~ŠkodaAuto India introduces the New Fabia with 1.6 MPI, 1.2 TDI CR and 1.2 MPI engine programme~

• Premium appointments comprising interior chrome decor, ivory interiors and soft-touch dashboard
• Airbags for all models – including dual airbags starting from the mid version. Unique to class safety systems – EBC (engine braking control) and Dual Rate brake assist
• The highest performance engine in its class (1.6 MPI)
• One of the most fuel efficient diesel motor (1.2 TDI CR)
• Largest luggage compartment in class
• One of the most spacious passenger cabins in the segment
• New signature Škoda design reminiscent of larger Škoda models

Chennai: 14th October 2010: ŠkodaAuto India, a fully owned subsidiary of ŠkodaAuto a.s., Czech Republic and one of the most promising automobile companies in India, today announced the launch of the new Škoda Fabia at their dealership showroom - Gurudev Motors, Chennai. The all new Škoda Fabia offers a complete new package boosted with plush interiors and dynamic exteriors, innovative features and engine technology.

Speaking at the launch, Mr. Thomas Kuehl, Board Member & Director, Sales & Marketing, ŠkodaAuto India said, “The new Škoda Fabia underlines Škoda’s belief in providing its customers with clever and intelligent mobility solutions. We believe that the new Škoda Fabia exemplifies significant developments in form and function. It caters to larger group of people who want a premium hatchback, with the best of technology, safety and practicality in their car,

yet accessible price range with an improved value for money proposition. We are confident that the New Škoda Fabia will surpass the expectation of all and will be received well by our customers in Chennai”.

Talking about the customer base, Mr. Kuehl further added that, “The prospective Chennai buyers of the new Škoda Fabia are an exacting and demanding group aiming for the best in class. They do not want compromised solution, but a balanced value proposition. Moreover, these are the customers who appreciate the finer aspects in life and hence would like to own something as stylish and precise as the new Škoda Fabia.”

Complementing this opportunity, Mr. Ashutosh Dixit, Sr. General Manager, Sales & Marketing, ŠkodaAuto India added, “It has been our constant endeavor to bring newness in terms of design, comfort and technology. New Škoda Fabia is an exemplary model of this focus and customer feedbacks. These three variants with advanced engine technology are result of extensive research with our customers and will cater to the requirements of a wider array of customers. New Škoda Fabia also continues the promise for utmost safety to the driver and the passengers with safety functions like Anti-lock Braking System, Engine Braking Control and Dual Rate Brake Assist. In totality, now it is a fabulous package and hence the line – “NOW THAT’S FAB”

The launch of the new Škoda Fabia emphatically enunciates recently appointed ŠkodaAuto BOD Chairman Prof. Dr. H.C. Winfried Vahland’s growth strategy of further reinforcing Škoda’s presence in markets that offer a good potential for growth by extending product portfolio to get to new segments to result in profitable growth..

New Skoda Fabia is available in the following variants:

• 1.2 TDI CR (Diesel) – available in Classic, Ambiente & Elegance variants
• 1.2 MPI (Petrol) – available in Classic, Ambiente & Elegance variants
• 1.6 MPI (Petrol) – available in Elegance variant.

Engine Options in New Škoda Fabia:

The New Škoda Fabia is available in three engine options; 1.6 MPI, 1.2 TDI CR and 1.2 MPI.

1.6 MPI – : The best performance in its class, it is an absolute delight for a spirited driving experience. It is equipped with 1598cc engine, 4 cylinders which generate 105 bhp at 5250rpm.

1.2 MPI – Smooth and silent performer with improved output, comes with 1198cc, 3 cylinders, MPI engine which generates 55-75 bhp at 5400rpm. The smooth and peppy engine delivers quietly and economically, which suits most urban applications.

1.2 TDI CR – One of the most fuel efficient diesel motor, features a Turbocharged Direct Injection Common Rail 1199cc engine which generates a maximum power of 75bhp. With its low fuel consumption it is an ideal car for the high mileage user.

All the variants of the New Škoda Fabia are geared with a Manual 5-speed transmission, which suits the cut and thrust of the city traffic ensuring a better driving experience.

Design and styling of New Škoda Fabia:

The exterior of the new Škoda Fabia stands out for its robust and dynamic design. The well- defined creases along the front bumper with the sharp lower outline, wider air dam and the protrusion of the front grille combine to give a sporty frontal expression to the car. The elongated headlamps and fog lamps stretch outwards to the sides and define the width of the car. The Rear combined lights with their characteristic C-shaped translucent tail lights, reflects the Škoda DNA all the way.

The interiors too are enlivened with high quality detailing with premium appointments comprising of chrome decor, ivory colour and soft-touch dashboard. It enhances the visual and tactile impression of the car. Also the new checkered upholstery makes its debut with the new Skoda Fabia which adds to the overall premium feel of the car.

‘Fabulous’ Safety Features of New Škoda Fabia:

The New Škoda Fabia is armed with Airbags for all models – including dual airbags starting from the mid version. Unique to class advanced Safety features like ABS (Anti-lock Braking System), EBC (Engine Braking Control) and Dual Rate Brake Assist, adjustable seat belts and child proof door and window locking ensure utmost security for the driver and passengers.

Comfort and Convenience at its best – New Škoda Fabia:

The New Škoda Fabia is the epitome of comfort. It is truly the best in terms of the ample legroom and headroom space offered in a hatchback. The height of the driver’s seat and the steering wheels arrangements (height and length) can be adjusted as per the driver’s convenience. The Multi function display gives the driver a regular update on the distance travelled, average speed, immediate fuel consumption, average fuel consumption, travel distance before refueling, service interval, outside temperature etc.

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When we think of search on the internet, the one search engine that comes instantly to mind is Google. The search engine has maintained a clear lead over Yahoo and Microsoft, the number two and three players, respectively, A team of former Google engineers and others who worked at eBay, IBM and AltaVista have come up with an alternative search engine called Cuil (pronounced cool).

The main aim of Cuil.com is to break the monopoly of Google, but also change the surfing culture among users. Cuil is a start-up by husband-wife team Tom Costello (CEO of Cuil) and Anna Patterson, president, along with former colleagues Russell Power, vice-president of engineering, and Louis Monier, vice-president of products. Cuil has got venture funding of about $30 million from Tugboat Ventures, Greylock Partners and Madrone Capital Partners.

At Cuil, search index spans over 120 billion web pages, which is much larger than any existing search engine including Google (almost thrice its index span). The results are based on content and relevance. Popularity and audience traffic take a backseat. Though Cuil claims the largest web-page index, for most queries it displayed fewer total results than competitors. Google and Yahoo let the user page through all of the results while Cuil significantly limits what one can see, offering about 23 pages of results in total.

Another interesting aspect of Cuil is the safe search option which filters all possible ‘obscene’ results. Of course, the definition being relative. Also, there is no tab on user search pattern and history. Cuil does not fix spellings and provide results as you type the key words, unlike Google. So, chances are if one types ‘Now Delhi’ instead of ‘New Delhi’, Cuil will still get quite a few desired results without any spelling suggestions!

Indexing more pages, providing relevant results and slicker presentation are the features which Cuil is banking on to attract users. It remains to be seen whether it’s able to strike the right chord among users.

Despite early problems suffered by the newly-launched search engine Cuil last week, it has performed better than Google in a relevance test. The test by web monitoring firm NetApplications times how long a surfer spends on a website that it has been redirected to by a search engine. In the tests, people using Cuil spent 9.65 minutes on a site, whereas those using Google spent 9.37 minutes. Yahoo’s average was 8.57 minutes.

Google may be the de facto leader in search today, but will its lead last forever? With services like Mahalo and Cuil gaining attention and Microsoft willing to pour continued billions into its quest for online dominance, Google’s rivals are legion, and they’re hungry.

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Yahoo Labs Bangalore will be a centre of excellence for next-generation search and advertising technologies, focussed on making the Web more relevant and simple for users and advertisers. Rajeev Rastogi, a fromer Bell Labs director, has been appointed as vice-president and head of the new lab.

“Yahoo Labs Bangalore intends to build a world-class team focused on delivering the most valuable insights and leading-edge technologies to delight all of our customers worldwide,” according to Prabhakar Raghavan, senior vice-president and head of Yahoo! Research.

He told a news conference in Bangalore, “As an extension of our research and development (R&D) operations here, Yahoo! India Lab will initially have a 100-member team of scientists and engineers. They will work on multiple projects to make the Web more relevant and simple for users and advertisers worldwide. The India lab will work in tandem with the other labs in the US for deriving new algorithms to enhance the performance of our search and retrieval tools. While the R&D centre will write software codes for various functions, the lab will develop products for databases,” he said. Source: hindustantimes

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As per the request of Cisco Press Contact Mr Varghese M Thomas, Bangalore365 team wishes to clarify that 360000 people is not the hire count of Cisco but instead Cisco aims to offer networking curriculum to NIIT, IIHT and Global Knowledge in India to train and expand India’s networking industry’s workforce capacity to 360000 in the next five years.

Here is the letter from Cisco press contact:

CORRECTION STATEMENT

Clarification on ‘Cisco India to hire 360000 people’

As per our press release sent out on February 4, 2008 on ‘Cisco’s Talent Development Strategy’, Cisco aims to offer networking curriculum to NIIT, IIHT and Global Knowledge in India to train and expand India’s networking industry’s workforce capacity to 360000 in the next five years.

The 360000 number does not refer to the number of employees Cisco wishes to hire!

360000 is the number of networking industry professionals that Cisco will, work with partners like IIHT and NIIT, to train and develop in India.

Please refer to our press release for details on our announcement. For any clarifications, kindly contact us at.

Press Contacts:

Varghese M Thomas

Cisco

Cisco Launches Talent-Development Strategy for India

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Earlier, Dell’s focus at the R&D centre was primarily on hardware. Gradually, it is phasing out hardware R&D from Bangalore and moving it to its other centres worldwide. “It’s more of a reorientation of focus. The Bangalore R&D centre will now focus on management software and testing,” said Mr Talukdar.

The R&D centre in Bangalore currently employs around 500 people. On whether there have been any job cuts as a result of this shift in focus, the company said there have been “minor changes and reorganisation” and no major firing. In fact, the company will be recruiting more people, said Mr Talukdar, at the sidelines of a press conference to announce the launch of Dell’s new PowerEdge M-Series blade solution.

New server

Dell hopes to set a “new standard for date centre energy efficiency and flexibility” with the PowerEdge M Series blade.

Targeted at the mid to large enterprises, the M Series enables businesses to save on power and cooling costs while increasing server capacity. It provides lead-free configurations, thus delivering a green IT solution that helps customers minimise environmental impact. The M1000e blade enclosure in now available worldwide at a starting price of Rs 3,11,948, along with blades at Rs 96,148. The M1000e supports 16 blade servers. Source:thehindubusinessline.in

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“Hardware design is being slowly phased out from the centre here to our centres in Austin and Taiwan”, Pallab Talukdar, enterprise strategy group director of Dell India, said.

Dell’s R&D centre in Bangalore has shifted focus from hardware design to software, management and testing, he said, adding, Dell plans to ramp up the R&D centre, which has a current strength of over 500.

The company also launched a new server – Poweredge M-series – which it claims consume up to 19 per cent less power and achieve about 25 per cent better performance per unit.

The M-series also provided lead-free configurations, delivering a “green” solution that further helps customers minimise their environmental impact, he said.

Dell reported $600 million in revenue from its business in India in 2007. Source: domain-b.com

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Google executives today announced the areas where it will focus its charitable giving over the next five to 10 years.

The initiatives include $26 million in funds to several institutions including a think tank in India, Clark University and a Pasadena-based company specializing in solar thermal power and five other organizations and corporations.

The Pasadena firm eSolar received $10 million, the largest portion of the money.

“e-Solar’s technology has great potential to produce utility-scale power cheaper than coal,” according to the prepared statement released Thursday by Google.org, the search engine’s philanthropic arm.

Five million dollars is going to a group called InSTEDD, which aims to improve early detection and response capabilities for global health threats.

It creates technology for governments and others to respond and prepare for global health emergencies.

Some of the other beneficiaries include:

-$4.7 million to TechnoServe, which will in part support entrepreneurs in Ghana and Tanzania.

-$2.5 million to Global Health and Security Initiative, which prevents, detects and responds to biological threats.

-$2 million to Pratham, a non-governmental organization in India for the creation of an independent institute to conduct a nationwide annual status of education report.

-$765,000 to Bangalore-based analysis group Centre for Budget and Policy Studies, designed to help local governments facilitate better local planning in India.

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Small is definitely big this year. HCL Infosystems today launched a laptop for only Rs 13,990.

With a little help from Intel, Indian hardware manufacturer HCL Infosystems on Tuesday launched an ultra portable range of laptops with mobile Internet computing experience under Rs 15,000. And no, they are not called Classmate!

The self-branded laptops called HCL MiLeap X and Y Series have been designed exclusively for India, claimed the company.

HCL already has an existing range of its laptops called Leaptop. The entry-level laptop however does not have a hard disk and runs on Linux, though Microsft Vista can be added in the high-end Y Series.

Like Classmate PC from Intel, the two new models with a 7 inch screen size are ultra-light and weigh under-one kg. But there have been modifications made and customisation done for the product to suit to the needs of other user segments than just students.

Despite the price, the new range offers a full PC functionality with Internet experience unlike Classmate, and at a price much lower than Classmate.

‘MiLeap’ is targeted at consumer who needs to stay connected, informed, entertained and productive-anytime and anywhere. It’s lightweight and small in size makes it so convenient, that one does not think twice about carrying it to the office, home, gym or park, or using it in a train, bus, plane or metro, claimed the company.

Said HCL Infosystems chairman and CEO Ajay Chowdhry, “HCL is proud of its heritage of leading the technology revolution in India. With a legacy of having pioneered India’s first micro-computer, the country’s first desktop PC and the first home PC, at HCL it’s always been our endeavour to create technologies that touch lives.

“MiLeap’ Leaptops will herald in a new category of computing devices, opening up a wide range of new usage scenarioes and application areas,” he added.

Speaking at the launch of HCL’s new product, Intel’s managing director, sales and marketing, South Asia, Ramamurthy Sivakumar said, “In a world where the access to information technology is really the passport to the 21st century, Intel and HCL are determined to broaden the number of people who can get access to the Internet.”

MiLeap Leaptops’ ultra portable form factor makes it convenient to carry and open up new possibilities in usage among a much larger number of people in corporates and particularly small businesses.

The price of MiLeap X Series starts at Rs 13,990 and it will be available in both flash-based and disk based storage versions. Its design makes it dustproof, shock-proof and durable just like Classmate. Source: economictimes.indiatimes.com

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Intel’s Indian and US researchers have built a prototype which would alert a person carrying the wireless device, and doctors monitoring the person’s health, to any impending medical emergency, said chief technology officer Justin Rattner.

“We’re now seeing numerous new areas of application, such as education, health and entertainment, which can be used to transform people’s lives,” Rattner said.

“Technology like this will help us live better and longer,” he told a news conference in the southern city of Bangalore.

The Santa Clara, California-based chipmaker’s research facility in Bangalore is playing a leading role in development of the system.

Mobile health monitoring would cut costs and give access to preventive healthcare to under-served populations and rural communities, Rattner said.

Bangalore — known as India’s Silicon valley — is one of Intel’s 15 global research locations. The firm employs 3,000 people in the country, where it has invested more than one billion dollars.

The Bangalore facility is Intel’s largest non-manufacturing site outside the United States.

Intel, the world’s largest chipmaker, and other international companies have set up research facilities in India to take advantage of plentiful engineering and scientific talent to develop products and services.

Last year, the healthcare unit of General Electric unveiled a portable, battery-operated electrocardiograph that monitors heart functions and can be understood even by physicians who are not specialists in the field.

The product will enable physicians to treat patients, particularly in rural areas, where two-thirds of India’s 1.1 billion population lives but lacks access to good medical facilities. Source: afp.google.com

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There are the obviously bad umpiring decisions – particularly easy for those of us watching on slow motion at home to detect. But the umpiring decisions that hit the headlines are just a tiny fraction of the calls made by an umpire through an entire match.

Software developed by Swantha in Bangalore, called Third Eye, can be used to assess the quality of an umpire, with each decision being fed into the system, and judged by the experts who can even log in from home.

According to Sandeep Kannambadi, Chief Technology Officer, “Whether an lbw decision or a no ball decision that has not been given, all the decisions will be scrutinised by a panel who will rate the umpire based on the decisions. This starts generating a score based on the results given by the panel – and based on the cumulative score we start to rate the umpire.”

The system even takes into consideration pressure situations like judging whether Sachin Tendulkar is out or not, when he is on a score of 99. And it can easily indicate if errors are more frequent as the game progresses perhaps the umpire does not have the stamina to last out a long match.

And very importantly – the umpire himself has access to the analysis. And how would this system rate Steve Bucknor in Sydney?

“I think he would get a score which is negative because according to this any poor decision or bad decision is given a negative score. So from his last match I am sure he would have got a negative score.” Sandeep told to NDTV.

The use of technology by umpires or their decision not to use technology to make their decisions has been very much in the news of late. Source: ndtv.com

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