lead in the dual-SIM phones segment.

Multi-SIM shipments accounted 54 per cent of the total handsets market during November 2011 in India; with Nokia leading the race with 19 per cent market share, followed by Micromax (7.1 per cent) and Karbonn (6.9 per cent), reports a media research.

Notably, Nokia recently launched budget Series 30 music phones, with dual SIM variant.

Impact of recent Rupee Depreciation:

Nokia benefited from the recent rupee decline as it mainly sources components for the low end phones from local market (Indian market). On contrary, the Indian phone makers such as Maxx Mobile, Lava, Micromax and Karbon were forced to increase price as the components of their phones are sourced from China and other Asian nations.

Greatest Innovators of all time for young Americans 16-25 year olds

2012-01-26T19:07:00.001+05:30

Greatest Innovators of all time for young Americans 16-25 year olds

In a survey conducted by the Lemelson-MIT Program, among 16-25 year old Americans (Young America), primarily to find the ‘innovation role model’ for young people in US – Thomas Edison topped the List, with Apple co-founder Steve Jobs, getting half the votes, at number two position.

Below are the greatest innovators of all time, for young Americans:

Thomas Edison _____________52 Percent
Steve Jobs _____________24 Percent
Alexander Bell _____________10 percent
Marie Curie _____________5 percent
Mark Zuckerberg _____________3 percent
Amelia Earhart _____________3 percent
TempleGrandin _____________2 percent

The fact that -- for Young America, Thomas Edison is the world's greatest innovator of all time, ahead of Steve Jobs and Zukerberg (who are contemporaries of the respondents) ; made the academics behind the survey infer that invention and innovation are primarily taught in history class, not the math and science courses that are the foundation for careers in invention and innovation.

This particular fact made the academics suggest a need to inculcate a understanding of innovation, among children right at middle school level. According to academics, if maths and science are not taught properly at the elementary school level, it’s hard to pick up the nuances at the High School; and even more difficult at the College Level. This lack of proper understanding of the math and science courses that are the foundation for careers in invention and innovation, makes a high school kid, typically a 16-17 year old, makes him/her see innovation an insurmountable task; and making him/her pick her innovation role models from History.

This became amply clear when; 60 percent of the respondents feel inhibited in pursing inventive careers themselves. 34 percent — said they simply don’t know enough about these fields.

The above ignorance and reluctance towards innovation, the academics behind the study, believe arises from the perception which sees an innovator as a person toiling all day and night in his filthy laboratory, endlessly. On contrary innovation, if backed by the right understanding of the subject, can be rewarding, both materialistically and individually.

To put more young Americans on the path of innovation, the study suggests thrust on maths and science from innovation point of view right at school levels, which means more mentors coming into classrooms to talk, especially to elementary and middle school students; and providing hands-on experiences inside and outside the classroom at school, high school and college levels.

Now Charge upto 16 of Your USB Devices Simultaneously

2012-01-26T17:44:00.002+05:30

Now Charge upto 16 of Your USB Devices Simultaneously

Has your increasing USB devices, made you constantly look for USB slots?

If yes, then a 16-port USB charger, is for you.

The USB charger , which allows you to Charge upto 16 of Your USB Devices Simultaneously, is the Datamotion Systems PowerPad Charging Hub. Although the company claims that charger is "designed for charging Apple devices"; but it you can use it to charge whatever USB device you like.

The Datamotion Systems PowerPad Charging Hub, is great for USB device rich, for big families and startups which are home to many geeks in a single room.

To cool things off, it has a fan at the end too.

Apple Loves its Product Packaging Boxes just like a Toddler, reveals new Book

2012-01-25T22:04:00.000+05:30

A new Book, Inside Apple, reveals the secret systems, tactics and leadership strategies (also called as Apple's "cultish secrecy) that allowed Steve Jobs and his company to churn out hit after hit and inspire a cult-like following for its products.

If Apple is Silicon Valley's answer to Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory, then author Adam Lashinsky, Fortune writer, provides readers with a golden ticket to step inside. In this primer on leadership and innovation, the author will introduce readers to concepts like the "DRI" (Apple's practice of assigning a Directly Responsible Individual to every task) and the Top 100 (an annual ritual in which 100 up-and-coming executives are tapped a la Skull & Bones for a secret retreat with company founder Steve Jobs).

According to Apple Insider, a blog which is known for publishing and breaking unheard news about Apple, the book reveals the existence of a secret room at Apple, devoted solely to designing product packaging and what users experience when opening a new product. This packaging room is located in a walled-off section of the company's main marketing building, and according to the new book, is "so secure that those with access to it need to badge in and out."

And what employees inside this secret packaging room do? The book reveals that in the room, employees perform "the most mundane of tasks -- opening boxes." One of the packaging designers spent months in the room, just opening hundreds of iPod box prototypes, until he felt the same, as he had expected himself to.

[Tech24Hours says: Packaging Boxes have a special fascination for small boys; I used to be on cloud number nine, whenever I managed to get a box which had pointed corners and clean edges. The fact that for Apple, the inexpensive box merits as much attention as the high-margin electronic device inside, says for itself, why Apple experience begins right from unboxing an Apple Product. The act gives the same joy, as a toddler gets, while getting a useless carton from the home’s recycle Bin.]

The book also reveals that Steve Jobs had interest in a startup camera company before he died late last year.The Book reveals that just months before his death, Jobs met with the CEO of Lytro in Palo Alto, the maker of a new "light field camera" that creates "living" pictures.But, in its current form, Lytro's relatively large, tube-shaped camera, didn’t appeal to Jobs’ sense of aesthetics. Although, a deal never materialized between Apple and Lytro, Jobs did ask 32 year old Ng send him an e-mail outlining three things he wanted Lytro to do with Apple.

Notably, Lytro's technology gained considerable attention last October, at All Things D's AsiaD Conference, for its camera that lets users focus a picture after it has been captured.

The book, throws light on Apple’s ‘no free lunches provided to employees on the company's corporate headquarters after first-day orientation’ philosophy and on Apple personalities like iOS chief, Scott Forstall ("CEO-in-waiting, while the head of Internet software), Eddy Cue (seen as a "dealmaker" crucial to the company's negotiations with outside partners like content providers and wireless carriers).

Based on numerous interviews, the book offers exclusive new information about how Apple innovates, deals with its suppliers and is handling the transition into the Post Jobs Era. Lashinsky, a Senior Editor at Large for Fortune, knows the subject cold: In a 2008 cover story for the magazine entitled The Genius Behind Steve: Could Operations Whiz Tim Cook Run The Company Someday he predicted that Tim Cook, then an unknown, would eventually succeed Steve Jobs as CEO.

While Inside Apple is ostensibly a deep dive into one, unique company (and its ecosystem of suppliers, investors, employees and competitors), the lessons about Jobs, leadership, product design and marketing are universal. They should appeal to anyone hoping to bring some of that Apple magic to their own company, career, or creative endeavor.

Inside Apple: How America's Most Admired--and Secretive--Company Really Works
by: Adam Lashinsky
publisher: Business Plus, published: 2012-01-25
ASIN: 145551215X
EAN: 9781455512157
sales rank: 85
price: $14.45 (new), $14.45 (used)

Twitter Acquires Three year old security startup Dasient

2012-01-24T20:01:00.001+05:30

Twitter Acquires Three year old security startup Dasient

In a talk at the DLD conference in Munich, Twitter co-founder and executive chairman Jack Dorsey clearly defined what Twitter means to them, the Twitter people, and how they see Twitter as a service. Twitter appears to be clearly working towards the direction Dorsey thinks it should.

One more area Twitter is focusing of late is its security; with Twitter having the distinction of being available at nearly every networked device existing today; its focus on beefing up security on its site, is understandable.

On Monday, Twitter acquired Dasient, a three-year-old Internet security start-up. This acquisition, is Twitter’s second security acquisition in just three months. In November 2011, just two months ago, it acquired Whisper Systems, a security service for mobile devices.

Terms for both deals were not disclosed.

Why the latest acquisition:

Twitter, the microblogging service, had issues with trending topic scams and spams for long. Since ‘following’ on Twitter, both qualitatively and quantitatively, matters a lot; hence influential and very popular Twitter accounts, mostly belonging to celebrities are a frequent target for high-profile hacks.

Only last month, Lady Gaga’s Twitter account with 18 million Twitter followers, was compromised. In 2010, Twitter was the subject of an inquiry by the Federal Trade Commission into its security practices after the Twitter accounts of Facebook, Fox News, President Obama and several other prominent users were found to be compromised.

Dasient can be of much help to Twitter, as its scanning software helps businesses identify and contain malware on the Web. That apart, Dasient also markets what it calls “the industry’s first anti-malvertising service,” which claims to protect advertising networks and publishers from malware. The acquisition is being seen as the next logical step of Twitter towards increasing its monetization efforts with self-service ads.

From Dasient’s perspective, the startup, sees the acquisition as an opportunity to apply its technology and team, to the world’s largest real-time information network.

About Dasient:

Dasient, a three year old company, co-founded in late 2008 by two ex-Googlers, Neil Daswani and Shariq Rizvi, and Ameet Ranadive, formerly of McKinsey & Company, with $4 million in seed money from Google Ventures, Floodgate, Radar Partners and Benhamou Global Ventures. In 2010, the company brought to its ship, as its chief executive, Paul Stich, a former vice president at McAfee.