IBLOG SPACE

Twitter is abuzz with talk of Flipboard, the latest news reader for the iPad and another attempt to pull curated content down onto Apple’s slate. Unlike the Pulse News Reader, Flipboard pairs pre-selected content feeds with links shared by your Facebook and Twitter friends; logging into your respective accounts allows the app to show you a custom digital magazine of the news, videos and other links they’re currently sharing. At least, that’s the idea. Right now the Flipboard servers are obviously having trouble coping with the demand, and so attempting to register your Facebook or Twitter credentials throws up an error message. You can still read the standard content, however, which has a slick page-turning animation and all the shifting, tappable boxes you could hope for from a digital magazine. We’ve been trying Flipboard out, and it certainly presents content nicely; this really is the kind of thing that the iPad was meant to do. Unfortunately there are still some gaps; server

Here’s an odd one. Verizon are already tipped to be offering at least one 10.1-inch tablet later in 2010, and are name-checked as the potential carrier of choice for Sharp’s upcoming duo of LCD ebook readers, but according to Engadget‘s sources the roadmap has two devices billed as “ereaders” on the roadmap for September that are labelled as “ Entourage ”. That’s got them speculating that the devices may be from the same Entourage that produces the dual-screen eDGe ereader. Unsurprisingly technical specifications aren’t exactly flooding the roadmap, so beyond the two devices having 7- and 10-inch displays there’s no indication of hardware. If indeed Entourage are the hardware manufacturers,

HP’s tablet intentions continue to be slowly fleshed out, with the latest being a new product listing for the HP Slate 500 (product code XB830PA) on the company’s site. Specifications are still unclear, but a mention ofEnergyStar testing [PDF link] leads to a listing that tips a 1.6GHz processor, 1GB of RAM and Windows 7 as the OS. That’s of course different to what we’ve heard earlier this week, of an HP PalmPad webOS based slate tipped by a new trademark listing, and rumors yesterday that HP would be using a dual-mode touchscreen. That would respond both to multitouch finger input and to active stylus input, potentially used for handwriting recognition and sketching. According to the product page the Slate 500 also has two cameras and auto screen-rotation. What all this points to is the continued co-existence of two HP tablets, one being the Windows 7 based slate they were working on themselves, and the other being a webOS based alternative using the Palm IP acquired recently.

It’s been a while since we’ve heard a peep out of EKING , but the company is back with a new UMPC/MID, at least in render form. Currently unnamed, the Atom based ultraportable is expected to have a 5-inch 1024 x 600 multitouch-capable display (sourced from Sharp), WiFi, Bluetooth, 3G and GPS. The display slides and tilts away to reveal a full QWERTY keyboard, but there are plenty of bezel controls for using it while closed. Despite the Windows XP screenshots it’s tipped to run Windows 7, and there’s at front-facing webcam for video calls and talk of a rear-facing camera for photography. EKING may not be a household name, but products under the brand have seen releases in various markets across the world; the EKING S515 shipped as the PsiXpda, for instance. No word on release dates or estimated pricing at this stage.

“You snooze, you lose” may not be the most eloquent way of putting it, but Sprint CEO Dan Hesse knows thatthe longer it takes to get customers onto shiny devices like the EVO 4G, the more chance his carrier rivals have to overtake him in high-speed mobile networks. T-Mobile USA has just announced that their HSPA+ network is now the most pervasive in the country, currently covering more than 85m people and on track, the carrier promises, to offer HSPA+ to over 185m people by the end of 2010. The news comes on the heels of leaks suggesting Verizon are pushing ahead with their own 4G plans, with the first stage of their LTE network expected in November this year. Meanwhile T-Mobile USA has also updated its “Rocket” HSPA+ USB modem with the webConnect Rocket 2.0 USB Laptop Stick, another compact modem that has a flip-out USB plug and a few other enhancements. That’ll be followed in the summer by T-Mobile’s first HSPA+ capable smartphone. Full details of the covered T-Mobile HSPA+ marke

When it comes to eReaders, you probably already have your favorite picked out. Either that, or you’ve just completely passed over the market and decided on something else, like a tablet. But if, by a slim margin, you’re still waiting for your perfect device, then maybe this new model, the GM2000 from Gemei , will fit the bill. First, let’s talk about the options in display. You can either choose from a 7-inch color display with a resolution of 800 x 480, or a 6-inch E-Ink display with a resolution of 800 x 600. Strangely enough, that’s where the differences end, so let’s just go ahead and move onto the similarities. Both models will give you the option to output 1080p videos through an HDMI cable. It also supports a plethora of video formats, like H.263, H.264, VC-1, RMVB, MKV, and FLV amongst others. As far as text files go, you can fully expect support for .TXT, PDF, UMD, CHM, EPUAB, as well as compressed ZIP files. Both models have 4GB of internal memory out of the box, but you will

When it comes to projectors, the smaller they come, the more attention they’ve been getting over the last few months. Those pico projectors are all over the place. But, thanks to companies like Sanyo, we’re still seeing that the big projector market is alive and well. And this one definitely fits the bill. Even the picture makes it look big. But, while its physical characteristics are big, so are the features it packs inside. The PLV-HF10000L (they need a different name) has a native 2K resolution, which means it’ll bring 2048 x 1080 images to your wall . What makes it better, though, is the fact that it can bring that resolution to work in conjunction with several units, which can then use edge blending to bring together the images they’re displaying, making one giant –and we mean giant– projection. As far as contrast ratios go, the PLV packs a 3,000:1, and utilizes QuaDrive technology together with a Color Control Device (CCD) to separately control the yellow light insdie the optica

Let’s face it. There’s plenty of folks out there that love iTunes, but don’t have an iPod, or some other iDevice. Not that there’s a problem playing your iTunes library somewhere else, considering all of the music is now DRM-free, but there’s still that desire to get that music to as many places as possible. So how about your TV? Well, if you’ve got a Roku Box, then you’ll soon be free and clear to enjoy all of your music right from your TV. In a deal inked today, Roku is teaming up with MP3Tunes. The latter company is designed to provide people with a secure cloud-based location for their music, with the ability to also listen to music in an “unlimited” capacity. The site gives customers the ability to sync their music to the cloud, so that they can later enjoy it from any web browser, as well as a large variety of mobile products, and home entertainment devices. That last bit is the most important part, as the Roku Box definitely fits in there. You will be able to access 10GB of sto

When you look at your keyring right now, what do you see? (Of course, you have to have a keyring for this little test to work out, mind you.) Your keys, from your car to your house, and maybe a little trinket to show how lucky you are. Well, what you need is a flash drive. No, reallly — that’s what you need. Just imagine how cool, and important you’ll feel if you’ve got 32GB of data right there, easily accessible, ready whenever you are to get that next file to your computer, or anyone’s computer for that matter. You’re already starting to feel better about this, right? That’s how we see Edge Tech ’s sales pitch working out, especially to prospective customers. Despite the fact that flash drives aren’t as “cool” or “in” as they used to be, that’s not stopping companies from making them. And, obviously, as technology progresses, these things that used to be as long as our finger now, remarkably enough, can be the size of a quarter. At least, that’s how big the new 32GB flash drive from

Leaked last week, Microsoft has just officially confirmed the upcoming Xbox 360 4GB , the replacement to the 360 Arcade. Priced at $199.99 and set to begin shipping on August 3rd 2010 in the US, the new Xbox 360 4GB will also be offered as a bundle with the Kinect sensor for $299.99 this holiday season. The Kinect sensor itself, meanwhile, will be $149.99 when that launches during the holidays, and of course it will work with both the refreshed Xbox 360 and the previous-gen model. There will be more than 15 games available at Kinect’s launch, including “Kinectimals,” “Kinect Sports,” “Kinect Joy Ride” and “Dance Central”, retailing for $49.99. The Xbox 360 4GB, as the name suggests, lacks the 250GB internal hard-drive of the existing slimmed-down Xbox 360, having instead just 4GB of flash storage. It has built in WiFi b/g/n, touch-sensitive controls and a DVD drive.

Canon’s head of Image Communication Products, Masaya Maeda, has revealed that Nikon isn’t the only company looking at a new high-end compact camera. Speaking as Canon increased their sales forecasts,Maeda confirmed that the company is looking at a new compact camera that could be a mini-DSLR ; “It’s not a question of whether or not you have a mirror,” he told reporters, “there is a consumer need for good-quality cameras to be made smaller.” “We will meet this need” he went on to declare, dismissing doubts that it would be possible in a model that used an internal mirror and pointing to Canon’s track record of producing small-frame DSLRs. However he declined to outline any specific details or hardware specifications. The new Canon camera will go up against micro-four-thirds models such as from Panasonic and Olympus, together with Sony’s recent range of NEX interchangeable lens cameras. All of these have bypassed internal mirror designs.

As two sheets of glass in a sandwich with a thin metal band, the iPhone 4 isn’t exactly the most rugged smartphone we’ve seen. Happily third-party manufacturers like OtterBox are around to address that: their newDefender Series for iPhone 4 promises to wrap the Apple smartphone in three layers of protection: a shatter-resistant polycarbonate shell, a clear display screen cover (as well as a clear cover for the Apple logo cutout on the back) and a silicone skin. Together, OtterBox reckon, it’s enough to make the iPhone 4 “nearly indestructible”, plus it also addresses the antenna issues too. OtterBox has put the Defender case through lots of fancy testing to make sure of it, but the short version is that because the iPhone 4′s antenna bridge isn’t getting touched by a human hand, you won’t see the attenuation issues that prompted Apple’s press conference last Friday. The case also gets access to the various hardware controls around the smartphone, and is dust, shock and bump resista

We were big fans of the second-gen Pogoplug when we reviewed it back in April, and now the company has outed a business-centric version, the Pogoplug Biz. Ditching the consumer model’s hot pink chassis for a more sober, black finish – after all, we wouldn’t want employees thinking it was a party in the office – the Pogoplug Biz adds in file tracking stats, custom email addresses and file-sharing pages, multiple user accounts and remote backup. In short, it’s all about making Pogoplug more serious, and making sure the files you share with others – via the straightforward email invite system – look like they’ve come from your company rather than Pogoplug’s generic site. That includes adding in company logos and backgrounds, together with adding custom email addresses so that clients can send files directly to the Pogoplug Biz. There’s also a web-only sharing feature, which Pogoplug say is intended for artists and the like who want to give clients a preview of a file but not let them d

Samsung’s first 1TB 2.5-inch mobile hard-drive has begun shipping, offering another capacious option for mobile users who refuse to sacrifice on space. The Samsung Spinpoint MT2 packs 333GB per platter – there are obviously three of them inside – and runs at 5,400rpm. There’s also SilentSeek and NoiseGuard, which are both trademarked ways of saying the Spinpoint MT2 should run pretty quietly. It’s also meant to be relatively efficient compared to rivals: Samsung say it uses 4-percent less power but boosts performance by around 20-percent, while it’s also mildly shock resilient too. Samsung envisage not only laptops but TVs, mediaplayers, STBs and portable external drives using the new HDD. No word on pricing, but the 1TB Samsung Spinpoint MT2 drive is shipping now.

Well, there's nothing like masking bad news with good news, right Apple ? Just moments after quietlyannouncing that the white iPhone 4 is now scheduled to ship sometime between tomorrow and your New Year's Eve party, the company has also fired up its iPhone 4 Case Program . Just as Jobs promised last week at anemergency press event, this program will ensure that anyone who purchases an iPhone 4 prior to September 30th will be able to receive an iPhone 4 Bumper or select third-party case from the company at no charge. 'Course, you need to be located in a country or territory that Apple actually ships to, but if that's all squared away, feel free to hit up the App Store to download the iPhone 4 Case Program app. Once there, you'll need to sign into your iTunes Store account, select your Bumper or case and wait oh-so-patiently (read: "3 to 5 weeks"). Better hurry -- wouldn't want the servers to get overloaded, now would we? Oh, and if you happened to have

Man, there's about a zero percent chance that Steve Jobs and company are happy about this. Just days after shocking the market with higher-than-expected profits and revenues, Apple is having to grit its teeth once more with yet another iPhone 4 problem . This time, the elusive white iPhone -- yeah, that one that we toyed with at theWWDC announcement keynote -- is being delayed again . The new due date? Sometime "later this year." Here's the full, and unsurprisingly brief, announcement: "Statement by Apple on White iPhone 4 White models of Apple's new iPhone(R) 4 have continued to be more challenging to manufacture than we originally expected, and as a result they will not be available until later this year. The availability of the more popular iPhone 4 black models is not affected."

ARM processors are so hot right now, especially in the mobile space, where they power many of the greatest smartphones, tablets, and mobile devices coming down the turnpike. Microsoft is apparently looking to merge in on that action, becoming an official ARM licensee. It's unclear exactly what MS will be doing with its new found technical rights, but General Manager KD Hallman said "With closer access to the ARM technology we will be able to enhance our research and development activities for ARM-based products." This likely means Microsoft will be better optimizing Windows Embedded and Windows Phone for the processor architecture, but also opens the door for Ballmer & Co. to create their own magical microprocessor and, ultimately, use it to rule the world with an iron fist. Terms of the agreement were not given, but hopefully nobody in Redmond had to lose any appendages to seal the deal.

Here's a tidbit in today's Microsoft quarterly earnings that we previously overlooked: a $240 million cost of revenue "primarily... resulting from the discontinuation of the Kin phone , offset in part by decreased Xbox 360 console costs." In other words, the company took at least a quarter billion hit due to manufacturing, distribution, and support costs of the Kin (according to Microsoft's definition of "cost of revenue"). We don't know how much Xbox 360 offset, unfortunately, but we can add this figure to the $500 million Danger acquisition and the full marketing cost for the product (which we also don't know, but anecdotally, it was on par with other major campaigns) to reach... well, at least $800 million in regret for the folks in Redmond.

We're going to go out on a limb and guess that most folks haven't been losing sleep over the prospect of a Kinsoftware update (or lack thereof), but those that have been constantly watching their One or Two for a bit of good news can now rest a little easier -- sort of. While the Kin has received a software update, it's not the previously talked about one that would add revolutionary features like Twitter replies and re-tweets. It does add a number of other more minor Twitter updates, however, including Twitter avatars and re-tweets from your contacts in the Kin Loop, and the ability to link your Twitter contacts to your Kin contacts. So, the update still leaves quite a bit to be desired. Kind of fitting, really.

Not sold on those iPhone Antenna-aid bandages ? Fret not, as we've got a whole 'nother round of laughs coming your way. What started as a concept has landed on Etsy as a buyable product: the 'End Call' vinyl sticker. As you'd expect, you simply place this guy over the iPhone 4's "weak spot" and then press it whenever you'd like to conveniently drop whatever call you're on. The only problem? This $4 add-on actually won't accomplish what it says in plain English.

Given the way HP has treated acquisitions like VoodooPC and Compaq , this should come as no surprise -- but CEO Mark Hurd is at it again with comments about his company's recent Palm acquisition to German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine , saying that the brand could "move into the background" and become a "sub-brand," ostensibly the same as Envy and iPAQ (he gives Pavilion as a specific example). From a marketing alignment perspective, that makes sense -- though it assumes that the HP brand is stronger than Palm's in the target demographics that they're looking to sell into. Is that a safe assumption, especially considering how iPAQ withered on the vine? Hard to say.

We've got to hand it to Samsung with its Galaxy S line. Coordinating the launch of a single family of devices across all four national US carriers (plus a regional or two) is a feat very rarely accomplished, and usually reserved for really unique handsets that those carriers wouldn't be able to effectively source from anyone else; HTC's Touch Pro2 is a prime example of that. Add to that the murky issue of exclusivity periods... and, well, yeah, Samsung definitely has reason to be proud here -- on the business end of things, anyway. Never mind the awesome contractual maneuvering that undoubtedly took place to make this all happen, though -- we all know that it's the hardware (and software) that really counts. Today we're looking at the first two models of the American run, the Captivate for AT&T and the Vibrant for T-Mobile; Verizon's Fascinate and Sprint's QWERTY- and WiMAX-equipped Epic 4G are still forthcoming, though we expect the Fascinate to be lar

The gauche, overweight youngster who started her Bollywood career as director Sanjay Leela Bhansali's assistant is the graceful star well on her way to success. Only three films old, Sonam Kapoor is already itching to get back to direction. 'My first love is acting and I will be acting till the day I die. I love my job. But, yes, the field of direction is always open for me. I think I shall direct in a couple of years. I am literally itching to direct,' Sonam told IANS. 'I need a little more time to figure out what I want to direct and take care of the script and such logistics. But, honestly, I would like to give myself at least 10 years before I go behind the camera once again,' said the actress over the phone from Scotland, where she is currently shooting for 'Mausam'. It was Bhansali who thought of casting Sonam as the female lead in 'Saawariya' while she was working with him as assistant director for 'Black'. The actress has been

 Film: 'Lafangey Parindey'; Music Director: R. Anandh; Lyricist: Swanand Kirkire; Singers: Ronit Sarkar, Mohit Chauhan, Shail Hada, Anushka Manchanda, Shilpa Rao and Suraj Jagan; Rating: *** R. Anandh, known for composing jingles for ad films, returns to film music direction after 13 years with Yash Raj Films' 'Lafangey Parindey'. His first film as a composer was 1997 movie 'Zor'. The music of the film is simple, easy to understand, yet different. The album boasts of six originals and one remix version. It starts with Ronit Sarkar singing the title track. The song begins with very middle eastern music, but soon other instruments can be heard. Later it acquires a rock touch and makes it an interesting song for the youngsters. The track, about a group of free spirited people, is already on air and is being appreciated. Next in line is a light romantic number 'Man lafanga' that begins with the sounds of an acoustic guitar. Mohit Chauh

Supermodel Miranda Kerr, who was raised in an Australian country town, has married her Hollywood leading man, Orlando Bloom, just a month after the couple announced their engagement. Kerr, 27, who shot to international fame as a Victoria's Secret lingerie model, and Bloom, 33, star of the "Pirates of the Caribbean" and "The Lord of the Rings" movies, began dating in 2007 and have frequently denied rumours of an impending wedding. But the couple's publicists last month confirmed that this time the reports were true and they were engaged. Australian store David Jones, for which Kerr is an ambassador, confirmed the wedding in a statement released to the Australian media on Friday, that said Kerr had canceled her appearance at the store's upcoming spring/summer fashion launch. "We have been trying to plan this for some time and unfortunately the only window of opportunity for our honeymoon fell at the same time as the David Jones fashion l

The "Saw" horror movie franchise is getting a place in the Guiness World Records as the "Most Successful Horror Movie Series," one of the film's producers, Mark Burg, said on Thursday. "I'm still in shock," Burg told Reuters. "The fact that we beat out (such horror franchises as) 'Friday the 13th,' 'Nightmare on Elm Street,' 'Halloween' and 'Texas Chain Saw Massacre' is a testament to our cast, crew and our partners at Lionsgate." The franchise consists of six movies, each one having come out consecutively every Halloween since 2004. The seventh, and final, installment is due out Oct. 29th and will be featured in 3D. Collectively, the "Saw" films have made over $73O million at the worldwide box-office and sold more than thirty million DVDs, according to distributors Lionsgate. The films center around a killer named Jigsaw who puts his victims through psychological torture before killi

Hoping to take a page from its wildly successful "Pirates of the Caribbean" franchise, Walt Disney Co said on Thursday it was developing a film based on its popular Haunted Mansion theme park attraction. Filmmaker Guillermo del Toro will write and produce the film based on the landmark Disney ride that features a plantation-style mansion with ghosts, creepy creatures, secret passages and all the related sounds. Disney said each year millions of people visit the Haunted Mansion, which opened in 1969 at Disneyland in Anaheim, California. Versions of the Haunted Mansion have been built at Disney theme parks in Orlando, Tokyo and Paris. The "Pirates" franchise, also based on a theme park attraction, has grossed over $2.6 billion globally and a fourth "Pirates" film, starring Johnny Depp, is being filmed and is scheduled to be released in 2011. No release date has been set for the "Haunted Mansion" movie

Canadian teen idol Justin Bieber is turning his sights on acting, winning a guest role in the hit TV crime series "CSI", CBS television said on Thursday. Bieber, 16, will play a troubled teen who is faced with a difficult decision regarding his only brother. The pop singer will appear in the season premiere of "CSI" in September, and then make other appearances later in the year as his storyline concludes. "CSI" is one of the most-watched drama series on U.S. television and is widely syndicated around the world. "CSI" producers called Bieber -- whose music video for "Baby" has a record 250 million views on YouTube -- a world phenomenon. "We'd like to believe that the phenomenon of 'CSI' has had the same impact on popular culture. The opportunity to bring them together in the premiere is a great treat for our audience and all of its new viewers. This will be true event television," executive producers

The Advertising Agencies Association of India (AAAI) has decided to confer the AAAI Lifetime Achievement Award 2010 to Piyush Pandey, executive chairman and creative director, Ogilvy & Mather South Asia. The award is considered the highest honour to be given to an individual in India for outstanding contribution to the advertising industry. Announcing the name of the award winner, Colvyn Harris, president of AAAI and chief executive officer, JWT, stated that Pandey is "indeed an inspiration to us all and the most deserving recipient of this year's award". The AAAI Lifetime Achievement Award is presented annually to an individual, based on criteria like leadership of the industry as an individual, contribution towards advancement and professionalism in the industry, and whether he or she is an example of personal integrity, values and ethics consistent with the standards expected. Pandey became the national creative director of Ogilv

After a multi-agency pitch, Coca-Cola India has appointed OgilvyAction, the activation arm of Ogilvy India, for creating shopper marketing programs for the company’s brand portfolio. The agency will work across all key channels where Coca-Cola India operates in the country, to engage and convert shoppers into buyers at critical points of sale and drive consumption. Speaking about the partnership, Sumanta Dutta, vice-president, customer and commercial leadership, Coca-Cola India, said, “We are excited to appoint OgilvyAction as our agency partner to drive Coca-Cola India’s entire Shopper Marketing Business program in the country. We look forward to working with them in this fast changing retail environment. I am confident that the entire team would deliver something special for Coca-Cola India.” According to Sanjay Thapar, group president – North & East, Ogilvy & Mather India, “Over the last two years, we have invested time and resources in set

Filmfare's latest issue will chronicle the people who wield the most power in the film industry in 2009. Continuing the trend of male actors dominating the top spots, Aamir Khan was perceived as the man exercising the most power in the industry, on the basis of his back-to-back hits. According to Jitesh Pillaai, editor, Filmfare, “Power has different forms. It is the same power that creates illusions. That creates images. That provides the swagger… but Power lasts only as long as you keep providing it. The last word rests with the audiences.” Research was outsourced to AC Nielsen ORG MARG. The poll was conducted through what is said to be a completely confidential process, and the the respondents included actors, actresses, directors, producers, writers, distributors, singers, music composers, cinematographers, art directors, choreographers, editors, sound recordists and assistant directors. The results were arrived at on the basis of parameters like work

Xpanse Asia – the small town and rural marketing unit of Starcom MediaVest Group  - today announced the appointment of Sheetal Dasgupta as Business Director. She will be based in Mumbai and report to Sandip Bansal, country head of Xpanse Asia. In her 15 year-long career, Dasgupta has spent close to 10 years in rural marketing with RC&M where she headed the marketing function as general manager. In her most recent assignment, she ran her own entrepreneurial venture. Dasgupta's mandate at Xpanse Asia will be to lead business development into new categories of clients. Speaking on the appointment, Bansal said, “The rural marketing space is evolving rapidly and clients are looking for innovative solutions to achieve their objectives in the most productive manner. In this new role, Sheetal will help us identify new clients and work with existing clients to reach the small towns and rural hinterland with a fresh set of ideas”.

Inasra Technologies has appointed 1pointsize as its advertising agency for 2010-11. It is the company behind Inasra.com, a portal for hotel room booking. According to Yogendra Vasupal, director of Inasra Technologies, the move is a bid to up the company and portal's visibility quotient by a few notches. He said, “We will be commencing a total brand overhaul of Inasra.com in the next few weeks. We are really glad to have chosen 1pointsize for this task because when it comes to digital design, branding and advertising for start-ups, there’s no one better in South India.” “Inasra.com is a brand with immense potential. It’s one of the Top 5 travel portals in our country. And has the scope to go international. We are delighted that we’ve been chosen to be their brand custodian. You’ll see the difference we bring to the table, in about six months,” added Sharad Haksar, chief executive officer of 1pointsize. In 2008, the portal was shortlisted as one of

MTV has tied up with outdoor gear brand Wildcraft to introduce the MTV range of bags and adventure gear. Bollywood actor Jacqueline Fernandez and three MTV VJs - Rannvijay, Bani J and Ayushmaan - were present at the launch event. Commenting on the tie up with Wildcraft bags, Sandeep Dahiya, senior vice president – consumer products and communications, Viacom18, said “Bags are today an extension of one’s style statement. We’re excited to partner with Wildcraft to enter into yet another important category in the youth space. What makes this range unique is the mix of innovative product features with international creative & design elements.” On the new partnership, Gaurav Dublish, director and head marketing Wildcraft India, said, “This initiative mirrors our constant endeavour to attempt the seemingly impossible, keeping up with the fickle and constantly changing youth. MTV, known for their close connect with the youth are the obvious partners and

Insurance, in particular the advertising for life insurance, is usually considered as no laughing matter. However, in Ogilvy & Mather’s new commercials for Aegon Religare, there’s a bit of dark humour to be found. The first commercial deals with three friends going home from a costume party, when one of them who’s driving, decides to answer the call of nature in the middle of the woods: the twist being he’s dressed as a deer and there’s a hunter on the prowl. In the second, a wasp gets to have the last laugh at a laughter club. The third ad is set in an office and follows an executive who thinks he knows everything, except for one tiny detail: the window in his office isn’t there anymore. The baseline for all three is “Life can surprise you”.

DTH service provider Dish TV narrowed its June quarter losses to Rs 63.17 crore from Rs 69.20 crore in the same period last year. Total income of the company increased 23.35 per cent to Rs 304.30 crore for the first quarter of 2010-11 from Rs 246.68 crore for the corresponding period last fiscal, Dish TV said in a statement here today. Dish TV added 0.64 million subscribers during the first quarter, at an average subscriber acquisition cost of Rs 2,147 compared to Rs 2,383 in the previous quarter. “With this, the net subscriber base stood at 6.2 million as on June 30, 2010. The total market share stood at over 33 per cent in a six-operator market scenario,” the statement said. The total DTH subscriber base in the country at the end of the first quarter stood at an estimated 23 million. The (DTH) category added 2.5 million subscribers in the first quarter of the current fiscal, moving closer to becoming the largest DTH market globally in terms of subscribers while maintaining

Come September and subscribers of DTH services would be able to pick and choose the channels they want to watch but have to pay a minimum of Rs 150 per month for a bouquet of channels of their choice. In its tariff order for 2010, broadcast regulator TRAI also included provisions to protect the consumers from rise in rates, like no increase in subscription charges in the first six months of enrolling. The rates can, however, be decreased in those six months and the consumer can opt for any other service provided by the DTH operators. The composition of the bouquet of channels should also be the same as those for the normal cable subscribers. “Every service provider providing broadcasting services or cable services to its subscribers using an addressable system shall offer…to its subscribers on a-la-carte basis,” the order, which will come into effect from September one, said. As of now, pay channels on DTH are not available on a-la-carte or individual basis. In case DTH opera

MUMBAI: The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) has capped the a la carte pricing of channels for addressable systems at 35 per cent the cost in non-Cas areas, a step that will bring down the content cost for DTH, digital cable and IPTV operators. The earlier rate for DTH operators was fixed at 50 per cent of pricing in non-Cas areas. In its new tariff order today, applicable to all broadcasting and cable services provided to subscribers through addressable systems, Trai said that every broadcaster shall offer all its pay channels on a la carte basis to distributors of TV channels, and specify the a la carte rate for each pay channel. The broadcast sector regulator said that the charges payable by a cable operator to a multi system operator (MSO) or to a HITS (Headend-In-The-Sky) service provider, as the case may be, shall be as determined by mutual agreement. Trai said that every service provider providing broadcasting services or cable services to its subscribers us

Raipur, July 22: The Chhattisgarh government has imposed entertainment tax ranging from Rs.10 to Rs.20 per Direct-to-Home (DTH) connection, effective retrospectively from the month of June. The commercial taxes department Thursday said dealers of companies providing DTH services in the state will collect the tax. In a statement, the department said the tax will be applicable only on cities having a population of over 10,000. “The per connection charge for towns having populations between 10,000 to 50,000 will be Rs.10 while the charge for towns exceeding populations of 50,000 persons will be Rs.20,” the statement said. Source: Deccan Chronicle

Mumbai, July 22, 2010 : Tata Sky, one of the leading DTH satellite television providers in India, today announced the availability of UTV Motion Pictures’ blockbuster movies like Jodhaa Akbar, Race, Kaminey & Kurbaan on the latest digital revolution – Tata Sky HD With great picture quality, incredibly vivid colors, sharper images and stunning surround sound, viewers can tune into these classics from the UTV Motion Pictures’ bouquet and enjoy a better television viewing experience on Tata Sky HD. Jodhaa Akbar, 2008’s biggest blockbuster, is a sixteenth century love story about a political marriage of convenience between Akbar and Jodhaa which was directed by Ashutosh Gowariker. Kaminey, which has earned many accolades and awards, is a 2009 Bollywood film directed by Vishal Bhardawaj featuring Shahid Kapoor and Priyanka Chopra in the lead roles. Race, another runaway hit from UTV, is comedy, thriller and action film which explores themes of sibling rivalry, betrayal and passion an

No. 1114/2009B&CS. In exercise of the powers conferred by subclauses (ii), (iii), (iv) and (v) of clause (b) of subsection (1) and subsection (2) of section 11 of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India Act, 1997 (24 of 1997), read with notification of the Government of India, in the Ministry of Communication and Information Technology (Department of Telecommunications), No.39 , Issued, in exercise of the powers conferred upon the Central Government by proviso to clause (k) of subsection (1) of section 2 and clause (d) of subsection (1) of section 11 of the said Act, and Published under notification No. S.O. 44 (E) and 45 (E) dated 9January, 2004 in the Gazette of India, Extraordinary, Part II, Section 3, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India hereby makes the following Order, namely:

NEW DELHI/MUMBAI: In what could upset multi-system operators (MSOs), the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) plans to cap cable TV pricing at Rs 250 in non-Cas areas while allowing broadcasters an inflation rate of nine per cent and denying cable TV operators to choose channels on a la carte basis. The broadcast sector regulator is in favour of leaving carriage rates to market forces as it feels capping it would not be feasible. Trai today told the Supreme Court that it plans to introduce three pricing slabs for cable television, with a maximum cap of Rs 250. In an affidavit, Trai said it was considering limiting the monthly cable charge to Rs 100 per month for a minimum of 30 free-to-air channels. Subscribers opting for a basic package (which includes Doordarshan channels) with up to 20 pay channels will pay a monthly bill of Rs 200. But those taking a basic package with over 20 pay channels will have to pay Rs 250 per month.

David Dhawan’s younger son Varun Dhawan is the next star kid in the tinsel town. He is going to start his movie career with a Karan Johar movie. According to news sources Karan has said that another young male lead is also going to start career with this project. However, the names of other actors and the director is yet to be announced by Karan Johar. Varun Dhawan has got this project because of his looks and abilities rather than his lineage as he is more of a discovery of Karan Johar and less of a son of star director.

Lindsay Lohan's jail term has been reduced and the actress may be released as early as Aug 2, says Los Angeles Country Sheriff spokesman Steve Whitmore. 'We expect that she will be eligible for release around August 1, 2 or 3. Most likely, it will be August 2,' heraldsun.com.au quoted Whitmore as saying. And this means Lohan will serve just 10 days of her 90-day sentence. Asked if it were true that Lohan would be eligible for weekend release, Whitmore said: 'No, she won't be going out on weekend release.' Lohan is in the Century Regional Detention Facility in Lynwood for violating her probation terms for her drink driving offences. She appeared in Los Angeles Superior Court July 20 and was taken into custody to serve a 90-day sentence. Due to overcrowding in California prisons, most detainees serve much less than their full term.

'Mean Girls' star Lindsay Lohan's VIP treatment in prison has made other inmates furious. Even though officials have insisted Lohan is treated like everyone else - beyond getting her own cell - rumours suggest that the actress is enjoying perks. "She's getting special treatment. Some inmates were getting pissy over it," the New York Daily News quoted Debra Sickels, 30, who was released after doing 19 days for shoplifting, as saying. "The girls said they cleaned a special room for Lindsay. It had a regular hospital bed, a TV and a dresser for her new clothes and socks," Sickels said. Other just-released inmates said they heard Lohan was paying for special food and new clothes and had a female guard at her disposal and access to a private phone, but officials have denied giving any special treatment. "She's being treated like any other inmate in her classification. There's no special treatment at all," Los Angeles sheri

Hollywood stars Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie have accepted an undisclosed sum in settlement of their privacy claim against the News of the World. The couple sued the newspaper over a story saying they would separate and had agreed custody arrangements. Appearing in London's High Court, the couple's lawyer said that News Group Newspapers now accepted the allegations were "false and intrusive". The couple were not present for the hearing. "In consequence, when the News of the World failed to publicly retract the allegations and apologise for them - thereby leaving their readers in the dark as to the true position - the couple felt they had no alternative than to sue," the Independent quoted advocate Keith Schilling as saying. "Today's victory marks the end of the litigation brought by Brad and Angelina," Schilling added.

'Mad Max' star Mel Gibson's anger at ex-girlfriend Oksana Grigorieva may have been caused by "righteous rage", say experts. According to CNN.com, experts said that what causes a calm individual to morph into an out of control monster in a traffic jam, may stem from a survival instinct. "It gets into this mentality of 'kill or be killed'," the New York Daily News quoted psychiatrist Dr. Tracy Latz as saying. "Subconsciously, there's a fear that someone else is going to kill or take power over me," she said. When this sense of one's very existence being threatened is paired with a sense of entitlement, "righteous rage," can result, according to clinical psychologist and attorney Robert Goldman. A person may believe he or she deserves something so intensely that he doesn't see the real situation, and irrational behaviour is the result. "While we live in a world of abundance in our country, it can also

Hollywood actor Robert Pattinson admits his 'Twilight' co-star Kristen Stewart makes him uncomfortable at times with her honesty. 'Kristen is always really good but also clearly speaks her mind. That can be a bit uncomfortable. After we shoot a scene she sometimes looks at the director and says, 'Let's do that again',' femalefirst.co.uk quoted him as saying. However, the actor admits he fears being vocal about his opinions in front of her. 'If I did that she would probably kill me! She would probably say something like, 'Shut up! The scene was perfect',' he added.

Popular television drama "True Blood" launched a comic book series on Wednesday that its authors said will add "new and unique layers" to the adventures of telepathic waitress Sookie and her vampire friends. Designed as a companion to the TV series, the comics contain the same tone of the HBO show complete with the erotically charged romance, wry humor, mystery and suspense. "True Blood" creator Alan Ball developed the plot to the comics with series writers Elisabeth Finch and Kate Barnow. The books follow Sookie and company who are trapped in bar by an entity that begins killing patrons to subside its hunger. Two exclusive versions of "True Blood #1" -- each with a different cover -- were made available at the annual Comic Con convention in San Diego, which starts on Wednesday. The comic books can also be downloaded in both print and digital formats through the Apple App Store and the Sony Digital Comics store. "True Blood",

Singer Alicia Keys will wear a Vera Wang gown when she walks down the aisle with rapper-producer fiance Swizz Beatz later this summer in Europe. 'They're planning a celebration in Europe very soon. It will be a star-studded celebration,' dailystar.co.uk quoted a source as saying. 'She's decided on a (American fashion designer) Vera Wang gown and has been eyeing Christian Louboutin shoes,' the source added. The singer, who is five months pregnant with Beatz's baby, plans to be a wife before she becomes a mum. Another media report had suggested the couple would exchange vows on a yacht in the Caribbean this weekend. Among the guests expected to attend the wedding are Jay-Z, Beyonce Knowles and Oprah Winfrey. The couple broke the news about their engagement and child in May.

Country singer Taylor Swift likes to keep herself from falling in love. The singer says that 'Mine', the first song from her upcoming album Speak Now, was written to confront her problem with 'running away', reports digitalspy.co.uk. 'It's been sort of a recent tendency, and I think it's because, for me, every really direct example of love that I've had in front of me has ended in goodbye and ended in breakups and things like that,' said Swift. 'So I think I've developed this pattern of running away when it comes time to fall in love and stay in a relationship. The song is sort of about finding the exception to that and finding someone who would make you believe in love and realise that it could work out, because I'm never ever going to go past hoping that love works out,' she added. Her new album will hit stores Oct 25.

Bollywood stars Akshay Kumar and Aishwarya Rai hope to brighten Diwali this year as their film 'Action Replayy' will release on the festive occasion. The film's shooting was completed in Manali July 15 and is set to hit screens Nov 5 alongside Ajay Devgn-starrer 'Golmaal 3'. While 'Action Replayy' is a time-travel caper weaved around a story that progresses backwards in time, 'Golmaal 3' follows the hit outings 'Golmaal' (2006) and 'Golmaal Returns' (2008). Produced and directed by Vipul Amrutlal Shah, 'Action Replayy' also stars Aditya Roy Kapoor, Rannvijay Singh, Neha Dhupia, Kirron Kher, Rajpal Yadav, Om Puri and Randhir Kapoor. 'Golmaal 3' on the other hand also features Mithun Chakraborty, Arshad Warsi, Kareena Kapoor, Tusshar Kapoor and Kunal Khemu. -*- Anil Kapoor inspires me: Preity Zinta Bollywood actress Preity Zinta is in awe of Anil Kapoor and says looking at him inspires her to work harder.

All that glitters on Bipasha Basu actually comes from her beau John Abraham. The sultry actress confesses that all the jewellery she has is gifted by her boyfriend. 'All the jewellery comes to me from John. He is my diamond supplier,' Bipasha told reporters after the launch of a new ad campaign of Gili, the jewellery brand of Gitanjali, at Taj Lands End here. Asked about the kind of engagement ring she is looking forward to, she said: 'Well the engagement ring comes from the other side. You have to ask this to the other side. I hope it's nice and beautiful; not too big, not too small, just the right size for my finger.' Bipasha maintains that her mother saves a lot of jewellery for her, but she is happy with her own stuff. 'My mother saves a lot of gold and diamond jewellery for me. I have not really looked into it. Till now, I am very happy with my jewellery,' said Bipasha. Bipasha's recent release 'Lamhaa' has garnered mixed reviews b

Recently B-town’s dimpled beauty Priety Zinta met her ‘Armaan’ co-star Anil Kapoor at a gym. Recalling the meeting, the actress shared the experience on her Twitter page. Preity tweeted, "Met Anil Kapor in the gym and he never ceases to amaze me and inspire me! More power to him! Watching him made me workout harder and not complain." Hmmm, we really wish she inspires some filmmaker soon, to earn a project or two….

Yeah looks exciting na… Well, the news is making rounds about Priyadarshan’s next untitled venture, tentatively said to be titled ‘Bullet Train’. We had recently told you about the film which will be mostly shot in train from London to Glassgow. Now read the latest update. It seems the film is inspired from the popular Hollywood, Jan de Bont’s 1994 thriller ‘Speed’ – in which a bomb is placed in a speeding bus. Of course the twist here is that the terror attack in the Hindi version is shifted from a bus to a train. The film is said to go on floors from September 1 in London. Speaking to sources, the director revealed, “We’ve got permission to shoot at one of the London stations and inside a train. It took some effort but we did it. I don’t think it would’ve made sense to shoot the film without actual locations and the train.” Apparently Priyadarshan knows how to bring the right kind of flavour from his actors, portraying them in distinguished roles. Here Ajay De

The Bollywood macho hunk wants the dreaded Osama to watch the latest laughter chapter in Bollywood ‘Tere Bin Laden’, needless to add that Salman has loved this flick and was bursting into laughter every now and then throughout the film. Salman who is known to speak his heart out had advised the notorious Osama Bin Laden to watch the flick. He posted in popular social networking site, “Even Osama wud laugh. Obama shud keep a pvt screening for him.” Hmmmmm, Bhai ka toh jawab nahin… What say? 

The London beauty in her Bollywood duty is furious and very angry, a sex tape claiming to have a lookalike of Katrina is getting popular amongst  the netizens. The clipping shows Katrina Kaif look-alike having sex with multiple men. The fuming Katrina says, “The video is disgusting and the girl clearly doesn't even look like me. There's no room for any speculation whatsoever. How can you even call her my lookalike? The girl's face is completely different! I think it's ridiculous to even talk about it." This is the second time Katrina is facing this ridiculous situation, previously her sister Isabel was dragged in a similar controversy. It’s absurd to see a top Bollywood actress being dragged into controversy due to some cheap mischief by an unsound mind.  First it was her sister now Katrina has become a victim of this stupidity.

The south Indian stunner who is rocking Bollywood with her marvelous performances is a lover of melody. Yes we are talking about Vidya Balan; the gal has an ear to old classics. Among Vidya Balan's favorites are Kishore Kumar, Lata Mangeshkar, Mohd. Rafi and R.D. Burman. She is a big fan of old Hindi film music and possesses most prized collection of some of the greatest songs by Kishore Kumar and Mohd. Rafi. Whenever she is travelling, she makes sure that couple of her favourite CDs are there in the dash board of her car. The songs work as stress buster for Vidya.

Normally Priyanka Chopra is not the kind of girl who displays emotions, not even in front of her own family. But on the night of 16 July when her parents threw a small pre-birthday party at home for her and her close friends, Priyanka for the first time cried openly. It was not the well-organized party where her mother cooked her favourite Punjabi dishes. It was the gift that her parents bought her, a 6-carat diamond ring, which made Priyanka bawl like a baby. Says a close friend who was at the get-together. "The minute she saw the gift Priyanka burst into tears. We were shocked because we had never seen her like that." Apparently, Priyanka proudly wore the ring to her beachside holiday although her parents warned her she might drop it in the water. Priyanka's brother Siddharth who celebrates his birthday a week before his sister kept teasing her about hiding the ring before she left. Incidentally, Priyanka had arranged a surprise birthday party at China