First Monorail car launched in mumbai

Engineering major Larsen & Toubro and Malaysia’s Scomi Group are expected to commission the first phase of Mumbai Monorail, India’s first such system, by the end of this year. The Rs 2,460-crore project, an initiative of the Mumbai Metropolitan Regional Development Authority (MMRDA), is a modern urban transport system where cars move on a single beam in an elevated corridor. The project involves design, construction, installation, testing and commissioning from Wadala and Chembur via Mahul (approximately 9 km) in Phase I and Gadge Maharaj Chowk to Wadala (approximately 11 km) in Phase II. “Phase I is expected to be completed and commissioned by this year-end. The second phase is expected to be completed by December 2011,” L&T’s Executive Vice-president and Head — Corporate Initiatives, Shailendra Roy said. He was speaking at the monorail’s trial run, which was attended by Maharashtra Chief Minister. “The second phase of the monorail is expected to be completed next year. About three to three-and-a-half-lakh commuters, mainly the city’s working class, will benefit from this air-conditioned transport system,” Chavan said. The two routes will have 15 sets of four-car trains plying at each station after every four minutes. Each coach can accommodate up to 130 persons and is the latest version of the monorail coaches that ply in Kuala Lumpur. “The project is being implemented on a lump sum turnkey  basis. L&T and Scomi will be responsible for operations and maintenance for the next three years, after which the maintenance contract may be extended or MMRDA could take over,” Roy said. PTI

Videocon launches the Mobile Phones

You might have already seen The new Videocon logo and advertisements in TV and Newspapers. Videocon which is a well known consumer brand in India is now selling mobile phones too under the brand name of Videocon Mobile Phones . If you are in Tamil Nadu-Chennai, Andhra Pradesh,Pondicherry and Mumbai you can buy Videocon Mobiles

The handset offering consists of a wide range of user friendly phones which are also feature rich  like

• Basic phones
• FM Radio Phones
• Dual SIM phones
• MP3
• Camera
• Multimedia
• Touchscreen Windows mobile phones

The handsets are expected to be in a price range of Rs.1600 to Rs.18500.

Speaking at the launch, Mr. Anil Khera, CEO, Videocon Mobile Phones, said: “We take immense pride in launching our phones, which have strong characters and unique style.  This is in keeping with our attention to detail and uncompromising quality for our products.  We shall leverage the strengths of the Videocon brand in delivering products and services to customers and partners by adding value to the products through the creative design that gives an attractive look and feel on the handset along with total quality management.”

Nokia which is the leader in the indian  mobile handset market is seeing stiff competition from other brands like Samsung and regional players. Now Videocon is the latest entrant to the league after Spark Mobiles which entered the Indian market last month.  Choice is always good for a consumer. But what about Brand Image and Customer Service ?  Videocon is betting big on the Indian handset market and is aiming for a Pan-India sales network. Having been in the Consumer Electronics business It should be fairly easy for Videocon get their own share of the booming handset market in the country.

2010 Year Of Smart Phones

will perhaps be remembered as the day on which the smartphone evolved into what Google is now calling the superphone! On Tuesday, Google unveiled the worst kept secret on Internet: a brand new cell phone, designed by Google and manufactured by HTC, called Nexus One.

Nexus One represents the next frontier in the company's $20bn core business of selling advertising through search and is its first direct foray into the handset market. It runs on the Web giant's Android OS (joining 20 other devices) and has put Google on a collision course with Apple's iPhone, RIM's Blackberry and various other smartphones.

Currently, it is only available in the US but will be sold shortly in Europe, Hong Kong and Singapore. The wait could be a little longer for Indian enthusiasts.

Due to meltdown, the overall sales for mobile phones remained flat in Q3 2009. However, smartphone sales continued to grow by nearly 15% as they have, ever since the market was redefined by Apple's iPhone. As per estimates, smartphones have now become the new laptops and will capture 37% of the global market by 2014, a leap from 16% in 2009.

Google's emergence as a retailer is an escalation in the budding power struggle between Apple and Google, as both view the mobile market as a key to their continued success.

Analysts are expecting that Nexus One will lead to an annual 100% growth in Google's mobile ad revenue worth $75 million, because of better control over the Android and mobile search environment.

Gradually, all the market players will be willing to join hands with Google for the sake of market efficiencies. However, in order to truly transform the mobile market and achieve its ultimate goal of selling maximum ads, Google will have to find ways to innovate. It will have to play around with its marketing and manufacturing strategies.

It can bring out a smartphone-starter plan, offering a cheaper data plan to attract the I-don't-need-a-smartphone crowd. Google should mainly aim to provide low-cost, uncontrolled devices with low-cost connections, as this would mean more people using its software and seeing its ads, even if that phone is made by Motorola, Nokia or even Apple.

Volkswagen unveils 'Polo' at Auto Expo

Volkswagen finally unveiled one of the highly anticipated launches at the Auto Expo, the Polo. The 'European Car of the Year 2009' will be powered by both petrol and diesel 1.2 litre engines.Volkswagen finally unveiled one of the highly anticipated launches at the Auto Expo, the Polo. The 'European Car of the Year 2009' will be powered by both petrol and diesel 1.2 litre engines.
Paired to the engines will be a 5-speed manual gear box while the car will be available in three trim levels Trendline, Comfortline and will ride on 15" alloy wheels.
On the safety and equipment front the hatch seems to have got all ends locked with Dual Airbags, ABS, an electronic Anti-theft immobilizer, a CD MP3 Player changer with 4 speakers and height adjustable driving seats being a few of the features on offer.The interior is equipped with storage compartment in front doors for 1 litre Bottles, sunglass storage inside glove box, single folding rear seat backrest and the dashboard are proof of the sure instinct of high design quality which interprets the classic elements of the Polo in a contemporary way.
In exteriors too, the new Polo offers body coloured bumpers with green tinted heat absorbing glass, halogen headlights and galvanized Body with 6 years Anti Corrosion Warranty.
While gearing up to start the Polo Cup racing series, Volkswagen also showcased the Race Polo featuring a 1.6 litre common rail diesel engine, which will commence in India with the inaugural race event on June, 2010.

Speaking about the showcasing of the new Polo, Prof. Dr. Jochem Heizmann, Member of the Board of Management, Volkswagen A.G said, 'The Volkswagen brand plays an important role in our success story. The new Polo is a key player in our ongoing strategy. It is an outstanding model in the exceptional range of the Volkswagen Group.'
He further added 'The Polo stands for German engineering and top technology. It is a lively young and cosmopolitan car. This particular model has been designed with the expectations and wants of our customers in mind, making the Polo a new benchmark in the compact segment and even creating its own class –the Polo class' he concluded. (Content courtesy: autodrive.in)

Google PowerMeter the next big thing?

To save money, emissions and indulge my inner geek, I’ve tested the Google Powermeter – and it has not been an entirely pleasant experience.

Not content with dominating the way we send email, find information and navigate the real world, Google now hopes to manage your home’s energy use. In the spirit of saving some money, emissions and indulging my inner geek, I signed up to see whether its Powermeter really is the future. For the past two months, the software—which arrived in the UK in November—has been tracking and broadcasting to a web page how much electricity my early-20th-century, three-bedroom terraced house consumes. It’s not been an entirely pleasant experience. While I had it setup in 10 minutes —using a small hub and sensor from British company AlertMe to plug into my web connection—seeing my electricity use on an iGoogle page alongside my email, news, RSS and other widgets was sometimes a scary reminder of our profligacy. Our house typically rests at around 150 watts running a computer, fridge and a couple of lights, but it’s not uncommon for that to jump up to more like 3kW (3,000 watts) with the washing machine and dishwasher running simultaneously. In December as a whole, the Powermeter graph reminded my daily, we used a shockingly high 370 kWh – but fortunately December’s also probably our highest month for energy use, because it’s one of the darkest and the one where we’re most frequently at home. Google Powermeter makes looking at your energy consumption almost fun – at least in comparison with deciphering cryptic energy bills. While you can download the raw data of your electricity use, a quick look at the baffling spreadsheet showed the importance of a meaningful interface such as Powermeter’s graphs. Interestingly, while I was trialling the service, Google dropped Powermeter’s comparison feature —where you can see how your use compares with US regional averages—because it felt homes varied between regions to the point of making comparisons meaningless. I’m inclined to agree. Usage for our three-bedroom terrace house was regularly described as very good and akin to a one-bedroom apartment, which doesn’t tell me much, except how high US domestic energy use is. I’ve also been trying British Gas’s new EnergySmart tariff, which gives you an energy monitor gadget and makes you submit monthly meter readings. Charles Arthur has reviewed a version of the monitor—he was impressed—but the most useful part of the tariff for me has been the financial incentive to save money on a month-by-month basis, knowing that each kWh saved will be reflected on that month's bank statement. Ultimately, the really interesting stuff for this technology will come when all this data gets shared socially – and results in the sharing of advice and the application of peer pressure to make people change their habits. While iGoogle and Powermeter doesn’t let you publish your energy use direct to Twitter or Facebook, AlertMe offers a personal “Swingometer” to post a basic image of your energy use on Facebook, Twitter or your blog. Meantime, the best way for most people to try an energy monitor—without spending £69 plus an ongoing £3 monthly subscription for AlertMe and Powermeter—will be to borrow one from their local library. A trial that started in Lewisham has since spread across the country, from libraries in Leicester and Brentwood to Cardiff and York. Not for the first time, old-fashioned institutions of learning could trump new-fangled technology and gadgets.

Universe may be seen in a new light by 2012

In another three years, the world will see the Universe’s splendour and its inherent majestic patterns from a completely new window when the Planck microwave observatory comes out with its results. “It will be a complete surprise. I dare not to even imagine,” Nobel laureate physicist James C Mather who first saw those grand designs two decades back, told Deccan Herald on the sidelines of the 97th Indian Science Congress here. Mather was one of the scientists who first analysed the data collected by the Cosmic Background Explorer (COBE) — the famous 1989 NASA satellite that provided clinching evidence in support of the Big Bang. The Universe is believed to have been originated from an enormous explosion, Big Bang, almost 13.7 billion years ago. The COBE results not only proved the all-pervasive presence of the cosmic microwave background (CMB) — the relics of the Big Bang — but gave the first clue on how the universe looked like in its early days. “When we presented the results in a scientific conference in the USA, we received a standing ovation,” recounted Mather, who received the Nobel Prize for the discovery in 2006. The research on understanding the universe in its early days, however, did not stop with the COBE. Second probe In 2001, NASA launched a second probe called WMAP — Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropic Probe — to look into the baby universe up and close. It is the WMAP that helped scientists fix the universe’s age at 13.7 billion years besides providing hints towards galaxy formation. But questions still linger on how the universe cooled so rapidly within such a relatively short time creating small galaxies, which later combined to form the larger clusters. Stars like the Sun and planets such as the Earth were born from those galaxies. But scientists do not have much clue on the nitty-gritty of the formation. That is why the European Space Agency launched Planck observatory in May, 2009, to measure the CMBR with much more sensitivity. The detectors, on board, the Planck observatory are looking for variations in the temperature of the CMB that are about a million times smaller than one degree — a feat comparable to measuring from Earth the body heat of a rabbit sitting on the moon. The first light survey for the Planck observatory was completed in August, 2009, giving astronomers high hopes because of its excellent data quality. Within its operational life of 15 months, Planck will be able to gatherdata for two full, independent all-sky maps, which will be studied with great detail for two years. The results from the Planck are expected towards the end of 2012.

‘Self-driven’ cars to soon be a reality on streets

Imagine owning a car that does all the driving while you sit back and relax. Your fantasy seems to be getting closer to reality, thanks to scientists who are designing such a ''self-drive'' vehicle.

A European team claims to be working on such a fantasy car which can drive itself -in fact, tests would start next year on such vehicles that “drive themselves” and could be on roads within 10 years, The Daily Telegraph reported. Co-ordinated by a UK company, the European Union project is called Safe Road Trains for the Environment and it involves a “carpooling” roadtrain theory for use.  The roadtrain would consist of six to eight vehicles whose occupants would be able to relax, read the paper or chat on mobiles while travelling; this’ll be possible as their cars would be equipped with a navigation system and a transmitter unit that communicates with the lead vehicle, say scientists. This lead vehicle—possibly a taxi a bus or a —will drive “normally” and effectively “do the motoring” for the rest of the roadtrain. Drivers approaching their destination will take over control of their own vehicle, leave the convoy by exiting off to the side and then continue on their own to their respective destinations. The other vehicles in the roadtrain close the gap and continue on their way until the convoy splits up. The road trains increase safety and reduce environmental impact, thanks to lower fuel consumption compared with the cars being driven individually, the scientists say. The reason is that the cars in the train are close to each other, exploiting the resultant lower air drag. The energy saving is expected to be in the region of 20 per cent. Road capacity will be able to be utilised efficiently. The Sartre project will be conducted for three years on test tracks in the UK, Spain and Sweden and eventually on public roads in Spain.

A Glass of Milk [wonderful story]

One day, a poor boy who was selling goods from door to door to pay his way through school, found he had only one thin dime left, and he was hungry.

He decided he would ask for a meal at the next house. However, he lost his nerve when a lovely young woman opened the door.

Instead of a meal he asked for a drink of water! She thought he looked hungry so brought him a large glass of milk. He drank it so slowly, and then asked, How much do I owe you?"

You don't owe me anything," she replied. "Mother has taught us never to accept pay for a kindness."

He said ... "Then I thank you from my heart."

As Howard Kelly left that house, he not only felt stronger physically, but his faith in God and man was strong also. He had been ready to give up and quit.

Many year's later that same young woman became critically ill. The local doctors were baffled. They finally sent her to the big city, where they called in specialists to study her rare disease.

Dr. Howard Kelly was called in for the consultation. When he heard the name of the town she came from, a strange light filled his eyes.

Immediately he rose and went down the hall of the hospital to her room.

Dressed in his doctor's gown he went in to see her. He recognized her at once.

He went back to the consultation room determined to do his best to save her life. From that day he gave special attention to her case.

After a long struggle, the battle was won.

Dr. Kelly requested the business office to pass the final bill to him for approval. He looked at it, then wrote something on the edge, and the bill was sent to her room. She feared to open it, for she was sure it would take the rest of her life to pay for it all. Finally she looked, and something caught her attention on the side of the bill. She read these words ...

"Paid in full with one glass of milk"

(Signed) Dr. Howard Kelly. 

MORAL OF THE STORY: Be kind and helpful! You never know what your kindness and helping nature will get you back.