Karbonn launches Cosmic Smart Tab 10 tablet with Android 4.1 for Rs. 10,490

Karbonn has launched Cosmic Smart Tab 10 tablet in the Indian market. The tablet comes with 9.7-inch 1024x768 capacitive touch display and runs Android 4.1 Jelly Bean.

Cosmic Smart Tab 10 is powered by 1.5GHz dual-core processor alongside 1GB DDR3 RAM. The internal storage is not clear from the specs but it does include a microSD card for up to 32GB of additional storage. Karbonn claims the tablet is capable of 1080p video playback. It comes with a 2-megapixel rear camera and a VGA front-camera.

The connectivity options on Karbonn Cosmic Smart Tab 10 include Wi-Fi (802.11 b/g/n), USB (with dongle support), Bluetooth, and HDMI interface. It comes with a 6000mAh battery. As mentioned earlier, the tablet runs Android 4.1 and comes with pre-installed apps like YouTube, E-Book, Google Currents, Angry Birds Seasons, Turbo FLY 3D, Flipboard, Kingsoft Office, Facebook and more.

This is Karbonn's second tablet with Android 4.1 after it became the first manufacturer in India to launch a budget tablet with Jelly Bean on board.

The Cosmic Smart Tab 10 tablet is now available for a MRP of Rs. 10,490.

Karbonn Cosmic Smart Tab 10 specifications

• 9.7-inch 1024x768 capacitive touch display
• 1.5GHz dual-core processor
• 1GB DDR3 RAM
• 2-megapixel rear camera, VGA front-camera
• Wi-Fi (802.11 b/g/n), USB (with dongle support), Bluetooth, HDMI
• 6000mAh battery
• Android 4.1

Moody coach; Laxman,Srikkanth mentors for Hyderabad

The IPL's Hyderabad franchise, now called the 'Sunrisers', have appointed former Australian cricketer Tom Moody as the team's new coach, along with former India cricketers Kris Srikkanth and VVS Laxman as mentors.

The new owners, Sun TV Network, officially renamed Deccan Chargers as Sunrisers today, and also unveiled the new logo of the team, which is depicting an eagle soaring high and looking at rising sun.

Narendra Modi wins record third term in Gujarat

Gujarat chief minster Narendra Modi is heading for a landslide election win in Gujarat on Thursday, firming up his chances of being nominated by the BJP for running for prime minister in 2014. According to latest media reports on the counting of votes, BJP has bagged 115 seats related stories Keshubhai Patel wins from Visavadar constituency Gujarat Congress president Arjun Modhwadia loses Porbandar seat Nitin Gadkari thanks Gujaratis for BJP's victory People of Gujarat can't see the truth: Shweta Bhatt Amitabh Bachchan congratulates Modi for win
out of state's 182 , with the chief minister scoring a hat-trick.

The Congress has won 61 seats while others have won 6 seats. Modi trounced his nearest Congress rival Shweta Bhatt by a margin of 86,373 votes, while BJP also bagged Amraivadi, Mangrol and Karanj seats.

Samsung top smartphone in 2012: IHS

Samsung's lead over Apple in smartphone manufacturing increased sharply in 2012, IHS reported on Tuesday, as the South Korean company took the lead in overall cellphone manufacturing for the first time.

In its preliminary report on cellphone manufacturing in 2012, the research firm reported that Samsung shipped 28 per cent of the world's smartphones this year, while Apple accounted for 20 per cent; in 2011, the margin was much closer, as Samsung accounted for 20 per cent of the market and Apple owned 19 per cent.

Samsung also displaced Nokia as the top cellphone manufacturer in the world, displacing the Finnish manufacturer from the top spot for the first time since 1998, IHS reported.

Nokia had held on to the top spot due to its feature phones, which do not feature the touch screen and advanced uses of a smartphone; however, smartphones' continued growth finally pushed Nokia down to No. 2.

Smartphone shipments increased by 35.5 per cent from 2011 to 2012, IHS reported, while overall cellphone shipments increased only 1 per cent.

IHS predicts that smartphones will account for 56 per cent of all cellphones shipped in 2013, which would be the first time smartphones were a majority of the mobile-phone market.

"The competitive reality of the cellphone market in 2012 was 'live by the smartphone; die by the smartphone,' " Wayne Lam, senior analyst for wireless communications at IHS, said in Tuesday's announcement.

"Smartphones represent the fastest-growing segment of the cellphone market — and will account for nearly half of all wireless handset shipments for all of 2012. Samsung's successes and Nokia's struggles in the cellphone market this year were determined entirely by the two companies' divergent fortunes in the smartphone sector."

Apple is third in the overall cellphone category, accounting for 10 per cent of shipments, while Samsung claimed 29 per cent and Nokia 24 per cent.

Samsung and Apple accounted for nearly 50 per cent of the smartphones shipped in 2012, as other companies suffered against the two giants.

Nokia's market share in smartphones dipped from 16 per cent to 5 per cent, and BlackBerry maker Research in Motion fell from 11 per cent to 5 per cent.

Apple claims Samsung's Galaxy line of smartphones and tablets blatantly copies the Cupertino, California, tech giant's iPhone and iPad offerings, leading to lawsuit across the globe.

A San Jose, Calif., jury found in August that Samsung had infringed on three Apple patents, awarding Apple a $US1.05 billion judgment. Samsung is appealing that verdict.

Source: http://www.afr.com/p/technology/samsung_top_smartphone_in_ihs_31Zs5ca931l3ew6BzbZWIM

Twitter tops 200 mn active users mark

The number of active users on Twitter has topped 200 million mark, the micro blogging site has announced. 

Twitter revealed the news via tweet on the firm’s official account. 

“There are now more than 200M monthly active @twitter users. You are the pulse of the planet. We're grateful for your ongoing support!” it said. 

The number was the first official estimate from Twitter since it claimed 140 million active users. 

Twitter offered no details on the latest update, but in the past has said the majority of active users were in the United States. 

According to the report, earlier this year, a French-based research firm said over 500 million people are on the micro-blogging site, with Americans and Brazilians the most connected. 

Another group, Sys-Con media, estimated last month that Twitter had over 465 million accounts and that the number of daily tweets had topped 175 million, the report added. 

Source URL: http://zeenews.india.com/news/net-news/twitter-tops-200-mn-active-users-mark_817578.html

Duncan Fletcher is useless: Players to BCCI

After the humiliating series defeat against England at home some players of the Indian team have expressed their unhappiness, saying that Fletcher was of little help during his tenure as a coach.

Unhappy with Fletcher’s style of working, some players are learnt to have expressed their displeasure to some senior BCCI officials.

A story in Times of India suggested that though there was no official complaint against the coach, the players discussed the matter with the officials at personal level. 

Fletcher was appointed the coach of the Indian team after Gary Kirsten decided not to renew his contracts after India won 2011 World Cup. Fletcher was appointed in April 2011 on a two-year contract on the recommendation of Kirsten. 

But under Fletcher India suffered one of their biggest humiliations when they lost all the eight consecutive Tests in England and Australia. 

Though there is hardly any chance of renewing his contracts, there is a strong possibility that he might face the axe even before it.

Source URL: http://zeenews.india.com/sports/cricket/india-vs-england-2012/duncan-fletcher-is-useless-players-to-bcci_753547.html

Brand Dhoni downhill, 5 companies end endorsement deals

Following the humiliation against England in the recently concluded Test series, Dhoni’s brand value suffered a major jolt after five companies ended their endorsement deals with the Indian cricket captain.

As per a report published in The Economic Times, only 22 advertisers used Dhoni’s commercials during the period of January to November earlier this year, reducing from 27 in 2011.

Adding to Dhoni's woes, the number of brands endorsed by him too have declined from 43 to 28.

The report by the newspaper further cites industry experts as saying that ‘Captain Cool’ might see his brand value dip by 30 % if he loses his captaincy after India`s recent series defeat to England.

Notably Dhoni has been criticized for his poor captaincy since 2011 where India lost two away series. Cricket experts now want in-form Virat Kohli to lead the Indian team. The series loss against England on home turf has only further fanned the flames of criticism for Dhoni. 

Source URL: http://zeenews.india.com/sports/cricket/brand-dhoni-downhill-5-companies-end-endorsement-deals_753592.html

Internet technology to contribute up to 3.3% to India's GDP by 2015: Report

Internet services and devices industry has potential to increase its contribution to up to 3.3 per cent to India's gross domestic product by 2015, a report by McKinsey & Company said today.

"The Internet currently contributes a modest 1.6 per cent to India's GDP in line with most aspiring countries. This could grow to 2.8-3.3 per cent by 2015, if India achieves its potential for growth in the number of Internet users and Internet technology related consumption and investment over this period," it said.

This would increase Internet's contribution to GDP from $30 billion now to nearly $100 billion in 2015.

India with a user base of 120 million is the world's third largest Internet market and is poised to have up to 370 million users in 2015.

China has the largest Internet user base in the world with 480 million users followed by the US with 245 million users as of 2011. By 2015 China is expected to have 583 million users, while the US is expected to have 279 million users.

The global Internet user base is expected to grow from 2,300 million users in 2011 to 2,662 million by 2015, the McKinsey & Company said in the report. a

HP refreshes laptop and ultrabook range; unveils Envy hybrid and AIO

HP has announced a slew of computing devices that will form a part of its Windows 8 portfolio of offerings. There are two laptops, one ultrabook, one hybrid and one AIO device.

The Envy TouchSmart Ultrabook 4 is the latest ultrabook from HP. This update brings in a 14-inch multi-touch display (1366 x 768 pixels) to the ultrabook, with Windows 8 out of the box.

The new Envy 4 is powered by an Intel Core i5-3317U processor clocking at 1.7GHz with 4GB of RAM helping it along. It has no dedicated graphics card though, but HP claims that the battery life will touch 8 hours under certain conditions.

The Envy 4 ultrabook comes with a 500GB hard drive and a 32GB mSATA. HP has priced this ultrabook at Rs. 59,990 and will be available from January 2013.

The Envy x2 is the hybrid device that lets you switch between the notebook and tablet mode with ease. The x2 has an 11.6-inch IPS (1366 x 768 pixel) display with multi-touch. The specifications seem slightly on the lighter side though – Intel Atom Z2760 dual-core processor clocking at 1.8GHz and is paired with 2GB of RAM. The x2 will come with a 64GB solid-state drive for storage. Both the base and the tablet have a 2-cell battery each, which combine together in tandem when used in laptop mode. The price of the x2 is Rs. 59,990 and will be available from January 2013.

HP also showed off the Envy dv6, with the updated touchscreen capabilities and slightly boosted hardware. The one on display was powered by an Intel Core i7-3630QM processor clocking at 2.4GHz and is paired with 8GB of RAM. The HP Envy m6 also gets a touchscreen with Windows 8. The prices of both these devices have not been announced yet, but do expect that to change soon.

The HP Envy 23 All-in-one (AIO) PC is powered by an Intel Core i5-3470S quad-core processor clocking at 2.9GHz and is paired with 4GB of RAM. Storage requirements are well taken care off by the 1TB hard drive, and this is the 7200RPM one. The highlight though is the 23-inch Full HD LED display with 10-point touch. The Full HD resolution (1920 x 1080 pixels) makes this a fairly good option for anyone who deals with designing and multimedia on a regular basis. HP says that the Envy 23 AIO will be available for around Rs. 71,990 and will hit stores on December 20, 2012. 

Rail fares to go up next year: Railway Minister

Train fares might go up next year as an increase has become necessary to meet the financial situation of the Railways which was "not sound", Minister of State for Railways Kotla Suryaprakasha Reddy said.

"It is necessary to increase the train fares as the financial position of the Railways is not sound. It is essential to raise the fares to take up developmental activities and provide amenities to commuters," he said.

Shah Rukh Khan honoured with BrandLaureate award

Superstar Shah Rukh Khan attended Malaysian Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir bin Mohammad's birthday where was also awarded the prestigious BrandLaureate Legendary Award. 

The 47-year-old actor was given this honour by the Asia Pacific Brands Foundation for his contributions to the Bollywood film industry and as India's foremost brand ambassador. 

The Jab Tak Hai Jaan star was humbled by the honour handed to him by Founder of Lord's Tailor Robert Loh, President of The BrandLaureate KK Johan and Tun Dr Mahathir bin Mohammad. 

"It is an honour to be given the Brandlaureate Legendary Award. It is always a pleasure to be amongst friends and to be given so much love and motivation to do better," said Shah Rukh in a statement. 

"Got honoured at Dr Mahathirs function & a beautiful digital Koran. Now to India. Way I travel I could be the Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy," the actor later tweeted. 

The BrandLaureate Legendary Award has been earlier given to the likes of Dr Nelson Mandela, Nobel Laureate recipient Mohammad Yunus, Ratan Tata, Steve Jobs, Marck Zuckerburg, Michael Schumacher and more. 

In 2008 Shah Rukh had become the first Indian actor to be conferred with the prestigious Malaysian title of Datuk (equivalent of the British Knighthood) by the governor of Malaysia's southern state of Malacca for promoting tourism through his movies in that region.

Sunny excited for Ragini MMS 2

After making her Bollywood debut with "Jism 2", Indo-Canadian movie star Sunny Leone is looking forward to start shooting her second film "Ragini MMS 2".

She is excited as the preparations for the film have already begun.

"'Ragini MMS 2' preparations are starting and I am so excited. I can't believe that I get to shoot another movie and with a great company," Sunny tweeted.

Japanese PM Yoshihiko Noda quits as party chief after election loss

Taking the responsibility for his party's loss in parliamentary elections upon himself, Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda on Sunday resigned as the chief of the Democratic Party of Japan. 

The main opposition Liberal Democratic Party won between 275 and 300 seats in the 480-seat lower house of parliament in today's election, NHK exit polls projected. 

The DPJ was expected to capture less than 100 seats, far below its pre-election strength of 230. 

Noda called the results "extremely severe" at a late night news conference, and said that the party lawmakers would hold a meeting as soon as possible to pick a new leader. 

Delhi policemen to watch 'Dabangg 2' with Salman

Delhi Police personnel, who have been appreciated for their bravery and meritorious services, will watch 'Dabangg 2' with actor Salman Khan before the film's release Dec 21, police said. 

According to Delhi Police sources, Salman Khan will arrive in Delhi Dec 18 and would pay tributes to police martyrs. 

Salman Khan will watch movie with "brave policemen" and will meet kins of the five policemen who died during the Dec 13, 2001, parliament attack. 

"The meeting with Salman Khan will be motivational for the force," said an officer. 

Earlier, a special screening of the movie 'Rowdy Rathore' was held for Delhi Police's SWAT (Special Weapon and Techniques) team with actor Akshay Kumar.