IBLOG SPACE

Reasonably positive first impressions from the Windows Phone 7 launch earlier this week has left some asking why Microsoft doesn’t focus on putting its new smartphone OS on tablet-scale touchscreen devices, rather than attempting to leverage Windows 7. According to ZDNet, however, we shouldn’t be holding our breath for it; despite the WP7 experience being far more finger-friendly than its desktop OS counterpart, Microsoft is apparently sticking firm to its roughly 4-inch limitation on screen sizes. That’s the official party line, anyway, and with Microsoft seemingly more interested in keeping its platforms tightly segmented – witness the screen size limitations on using Windows on smaller netbooks, for instance – it might be some time before that changes, if at all. Instead, the company is pushing Windows 7 Embedded for larger slates. Nonetheless, at least some of the elements are in place for a change of direction. Microsoft has licensed ARM technology and says it plans to use the

It seems that the bigger you get in the gaming laptop market, the faster the beautiful aesthetics drop off. The new GSN801GAW gaming laptop from Lesance follows this trend, packing enough power in the features department for anyone looking for their next gaming laptop to give it a second look, but it certainly won’t be winning any beauty pageants any time soon. Like most gaming rigs, the Lesance GSN801GAW is a powerhouse. Featuring an 18.4-inch display, with a resolution of 1920 x 1080, and Windows 7 Home Premium under the hood, you’ll get to enjoy your video games in glorious HD. Inside, you’ll be able to take advantage of the quad-core 1.73GHz Intel Core i7 940XM Extreme Edition CPU, as well as 8GB of DDR3-1333 memory. If you aren’t happy with the choice of NVIDIA’s GeForce GTX 480M (2GB) for your graphics needs, then you can also choose to have two ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5870s in CrossFire. Lesance also went with 160GB of SSD, a multicard reader, HDMI and DVI output, integrated WiF

EA’s Medal of Honor went on sale this week amid the kind of controversy that’s usually only reserved for Grand Theft Auto games. Although the game is a standard first-person shooter featuring a campaign and multiplayer, it caught heat not from anti-violence groups, but from the military. The game’s multiplayer mode allowed gamers to play as Taliban fighters who could kill Allied soldiers in-game. After getting leveled with complaints from the U.K. government, veterans, and other groups, Electronic Arts finally decided to remove “Taliban” from the game, and call the group an “Opposing Force.” It was a move that, the company hoped, would quell unrest. It was a surprising move. For months, EA had been saying that it would support the inclusion of the Taliban in the game. And it wasn’t until a couple weeks before the title’s launch that it finally made the decision to ditch it. But it didn’t matter. EA’s decision to wait so long to change the name helped keep Medal of Honor in headlines,

Pandigital has outed another two ereaders, and this time around they’ve gone back to basics and stuck with epaper displays. Unlike the Pandigital Novel, which uses a color LCD display, the Pandigital Novel Personal uses a 6-inch 800 x 600 Sipix/AUO epaper touchscreen, though you still get WiFi and a browser app along with PDF and ePub document support. The two models are the PRD06E10WWH7, with 1GB of memory, and the PRD06E20WWH8, with 2GB. Each has a memory card slot, headphone jack and speakers, together with a USB port and a battery good for up to 6,000 page turns. The Pandigital Novel Personal will hit retailers this month, with an MRSP of $199.99. However the company expects that to be reduced to a street price of $179.99 from the get-go.

Toshiba has outed its latest smartphone, and it’s the second KDDI Android handset for the Japanese market that we’ve been envious of within the space of a month. The Toshiba REGZA IS04 doesn’t have the high-resolution display of the Sharp IS03 – it gets a 4-inch 854 x 480 touchscreen instead – but what it does have is a 12.19-megapixel autofocus camera. Keeping things moving is a 1GHz Snapdragon processor, paired with WiFi b/g and Bluetooth 2.1, and the smartphone is waterproof and has a microSDHC card slot. It uses a new EVDO system, too, promising up to 9.2Mbps downlinks and 5.5Mbps uplinks. In fact the only thing stopping us from weeping openly is the fact that the Toshiba REGZA IS04 will arrive in January 2011 running just Android 2.1, which is already behind the times and, by then, will be well superseded. It’s part of three new KDDI Android devices announced today. No word on any potential North American/European release.

With a Cupertino lawsuit pending, HyperMac’s days offering external MacBook power accessories didn’t exactly look to be long-lived. Now, the company has announced that, as of November 2 2010, they’ll be ceasing sales of all their charging cables and car charger kits for Apple hardware. HyperMac will still be selling the same battery packs beyond the November 2 deadline, but without the correct cables they won’t be much use to Apple users. The company is now looking to shift their remaining stock, so now’s the time to buy if you were sitting on the fence. Apple took issue with HyperMac ’s use of its proprietary MagSafe and iPod cables and connectors without prior permission, and filed a suit against parent company Sanho back in September. The decision to cease sales is described as “part of ongoing comprehensive licensing negotiations with Apple regarding a wide array of technologies and issues.”

Orange has confirmed that the Samsung Omnia 7 will be HD Voice enabled in the UK, allowing the Windows Phone 7 handset to make higher quality audio calls on their network. ”High Definition Voice” had previously been limited to a handful of Nokia devices, along with the Samsung Omnia Pro; calls between compatible phones promise much reduced background noise, hiss and crackle. Orange is still hoping to get more networks – and device manufacturers – onboard with HD Voice, so that the technology will pick up steam and become more prevalent. Until then, only Orange customers – and not thoseroaming from T-Mobile, either – will be able to take advantage of it. Still, a strong handset might be what HD Voice needs to break through into the mainstream, and it certainly won’t hurt Samsung in differentiating their hardware from other Windows Phone 7 manufacturers.

You can spend a bunch of money on speaker for your home theater without even trying hard to do so. Many home theater speaker systems that are basic can run hundreds of dollars and a truly high-end home theater speaker system can run thousands of dollars or more. A company called Aperion Audio has unveiled a new speaker line for home theater fans called the Aperion Versus Grand. This home theater speaker line offers all of the speakers that you need for 5.1 surround sound enjoyment. The speakers promise true to life sound quality and high-end sound quality. The speaker line is a matched set of speakers with a pair of tower speakers, a center channel, and a pair of bookshelf rear surrounds speakers. The buyer can add the Aperion Bravus subwoofer for full 5.1 channel audio. The tower speakers have a 3-way bass reflex design with a 1″ axially radiator tweeter, dual 5-inch mid range drivers, and dual 6-inch Kevlar woofers. The towers have a power range of 20 to 300 watts and each weight 65

Japanese carrier KDDI has confirmed it too will be getting a 7-inch Samsung tablet , though it’s not the Galaxy Tab we’ve seen until now. The Samsung SMT-i9100 is obviously from the same family as the Galaxy Tab, with a 7-inch 1024 x 600 touchscreen and Android 2.2 Froyo, but it loses the 3G connectivity, has a lower-resolution, 2-megapixel camera and a redesigned casing. There’s also less onboard storage, just 4GB, though you get the same 512MB of RAM. KDDI’s interface is different to what we’ve seen on the Tab before, too, thanks to a collaboration with Ocean Observations. As for accessories, the only thing Samsung has confirmed is a desk cradle (which you can see in the gallery below). No word on pricing for the KDDI SMT-i9100, but it’ll apparently arrive on the Japanese network in February 2011.

Sony is reportedly looking to outsource production of its high-end LCD HDTVs, with Foxconn tipped to take responsibility for the Japanese company’s frameless sets and Wistron the recently-unveiled Sony Google TV range. According to DigiTimes‘ sources, the decision is primarily a cost-saving one, with Sony looking to outsource 70- to 80-percent of LCD TV production having just managed to turn around six years of consecutive financial losses by the division. Sony, Foxconn and Wistron are unsurprisingly declining to comment on the reports, though the companies are already working together for production of various sets. Apparently only 20- to 30-percent of 2011 models will be in-house designs, with the remainder split equally between OEM and ODM designs.

Sprint has announced that the BlackBerry Style 9670 will drop on October 31, priced at $99.99 following a $100 mail-in rebate. RIM’s latest clamshell, the Style 9670 has both internal and external displays together with a full QWERTY keyboard on the inside. There’s also a 5-megapixel camera with flash and video recording, GPS and WiFi, together with a memory card slot happy with up to 32GB chips. The Style 9670 will also run BlackBerry 6, the newest version of the company’s OS, as we reviewed on the BlackBerry Torch 9800, navigated using an optical trackpad. Reservations of the steel grey version of the Sprint BlackBerry Style 9670 will kick off on October 19 atsprint.com/bbstyle, while the royal purple version of the smartphone will go on sale in November 2010. Both will require new, two-year agreements.

Netflix ‘s update for the Nintendo Wii delivering disc-free streaming has gone live, with US Wii owners able to download the new update from the Wii Shop Channel. Until now, Netflix subscribers wanting to view streamed TV and movie content via their consoles had to slot in the Netflix disc; this update adds a new menu option to the Wii instead. You’ll obviously need a Netflix subscription in order to take advantage of the new channel, which is currently priced from $8.99 per month. Meanwhile the disc-free update for the Sony PS3 is also expected to be released sometime today.

More anonymous sources have come forward with MacBook Air refresh information, corroborating leaks over the weekend about what Apple are tipped to be announcing at their “Back to the Mac” event this coming Wednesday. According to Cult of Mac‘s “well-placed source”, Apple is indeed readying two versions of the new MacBook Air, a direct 13.3-inch replacement to the current model and a smaller, 11.6-inch “netbook” version. As for specifications, the source claims that Apple will offer two CPUs: a 2.1GHz processor with 2GB of RAM as standard, and a 2.4 GHz with 4GB of RAM. Each will have an SSD, which Apple has taken advantage of to speed up boot times. ”It boots so fast, it’s unbelievable” their source says, while the physical design “does not have curves. It has straight edges. It’s boxier, like the iPhone 4.” Like the MacBook Pro range it has a unibody aluminum chassis though is apparently not as curvy, with a USB port on each side, a non-angled MagSafe connector, a Mini DisplayPort

The line between a netbook and a notebook used to be pretty straightforward, but with Intel’s increasingly powerful Atom processors and NVIDIA’s ambitious Ion-powered Optimus graphics, the distinction is more blurred. Typifying this new breed of netbook is ASUS’ Eee PC 1215N , a 12.1-inch Seashell-series machine that could well be considered a true ultraportable despite its roughly $500 price tag. Check out the full SlashGear review after the cut. We’ve seen 12.1-inch netbooks before, of course, but seldom are the specs so strong as with the Eee PC 1215N. The display runs at 1,366 x 768, while the CPU is Intel’s dual-core 1.8GHz Atom D525; they’re paired with a NVIDIA Ion GPU which, thanks to Optimus technology, can automatically switch between the discrete graphics and the lower-power, more frugal onboard graphics when the situation allows. That lets ASUS claim up to seven hours of battery life, despite the 1215N being capable of Full HD playback via its HDMI port. Other connectivity

This week may be all about the run up to the European launch of Windows Phone 7, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t an interesting slice of Android on its way to shelves as well. The HTC Desire HD has just dropped over at our sibling site Android Community, where no time has been wasted unboxing the 4.3-inch Froyo smartphone and playing with its new Sense enhancements. It’s HTC’s biggest Android smartphone outside of the North American market so far, and the design owes plenty to the HTC HD2 . Where the HD2 had to make do with Windows Mobile, however, the Desire HD is overspilling with new Android tweaks courtesy of Sense; as well as the new online site, which allows users to remotely access their phone, view content stored on it, and even wipe it, there’s a new Car Panel interface, augmented PND functionality with local map storage, and DLNA streaming with the new Connected Media app.

With Epic 4G styling, a front-facing camera and a $150 post-rebate price, it's easy to mistake the Samsung Transform for a high-end phone. Don't. The reality is that it's a evolution of Samsung's mid-range Moment andIntercept more than anything else -- you're paying an additional $50 here to get a front-facing camera, an LED flash and a few welcome tweaks, but the same ho-hum performance plus a few new annoyances to boot. Where does it improve and where does it fail?

Doesn't it seem a little odd for Nokia to be launching any new touchscreen devices on Symbian^1 now thatSymbian^3's been loosed courtesy of the N8 and C7 ? Alas, it looks like there'll be at least one new model running the old code -- in this case, the low-end C5-03. It's got a 3.2-inch display and 5 megapixel camera (no flash) -- and despite what you might be thinking, it does actually manage to pack both WiFi and 3G, pretty amazing for a €170 ($238) unsubsidized full-touchscreen device. Don't suppose we could expect an official firmware upgrade for this bad boy, could we? Look for it to launch at the end of the quarter, which also happens to be the end of the year.

Well, ain't this exciting! If you own an iPhone 4 or EVO 4G , it looks like the tyranny of the charging cable is soon to be a distant memory. That's right: one of our moles at Best Buy has photographic evidence of new wireless charging systems, cases, and Powermats for both of the aforementioned handsets. Didn't know we had moles, did you? We also analyze 'chatter' and sniff out KIRFs. In fact, we're basically a full-blown Gadget Intelligence Agency -- SMERSH woulda been proud of us.

There's no question that the BlackBerry App World hasn't been quite the runaway success RIM hoped it would be, but the company is far from ready to throw in the towel, and it's now promising some new measures to woo new developers and make the lives of current ones a bit easier. Some of those initiatives have already been rolled out -- like new payment options -- while others including a free analytics service will become available to developers in the coming weeks and months. As RIM's head of application development, Alan Brenner, explains to The Wall Street Journal , RIM has been working for the past two years to make BlackBerrys more developer friendly, and he now says that "we're so there." They may not be quite as close as they think, however, as the WSJ also spoke to a number of developers who used words like "horrible" to describe the current state of things, while leading mobile game developer PopCap Games even went so far as to say tha

Want to see HTC's potential answer to your landscape physical QWERTY dreams slide itself open on video? How about the Windows Phone 7 handset with a hidden speaker bar? You won't have far to look -- both the HTC 7 Pro and 7 Surround star in their own CG clips on YouTube today, and you'll find both after the break. My, don't they look fun? The HTC 7 Pro 's also got an official website now, though pricing and availability are still on the lam (save a mention of "early next year") and will likely elude us for months.

Thinking of upgrading your Peek or Peek Pronto to a shiny new Peek 9? You may no longer have a choice -- following an epic fail when migrating to a new network provider, loads of older devices were reportedly fried. Normally consumer outrage would run rampant at this news, but Peek CEO Amol Sarva has a plan -- he's offering brand-new Peek 9s to existing customers, free of charge. It's not clear what will happen to the older units at this point, but a Peek customer service rep says that while fried QWERTY candybars are no more, the unscathed Peeks might possibly be turned back on. "We are currently waiting on T-Mobile to decide our fate," the rep wrote, "There is still a CHANCE that the sky is not falling and older devices will continue to work." In the meantime, Sarva has an amusing instruction for affected customers looking to get in on the deal: "Just check your email."

So it's true, we're living in an age where people would shamelessly line up for certain electronics and luxurious fashion items. Why? Just because they can, and for that reason, some swanky outlets -- namely Christian Dior,Prada, Giorgio Armani, Dolce & Gabbana, and Versace -- have attempted to exploit our gadget lust by offering self-branded phones at extortionate prices. In the eyes of every-day consumers, there's really not much appeal in these soulless devices except for the logo and some extra bling, but apparently these two factors alone are enough to make some aficionados drool a river. On the other hand, Puma -- a less luxurious but naturally more accessible fashion brand -- has decided to do more than just slapping an OS skin onto its aptly-named Puma Phone . Priced at a comparably affordable £300 ($469), this Sagem-made featurephone packs a few unusual features such as a solar panel, a sports tracker, and even a virtual cougar named Dylan. Read on to find out

It seems like launching a battalion of new handsets over the past month wasn't enough for HTC , so today the company's rolling out yet another option for European mobile phone buyers. Americans will already be familiar with the Gratia from their experience with AT&T's Aria, which looks to have made a more or less straight transition to the Old World markets. It now comes with Android 2.2 as its OS, while retaining its HTC Sense top-level skin (notably without the new "new" Sense additions present in the Desire HD and Desire Z), and is available in a pair of fresh new hues that include the deep green above and a lustrous white number after the break. Black is also an option for the more conservative among you. Look out for the Gratia on your local Euro retailer's cheap and cheerful shelves from next month.

We've been catching glimpses of the BlackBerry Style for so long we're glad to see it finally hit the big time: reality. Yes, Sprint and RIM have just made the 9670 QWERTY flip phone official, so if you've been dying to grab one, well you're going to get your chance. This bad boy runs the all new BlackBerry OS6, boasts a 5 megapixel cam, and two high resolution displays (one external, one internal). Other than that. you'll find built-in GPS and WiFi, and a microsSDHC slot for up to 32GB of storage. You'll be able to preorder starting tomorrow with a ship date of October 31st, and it'll run you $99 on contract after a mail-in rebate

KDDI may have done its best to bury it amongst the few dozen other phones it announced today (including that eye-catching X-RAY clamshell), but we're not about to let the first phone using Sony's new 16.4-megapixel CMOS sensor slip by. That honor naturally goes to Sony Ericsson itself, which has stuffed the sensor into the otherwise ordinary looking Cyber-shot S006 cellphone. In addition to all those megapxiels, you'll also get ISO settings up to ISO 12800, and the rest of the camera's specs aren't too shabby either, including a 1GHz Snapdragon processor, a 3.3-inch screen (said to be VGA, though we're assuming it's actually HVGA or WVGA), and built-in WiFi, Bluetooth and GPS. Unfortunately, all of that is paired with Sony's own proprietary non-smartphone OS and it's, of course, exclusive to KDDI in Japan for the time being (and only being released next spring).

Pratigya Mann Ki Awaaz , serial on Star Plus at present is in full swing. It is one of the most watched serials on television. Story has taken an interesting turn after the union of Krishna and Pratigya. Pratigya saw her Brother-in-law Shakti beating his wife Kesar and her mother-in-law supporting him in the act. She immediately took Kesar to hospital, who was in awful condition after the thumping by her husband. In the hospital doctor disclosed to Pratigya that Kesar lost her child in the womb because of the thrashing. Pratigya in order to teach lesson to Shakti and his mother lodged complain in police against them. At last she is successful in putting them behind bar. Now, it would be interesting to see if Kesar is still able to take any decision against the cruelties she has been facing or as usual she would bow down in front of Shakti a . On the other hand, Krishna who has found his real love Pratigya is in dilemma to balance his relationship with his family and with Pratigya.

DDA is offering opportunity for reserved category persons to get built in shops/ stalls on free hold basis. Total number of shops/ stalls / units on offer are 268. This offer is meant only for people belonging to one of the following categories: Freedom Fighters Schedule Castes Schedule Tribes Land Acquired Category Ex Servicemen Persons with Disabilites. Interested persons can obtain the application forms from the nominated branches of Central Bank/ Axis Bank / HDFC Bank. The cost of the application form is Rs. 50+ VAT. Allotment will be made on the basis of computerized draw of lots. In case of married persons allotment will be made jointly in the name of wife and husband. Those who are already allottee of shop of DDA are not eligible for this offer. The last date of submitting the form is 19th October 2010.

According to the press release by Employee’s Provident Fund organization, employers who delay in deposit of P. F. dues may attract fine or penal damages. The fine or damages are levied at the following rates: For 0-2 months delay – @ 5% per annum For 2-4 months delay- @10% per annum For 4-6 months delay- @ 15% per annum For delay above 6 months- @ 25% per annum Reduction or waiver of damages would be considered only for sick industrial companies having rehabilitation scheme sanctioned by BIFR. This message was recently published in various National News Dailies.

India’s first and leading FM brand Radio City 91.1 FM pays an ode to the melodious retro era by launching ‘Kal Bhi Aaj Bhi Classics’. A compilation of the best of retro songs from the scorching ‘Yeh Mera Dil’ from Don to ‘Piya tu ab to Aaja’ from Caravan, the album in collaboration with Saregama brings together the best of tracks from the golden retro era. To commemorate and celebrate ‘Kal Bhi Aaj Bhi Classics’, Radio City 91.1FM brought together the best of musicians to play their all time favourite songs live on ground! The CD was launched with much fanfare by none other than ‘Randheer Kapoor’ & and the host for the evening was the livewire RJ Gaurav. The star performer for the event was famous playback singer & music director Amit Kumar! Source: India Infoline Ltd.

After playing a milkman, Bollywood actor Aamir Khan will be seen donning the garb of a barber and a shopkeeper in new TV commercials. Aamir, who is the brand ambassador of TataSky, plays a barber and a shopkeeper in two different television commercials of the DTH service. In both the ads, the customer walks in asking for a particular haircut or a white shirt, while he is forced to take something completely different. The situation shown in the films draws a parallel between the DTH companies and the barber and the shopkeeper and has been communicated through the use of humour and satire. Conceptualised by Ogilvy and Mather, the core theme of the ads revolves around TruChoice Packages being offered by Tata Sky. Television viewers — whether cable or DTH — don’t have the true choice of selecting only those channels that they wish to watch. In the process, they end up paying for a host of channels they don’t watch or like. These packages give the subscriber the option of watching o

Bigg Boss, the popular reality show on Color’s channel is blocked by cable operators acting upon an appeal by a senior Shiv Sena leader. But DTH subscribers continue to view the channel despite the block which is done by cable operators. Cable operators in Santa Cruz, Jogeshwari, Malad and Kandivli reported that the channel had to be blocked from 9pm due to threats received from Shiv Sena leaders. The Shiv Sena leaders reacted largely against the participation of two contestants from Pakistan Veena Malik and Begum Nawazish Ali. Senior Shiv Sena leader Anil Parab had requested Cable Operators and Distributors Association not to air the show. He also asked them to take a strong stand against the participation of Pakistani people in the show, Bigg Boss. Parab argued that nowhere in Pakistan does an Indian channel find any space. It would be foolish to give importance to people from Pakistan when Pakistan is not treating India well and is not giving the due respect. Ganesh Naidu, pres

The Gujarat High Court Wednesday directed Tata Sky Ltd., providing Direct to Home (DTH) broadcast service, to deposit the entertainment tax for April-June quarter with the state government. A bench comprising Chief Justice SJ Mukhopadhaya and Justice Anant Dave directed Tata Sky as well as few other DTH service providers to deposit the amount without prejudice to rights and contentions of parties. The court directed that the deposited amount would be subject to final outcome of the petition. Earlier, another division bench which took up the case, had directed the company to deposit the tax for January-March quarter. Tata Sky Ltd. had approached the high court challenging the amendment to the Entertainments Tax Act by the government which enables the state to levy entertainment tax on the companies for broadcast of entertainment channels. The petitioners contended that they have been paying service tax for providing services of DTH broadcast and thus could be considered as service

Videocon D2H, India’s fastest growing D2H service announced, today the availability of 12 blockbuster movies from UTV on their platform. The movies which will be showcased are Kaminey, Dev D, Delhi 6, Life in a Metro, Kurbaan, Aagey se Right, Dhoondte Reh Jaoge, Kisaan, Kismet Konnection, Main Aur Mrs Khanna and Agyaat all available on their SVOD (subscription video-on-demand) channel. With astounding picture quality, extraordinary vibrant colors, sharper images and spectacular surround sound, viewers can tune into these classics from the UTV Motion Pictures’ bouquet and enjoy a much better television viewing experience on Videocon D2H. This bouquet comprises an interesting bag of contemporary films Each movie will be made available for a period of 8 weeks on the Videocon D2H platform. The subscribers can enjoy the movies ordered at their own convenience in the theatre like experience with true digital picture quality! Speaking on this occasion, Saurabh Dhoot, Director Videocon G

The moment has finally arrived to keep aside your laptops, forget you review documents, take off your work jackets and take control of the mike to flaunt your singing talent! Let you vocal chords prove that you are the king at office and outside too, by just participating in the second season of Time of your life Karaoke Contest brought to you by Mahindra Xylo and 94.3 Radio One. Only this time it’s not going to be limited to Mumbai; the contest will be held between corporates across Mumbai, Delhi and Bangalore. The winners across these three cities will get the opportunity to go to Europe! Starting from August 12th till October, this year the Time of your life Karaoke Contest brought to you by Mahindra Xylo and 94.3 Radio One will span over 35 days and cover a whooping 75 top corporate houses across Mumbai, Delhi and Bangalore. Participating companies include Jet Airways, Godrej Properties, Loop Mobile, Star Union Daiichi, Emirates, Nerolac, Essar, Aviva Life Insurance, Dish TV, Bi

Dish TV, India’s first direct-to-home service provider has decided that the mobile apps world is one worth exploring further. In a move to capitalise on the potential of mobile telephony in India, the company will launch two mobile apps by Diwali. Salil Kapoor, chief operating officer, Dish TV, says, “We want to make mobile technology a catalyst for effective delivery of our services. As a part of that strategy, we will launch one app for our customers and the other for our sales team and distributors by Diwali.” According to Kapoor, customers can use the mobile app to recharge, check their account, change a service pack, place a request for a particular service, order for movies on demand and even lodge complaints. Sharing more information about the mobile app for the sales team and distributors, he says, “The sales guys and distributors can keep a tab on orders received, execution of orders, complaints and on-the-go requests related to services. They will also have to contact t

The DTH subscriber base has grown to 23.77 million viewers by the end of June quarter from 21.3 million users in the previous quarter, sectoral regulator the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) said today. According to Trai, six DTH licensees (excluding DD Direct) reported subscriber base of 23.77 million (for the quarter ended June 2010) as against 21.3 million at the end of March 2010, indicating an increasing penetration of the service. The DTH subscriber base stood at 15.17 million in the quarter ended June 2009. Apart from the free DTH service of Doordarshan, there are six private DTH licensees — Dish TV, Tata Sky, Sun Direct, Airtel digital TV, Reliance BIG TV and Videocon d2h. On installation of set-top boxes in Conditional Access System (CAS) notified areas in the four metros, Trai said 7,70,519 boxes had been installed till June 30 this year. On the mushrooming of television channels in the country, the regulatory body said there was a total of 150 pay chann

October 5th, 2010: 94.3 Radio One, the station with the ‘Maximum Music, Maximum Choice’ is all set to take to the next level its position of being a music station. With the belief that music is the tool to real happiness and a medium to help people, Radio One in association with Artist Aloud, recently adopted a community of cancer patients. With this the station attempted to help the aged and children at Wadia Hospital and Tata Hospital to triumph over their conditions through the magical touch of Music. This activity is an extension to the Rose day association with Cancer Patients Aid Association (CPAA). As part of the activity, 94.3 Radio One and Artists Aloud.com organized sing along with Music Artists like Uvie, Avanti Patel and the musical sensation Sharad Jagtiani. The trio visited hospitals for the treatment of cancer patients like The Tata Hospital and Wadia Hospital and the activity was hosted by Radio One’s MJ, Gya. The response at both the centre’s was phenomenon with a

Did you ever imagine that you could book movie tickets, find a job or learn English through your TV? Now you can with direct-to-home (DTH) services providing an array of value-added services (VAS) such as high definition gaming, pay-per-view movies, shopping, insurance calculators, English learning programmes, style, spa and many other interactive services. These services have opened a new stream of revenue for DTH service providers. Industry experts said VAS contributes four to five per cent to total revenue across the DTH industry. “The space is growing as it is a pre-mature market. The growth depends on how DTH expands in the near future,” said Sugato Banerji, CMO, Airtel Digital TV. Till last year, there were one crore DTH subscribers. It is expected that by the end of this financial year, the sector will have 3.2-3.3 crore subscribers. Service providers say VAS has the potential of becoming a feasible revenue model. They are also exploring alternative revenue models within i

However, it could take 3 years before operators are out of the red, given the large investments and tariff wars. India will replace the US as the world’s largest direct-to-home (DTH) market in the next six months, hitting over 32 million subscribers within the first quarter of the next calendar year. In 2009, there were 130 million DTH subscribers across the globe and the number grew by 14 per cent, according to international studies. Also, the high-definition DTH revolution will explode in India much earlier than what most pundits had predicted. Operators say by 2014, more than 10 per cent of the 50 million subscribers of DTH in India will be on high-definition DTH. Jahawar Goel, managing director of Dish TV, the country’s largest DTH service provider, says: “As a category, DTH services is adding around 1 million subscribers every month. India will overtake the US in terms of sheer volume by early next year.” Goel says that half-a-dozen DTH operators in the country currently c

NDS, the leading provider of technology solutions for digital pay-TV, today announced that it is now powering one million digital TV connections for Hathway, India’s leading Multi System Operator (MSO). Hathway, the fastest growing MSO in India, has become the first to reach the digital subscriber milestone. The achievement also highlights the role of NDS in providing a technology framework that enables Hathway to continue to grow its subscriber base through innovative digital TV services and solutions. Hathway has established a reputation for being at the forefront of new technology adoption and has a history of several firsts in the Indian cable TV market. Hathway were the first cable TV operator to go digital, the first to implement a middleware solution and customised Electronic Programme Guide (EPG), and the first to launch a Digital Video Recorder (DVR) solution. Mr. K. Jayaraman, Managing Director & CEO, Hathway Cable & Datacom Ltd. said: “It gives us immense pleasu