Archive for November, 2007

MindTree to inaugurate Mahindra City in Chennai

Published at November 30, 2007 in IT, News and Software. 0 Comments

Bangalore-based MindTree Consulting will be inaugurating its Mahindra World City development centre in Chennai next month. Planned to accommodate a manpower strength of 2,500 when it is completed in 2009, 550 employees will be joining the first batch. Of this 400 would be handling IT services and the rest would be inducted into research and development.

“Recruitments have started and we are taking engineers in computer science and electronics as well as MCAs. Already 1,000 freshers have been recruited during July and October for various centres. They are currently undergoing training at Bangalore,” said President and CEO, R&D Services, S Janakiraman.

Out of these, 700 will be absorbed in IT services and the balance in R&D services, who are undergoing training in integrated circuit design, embedded software among others. At present, the company has around 5,500 people of which 1,500 are in the R&D services. According to Janakiraman, for R&D services, MindTree-Chennai will be providing design consulting to clients in the automotive, communications and manufacturing sectors.

“Chennai is fast developing as a hub for research and development services,” he pointed out. Already MindTree staffs 300 people at the Olympia Technology Park in the city. The company expects a revenue of USD 35 million from the Olympia centre and Mahindra City centre within a year. Research and Development activities are likely to contribute 25 percent of the total revenue from the Mahindra City centre when it is ready.

MindTree is targeting a turnover of USD 180 million this fiscal compared to USD 130 million last year with a growth of 30 to 40 percent in FY’08. The company would also add more clients in the current fiscal. It added 28 clients during last quarter with a total of 192 customers on its rolls currently. Source: newindpress



'Milana' overtakes 'Krishna' at Kannada box office

Published at November 30, 2007 in Actors. 0 Comments

“Milana”, a slow starter, has completed 50 days and tops the fortnight’s list of popular Kannada films.

The top five Kannada films are:

1. “Milana” – The film took off from the third week and has recorded increasing popularity since then. Melodious music and meaty performances are drawing family audiences.

2. “Krishna” – With much loved star Ganesh in the lead role, the film had a good opening, but after the fourth week, it has begun to lose its appeal and slipped to number two position this fortnight.

3. “Aa Dinagalu” – Director Chaitanya’s underworld drama is a big success story. Though it did not have an impressive opening, the film picked up from the second week. Made on a modest budget, “Aa Dinagalu” is doing notably well in Bangalore, Mysore and Shimoga.

4. “Yuga” – Starring Vijay in the lead, the film had a fantastic opening, but the collections started dropping from the fourth day. It failed to pick up during Diwali holidays.

5. “Geleya” – Made without superstars and on a reasonable budget, the movie may not have raked in big money but has done fairly well.



Blackberry 8120 – Another Pearl

Published at November 29, 2007 in Gadgets, Review, Software and Technology. 1 Comment

The next offering to the pearl family by Research in Motion(RIM) is the Blackberry 8120. This is a direct descendent of the Blackberry Pearl launched last year and this new Pearl is a cute looking device.

Blackberry_8120

The BlackBerry Pearl 8130 provided all sorts of upgrades, but not WiFi. That’s where the BlackBerry Pearl 8120 steps in, replacing the 3G radio with one that grabs 802.11b/g WiFi signals. Hence it opens up the possibility of VoIP and VoIP-like services. It also boasts of a higher-resolution camera, and enhancements to the handset’s browser and user interface. The remaining features remain from the original Pearl including the trackball navigator, SureType keyboard, integrated GPS, stereo Bluetooth, microSD memory expansion, updated mail software, and the 3.5mm headset jack, and it works fine.

The 8120 is also available in titanium, blue and gold. You can also install the Facebook application, and post online, besides emailing or MMSing your friends. It is very competent for a mobile phone at Rs 24,990. Pearl 2 does show that RIM is trying hard to break out of its ‘businesses only’ image, both design-wise and features-wise.

Chennai weaves world's costliest sari at Rs 40 lakh

Published at November 29, 2007 in News. 1 Comment

Chennai Silks, a textile unit has come up with one of its kind and it is seeking an unmistakable entry into the Guinness Book of World Records for being the most unique and expensive saree.

Chennai Silks weaves world's costliest sari at Rs 40 lakh

A palanquin arrived amid much fanfare at Chennai Silks, a textile house in Tamil Nadu, to give a princely welcome for an outfit that’s fit for a queen – a sari studded with gold, diamonds, emeralds and other precious stones.

The textile house has woven what it claims is the world’s costliest sari, one that costs Rs 40 lakh and weighs around eight kilogram.

“The most special thing about the sari is the Ravi Varma painting which has been woven into it. All the intricate details in the painting have been replicated like the curly hair of the ladies and the jewels they are wearing,” Assistant General Manager of Chennai Silks K V Sriram said.

The exceptionally stunning saree is meticulously woven with 12 precious stones and metals to depict 11 of Raja Ravi Verma’s popular paintings. Explicitly projected is ‘Lady Musicians’, one of the painter’s very famous works that displays women belonging to diverse cultural backgrounds.

Besides, the border of the saree pictures 10 other paintings of the artist that pays tribute to 20th century artist. The best part of the saree being that the women in the paintings are intricately hand-woven and beautified with jewels of gold, diamond, platinum, silver, ruby, emerald, yellow sapphire, sapphire, cat’s eye, topaz, pearl and corals.

Already in the Limca Book of Records, this 40 lakh saree will be the first silk saree that required the use of 7,440 jacquard hooks and 66,794 cards during the weaving process. Moreover, a group of consummate workers took nearly 4,680 hours to complete the work.

While it has already entered the Limca Book of Records, the company says it will try to enter the Guiness Book as well.

It took 30 weavers around seven months to make the sari and its launch was also star-studded with actors Suhasini Mani Ratnam, Shobhana and Jeeva attending the event. So, was the attempt just for a record?

“This sari can be worn. Normally also it can be used, so it’s not just for a record,” Sriram said.

The director claims they have already received enquiries regarding the sari and hopes that it will be sold soon.

Bollywood star Dutt released from jail

Published at November 29, 2007 in News. 1 Comment

Sanjay_Dutt_walked_out.jpg

Bollywood superstar Sanjay Dutt walked out of a prison in western India on Thursday after being granted bail on a six-year sentence for possessing illegal weapons.

Hundreds of fans clustered outside the Pune jail caught a glimpse of the tough-guy actor — wearing a loose white shirt and blue jeans — as he was escorted by a guard out of the main gate.

Dutt, who had served nearly three months of his sentence, got into a waiting car that took him to a private jet for the flight to his home city of Mumbai, 160 kilometres (100 miles) to the north.

“I thank you all for the support through these tough days,” the burly actor later told reporters outside his luxury bungalow, his voice choked with emotion.

“I just want to thank the people of my country, the love of my fans,” said Dutt, greeted by a large crowd of friends and supporters when he reached home.

“I’ve faith in the judiciary and that justice will be delivered,” he added.

Ecstatic well-wishers distributed sweets and exploded firecrackers.

India’s Supreme Court granted Dutt bail on Tuesday against a surety deposit and the surrender of his passport.

He has served a total of 551 days in jail since his initial arrest in April 1993 for possessing illegal weapons bought from the plotters of the 1993 Mumbai bombings that killed 257 people.

He can remain out of jail until the outcome of his appeal to the Supreme Court against his sentencing by Mumbai’s anti-terror court earlier this year, his lawyer Karan Singh told AFP.

No date has been set for the appeal hearing for the star, known as “Deadly Dutt” for his macho image and portrayal of gangsters.

Son of a politically prominent Hindu father and a Muslim mother who was an actress, his turbulent off-screen life has also been wracked by drug abuse and two failed marriages.

He had said he bought guns to protect his family from Hindu zealots who wanted to wreak revenge for his father’s help to Muslim victims of deadly 1993 Hindu-Muslim clashes.

Dutt, who had been making cane furniture as part of mandatory manual labour during his jail stint, will now complete various movie commitments.

The actor, who enjoys top billing in Bollywood, earned 38.25 rupees (96 cents) for 37 days of employment in the jail workshop, the Press Trust of India reported.

He was serving his sentence in the prison where Indian independence icon Mahatma Gandhi was incarcerated during British colonial rule.

He recently played the role of a wisecracking mobster in the hugely popular movie “Carry on Munnabhai” in which he meets Gandhi’s ghost, who steers Dutt’s character onto the path of righteousness and true love.

With at least a half a dozen films to finish, Dutt had around 750 million rupees (18.4 million dollars) of Bollywood money riding on his release, movie analysts say.

He launched his own production firm “Sanjay Dutt Productions” earlier this year.

“We’ve some scripts on which we’ll begin work soon… but at this moment we’ll celebrate his release,” Dharam Oberoi, head of Sanjay Dutt Productions, told AFP.

“Bollywood has a shortage of heroes and Dutt’s release has come as a great relief to producers,” said Bollywood trade analyst Komal Nahta. Source: afp

Online Security threat – Typo-squatting

Published at November 28, 2007 in IT, News, Software and Technology. 0 Comments

Typosquatting, also called URL hijacking, is a form of cybersquatting which relies on mistakes such as typo errors made by users while typing a website or URL name. If a user accidentally enters an incorrect website address, they may be led to an alternative website owned by a cybersquatter.

McAfee released a research report on this “What’s In A Name: The State of Typo-Squatting 2007″ which says about how a typo sqatterer registers domains using common misspellings of popular brands, products and people in order to redirect consumers to alternative Web sites.

The report gives the example of iPhone mania as a recent example of typo-squatting saying that even though Apple’s new phone appeared on the market just a few months ago, its likely that atleast 8,000 URLs using the word “iPhone” by the end of this year will be available. Some will be fan sites or rumor sites, while others will be run by hackers and scammers. The only common thing among these sites is that they have no affiliation with Apple.

McAfee’s Key findings include:

  • A consumer who misspells a popular wesite URL has a 1 in 14 chance of landing at a typo-squatter site.
  • The heavily targetted sites are that of Children’s. The typo-squatters take advantage of typing errors to expose children to pornography. In fact, 2.4 percent, or more than 46,000 of the typo-squatter sites tested, include some adult content.
  • Automated ad syndication services enable many typo-squatter sites to make money; In fact one popular search engine’s ads show up on 19.3% of all suspected typo-squatter sites in this study and another search engine shows up on 4.4% of all suspected typo-squatter sites
  • The five non-U.S. countries most likely to have popular sites squatted are: the United Kingdom, Portugal, Spain, France, and Italy.
  • The five non-U.S. countries least likely are: the Netherlands, Israel, Denmark, Brazil and Finland
« Previous Entries