IBLOG SPACE

NEC makes a lot of different displays for various uses. Typically, we talk about their green desktop displays for computer users. However, the firm also makes a range of much larger displays that can be used for other purposes than sitting on your desk. The latest of the large-scale displays from NEC is the P521 that was introduced yesterday. The big 52-inch screen is the replacement for the MultiSync LCD5220 and adds new features and connectivity options to the outgoing display. One of the most important additions to the new screen is a DisplayPort connectivity option and Ethernet. The screen has a 1920 x 1080 resolution, 2000:1 contrast ratio, brightness of up to 700 cd/m2, a sealed design, and an integrated expansion slot. Other connectivity options include VGA, DVI-D, BNC, composite, component, S-Video, HDMI, and more. The P521 also has a built-in IP Tuner and a QAM tuner in some models. The display will ship this month for $2,999.

Last we heard of ICD , the company were showing us their Tegra 2-based Vega and Ultra tablets at CES 2010; now they’re back with details of a new model, the ICD Gemini, again using the second-generation 1GHz NVIDIA Tegra chipset and now paired with an 11.2-inch touchscreen (using either a resistive or capacitive panel, both of which support multitouch). Android does duty as the OS, and the specs certainly don’t disappoint at first glance: integrated 3G with voice functionality, WiFi b/g/n and Bluetooth 2.1+EDR, together with USB peripheral support and twin cameras. Up front there’s a 2-megapixel fixed-focus camera for video calls, while a 5-megapixel autofocus snapper on the back is intended for photography. There’s also a 5-axis accelerometer, digital compass, GPS, an FM radio and even infrared, while storage is from 4GB+ of onboard flash and an SD slot happy with up to 32GB cards. Other connectivity includes a microUSB port, HDMI, 3.5mm headphones socket (there’s also stereo speak

Ross Taylor, the Royal Challengers Bangalore batsman, has said he's happy playing the floater's role in the line-up. He usually slots in at No. 4 spot in New Zealand's Twenty20 batting order, but has been used in every position between No. 3 and No. 6 by Bangalore. "My job is to adjust to different slots. My role with the New Zealand team is a bit different from what I have with Bangalore. I am enjoying it," Taylor said at the team hotel in Bangalore. "Depending on where I bat - either top three or four, five or six - my role changes. Whether you need 120 runs or 220 runs, you need to know your role and play accordingly." Barely four days after completing a Test series against Australia, Taylor turned out for his first IPL match of the season on Sunday. He said the amount of cricket being played eased the switch between formats. "We play all formats each year and there is more of chop and change and you get used to it and you adjust with the transit

It’s been interesting to hear all the negative press and comments from the media about the iPad . Many people have been looking at the iPad and saying “What’s the big deal? It’s just a big iPod touch.” Others have gone so far as to criticize Apple and Steve Jobs directly, expressing their high expectations of innovation and then reveling in their disappointment at the lack of innovation they see in the iPad. What is clearly missed by the critics in industry and media is that the iPad represents much more of a vision of the future than people realize. The iPad ushers us into the era of Touch Computing. I was fortunate enough to be at the unveiling of the Palm Pilot by Jeff Hawkins in 1996. I recall getting a sense of real innovation from that product, a sense that computing was entering a new era. I have also had the privilege of being at every major Apple product release, from the first iPod, to the iPhone, and now the iPad. As revolutionary as the iPod and the iPhone were, I didn’t ha

As well as the last-gen 1.6GHz Intel Atom N270 processor, the eCAFÉ EC-1000W gets 1GB of RAM, a 250GB 5,400rpm hard-drive and WiFi b/g/n. There’s also a 4,400mAh 6-cell battery, three USB 2.0 ports, VGA output, ethernet and a multiformat memory card reader, along with audio in/out and a webcam/microphone. OS is Windows 7 Starter, and there’s an eCAFÉ Connect app which attempts to make common tasks – like hooking up to a WiFi network – a little more straightforward for entry-level users. Design-wise the EC-1000W is reasonably distinctive. Measuring in at 10.8 x 7.7 x 1.3 inches, it swaps hard edges for rounded corners and a framed 10.1-inch 1024 x 600 display that goes a little way to disguising the thick bezel. The 88-percent sized keyboard uses chiclet keys with decent travel but some sluggishness; combine that with the fact that they’re smaller-than-average and typing can be a little slow. In contrast, the trackpad is decently large, though it doesn’t support multitouch gestures. We

Chennai Super Kings completed a sweep of their three-match home leg after the Mumbai Indians' batting fell apart in a rash of poor strokes following Sachin Tendulkar's retirement due to dehydration. On a track where 467 runs were plundered three days ago, boundaries were hard to come by and despite being hampered by dew Chennai easily defended their moderate total. Tendulkar was on his haunches and breathing heavily as early as the fourth over of the chase. However, he and Shikhar Dhawan provided their customary solid start, hitting a four an over in the Powerplays to take Mumbai to 46 for 0. Dhawan chopped on Thilan Thushara's first delivery, but Mumbai progressed smoothly, if slowly, to 62 after nine overs when Tendulkar decided to retire. After looking in control of the match till then, Mumbai imploded, losing a wicket in each of the next six overs. Ambati Rayudu charged out and missed a short ball from Suresh Raina, the Trinidad pair of Dwayne Bravo an

Western Digital have updated their high-performance VelociRaptor hard-drive range with another, even larger SATA 6 Gb/s model. The WD VelociRaptor 600GB 6Gb/s spins at 10,000rpm and has a whopping 32MB cache, and the company reckon it’s up to 15-percent faster than the previous generation of drive. That’s despite not using any more power than its predecessor required. WD reckon likely applications for the new drive – which also has a 450GB sibling – will include blade servers, workstations and rack servers, but a fair few are also likely to find their way into gaming machines. The Western Digital VelociRaptor 600GB 6 Gb/s SATA HDD should be available later this quarter, priced at $329.

JVC have outed their latest flagship digital camcorder, the JVC Everio GZ-HM1 . Capable of recording Full HD video together with outputting 1080/60p through its HDMI connector, the HM1 uses a 1/2.3-inch 10.62 megapixel back-illuminated CMOS sensor that also supports up to 10-megapixel stills, and is paired with optical image stabilization and a Konica Minolta HD lens. Storage is courtesy of 64GB of internal memory – good for up to 6hrs at top quality – with an SD/SDHC card slot to augment it. ISO up to 6400 is supported, and there’s an automatic flash and various manual controls which, when set, can be saved to a user-programmable preset button. Timelapse recording is possible, as is super-fast 600fps video, and JVC reckon the HM1 is particularly proficient at low-light recording. It’s available now, priced at $1,199.95.

It’s April 6th and that means Xbox 360 users will be getting the software update that allows them to use USB memory sticks as external storage for their consoles. Up to 16GB per stick can be formatted to be recognized by the 360 – though the rest of the stick’s capacity, if it’s larger than the Xbox partition, can still be read by a computer – and two sticks can be plugged in at any one time. Any stick will work, and the 360 will allow you to choose the size of the partition. Of course, Microsoft would also like the opportunity to get its hands into your wallet, and so they’ll be offering a range of branded USB sticks for the “bargain” price of $70 for a 16GB unit next month.

Only yesterday we were singing the praises of the Data Robotics Drobo S , perfect if you need local, redundant storage for your workstation, and today the company have outed their NAS version. The Drobo FS – or “Drobo File Server” – takes the Drobo S and swaps that model’s USB/eSATA/FireWire for an gigabit ethernet port on the back, meaning you can share files protected using its BeyondRAID system across your network. While the hardware has changed, the software is also much tweaked to take advantage of the network connectivity. The Drobo FS supports media streaming – using the DLNA and UPnP protocols – and can act as your central iTunes store, as well as a standalone BitTorrent downloader and remote-access. That’s because of DroboApps , a new platform of community-created and community-supported applications that can be loaded onto the Drobo FS. As for pricing, the new Drobo FS will go on sale – drive-free – for $699, with Data Robotics selling it with up to five 2TB drives for $1,

We’ve heard various whispers of an April 24th launch for the iPad in the UK before now, but according to BitterWallet’s sources that date is all but confirmed. They’ve heard from different people – including an Apple Store employee – that the date is not only correct but that staff are being refused leave on the 24th and extra salespeople are being drafted in to help cover the launch. Currently the Apple UK site only lists the iPad as coming in late April, and is yet to be updated with either a specific date or even pricing for the tablet. Similarly preorders are yet to be taken, though if the April 24th date pans out it seems likely that will change sometime early this week.

Windows Phone 7 may be just around the corner, but we’re still expecting a few new handsets based on the outgoing version of Windows Mobile to be launched in the intervening months. Acer’s neoTouch P300 wasannounced at MWC 2010 back in February, a WinMo 6.5.3 device with a hardware keyboard and European 3G. Check out our full review after the cut. Based on Qualcomm’s MSM7225 528MHz processor, the neoTouch P300 has a 3.2-inch WQVGA resistive touchscreen, 256MB of RAM and 512MB ROM, together with a microSD card slot and slide-out QWERTY keyboard. Connectivity includes quadband GSM and 2100MHz HSDPA, along with WiFi b/g, Bluetooth 2.0 and a 3.5mm headphone socket, plus there’s A-GPS and a 3.2-megapixel autofocus camera. The whole thing measures in at a reasonably compact 110 x 55 x 15.1 mm and weighs 130.6g with the 1010mAh battery. To be honest, none of the specifications particularly stand out – the CPU, for instance, can be found powering numerous Windows Phones from the past few years

Many geeks have been waiting for Apple to update its MacBook line. The MacBook and MacBook Pro notebooks haven’t been updated in a very long time and many feel the machines are overdue for a freshening. Reports have been rolling in that the reason for the lengthy delay in an update was because the newest line of Intel Core i3, i5, and i7 CPUs have been in short supply. The shortage of the parts has been blamed on a large order placed by Acer for parts. According to reports that CPU shortage will end this month and Apple will release newly updated notebooksrunning the parts. Other sources are claiming that testing of MacBooks with dual graphics options have also delayed the refresh. It is likely that the refresh will include NVIDA Optimus tech on some MacBooks with dual GPUs.

Most computer users know that one way you keep your machine running safely and without crashes is to connect them to a UPS device. These devices are battery backups that clean the power to prevent shutdowns during brownouts and blackouts and stop damage from surges. APC is one of the biggest names in UPS devices. The company has unveiled a new line of APC Back-UPS Pro units that are offered in various models offering from six to ten outlets and extra run time from 92 to 164 minutes. All of the new models also offer new power-saving outlets. These outlets cut power to connected devices when they aren’t in use. Cutting the power to idling device can save as much as $50 per year in electricity per UPS device used. In a large business that can add up to lots of saved money each year. The products will debut in the US in Q2 at prices ranging from $129.99 to $249.99.

I’m not the kind of person who tends to put things back in their box when I am done with them. For instance, my PC games and software CDs tend to stand in a stack on my desk most of their life. Sure, that causes scratches but as long as they work, I don’t really care. If you are the same way and don’t like to put CDs or DVDs back in their cases when you are done with them, the kisses CD holders might be perfect for protecting your important discs. The things look like Hershey’s Kisses candy in several metallic colors. The spindle hole on your disc sits over the pointy part of the Kisses holder and it keep the data side of the disc from getting scratched. I thought that was what the label side of the disc was for. You can buy the Kisses Compact Disk Rest on the Yanko Design Store for $17.50 each. That seems expensive to me.

Thecus is a prolific maker of NAS devices and has a full range of offerings. Many of the offerings are aimed at the home and small business user and are designed to sit beside the desk like the N4200 we talked about last month. Other offerings from Thecus are rack mount devices that are aimed at larger businesses like the N8800+ that is debuting today. The new N8800+ NAS device features a 2U rack mount chassis and has a PCI-e slot on the back for expansion. The slot can be used for things like a 10Gb Ethernet adapter for fast file transfers. The NAS device uses the Thecus Dual DOM design putting two Disk on Modules into the device in case one fails. The NAS device supports iSCSI initiators to allow servers to directly access the device for direct-attach storage. The unit can be stacked with up to five more N8800+ units for expandability. The N8800+ is powered by an Intel Celeron M CPU and has 2GB of DDR2 RAM. It features eight SATA drive bays supporting up to 16TB of storage and supp

The patent system in America is pretty bad. People are granted patents on some of the most obvious designs and works often with the intention of nothing more than trying to get other firms to pay to license tech that was obvious to start with. At the same time patents help protect those who spend lots of time and money bringing new tech to market from being ripped off. Apple is no stranger to both sides of the patent battle. The firm has fought those who infringe on its patents and has had to defend against companies that accuse it of infringement. EMG and Apple have been down the patent battle road before, back in 2008 the firms fought over features of the Safari browser on the iPhone. EMG Technology has escalated with Apple now that the iPad has been released. EMG alleges that the iPad infringes on its patents along with the iPod, iPhone, iTunes Store, and Apple TV devices. EMG has filed a patent infringement suit in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas. The judg

InPulse’s Bluetooth watch for BlackBerry smartphones is still languishing in the preorder stage, but according to the company that won’t be the case for long. As well as teasing about “some amazing news” and promising that the InPulse watch is “almost here”, there are also two new shots of the hardware. Last we saw, the InPulse was a chunky render and promised for a February 2010 launch. The month came and passed, with those who’d put down $149 as a preorder going without their wrist-worn remote display. Hopefully the news is that InPulse are now ready to ship. As for functionality, the watch has a 1.8-inch OLED display and hooks up to your BlackBerry via Bluetooth 2.0. It can then be used to preview SMS messages and emails, together with details on incoming calls and alarms, though you’ll actually need to get out your phone if you want to do anything in response.

Sony’s slimline PS3 may shed some inches from its chubby predecessor, but we still wouldn’t exactly call it portable. Nonetheless, if you’re interested in toting your PS3 for some mobile gaming, Hori’s 11.6-inch HD LCD-3 snap-on display might be the accessory for you. Basically an LCD display complete with integrated speakers and a headphone socket, the screen folds flat against the PS3 Slim for transport. Resolution of the display is 1366 x 768, so you won’t be enjoying any Full HD movies, but it’s certainly enough for casual use. According to Hori, the display is Torne compatible, and while it won’t go on sale in Japan until May 27th, the fact that it’s PAL and NTSC compliant does hint that broader availability might be on the cards. It’ll be priced at 24,800 yen ($263) when it launches.

ASUS’ new U30jc has some competition, with Lenovo quietly pushing the ThinkPad T410i out of the door. Packing Intel’s latest 2.13GHz Core i3-330M processor, the T410i kicks off at $829 with a 14.1-inch WXGA LED-backlit display, integrated Intel graphics and 2GB of memory, together with a 250GB hard-drive and a DVD burner. Connectivity includes WiFi b/g/n but not Bluetooth, while there’s a 4-cell battery as standard and both Lenovo’s trackpad and TrackPoint navigation stick. Options include up to 500GB of HDD or 128GB of SSD storage, a 2.0-megapixel webcam and integrated WiMAX, together with 6- or 9-cell batteries. Our friends over at LogicBuy have also flagged up some coupon codes which take the T410i and dip the price from $829 to $778.05 with free shipping. You’ll have to be quick, though; they expire April 12th.

Apparently, a rendered video wasn’t good enough for HP employees. No, they needed hard facts, just in case inquisitive people asked all the right questions. Though, we would be willing to bet that if those same employees were indeed asked, they’d probably have to say they don’t know anything. Luckily, we don’t work for HP. So, what should we expect from the HP Slate? Size wise, we are looking at an 8.9″ WSVGA capacitive multitouch display. It has a 1.6GHz Intel Atom Menlow Z530 processor, it comes in two memory variations: 32GB and 64GB. Both versions come with expandable memory though, so that should definitely be remembered. It also goes without saying that the Slate also comes packed with Windows 7 Home Premium, optimized with HP’s custom User Interface. All of that sounds great, and extra additions like a USB port, and two cameras (one on the back and one on the front) will probably make many out there say that it is better than the competition, but wouldn’t be quick to judge. Trut

April is turning out to be a very eventful, and very busy month. First we have the iPad launch, and then we hear about the Apple keynote that will offer up the latest, greatest, and official word on what iPhone OS 4.0 will bring to the table for a great many devices. And now we have Microsoft jumping into the foray. And, as they put it, it’s time to share. There’s a bit of speculation around the event, but on the other side of the fence, there’s some definite remarks that this keynote is entirely placed on the shoulders of Project Pink . That project is better known for the two devices that have been leaked over the last few months. Sure, amidst all the noise generated by Microsoft’s Windows Phone 7, we understand why you might have forgotten about it, Truth be told, the Turtle and Pure devices are obviously aimed at the social networking crowd, and more importantly, messaging. We can’t say for sure whether or not they are aimed at the “tween” generation or not, but we wouldn’t be surp

It’s been a week, exactly, since we brought you the initial news regarding the next update to Microsoft’s Personal Media Player (PMP), the Zune HD. And, sure enough, we’ve got a pretty big update in regards to the release of Zune HD’s 4.5 software upgrade. It’s out now . Yep, those non-firm details that Microsoft couldn’t talk about must’ve been code for wanting to make us all surprised at how quickly they released it. Well, it worked. We’re pretty excited. (We love updates.) And sure enough, it’s adding all the goodies we mentioned before. The update is bringing quite a few changes. First up, we’ve got a broader, more advanced Smart DJ. It’s being upgraded on the Zune HD, so that if you’re in the mood for one particular genre, you plug in a song, and the Zune HD will take care of the rest for you. Second, we’ve got Picks for Zune HD. This means that the next time you go into the Marketplace via your PMP, it will show you some of the most relevant picks of your music liking. It’s a gre

Despite the fact the Apple iPad released with some ridiculously good numbers, there are still some other tablets out there. Take, for example, the HP Slate. Yes, it still exists. And yes, it’s still coming out. (Eventually.) And with all this hub-bub swirling around the new tablet from Apple, HP wanted to make sure that you didn’t forget their version in the news maelstrom. So they’ve released a newly fashioned video render of their tablet in action. Oh, and it has a USB port, too. Basically, this video doesn’t show you a shipping product. Nope. It just shows you what a shipping product may look like, if it were set to some techno-rock, and had some visually stunning video renders made of it. We’re not saying the completed piece of gadgetry won’t look like the video you’re about to watch, and we’re sure the software will be spot-on, too. But, well, it’s still a render and not the real deal. As much as we love our social networking, being able to pinch-to-zoom, connect our tablet to our

There's no doubt the impending legal antics are weighing on hearts and minds inside HTC, but for now, the company's got other fish to fry -- like the first quarter's financial results, for example. Fortunately, pretty much everything came up roses here with $1.2 billion in revenue, up some 19.3 percent year-over-year and nearly 11 percent higher than the high end of its estimate going into the call, though that still represents an 8 percent drop against the last quarter -- holiday quarters are typically blockbusters, so no huge surprise there. HTC credits a "successful" marketing campaign for its success; we credit awesome hardware, but we'd guess the real answer lies somewhere in between. Quietly brilliant, indeed.

Actual, honest-to-goodness photos of what is presumably the Korea-only LG LU2300 handset popped up on a site in the SK recently, and like a family pet that plays professional sports (guess who watched Air Bud last night?) it's certainly captured the imagination of the Android-lovin' world at large. The thing is said to sport a 3.5-inch (800 x 480) AMOLED capacitive touch screen, Android 2.1, landscape mode slide keyboard, support for DivX files, a 5 megapixel (720p video) camera with geo-tagging, WiFi, GPS, DMB tuner and -- last but not least -- a 1GHz Snapdragon processor. The stats are consistent with what we've heard before, and now we have a possible release date: April or May. What we don't have, however, is any reason to believe rumors that this is going to be released in the states as the C710 Aloha. Although we might be skeptical, we understand the inherent wish-fulfillment: this is one sexy phone, and we'd certainly like to see it become available here.

Nokia's new Ovi Maps software just made its way to the venerable E71 and E66 business handsets. While Nokia was constrained from offering its premium nav services like Guide Michelin and Lonely Planet on these legacy S60 3.1 handsets, owners are nevertheless being treated to free walk and drive navigation with turn-by-turn guidance. So really, you can't complain... unless of course you picked up a US-flavored E71x which isn't eligible for the free update. Check the full press release after the break for download instructions and a list of compatible devices.

Overkill, thy name is Vertu. Nokia's luxury handset division has rarely gotten much love on these pages, but that's mostly to do with the excessive use of "high end" materials on its phones and zeroes in its prices. Both are present and accounted for here, with the stainless steel and leather-bound Constellation Ayxta starting at somewhere around $7,500. Still, we retain a curiosity to see such exclusive devices in the glaring lights of reality, and Gear Diary has treated us to just such a treat. The handset before you can crank out 6 hours of talk time over GSM or 300 hours of standby, navigate preloaded maps over GPS, or hook you up to an instant Concierge service if you don't feel like doing the work yourself.

The Cellbots gang has been furiously productive as of late. Not even a month after their wooden "boxbot" was first spotted on You Tube the project has moved on from its humble beginnings of lumber and windshield wiper motors to a full-on a neon green acrylic Truckbot that uses a G1 and Arduino board combination for control. Sure, we've seen Android-powered robots before, but these guys have done some pretty cool things, and have no intention of stopping now. They've already implemented an ultrasonic range detector so the 'bot can override the operator and prevent itself from running off a cliff (although we'd like to suggest mounting one on the rear as well -- for obvious reasons), voice recognition, and the Android compass into the control system. If anything, the amount of progress makes this project very well worth keeping an eye on. Move past the break to see some video, and then hit the source link to keep up with the action yourself.

Kyocera's North American offerings are decidedly lower-end, so we were a bit surprised to see 'em bring a full touchscreen Android device to the party at CTIA this year -- until we touched it, at which point we instantly realized that the so-called Zio still well inside low-end territory. It makes sense then that the Zio would be coming to some of Kyocera's traditional carrier partners like Cricket, and indeed, PhoneArena appears to have scored an internal slide deck showing a projected 2010 lineup that includes the Zio front and center. Cricket apparently likes July as a launch target, and they're looking to retail it for $299.99 -- pricey, yes, until you remember that these guys don't do contracts. We certainly wouldn't take this sucker over, say, a Nexus One -- but as a contract-free offering on a value carrier, you might just have a deal.

The Samsung-sourced femtocell that Sprint and Verizon have been offering (as the Airave and Wireless Network Extender, respectively) is all well and good, but it's got one fatal flaw: unlike AT&T's aptly-named 3G MicroCell, it doesn't have support for 3G data -- it's compatible with CDMA 1x alone. Verizon's fixing that later this year with an updated model from Samsung, but thanks to a fresh FCC filing, it looks like Sprint will be taking a different route by roping in Airvana for the Airave's successor. On top of EV-DO, the interesting bit about this puppy is that it supports a VoIP-routed landline connection around back; we're not sure whether Sprint actually plans on enabling this extra jack, but it's specifically mentioned in the draft manual, so we wouldn't doubt it. No word on a release just yet -- but FCC approval is frequently one of the last steps on a product's road to retail, so we might see it soon.

So who's the first North American carrier to pick up Sony Ericsson's high-end X10? AT&T? T-Mobile? Nope -- it's Canada's Rogers, which is once again showing its superior Android prowess by getting first dibs on a phone that plenty of folks have been anticipating since its announcement late last year. Looks like April 15 has been locked in as the carrier's date with destiny, but there's more to the story than that: they'll be tossing in a gratis Sony Ericsson MW600 Bluetooth headset with integrated FM radio if you're an existing customer who's eligible for a hardware upgrade. It's actually a pretty deluxe deal -- the MW600 retails for almost $100 -- so if you were on the fence about whether to pull the trigger on the upgrade, this might be the straw that breaks the camel's back.

If the thought of watching Murder, She Wrote on a 3.5-inch screen has you, like, totally psyched, you'll be pleased to know that Elgato has just announced a genuine iPhone / iPod touch app that allows you to view EyeTV content streamed from your home computer via 3G or WiFi (similar to the Live3G web app the company debuted late last year). In addition -- this is where things start to get interesting -- the thing will let you browse the Program Guide and manage your recording schedules, launching EyeTV on your Mac at home as needed. If you're an Elgato die-hard, this thing seems to be a no-brainer. Available now in the App Store for $4.99.

Priyanka Chopra would be shooting in Brazil for Fear Factor: Khatron Ke Khiladi - 3. She has never visited that part of the world. And she's all set to leave in July. Says Priyanka excitedly, "I'm looking forward to shooting the show there. I haven't seen Brazil. So July onwards I'm going to be basking in Brazilian territory." Says Priyanka, "I was getting a lot of television offers for the last couple of years. But the amount of time that those shows required didn't suit me. Besides nothing excited me. Fear Factor is one of my favourite shows. And it goes with my personality. I'm sporty and spontaneous. The channel didn't have to convince me much. The pay-cheque? Ah, let's say it's the cherry on the icing." Priyanka says she will be more than up to cracking what's seen to be a male domain. "Just because I'm a girl it shouldn't be presumed that I can't enter the boys' territory. I'd do the s

Reliance Big Pictures and Rakesh Roshan's highly-anticipated film KITES unfolds yet another surprise! KITES marks the debut of actor Hrithik Roshan as a singer on the silver screen. To commemorate this, Reliance Big Pictures is launching the music of the film on national television as a roadblock by airing Hrithik's debut song 'Kites in the sky', in English, along with some behind-the-scenes footage on 29th March at 9.30 p.m. across 40 television channels. In a statement issued to the media, Hrithik says, "I was nervous to make my debut as a singer, considering I come from a family that is well known in the world of music, but for this very reason my chacha [Rajesh Roshan] and director Anurag Basu were most certain that I could sing. I have given this song my best and honest shot, but I still don't consider myself a professional singer."

She is the daughter of the ageless wonder and touted as the chip of the old block. She is none other than Sonam Kapoor, the darling daughter of Anil Kapoor. After having made an impactful debut with Sanjay Leela Bansali's Saawariyaa , Sonam now seems all set to take the world of ad commercials by super storm! After having lent her famous smile to FMCGs like L'Oreal, Mont Blanc, etc, now, Sonam will be seen in a new avatar as the Brand Ambassador for Spice Mobiles. Sources close to Bollywood Hungama say, "The parent company of Spice Mobiles (B.K Modi Group), is now all set to launch a high quality phone (S-1200, to be precise), that will have a whopping 12 Mega pixel camera with 3 X optical zoom! The source also adds that since they are all gung-ho about this product, they were looking for someone who can effortlessly carry the brand on her shoulders, and needles to say that Sonam Kapoor fitted the bill like a 'T'. That's why they signed her on imm

First it was Ranbir Kapoor who had his torso/abs contoured and hand-painted during Saawariya by his ever-helpful co-star Salman Khan. Now it is Sonu Sood who got the same personal attention from Salman .While shooting the tricky bare-bodied climactic combat scene in Wai for Dabangg , Salman personally supervised his screen-adversary Sonu Sood's torso tanning. Says Sonu, "Everyone knows when two guys do an action scene especially if they're bare-chested, they work out harder before the sequence to make sure each one's body is in the best shape." Salman has not only exercised rigorously for the climactic fight but he has also made sure Sonu Sood looks his best on camera. Says Sonu, "We've been shooting the hand-to-hand combat for a fortnight now, every day Salman has been making sure I'm as comfortable with the action director S Vijayan's instruction as he is." He continues, "We've been shooting in the heat on a set

Bollywood's legendary actor Amitabh Bachchan has been signed on as the brand ambassador of 'Save The Tiger' campaign. With this, Bachchan joins the likes of the Indian cricket and football captains as the face of the campaign, spearheaded by the environmental group WWF India and the telecom giant Aircel. Bachchan, in his blog, said, "I immediately agreed because I feel it is first of all a national cause. It is a cause of nature, it is a cause of environment and if my face and my voice can be used to impress upon people that this is something essential and important. It is not just for the environment but for the entire nation then I shall be most willing to join it." "If I can be a voice that is going to be speaking about these issues, if I can be a face that perhaps a few people will listen to and hear and if I can convince even one individual to follow this path, this very righteous path. I think that somewhere I will feel convinced that I ha

The film in question has been in the making for quite sometime now with the starcast apparently having issues about promoting the film. However, now we hear that Shahid Kapoor has decided to go ahead and promote his film with Kareena Kapoor, Milenge Milenge. Sources close to the film have confirmed that Shahid Kapoor is shooting a promotional music video for the film today. Choreographed by Ahmed Khan, shoot of Shahid's portions are to be finished by today. However, as for Kareena, it's yet to be confirmed whether she will be a part of the said music video, which also features her one time beau, Shahid Kapoor.

After a rigorous crash-course in Taekwondo in Bangkok, Neil Nitin Mukesh not only performed the martial arts for the camera he also directed the action scenes for himself. A sure sign of this young actor's progression towards his ultimate goal, direction. In fact Neil's mentor, Yash Raj Films, have already reserved the rights verbally to launch Neil as a director. Laughs the young actor, "That is some way off. But yes, I do plan to direct my own film some day, and not in the distant future. In the meanwhile I am here in Bangkok and I've directed all the stunts for an ad we shot for Gen- X innerwear. You could say my career as a director ha started." It was Neil's idea that the ad should have plenty of adrenaline-pumping action. Last week after his leading lady Deepika Padukone left to shoot with Imran Khan in Delhi, Neil Nitin Mukesh suddenly took off for Bangkok for a week to learn the popular martial art Taekwondo, shoot the action ad and t

Bollywood seems to be back to its remake trend, the current one being remaking south Indian superhits in Hindi. Anees Bazmee is doing just that with the south hit film Ready . The original Telugu film that starred Genelia and Ram will be now remade with Salman in the lead. Speaking to Anees we learn, "Yes. I am doing the remake of the south film Ready, and have also confirmed Salman Khan to play the male lead in it. However, as for the leading ladies, I cannot speak about it now, as it's really too early and we haven't decided on it as yet." Further he tells us, "As for the film itself, there is a long way to go as we still have to complete the scripting process since we want to retain some of the original while changing the rest to suit the Bollywood audience and hence the title as well is still awaiting to be finalized." What about the rest of the cast of the film? "In terms of other cast members again I would say wait a little longer

EXPECTATIONS Huge. That, in one word, pretty much summarises the expectations that one has from the music of Kites . Roshans have been a team since time immemorial and it is just apt to expect nothing but an excellent soundtrack when Hrithik Roshan, Rakesh Roshan and Rajesh Roshan come together. Add to that, the man in the driving seat, Anurag Basu, who has to his credit many musicals including Life In A Metro where Pritam's soundtrack has managed a cult status for itself over years gone by and you are pretty much sitting at an album from which a music lover would be expecting nothing but the best. With lyricists like Nasir Faraaz and Asif Ali Beg roped in to write for five songs in the album, there is a certain freshness which is pretty much expected as well. MUSIC Let's set an expectation clear at the very onset. Unlike many fly-by-night albums that make an instant impression from the word 'Go' with chartbuster tunes heading straight towards the next