MUMBAI: South Korean consumer electronics major Samsung is bullish on the flat panel TV business in India, and is eyeing a 35 per cent market share in the segment that is expected to touch 50 lakh units in the current year.

The company which is present in India through its wholly- owned subsidiary, Samsung India Electronics, has a market share of around 30 per cent of the 38 lakh units of flat panel televisions in the country.

"We have over 30 per cent share in the business, which is more than the industry growth, and this year it should increase by five percentage points to 35 per cent," Samsung India Audio Video Business Vice-President Raj Kumar Rishi told reporters here.

The firm is also betting big on the LED TVs and expects to garner a market share of close to 40 per cent this year from 34 per cent in 2011.

"Consumers are showing a strong adoption of LED TVs. It has better technology, lower energy consumption and the better picture performance. We will also launch new products in LED and drive the transition from LCD to LED," Rishi said.

"Samsung's contribution to LED TVs is expected to grow to 70 per cent this year compared to 25 per cent sale of flat TVs in 2011," he added.

The company today launched its interactive smart TV priced at Rs 37,700 to Rs 2,73,000.

With the new launch, the company is targeting a market share of 65 per cent in this category.

Samsung also plans to sell 1.5 lakh units of smart TV units as their market is projected to reach 2.5 lakh units in 2012 as compared to over 1.1 lakh units in 2011.

 NEW DELHI: Schools in Delhi and Mumbai partner with Microsoft for cloud based service Microsoft Live@Edu, which provides them access to Microsoft's software and web applications.

After tying up with the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) for a mammoth deployment of its cloud based service Microsoft Live@Edu in around 10,000 colleges and institutes last month, Microsoft has now partnered with Indian schools like Delhi Public School, Mathura Road and KR Mangalam school in New Delhi and the American School of Bombay for the service.

Microsoft Live@Edu is a collaborative tool for students, faculty and alumni, that gives them access to Microsoft's Office Outlook Live for emails, Microsoft Office Live workspace for documents, the Windows Live Messenger for instant messaging, and Windows Live SkyDrive for an online storage space of 25 GB. "Microsoft Live@Edu enables school students to access a mailing platform from as early as class 2, " says Tarun Malik, Director, Marketing at Microsoft India. "It also allows them to access some of the most prominent software and web based applications like Power Point, and Excel for writing reports and analyzing data, which would make them future ready for all sorts of workplaces. Microsoft Office Outlook can create diverse user groups for students, faculty, parents and alumni, and can enable all of them to stay in touch with each other for life," he adds.

"The cost of deploying a school wide messaging solution, which would cover over 5,017 students, 220 teachers, and 52 administrators would not have been feasible because of the sheer cost of acquisition and maintenance. Microsoft Live@Edu brings the school at par with global institutions at no extra cost," M.I.Hussain, Principal of Delhi Public School Mathura Road said in a statement.

Microsoft had tied up with the All India Council of Technical Education last month for deploying the cloud based service in around 10,000 technical institutes and colleges. Over 7.5 million students, faculty and staff would have got access to the service with the tie up. "The tie up with AICTE was the largest in the world, and this service has the potential to create a substantial number of educational reforms for the students," says Malik.

If you've been unable to watch several videos online or access any top torrent file-sharing websites over the last few days, blame it on kolaveri.

All of India's major Internet Service Providers (ISPs) have blocked access to all leading torrent websites like The Pirate Bay and Torrent Reactor, and even video and link sharing ones like Vimeo, Dailymotion, Pastebin and Xmarks. This is based on a 'John Doe' injunction from the Madras High Court obtained by a film industry outfit in Chennai seeking protection against copyright violations of the Tamil film '3'. The film, somewhat ironically, came to national attention with its internet viral hit 'Why This Kolaveri Di'.

But the blocking of websites in India is overseen and handled by the Department of Electronics and Information Technology. Its CERT-IN wing, headed by Gulshan Rai, is tasked with working out the modalities of such action based on specific instructions. When contacted, Rai categorically told TOI that CERT-IN had not issued any directive to any ISP to block these websites based on the Madras High Court order.

The court order names all 15 of India's major ISPs but does not mention the websites. Airtel, one of India's largest ISPs, has stated to TOI that "access to certain sites has been blocked, pursuant to and in compliance with court orders", while officials at another major one, Reliance, refused to comment. But a source in the company confirmed a similar response. Last year, Reliance Entertainment had obtained a similar John Doe order when its films Don 2 and Singham were released, and its ISP had blocked several file-sharing websites for several days after.

Harish Ram of the Chennai-based Copyright Labs, which brought this case to court, said the list was drawn up to target "specific links and URLs on these sites that had violated copyright, not entire websites". He added that the move to get a John Doe injunction came after ISPs were seen to be taking too long to respond to producers' earlier 'takedown' requests. Some video sites, which refused to respond to requests, have also "been a big problem," said Ram, which is why they were also targeted.

Besides '3', Ram's organization also represents 'Dhammu', a big Telugu release, and maintains that up to 30% of such a film's revenues may be gobbled up by piracy in the first two weeks of release.

The blocking of such websites has proven to be a highly contentious issue in other democracies. The US's controversial Stop Online Piracy Act had listed provisions to block websites without court approval in case of similar copyright infringement. But these proposals were deemed so damaging to the very existence and structure of the internet — and to freedom of expression — that the White House threatened to veto the bill in case lawmakers approved it. Besides, in many Western countries, when courts issue blocking orders they specifically mention the websites concerned. A recent court ruling in the UK asked ISPs to specifically block only The Pirate Bay, for instance.

Indian online forums were filled with much kolaveri of their own by the evening, with users raging that such moves are akin to net usage restrictions imposed by nations with more tyrannical regimes in place. "Not just China, we're apparently no different from Iran, Saudi Arabia and the Taliban," says one such irate user, who goes by the handle 'culdivsac'.

Ask and ye shall receive: when I put a call out for cool hardware start-ups, little did I know that we’d be barraged by some amazing stuff. Case-in-point: the LayerNation El Tirador, a unique drinks maker that automatically creates layered drinks using different liqueurs.

LayerNation is part of the Yes Delft! incubator and is currently being tested in Europe as a fast and easy way to make clever drinks for soccer games and special events. The initial version, shown above, has been replaced by a more commercial-friendly system that looks like it would be at home in an Ibiza club.

Systems like this – systems that solve a very simple and unique problem quite elegantly – are the core of hardware hacking. Besides, what geek doesn’t like to drink lots of sugary, syrupy red and white “Polish flag” shots?

HTC has officially taken the wraps off its Desire C smartphone. The smartphone which runs on the latest version of Android operating system — Android 4.0 or ICS — is expected to launch in India in mid-June.

HTC Desire C is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon S1 600MHz processor with 512MB of RAM. It features 3.5-inch HVGA screen with 320×480 resolution. There's a 5 megapixel camera with LED flash and VGA front camera.

The smartphone will reportedly be available in white and black colours. Though there is no word on the handset's India pricing, HTC Desire C is likely to be priced between Rs 13,500 to Rs 15,000. The smartphone has already been launched in some European markets.

Key specs: * OS: Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich * Display: 3.5 inch with a resolution of 320 x 480 pixels * Processor: 600MHz Qualcomm Snapdragon S1 * Storage: 4GB internal storage, expandable up to 32GB with MicroSD card * Camera: 5 MP * Connecitivity: 3G with 7.2Mbps HSDPA, Bluetooth 4.0, Wi-Fi and USB 2.00 * Battery: 1230 mAh battery.

 HOUSTON/NEW YORK: IBM thinks it can make geologists and engineers more effective at mining the fast-growing wealth of data on everything from oil reservoirs to refineries to help them find, extract and process oil.

The computer services company has spent the past three years building a team of 5,000 consultants, scattered around major oil basins worldwide, to help companies tackle the data explosion.

Just having a lot of data is not enough: As with crude, data must be refined and then shipped out to the people who can use it: those who make drilling decisions with millions of dollars on the line.

"Data management: we see a lot of effort, and by effort I mean investment, in that space," David Womack, IBM's director of strategy and business development for chemicals, petroleum and industrial products, told the Reuters Global Energy & Environment Summit on Tuesday.

"They'll give you these big data sets, and being able to manage and manipulate that is a non-trivial act," he added.

Chevron Corp has estimated its network manages 1.5 terabytes a day, or equivalent to about 1.5 million books, and says its computers store more information than the Library of Congress.

Much of that is due to the development in recent years of three-dimensional oil reservoir imaging, which is far more data-intensive than 2D seismic imaging. Even on the other end of the oil value chain, refiners deploy thousands of small instruments to monitor various parts of their plants.

"They're about valves and transmitters, and if it creates a pile of data for somebody? They don't think about that," IBM's Womack said.

He said Royal Dutch Shell Plc hired his team to help manage the data deluge.

An equivalent expansion of processing power has been driven by "cluster computing," with multiple computers tied together to solve one huge problem. "As you get faster machines, you can beat out analytics that tell you you've got to change injection rates in this area or that area," Womack said.

"You can hit enter and get an answer back in 10 hours, instead of 10 weeks."

Womack stressed that sophisticated imaging will be crucial in locating new reservoirs now that all the "easy oil" is gone.

Three years after Chevron introduced the industry's first 3D visualization centers in 1997, the California oil company started working with cluster computers, which are now its standard set up. It retired its last mainframe computer in 2010.

In a 2010 interview, Chevron Chief Technology Officer John McDonald explained how real time reservoir management allowed the company to start up a Gulf of Mexico project three months early. "That data has great utility if you can start making sense of it," McDonald said at the time.

SAN FRANCISCO: Apple is preparing a new lineup of thinner MacBook laptops running on more powerful chips made by Intel, people with knowledge of the plans said.

The MacBook Pro machines, to be unveiled at Apple's annual developers conference starting June 11, also will feature high- definition screens like those on the iPhone and iPad, as well as flash memory to cut startup times and extend battery life, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the plans haven't been made public.

Apple's Mac sales are growing faster than the personal- computer market, benefiting from the popularity of its mobile devices. Since 2007, when the iPhone was introduced, Apple's Mac sales have more than doubled, reaching $21.8 billion last year. As Apple's share has grown, competitors such as Hewlett-Packard, Dell and Samsung Electronics have followed suit in making thinner, aluminum laptops that start up more quickly.

Apple's new laptops will run on Intel's new processors, code-named Ivy Bridge, and will have a slimmed-down body design from the current 0.95-inch thickness, the people said.

Bill Evans, a spokesman for Cupertino, California-based Apple, declined to comment, while Chuck Mulloy, a spokesman for Intel, referred questions to Apple.

Apple shares fell 1.5 per cent yesterday to $558.22 at the close in New York. The stock has risen 38 per cent this year.

Mountain Lion
At the developer conference, Apple also may announce the debut date of its latest Mac operating system, called Mountain Lion, one person said. The new software, which Apple previewed in February, more closely aligns Mac computers with its mobile devices — the operating system includes many elements of the iOS mobile software that runs the iPhone and iPad. One feature lets users send a text message to an iPhone from a Mac.

Mountain Lion also expands Apple's iCloud digital-storage service to let Mac users access and share saved documents across the internet. It also allows users to create and access reminders and notes, and receive notifications, on all their Apple devices. Another new iCloud feature will make it easier to share photographs, the Wall Street Journal reported yesterday.

The emphasis on the Mac at next month's conference suggests that Apple will concentrate on the iPhone later in the year. Analysts, including Gene Munster of Piper Jaffray, have predicted Apple will release its next smartphone model by October. The iPhone is Apple's top-selling product, accounting for 58 per cent of its revenue in the most recent quarter.

New Mobile Software Apple is expected to preview some of the new mobile software features that will be part of that release at the developer conference in San Francisco.

While Mac computers account for just 13 per cent of Apple's sales and are no longer the main sales engine for the company, the machines are steadily gaining market share. Apple controlled 11.6 per cent of the PC market in the US in the fourth quarter of last year, compared to 6.1 percent in the same period of 2007, according to Gartner Inc.

Apple last redesigned the body of the MacBook Pro in 2008. The devices have more memory and stronger graphical and computing capabilities than MacBook Air laptops. The MacBook Pro now costs $1,200 to $2,500, depending on the size and components.

The new models come as Apple looks beyond Intel for chips to power its iPhone and iPad. While Intel provides the semiconductors for Apple's new laptops, the chipmaker is facing questions from investors about why it hasn't made better inroads into the market for components that power phones and laptops. Instead of using the Santa Clara, California-based company for chips inside its mobile devices, Apple uses competing components based on the designs from ARM Holdings.

Intel's Goals At an investor meeting last week, Intel Chief Executive Officer Paul Otellini was asked whether the company was at risk of losing the Mac business altogether if Apple moves its computers to an ARM design. He said Intel's plan is to improve the performance of its designs to the point where Apple will use its products more widely.

Intel, the world's largest chipmaker, also is helping boost Apple's competitors in the PC market, who are seeking to respond to the popularity of Apple's iPads and laptops by introducing their own new products. Intel has been promoting a new type of thinner laptop, called an Ultrabook, that uses its components. Ultrabooks are less than an inch thick, have days of battery life, start up in seconds and sell for less than $1,000. The features are similar to those of Apple's MacBook Air.

Intel also has been working closely with Microsoft on the release of its Windows 8 operating system, which was designed to work on both PCs and mobile devices. The Ivy Bridge processor design is made with an updated manufacturing process, resulting in more powerful chips that use less battery life. The technology website 9to5Mac.com reported earlier yesterday that Apple is working on a thinner version of the MacBook Pro with a sharper screen.

HELSINKI: Nokia launched two low-end cellphones on Tuesday, aiming to regain its footing in emerging markets.

The Nokia 110 model will be sold for 35 euros and will start shipping in the second quarter, while the 112 model will be sold for 38 euros from the third quarter, the Finnish phone maker said.

The company has been losing market share not just in high-end smartphones but also in cheaper, basic phones popular among customers in emerging markets.

Amazon.com will launch new versions of its Kindle e-reader and tablet, including a monochrome e-reader with front lighting, a source who has seen the prototype told Reuters.

The world's largest internet retailer is aiming to have the new e-reader in stores in July, said the source, who has direct knowledge of the matter but asked not to be named because Amazon has not yet made the decision public.

Amazon has been ramping up production of the new Kindle, which will run on E Ink's display, the source said.

Amazon's Kindle e-reader has been popular, but readers have had to buy an external light to attach to the device to read in the dark. The front light eliminates that problem.

"I do see demand for a front-lit Kindle," said Jennifer Colegrove, Vice President of Emerging Display Technologies at DisplaySearch, an NPD Group company, which monitors trends in the display sector.

There is a trade-off, she said: "Front-lit will consume battery power and (it'll) run out … quicker."

Amazon also plans to launch a new tablet closer to the holiday season later this year, the source said. The new Kindle Fire is expected to have a bigger diagonal display of 8.9 inches, bringing it closer in size to Apple's iPad. The company did not respond to calls or emails seeking comment.

"We don't comment on our customers' launch plans," said Sri Peruvemba, Chief Marketing Officer for E Ink Holdings, the supplier of Kindle's ePaper technology.

"E Ink is an innovator and for the past 10 years, we have consistently delivered new products, major enhancements to existing products, and unique designs, so it is not surprising that there is constant speculation about what we will do next," said Peruvemba.

While Barnes & Noble was the first to market with a glowing e-reader, there has been speculation about Amazon being a close second.

Amazon will launch the new Kindle e-reader in the touch 3G and touch Wi-Fi versions, the source said.

"They can afford to add a front light because the component is not very expensive and their display otherwise uses very little energy," said Colegrove.

An increase of about $10 above the current prices should be "quite reasonable," she said.

The source said Amazon was likely to keep prices the same, or raise them by a very small margin, if at all.

Some blogs had speculated on the possibility of a color-equipped e-reader, but the source said that there was very little chance of Amazon launching one this year. Though Amazon has held can talks with E Ink, the companies haven't reached any concrete decisions yet, he said.

Vinita Jakhanwal, an analyst at IHS iSuppli, which tracks electronic component supply chains, said when she looked at the color e-paper product in a trade show in October, that it needed "a lot of technological improvements" to be used in a products in large volumes.

"I doubt if the color Kindle is ready for a launch," she said.

Amazon.com will launch new versions of its Kindle e-reader and tablet, including a monochrome e-reader with front lighting, a source who has seen the prototype told Reuters.

The world's largest internet retailer is aiming to have the new e-reader in stores in July, said the source, who has direct knowledge of the matter but asked not to be named because Amazon has not yet made the decision public.

Amazon has been ramping up production of the new Kindle, which will run on E Ink's display, the source said.

Amazon's Kindle e-reader has been popular, but readers have had to buy an external light to attach to the device to read in the dark. The front light eliminates that problem.

"I do see demand for a front-lit Kindle," said Jennifer Colegrove, Vice President of Emerging Display Technologies at DisplaySearch, an NPD Group company, which monitors trends in the display sector.

There is a trade-off, she said: "Front-lit will consume battery power and (it'll) run out … quicker."

Amazon also plans to launch a new tablet closer to the holiday season later this year, the source said. The new Kindle Fire is expected to have a bigger diagonal display of 8.9 inches, bringing it closer in size to Apple's iPad. The company did not respond to calls or emails seeking comment.

"We don't comment on our customers' launch plans," said Sri Peruvemba, Chief Marketing Officer for E Ink Holdings, the supplier of Kindle's ePaper technology.

"E Ink is an innovator and for the past 10 years, we have consistently delivered new products, major enhancements to existing products, and unique designs, so it is not surprising that there is constant speculation about what we will do next," said Peruvemba.

While Barnes & Noble was the first to market with a glowing e-reader, there has been speculation about Amazon being a close second.

Amazon will launch the new Kindle e-reader in the touch 3G and touch Wi-Fi versions, the source said.

"They can afford to add a front light because the component is not very expensive and their display otherwise uses very little energy," said Colegrove.

An increase of about $10 above the current prices should be "quite reasonable," she said.

The source said Amazon was likely to keep prices the same, or raise them by a very small margin, if at all.

Some blogs had speculated on the possibility of a color-equipped e-reader, but the source said that there was very little chance of Amazon launching one this year. Though Amazon has held can talks with E Ink, the companies haven't reached any concrete decisions yet, he said.

Vinita Jakhanwal, an analyst at IHS iSuppli, which tracks electronic component supply chains, said when she looked at the color e-paper product in a trade show in October, that it needed "a lot of technological improvements" to be used in a products in large volumes.

"I doubt if the color Kindle is ready for a launch," she said.