Bet you never thought you'd see this one. In the first-ever travel promotion programme in its history, the US will launch a $185-million campaign, targeted at the BRICS countries, to ‘brand' the USA as a travel destination. The Corporation for Travel Promotion, a partnership between the travel industry and the federal government formed last year, is working with the US State Department to facilitate visa issuance, including online processing and more facilitation centres in these countries. "If implemented, this will be a great opportunity for relatives and friends of the Indians working in the US to visit our country," says Joseph McInerney, president and CEO of the American Hotel & Lodging Association, who is in India currently. There are nearly 3 million Indians living in the US.It might be the right time too. With over 4.9 million hotel rooms, an occupancy rate of less than 60 per cent in 2010 is worrying for the $122-billion industry. If you do go, expect to spend about $4,000, say estimates. STRICTLY BUSINESSAn Argentina versus Venezuela football match in Kolkata on 2 September is expected net Rs 20 crore, thanks to Lionel Messi, the Argentinian superstar. That is almost double the returns from a cricket one dayer.(This story was published in Businessworld Issue Dated 05-09-2011)
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You can take it for granted. Whenever something significant happens in the world, there'll be a scam riding on it. This is true whether the event involves someone's death, such as with Steve Jobs, or whether it's a festival or holiday, such as with Christmas, or when some celebrity shoots up into the headlines. Even natural disasters and the acute suffering of millions is not exempt. In no time at all, you'll find that scams sprout up—particularly on Facebook— and everyone generously helps to spread the contents. And though I've written about this before, I see, among my own collection of friends, no sign of figuring what looks suspisciouis and what is genuine.Scamsters are good psychologists. They're also expert with aa data. So, they hone in precisely on what human beings will typically do when they see a piece of content.They know very well, for example, that if someone were to forward you a link to see truly awful pictures of Gaddafi's last moments, you wouldn't be able to resist looking. Security firm, Sophos reports that hackers have spammed out an attack posing as pictures of Gaddafi's death, tricking users into believing that they came from the AFP news agency.An email with what looks like a news reports is going out with an attachment of what is apparently a set of photos of the bloodied body of the killed Libyan leader. If Windows users open the .rar file, they will be rewarded with a virus.There are reports that the public is baying for photographs of Gaddafi's death and that there is a fierce media competition on to post the most gruesome ones and that those who are being careful are the exception not the rule. Of course, you withhold something and people want it all the more, so the likelihood that users online will click on links and attachments is quite high.Technology website, Mashable also reports a gruesome photo being circulated via mobile possibly carrying a payload of malware.It's well to realise and remember that malware makers want you to click, go to a website, forward, give your email id or open a file that contains code to compromise your computer or device. Unless users stop being outright lazy and continue to do nothing to understand and be alert for typical malware tricks, scammers will continue to have a blast.Mala Bhargava is a personal technology writer and media professionalContact her at mala at pobox dot com and @malabhargava on Twitter
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Silicon Valley legend Steve Jobs relinquished the reins at Apple Inc to right-hand man Tim Cook on Wednesday, after 14 years in command at a company he brought back from the brink and turned into the world's largest technology corporation.Jobs, who fought and survived a rare form of pancreatic cancer and revolutionized the technology arena with the iPhone in 2007, is deemed the heart and soul of a company that started in a garage and is today neck-and-neck with Exxon Mobil in the race to become the largest US corporation.Analysts do not expect Jobs' resignation - which was more a question of when than if - to derail Apple's fabled product-launch roadmap, including possibly a new iPhone in September and a third iteration of the iPad tablet in 2012.But the company's shares still dived as much as 7 per cent in after-hours trade after the industry icon, who has been on medical leave for an undisclosed condition since Jan. 17, announced he will be replaced by COO and heir apparent Cook."I have always said if there ever came a day when I could no longer meet my duties and expectations as Apple's CEO, I would be the first to let you know. Unfortunately, that day has come," he said in a brief letter announcing his resignation.The 55-year-old CEO had briefly emerged from his medical leave in March to unveil the latest version of the iPad and later to attend a dinner hosted by President Barack Obama for technology leaders in Silicon Valley.Jobs' often-gaunt appearance has sparked questions about his health and his ability to continue at Apple."I will say to investors: don't panic and remain calm, it's the right thing to do. Steve will be chairman and Cook is CEO," said BGC Financial analyst Colin Gillis.Apple And JobsJobs' resignation marks the end of an era at Apple.A college dropout, a Buddhist and a son of adoptive parents, he started Apple Computer with friend Steve Wozniak in the Jobs family garage in Silicon Valley in the late 1970s.The company soon introduced the Apple 1 computer. But it was the Apple II that became a huge success and gave Apple its position as a critical player in the then-nascent PC industry, culminating in a 1980 IPO that made Jobs a multimillionaire.Despite the subsequent success of the Mac, Jobs' relationship with internal management soured, and in 1985 the board removed most of his powers and he left the company, selling all but one share of his Apple holdings.Apple's fortunes waned after that. However, its purchase of NeXT - the computer company Jobs founded after leaving Apple - in 1997 brought him back into the fold. Later that year, he became interim CEO and in 2000, the company dropped "interim" from his title.On Wednesday, Apple shares slid to $357.40 in extended trading after a brief halt. They had gained 0.7 per cent to close at $376.18 on the Nasdaq.Analysts again expressed confidence in the Apple bench, headed by longtime company No. 2 and supply-chain maven Cook."Investors are very comfortable with Tim Cook even though Jobs has been a driver of innovation and clearly an Apple success. Tim has shown Apple can still outperform extremely well when he's been acting as CEO," said Cross Research analyst Shannon Cross."I don't know if it's a health issue. I don't know if it is a shock. Most likely it was going to happen at some point. Why today versus another day? I don't know."(Reuters)
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One often wonders if the hype around 3D is justified. I mean, apart from the movies (and it's not like all 3D movies get it right either), consumers aren't exactly biting the 3D bait. So when HTC launched the Evo 3D — their first glasses-free 3D phone — a part of me balked at the idea. How then does the Evo 3D fare, and does adding the gloss of 3D-cool to the imaging and gaming department really work? Let's find out!Specs wise, the device is packed to the gills with all the bells and whistles, including the latest Android Gingerbread OS, a massive 4.3-inch screen running an impressive 960×540 pixel resolution, a 1.2GHz dual-core processor and 1 GB of memory. Pity that the third dimension the phone adds to its specs list shows on its waistline as well – this thing is bulky!Start it up and the Evo 3D is a darn good 2D phone – the display is sharp and the Sense user interface common to HTC phones is a pleasure to use, as always. Performance is zippy, though I do lament that the poor battery life and that you'll have to add additional storage pretty much out of the box – the Evo 3D ships with 1 GB of storage to begin with.Of course, the headline feature are the two 5-megapixel cameras around the back of this baby, which combined with the auto-stereoscopic screen, produces an image for each of your eyes and if you get the angle just right, show you glorious 3D without those nerdy glasses. Much like the Nintendo 3DS, the viewing angle to see the 3D effect ‘pop' out at you is rather slim. Also, rule of thumb while shooting, the farther away from the subject you're shooting, the better the image will turn out. Having a variety of subjects in both foreground and background helps as well.Now since the screen employs the ‘parallax barrier' method to achieve 3D, the 3D effect flickers in and out as you move your head (or the phone), which makes it at times disconcerting and downright nauseating at other times. Thankfully, there is a switch to turn 3D off, but I'd much have preferred a slider (a la the 3DS) to adjust the 3D-ness.In summary, 3D on the Evo 3D works, but is more gimmicky than something I'd use on an ongoing basis. At this price, there are many options you can consider (for far less, too!) if you're not hankering for 3D.Rating: 7/10Price: Rs 35,990URL: http://bit.ly/qwo90G Logitech'sBluetooth tablet keyboard for Android Key To Innovation No matter which side of the tablet platform wars you agree with, you will agree that typing on tablets isn't quite natural, for many. Logitech's recently shipped out Bluetooth keyboards for the iPad and Android 3.0+ tablets, and I put them through their paces.With the keyboard case for the iPad, you get a real keyboard, with keys that feel natural to use, although it has to be said that by keeping the case to the dimensions of the iPad, the keys do feel a tad too shrunk for my taste. Once you're done typing, you can fold the iPad into it screen-down for travel. The matte aluminum finish of the case matches that of the iPad 2, and holds the iPad securely while travelling. That said, there's no protection for the iPad's back, one of the most vulnerable areas for scratching. So, as a keyboard, this device scores high, but I'd think twice about employing this as a travelling case as well.The tablet keyboard for Android follows a far more practical approach - it's comfortably sized (with well separated keys), and comes with a carrying case that doubles as a stand for your Android tablet. It's powered by 4 AAA batteries, which is good and bad – easy to replace but you'll probably have to pick up rechargeables if you plan to use this often.Rating: 8/10Price: Rs 4,595 (for iPad), Rs 3,595 (for Android 3.0+ tablets)URL: http://bit.ly/qDSiLTtechnocool at kanwar dot nettwitter@2shar
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Samsung Electronics unveiled four new smartphone models under its flagship Galaxy line on Wednesday, expanding its offerings of cheaper phones to tap growth in emerging markets.Samsung will enter a lower-end market ripe with cut-throat competition from Chinese producers including ZTE Corp and Huawei Technologies, as well as a host of no-brand producers pumping out hundreds of millions of phones for consumers in China, Africa and other developing economies.The move also signals an intensifying battle with Apple, Samsung's biggest competitor and customer, as the U.S. firm is set to launch a lower-cost version of the iPhone 4 and its much-anticipated iPhone 5 soon, according to sources."Smartphone makers are increasingly moving down the value chain to target the low-end segment and attract mass customers, especially those in China and India," said Lee Seung-woo, an analyst at Shinyoung Securities."It's an inevitable trend but will at the same time lower margins. Only a handful of top-tier manufacturers can survive in that end."Samsung forecast on Wednesday cheap models costing below $200 would account for more than half the overall smartphone market by 2015 in volume terms, up sharply from last year's 16 percent."Samsung seeks to expand market share in the emerging market with models costing around $200, as those markets have lower smartphone penetration rates compared with advanced markets," a Samsung group spokeswoman quoted an executive from Samsung Electronics' mobile division as telling a meeting of the group's executives on Wednesday.The Heat Is OnApple and Samsung are locked in a bruising patent fight in the United States, Europe and Asia, as they jostle for top title in the smartphone market after ending Nokia's 10-year reign in the second quarter.Apple has long stuck to the higher end of a booming mobile device arena, but is now seeking new markets to sustain the rip-roaring pace of growth that has enthralled Wall Street.The introduction of cheaper models comes just a day before Samsung goes to a German court to try to overturn a ban on its selling Galaxy tablets in the country.Samsung is also awaiting a crucial ruling by a Dutch court on Apple's requests to ban a much wider Galaxy line of products in the Netherlands and European Union.Samsung, which is rolling out its latest Galaxy Tab 10.1 tablet globally, hopes to raise tablet sales more than five-fold this year and sell 60 million smartphones.The Korean firm is the nearest rival to Apple in smartphones and its shipments in the second quarter were just 1 million units short of Apple's 20.3 million unit sales, according to market data.Shares in Samsung fell 2.1 percent, versus a 1.2 percent drop in the wider market. CopycatsSamsung expanded its Galaxy smartphone range to five categories spanning the high, mass and low-end segments.Its new mid-to-high end Galaxy W will have a 3.7-inch screen and a 5-megapixel camera, while the mid-tier Galaxy M Pro and lower-end Galaxy Y Pro will be Samsung's first Galaxy models with qwerty keyboards.The fourth Galaxy Y model, aimed at emerging market consumers, is an entry-level product with a 2-megapixel camera and processor speeds of 832 megahertz (MHz).Samsung launched its first Galaxy product in June 2010 and its followup Galaxy S II, launched in April this year, has sold more than 5 million units.The new Galaxy lineup, all running on Google's Android platform version 2.3, will be unveiled to the public at an annual electronics fair in Germany in early September.The global smartphone market is expected to account for around 64 percent of the total handset market this year in dollar terms, up from 54 percent a year ago, according to industry data.Much of that growth is expected to come from lower cost emerging markets, where margins are slimmer and competition is tough.Small underground factories that churn out China's grey market cellphones, mostly in Shenzhen, are giving global brands a run for their money.As many as 900 million phones a year are produced in Shenzhen, including big brands such as Huawei and ZTE but also lesser-known names like G'five and Daxian , according to industry estimates. Put end to end, those China-made phones could circle the earth at least twice.Some 200-300 million of these grey-market handsets are cellphones that are not recognized or licensed by Chinese regulators.While feature phones make up much of their output, these cellphone makers are increasingly also producing copycat versions of Apple and Samsung smartphones."Indian ringtones, African languages - we can ask the factory to load up whatever you need," said Xu Shan, who runs a small store in Shenzhen that sells mobile phones from smaller local brands such as Daxian and Jugate.(Reuters)
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Given how long home networks and personal storage have coexisted, it is rather strange that it still takes a seasoned geek to set up a network storage solution for the average user, leave alone factor in any cloud integration! Can the Iomega Home Media Network Hard Drive, Cloud Edition turn the page for regular consumers? If you can look past the intimidating name, this might do the trick.At its most basic level, this drive is a 1 terabyte (or 2TB, depending on the version you choose) hard disk that plugs into your home network wireless router. The drive has one Gigabit Ethernet port and one USB 2.0 port, located on the back. The USB port can be used to host a printer or an external hard drive. There's another USB port on the front of the server, together with a Quick Transfer copy button. Connect a thumbdrive (or even an external hard drive) to this front port and press the button to back up the entire content of that drive onto the drive's internal storage – instant backup!Once you've got it all connected, install the software CD required to access the drive, and the application opens showing you a simplified set of six icons: backups, documents, movies, music, pictures, and time Machine. Clicking each one will take you to the appropriate folder on the drive, and you can drag files and folders to copy them to the drive. I can see first time users warm up to this approach rather quickly. As with any capable network drive, it is DLNA-certified, so you can stream video content over a local network to a Sony Playstation 3, for instance. You can even use the drive as a torrent downloader, so if peer-to-peer downloads is something you do, you can setup downloads to happen directly onto the drive, letting you switch off your PC at night. In addition, Iomega has also provided some fantastic integration with Facebook, Flickr, and YouTube to let you upload content to those sites with minimal effort. If you've got a snappy broadband connection, be careful of what you choose to share on these networks – the drive uploads the files in no time, so if any of these photos are private, they could be online before you know it. In day to day operation, the drive is quick to respond and serve up your files, courtesy a dual-core 600-MHz processor and 256 MB RAM powering the experience. But where's the "cloud", you ask? This drive lets you set up a personal cloud, but don't confuse this with storing your data on company servers on the Internet, like you do with apps like Dropbox or Google Docs. What it does do is send out an email to anyone you wish to securely share your drive's data with (including yourself, if you're out and about) with an access code. You can share selectively with separate user accounts, but do keep in mind you will need a fast internet connection on both ends to make the magic happen. The good bit is that since this is really your cloud, there are no annual/monthly fees to pay for storage, but you have to remember, with this drive, you trust your data to a consumer device, which may or may not bother you. In any case, this feature is a step in the right direction – and while it is currently locked to Iomega's ecosystem of newer devices, I can't wait for this to be more widely adopted. Net, this drive is sure to appeal to folks who want to do more with their storage without the need for technical expertise.Rating: 8/10Price: Rs 7,999 (1TB), Rs 9,999 (2TB)URL: http://bit.ly/nrZuJIThe Return Of A HeroCole MacGrath is back. If you've followed his travails in quarantined metropolis of Empire City in the original inFamous, there's good news (and some better news). The good news is that even though the story has progressed from the first version– Cole is now to be found deep in the American south in the town of New Marais with his best buddy Zeke and a new enemy that goes by a strangely staid name (Bertrand), the game plays almost identical to the original. And that, in this case, is a good thing. You control the electric superhero (or super villain based on the moral choices you make during the game), completing missions and wreaking overall havoc all just to gain experience points. These points inch Cole closer to the wherewithal required to take on the almost-impossible-to-defeat super-bad-guy, The Beast.Game play is fluid and unlike the predecessor, Cole doesn't need to learn all his skills from scratch, so fans of the game can get right around to the floating and the melees than Cole learnt the hard way last time around. That also means you have to play the first version of the game to be familiar with the tablestakes in this game. New Marais is a much more alive and bustling a city, and there's much more to do in the game on the whole. What seals the deal in its favour is that, much like the original, at many places you have the freedom to make a choice between right and wrong, giving the game a ton of replay value. To see everything the game has to offer, you will have to play it twice, making completely different decisions each time. What's even more awesome is that these very choices affect the game's outcome, so you're looking at two very different (and equally spectacular) endings. Rating: 8/10Price: Rs 2499URL: http://bit.ly/otIM2N Hooked Up Unless you're doing it in a fish tank, fishing is a futile exercise for most. Take the guesswork out of the fishing with the FishEyes Rod and Reel, a fishing rod with an integrated wide-angle video camera at the end of the line, sitting just above your bait. The live video feed is sent to a colour LCD display built into the handle, so you can see the fish as they swim by. One wonders whether the built-in LED lights might just frighten the fish away, but with this, at least you'll know they're gone! URL: http://bit.ly/oIf9t8Price: $79.99 technocool at kanwar dot nettwitter@2shar
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Samsung Electronics unveiled on Wednesday the first smartphone running Google's latest version of the Android operating system, which aims to combine software used in tablets and smartphones.The global launch of the Galaxy Nexus kicks off in November and comes as competition intensifies between Samsung and Apple Inc to win market share in the booming tablets and smartphones industry.Samsung and Google introduced the high-end model at an event in Hong Kong, after delaying the launch last week as a tribute to the late Apple co-founder Steve Jobs. Apple is Samsung's biggest customer for microprocessors.This also marks the first major rollout from Google since it announced plans in August to acquire Motorola Mobility Holdings for $12.5 billion.The deal had raised concerns among hardware makers that Google may favour Motorola over other handset vendors such as Samsung, HTC and LG Electronics Inc that rely on the free software.Google's Android mobile software -- already the world's most-used smartphone platform -- powers 190 million devices, up from 135 million in mid-July.The latest version of Android, named Ice Cream Sandwich, is designed to unite tablet and smartphone platforms, potentially attracting more application developers and consumers to the Android camp, which has fewer applications available than Apple's.Samsung, the top seller of Android phones and the biggest challenger to Apple, said the phone will have access to more than 300,000 applications and games, versus over 425,000 apps from Apple's App Store.Many technology websites ran live blogs of the event, indicating the buzz generated for the new Android software and Nexus.Samsung's new device, which touts a 4.65-inch high-definition "super" AM-OLED display and a 1.2 GHz dual-core processor, features such new functions as face recognition to unlock the phone.The world's No.2 handset maker said it also plans to introduce a version of the Galaxy Nexus that runs on faster Long-Term Evolution (LTE) networks.Samsung's event came less than a day after Apple reported quarterly results that missed expectations for the first time in years, blaming rumors of the new iPhone for hurting demand in the September quarter.Apple and Samsung have been locked in an acrimonious legal dispute in 10 countries involving smartphones and tablet computers as they jostle for the top spot in the fast-growing markets.Samsung said on Monday that sales of its Galaxy S and Galaxy S II smartphones topped 30 million units, with the once-smartphone-laggard expected to overtake Apple as the world's biggest smartphone vendor in the third quarter.(Reuters)
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The iPhone 4S wasn't exactly Apple's brightest moment. Yet it will probably still outshine the competition this holiday season.And people seeking to commemorate the legacy of Apple's iconic co-founder Steve Jobs, who died on Wednesday, may scoop up the last iPhone to be unveiled in his lifetime.The latest smartphone from Apple Inc landed with a thud on Tuesday, outraging fans who had hoped for a revolutionary new design after a wait of more than 15 months.But Wall Street analysts were still forecasting that software enhancements - and a sprinkling of cool new features - would keep Apple's leadership of an ever-growing pack of competitors intact.Then the bombshell dropped when Jobs died Wednesday. Fans abruptly switched from complaining about Apple across the Internet to praising Jobs and his life's work.Apple was unwittingly pushed into an even bigger spotlight just a day before the Oct 7 start of pre-orders for its latest device, and right before its most crucial holiday season in years.The timing may boost sales, but the extent remains to be seen."Store traffic will increase and there's going to be some sentiment-related purchases," said Janney Montgomery Scott analyst Bill Choi.But any sales boost would be small compared with music sales after the death of an entertainment superstar like Michael Jackson, he added. Jackson died in 2009.Bill Kreher of Edward Jones, said Jobs place in pop culture will cause a sales boost."But over the long run the products will stand on their merit," he said.Above The FrayApple's iPhone - seen as the market's gold standard - is its highest-margin product and accounts for 40 per cent of its annual revenue. It is the world's biggest selling smartphone, maintaining a slim market share lead on Samsung's Galaxy, at 18.4 versus 17.8 per cent.The iPhone 4S hits store shelves on Oct 14 in select countries including Japan and the United States.It will have to compete for attention with not just a host of Google Android-powered gadgets like Samsung's Galaxy, but also new gadgets likes Amazon.com Inc's 199 Fire tablet.But analysts say Apple will have one of its best holiday quarters on record this year with brisk sales of a cheaper version of iPhone 4 and a free iPhone 3GS on top of iPhone 4S sales to customers who want the latest device.The iPhone 4S remains among the fastest smartphones out there. It will be available on more than 100 carriers by year's end, and a free-with-a-contract older-generation model will draw in new users, analysts say.Then there's the "Siri" voice-command software that has pundits gushing over its ease of use versus rivals' offerings."The iPhone 4S maybe isn't the most compelling upgrade," said Morningstar analyst Michael Holt. "But people on the 3GS and other phones, those people are ready to upgrade. It will sell well."Jefferies & Co analyst Peter Misek said he received one phone call from a person who told him they would probably get an iPhone 4S to commemorate Jobs.But more importantly, he said, a large number of existing iPhone customers may be eligible for a discounted phone upgrade if they renew with their wireless provider, as their two-year contracts will expire in the next 12 months."The bigger thing is that 50 million to 70 million people will be coming off contract in the next year," Misek said.Apple shares fell heavily after the iPhone 4S announcement. But analysts point out that, although the transition from the iPhone 3G to the 3GS was similarly incremental, that didn't stop buyers from buying it up in record numbers.Ticonderoga analyst Brian White called the initial outcry "a knee-jerk reaction" and expects Apple to sell 27 million iPhones in the October-December quarter.Globally, iPhone shipments are likely to be 83.6 million units in 2011, rising to 112.5 million in 2012 and up to 169.0 million in 2015, according to a forecast by IHS iSuppli Design.Total sales of all iPhone models may reach 28 million in the fourth quarter, of which 10 million or more are likely the new iPhone 4S, Brad Gastwirth, co-founder of ABR Investment Strategy, an independent research firm, said. Apple sold over 20 million of the iPhone 4 in the April-June quarter.Wider distribution also helps. It will be the first iPhone at money-losing No. 3 US mobile provider Sprint Nextel, which will be under heavy pressure to boost subscriber numbers from its launch of the costly device.Sprint's plan to offer iPhone customers its unlimited data service for a flat monthly fee may also help.But the software upgrades - including voice commands for everything from sending messages to searching for stock prices - may be enough to keep people hooked on iPhones, on top of the surge in attention around Jobs' personality."I don't think they need it but they will get some of that bump," said Hudson Square analyst Daniel Ernst.(Reuters)
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