Monday, January 9, 2012

DataWind plans to sell 6 million low-cost tablets in India this year

DataWind is targeting sales of about 6 million units of its low-cost tablet in India this year, but it has to arrange additional manufacturing capacity and strengthen its support network to meet what looks like an unexpected surge in demand, an executive of the company said.

The Aakash tablet costs about US$50 and was launched in October under an Indian government program to offer low-cost tablets to students. DataWind, a start-up with operations in Canada and the U.K., bagged an order from the Indian government for 100,000 tablets up to March 31, and has delivered 10,000 so far.

A new order from the government for low-cost tablets is expected this month, and DataWind plans to bid, DataWind CEO Suneet Singh Tuli said Thursday. The company has meanwhile launched a new version of its tablet priced at $60.

DataWind's business model and the low price of its tablet depends on large volume sales, Tuli said. But DataWind may no longer be entirely dependent on government business.

The company is seeing a surge of interest from consumers, businesses, and nongovernmental organizations for its tablet, which it started marketing directly under the name Ubislate7.

The demand was evident when the company offered 30,000 units of the first version of tablet for sale on its website last year: they were sold in two days. The company has as yet to deliver some of those orders, Tuli said.

Pre-bookings since December for the new version of the tablet, called the Ubislate7+, have now crossed 2 million, Tuli said. Customers do not have to pay to book the device, but DataWind plans to convert their interest into firm orders. Direct business could this year account for sales of between 5 million and 6 million units, Tuli said.

As the company prepares to deal with increased demand, there have however been complaints about the poor performance of the device, delayed deliveries, and a toll free support line that cannot be accessed.

Tuli said DataWind is hiring more staff and tying with an outsourcer to run the customer support center, which is currently overwhelmed with "tens of thousands of calls" each day. "We are asking for people's patience while we build up our capacity," he said.

Users are curious about the device, but their interest may not in all cases be converted into business for DataWind, said Vishal Tripathi, principal research analyst at Gartner. The device is not strong on performance, which could have been expected from a low-cost tablet that costs less than a mobile phone, he said.

The Aakash may do for email and simple browsing, but it is slow, and is in no way comparable to more expensive tablets, Tripathi said. It may find a market among consumers who want the thrill of having a tablet but don't want to pay a lot for it, he added. Small companies and NGOs may buy the tablet for very specific applications, he added.

The tablet announced in October had a 7-inch display with 800-by-480 pixel resolution, 256MB of RAM, 2GB flash storage, and a 366MHz processor. It had the Android 2.2 operating system running on it, and offered Wi-Fi capability.

For $10 more, DataWind has started offering Ubislate7+ with a 700 MHz processor. The tablet runs Android 2.3, has support for GPRS (general packet radio service), and offers longer battery life than its predecessor.

Besides offering pre-bookings for the new version on its website, DataWind has also offered the device to the government. "Subsequent to the launch in October, we got a tremendous response from the chip makers with very aggressive pricing," Tuli said.

DataWind is busy blocking manufacturing capacity with contract manufacturers in India. It plans to get the tablet manufactured in at least four locations by the end of the first quarter, rather than the one it had originally planned, Tuli said.

John Ribeiro covers outsourcing and general technology breaking news from India for The IDG News Service. Follow John on Twitter at @Johnribeiro. John's e-mail address is john_ribeiro@idg.com

Source: http://www.itworld.com/238287/datawind-plans-sell-6-million-low-cost-tablets-india-year

vaclav havel kim jong ii dead snapdragon snapdragon kim jong ill dead wedding crashers next iron chef

Sunday, January 8, 2012

vision2mobile: Charter Adds Turner Content to Multiscreen Experience: Customers also can access iPhone and iPad mobile apps to ... http://t.co/PEd2JNKb

  • Passer la navigation
  • Twitter sur votre mobile ? Cliquez ici m.twitter.com!
  • Passer cette ?tape
  • Connexion
Loader Twitter.com
  • Connexion
Charter Adds Turner Content to Multiscreen Experience: Customers also can access iPhone and iPad mobile apps to ... bit.ly/xa3I02 vision2mobile

V2M

Pied de page

Source: http://twitter.com/vision2mobile/statuses/155423562252038144

herman cain press conference joe frazier dead joe frazier dead topamax lexapro trazodone voting

Arizona remembers deadly day with bells, tears

U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, center, husband Mark Kelly and Nancy Barber, wife of Giffords' district director, Ron Barber, pause at the Davidson Canyon Gabe Zimmerman Trailhead overlooking Tucson, Saturday, Jan. 7, 2012. They're paying tribute to Zimmerman, who was killed almost one year ago during the Tucson shooting. Zimmerman was the director of community outreach for U.S. Representative Giffords. (AP Photo/The Arizona Republic, Cheryl Evans)

U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, center, husband Mark Kelly and Nancy Barber, wife of Giffords' district director, Ron Barber, pause at the Davidson Canyon Gabe Zimmerman Trailhead overlooking Tucson, Saturday, Jan. 7, 2012. They're paying tribute to Zimmerman, who was killed almost one year ago during the Tucson shooting. Zimmerman was the director of community outreach for U.S. Representative Giffords. (AP Photo/The Arizona Republic, Cheryl Evans)

Daniel Hernandez leaves one of six roses for the six people killed in the shooting at an event for U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords one year ago, during an interfaith remembrance service at St. Augustine Catherdral, Sunday, Jan. 8, 2012 in Tucson, Ariz. (AP Photo/Matt York)

Community members gather during an interfaith remembrance service at St. Augustine Cathedral Sunday, Jan. 8, 2012, in Tucson, Ariz. Hundreds gathered for the service to remember the bloody morning one year ago when a shooting spree at an event for U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords left 6 dead and 13 wounded, including Giffords (AP Photo/Matt York)

Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer, left, hugs shooting victim Ron Barber during an interfaith remembrance service at St. Augustine Cathedral Sunday, Jan. 8, 2012, in Tucson, Ariz. Hundreds gathered for the service to remember the bloody morning one year ago when a shooting spree at an event for U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords left 6 dead and 13 wounded, including Giffords and Barber. (AP Photo/Matt York)

Pat Maisch smiles during an interfaith remembrance service at St. Augustine Cathedral Sunday, Jan. 8, 2012, in Tucson, Ariz., where hundreds gathered to remember the bloody morning one year ago when a shooting spree at an event for U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords left 6 dead and 13 wounded. Maish grabbed a gun magazine from the shooter after two men tackled him to the ground in the Jan. 8th shooting spree that left 6 dead and 13 wounded, including Giffords. (AP Photo/Matt York)

(AP) ? This time, in the supermarket parking lot, there were softly ringing bells breaking the morning silence instead of the terrible sounds of gunfire and sirens.

More bells tolled later Sunday at Tucson's packed St. Augustine Cathedral as the names of the six people killed in the shooting rampage were read.

With hugs and tears, southern Arizonans remembered the dead, the shattered lives and those who acted heroically after a gunman opened fire at an outdoor meet-and-greet that severely wounded Rep. Gabrielle Giffords and stunned the nation and this close-knit community.

The day of remembrance began with the ringing of church bells and hand-held bells throughout the city at 10:11 a.m., the exact time the gunman shot Giffords in the head and methodically moved down a line of people waiting to talk to her during a public event outside a Safeway supermarket on Jan. 8, 2011.

"Even in the midst of this troubling year, the healing, the courage that we have experienced in our community ? each one of us can notice how our cups overflow with the blessings of our lives," said Stephanie Aaron, Giffords' rabbi, who recited the 23rd Psalm at an interfaith service at the cathedral Sunday afternoon.

Relatives of the six dead walked solemnly down the aisle with a single red rose, placing the flowers in a vase in front of a picture of a heart.

Hundreds of people at the cathedral ? including Gov. Jan Brewer ? stood and chanted, "We remember, we remember, we remember with grateful hearts." Some closed their eyes while others held each other.

Girls in white dresses and red sashes danced down the aisle as a song called "Hero in the Dark" played, and a pastor called on everyone to celebrate those who were lost and those who acted to save lives during the shooting.

Ron Barber, a Giffords staffer who survived two gunshot wounds, said he woke up Sunday dreaming about Giffords, who was severely wounded, and Giffords staffer Gabe Zimmerman, who died.

"You have to think about the six people whose loved ones don't have them today," Barber said before the church service began.

At the Safeway memorial, Bruce Ellis and his wife Kelly Hardesty, both 50, held each other tight and wept as the bells rang.

"It's shocking to have a massacre like this occur in your backyard," Ellis said. "It's something that happens on the news, not in your neighborhood."

About 30 others rang bells, hugged each other and cried as the time of the shooting passed. Many bowed in prayer.

Giffords and her husband, former astronaut Mark Kelly, went to the scene of the shooting Saturday. They also visited University Medical Center, where Giffords was treated after the attack, and a trailhead outside Tucson named in honor of Zimmerman.

The couple was to join thousands at an evening candlelight vigil at the University of Arizona, with Kelly expected to speak. At an afternoon event at the University of Arizona, Colorado Sen. Mark Udall, who was born and raised in Tucson, spoke about Giffords.

He praised Giffords for working for the good of the country, and said other politicians can learn from her and move away from incendiary comments.

"Although Gabby now struggles with her words at times, we know what she's trying to say," Udall said. "It's a simply concept. Words matter, and these days you don't hear our elected officials using words to bring us together. Too often words are used as weapons."

The Rev. Andrew Ross, spoke for shooting victim and his congregant Phyllis Schneck.

"I remember just shaking and as I shared with my congregation, my immediate response was anger, in fact rage, that someone would once again do this to a member of our flock," Ross said. "And so it's good for us to be honest and admit it's not easy remembering this day. We have to be honest about that."

President Barack Obama called Giffords on Sunday to offer his support and tell her he and the first lady are keeping her, the families of those killed and the whole Tucson community in their thoughts and prayers, according to the White House. He said Giffords was an inspiration to all Americans.

Barber said he spent time with Giffords on Friday and Saturday.

"Even though it's a hard weekend for her and all of us, she wanted to be here with her community to remember," he said. "She's sad, we're all sad, and she's glad to be home."

Daniel Hernandez, Giffords' former intern who came to her aid after the shooting and has been hailed as a hero, called Sunday a solemn day of remembrance and an opportunity to allow Tucson and those affected by the shooting heal further.

"It's definitely been a really difficult time for all of us," he said. "But this time last year, there was a lot of anger. And now it's, 'How can we heal and move forward?'"

Giffords, 41, has spent the last year in Houston undergoing intensive physical and speech therapy in a recovery that doctors and family have called miraculous. She is able to walk and talk, vote in Congress and gave a televised interview to ABC's Diane Sawyer in May.

But doctors have said it would take many months to determine the lasting effects of her brain injury. The three-term congresswoman has four months to decide whether to seek re-election.

"She's making a lot of progress. She's doing great," said Rep. Debbie Wasserman Shultz, a close friend. "She still has a long way to go."

Jared Lee Loughner has pleaded not guilty to 49 charges in the shooting. The 23-year-old, who has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder, is being forcibly medicated at a Missouri prison facility in an effort to make him mentally ready for trial.

Many of the survivors have lobbied for gun legislation in Washington in hopes of preventing similar shootings and started various nonprofits that award scholarships, help needy children and promote awareness about mental illness.

Sunday's events were designed to bring Tucson residents together the way they did a year ago.

On the night of the shootings, more than 100 people showed up outside Giffords' office on a busy street corner in frigid temperatures, holding candles and signs that simply read "Peace" and "Just pray." Strangers hugged, most cried and many sang anthems like "Amazing Grace."

In the days and weeks that followed, thousands of people contributed to makeshift memorials outside the office, the Tucson hospital where Giffords and other shooting victims were treated and the grocery store where it happened.

Others that came later included a 9-foot, 11-inch sculpture of an angel forged from World Trade Center steel in memory of Green.

At the Safeway, Gail Gardiner, 70, who lives about a mile away, tied a balloon Sunday that said, "Thinking of you," to a railing next to a memorial of the shooting that reads: "The Tucson Tragedy ... we shall never forget."

"This is my backyard and this is where I want to be and show people that we remember this," Gardiner said. "It just hits so close to home and so many innocent people's lives were taken and changed forever."

Albert Pesqueira, assistant fire chief for the Northwest Fire District in Tucson, was one of the first responders to the shooting. He came to the Safeway on Sunday to remember and to heal.

His most vivid memories from that day are the sounds of moaning and crying among shooting victims in the aftermath of the attack.

"I can still hear them," Pesqueira said. "We'll never be the same. We'll never be normal again because of what occurred."

___

Follow Amanda Lee Myers on Twitter at https://twitter.com/(hash)!/AmandaLeeAP

___

Online:

AP interactive - http://hosted.ap.org/interactives/2011/congresswoman-recovery

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2012-01-08-Congresswoman%20Shot-Anniversary/id-e95a78cd78834591a81af25ab187f122

norco stanford vs oklahoma state caucus occupy rose parade vesta williams stanford stanford

Sprint CEO Dan Hesse Reveals First LTE Markets: Atlanta, Dallas, Houston and San Antonio

sprintlteNot wanting to be outdone by their larger rivals, Sprint also has a big LTE-related announcement today. Sprint CEO Dan Hesse just confirmed to everyone at Citigroup's 22nd Global Entertainment, Media and Telecommunications Conference that Atlanta, Dallas, Houston and San Antonio will be the company's first LTE markets. Those cities are just the tip of the iceberg though, as Sprint ultimately wants their LTE network lit up in ten markets before the first half of 2012 rolls around. Here's hoping that the coasts get a little LTE love too, as the three of the announced markets are in a single (admittedly large) state, and the other isn't that far away from them.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/klTujAltn4A/

amy schumer ascii art ascii art andrew mason once in a blue moon gwar guitarist gwar guitarist

Saturday, January 7, 2012

Investments vs Insurance

Cash value life insurance plans, including Universal and Whole Life, have a very definite and useful place in many (most?) folks' risk management portfolio. One of the criticisms of both UL and WL, though, is that they're "lousy investments."

Quite so.

In point of fact, life insurance professionals are essentially forbidden to use the terms insurance and investment(s) together. And that's as it should be: life insurance is a risk management tool, not an investment vehicle (although some products have investment-like properties).

I bring this up because of an email that went out to those of us who represent Assurity Life. Assurity offers "regular" life insurance and disability products (they're excellent for blue- and gray-collared clients), and they are serious about policing how their products are sold.

How serious?

This serious:

"If Assurity has knowledge that a variable contract is being replaced by an Assurity product and the producer is not licensed as a variable contract producer, the application and funds will not be accepted."

Apparently, some agents (who should know better) have been touting the guarantees inherent in fixed policies (such as UL and WL) based on the rather anemic growth in some prospects' variable life policies (the ones with investment-like sub-accounts). It is Assurity's stance that even discussing this kind of comparison amounts to offering investment advice, and they want no part of it.

I do see their point, although I think it's a far cry from comparing results with actual investment "advice." Still, it's their party, and they get to set their rules.

The bottom line, of course, is still the "need" for any life insurance. As Bob noted over four-and-a-half years ago: "Most folks don't want insurance. What they want is a way to protect their income and other cash assets."

Source: http://insureblog.blogspot.com/2012/01/investments-vs-insurance.html

greg oden snooki john dillinger atlanta hawks emmy rossum carlos zambrano lisa lampanelli

DroidForums: Great Deal on the Toshiba Thrive Tablet: Only $279.99 at http://t.co/ziJ63DvR; Today Only! http://t.co/LXpBvua1 #droid #android

  • Passer la navigation
  • Twitter sur votre mobile ? Cliquez ici m.twitter.com!
  • Passer cette ?tape
  • Connexion
Loader Twitter.com
  • Connexion
Great Deal on the Toshiba Thrive Tablet: Only $279.99 at Woot.com; Today Only! goo.gl/fb/FyGiR #droid #android DroidForums

DroidForums.net

Pied de page

Source: http://twitter.com/DroidForums/statuses/154981181971103744

suh lindsey vonn lindsey vonn josef stalin kourtney and kim take new york anne hathaway news channel 5

Friday, January 6, 2012

Economy likely ended 2011 with solid job growth (AP)

WASHINGTON ? The U.S. job market strengthened in the second half of 2011, and December is expected to cap a solid finish.

Economists forecast that employers added a net 150,000 jobs last month, according to a survey by Factset. They also predict that the unemployment rate ticked up to 8.7 percent from 8.6 percent, which was the lowest rate since March 2009.

The Labor Department will issue the December jobs report at 8:30 a.m. Eastern time Friday.

The projected hiring gains would mark a six-month stretch in which the economy generated 100,000 jobs or more in each month. The last time that happened was in April 2006 ? more than a year and a half before the country plunged into the Great Recession.

A more robust hiring market would coincide with other positive data that show the economy ended the year with some momentum.

Weekly applications for unemployment benefits have fallen to levels last seen more than three years ago. Holiday sales were solid. And November and December were the strongest months of 2011 for U.S. auto sales.

Many businesses say they are ready to step up hiring in early 2012 after seeing stronger consumer confidence and greater demand for their products.

Even the projected increase in the unemployment rate could be a positive sign. The rate is expected to rise as more people feel better about their chances to find employment and resume job searches. The government counts out-of-work people as unemployed only if they are looking for work.

The rate fell from 9 percent in October to 8.6 percent in November, partly because about 300,000 people gave up looking for work. People routinely enter and leave the work force, though 300,000 is more than usual.

Still, it also dropped because small business hired more workers.

The government uses a survey of mostly large companies and government agencies to determine how many jobs were added or lost each month. It uses a separate survey of households to determine the unemployment rate.

The household survey picks up hiring by companies of all sizes, including small businesses and companies just getting off the ground. It also includes farm workers and the self-employed, who aren't included in the survey of companies.

The household survey has shown an average of 321,000 jobs created per month since July, compared with an average of 13,000 the first seven months of the year.

When the economy is either improving or slipping into recession, many economists say, the household survey does the better job of picking up the shift because it detects small business hiring.

Economists surveyed by the Associated Press project that the economy will generate an average of 175,000 jobs per month this year. That would be a step up from average monthly gains of 130,000 last year and 78,000 in 2010.

The pickup in hiring reflects some modest improvement in the economy. Growth will likely top 3 percent at an annual rate in the final three months of this year, economists expect. That would be a sharp improvement over the 1.8 percent growth in the July-September quarter.

Even so, many economists forecast that growth could slow to roughly 2 percent this year. Europe is almost certain to fall into recession because of its financial troubles. And without more jobs and higher incomes, consumers may have to cut back on spending. That could drag on growth in 2012.

President Barack Obama could face voters in November with the highest unemployment rate of a sitting president seeking election since World War II. Unemployment was 7.8 percent when Obama took office in January 2009.

But Obama could benefit if the unemployment rate continues to dip. History suggests that presidents' re-election prospects hinge less on the unemployment rate itself than on the rate's direction during the year or two before Election Day.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/economy/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120106/ap_on_bi_go_ec_fi/us_economy

facebook ipo facebook ipo national defense authorization act national defense authorization act seven days in utopia seven days in utopia big 10 championship game