London: Eating tomatoes few times a week can reduce your chances of suffering from depression by half, a new study has claimed. Researchers analysed the mental health records and diet habits of around 1,000 men and women aged 70 or over. They found that those eating tomatoes two to six times a week were 46 per cent less likely to suffer the blues than those eating them less than once a week, the 'Daily Mail' reported. The study was published in the Journal of Affective Disorders.
Eating tomatoes every day slashed the risk by 52 per cent. Other fruits and vegetables do not have the same benefits, the study found. Eating healthy foods like cabbage, carrots, onions and pumpkins appeared to have little or no effect on psychological well-being.
Tomatoes are rich in antioxidant chemicals that are thought to protect against some diseases. They are a particularly good source of lycopene, an antioxidant that gives them their deep red colour and has been linked with reducing the risk of prostate cancer and heart attacks.
The team of researchers from China and Japan, led by Dr Kaijun Niu from China's Tianjin Medical University, wanted to investigate preliminary reports that lycopene might also promote psychological and well as physical health by reducing oxidative stress, or damage to healthy brain cells. They analysed the mental health records and dietary habits of just under 1,000 elderly Japanese men and women aged 70 or over.
The researchers said they cannot be sure if lycopene in tomatoes directly affects the mind, or whether it simply protects against the depression caused when people develop potentially fatal diseases like cancer. "These results suggest that a tomato-rich diet may have a beneficial effect on the prevention of depressive symptoms. In contrast, no relationship was observed with intake of other kinds of vegetables," researchers said.
London: A diet full of fruits and vegetables could help women reduce risk of developing breast cancer, a study published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute said. Long hailed for their anti-oxidant properties, researchers now believe carotenoids can also help prevent cancerous tissue in the breast due to their effect on mechanisms such as the immune system, Daily Express reported.
Scientists at Harvard Medical School in the US, who pooled studies from across the world, concluded: "A diet high in carotenoid-rich fruits and vegetables offers many health benefits, including a possible reduced risk of breast cancer."
Melons, oranges, peppers, carrots, broccoli, spinach and sweet potatoes are among foods rich in nutrients known as carotenoids.
New York: Scientists have discovered nerve cells that deal solely with itching sensations in humans, a breakthrough which can lead to effective treatments for pain relief. The new findings are also important because they provide a target for new gen-next anti-itch medications.
According to a new study, certain nerve cells are specialised to detect itchy sensations, and those receptors don't detect painful sensations. The study helps resolve a long-standing debate over whether itchiness is just a weird form of pain, 'LiveScience' reported.
Researchers have pinpointed the responsible nerve fibers, which could be silenced to develop better anti-itch treatments, said Ethan Lerner, a neuroscientist at Harvard University. "This is a very convincing piece of work," Lerner said.
"Scientists can perhaps target this particular type of nerve as a means of treating itch, but still allow you to experience the protective aspect of pain," he said. For decades, why people itch has been a mystery. While some pain nerves have been found to fire in response to itchy stimulants, nerves that responded solely to itch proved elusive.
Some researchers even wondered whether itch and pain were always processed by the same nerve fibers, but interpreted by the brain differently, said study co-author Xinzhong Dong, a neuroscientist at Johns Hopkins University.
However, the urge to scratch seemed different in key ways from the experience of pain. For instance, when a mosquito bites, most people feel a powerful desire to scratch the bite, while the pain of touching a hot stove causes people to recoil, Dong said.
To identify cells that sense itch, researchers genetically engineered mice whose nerve cells glowed fluorescent green when firing. They then exposed the mice to irritating compounds, such as histamine and the active ingredient in itching powder, and looked for nerves that fired (and glowed green) as a result.
When researchers burned out the nerves that lit up, the mice scratched a lot less, suggesting they were less itchy. The newly discovered itch nerves sit inside the spine, near the spinal cord, and only innervate locations within the skin. That explains why people feel the urge to scratch their skin, but don't feel itchy in internal organs, Dong said. "You can't have an itchy pancreas," he said.
Not much is yet known about what will come next year, but a lot can be deduced - or at least guessed, based on what we've already seen.
1. The next Nexus
It doesn't seem too much of a stretch to imagine that Google will unleash a new wave of Nexus tablets at some point in the year.
Their Nexus phones have all been spaced roughly a year apart and much of the rest of the industry seems to work in the same way.
The Nexus 7 was announced at Google I/O in June and released the following month.
If the same thing happens again we could have a new Nexus tablet in as little as six months, though bear in mind that the Nexus 10 was only released in November.
The Nexus was a huge hit for Google; can they keep that momentum?
What we may get is a new Nexus 7 (or whatever Google choose to call it) in the middle of the year, along with a tweaked version of the Nexus 10 with 3G capabilities, since the Nexus 7 already has that.
Then towards the end of the year we might get a whole new Nexus 10.
Since the two were launched a good few months apart in 2012 it's entirely possible that the same will hold true next year, but one way or another we're pretty confident that there'll be a new version of each of them before the year is through.
A version of the Nexus 10 with 3G, and even 4G, is not unlikely
So, what can you expect from them?
Well, even more cores seem likely for a start. ZTE and Samsung are already talking about handsets with a whopping eight cores and Google's flagship devices don't normally skimp on specs.
They're also likely to coincide with a new version of Android, as new hardware is always the best way to show it off.
That's thought to be Android 5.0 Key Lime Pie, and if that '5.0' sticks you can expect some pretty big changes or additions compared to the last two versions (Android 4.1 and 4.2), which more just refined what we already had.
We can also tell you something that you aren't likely to see - a microSD card slot. For whatever reason Google have shunned the feature from all of their Nexus devices to date, and there's no reason to think they'd start incorporating one now.
It's an odd decision, as for some people that expandable storage is one of the key selling points of Android devices, but it's one they've stuck with so far.
2. iPad 5
This one's a given - Apple release a new iPad every year - and in fact last year they released two! Three if you count the iPad mini.
Despite the iPad 4 only just having launched, the wait for a new iPad might not be long, as it's rumoured that the iPad 5 might even appear early in the year and display a slimmer, lighter form factor, more in line with the iPad mini.
The iPad 4 merely got a spec boost, expect a new form factor on the iPad 5
3. iPad mini 2
Apple isn't likely to forget about the iPad's little brother either and it's a pretty safe bet that we'll see the next iPad mini launched in 2013.
It should come as absolutely no surprise that the biggest addition is likely to be a Retina display or something similar, bringing the display up to a rumoured 324 pixels per inch.
After all, just about every other Apple product has a Retina display and the screen on the iPad mini was one of the few bad things about it.
There's no release date yet but expect it sometime in the latter half of 2013.
An iPad mini with Retina display would be formidable providing it's priced reasonably
There's a good chance Apple will roll out iOS 7 to go with their shiny new tablets, and while literally nothing is yet known about that, you could always check out the 12 things we want to see.
4. Windows tablets
Having ignored it for a long time, Microsoft is finally making a big play for the tablet market. They've launched not one, but two tablet-friendly operating systems in the form of Windows 8 and Windows RT, and Microsoft's own Surface tablet has already launched.
Microsoft's Surface may not be setting tills alight but there are plenty more Windows tablets to come
Next year should see a host of new Windows tablets from other manufacturers. We already know about a bunch of them, from the Lenovo ThinkPad Tablet 2, to the Acer Iconia W700.
But that's just the beginning.
CES 2013 is just around the corner and it's not unlikely that manufacturers will use the opportunity to announce new Windows tablets.
Amazon are having quite a lot of success with their Kindle Fire line, so expect the 3rd generation Fire to launch sometime next year, ready to go head-to-head with the new Nexus.
There is likely to be an increasing number of low-cost, high-spec tablets available from other manufacturers too.
Asus are rumoured to be working on a low-cost 7-inch slate and other companies will probably look to release budget devices of their own in order to stay competitive.
Amazon led the charge in the affordable tablet march; don't expect them to back down now
With Blackberry 10 launching in January there's every chance that RIM will make another play for the tablet market too. Whether they'll have any more success than with the ill-fated Blackberry Playbook remains to be seen.
With all this, and probably a few surprises besides, it looks set to be one of the biggest years yet for tablets, and we'll bring you coverage of it all as it happens.
Tablets seem to be the flavour of the season for Indian handset makers. The latest to join the foray is Videocon, with its 10-inch offering VT10. This tablet is already available through online deal sitesnapdeal.com and homeshop18.com for Rs. 11,200.
Videocon VT10 sports a 10-inch screen with a resolution of 1280x800 pixels. It runs on Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean) and is powered by a 1.5GHz dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon processor along with 1GB of RAM. The tablet houses 2-megapixel front as well as rear cameras.
Interesting, when NDTV Gadgets contacted Videocon, the company denied officially launching the tablet. They further elaborated that the tablet will be available with select online retailers to gauge the market response and is expected to be launched officially by mid-January 2013.
In terms of battery, this tablet comes Li-Polymer-6800mAh battery, which the company claims that will give a browsing time of up to 4 hours. Also in terms of memory, this tablet comes with 8GB of internal memory, which can be expanded to up to 32GB.
Videocon VT10 will compete with the likes of Micromax Funbook Pro, Zync Z1000 Tablet and Karbonn Smart Tab 10. Micromax Funbook Pro comes with a 1.2GHz processor, runs on Android 4.0 (Android Ice Cream Sandwich) and is available at a best buy price of Rs. 9,999. Zync Z1000 Tablet is a 9.7-inch tablet, which too runs on Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) but the company is promising an OS update for it soon. It comes with 1.5GHz processor, 1GB RAM and is available at a street price of Rs.10,990. Karbonn Smart Tab 10 on the other hand, is a 9.7-inch tablet, which is running on Android 4.1 Jelly Bean and is priced at Rs. 10,490.
Videocon had recently entered in smartphone market with two new Android smartphones, the A20 and A30. The A20 is priced at Rs. 4,999 while the A30 costs Rs. 7,299.
Ratan Tata’s retirement yesterday, on his 75th birthday, from the chairmanship of Tata Sons, India’s biggest conglomerate, marks the end of an era for Indian business as well as the group. No-one has bestraddled Indian business in the way that he has done, presiding over Tata’s $100bn-plus revenues, more than half from 80 countries overseas, with over 450,000 employees in 100 operating companies and interests ranging from tea to telecoms, software to hotels, wrist watches to defence rockets, and coffee (Starbucks) to power and steel.
There is no other Indian business figure of similar stature, and no one near to being able to take his place as a symbol of managerial ethics and success. He took over in 1991, the year of India’s economic reforms, first uniting the loosely run group under the Tata banner, ousting elderly satraps, and then using opportunities unleashed by the reforms to spend $20bn on foreign take-overs and become India’s first group with $100bn revenues (2011-12). Hisdream for 2020-21 is $500bn.
He strove for a corruption-free group, and lost influence in Delhi and elsewhere as a result – he has always seemed uncomfortable with the complexities of political and corporate corruption that has grown enormously in India during the past 20 years. “I can say, with my hand to my heart, that we have not in fact partaken in any clandestine activity,” Mr Tata said last year when being questioned about his group’s involvement in a far-reaching telecoms scandal. “I think there are many honest businessmen. There are many that bend. I am happy that I have not bent”.
But such a massive array of businesses could never fully match the “exemplary” ethics and values that he has said he would like to be his legacy, and he unwisely hired Nira Radia, an influence peddler who caused a telecoms-linked political crisis in 2010, as his trusted public and government relations adviser. His companies’ environmental record has also not always been as good as he would like it to appear, especially in the extractive industries, and his lack of concern was demonstrated by the construction of the Dhamra Port in Orissa in 2008.
His biggest contribution has been to spearhead Indian companies’ foreign investments abroad, starting rather unexcitingly with the purchase of Tetley Tea in the UK in 2000. Much more significant was a take-over of South Korea’s Daewoo truck manufacturer in 2002. This was a trailblazer because it showed that someone in India’s largely unimpressive and uncompetitive manufacturing industry had the ability and nerve to venture abroad. I have always thought that this deal was a turning point in Indian industry’s self-confidence, which then grew rapidly in the mid-late 2000s.
It led on in 2007 to Tata Motors’ $2.3bn purchase from Ford Motor of the Jaguar Land Rover business, which has been a huge success. Sceptics criticised the deal because they had not foreseen that, by capitalising on design work started but not carried through by Ford, Tata had the energy, finance and managerial strength to produce impressive new models and expand sales internationally, especially in China. This demonstrated Mr Tata's capacity to drive through his decisions, as he also did, against advice from senior colleagues, on his far less successful $11bn take-over in 2007 of Europe’s Corus steel business that has left Tata Steel heavily indebted.
He then spearheaded the misguided concept and launch in 2009 of the Nano, the world’s cheapest car, which failed to take off. Aspirational Indian families, who Mr Tata dreamed of upgrading from unsafe over-loaded scooters, did not want to own the world’s cheapest product – it has now been re-launched slightly upmarket and is doing better.
Tata Motors was the company where Mr Tata had most direct influence and significantly, he spent yesterday, his last day at work, at its Pune factory. But the company’s India operations need an overhaul now that it is no longer controlled by the patriarch, as do the steel and telecommunications businesses plus, according to some reports, the Taj hotels. The company that needs least attention is TCS, the information technology cash cow.
Over the last two decades, Mr Tata has changed many parts of the group and has led it abroad to many countries including the UK where it is the largest private sector employer. He has did that at a time when other big Indian companies, which thrive by bribing the Delhi and state governments, were shy of venturing into unknown territories.
He now retires to be chairman of the Tata’s charitable trusts that own 66% of the group, having handed over as chairman of Tata Sons, the main holding company, to Cyrus Mistry, a 44-year old businessman linked to the Tata family by marriage and to the group by an 18% equity stake.
Mr Tata’s leadership has symbolised ethics and vision, despite a few bumps, and the gap left by his retirement is the absence of an Indian businessman with a similar renowned image in India and abroad.
Asteroid 2011 AG5, measuring 460 feet (140 meters) wide, will not hit Earth in the year 2040, scientists have confirmed. CREDIT: Gemini Observatory
A huge asteroid that will creep near Earth in 28 years will pass harmlessly by, a new study confirms.
New observations of the asteroid 2011 AG5 now give astronomers complete confidence that the 460–foot-wide (140 meters) space rock won't hit Earth in the year 2040. When it was discovered last year, scientists said that 2011 AG5 had a 1-in-500 chance of impact with our planet.
Astronomers solidified the asteroid's harmless status during an observation campaign in October using the Gemini North telescope in Hawaii. The finding added more support to a NASA study that came to a similar conclusion in June based on months of observations of asteroid 2011 AG5.
The team has already signed up 15 project partners and over 40 engineers, and hope to fund the project using a combination of commercial partners and crowdfunding.
'Financing the project through sponsorship and crowd funding enables us to implement an extremely ambitious project in an academic environment", said Professor Rolf Pfeifer, wh is leading the project.
The team hope Roboy will become a blueprint for 'service robots' that work alongside humans.
NASA engineers were amazed after clicking a latest picture of the Sun which appeared to be "winking at them".
The image, which actually reveals sunspots caused by intense magnetic activity, was taken on December 22, just a few minutes after the Mayan doomsday prophecy proved to be wrong.
Eruptions of magnetic activity on the solar surface appear to make the Sun 'wink' at the time many believed the world would end passed, the 'Daily Mail' reported.
The picture, which was taken by NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO), has echoes of the famous image from the 1902 French film 'A Trip To The Moon', which is regarded as the first science fiction movie.
"Despite reports of an ancient Maya prophecy, a mysterious planet on a collision course with Earth, or a reverse in Earth's rotation, we're still here," NASA spokesperson said.
"The Mayan connection was a misconception from the very beginning," said Dr John Carlson, director of the Center for Archaeoastronomy.
"The Maya calendar did not end on December 21, 2012, and there were no Maya prophecies foretelling the end of the world on that date," he said.
The mesmerising pictures show the energy thrown off by the Sun in wavelengths invisible to the human eye such as X-rays and ultraviolet light.
The pictures have allowed scientists with new understanding of how the Sun works.
Talking about her eviction, says Aashka, "I am extremely elated and relieved. I think the people who have survived this elimination are the ones who deserve to win the show. I am very happy for Sana and if a choice had to be ever made between me and Sana I would always want Sana to win."
It's her closeness and affection for Sana that has raised many eyebrows. Both the actresses were seen many a times embracing and looking chummy which made people speculate that there is something cooking between the two.
However, Aashka seemed to be quite annoyed by people's reaction. "Sana is like my younger sister how can people even think that we are lesbians. We both everyday pray together and this is enough to show what relationship we share. Sana was suffering from a severe skin allergy and she was continuously itching her scars like a maniac, I was just soothing her. I am really disgusted to know that caring or showing affection towards someone will be taken in this manner in the outside world."
Though Aashka is known for her strong on-screen portrayal of a vamp on TV, here in Bigg Boss house her image came across as a damsel in distress.
Her tears not only gave her the tag of 'Cry baby' but also helped her to gain audience sympathy. When asked how it feels to be crowned as the Cry baby of the big boss house the actress says, "I am very happy to know this in fact I prefer to be called a cry baby of the house rather than being called as rude or snobbish. After coming out of the Bigg Boss house at least people who would like to make friends with me will not be scared before taking to me so I am happy to be criticized for crying."
Well sadly, Bigg Boss 6 viewers will not get to see Aashka's fun hairdos, hand-painted eyes and her affection for Sana anymore as she walked out of the house last night.
One of the members of Gujarati Mahila Mandal (fondly called by Vrajesh), Aashka will also be remembered for her love-hate relationship with Uravshi.
When quizzed about her current equation with Uravshi, the actress says, "We met on the show and became friends. I know there were few misunderstanding between us but now everything is sorted and I hope we remain friends even after the show ends," concludes Aashka.
The controversial reality show is all set to spice up again! This time the highlight will be the two rivals of Bollywood Salman and Shahrukh Khan.
It so happens that Salman Khan asked Imam Siddique to nominate two people for evictions when Imam took Niketan's name. Knowing that Niketan is the captain of the house and cannot be nominated, Salman asked him to take some other name.
According to a source, “Imam stood by his words and said that he knows Niketan should be out, to which Salman mocked him saying the barometer of what Indian audiences want to watch is set in Imam's eyes. Imam agreed and said, he casted Preity Zinta and Sharukh Khan for ad films that worked very well with the audiences. At this, Salman asked him to play a fair game since he knows the rules”
This irked Imam and he said 'Time Out' to Salman after which Salman Khan lost his cool and asked Imam to be in his limits
The source further added, “He told Imam that he shouldn't try his antics on Salman. He then spoke about Shahrukh Khan saying, SRK is in the industry because of his hard work and the support of his fans. It is because he has pursued his career with determination that he is a big man and not because Imam Siddique has casted him in an advertisement. He also went on to say that it is the same Imam who would send a text in every three days to Salman and beg to be on the show and is now acting up.”
Later Salman spoke about how Imam came out after doing all the 'havaniyat' and was trembling standing in front of Salman when he was re-entering.
With this can we say that its end of the Khan war!
Forget about Apple TV and the next iPad. If the rumour mill is to be believed an Apple smart watch could be on the way soon. According to this post on the Chinese blog Tech163.com, Apple is working with Intel to launch a Bluetooth-enabled smart watch with iOS on it. The post quotes supply chain sources.
The post states, Intel has designed for Apple, a bluetooth smart watch, this product is RiTdisplay with a 1.5-inch OLED screen.
While geeks might be getting excited, Apple rumours need to be taken cautiously. As this post on Business Insider cautions: “Wearable computing” is a popular concept for futurists but according to analyst Gene Munster Apple might eventually get into concept.
The Apple logo is seen in this file photo. AP
Would an iOS-enabled watch be popular? This piece on theTheNextWeb points out that the idea of an iPhone-connected watch called the Pebble on Kickstarter.com generated nearly $10 million in funding. So yeah, the Apple fanboys will go crazy trying to get their hands on it.
A smart watch sounds very cool and geeky but it’s nothing new. Sony has already launched
A wake-up call for MS Dhoni. His captaincy in Tests is under review, and he has been asked by the national selectors to draw up a blue-print to ensure that India successfully defends the One-Day International World Cup in 2015. This follows a very long dry spell for the Men in Blue, who have not notched up any win of significance since the series win against the West Indies last year.
Sources have told NDTV that the selectors have conveyed their disappointment to Dhoni after India lost the home Test series this month to Engand. His continuing to lead the Test side, even for the series against Australia in February, will depend heavily on how he leads the team in the ongoing ODI and T20 series against Pakistan, the sources said, admitting that comparing performance in limited over games and Tests was likening apples to oranges.
Dhoni's decisions in the first T20 against Pakistan on Christmas Day have been soundly criticised, especially the one to hand the last over to non-regular bowler and his Chennai Super Kings team-mate Ravindra Jadeja, when India were in with a chance with Pakistan needing to score 10 runs to win. Shoaib Malik scored hit the fourth ball of the last over for a six wrapping it up for Pakistan.
That the selectors have asked Dhoni to prepare strategy for the 2015 World Cup to be played in Australia and New Zealand indicates that at least the ODI captaincy is his till then. The selectors have asked the skipper to identify the players that he would need for the team to perform well in 2015.
Former India captain and NDTV expert Sunil Gavaskar was surprised by the decision. "I am surprised if they have asked him for a blue-print. First and foremost the selection's committee tenure is only for a year so there is no guarantee that they will be there to select the team for 2015. But it's always good for a selection committee for a frank exchange and you have to be on the same page."
Mr Gavaskar, however, believes a break might benefit Dhoni. "While it's early days as far as 2015 is concerned, may be a break will do wonders for Dhoni. I admire the fact that he keeps so cool under pressure so Dhoni has his pluses, but the results India is getting, maybe it's time. It might not happen during the season, it helps for a captain to have a break, whether it's a voluntary break or an enforced break. Then he can come with a difference perspective and he can comeback as a better captain."
When asked if it was a realistic suggestion, Gavaskar said: "There is nothing that stops him. His successor might find it difficult to cope with the pressure and demands of being the Indian captain. It's actually a very funny kind of a situation. People want to be captain but the demands and the pressure that come with it are incredible, and sometimes you just want to say to yourself that 'hang on, I just want to play my own cricket'."
When not the captain, what does one do with Dhoni? Keep him in the playing XI?
Mr Gavaskar answers in affirmative. "I would definitely like to have Dhoni as a part of playing XI because he is a match-winner in the 50 overs and the T20 format. Dhoni certainly is an integral part of the Indian team for at least the next couple years for sure, unless his form dips," he said.
The Little Master also suggested Virat Kohli's name as a worthy successor to Dhoni. "My feeling is that Virat Kohli is going to bring India the kind of captaincy, the kind of flair and the kind of charisma that Tiger Pataudi had. Once Kohli becomes the captain on a permanent basis, he is going to bring Indian cricket the dynamism and the aggressiveness and the class that Tiger Pataudi had."
"I don't want Kohli to change apart from the fact that he abuses once he reaches a landmark, I do not want him change his aggressive nature but I genuinely believe that if he becomes the captain he will bring Indian cricket a dimension that will take Indian cricket forward," he added.
Sources also say Coach Duncan Fletcher's contract will not be renewed. In fact the Board of Control for Cricket of India has already started looking for options to replace Fletcher in March next year.
And Mr Gavaskar says it might be a good idea to try an Indian coach. "Why not try an Indian coach? The Indian coach will understand the Indian psyche a lot better. And also other things that we need to be remember is Indian cricketers will respect an Indian who has achieved things. Look one of the reasons why Gary Kirsten was successful was because he had done it all in both the Test and the ODI format of the game. He was somebody one looked up to as he had done it all. His work ethic was of a person looking to improve."
Most Bollywood heroines over the ages have stayed true to the adage that two actresses of the same league can never be friends. However, looks like Kareena Kapoor and Priyanka Chopra could prove it as a thing of the past. If rumours are to be believed, the two ladies could well be on their way to call for truce. But questions is, ultimately will they or won't they?
Both PC and Bebo have often engaged in a war of words, whether be it in front of the media and even telly chat shows. They have been at loggerheads about not just their professional lives but also their personal lives. The two have apparently even shared boyfriends (read Shahid Kapoor). However, a source present at Imran Khan's recent housewarming party, where both Kareena and Priyanka were invited, states that the two apparently shared a very warm conversation on the floor.
The source says, "Everyone present in the room was surprised to see Kareena and Priyanka talking non-stop with each other. They were in each other's company for more than an hour and had even taken a corner of the house to themselves. They kept on giggling and laughing throughout."
Apparently, there was no other person who was part of their conversation. "They just came face to face and started talking," adds the source. What remains to be seen is if their newfound friendship will carry over to the next year as well. Let's wait and watch.
Past imperfect
Kareena and Priyanka have not exactly been the best of friends for a long time. A sneak-peek into their colourful history together.
2007: The two worked in Aitraaz together, post which they heaped praises on each other at every media interaction possible.
December 2007: Kareena took a dig at Priyanka by stating that she did not consider any of her contemporaries to be 'actresses' except Rani Mukherji. Priyanka issued a dignified response saying, "Bebo is a more senior and hopefully more mature actress than me."
December 2010: Kareena, once again, ridiculed Priyanka on Koffee With Karan for her accent, prompting Priyanka to comment on Bebo's then-beau, now hubby Saif Ali Khan's accent as well.
January 2011: There were some signs of a patch-up during an event for the Mumbai police. During her performance, Priyanka roped in Shah Rukh Khan, Saif Ali Khan and Kareena on the stage to jive along with her.
September 2012: Even during the promotions of Kareena's Heroine, the two actresses made sarcastic comments about the fates of the other's films at the box office and award events.
After Dabangg, Bodyguard and Ek Tha Tiger, actor Salman Khan has done it once again. Within six days of its release, Dabangg 2 has entered the Rs 100 crore-club with collections amounting to Rs 100.78 crore.
Dabangg 2 is the sequel to the 2010 release Dabangg, which was set in a village and had the rustic, rural flavour of Uttar Pradesh. The story of the sequel has shifted to a posh metropolitan city.
Made under the banner of Arbaaz Khan Productions, Dabangg 2 has been written by Dilip Shukla. This is Arbaaz's first film as a director. The film released in over 3,500 screens across India on December 21.
This year has been very lucky for Salman. Kabir Khan-directed Ek Tha Tiger was an Eid release and set the cash registers ringing, but Dabangg 2 achieved this feat in spite of being a non-holiday release.
The film opened to a collection of Rs 21.10 crore and collected a whopping Rs 65.16 crore during the first three days.
We've reported earlier about ZTE's plans to launch two phablets this year and the company is now a step closer to accomplishing those plane. The Nubia Z5 has now been officially announced by the company. The Black and White models of the device will go on sale in China beginning January 2013 for 3,456 yuan (about $555 US). There is no word on availability in other regions as of now.
The Nubia Z5 comes with Android 4.1.1 and touts impressive hardware. The device sports a 5-inch (1920x1080 pixels) IPS display and features a huge 13-megapixel rear camera and a 2-megapixel front facing one.
At 138 x 69.2 x 7.6mm and weighing in at 126 grams, the Nubia Z5 is being claimed as the thinnest full-HD smartphone yet. Under the belly, the Nubia Z5 is powered by a 1.5GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro (APQ8064) processor with 2GB RAM and 32GB of internal storage. It comes with a 3000mAh battery.
The device boasts NFC, HSPA+ connectivity, Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n and Bluetooth 4.0.
Rumour has it that apart from the black and white models, there is a third model expected to be revealed later. There aren't any other details except that it is likely to be a titanium version and may be priced at 7,890 yuan (around $1,265 US).
ZTE is also expected to unveil a second 5-inch full-HD device at CES 2013 in Las Vegas. A press shot of the Grand S was leaked 3 days ago with very less details known about the phablet.
Legal hassles, poor 3G coverage and patchy broadband haven't stopped the rapid growth of social media across India— both for people at home and for businesses looking to build digital campaigns to reach increasingly networked consumers.
If Facebook has crossed some 65 million users in India, others such as LinkedIn and Twitter, with more than 15 million and between 10 and 33 million users (depending on whom you ask), respectively, and newer sites such as Pinterestand Quora too have grown sharply in the past 12 months.
Even as millions of these users log into these sites from their computers, tablets and most visibly from their mobile phones, businesses are graduating from being hesitant adopters of marketing on social media to being full-blown fans of this medium.
From being an absent afterthought on Facebook, brands and companies have today morphed to aggressively targeting social networkers with bespoke plans and initiatives as they seek new avenues for growth. Kirthiga Reddy has been watching this social media revolution unfold over the past 30 months as the head of Facebook's India business. From April last year, the world's largest social networking site has seen its India user base explode from around 25 million to over 65 million.
"With such an engaged user base, India is one of the fastest growing countries on Facebook," she says.
This growth has been fuelled here by a large number of hyper-networked mobile users, who manage to stay logged in, despite patchy internet connectivity. Reddy already sees mobile as the future of social networking.
"We are a mobile-first company and are constantly working to improve the experience across all devices. Globally, of the over 1 billion Facebook users, more than 600 million access the social networking site on their mobile devices. In fact, Facebook has added 225 million new mobile users in the last 12 months," says Reddy.
According to Rajiv Dingra, CEO of WATConsult, a social media agency, Facebook has added around 10 million users in the past six months alone, while he estimates that LinkedIn, a professional networking sites favoured by corporates, has added some six million users.
"Social networking sites are looking beyond the initial bunch of users to the next layer," he says. "These are often in small towns and often first-timers."
As these sites have evolved to become the first port of call for India's youth, brands are tumbling over themselves to build innovative and often digital-only or even digitalfirst campaigns to get noticed.
However, from creating an unmeasured splash with a Facebook page or Youtube channel, marketers are now getting more precise with their initiatives.
"Last year there was a (Facebook) fan acquisition craze and that has been replaced by a more measured approach, with actual return on investment being the focus," adds Dingra.
Marketers such as VinayBhatia of retailer Shoppers Stop have already spotted this trend. "We will have 12 or 13 videos exclusively for Youtube and we're integrating millions of our Facebook fanswith our First Citizen loyalty program too," he says. Bhatia divides the social media world into: those who aggressively adopted this trend; and the late-comers to the field. He says now even the slackers are catching up as they see a clear monetary benefit from an aggressive social media presence.
Shoppers Stop offers special deals to its Facebook fans, gives them a longer preview of coming sales and is even using technology such as augmented reality to reach out on social networking sites.
"We are pushing our creative agencies to build marketing programs that place social networks at the centre, rather than at the periphery of the end objective," he says as he slips into a four-hour marathon meeting with them.
Social media sites have unveiled a series of new features to try to cater to businesses looking to ride this social media revolution. Facebook, for example, recently launched Facebook Exchange, to more precisely target users with campaigns--hitting those searching for home loans with campaigns with ads on their news feed.
Elsewhere, LinkedIn launched a targeting tool used by the likes of American Express to target affluent users with bespoke programs. Even newer sites such as Pinterest saw heightened corporate interest, with Dingra of WATConsult dubbing it as a fertile ground to observe young and middle-aged women's social media habits.
While Twitter has become the place to track politicians, celebrities and sportsmen, businesses too are slowly sensing an opportunity to use promoted tweets, trends and accounts to build their brands.
"The 66A case (in which two girls were arrested for their FB posts) may have happened on Facebook, but the people's voice was amplified on Twitter, which has become the digital voice of the Junta," adds Dingra.
Facebook's Reddy thinks that the next big opportunity will come when small businesses aggressively begin to use the site to grow their operations. Facebook and industry lobby FICCIplan to organise a six-city conference tour to familiarise small & medium businesses with the benefits of social media and will even hand out free Facebook credits (used to advertise with the site) as a sop to these units.
According to a report by the Internet and Mobile Association of India and India Market Research Bureau, the Indian online advertising market, including classifieds, will grow by 54% in the next 12 months.
Posted in: HEALTH-t depression
A wake-up call for MS Dhoni. His captaincy in Tests is under review, and he has been asked by the national selectors to draw up a blue-print to ensure that India successfully defends the One-Day International World Cup in 2015. This follows a very long dry spell for the Men in Blue, who have not notched up any win of significance since the series win against the West Indies last year.
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