There were two features that helped navigation device makers withstand the competition from cellular map software makers like Google — turn-by-turn voice directions and the device’s ability to work even where there is no cellphone signal. While the second factor — offline function — was addressed by Google for its Android map application few weeks […]
After two months of respite, India’s import bill has again started going up, partly due to high crude prices and the restarting of refineries under repair. Exports, however, continued their 30% year on year growth in January, though they slipped by around $2 billion compared to December. Oil imports bounced back from $6.9 billion in […]
Worldwide sales of mobile phones to end users reached 419 million units in the second quarter of 2012, a 2.3 percent decline from the second quarter of 2011, according to Gartner, Inc. Smartphone sales accounted for 36.7 percent of total mobile phone sales and grew 42.7 percent in the second quarter of 2012. “Demand slowed […]
The slipping economic growth rate has started showing in the recruitment numbers, according to the latest numbers released by India’s biggest recruitment firm Naukri.com. The July numbers showed a decline in hiring in sectors that depend on domestic demand, instead of catering to the foreign markets. Sectors that showed a slowdown include banking, oil and […]
The recent slashing of 3G tariffs by leading operators such as Bharti Airtel, Vodafone and Idea led to a doubling of data usage in just one month, Nokia Siemens Networks, which runs nearly 30% of India’s mobile networks, said. About two months ago, Indian operators had cut the price of 1 GB of 3G data […]
The electronic and IT manufacturers of India have raised issue with the government on rising “inspector raj” in the implementation of India’s new e-waste rules. India put in place new rules to handle e-waste — the toxic residue of items such as mobile phones, computers, TV and printers — in May this year. The new […]
As the fight over CAG’s report on coal allocation intensifies, one of the prominent industry associations, has justified the government’s decision to allot coal blocks at cheap rates to big corporations. Assocham, some of whose members may be among the beneficiaries of the government policy, said the allocation of cheap coal helped keep input prices […]
The India application development (AD) software market is expected to grow 22.6% this year to reach more than $227 million, according to IT market research firm Gartner, Inc. Application development is one of the biggest revenue drivers for Indian IT outsourcing companies. Many companies hand over the task of developing software applications to Indian companies, […]
World’s biggest social network Facebook has started telling users in India that they have to switch to Timeline, a new kind of profile page, by August 13. There had been various reports, dating back to February 2012, of an impending forced switchover to Timeline, but users had so far been given the option of retaining […]
Nearly 55 per cent of young workforce engaged in India’s IT and ITES sector are stricken with lifestyle disorders due to unhealthy eating habits, hectic work schedules, tight deadlines, irregular and associated stress, according to a survey by industry association ASSOCHAM. The survey was carried out at Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad, Gurgaon, Noida and Pune between […]
Worldwide spending for IT outsourcing (ITO) services is on pace to reach $251.7 billion in 2012, a 2.1 percent increase from 2011 spending of $246.6 billion, according to the latest outlook by Gartner, Inc. India’s share of the total global outsourcing market (including BPO services) is estimated at about $88 billion, according to Nasscom. The […]
The following is the full text of Arvind Kejriwal’s letter to the followers of India Against Corruption and Anna Hazare in which he tries to answer those who have opposed Anna’s move to enter the political arena. Dear friends, There are mixed reactions at the end of Anshan. The general populace has welcomed our initiative […]
Bharti Airtel, India’s largest telecom firm, has cross the 20 crore (200 million) subscriber mark in a single country (India), one of a handful of companies in the world to do so. It has also become the fourth largest telecom firm in the World in terms of the number of subscribers. The 200 million customer […]
U.S. retail e-commerce sales rose for the eleventh consecutive quarter in April-June, online market tracker comScore, Inc. said, but added that it was cautious about the second half of the year. Online retail spending jumped 15 percent in the second quarter of 2012 to $43.2 billion, comScore said, registering the seventh consecutive quarter of double-digit […]
Its death sparked widespread outrage and cries for an alternative ‘life support’ system to keep it alive. Now, a year after it was supposed to be ‘moved on’ from, Gnome 2 is back on the latest edition of a (more or less) mainstream Linux distribution, Rosa. In a rather surprising move, the Russian company behind […]
The National Alliance of People’s Movements, the biggest umbrella organization of NGOs in India, has seized the opportunity of the government fixing new 2G spectrum rates to hit back at the detractors of India’s Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG). In a statement released on Sunday, the NAPM, which includes activists like Medha Patkar and Saraswati […]
A 2009 US diplomatic cable leaked by Wikileaks has exposed how Pakistani leaders had to practically beg the US ambassador for money to carry out basic functions such as providing education and drinking water to its people last year. The cable written by US ambassador to Pakistan Anne Patterson shows Pakistani finance minister Shaukat Tarin […]
The newly formed Congress government in Kerala seems to be heading for a controversy that has an uncanny similarity to the CVC PJ Thomas episode at Centre. While the Congress-led government at the Centre appointed a corruption accused as the chief of India’s anti-corruption body, in Kerala, the days old Congress-led government has appointed an […]
The decision by the Joint Parliamentary Committee to ascertain the ‘loss of revenue’ due to a shift in telecom policy 12 years ago is likely to open another can of statistical worms. The move is also likely to be aimed at obfuscating the core issue of a minister manipulating existing policy for favoring a handful […]
The 1.9 million tonne cement plant and captive power plant being set up by Nirma near the Coast in Gujarat is likely to be forced to relocate after the environment ministry’s expert committee upheld the findings of a small expert fact-finding mission. In its recommendations — published by the environment ministry a few hours ago […]
