Vaneet 2.0

Ghajini: A lesson in Marketing!

noreply@blogger.com (vaneet) — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 09:07:00 +0000

After 25th December:

100% opening day collections with over 1500 prints
Over 90 crore business by the end of first Sunday
Expected 120 crore by end of first week
Best Ever Opening
Top film of 2008 already

Before 25th December:

Lets have a look at what the hell happened to get these earth shattering numbers.a sneak peek at the Marketing Strategy for Ghajini :

First Look:
Ghajini's marketing started way back from March 20 when he came out on the premier of RACE with his new BALD look. It actually gave the perfect sneak peek at the two looks of Aamir in the movie.Notice the jacket and rolled up half sleeves?Did anyone say Sanjay Singhania?

And then in November, this photo shot across leading dailies and Aamir without even showing his face and his 8 packs instantly became the talk of the town.

The 8 pack promotion:
Cut back to october 2007 and remember SRK and the ho-hallah around his 6 pack abs.It was only around that time that Aamir silently started working on his own, and just to make it better, he added a pair and made it eight!The fact that the man now had a 8 pack and a fantastic body, he decided to show the world how he got it! Up came the videos with 'Making of Aamir's 8 pack' on all news and entertainment channels.Videos similar to this youtube got thousands of visits!

He even went a step ahead and called a press conference to introduce his trainer and explain his diet chart!

Television appearances
With the TV channels filled with Ghajini promos, Aamir went into overdrive with his interviews, which came in by the day on every news and entertainment channel. Not to forget the guest appearances on reality shows, which is now a sort of a norm.

Offline Promos at Theaters
One of my personal favourite was the 'Theater personnels with Ghajini hair cut' act that he did on the release on Rab ne Bana di Jodi.Simply Fantastic. Imagine going to a cinema hall to watch RNBDJ and you watch all these Aamir Khan look alikes and his life size cut outs. You almost wish that you had come to watch Ghajini!

Co Branding

Tata Sky started running Ghajini “specials” complete with behind-the-scenes stories of the upcoming film. Samsung launched special Ghajini edition mobile phones of L700 and M200 models. These handsets have preloaded with Ghajini ringtones, pictures and songs.
Tata Indicom started with a outbound dialer service with Khan's pre-recorded voice.
Van Heusen launched Ghajini's apparels in their stores all across India and is backing it with in-store campaigns and giant posters of Khan dressed in formal attire.
Van Heusen also organized a fashion show wherein models along with Aamir sported the Ghajini look.Add a little big of jig and a bit of Guzarish and he had all the TV channels beaming again!

Viral SMS campaign

Remember the chain SMS which threatened to reveal what could possibly be the climax of the film? For those who were not on the mailing list, here it goes...

“Someone killed Aamir’s girlfriend and he lost his memory. Then he tries to find out the killer. Suspense… Aamir himself is the killer. Now enjoy Ghajini!”

I bet this one was proposed by someone at Tata Indicom!!!

Digital Promotion
With so much happening offline, something had to be done online to. And Ghajini makers had that well covered.
Websites like www.rememberghajini.com, www.findghajini.com and www.wallofsuspects.com were built to drive curiousity levels around the movie and provide a movie like experience on the Internet.
Add to that a 3D PC game and a number of mobile games and applications, and you have the digital space busy.

Not to forget that he has his own popular blog, which was a constant source of dope for all those waiting for Ghajini to release.

Final Week controversy
Just to cap it all, we had this 'Ghajini Release Stayed' court notices which threatened to stop the release of the immensely anticipated film a day before 25th December. Naturally, this became breaking news with minute to minute tracking on the latest updates. And after much drama, when the permission was granted, it was like a whole nation had taken a sigh of relief and they could all breath again!

A 10 month Campaign, where we saw Aamir from 8 pack fighting machine to turning in to a barber on the streets of Delhi, is a real case study in motion picture marketing.

To hear from the horse's mouth :

With Ghajini we've opened with the highest number of screens ever. So the marketing needed to have depth and width, so we needed to be very aggressive with the marketing of the film.

And so you did Aamir. You also made me pay 300 bucks for this one. Do read here on how I liked it!

Ghajini: Movie Review

noreply@blogger.com (vaneet) — Sun, 28 Dec 2008 15:42:00 +0000

I said here that I follow a rule, never miss a Aamir Movie. And I am glad I am sticking to it.

After months of SRK style marketing and unprecedented hype, it was a no brainer that Ghajini would open to packed theaters all around India. Scene in Bangalore was no different, with full houses all through the weekend.But such was the urge that I decided to shell out Rs 300 to the crooks at PVR to get a sunday ticket.

Not dwelling much into the story, Ghajini is a see-saw ride of Love found, love lost, revenge, action and trill. The film grips you from scene one and never loses you till its three hour length. You smile with Aamir and Kalpana and their 'it can only happen in bollywood' love story, You cry with aamir when his love is killed by the monster Ghajini in front of his eyes, you bite your teeth when Aamir juggernaughts over the villian sidekicks on his way to Ghajini, and you also feel that that 'iron sariya' was too short and hope that he finds a bigger one to slam his head in the end, and are satisfied when he finally does it.

The script is not without its flaws and takes convenient turns. But Hey! movie making is not a science lesson..its entertainment!

Aamir once again shows why he is called the perfectionist khan. He is brilliant throughout he movie, both as a billionaire Telephone company boss, and as a 8 pack mad for revenge fighting machine. He talks less, but lets his emotions do most of the talking. The Final sequence with Ghajini is enthralling and is a lesson in acting and movie making.Any actor other than Aamir would have made Ghajini more dramatic and over the top, aamir just about delivers a perfect performance.

Asin as Aamir's love does a fantastic job.She brings all the smiles in an otherwise gloomy and a dark film. Her potrayal is more of a utopian girlfriend, one who does no wrong, which makes her instantly lovable.Jiah is ok with the role given to her. She looks more like a sherlock Holmes aide rather than a Medical Student with the kind of investigation she puts in.

I must say that Indian Cinema comes of Age with ghajini. The entire look and feel of the film is amazing, with Hollywood style production and cinematography values. Fight scenes are powerpacked, Rehman scores with the music.
And please don't compare it with Memento, its a different cinema altogether.

All in all, a terrific watch.

**** 4/5

My name is going around the Earth on NASA's satellite!!

noreply@blogger.com (vaneet) — Sun, 28 Sep 2008 13:24:00 +0000

After a Guinness Book record in my name, here comes another one.I'll soon have my name circling around the earth on NASA's own satellite-GLORY!! So finally, some part of me gets to visit the Space.

Ok, I didn't design the fuse conductors for the NASA satellite for getting my name up there.You can have your name on Glory too.

The "Send Your Name Around the Earth" Web site enables everyone to take part in the science mission and place their names in orbit for years to come. Here's the website for you all:

http://polls.nasa.gov/utilities/sendtospace/jsp/sendName.jsp

All those who enter the name here will get a printable certificate from NASA(similar to the one above) and will have their name recorded on a microchip that will become part of the satellite. The last date for submitting names is Nov. 1, 2008.

As per the official NASA mail,

The Glory Mission will:
1. Measure solar energy entering the Earth's atmosphere
2. Collect data on the properties of natural and human-caused
aerosols in the Earth's atmosphere

So go ahead and write your name.If you are not lucky enough to become a star after you die, you'll surely have some part of you on that microchip!!

Some Professional Fundas of Office life...

noreply@blogger.com (vaneet) — Sun, 31 Aug 2008 18:33:00 +0000

Its not Hi! .... its Hey !!!

Yes, its no more Hi! How are you doing. Its Hey! Can you do this for me?
For some time I pondered why people use Hey instead of its widely accepted counterpart, but I soon realised its convenience.

In plain Hinglish, Hey is a combination of Hi and Oye. So Hey becomes the instant conversation starter as if with a Hi and it also calls out to a person you want to talk to for some work as in oye.So no need of any unpleasant pleasantries. If you are in a fix on how to start talking to a person, just say Hey, and all ground is laid!

People have Bandwidth, they come on the same page, they touch base, and also have a RADAR!!!

Yes, these are not superhumans, but ordinary people like you and me. When you Don't have enough Bandwidth, you mean that you already have your hands overflowing and you don't want any other tap to open your way.
People come on the same page when they all understand the situation in hand and are ready to start from there.They touch base when they meet, and keep things on their Radar, simply meaning that don't dare to forget this!

Who said Cricket is our most loved sport, its T.T. !!

Come 1 o'clock and professionals all over this country head to Ping Pong. The love for the sport is universal.Acquires minimum space, low investment, and you can change turns in 20 minutes.Its the perfect ice breaker, conversation starter and team builder.
And not to mention, we have such tremendous talent for the sport that it would put the best of Chinese in a spot of bother. Everybody you see seems to be a better player than you.Serving and Smashing, its a pity that a potential Olympic Medal is being lost behind the cubicles, PCs and keyboards!

Where the hell is your carbon Footprint!!

One thing I have noticed is the blatant wastage of paper. Paper cups, paper napkins, tissues, they are everywhere at your disposal.
Add to that our own friendly neighbourhood, the network printer, which is probably the hardest working professional in the office.Beating out pages after pages, which are all single side printed is the biggest wastage of paper ever.I fail to understand why reports can't be printed as books, both sides, and how we are so biased towards the page on the right.Its almost racist!

Start Planning for you weekends early

Yes, people plan in their weekends for the week ahead. But people in IT cities plan for the weekend.One starts with a monday, and and the next five days swoosh past in no time and you stare at full two days with nothing to do.So, its important that you start planning for your weekends from an early stage.Book your movie tickets well in advance, sync up with your friends or download a movie(have healthy relationships with your network administrator!).

Iphone Price in India Revealed: Rs.31000 !!

noreply@blogger.com (vaneet) — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 07:34:00 +0000

The news that you all have been waiting for is finally here.Yes, the price of the Iphone is out.But as you have already read, it has come as a huge disappointment.

IPhone from Vodafone has been priced at Rs 31,000 and Rs 36,100 for the 8GB and 16GB models respectively.

This news comes from one of the reader of this blog who has got the following mail from Vodafone :

Thank you for registering for your Apple iPhone 3G™ with us. We are delighted to announce that the iPhone 3G will be available in India from August 22, 2008 It will be available in 8GB & 16GB models, priced at Rs 31,000 and Rs 36,100 respectively.

Be the first to get the iPhone.

We have received a large number of registrations. As there are limited stocks, make sure that you get yours first, by paying an advance of Rs 10,000 to confirm your booking.

Where can you make this advance payment?

The iPhone 3G will be available at select Vodafone Stores. All you need to do is drop in at any select Vodafone Store between August 20 and 21 and make the advance payment by cash or credit card. Don´t forget to show the iPhone booking SMS, which you would have received from us, when you visit the Vodafone Store to pay the advance. To find a Vodafone Store near you, click here

Get an appointment now. No queues for you. Once you pay the advance, we will immediately give you an appointment date and time, starting August 22 when you can come and experience a full demonstration and collect your iPhone, all ready to use with your contacts and settings, by paying the balance amount.

Hurry! Limited stocks. Remember, the sooner you confirm your booking, the earlier you´ll get your iPhone. We have limited stocks and it will be on first come, first serve basis. Happy to help If you have any queries, log on to www.vodafone.in/iphone or call Vodafone Care on 111 (toll free) and we´ll be happy to help. Hurry and be one of the first to make the iPhone 3G your own.

Regards
Sanjay Sawhney AVP - Customer Service

If this is correct, then I think both Vodafone and Airtel have got it seriously wrong here.A price even around the 20k mark would have evoked massive response, but I'm not sure how this price will be received by the Indian mobile lovers waiting so eagerly on this piece of news.

Watch this space for the latest updates.

A shot-by-shot Account of How Abhinav Bindra Shot The Gold

noreply@blogger.com (vaneet) — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 05:51:00 +0000

Event: 10m AIR RIFLE
Distance: 10 metres (10.9 yd)
Rifle: 4.5 mm (0.177 in) calibre air rifle
Maximum weight: 5.5 kg (12.1 lbs)

Qualification to Finals:
The course of fire is 60 shots within 105 minutes for men. During this phase a maximum of 10 points are awarded for each shot. The top eight shooters reach the Finals.

Bindra had qualified fourth for the finals with a scoring sequence of 100, 99, 100, 98, 100 and 99, making it 596/600.

His nearest competitors, Finland's Henri Hakkinen qualified first for the event with a score of 598/600 after shooting a series of 100, 100, 99, 100, 100 and 99.China's Qinan Zhu was third, a point adrift of Hakkinen with a series of 100, 100, 100, 100, 99 and 98.

FINALS:

The top eight shooters in the finals shoot 10 shots – each scored to a maximum of 10.9, depending upon their position on the target.The cumulative score of the qualification and the finals decides the final winner.Each shot has a time limit of 75 seconds.

The 8 shooters lined up as the Chinese official counted down to the first shot.All eyes were on the Chinese Quinan, Finnish Hakkinen and India's Bindra.The Indian was 2 points behind the leader.

1st Shot:
The 1st shot is usually the most crucial shot because the heart beat rates are as high as 145-150 beats/second and it is very crucial to keep the early chills in control and strike a telling blow.And Bindra did just that.He shot a stunning 10.7 and announced his entry.A 10.7 means almost at the dead center of the bulls eye(10.9 being the perfect bulls eye).

Zhu opened with 10.2 and Henri with 10.1.

Henri : 608.1
Zhu : 607.2
Bindra: 606.7

2nd shot
Bindra with his great first shot broke into the top three.As the second shot was announced, he shot quicly and scored a decent 10.3.Zhu and Henri followed up with 10.0 and 10.2.

Henri : 618.3
Zhu : 617.2
Bindra: 617

3rd shot
Two shots down and Bindra was within 0.2 points of the second position.Henri from Finland, seeing his lead diminishing shot a telling 10.5.Bindra followed with a 10.4.Zhu lost his concentration and shot a disappointing 9.9.Its amazing that you hit bulls eye but end up being disappointed.

Henri : 628.8
Bindra: 627.4
Zhu : 627.1

4th shot
For the first time, Bindra took the second spot ahead of the Chinese Zhu.The fifth shot was crucial as he wanted to consolidate his position. And he did just that with a 10.5.Zhu followed with a 10.2 and Henri with a weak 10.0.

Henri : 638.8
Bindra: 637.9
Zhu : 637.3

5th shot
with the difference coming down to less than a point, Bindra was keen on narrowing the margin.He shot a cool 10.5 surpassing the 10.1 and 10.2 from the Chinese and the Finnish.

Henri : 649
Bindra: 648.4
Zhu : 647.4

6th shot
Bindra was now two shots away from lead and Zhu was trailing far behind.Showing great composure, he shot a third successive 10.5.Zhu, the last year champion shot back with a massive 10.7.Henri lost ground further with a 10.3.

Henri : 659.3
Bindra: 658.9
Zhu : 658.1

7th shot
This could be the shot that takes Bindra in the top spot.The referee counted down and the Chinese shot a 10.1. The Finnish came up with a 10.0. And Abhinav, keeping all his cool, struck a magnificent 10.6 to snatch the 1st place! As the results tof the 7th shot are announced, a roar came from the Indian Contingent sitting in the stands.The 25 year old Indian lad was three shots away from creating sporting history for India.So this is how it stood:

Bindra: 669.5
Henri : 669.3
Zhu : 668.3

8th shot
With Abhinav in the lead, their was visible tension mounting everywhere.A bad shot here could shatter the dream of a lifetime.It was very important for Bindra to strike good here.Zhu came up with a 10.6.He was adamant on giving the Indian a tough fight. Henri sort of lost it in the intense battle, he scored a 10.1.All eyes were now on Bindra.The Rifle shot, and the scorecard showed a 10.0.Among gasps and fears, everyone quickly looked down to the consolidated table.

Bindra: 679.5
Henri : 679.4
Zhu : 678.9

9th shot
With only a point clear of the Finnish Henri, Bindra looked to seal it off in the 9th shot.He took up his gun, aimed and oh G0d! 10.2. This was nail biting stuff.All eyes were now on Henri.A good shot here and it could be curtains. He shot immediately afterwards, and it was a 10.3! In the background, Zhu continued to climb up, he scored a 10.4. A look at the table:

Bindra: 689.7
Henri : 689.7
Zhu : 689.3

10th shot
God!! It came up to the last shot. One good shot, and he could become the first Indian to win a Gold in an individual event in Olympic history ever, a bad shot would land him a silver.For a success hungry India, a silver is as good as a Gold, but as some say, 'you don't win the silver, you lose the Gold'. Being the best in the world is an entire different level in itself, and Bindra knew i t well.He did not want the Silver.He remembered Athens, where he missed out by a whisker, he remembered all the hardwork and training he had done for this one very moment.
As he took up his rifle to shoot for the last time, little did he know that their would be millions watching eagerly back home in the early morning hours, hoping and praying for the bulls eye.He could just not falter.The rifle came up to his shoulder.The eyes wide open, Bindra shot. The pellet came out aiming for the center, taking with itself the hopes of a billion people.

All eyes moved to the scoring screen.A breath later a cross came up. And History was Created!
The cross was right in the center of the bulls eye, an unbelievable 10.8, an almost perfect score.The Indian contingent stood up with a roar, they knew their lad had done it.They waited for Henri, who lost it with a dismal 9.7, and Zhu.The moment his score came up, the stands erupted with jubilation and India had won its first medal at Beijing, and a Gold at that.

In the grueling half hour, Abhinav smiled for the first time as he took off his jacket.He knew that he had created history, a victory not only he, but generations of Indians will cherish and take inspiration from!Just savor the moment below, Indian national Anthem on Chinese Soil...

No Internet in the IT city of India!

noreply@blogger.com (vaneet) — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 12:25:00 +0000

For a person like me, who literally eats and drink on the Laptop with an internet connection, it is quite frustrating that even after a month here in Bangalore,I am still looking for an Internet Connection at my place! I have gone through a myriad of options and finally looking to experiment now.

Airtel, with which I had a bitter-sweet experience in Delhi was my first choice.I knew airtel, being the most responsive and proactive Telecom group in our country will get me an Internet connection as soon as possible with minimum documents.So I was a little surprised when their customer care replied that they will do a feasibility check of my area and revert back.Revert back they did, but with a negative.They were very sorry to inform that Airtel does not provide Internet services in that area.

My next option was BSNL.But it was dropped almost instantly.Reason: 3 months waiting period.Again amazing to know with our Telecom minister not happy with the Broadband Penetration in our country and failing targets every year, little does he know that horses of his own stable are losing out on customers like me day in and day out.If Mr. Raja is listening, I guess both BSNL and MTNL need a rap on their wrists for their miserable operations and dwindling customer service.

So, with the top two options eliminated, it was time to look DOWN to the likes of Tata Indicom, Sify, Reliance and Cable internet.A few reviews of Sify on the net, and it was dropped quickly.Also the fact that I wanted a mobile Internet connection which was broadband eliminated Tata and Reliance Plug 2 Surf Data cards.

It finally came down to Reliance and Tata Wimax broadband Internet. Both promised broadband speeds and a mobile internet connection which can be moved in case we shifted our accommodation. They also promised pathetic customer care, limited or no connectivity and poor signal strengths! But now, after a month of waiting I'm willing to settle down for less.So I have now decided to give Reliance Wimax a shot and see how it works.Hopefully I would be surfing the net in the comforts of my home from this weekend!

Are you spending 90% of your online time with Google?

noreply@blogger.com (vaneet) — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 12:16:00 +0000

Have you calculated how much of your Online time you spend with Google and its myriad services.In my previous article about the web services I use, six out of the sixteen were Google's.Just 4 months on, and I realise that Google has become my best net pal by far.

I start of my day checking my personal and official email (hosted at GMail).From there I go on to my Google Reader to have a look at my RSS subscriptions.

Now shifted to Bangalore, GTalk has become all the more crucial in my scheme of things to catch up with the near and dear ones.Its been a time I logged on to yahoo messenger.

Rest of my catching up is completed by Orkut, my preferred social networking site(due to its simple interface).

The new location also finds me frequently hooked to Google maps for locations.Though it still can't give me directions, for which I use Yahoo maps which works superbly well.

A brief look at Google news is also a part of my daily chores, specially now that I have limited access to newspapers.It gives me the aggregated top stories from around the world right on my laptop screen.

Though never of any consequence earlier(pun intended!), I now find use of the Google Calendar.I frequently add events for calls and discussions with people all across, plus it gives me reminders and the ability to share.

Ir rarely happens in a day when I do not come across a Youtube link to a very exciting video.Once in, you can spend your entire life watching and enjoying those amazing vidoes which just doesn't stop coming.

I collaborate with my team partner with Google Docs with which we can build, edit and share together.Thanks to this, my visits to dear old MS Office have halved.

I store my photos online using Picasa.I have Picasa installed on my machine which not only is a fantastic photo manager, but I also love the way it automatically uploads my photos to my online account.

Not to mention that I write this Blog on Blogger, which is again a Google service.Along with this blog, I use Google Analytics and Google Webmaster tools to improve this page you are reading.The feed of this blog is produced by google's Feedburner, which you can subscribe here to be in touch with the latest on this blog.I also use Google Adsense to show relevant ads(ok...also to get a quick buck!).

Apart from this, I wish to try Google Alert and notebook service in the coming days.

OH YES, I almost forgot, what about our dear old Google.com, our very own friendly neighbourhood search Engine! I guess all of us online now cannot live without Google search.

Ok, lets take a Breath.

So, whats the count?? Hmm...let me have a look.Looks like 'Eighteen'.
God my previous list is so outdated!!!

Is it really me, or you are very also very well on the Google's Bandwagon??I'm very eager to know....

Shifting to Bangalore? A Newbie Guide to Bangalore City...

noreply@blogger.com (vaneet) — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 14:34:00 +0000

I guess, given my background, it was only time that i hit the silicon valley of India, the city of Bangalore.My first step in Bangalore was a very pleasant surprise, courtesy Bangalore International Airport. The airport took me by surprise, huge,plush, sleek, modern, breezy and yes, truly international.Having seen Bangkok and Hong Kong, I can safely say, that Bangalore's new airport does a very good job.Its still under major construction and I'm sure it will come up as a model airport in India.

The only glitch is that its some 30 Km away from the city and there is no High Speed transit system in place. Modes of transport include Airport shuttle service and taxis.Once you are in the city , you realize why Bangalore is so Notoriously known for its traffic. Roads are small, one way at many places, and their are cabs, buses, autos, cars , motorbikes galore.I did'nt mind the traffic that much though , having myself being well-trained in Delhi.

The second thing you notice about the city is its weather.The weather here is simply great with a cool gentle breeze flowing 24 hrs.I actually woke up today with my blanket up and realised that their was no electricity, still I was not feeling uncomfortable at all.Some people still do not have any fans in their homes, and an a.c. is unneccessary luxury. Once called the garden city of India, it still retains much of its greenery and foilage.

The city can be best described as young and buzzing, with young professionals working from all parts of India and the world. Every next person is a t-shirt jeans, laptop bag, waist ID guy enjoying his chicken roll at a road side dhaba.Monday to Friday is hard-work,and then - thank god its Friday! No wonder PVR fleeces more than 250 bucks for a movie on weekends !

Accomodation is the most major concern when shifting to a new city. But finding a place to live in Bangalore should not be that difficult, because virtually the entire city is up for rent !! You can find PGs, rented flats, serviced Aptt, in every nook and corner of the city with varied prices and Rents.At Rs.5000 p.m., you land up with a decent accomodation here, and also save some on your HRA !

Transport is not a problem. Autos can be found everywhere, and are not as bad as ones in Delhi, chennai and other metro cities of India.Bus service is also good, as long as you avoid the office hours.A bike in Bangalore city would serve you great.

Food is again not an issue.You can find food to your taste everywhere.You might miss you favourite dal makhni and shahi Paneer, but you will enjoy the rolls.Bakeries and eateries are lined up anywhere you go.Chicken freaks, you are in for a treat here!

All in all, my first week in Banglaore has been great.The city knows no arrogance. It accepts you as its own and you so seamlessly amalgamate with it.So if you are packing your bags for this city, welcome Home!

iPhone launch in India on 22nd August

noreply@blogger.com (vaneet) — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 19:00:00 +0000

I guess the front page Vodafone ad yesterday would have excited many. " Apple iPhone 3G , Coming Soon. " Both Airtel and Vodafone had earlier announced their tie-ups with Apple to bring the iPhone in India, and have now started pre-bookings.Since then Apple has launched the new iPhone 3G, with 3G and inbuilt GPS.

The good news is that we will now get the new iPhone3G in India.Some of the new additions in the iPhone 3G are:

Slimmer, Sleeker
3.5 mm standard headphone jack
Integrated GPS unit ( Can't wait for this !!! )
Better battery life
Lower price, iPhone 3G 8GB for $199(Rs.8500),16GB for $299(Rs.13000 approx.)

Assuming that Steve keeps his promise of pricing the iPhone same anywhere in the world, a 8GB Apple iPhone3G would be a steal.But hang on.For people who are wondering why the iPhone is being launched by Airtel and Vodafone and why not Apple itself, the iPhone will come bundled with a service contract with the network operator for a specific period of time (2 year etc.) .The phone will work with only that operator, like a CDMA phone.( Obviously I'm taking about the Genuine ones, one can always go and help himself with an unlocked version...).So that will take its cost much higher than the price of the phone.Looking at India, we have no 3G services, so we will not have any Data Plans(for Internet), like in the US.Anything under 10k would be very well lapped up by the Indian Mobile buyers.

In the meanwhile, current market leaders are already feeling the iPhone heat.Nokia's CEO has already made his fear's public.Motorola and Samsung are already planning their iPhone Killers.

Nonetheless, I wait eagerly for the iPhone debut in India!

Top New Firefox 3 Features

noreply@blogger.com (vaneet) — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 19:42:00 +0000

There are a lot of sites already up describing the features in detail, but some of them which I thought would really help are:

Pause and Resume Downloads is a feature that used to require a third-party add-on. Now the Downloads window has a simple pause/play button, letting us stop and start all we want. The resume function also works if the system crashes or is forced to restart.

One-Click Bookmarking via the star button in the location bar.

Better Add-on menu: Now we can search and install extensions and themes right from the pop-up box, no browsing required. Also, a new plug-in manager lets us enable and disable third-party helpers like Flash, QuickTime .

Better Zooming: Now we can zoom the entire page (rather than just text).Try it by pressing Ctrl and ++, -- on this page.

No remember password Pop-up: It will now appear on top of the page and the will not hinder the page loading process. Wonderful!!!

Save tabs on exit: Now when we open Firefox, the tabs and windows look just like they did when we closed it down. No need to reopen all our windows each time we start a session. Good one.

Drag & Reorder Tabs: Not sure whether FF 2 had it, but we can arrange the order of our tabs by dragging them right or left.

Integration with antivirus software: On downloading a file, computer’s antivirus program automatically checks it to protect against viruses and other malware.

AWESOME BAR

Search Keywords: To set a keyword, click the search bar dropdown and select “Manage Search Engines…” For ex: If we set w as the keyword for Wikipedia, we can just type w sachin into the address bar and it will redirect to the Wikipedia search results for Sachin. Wonderful!

Tags: Label a site with names or categories that are meaningful. For example, we can label the site www.bbc.co.uk with the “news” tag as well as the “foreign investments” tag, plus give www.nytimes.com the “news” tag, too. When we enter “news” into the location bar, both sites will be shown as results. A single site can have multiple tags, and there’s no limit to the number of tags we can create. This is a wonderful feature as far as I am Concerned.

I have a Guinness Book Record...

noreply@blogger.com (vaneet) — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 18:18:00 +0000

ok...Its shared with 8 million people worldwide.

The much hyped Mozilla Firefox 3 finally released on the 17th of June with about 8 million downloads in 24 hrs since launch, in a bid to set(rather than break) a Guinness book record for the most downloaded software in a day.

I was pretty much the part of the firefox frenzy as I repeatedly refreshed my download window hoping for a download which was scheduled to start at 10.20 p.m. in India but refused to load.The servers finally went up at around 11.30 and I officially downloaded the new version of my default browser.

'SarkaR Raj ' Movie review

noreply@blogger.com (vaneet) — Sun, 08 Jun 2008 18:25:00 +0000

I haven't seen 'Aag' but people said that anything would be better than that, ( though Tashan did give a good fight..). I had seen Sarkar, the original, and quite liked it. It was a different movie, which had a unique tone and texture, almost no dialogues, no songs, but power packed expressions and screenplay.

Sarkar Raj is no different.The movie carries forward the legacy of Subhash Nagre, with his son Shankar carrying the beacon.The plot revolves around a power plant project, which is shared dream of Anita(Ash) and Shankar (Abhi) , and how it turns into a dirty Political minefield with the opposing forces determined to bring down Shankar and the Sarkar Raj.

The storyline is gripping but largely drags, throwing intermittent surprises. The highs of the film include the carry forward ' Govinda govinda .....' background chant which acts as a perfect filler for the silent zones.The political intricacies, twists and turns, specially towards the end are superb.

Ram Gopal Varma continues with his awkward camera angles, oscillating between chairs, full close-ups, sepia tones, saturation, and black and white images.Amitabh is routine, as one expects a powerful performance from the veteran actor, Abhishek and Ash are both impressive, though a overdose of glycerin might have hurt those gorgeous blue eyes !!

All in all, an Ok movie, but with this script, better could have been done.Watch it if you have a flair in politics, or have nothing else to do in the weekend, otherwise wait for the T.V. Premiere.

2.5/5

Of the unusual Delhi rain...and monsoons

noreply@blogger.com (vaneet) — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 08:34:00 +0000

I'm sure all Delhiites and much of north India is quite relishing this unusual rainfall we've had this season.Being in Delhi for over a decade now, I have never seen it rain so heavily and consistently in the month of may and June, even in the monsoons, If I may add.

The fact of the matter is that Delhi was becoming hotter and drier every year.The monsoons have been shrinking each year, and last year, If I recall correctly, they never came to Delhi !! A squall here, a drizzle there was all we got, after braving the scorching heat and life sucking hot winds for over three months.

But this season, its been quite different.It seems the rain gods have seen enough of Lord Surya! We have had the wettest May ever in the capital's history with a total of 164.8 mm rainfall recorded. The previous highest rainfall during the month was 129.3 mm in 2002. Weathermen have attributed this unusual weather to the influence of an upper air cylonic circulation, which has caused the bountiful rainfall, but yes that was an explanation and not a forecast.

The rain has continued into June, which is by far the most dreaded month in Delhi. Yesterday night too saw a huge downpour, with me getting stuck by the road side.

As I stood under a shelter watching the rain gaining force, more and more cyclists and motorists stopped by, drenched in water. The rain continued and so started the talk.Many were enjoying this unusual rainy Delhi summer, while others were already worried about the Monsoons, which might not come to Delhi now, due to such heavy rainfall. It was then that it occurred to me, about this very special bond we all share with the monsoon, the dark clouds, the shattering thunderstorms, the first monsoon drop and the smell of wet mud, the joy and happiness associated with it, probably one of the most satisfying connections with nature.

With these thoughts, I decided, for once, to re-connect this link, and walked out from the shelter in the drizzle.

Inspired Pritam...!!

noreply@blogger.com (vaneet) — Mon, 05 May 2008 09:42:00 +0000

"Creativity is all about hiding your sources...." - Albert Einstein

As the video started with this quote, i really looked forward to what it had in store.And just 5 seconds into it, I knew, what many of us had heard, was true....shockingly, amazingly TRUE.

Mr. Pritam Chakraborty , the much celebrated music Director, with hits like, woh lamhe, Gangster, Life in a Metro, bhool bhulaiya, Dhoom, Jab We Met,Race....was being busted right before my eyes.The tune, the beat, even the lyrics, COPIED, Frame to Frame, Point to Point.

Dig a little deeper in youtube, and you will find PRITAM COPY CATS 1,2,3,4...., and you realize that literally all the chartbusters given by Mr.Pritam have been " Inspired " (read "lifted" ), from Korean, Indonesian,arabic bands and even hindi and bengali songs.

One is amazed on how the title track of Bhool bhulaiya, 'Pehli Nazar mein' from Race, almost all songs from Gangster, life in a metro, match tune to tune with their original counterparts.

Its not the first time that we have seen cases of Music being Copied blatantly.Recently we had Mr.Rakesh Roshan dishing out some crores for a hasty settlement for a copied song in Krazzy 4.Mr. Pritam was also in news earlier, when his chart buster ' Ya Ali' was exposed to be a straight forward copy of ' Ya Ghali', by a Kuwait based band called GuiTaRa.Mr. Pritam however said that he never knew the song had existed and he was inspired by a Muslim folk song which has been around for centuries. Anu Malik has been getting "Inspired" for ages now and finds himself out of work.

I personally, do not hold an extremist view on getting inspired.If Pritam would not have brought 'Sarang Haeyo' as 'Pehli Nazar mein...', we probably would not have heard the song ever.Music as I feel, is not meant to be copyrighted, its meant to be spread. There's nothing in this world that works like good music, from wherever it may be,and we do little service by imposing laws and rights on it.It was a great step by ColdPlay to put their new album online for free.I was more amazed than shocked to see the above videos, as you tend to respect people for their work and only to find out later that it was not their original.Though all is not lost until we have Rehman and SEL around.

Leaving you with this one, 'Pehli nazar mein' original version, with a lakh hits on youtube..have fun!!!

Orkut Applications launched !

noreply@blogger.com (vaneet) — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 18:17:00 +0000

A random refresh at about 11.30 P.M.(IST) on my Orkut Profile revealed this new image.At first it appeared as a security tip, but one more look told me that Orkut had finally graduated to the next level, and had come up with much awaited third party applications.

The application directory currently has the following applications:

Music iLike

By iLike, Inc.

Add music and videos to your profile, list your favorite artists, and test your skill in the Music Challenge! Join 23 million iLike users to share and discover music.

Emote!

By RockYou!

Bored, Happy, Glum? We've got an ever growing list of emoticons to show off how you feel.

PhotoAttack

By ActOnME, Inc.

Attack photos of your friends with cool animations! Slap them silly, send them a kiss, splash them with color balloons. No matter what your emotions are we have an animation that can help you to express yourself. Let the game begin. Attack Now !!

Horoscopes

By RockYou!

Are the stars aligning for you? Find out with a RockYou horoscope and get regular updates for your sign.

TypeRacer

By Alex Epshteyn

Typing meets racing in this first-ever competitive typing game. Compete against your friends and the whole world in the new sport of keyboarding!

The all time best 'BUSHISMS' : 'isms' series Part I

noreply@blogger.com (vaneet) — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 17:17:00 +0000

Many of us have heard about Mr. Bush and his much famous oratory skills.In his tenure as president of the U.S., he's spoken things, most hilarious, and of which some make no sense, and some make a completely different sense altogether...

I guess he's better off with a script, an extempore is just not his style.......

Do go through the entire list, it's a great read!!

"Our enemies are innovative and resourceful, and so are we. They never stop thinking about new ways to harm our country and our people, and neither do we." —Washington, D.C., Aug. 5, 2004 (Watch video)

"There's an old saying in Tennessee — I know it's in Texas, probably in Tennessee — that says, fool me once, shame on — shame on you. Fool me — you can't get fooled again." —Nashville, Tenn., Sept. 17, 2002 (Watch video)

"Those weapons of mass destruction have got to be somewhere!" —President George W. Bush, joking about his administration's failure to find WMDs in Iraq as he narrated a comic slideshow during the Radio & TV Correspondents' Association dinner, Washington, D.C., March 24, 2004

"I trust God speaks through me. Without that, I couldn't do my job." —to a group of Amish he met with privately, July 9, 2004

"I just want you to know that, when we talk about war, we're really talking about peace." —Washington, D.C. June 18, 2002

"Can we win? I don't think you can win it." after being asked whether the war on terror was winnable, "Today" show interview, Aug. 30, 2004

"The most important thing is for us to find Osama bin Laden. It is our number one priority and we will not rest until we find him." Washington, D.C., Sept. 13, 2001

"I don't know where bin Laden is. I have no idea and really don't care. It's not that important. It's not our priority." Washington, D.C., March 13, 2002

"But all in all, it's been a fabulous year for Laura and me." —summing up his first year in office, three months after the 9/11 attacks, Washington, D.C., Dec. 20, 2001

"I know what I believe. I will continue to articulate what I believe and what I believe — I believe what I believe is right." —Rome, Italy, July 22, 2001

"It is white." —after being asked by a child in Britain what the White House was like, July 19, 2001

"Tribal sovereignty means that; it's sovereign. I mean, you're a — you've been given sovereignty, and you're viewed as a sovereign entity. And therefore the relationship between the federal government and tribes is one between sovereign entities." —Washington, D.C., Aug. 6, 2004 (Watch video)

"You teach a child to read, and he or her will be able to pass a literacy test.'' Townsend, Tenn., Feb. 21, 2001

"I want you to know. Karyn is with us. A West Texas girl, just like me." —Nashville, Tenn., May 27, 2004

"One of my concerns is that the health care not be as good as it can possibly be." --on military benefits, Tipp City, Ohio, April 19, 2007

“Too many good docs are getting out of the business. Too many OB-GYNs( Obstetrician/Gynecologist)aren’t able to practice their love with women all across this country.”

“There’s no doubt in my mind that we should allow the world worst leaders to hold America hostage, to threaten our peace, to threaten our friends and allies with the world’s worst weapons.” —South Bend, Indiana, Sept. 5, 2002..

And in the end, my personal best, this one really got me in splits.....

“The ambassador and the general were briefing me on the — the vast majority of Iraqis want to live in a peaceful, free world. And we will find these people and we will bring them to justice.” —Washington, D.C., Oct. 27, 2003.

TCS:500 Jobs Cut after Recent Pay cut

noreply@blogger.com (vaneet) — Sat, 29 Mar 2008 19:50:00 +0000

Layoff sign of more trouble to follow for the IT sector?

UPDATE:

If you have read this piece in the Times of India, then it would cause more worry.Now after cutting jobs,companies not giving offer letters!!
There is no denying the fact that the industry as a whole is seeing a down trend,so its natural that it will do everything to cut down on costs, which includes cutting down its bench strength, or its effective utilization.If you have offers from big IT cos, then don't worry, just be in regular touch with your HR.There have been cases, starting last year, when the joining dates of last year were delayed, so its advisable to keep one's options open.

What I read today was all about the above question.

After cutting down on variable pay across the board, Tata Consultancy Services has shown the door to 500 employees, citing poor performances as the reason. TCS is India’s largest private sector employer and Asia’s largest software exporter.

TCS however said that "Employees with experience of two years and above across the company who were unable to meet the performance requirements of our company are asked to look for other jobs commensurate with their abilities".It has been asserted that no employee has been sacked or fired.

As a policy the only time that TCS dismisses people is for disciplinary reasons.We might be reading too much into the lines, keeping in view the fact that the same no. of people leave TCS every year on similar grounds.TCS has added 7,522 employees in the third quarter ended December 31, taking the number of its employees to 108,229.

Earlier, TCS decided to reduce a portion of the variable pay linked to performance, effectively reducing an employee’s salary by about 1.5% for the January-March quarter.

Are we approaching IT sector slowdown 2.0?

The IT sector of India basically ailing from 2 facts:

Signs of a slowdown in the US economy, the largest spender on IT systems and outsourcing.i.e. Major clients may cut back their spending on technology and postpone upgradation.
The rising rupee viz-a-viz the US dollar building up the pressure on margins and revenues.For the uninitiated, all IT companies which earn their revenues in dollars and spend in rupees back home are at a huge loss.

IBM too has laid off around 700 entry-level trainee programmers across offices in India on the basis of performance. More IT companies are now looking at strict cost cutting measures. Salary hikes and bonuses are also likely to come down in the IT sector.

But this is only one side of the story.Optimists believe that the US recession might just help India in many other ways.With no immediate cut in IT budget of foreign companies, they will be looking at cutting costs, thereby creating more opportunities fir the Indian IT sector.Our IT giants have done a great job up till now to maintain good profits by streamlining ways and adopting cost-effective methods, along with foray into new markets.The pay and Job cut strategy may be short-term and the industry as such remains bullish.

I think a slowdown would be too heavy a word to use at this stage, its more of a challenge, and I am sure our cos are up to it.For the recruits, its too early to worry, but they need to be better prepared, the sector might become a lot more competitive next year onwards!

Bang-Bang Sehwag, SA hide for cover!!!

noreply@blogger.com (vaneet) — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 14:30:00 +0000

What we saw today was undoubtedly the most entertaining and swash-buckling innings I have ever seen by a batsman in Test Match Cricket.Throughout the day, Virender Sehwag pelted fours and sixes in every part of the ground as the South Africans could do nothing but to retrieve the ball from the boundary ropes, sweating and panting.Right in the middle of the the hot and humid chennai stadium.....they were hit by a hurricane, one named Sehwag!
(click to enlarge)

Mickey Arthur, SA coach, could not have summarised things any better,

"I think that's the best Test-match innings I've ever seen," he said. "The way he played today was absolutely amazing. We tried to attack him, we defended against him, tried to bowl straight lines, bowl wide, over the wicket, round the wicket, did everything possible. And he countered us."

In the session after lunch, it was almost like seeing a Highlights Package.Every over saw a boundary, ball being cut, flicked, driven, pulled, almost disdainfully to the ropes.Reputations were flayed as the likes of Ntini were hit mercilessly for sixes over cover, the faster he bowled, faster he went!The SAfricans chased leather for the entire day as Sehwag made way to his second Triple century.Even as he connected the lofted shots and the reverse sweeps, not even once did he seem to get out.

It was a real treat watching him bat today.Cheers Sehwag, and go get us that LARA record now :P !!!!

Google Page Rank Debut !!

noreply@blogger.com (vaneet) — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 15:42:00 +0000

This came up as a very random find.
Following a request from someone to add a link to his website on this blog, I randomly checked my Google page rank.And Ahoy!! To my surprise, it showed a value, other than ZERO.A real welcome change this, would love to see this number go up.....

Check Page Rank of your web site here:

Web Services I use

noreply@blogger.com (vaneet) — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 19:30:00 +0000

So Finally I'm back after a long time(ok, after an exile..), was really busy over the past month, including a week at Hong Kong,would be putting up a travelogue soon.Just thought,as a warmup, why not pen down some of the web services I use:

Gmail is any day my proffered e-mail service.I like its Clear and Fast interface, integrated chat and conversations.
Google.com , needless to say, is the most comprehensive search engine we have.One interesting development here is the alpha launch of wiki's search engine 'wikia search'.
Yahoomail is the second email account I use.Highly disappointed with their new version, its basically an Advertisement store house with bits of email in between,though thanks to Ad Block Plus, some sanity has prevailed.The interface is very slow and sluggish.
Orkut is another frequent destination where I Digitally stay in touch with my friends.With the orkut API opening up, there are exciting times coming ahead.Eagerly waiting to see what sort of applications do we have for Orkut.
Blogger: This blog is hosted on Blogger. Though there are still not as many options and control that one has with wordpress, I think Blogger will be the preferred choice of many seeing the type of consolidation Google has done of the relevant Internet space.
Wikipedia is probably the best thing that has happened in the web2.0 era.Simply can't imagine the web without this one stop information dispenser.I'm actually used to typing vague terms in my search box and looking at the top wikipedia result for it.Wonder how Google's Knol will catch up.
Techcrunch, Contentsutra, Watblog to stay abreast with the latest in the Internet and the advertising space.
Rapidshare:Despite the annoying Time Limitations, I still find a lot of stuff on this website.
Yatra, Cleartrip, ezeego1 for booking Flight tickets.Reasonably satisfied with all the services.Would be coming up with a comparative post soon.
Irctc.co.in, for booking train tickets.For a govt. website, it rocks!!
Youtube: I am not a frequent visitor, but I usually land on to the site through a link sent to me.
Download.com is my preferred supply chain for my Software inventory.
Picasa and Flickr are my preferred locations for image storing.Picasa's offline software is a great photo organiser, with a lot of photo touch up options,a must have if you have a lots of them on your drive.
Zoomin, itasveer, Snapfish, Picsquare: Recently used all the online Photo Printing Services to get my Hong Kong pics delivered right at my doorstep.All did a reasonably good job at it.Would be putting up a comparative post soon.Watch out for it!!
Indianguitartabs.com, one of the most exhaustive Indian sites for Guitar enthusiasts.And yes I'm trying my hand at the guitar :)

Hmmm....can't think of more at the moment, would add to the list as I remember more names.But those who are reading this would realize that I now have my three future posts.

Jal - the band, LIVE

noreply@blogger.com (vaneet) — Sun, 24 Feb 2008 18:48:00 +0000

"Ab tho aadat si hai mujh ko
aisay jeenay mein
zindagi say koi shikwa
bhi nahin hai
ab tho zinda hoon mein iss neelay aasman mein.."

Though the sky was stark black yesterday night at NSIT, Delhi where the Pakistani Rock Band - Jal was performaing live.The band which was started by the now famous Atif Aslam, and Gohar Mumtaz, which Atif later quit, now has Farhan Saeed as the lead singer and Aamir Sheraz as the bass guitarist along with Gohar.

The threesome along with the drummer Salman Albert rocked the night with their chart busters. Starting with a slowish track, they picked momentum with their famous 'Lamhey' and 'aadat'. Their slow redention of 'Ik Din Aayega' was a great hear, along with 'Bikhra hoon main' and 'Dil Haaray Pukaray'.With their patent pending, ooohoooohoooo and wohoooohohohohohoo...the band entertained to the fullest.

Farhan, their lead singer, has a voice very similar to Atif.Both Gohar and Aamir were great at the guitar and performed unfazed amidst the sporadic ' ATIF ' chants.

A night, along with Jal, and friends, of-course was a treat!

Songs Recommended: 'Ik Din Aayega', a beatiful motivational track which was written for the earthquake victims.

'Jodhaa Akbar' Movie Review

noreply@blogger.com (vaneet) — Fri, 15 Feb 2008 19:33:00 +0000

Jodhaa Akbar, for a start, is a rare cinematic experience.It is opulent, grand, and it is classy, the traits seldom combined in Hindi Cinema.Combined with some power packed performances,the movie scores with its several high points among some average bits.With the khans, and the chistees, and the rajputanas, the forts and the armies, the horses and the elephants, the movie is spell bounding.

The movie is a huge success in recreating the Mughal era.It might be apt as a video lesson for the history students, studying about the mughal era.The sets and settings are grand.Even the Cooking bowls and the Food thaalis are huge(and mouth watering!).The war sequences are neck to neck with Hollywood movies like Troy.

The cast, typical to Ashutosh, is huge but spot-on. Hrithik stamps his acting prowess as the Shahi Mughal emperor with his flawless style and urdu dialogues. His effort and preparation for this role are evident as he tames the elephant and the sword with equal dedication and panache. Aishwarya looks stunning as the as the malikai hindustan and gives her second good performance after 'Guru'.As the men watch her with glee, the women are sure to boil with envy, as the petite Rajput princess hosts tonnes of sparkling jewelery. All other khans and rajas jell with the script.

The movie is about 3 and a half hour long, but it does not bore you a single moment.The first half bears a unique resemblance to the saas-bahu saga with Ila Arun as Maham Anga playing the wamp and plotting against the newly wed Jodhaa. The story picks up hugely in the second half and captures you till the end(though the ending again bears a mischievous resemblance to Brad Pitt and Troy).The choreography and picturization of 'azeemo-shan-shehenshah' is superb.

JA for me sets a standard for any period movie to come in the future.Hats of to the crew for the sheer effort and guts that are needed to make a film like this.

4/5

Beware of Pick-Pockets at CP Metro station

noreply@blogger.com (vaneet) — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 18:33:00 +0000

This is one news that the CP metro station can do without.The huge and swanky Connaught Place metro station, the largest of the underground stations of the Delhi Metro is seeing a meteoric rise in the number of Pickpocketing cases in the past few months.The station is by far the most Crowded in the entire metro stretch and acts as the focal point for routes in different direction which provides a safe haven for the notorious sneak thieves.The regulars would have realized the increase in frequency of warning messages at the station and in trains coming and leaving.

Losing your wallet can become one hell of a bull-shitting experience.In a moment you are stripped off not only all your cash, but also the driving license, credit cards , RCs and documents that establish your very identity!

Two of my friends have had there wallets stripped off at the very station.But the efforts of the Metro officials have to be lauded here.One of the unlucky two actually got a call from the security officials the next day that they had nabbed the crook in the security cameras and the purse has been found!!They showed him the video in which the unsuspecting thief was taking out the purse from the back pocket of his bag.(just like the pic above)

Tips:

Avoid keeping the wallet and other valuables in Back-Pockets.
Lost, confused and distracted make easy targets.Be sure of your self.
Keep photocopies of all the documents that you keep in the wallet.

So the next time somebody bumps into you, check your pockets, there might be something missing!!

Microsoft says Yahoo to Google!!

noreply@blogger.com (vaneet) — Sat, 02 Feb 2008 11:16:00 +0000

Makes $44.6 billion bid for Yahoo!

The much rumoured acquisition has finally seen day light.The bid, which would consist of cash and Microsoft stock, values Yahoo shares at $31 a share, a 62% premium on Thursdays closing price.All eyes focus on Yahoo! now and whether they'll accept this one or not.

A clear move to consolidate and take over the Google challenge, this deal might give a shot in the arm to Microsoft's ailing search and online services. This is how the three giants stack up:

The interesting point here is that both Yahoo and Microsoft offer the same bouquet of services online.What can be the future of these services?
1)Yahoo ID vs Live ID
- These two IDs may be merged.Providing Common client for IM service.Not sure what they will do with the e-mail part.
2)Yahoo Search vs Live search
- I've never been impressed by the Yahoo search engine, so there might be a case of Microsoft Live taking over.
3)Maps:Microsoft maps being a less used service will be promoted over Yahoo maps.
4)Yahoo Search Marketing vs Microsoft AdCenter:
Many believe that this is what the deal is for.Microsoft takes Google Head On in this one, with an eye on the soaring AD revenues online.
Microsoft has already made its intentions clear with deals with Facebook and Digg for its ads. I guess Microsoft AdCenter will become the platform for the combined company.

Other than this, Yahoo's Flickr, Yahoo Answers and the social bookmarking site De.licio.us will also be huge pluses for Microsoft, specially Flickr, where it competes directly with Google's Picasa.

How about Branding??
This is one puzzle which they will have to sort out.They don't want to 'Microsoftise' evrything and loose Yahoo's loyal user base, which would be more than glad to move to Google.They would have to be extremely careful on how to Brand the Popular services like e-mail, IM etc.They might just decide to leave things untouched, which might not be a bad idea at all!!

Why Microsoft is so keen on the Yahoo deal?
- Microsoft's online arm is posting huge operating losses.Until now running its online business at a loss was no big deal for Microsoft as it was carving out fat margins in its software stronghold.But things are changing now.With everyone from Google, Sun and Adobe,fighting to bring desktop applications online, Microsoft's premium operating system and bundled products may lose their sheen in the near future.

- Google is clearly the search leader today with roughly 55% audience.The combination 'Microhoo' adds up to within competing range, with a lookout on eating into Google's bread and butter.

- A Yahoo is anyday more popular in countries like India vis a vis Microsoft leading to a back door entry in such emerging markets.

What happens to the employees?
Hmmm...Yahooians better have their fingers crossed, because the merger creates a lot of similar workforce with varying cultures.Yahoo had already outcried for a lay off.There might be layoffs on certain sectors, but no body has commented on this.

All in all, i guess the time is right for Microsoft to come on strong. With Bill Gates retiring this year and the pressure on Steve Ballmer to take Microsoft to the next level, and with Google refusing to budge, this was inevitable.Users have nothing to complain though, as this fierce competition will see better services and applications in the future.