Tech 24 Hours

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.

Sony ST25i Kumquat Android smartphone leaked ahead of MWC

2012-01-24T19:45:00.000+05:30

Sony ST25i Kumquat Android smartphone leaked ahead of MWC

In February, during Mobile World Congress, many latest smartphones will be rolled out by the world’s largest phone makers.

So don’t wonder if you hear about some leaks about some upcoming device.

In the league of lakes, below is the image of what is presumed to be Sony’s upcoming ST25i “Kumquat” Android smartphone.

How Jack Dorsey sees Twitter

2012-01-24T12:32:00.003+05:30

How Jack Dorsey sees Twitter

Brands, whether physical or online, are always trying to regulate the way the end users define and use their product/service. Although many experts advocate that -- brands should keep evolving with the end user; the mere thought of end users ‘defining and using the product/service’ in ways not planned by the creator, gives them jitters. The reasons for this uneasiness are the resources (money, technology and manpower) go for continuous evolution.

For these reasons, in the lifecycle of any product/service, the creators keep indirectly reminding the users of how they see the product/service and how they think; users should/would be using it.

In a talk at the DLD conference in Munich, Twitter co-founder and executive chairman Jack Dorsey took opportunity to define Twitter his and his company’s way. Speaking of the most important words to describe Twitter versus its competitors, Dorsey said “Public,” “real-time” and “simplicity”.

Interestingly, Dorsey didn’t say “social”.

Dorsey doesn’t see Twitter as a “social” entity as Facebook and Google+ is. Instead, for him Twitter is more like a service which helps a user to learn about what his/her friends are doing in the areas relevant to him/her. Like Twitter is a tool for a marketer to see what a top marketer is up to. Thus Dorsey sees ‘Twitter as social’ as just one part of what people do on Twitter.

That apart, according to Dorsey, Twitter people think of it as an information utility and a communications network, which beats players like Google+ and Facebook by being more accessible. To substantiate, his assertion, Dorsey said that it is not necessary to tweet to get value out of Twitter. An attribute which makes Twitter both a destination and a distribution channel.

On how not to define twitter as, Dorsey, appeared less committed to describing Twitter as a tool of democracy. This is interesting or not so interesting, when Twitter played a key role in ousting Mubarak in Egypt, and compelling US Congress of reversing on SOPA.

Dorsey was also representing himself at DLD in his second full-time role as CEO of the payments company Square, available in United States only. Square contemplates entering Asia, including China, this year; which it believes is a natural fit because many people in Asia have already stopped carrying cash.

US tablet ownership Pre and Post Holiday Shopping Season 2011

2012-01-24T09:09:00.002+05:30

US tablet ownership Pre and Post Holiday Shopping Season 2011

Total tablet sales in the U.S. nearly doubled to 19 percent ownership among adults after the holiday shopping season, according to a new report by Pew Research Center.

According to the report, the tablet ownership was 10 percent in December 2011, which increased to 19 percent in January 2012. Nearly doubling, from the time before Christmas and January of 2012.

Apple's iPad continues to dominate the tablet market; with both the tablets and the dedicated e-book readers, remaining hot gift this holiday season.

The findings become important when one compares this fortnightly period with a period from mid-2011 into the autumn, in which ownership of tablets and e-book readers remained stagnant. But the holiday buying changed the ownership percentage from 10 to 19 percent.

Although the report doesn’t attributed Apple's iPad, with boosts in sales; it suggested that Amazon's Kindle Fire and the Barnes and Noble Nook Tablet, both of which feature prices much lower than Apple's $499 entry-level iPad, played a significant role in doubling the tablet ownership in US.

US Tablet PC and eBook Reader Ownership:

Notably back in April 2009, the US tablet ownership, tablets and eBook Readers both, was 2 percent and reached 6 percent for Ebook readers & 5 percent for Tablet PCs in November 2010. It grew to 12 percent (eReaders ) & 8 percent (for eBooks) in May 2011. Remained around 10 percent mark for tablets till December 2011 (and similar for eBookReaders); and reached 19 percent for both tablets and e-readers in January 2012. If you understand things visually better, then have a look at the chart below:

Look carefully! The name is not iPhone6

2012-01-23T19:43:00.000+05:30

Look carefully! The name is not iPhone6

True that China is infamous for its knock-offs. Some of which are so perfectly copied that it's impossible to tell them from the original.

But these look alikes don’t stop at getting your praise. They get your wows, with their clever names as well. How about buying an iPed (Yes, we are not saying an iPad) or an iPnoho6!

Since iphone5 is the next anticipated iphone; 6th iteration of it is nowhere in sight. We are talking of iPnoho6 and not the iPhone6.

China is full of numerous more knock-offs with equally clever or not so clever, names. In the meantime, have a look at an iPnoho6 (Yes, we are not saying iPhone6):

Click on the image to Enlarge

Samsung Galaxy Ace S5830 gets Android 2.3.6 in India

2012-01-23T19:20:00.000+05:30

Samsung Galaxy Ace S5830 gets Android 2.3.6 in India

Samsung has made an operating system update for Samsung Galaxy Ace S5830 smartphone in India.

This means that Samsung Galaxy Ace S5830 is getting Android 2.3.6.

Availability:

The update is available via Samsung's dedicated software -Kies; which will be made available to users in India in a gradual manner. As happens with any OS update, users can expect some bug fixes.

About Samsung Galaxy Ace S5830:

Launched in February 2011, Samsng Galaxy Ace S5830 has been particularly hit with Indian consumers.

The smartphone supports 3G network with HSDPA 900 / 2100; and has a 3.5 inch TFT capacitive touchscreen ( 320 x 480 pixels of resolution and 165 ppi pixel density) which can be called impressive.

That apart, the phone has a 32 GB of expandable memory and 278 MB of RAM. Ace has a 5 MP camera, 2592x1944 pixels, LED flash, with autofocus, Geo-tagging, face and smile detection. The phone supports high quality viewing, QVGA at 5fps.

Other connectivity options include, data speed of 7.2 mbps along with a Wi-fi connection of 802.2 version.

A powerful 1350 mAh Li-Ion battery, gives a stand-by time of 640 hours for 2G and 420 hours for 3G. For talktime, one should expect up to 11 hours on 2G and 6 hours on 3G.

Most Effective CO2 absorber Sponge Created

2012-01-22T23:50:00.000+05:30

Most Effective CO2 absorber Sponge Created

Noble Prize-winning chemist George Olah and team of researchers at the University of Southern California has developed a breakthrough low-cost plastic material, which is claimed to be one of the most effective CO2 absorbers ever created.

Olah and team took a common plastic which soaks up CO2 at moderate levels and fused it to a silica substrate. This fusing vastly increased the surface area – and thus its effectiveness. The CO2 sponge thus created -- has one of the highest absorption rates of CO2 for any known material-- is a big step towards a CO2 absorbing material that is low-cost and simple to use.

Possible Use:

Olah and team plans to incorporate the material in an iron-based battery for renewable energy storage for energy grids. The battery uses the dynamic oxygenation, and it can be ruined by CO2, The researchers hence want to take advantage of polyethylenimine’s (PEI when fused with Silica) ability to soak up carbon.

Other benefits of the material are: It can catalyze at room temperature and releases CO2 at 80 degrees celsius – a relatively low temperature compared to other materials. The material can be made in large quantities at low-cost, but because it is a plastic with a low melting point it cannot be used near CO2 pollution sources like tailpipes and smokestacks. Olah envisions using the trapped CO2 and combining it with hydrogen to make methanol for fuel.

Activision rolls out first downloadable maps for Modern Warfare 3

2012-01-22T20:19:00.000+05:30

Activision rolls out first downloadable maps for Modern Warfare 3

Activision Blizzard has rolled out two new multiplayer maps. The maps are the first downloadable content for Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3.

Modern Warfare 3’s, which is the the best-selling video game of all time, new maps will launch on Tuesday, Jan. 24.

The first map is Liberation, set in a militarized Central Park in New York; with long sight-lines for snipers; good for team games like Domination. A couple of gun turrets on either side of the map, enables the gamer to hold down locations better.

About Maps:

The other map is Piazza, set in an Italian seaside village. The map has tight corridors and is a vertical map, where a gamer fights up a series of stairs and multi-story buildings in the hillside town.

That apart, there will be monthly Down Loadable Content all the way through September, with new kinds of game modes and other content as well, reports VB.

Katy Perry immortalized as a Cartoon Character

2012-01-22T19:11:00.000+05:30

Katy Perry immortalized as a Cartoon Character

Singer Katy Perry, who last month announced her split from husband Russell Brand; is delighted with getting heself as a cartoon.

Perry has been immortalized - as a pink-haired cartoon character that of a Teenage Dream singer in new PC game The Sims 3 Showtime. In the game, Katy will help design accessories, clothing, hairstyles, furniture and props in the game, and will feature in a trailer for the product.

The product is due for release in March.

Sony Enhanced MicroVault USB Flash Drives unveiled

2012-01-21T16:13:00.002+05:30

Sony Enhanced MicroVault USB Flash Drives unveiled

Sony has unveiled its enhanced USB memory MicroVault line, at CES 2012 this week.

The MicroVault line has new models -- USM-Q, USM-P and USM-M – which range from ultra-fast, high performance devices to stylish, easy-to-use models -- aimed at different needs of different consumers.

The flagship USM-Q series will have Ultra-fast USB 3.0 compatibility – with transfer speeds of up to 120MB/s (read speed, based on Sony tests and dependent on host hardware). The product is right for quick backing-up of large sized data like high-definition movies or photos. The sleek hairline metal body finish design makes the drive surface scratch resistance. The drive’s "click" mechanism allows simple connection to USB ports with just a single push, and has an indicator LED, to indicate when the device is active.

The USM-P series is designed for everyday use and also available with the "click" mechanism and LED indicator.

The USM-M series has a slim and stylish compact design. The outer shell has different color options, to complement with user's PCs.

The memory devices are available with:

Sony downloadable File Rescue Software: The Sony downloadable File Rescue Software, available for free download at www.sony.net/memorycard, offers the ability to help recover photos and videos that may have been accidentally damaged or deleted. Data recovery for copy protected and game data files not supported. This latest software version also offers advanced capabilities such as support for 3D movie/photos and Full HD 60p video files.

x-Pict Story software: Also available for free download, at www.sony.net/memorycard , for creating distinctive photo presentations with unique layouts synchronized to effects and music.

Price & Availability: Sony line of USB MicroVault models will be available in March 2012, in capacities up to 64GB.

The pricing of USB MicroVault models will start at $15.99 (USM-M series), $29.99 (USM-P series) and $44.99 (USM-Q series).

First Social Operating System unveiled

2012-01-21T15:29:00.002+05:30

First Social Operating System unveiled

A new Startup, Unified, founded by Randi Zuckerberg (elder sister of Mark Zukerberg); Digitas; and Starcom Mediavest Group, has unveiled a Social Marketing Platform for Enterprises.
The platform aims at making handling big data easy for marketers and enterprises.

Claimed as the industry’s first “Social Operating Platform”, Unified says that the platform is for the brands/marketers that want to reach audiences across the growing landscape of social platforms.

The platform aims to streamline the entire cycle of marketing across major social ecosystems with technology especially intended for enterprise clients. This means executing effective campaigns on different social platforms like Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, StumbleUpon and other social services simultaneously, managing different strategies, different planning and buying processes, and different analytics tools, all from one single platform. Unified managed to streamline all these tasks with a patent-pending tool that manages each step of the process, from planning, buying and optimizing campaigns to analyzing earned media and determining returns on the investment.

According to Unified CEO Sheldon Owen, with social media advertising growing in size with each passing day; Unified felt a need to make the task less labour intensive; and hence come out with a platform which streamlines the entire cycle of marketing across major social ecosystems.

For whom the platform is for:

The platform is targeted at big companies and agencies; allowing them to review the performance of all its brands at a glance.

Unified, founded in April 2011, has its offices in New York and San Francisco. The Company claims that it has executed more than 3,000 social campaigns for a couple hundred brands, including Microsoft, BMW and GE, till now.

Nissan plans to put retired lithium-ion batteries of electric cars to New Use

2012-01-19T20:53:00.005+05:30

Nissan plans to put retired lithium-ion batteries of electric cars to New Use

Nissan wants to develop a way to use of retired lithium-ion battery packs from electric vehicles (used in its Leaf electric cars as well) to store electricity from the public power grid during off-peak hours, and then make it available for use when electricity use is heavy.

To get ahead in its plans, Franklin-based Nissan North America Inc., has joined hands with three energy-technology companies. To go forward, Nissan will allow the energy companies to use batteries from its Leaf electric cars to be converted to backup power sources for residential and commercial use after they are removed from the cars.

According to Nissan, the primary seed thought has potential of paving the way for something good; as when the battery packs no longer have enough power for practical use in the Leaf, they will still have about 70 percent of their capacity left.

Nissan plans to make the retired batteries useful in large arrays to take a charge from the power grid during off-peak hours. This stored power will be used when the power demand is at peak. A team including representatives from Nissan and the partners — Switzerland-based ABB, 4R Energy of Japan and Sumitomo Corp. of America — plans to develop a battery-storage system that, in each installation, could provide up to 50 kilowatt-hours of electricity (Kilowatt-hour is also called Unit).

According to Nissan that much energy will be sufficient to power about 15 homes for up to two hours.

Casio Quad-Core Android 4 LTE Handset under development?

2012-01-19T20:05:00.002+05:30

Casio Quad-Core Android 4 LTE Handset under development?

Casio is busy planning a number of new phone models and technologies. But one thing which has aroused a heightened interest, are the rumors that Casio is interested in creating an Android 4.0 High end handset.

The device, still unnamed, enthusiastically been discussed and tested inside closed doors at Casio, will sport a Super AMOLED display larger than 4.5-inches, a quad-core CPU (processor), and 4G LTE. Other specs include an NFC chip (Near Field Connectivity), an 8MP rear camera and a 2MP front-facing camera, and a 2000mAh battery. And as per rumors, the device depicted a minimalistic design lacking in Android buttons (which means handset relying on Ice Cream Sandwich’s software buttons).

Casio g'zOne

That apart, the Casio people are looking at some other potential devices as well. That include a series of clamshell designs, a device featuring a 5-inch screen, and a new g’zOne handset for Verizon featuring a large display and the familiar rugged look of the series (Casio’s niche g’zOne series).

On the new tech front, the talk is rife about extended waterproofing and shock resistance.

Your Foodily activity gets Facebook Timeline integration

2012-01-19T19:29:00.002+05:30

Your Foodily activity gets Facebook Timeline integration

Foodily™, a flag bearer in the field of curetting and sharing of food people love, has announced the Foodily app-Facebook Time line integration. Thus from now on, Foodily users can add their app to their Facebook Timeline to express their love of food.

The integration means that, now when people favorite food on Foodily, post food photos on Foodily or say they've made something on Foodily their friends can see these updates right in their Facebook Time line.

This is just like people sharing what they are listening to on Spotify.

To have favorite recipes or foods appear in the Facebook Timeline and saved to his/her personal timeline, all a user has to do is to simply 'fave' a recipe in Foodily -- from Foodily.com, the Foodily app on Facebook, or the free Foodily app for iPhone.

Kobo Reading Life app gets Facebook Timeline integration

2012-01-19T19:06:00.000+05:30

Kobo Reading Life app gets Facebook Timeline integration

Great news for the users of Kobo’s Reading Life App. The App’s over 7 million users in over 170 countries worldwide can now Share their Reading Life with Friends on the New App for Facebook Timeline.

Courtesy the integration of Reading Life on the Kobo iOS eReading app with Facebook Timeline; the readers can now be able to share their readings with friends online.

What the integration with the Facebook timeline means:

From today onwarwds, Facebook users can download the Kobo iOS app, and add Kobo Reading Life to their timeline. This enables them share their latest eBook activity, showing off their current read, staying atop of the hottest eBooks, writing and sharing reviews, with friends.

To add to the fun factor and encourage sharing, the app also allows users to earn fun badges for hundreds of reading activities, like the Papillion (for extreme social sharers), the Twain (for daily readers), and the Witching Hour (for readers who read into the wee hours of the night).

The Reading Life app launched in 2010, along with this new Reading Life feature for timeline, is free to download.

The Reading Life application is available for the Kobo iPhone and iPad App and will soon be available on other Kobo platforms. For more information, visit www.kobo.com/readinglife. To download the apps visit: For iPhone: www.kobo.com/iPhone, and for iPad: www.kobo.com/iPad.

MBAs in India prefer job profiles to hefty packages: Assocham Survey

2012-01-19T09:30:00.000+05:30

MBAs in India prefer job profiles to hefty packages: Assocham Survey

If offered a choice, MBAs in India would go for job profiles to hefty packages, says a latest Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (Assocham) Survey.

According to the survey, over 83 per cent of B-School graduates in India were willing to forego a hefty pay package for a job profile of their preference.

Sector Preference of MBA graduates in India is given here.

The respondents in the survey, were the B-school students in India.

Reasons for giving priority to Job Profile than to Big Paypackages:

Most of the respondents said that a job profile of their preference would help them in their long term career. Thus preferring a work profile combined with the growth opportunities, than tempting salary offers.

Other insights from the survey:

1) 4 Percent of MBAs in India opted for fat salary packets over a good job profile. The reasons supporting their decision were the the desire for a higher standard of living, family expectations and responsibilities, compulsion to pay hefty amount of education loans, to save for investment in entrepreneurship.

But the survey underlines that things seem to have changed with preferences changing for the future growth than the present rewards.

2) 75 Percent of the respondents wanted to go to the United States for a job. The United Kingdom and Australia were second and third MBA job destinations with 40 per cent and 25 per cent of respondents opting for them. Europe, Canada, Singapore and UAE were the other countries, which featured in the choice list. choice. According to Assocham, the lure here was the better working conditions, good living standard and promising growth potential in these developed countries.

3) Banking was found to be the most preferred sector among the MBA students in India, with 51 percent of respondents wishing to work in after their post graduation. Not surprising though, 34 Percent of the respondents stated they would not sacrifice the sector for any perk in form of pay or profile.

4) While choosing a sector, 20 per cent respondents asserted that their decision would depend on the factors like job satisfaction, growth potential, ease of switching to desired function, company culture, working hours, relevance of prior work experience, challenge, current financial position, brand name of the company and feedback from the people of the company.

[NOTE: The nation-wide survey undertaken by Assocham, covered views of over 500 students among top B-schools including Indian Institute of Management, Institute of Management Technology, SP Jain Institute of Management and Research and Symbiosis Institute of International Business (Pune) among others. The survey covered cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Goa, Cochin, Chennai, Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, Indore, Patna, Chandigarh and Dehradun.]

Sector Preference of MBA graduates in India

2012-01-19T09:08:00.002+05:30

Sector Preference of MBA graduates in India

According to the latest Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (Assocham) survey, MBAs/B-school graduates in India show the following Sector Preference:

Banking _____________51 Percent

Consultancy _____________44 Percent

Marketing_____________40 Percent

IT_____________38 Percent

Financial Analyst_____________35 Percent

Mutual Funds_____________27 Percent

Stock/Commodity Markets_____________25 percent

Automobiles_____________20 Percent

Independent Entrepreneurship_____________18 Percent

Exports/Imports_____________13 Percent

Research_____________11 Percent

Agri-business_____________11 Percent

Independent Consultant_____________10 Percent

[Data Assocham]

The Assocham survey also revealed that MBAs in India prefer job profiles to hefty packages.

71 out of every 100 Businesses Admit Mobile Devices Have Increased Security Incidents

2012-01-18T22:08:00.004+05:30

71 out of every 100 Businesses Admit Mobile Devices Have Increased Security Incidents

Check Point(R) Software Technologies Ltd., a leading global internet security company, has revealed the results of its new report.

According to the report, in the past two years, the number of personal mobile devices connecting to the corporate network has more than doubled -- Out of these, nearly half of devices storing sensitive data.

Below are the key findings of the Report, titled ‘The Impact of Mobile Devices on Information Security’

1) 71 percent of businesses believe mobile devices have caused an increase in security incidents, citing significant concerns about the loss and privacy of sensitive information stored on employee devices, including corporate email (79%), customer data (47%) and network login credentials (38%). And Smartphones and tablet PCs continue to proliferate in corporate environments.

2) The proliferation of smartphones and tablet PCs resulted in significant business benefits such as increased work efficiency and easy access to resources. In addition, the consumerization of IT is one of the chief concerns for CIOs (Chief Information Officers). On the flipside, the security concerns have resulted in more work for IT Administrators. And the pace, with which the devices are proliferating, overwhelms the IT departments. A trend which is likely to continue to rise in 2012.

3) Rise in Mobile Devices Connecting to the Corporate Network -- Approximately 94 percent of businesses surveyed have an increased number of personal mobile devices connecting to the corporate network,
with 78% of respondents seeing the number of devices more than double in the last two years.

4) Most Common Mobile Devices and their Security Risks -- Apple (30%) and BlackBerry (29%) were the most common types of mobile devices connecting to corporate networks, followed by Android (21%). Nearly half of respondents (43%) also believe Android devices pose a larger security risk to the mobile enterprise.

5) Employee Behavior Impacts Security of Mobile Data -- The majority of businesses believe the lack of security awareness among employees as the greatest factor impacting mobile data -- followed by mobile web
browsing (61%), insecure Wi-Fi connectivity (59%), lost or stolen devices (58%) and malicious mobile application downloads (57%).

6) Correlation between Rise in Mobile Devices and Security Incidents -- Approximately 71% of businesses believe smartphones and tablet PCs have contributed to an increase in the number of security events in
their organizations within the past two years.

7) Many Mobile Devices Store Sensitive Customer and Business Data -- Personal and corporate owned devices often store and access a variety of sensitive information including email (79%), customer data (47%) and login credentials (38%) for internal databases or business applications.