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Tango hopes that the waterproof radio will enjoy the same success as the
Wind-Up Radio. The H20 was invented by Vivian Black, a former director of Freeplay Energy Group, which helped turn Trevor Baylis’s Wind-UP
Radio into a commercial success in the 1990s. Mr Blick, who is now Tango’s managing director, said: “Having seen huge
success with the commercialisation of the Wind-Up Radio, we were constantly looking into new ways that further innovations in the radio
sector could be made. Source: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news
India's IT spend to hit $79.8 bn in 2012
Mumbai November 24, 2011: Information technology (IT) spending in India is projected to touch
$79.8 billion in 2012, a 9.1 per cent rise over the spending of $73.1
billion in 2011, according to Gartner. Gartner's forecast shows IT spending worldwide would amount to nearly
$3.7 trillion in 2011, and emerging economies would account for $1.013 trillion. India is the ninth-largest economy in the world, and the pace of
economic growth in India has brought the role of IT into the forefront
for many enterprises. The telecommunications market is the largest IT segment in India, with
IT spending forecast to reach $54.7 billion in 2012, followed by the IT services market, with spending of $11.1 billion. The computing hardware
market in India is projected to touch $10.7 billion in 2012, and software spending would touch $3.2 billion. Source: Business Standard
Consumers will not have to pay roaming charges
New Delhi, October 30, 2011: Consumers will not have to pay roaming charges and mobile number
portability will be available nationwide under a new telecom policy draft released by communications minister Kapil Sibal earliar this week.
The policy envisages a "one nation-one licence" regime: companies will
not have to apply for separate licences in every circle/service area and users will not have to pay roaming charges. A single licence will do
across all the 22 service areas in the country. The policy will allow mobile operators to share, pool and trade
spectrum. Spectrum will, in fact, be delinked from licences in future
and priced at market value. In the existing policy, start-up spectrum of 4.4 MHz
with the licence.
PSLV-C18 puts four satellites in orbit
Sriharikota, October 13, 2011: India's Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-C18) demonstrated its
reliability and consistency yet again when it put four satellites in
orbit with aplomb on Wednesday. The satellites were: Megha- Tropiques, an
Indo- French mission to study the weather and climate in the tropical regions of the world;
SRMSat, built by students of SRM University, near Chennai; Jugnu, put together
by Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur students; and VesselSat from Luxembourg.
The fourth stage fired the four in orbit after 21 minutes of a flawless
flight, the 19th consecutive success of the PSLV, prompting P.S.
Veeraraghavan, Director, Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre, Thiruvananthapuram, to brand it a “Perfect Satellite Launch
Vehicle. Twenty-one scientific teams from several countries would use the
information for doing research on weather in the tropical countries.
World's cheapest tablet computer Aakash
NEW DELHI October 5, 2011 (Reuters):
India unwraps the world's cheapest tablet computer on Wednesday, the 5th October 2011 to be sold to students at
the subsidised price of $35 to expand digital access in connectivity.
The device called Aakash will initially be available in a pilot run of 100,000 units before being
rolled out to millions of students over the next few months. "Soon, a $35 computer will be made available to every child in school.
The tablet shall help enhance the quality of learning of children," Telecoms and Education Minister Kapil Sibal told reporters last week.
The tablet launched by the minister and DataWind, the small British-based company that developed
it. The expected price tag is 1,750 rupees.
India test fires nuclear-capable Prithvi-II missile
Bhubaneswar, September 26, 2011 (IANS): India Monday test fired its indigenously
developed nuclear capable ballistic missile Prithvi-II off the Orissa coast, defence sources said. The missile was blasted off from the Integrated Test Range at
Chandipur, about 230 km from here. The medium-range missile, which can carry a
pay-load of 500 kg, has a maximum range of 350 km. India had successfully test fired its surface-to-surface ballistic
missile Shourya from same test base..
India on the verge of new telecom revolution: Sibal
NEW DELHI, September 7, 2011: Union Communications and Information Technology (IT) Minister
Kapil Sibal said India is on the cusp of a new telecom revolution, which will open up new
opportunities for industry and consumers alike. Sibal said that the country today was able to achieve a
telecommunication revolution due to the intelligent policy-making in the beginning of this century.
Addressing a conference here, Sibal said: "We had a telecom revolution on the
basis of a policy framework that was set out in the beginning of this century. A decade later, we are at the cusp of a new telecom revolution
and this telecom revolution that will happen, and it will open up new opportunities
not only for industry but also for the consumers." He further said that the new era of telecommunication revolution would
usher in enormous opportunities for Indian industry and content providers in the education sector as the present major players like
Google will be unable to meet the rising demands. "I don't think Google will be able to produce content for 200 million
children, who go to school.
"I think content providers will do that. So I think whereas Google and
Facebook will have areas to operate, there are enormous opportunities for Indian industry and Indian content providers to actually use the
network," he added. Currently, around seven percent of Indians are connected to the Web, but
81 million web users will multiply more than fivefold to reach 450 million by 2015.
Scientists design robots that walk on water
Washington, August 2, 2011 (IANS): An aquatic microrobot can walk or run on water, mimicking the amazing
abilities of the ‘water strider’ - a long legged insect that effortlessly skims across pond and lakes surfaces.
The bionic bot is a vast improvement over previous devices of this kind
that position it as a prime candidate for military spy missions, water
pollution monitoring and other applications, the scientists say.
Even though the microrobot weighs as much as 390 water striders, it does
not sink when placed on water, but stands, walks and runs effortlessly
on its surface, the journal Applied Materials & Interfaces reports.
“Walking on the water surface is a dream of humans, but it is exactly
the way of life for some aquatic insects,” says Zhejiang University
associate professor of chemical engineering Qinmin Pan, who has achieved this rare feat.
Other scientists have made tiny aquatic devices based on the water
strider. But until now, no one has found a way to make water—walking
robots that are practical, agile, and inexpensive, according to a Zhejiang statement.
The new robot has a body about the size of a quarter; 10 water—repellent, wire legs; and two movable,
oar—like legs — propelled by two miniature motors.
Pluto’s Fourth Moon Discovered
July 21, 2011: NASA discovered a fourth moon revolving around the icy planet,
Pluto. The fourth moon, named P4 for now was discovered by the Hubble space telescope. P4 is said to be the
smallest moon measuring just 21 miles in diameter. The largest moon, Charon is some 648 miles in diameter.
This is great news for NASA, as one of their latest missions New
Horizons is scheduled to pass by Pluto in 2015. Scientists believe that
the moons revolving Pluto were formed by a collision of some foreign
object with the planet. The moon, P4 was first detected by one of Hubble’s Wide Field cameras on 28th June, 2011. When more photos were
taken by Hubble on the 3rd and 18th of July, it was confirmed that it
was in fact, a moon. NASA hopes to get a closer look at P4, in 2015
Pluto and its moons are roughly some 5 million miles away. The ability
to see objects that far using the Hubble telescope is truly amazing.
Even though the telescope has been in operation for long and has been
used to discover objects beyond our solar system, it’s impressive to
find new bodies still being discovered within our solar system.
Internet Body Opens Way For New Domain Names
SINGAPORE, June 20, 2011: The organization that regulates the
world's Internet domain names Monday, the 20th June 2011 approved changes that will allow
companies and individuals to potentially register any name they like in almost any language as domain
suffixes, a step that could change the way users navigate the Web.
Not-for-profit Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, known as
ICANN, said the aim for a much more open, albeit infinitely
messier, approach to domain name registration will spur a new rush of innovation.
An identifying suffix--currently limited to predominantly two or three-letter tags such as .com, .org or
.uk --could also be a helpful branding tool for corporations, especially banks keen to boost
their online security credentials. It may also provide entrepreneurs an
opportunity to generate new business by selling second-level domains.
"This may be the dawn of a new age of online innovation in the domain
name space....the Internet's addressing system has just been opened up
to the limitless possibilities of human imagination and creativity,"
said ICANN Chief Executive Rod Beckstrom to media.
India to launch 12 foreign satellites in next two years
Bangalore, June 2, 2011 (IANS) India has bagged multi-million dollar contracts
to launch 12 foreign satellites in the lower orbit from its spaceport
over the next two years, a top space agency official said Wednesday.
'Through our commercial arm Antrix Corporation, we have received orders
from Canada, Indonesia, Germany and other European countries to launch a
dozen satellites in the sun-synchronous orbit during the next two years,' state-run Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) Chairman K.Radhakrishnan told reporters here.
Of the 12 satellites, four are from Canada, two each from Indonesia and
Germany and one from Luxembourg. The remaining three spacecraft are from universities in Europe.
' We have an order from Germany to launch an 800-kg dedicated satellite
(N-Map) for environmental studies. The other satellites, weighing between 80-100 kg will be launched on board our polar satellite launch
vehicles (PSLVs) as additional payloads along with Indian communications
or remote-sensing satellites,' an Antrix official said. Antrix is also in negotiations with France to launch a remote sensing
satellite (EnMAP) in the lower orbit. India has already launched a total of 26 foreign satellites during the
past decade for various countries, including Germany, Italy, Israel,
Korea and Singapore.
Mega satellite GSAT-8 successfully put into transfer orbit
Bangalore, May 21, 2011 (IANS): Country's mega geo-stationary satellite GSAT-8 was successfully deployed
in an elliptical geo-synchronous transfer orbit on early Saturday by the
Ariane-VA-202 rocket, an official of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) said. "The 3.1-tonne satellite was injected in the
GTO 31 minutes after it was launched at 0211 IST and separated from the rocket's upper
stage at 1,800 km above earth," the official of the state-run space agency said.
Earlier, the rocket lifted off successfully from the Kourou spaceport in
French Guiana off the South American coast with two other payloads.
Ariane-V of Arianespace belongs to the European Space Agency consortium.
The Indian spacecraft carries 24 high-power Ku-band transponders for
direct-to-home (DTH) services provided by state-run and private broadcasters.
The space agency's master control facility (MCF) at Hasan, about 180 km
from Bangalore, started receiving the signals from GSAT-8 within minutes
after it entered the geo-synchronous transfer orbit (GTO). The MCF also took command and control of the heavy satellite.
The satellite will be gradually put into the 36,000-km geosynchronous
orbit over the next couple of days and its antenna and solar panels will
be deployed.
India ranks 14th in Internet freedom
New Delhi, April 26, 2011: In its latest report on the state of internet, *Freedom House*, an
organisation that conducts research and advocacy on democracy, political
freedom and human rights, *India ranks 14th* among 37 countries that
were assessed on the basis of free and unrestricted access to the web.
The report gives a score from 0 (the most free) to 100 (the least free),
which serves as the basis for an internet freedom status designation of
Free (0-30 points), Partly Free (31-60 points), or Not Free (61-100).
Ratings are determined through an examination of three broad categories:
obstacles to access, limits on content and violation of user rights.
India successfully launches three satellites into space
Sriharikota, April 21, 2011: India has successfully launched a rocket into space carrying three
satellites, officials say.The trouble-free launch was in contrast to a major setback in December
when a satellite launch vehicle blew up and fell into the Bay of Bengal.
The Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) had a smooth lift-off and deployed the satellites in orbit around 820km (500 miles) above Earth.
Staff at the launch pad in Andhra Pradesh cheered as the rocket took off.
The main satellite in the launch from the Sriharikota space centre was
the remote-sensing Resourcesat-2, which will study the impact of humans on the earth's natural resources.
The rocket also carried a joint Indian and Russian satellite for stellar
and atmospheric studies as well as an imaging orbiter built by the Singapore-based Nanyang Technological University.
Correspondents say the jubilation among technicians and scientists which
greeted Wednesday's launch was starkly in contrast to events in December
- when a satellite launch vehicle blew up and fell into the Bay of Bengal live on television after it veered from its intended flight path.
Dhanush, Pritivi-II successfully test-fired in Orissa
Balasore (Orissa), March 13, 2011 : Strengthening its missile prowess, India on Friday
successfully test-fired two indigenously developed, nuclear-capable ‘Dhanush’ and ‘Prithvi-II’ ballistic missiles, both having 350 km strike
range, from separate locations off the Orissa coast. While ‘Dhanush’ was flight tested from naval vessel INS SUVARNA in the
Bay of Bengal, surface-to-surface ‘Prithivi-II’ ballistic missile was
test-fired within an hour from Launch Complex-3 of the Integrated Test
Range (ITR) at Chandipur-on-sea, about 15 km from here. “The flight tests were in text book fashion with the missiles reaching
the target points with high accuracy,” said ITR director S. P. Dash.
“All the radars and electro-optical systems located along the coast
tracked the missiles and monitored the parameters. The final event was
witnessed from a ship located near the impact point,” Dash said. Defence minister A. K. Antony congratulated all the DRDO scientists,
technicians and the armed forces for the successful tests. The tests were part of regular training exercise involving the missiles
which are under production after successful completion of developmental
trials. They have already been inducted by the armed forces, said a Defence Research Development Organisation (DRDO) scientist.
“Both Dhanush and Prithvi missiles were launched by the Strategic Force
Command as part of the regular user training exercise. The missiles were
taken from the storage depots and launched,” said a senior defence official.
The two missiles were test-fired within five days of the successful demonstration of Ballistic Air Defence Missile System on 6 March, 2011,by
DRDO. “The series of successful launches have boosted the morale of scientists
and armed forces. The missiles have been integrated under the supervision of Missile Systems Quality Assurance Agency (MSQAA),” a DRDO release said.
Launch operations of both the missiles were monitored by director,
DRDL, P. Venugopalan, Dash, Programme director, V. L. N. Rao and a number of DRDO scientists.
Scientific advisor to defence minister and DRDO chief V. K. Saraswat was present at ITR, Balasore.
Chandrayaan found water on moon, Nasa confirms
MUMBAI, February 16, 2011: In a major development relating to India's moon mission, Nasa's Hubble Space Telescope , one
of the most powerful space observatories in the world, has confirmed the
discovery of water on the moon by Chandrayaan-1. The discovery was made by Chandra Altitudunal Composition Explorer
(CHACE) on the night of November 14, 2008. The CHACE was one of the
three instruments on board Chandrayaan-1's indigenous Moon Impact Probe
(MIP).The HST was launched in 1990 by Nasa space shuttle Discovery. HST's confirmation was announced recently by the American Astronomical
Society which was made public on Saturday. It is a major boost to India's space programme.
Cognizant to hire 25,000 people in 2011
Kolkata January 19, 2011 : Nasdaq-listed information technology (IT) company Cognizant Technology
Solutions (CTS) plans to recruit another 25,000 people in 2011. CTS, which follows the calendar year as the accounting period, recruited
25,000 people in 2010 too, as it expanded its verticals and focused on
new geographies. "While it is tough to make exact estimates at present, we are looking at
recruiting numbers comparable to, if not more than last year's," said R Chandrasekaran, president and managing director of CTS.
He was speaking to reporters after inaugurating the company's second
campus in Kolkata. After completion, the facility will be able to house
16,000 IT professionals. At present, CTS has 8,000 employees in Kolkata.
The new campus is one of the company?s two major campuses. The other one
is in Chennai and it can house 15,000 people. CTS has about 100,000 employees across the country.
The Chennai-headquartered company, which spent $180 million on
infrastructure development, both in terms of campus development and leasing space for footprint expansion, is also looking at new regions to
expand its reach. It also wants to reduce reliance on the North American
market, due to growing protectionism and increasing levels of saturation. Source: Business Standard |
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Dhanush, Pritivi-II successfully test-fired in Orissa
Water on Moon
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