Long flights in cramped environs can take a toll, leaving you disoriented and tired. A little awareness can go a long way to fighting the effects of jet lag.Compiled by Ankita RamgopalClick Here To Download InfographicGRAPHIC: Sajeev Kumarapuram(This story was published in Businessworld Issue Dated 22-10-2012)
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Thirty-eight-year-old Manisha Jain is a senior executive in a leading multinational company in Mumbai. Peer pressure, a desire to look good and stay fit had this mother of two joining the gym off and on. “Somehow, spending hours on the treadmill, lifting weights or doing crunches never really worked for me. It’s like my body was on autopilot, while my mind was elsewhere.” Moreover, the grilling exercise routine tired her out. “I knew I was supposed to feel good after an hour in the gym, but I never did,” says Jain. So when a friend suggested to her tai chi — a centuries-old Chinese martial art, Jain laughed it off. “I had seen YouTube videos and it all seemed rather exotic, almost like a dance form. But I didn’t think it had any real benefits.” Yet she decided to go just for a lark, pretty sure she wouldn’t attend another class. That was three years ago, and Jain hasn’t missed a class since. “I go for tai chi three times a week now. I was surprised at how energetic and good I felt at the end of the class. I was totally hooked.” Tai chi, short for tai chi chuan, is a combination of physical exercises, breathing techniques and meditation. Unlike other external martial arts such as karate or kung fu, tai chi is an internal martial art that promotes serenity through gentle, flowing, low-impact movements. “It’s a subtle art. The goal is not to smash a board or fight an opponent. Also unlike karate and kickboxing, the focus is not on building muscles. Tai chi focuses on calmness. It, in fact, shuns the violent streak. It has a spiritual tone,” says Mumbai-based Sandeep Desai, who has been teaching the Chen style of tai chi for the past 14 years. Tai chi, often described as meditation in motion, is all about harnessing Chi — the all important life force — and channelising it to the energy centres of our body. Net result: a complete de-stress. “It works on the central nervous system, calming the mind, and in the process reduces stress-related problems,” says Chennai-based tai chi instructor Sifu George Thomas who has been practising the Yang style for over a decade.Tai chi is all about harnessing chi — the life force — and channelising it to the energy centres of our body And does it help lose weight? Yes, it does. Tai chi’s slow flowing movements done for an hour can burn up to 300 calories. “The moves can be done slowly, but the faster you do, more calories are burnt,” says Desai. And if the aim is to lose weight, then tai chi should be done in the morning before breakfast, he says. However, Desai points out that there is a lot more to tai chi than just losing weight. It’s a three step process — heal, enhance and then maintain your body. It makes you fitter and more agile as a lot of focus is laid on loosening the joints — every joint in your body should rotate on its own. You start with the standing meditation posture where you learn body alignment. For instance, your hips should not protrude backwards, shoulders should not pop up, chest should not be puffed up, stomach muscles should be relaxed and you should not lock your knees. Once you have perfected the posture you move on to joint loosening movements or circles which represent yin and yang energy and you need to learn yin and yang separation. There are 7-8 such movements which enable each part of your body to move independently. Every movement requires stretching. “Tai chi improves your reflexes, balance and concentration and makes you aware of your surroundings,” says Desai. Adds Thomas, “It revitalises and rejuvenates you, slowing down your ageing process and strengthening your immune system.” While a lot of benefits of tai chi are similar to those of yoga, the two are very different in action. In yoga you need to hold on to a posture; tai chi is fluidly mobile. “It’s like a flowing river. Running water which does not stagnate,” says Desai. While some benefits of tai chi are visible from day one, it’s not a quick fix. Undergoing training is a tall order and the art is perfected over years. But making it a part of your daily life will not only help keep you healthy and increase your life span, it will improve the quality of your life. As Jain puts it simply: “It makes you happy.”(This story was published in Businessworld Issue Dated 22-10-2012)
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Worried about acne and pimples? Wish to make your skin glow? Aloe vera is here! Well, it has always been known as the super plant, but its juice is gaining popularity of late, thanks to the several packages in vibrant colours and various sizes taking up shelf space. In ancient times, it was used to heal wounds, but now it is mostly used to cleanse the body — inside and outside. Aloe contains a detoxifying property as it has the minerals and vitamins required to rid the body of harmful toxins. An easy cure for constipation, its juice aids digestion by increasing protein absorption. It can also take on irritable bowel syndrome. By strengthening the immune system, it helps the body fight harmful bacteria and viruses. It also has anti-inflammatory properties and is known to soothe minor cuts and burns. But it owes its popularity to the fight against wrinkles and ageing. As Jaishree Sharad, a cosmetic dermatologist who has worked with celebs like Jaqueline Fernandes, puts it, aloe vera contains anti-oxidants that cleanse the system and, therefore, gives you smoother skin. It is also recommended for dealing with pimples and acne. And wonder of wonders, it acts as a facilitator for weight loss as it gets your digestive enzymes flowing. But please ladies, let’s not get carried away. Diet and exercise are important too! “Due to our fast-paced lifestyles, every product that is even minimally beneficial for the system gets a status of miracle food,” says Shikha Sharma, who works with Nutri-Health Systems that focuses on weight management and lifestyle disorders. She warns the eager consumer against idol worshipping the aloe juice. “How you have it is important,” she says. There is no use gulping aloe vera juice if you combine it with a peg of whiskey or buttery parathas, and then pray for redemption. Sharma recommends a dosage of 1 tbsp aloe juice diluted with water, twice a day. You should not drink more than 4 ounces in a day. You also need to be wary of the manufacturer and adulteration. The juice can be made at home, but you need to do it right for it to be effective. And, as in the case of any new remedy, it is advisable to consult your physician before taking to the bottle of aloe.(This story was published in Businessworld Issue Dated 22-10-2012)
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Imagine getting a room at The Oberoi, a Trident or at Vivanta by Taj President in Mumbai’s tony Nariman Point and Colaba areas for as less as Rs 7,500 per night. Three years ago, they would have commanded well over Rs 16,000. With Mumbai’s business dynamics now shifting north, upscale hotels in south Mumbai are under severe price pressures. Faced with low occupancy rates, they have been tinkering with prices — and, on certain days, rates are known to have dipped to as low as Rs 6,500. “Occupancy levels in south Bombay hotels are 40 per cent while north Bombay has occupancy levels of 60 per cent,” says Kamlesh Barot, past president Federation of Hotels and Restaurant Associations of India, and director of Revival hospitality group. This, he says, has skewed the hotel pricing equation in Mumbai’s heritage areas. Mid-market hoteliers located in the same area are watching the price dips in five-star products with alarm. Take Hotel Marine Plaza, a mid-market brand that was charging Rs 9,000 a night, which had to mark down prices a bit to compete. A Taj spokesperson confirms that rates have slightly softened, but brushes it aside as a temporary off-season blip . But the general feeling in the industry is that south Mumbai might suffer more in the long run since the business dynamics of the city has changed. “Business is shifting out of south Bombay,” rues Anil Madhok, managing director, Sarovar Hotels and Resorts, which runs Marine Plaza. He says with more and more hotels coming up in Bandra Kurla and Andheri, which are closer to the city’s business action, things are likely to worsen. Now, even central areas like Lower Parel boast of five-star hotels in their vicinity — Four Seasons is already there, and a Shangri-La is scheduled to open soon — which means, visitors to this area, who would have opted to stay in Nariman Point, are rethinking their choices. Of course, the Mumbai hotels aren’t the only ones facing a squeeze these days. The fact is that as more hotels open, many upscale hotels all over the country are being forced to lower their tariffs. Adding to the gloom is the general slowdown, says Madhok, and the 2008 terror attack. Over the last two or three years, foreign investors have not been coming to the city in the numbers they used to, and this is hurting the hotel industry. The industry view is that going forward, even the hotels in the newer parts of the city may face pricing pressure as competition is growing. “Supply is finite in south Bombay so prices will correct themselves,” says Barot, adding that 12,000 more rooms are being added across Mumbai. The situation is still slightly better in the mid-market segment. Suresh Kumar, CEO, Fortune Park Hotels, ITC’s mid-market offering insists this segment has not been affected. A value-seeker still prefers the mid-market hotel, he says, adding that while five-stars may pare their room rates, they still charge a premium for other facilities, such as dining, spas, etc. Agrees Madhok, “Luckily, mid-market is not hurting so badly, though we have not been able to increase prices as much we would like to.” (This story was published in Businessworld Issue Dated 22-10-2012)
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The applications industry has got a life of its now and this has led to the growth of the apps economy. But this also means that along with the helpful applications, malware attacks and scams have got more commonplace. As more and more scammers jump onto this highly productive bandwagon, the types of attacks and scams have become more creative.The latest Symantec Intelligence Report, September 2012 refers to an Android application that promises ro charges the battery of the smartphone through solar energy but instead steals critical information from your device.As the high processing power of embedded CPUs and large, bright LCD screens, coupled with frequent usage, have made battery life a perennial cause of worry, this has spawned a whole genre of applications aimed at addressing this problem. There are applications that offer status updates on battery life, notify you when your battery is getting low, turn off features that are not necessary. A malicious application in point is that of “Battery Long” (Android.Ackposts) that appears to help with the battery life, but simply steals information from the compromised device. The mobile malware developers have been attracted to Android because applications have become integral to mobile phones with users ready to go to any degree for downloading alternative ones. Breaking through the boundaries of credibility is a bunch of applications that will supposedly turn your phone screen into a solar charger. Even though this is completely false, there are a number of “legitimate” applications out there making this claim. Many operate by using the cameras to measure the ambient light levels to move an onscreen dial, indicating the “charge rate” for increased accuracy. These are joke applications at best, in some cases even including small print on the application description page denying it has the ability to actually charge the phone.Another such example is the Android.Sumzand. The application claims to be able to convert the screen on your device into a solar panel and use it to charge the battery, if exposed to sunlight. Sumzand also steals contact data from your phone. Until real solar panels are actually installed on phones, it’s best to just continue charging your phone the old-fashioned way. If an application requests permissions that seem out of the ordinary for what it is supposed to do, then don’t install it.India is one of the fastest growing mobile markets in the world. According to Trai, India has over 900 million mobile subscribers and smartphones available for as little as Rs 5,000, nearly every Indian has a cell phone now. Android-enabled smartphones account for more than half of the smartphone sales globally, according to a Gartner report.
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Apple has been known for keeping its upcoming cult products under wraps right until the announcements are well underway. No one could even be sure what product they would launch. Not this time. Either Apple is losing its grip on secrecy or people have just got better at ferreting out the truth from somewhere. Practically every bit of the iPhone 5 had been “leaked” in pictures, speculation, rumours and articles, right down to connectors, ear-phones, and dimensions. The “And one more thing…” Steve Jobs used to play on in his presentations, never came to pass, not even by another name. Everything was in the regular Apple format, except there were no surprises. Twitter didn’t catch fire. The tech media didn’t salivate. And some people just went to sleep. Except, of course, the fanboys, who will never know Apple-induced disappointment no matter what. It would be fair to stop and reflect over whether it’s fair to expect a fresh miracle every time Apple holds an event. This time, the pressure on Apple was so much that the top execs were reported as looking tense and nervous before the show in Yerba Buena Center for Arts, San Francisco, started. In what has been dubbed “false economics” JP Morgan analyst Michael Feroli claimed the new iPhone could “potentially add” upto 0.50 percentage points to fourth-quarter GDP growth in the US. Just to connect the words iPhone and GDP could be hair raising enough. So right on cue, the iPhone 5 was unveiled by Phil Schiller, Apple's marketing chief. It turns out to be a finessing or an iteration of the iPhone we know (and in India, can barely afford). It’s taller and houses five rows of icons, but not broader so that your hand still curls around it, lighter, all aluminum and glass, has a 4-inch retina display, supports LTE, is said to have better battery life, and has numerous interesting sounding improvements to its 8-megapixel camera. Where’s the wow factor that Apple practically invented? In fact, because the world already knows what the operating system, iOS 6 (to be released 19 September for Apple’s mobile devices) is all about, the “200 new features” are no surprise either. If only Apple had been able to work with a schedule that kept the software a state secret, there may have been more excitement to the iPhone 5 launch, although even there, each individual feature (notifications, Facebook integration) was being presented as if it were life-changing. For us in India, although the iPhone 4s has been a coveted device, there are a tonne of capabilities that are all but irrelevant. LTE, for instance. Maps and directions, information in Siri’s fingertips, her ability to understand what we say, Passbook and its support by vendors, are unknown quantities. We’ll have to see it when we see it. India will probably have to wait until December for the arrival of the iPhone 5 in any case. There were refreshes to Apple’s iPod Touch and Nano music players that should give the line of products a new lease of life. The Nano looks like a little iPhone. And the iPod Touch is sleeker. Even iTunes is refreshed and is due get complicated with a bit of Facebook integration. If this show breaks the cycle of pre-launch hype, it wouldn’t be a bad thing, but perhaps that’s too much to hope. One can hardly blame them. But as a journalist friend reminded me, Apple is no ordinarycompany, and that’s both because of the company and its fans. Expectations can’t be throttled. Mine however, lie writhing on the floor at the moment. Apple’s own tagline sums up the event quite well: “The Biggest Thing to Happen to iPhone Since iPhone”. The problem is people expected the biggest innovationsince the iPhone.
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Apple Inc's new iPhone goes on sale on Friday with a bigger screen and 4G wireless technology, as the company seeks to safeguard its edge over rivals like Samsung Electronics and Google. The iPhone 5 fulfilled many of the expectations laid out by gadget geeks and technology analysts ahead of its Wednesday unveiling but offered few surprises to give Apple shares -- already near record highs -- another major kick. "There is not a wow factor because everything you saw today is evolutionary. I do think they did enough to satisfy," said Michael Yoshikami, chief executive of wealth management company Destination Wealth Management. Other industry analysts speculated about what else was in Apple's product pipeline ahead of the crucial year-end holiday season, especially since the company stayed mum about an oft-rumoured TV device or a smaller iPad. The consumer electronics giant that in 2010 popularised tablet computing with the iPad has given no hints on whether it plans a smaller version to match cheaper tablets from the likes of Google or Amazon.com. "We would really like to see the iPad Mini in the product offering for the all-important holiday quarter. They still have time," said Channing Smith, co-manager of the Capital Advisors Growth Fund. "As soon as we see that, we will have more conviction about the stock heading into the final quarter." Apple shares ended the day up 1.4 per cent at $669.79. The latest iPhone comes as Apple faces competition beyond current key competitors Samsung and Google. Late entrant Microsoft Corp is now trying to push its Windows Phone 8 operating system as an alternative to Apple and Android, the most-used smartphone operating system in the world. Analysts have forecast sales of 10 million to 12 million of the new iPhones in this month alone. Apple Chief Executive Tim Cook kicked off the event in San Francisco's Yerba Buena Center but it was marketing chief Phil Schiller who introduced the iPhone 5 and took the audience through the new phone's features. The iPhone 5 sports a 4-inch "retina" display, can surf a high-speed 4G LTE wireless network, and is 20 per cent lighter than the previous iPhone 4S. Ceding A LeadIt ships 21 September in the US, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore and Britain. It will hit 100 countries by year's end in the fastest international rollout for an iPhone so far. The stakes are high with the iPhone, Apple's marque product, accounting for nearly half its revenue. The California company has sold more than 243 million iPhones since 2007, when the device ushered in the current applications ecosystem model. But Samsung now leads the smartphone market with a 32.6 per cent share followed by Apple with 17 per cent, according to market research firm IDC. Both saw shipments rise compared to a year ago, with Samsung riding its flagship Galaxy S III phone. Available for pre-order on Friday starting from $199 with a data plan, the iPhone 5 comes with Apple's newest "A6" processor, which executives said runs twice as fast as the previous generation. It will pack three microphones -- enhancing built-in voice assistant Siri -- and an 8 megapixel camera that can take panoramic views. It will hitch a ride on the three largest US carriers: Verizon Wireless, AT&T Inc, and Sprint. One popular enhancement was improved battery endurance -- the iPhone 5 can support eight hours of 4G Web browsing, the company said. While Apple played catch-up on many of the new phone's features -- Samsung and Google's Motorola already have larger and 4G-ready phones -- analysts say the device's attraction is the way its software and hardware work in tandem. "Where they are pushing the envelope, and where they remain the one to beat, is on the experience those features bring to the consumer," said Carolina Milanesi, Gartner Research analyst. "While other vendors continue to focus just on the hardware -- delivering the speeds and feeds and bigger batteries -- Apple focuses on pulling the operating system, the hardware and what you can consume on the hardware." Foo Fighters RockCook began the event by giving updated metrics on the company's products and then quickly gave up the stage for Schiller to introduce the iPhone 5. The team then moved on to a new lineup of iPods, a redesigned iTunes store and ended with a surprise performance by rock band Foo Fighters. Apple executives in the front row could be seen rocking their heads to "Times Like These" and other hits. For the iPhone 5, Apple has done away with the connectors used on previous devices and replaced them with a smaller and more efficient "Lightning" connector. With the iPhone, it is shipping new 'EarPods' audiophones, designed after digitally scanning hundreds of ears. Shares in Skullcandy, which specialises in stylised earphones, fell 4.5 per cent on Wednesday. Beyond hardware, Apple telegraphed many of the software changes to expect in iPhone 5 when it debuted iOS 6, its latest mobile operating system, in June. Upgrades to the software include voice navigation for driving, a feature already available on many Android smartphones, as well as "Passbook" for storing electronic boarding passes, sports tickets and gift cards. Siri has been improved. In an onstage demonstration, Siri was able to answer questions about the result of a recent pro football game and recite a list of movies playing around town, along with ratings. Earlier, Cook told the audience that its apps store now has more than 700,000 on tap -- the industry's largest library. "When you look at each of these, they are incredible industry-leading innovations by themselves. But what sets them apart, and what places Apple way out in front of the competition, is how they work so well together," Cook said toward the end of the two-hour presentation.(Reuters)
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Sony's rolling out new products thick and fast. With the festive season around the corner, Sony launched five innovative products including the mammoth 84-inch LCD TV, personal 3D viewer, touch-screen laptop with Windows 8, the new flagship full-frame α99 interchangeable lens camera and Cyber-shot RX100 on 11 October. While the pre-booking starts from 20 October, the products will be available at selected stores only from November.The price ranges from Rs 34,900 for the Cyber-shot RX100 to Rs 16,99,900 for the 84-inch LCD TV.Talk about big picture, the LCD ‘4K X-Reality PRO’ picture engine is capable of up-scaling any HD content to 4K resolution, four times the resolution of today's top HDTV. It has a ’10 unit live speakers’ side speaker system, creating a virtual 5.1 surround sound field.As opposed to the large-scale cineplex experience of the 84-inch LCD TV, there is the Personal 3D Viewer HMZ-T2 with all new head-mounted, HD 2D and 3D personal display with 5.1 surround sounds with OLED screens for each eye. It gives a personal cinematic home entertainment experience.Kenichiro Hibi, Sony India MDThe alpha 99 (α99) has a translucent mirror technology and newly developed 24.3 mp full-frame Exmor CMOS sensor. The Cyber-shot RX100 has 1.0-type Exmor CMOS sensor with a resolution of 20.2 effective megapixels.With this mega offering, the company is expecting a turnover of Rs 2,850 crore with an investment of Rs 100 crore in this festive season (from September to November). “We are expecting to achieve 50 per cent increase over our last year’s festive season sales,” says Kenichiro Hibi, Sony India MD.“We have around 10,000 counters for Sony products and are aiming to introduce approximately 6,000 more to boost the sales”, he added.The company will manufacture some of the product in India, some in Japan and some in China.BRAVIA, with 27.4 per cent market share in Value (as per GFK) and Cyber-shot, with 47 per cent share in value (as per import data) have achieved No. 1 market share in the flat panel TV and compact camera markets in India. Even VAIO has obtained high market share in the consumer PC segment, with an overwhelmingly strong brand image among customers in India.
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