Chevrolet is running an ad campaign for promoting the launch of 2013 Spark, branded as Beat in India. Hatchback cars are not so popular in USA, however the launch campaign seems pretty impressive and General Motors seems to have designed the ad campaign as "we are importing our export" and loved by lot of car enthusiasts, I can certainly vouch for that claim!
Check out this infographic which compares Chevrolet Spark with a mid sized 1973 sedan from USA, which is an attempt to change the image of "bigger the better" which applies to car buying trend which consumers in USA have stuck to for quiet long time.
I saw another promotional content on GM Canada portal which reads as "The World through the Windshield of a Mini-Car" which has a high-res image outlining global presence of Chevrolet's Spark in various countries. Link to this page here
I liked the front grill design of the 2013 Spark and the infotainment features that come equipped with the new model brings in additional appeal to the futuristic design of this car which is still fresh, hope Chevy thinks about a pepped up version for Indian markets to soon, and yes the new alloys are definitely drool worthy.
Check out the advertisement campaign uploaded by Chevrolet on their YouTube channel
For those who do not know that an Indian version of James Bond existed in the comics world apart from the alternate avatar of the most loved spy seen during 80's in some notable Hindi movies and other B and C grade movies. My dad used to tell me about the thrill youngster's got going to a bond movie in those single screen cinemas during his teenage days, was not just limited to watching his dare devilry on screen, but also catching a glimpse of kissing and intimate scenes, a role played by flowers in hindi movies.
India Book House with Star comics had one of the versions of bond comics, down south there were some other publishers who had got rights to original illustrations which they translated into their own version of hilarious English which is worth reading through, the queen could have punished bond for such blasphemy.
Check out this link from iO9.com which shares some of these comic strips of James Bond, I could think of some hindi dubbed bond flicks which could equally match up with cheesy dialogues in comparison to these comics.
A documentary feature that assesses the possibility of an asteroid hitting the earth in next 30 years, NASA acknowledges that this kind of danger does exist for earth, can we survive a catastrophe which would be caused by such impact?
Check out a set of pictures made by French artists in 1899 put up a collection of interesting concepts imagining the future of transport 100 years down the line.
The last time I knew of doctor community getting irked was by some remarks made by Aamir Khan on his TV show "Satyamev Jayate", which raised some uncomfortable questions on the ethics and morality of this profession, I happened to read this piece on a claim of similar nature made by technology evangelist of Silicon valley, Vinod Khosla the co-founder of Sun microsystems.
Vinod was sharing his views on a summit hosted by a health care company, he quoted that machines with large data sets and computing capabilities have the potential to touch 80% accuracy of a doctor, rendering health care not just affordable but also more accurate, he went to the extent of saying maybe one day we may not need a doctor!
He was probably signalling to the theory of vested interest of business community that somewhere drives the profit in health care would control the level at which affordability can be brought to masses and in similar comparison he has given his view on hybrid cars, which he feels do not give an option of clean transportation alternative, and the source of energy behind is still coming from resources we are already abusing.
These comments from Vinod Khosla have not gone well with the medical community and probably would continue to be debated in different forms, read more about this article here, however do you think technology can overturn the so called "dark side" of medical profession?
Virgin group collaborated with Liquid comics and Grant Morrison to create a web series and possibly a 2 hour animation feature based on Mahabharata, after B.R.Chopra spun his magic with the televised version of this epic saga, no other television adaption came close to the first version.
Unfortunately apart from the hardcover version of MBX book which is still available on Amazon, I could not locate the DVD and web episode related updates post 2008, when this series was announced at comic con. It was supposed to be a psychedelic Indian version of The Lord of the Rings with Star Wars technology, This new version of the Mahabharata was set in fantastic, mythic time, at
the end of the Dwapara Yuga (Copper Age) and the beginning of the
fallen, corrupt Kali Yuga, the Age of Iron.
Only reason this project could have faltered is mostly due to the buy out of Virgin group's comics division by Liquid Comics, YouTube still has the teaser trailer of this series. I hope some animation studio thinks of reviving this project because a story like Mahabharata needs to be retold to the current generation as it is not short on the drama, but a little magic of CGI and exciting action would make it more appealing.
Buchan group showcased a projection mapping system during Vivid Sydney event this year which is a sub aquatic light sculpture called sub|version that creates stunning projectile moving images in the water, read more about this here and check out the video below. The character floating in the water looks more like a silver surfer.
Skynet was the earliest concept on self aware machines imagined via Terminator movie series, The web has being carrying years of online data which is enough to feed a virtual AI system with this collection of our online experience that would mirror the behavior of our society as a whole in a parallel bot univerese if brought to life.
Our social networks also are profiling user activity to create a complex adaptive system for bots to learn from this social chatter we have built, which may allow them to gain identity, make friends and develop relationships.
Pepsi is also experimenting with a "Social Vending Machine" that would allow you to gift a drink to a friend and this machine would also give free drinks to strangers as a random act of freshness, read more about this here.
On a similar note VMware is also working on the SocialCast enterprise social network which would facilitate adoption of social media technology to corporate data environment, read more about this i detail from an article on TechCrunch. Do you think Social Network's could prove to be the missing human link towards enriching an AI system that would one day power the dream of robotics and future as we have seen in movies?
Le Derp seems to be locked into some habit of losing out on clicking photographic moments, however he now has the latest Android Smart Camera, would things change?
Galaxy Note 2 unpacked event started with clear emphasis on unleashing creativity with the new "phablet" touted as the next stage of this revolutionary mobile device, It certainly is going to be fastest mobile device in market when released.The magic wand that was visible on the unpacked event symbol turned out to be the new S-Pen for Galaxy Note 2.
So what have we got?
Galaxy note looks more sleek and similar in design to Galaxy S3, it comes with HD super AMOLED screen of 5.5 inch size, 9.4mm thin and weighs 180 gm, colors available at launch would be marble white and titanium grey. Galaxy Note 2 is scheduled for October 2012 launch.
Processing specs pack the sweetest deal, 1.6 GHz quad core processor which comes with 2 GB RAM and Android Jellybean OS version 4.1, great news is that Samsung has acknowledged that existing Galaxy Note users also would be able to upgrade to Jelly Bean OS very soon.
Galaxy Note 2 would have a 3100mAh battery which is claimed to have better power management and the presenter on stage was pretty confident about it which is an encouraging sign! S-pen also has being improved for performance with 1024 levels of pressure sensitivity included on a 8mm S-Pen providing better precision on handwriting recognition, ease of writing and improved grip.
Notable features shown:
Airview feature - Allows you to preview content without opening app, just by hovering S-pen over the content, gallery display also compatible with the airview. You can also hover the S-Pen on time line of video track to view a video from where you want to see it, it is definitely a handy feature IMO.
Pop up note - Perfect solution for moments when you do not find a pen and paper, while you are on a call and you would want to quickly jot down an address or a number, as you pull the S-Pen out it automatically invokes the S-Note tools, which is slightly irritating as you may not require S-Note tools always.
Idea Visualizer - Helps replace words with images, suggestion of pics automatically comes up. It also enables you to include your own expressions in the library. you can also change color scheme while writing with S-Pen with the toggle feature and flip images taken on your phone to write something down.Samsung is going to release S-Pen SDK 2.2 for developers to customize apps for S-Pen and it has already tied up with few notable app developers to take advantage of the improved S-Pen.
A much better showcase event I must say than the previous unpacked event which was over the top and bragging on S3 launch with "made for human's" tag that lead to eventual "sued by apple's" lawsuit, could sense a toned down show, short and sweet however spot on while highlighting key features of the products. Recent Galaxy S3 buyers are going to either fret about their choice or maybe put Galaxy Note II on the ignore list, but with such powerful specs. It remains to be seen how is Apple going to up match up to 2 powerful mobile devices, with Galaxy S3 again proving to be a runaway success and Galaxy Note II is just going to further strengthen the "phablet" segment.
Samsung has also announced a new range of iLuv accessories range for Galaxy Note 2, I liked the case with a transparent front screen which saves the hassle to put up a scratch guard
Samsung has put up a first Hands On video on their YouTube channel
A court room dispute that remained on top of the technology news marquee for few weeks now has finally come to an end with the verdict landing in favour of Apple, indicating that Samsung indeed was found breaching some patent rights, a sea of opinions and views have flowed in after this news came out.
Apple saw this judgement as an acknowledgement to the fight they have put up against not just Samsung but also with Android as an OS. Samsung commented on this verdict echoing a sympathetic sentiment indicating this was going to be a loss to consumers in the long run.
When I brought Apple iPad 2 on it's launching day in India last year, I was still stuck with Symbian OS on my Nokia N8 phone, my tryst with android had not begun yet. I felt there could be nothing better than this product in tablets for few years at least even if other manufacturers kept playing the catch up game, iPad is still ruling the tablet market, when I got my Samsung Galaxy SII, my experience with android began on sour note as I was still getting used to common pitfalls of switching to android like draining battery, phone heating up etc., however using an android phone made me realise that apple's iOS ecosystem was not suitable to my needs.
I am a heavy user of social media tools, curating web content on the go, blogging and a taste for sharing stuff around art and design because of which I view my mobile as an extension to my computing experience and I expect a portable device like a tablet to meet some of these requirements if not all, I started experiencing suffocation in Apple's walled garden, it feels good to stroll there for a while but very soon you realise that you are missing a bout of fresh air and I took the exit route as my iPad started gathering dust and I was hooked on to my Galaxy SII.
I agree to some extent on Apple's theory to limit data transfer options on their devices, allowing app downloads only via iTunes and other limitations put in place to minimize malicious content damaging portable computing devices. Google's play store is well known for housing malicious apps which raises data security risks. I missed some of the key features in iOS which I found useful on android like customization of home screen, ability to connect wireless/bluetooth mouse, ease of working with data/file transfer, some limited use of eye candy options like live wallpapers. Managing content curation was limited to few social apps in iOS, luckily by the time I started using my Galaxy Note after moving on from SII, app exclusivity started diminishing and we saw some famous apps like Instagram and Flipboard getting ported on Android this year.
In my opinion Apple started a revolution in mobile technology beginning with simplification and took a big leap forward on mobile OS interface and hardware design, while most mobile manufacturers were busy sticking to Symbian and Java based OS's banking heavily on the megapixel mania, producing Walkman phones etc. Apple actually brought smartphones to the right track when everyone else realized the need of the hour was to work on producing useful apps, It made some companies re-think their strategies from the scratch, a lot of them simply started copying Apple's approach towards mobile phone and tablet market growth.
At this stage of the lawsuit verdict coming out, I feel in the past 2 years Apple is still stuck to the guns it has being blazing all along, while Samsung has being riding high on the Android bazooka gnawing away significant share of the USA mobile OS segment, profitability still does not look good in comparison to what Apple is earning, probably Apple may be working hard in the background to maintain the momentum it has gained in all these years with no visible threat to iPad supremacy yet, It had to ensure other manufacturers did not dent their market share further because Google has being providing the right ammunition to mobile companies at all price segments, thus legal swords were just waiting to come out in the open.
Latest news on this feud is that Apple is going to demand ban on sales of Galaxy Note and Galaxy SIII in US, which indicates the so called 'Thermonuclear' battle against Android is not over yet.
Samsung and Google with other Android manufacturer's would definitely have to play safer with OS interface design, product features and hardware design, however I am still baffled on the logic of patents being awarded to Apple which kill competition threat up front and promote monopolistic advantage for a company, take a look at this clip from Matrix Revolutions and imagine Neo to be either Samsung or any other Android vendor and Agent Smith playing Apple, Google as the Deus Ex Machina. Maybe Samsung would have to wait for it's "it is done" moment. I thought of making this as a video meme, however it is best left to your imaginations!
A country with huge potential for exponential growth in e-commerce market is heading towards an unknown cliff which could lead to the collapse of this structure causing the entire hard work put in by brands which are still struggling to break even, go in vain. No one has pressed the panic button yet, however symptoms are showing up evidently now.
It's difficult to even keep a track of how many so called e-commerce brands are now opening online doors and shutting shop in India. Consumer durables and electronics laid the foundation of this shopping revolution, which sprawled across fashion, apparel, footwear, personal care etc. I have personally noticed that some portals are the right place to order products which maybe not available in India directly to purchase, niche products that may not find a place at the retail outlets are easy to buy online.
However when it comes to meeting consumer expectation on timely and safe delivery these portals are struggling to manage the game of logistics which is putting a heavy pressure on their margins and probably elongating their break even period further, making angel fund investor's backing such portals anxious and owners are finding it difficult to raise fresh round of funding at times.
In a crowd of approximately 1900 online retail portals, here's a look at an info graphic on Indian e-commerce market, also at an article from livemint.com which explains the current state of this industry.
Narendra Modi is going to host a face to face conversation with citizens of this country on 31st August via Google + hangout session which would be broadcasted Live. We have seen politicians abroad utilizing social media to connect with people.
Narendra Modi has being very much active on social media, this would a first kind of initiative by a politician in India interacting with people over a social media platform, check out the promotional campaign on YouTube in the video below.
I watched some part of this live Google hangout session on YouTube, must admit that as a public orator and motivator Narendra Modi is way better than Manmohan Singh who lacks the charisma and public presence to the office he is currently holding.
IMD was anticipating close to normal monsoon conditions for India and continued harping on this statement until August arrived and it finally realised overcast clouds had actually failed to pour and they would have to announce a partial drought condition in the country. Farmer's have already started committing suicide entering into a cycle of debt again, why do we need a MET department that is unable to study climate change trends that fails to help farmers in the country to prepare themselves for the worst. Advising farmers to change crop sowing pattern's is not going to help their cause. News channels are reporting drought conditions to be worse than 2009.
Let's check the whole series of prediction model goof up's :
Government machinery is still shooting down drought fears, however we are already aware of the poor storage and distribution network for food grains which allows middle men and traders to hoard foodgrains leading to a price rice condition which leads to high inflation situation that is left to RBI to solve, it's not just India but the entire global food chain that would probably witness food price rise.
Subsidies and relief packages would be announced for farmers and states, the end consumer would be left to battle market conditions and the blame game would then pass on to nature's hide and seek game on the already pressurised economic conditions, so don't expect RBI or government to come up with a relief tonic to the ongoing inflation disease, you can only hope for a consolation wish on the way - Happy Diwali !
I noticed a Maruti Alto car with this logo today while travelling to office today, I thought probably it would be some kind of CNG branding stuff by some firm into vehicle mods, however I was proved wrong when I checked out this product's website which has being developed in India, Pune by KPIT Cummins and Kalyani Bharat Forge and surprisingly has also got media coverage earlier this year. Both these companies have come up with a fuel efficient alternative to spruce up the battery power in your car with an additional motor installed as a kit that claims better fuel efficiency and cost savings for the car owner. USP targeted for this product is to convert your existing car into a fully functional hybrid vehicle. check out one of the video features below which explains how this product is going to work. Hatchback car models are surely going to loose some boot space and the basic cost quoted for a car like Alto is going to be around INR 65,000 and for sedan sized cars it may go beyond INR 1,25,000.
Do you think this product/service is going to be commercially viable? or the trend of skipping petrol cars in the favour of diesel cars going to continue in India. If this product does not cause any safety issues to the car with the kind of battery installation is shown in the video, I think it can work well with the Indian consumers and could probably emerge as a viable option to adopt hybrid car technology at affordable cost.
Check out this comprehensive video feature that details how you can convert your Android device into a full gaming console and enjoy the experience on your LCD/LED TV. I appreciate Android OS for such features that allow freedom of fiddling with the OS rather than the restricted environment in which Apple OS functions.
Gangs of Wasseypur 2 packs more raw action and actual dabang drama, It could turn out to be a landmark movie of our generation as a gritty celluloid saga which carries ensemble of impressive cast for the second movie as well, check out the uncensored trailer.
If you are an avid TV buff you can track and follow TRP ratings and program trends of Indian television shows from the above two websites, these websites have forums that allow discussion with fans alike.
Tourists visiting India now have an innovative way to familiarize themselves with Hindi language through the hinglish project which is India Incredible initiative. A font design that super imposes roman letter on hindi character, tries to make it easy for tourists to read and interpret the meaning hindi script, though it may not help completely to improve hindi speaking skills.
In my opinion it is still a good start to help tourists because Hindi is not primary language spoken across states and reading sign boards on highway and cities in local languages makes it more difficult. This ad below commissioned by DDB Mudra Group also won gold lion award at Cannes Lions 2012 function.
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