Here’s a look at this week’s Top 10 tech news.
Contents
Indian Railways launches RailRadar: Real time train tracking application
Indian Railways launched RailRadar, a real time tracking application using the Google Maps platform. The app will display details of over 6,500 trains in real time on a map, including the train routes, current location, station, distance to next stop and its OnTime/Delayed status in minutes.
eBay unveils new website…goes Pinterest way
eBay put its website through an overhaul to become more social and mobile. The e-commerce portal, one of the world’s largest e-tailers, has been given a Pinterest styled look. Users will have a newsfeed, personalized homepage and will be able to follow brands and products.
"We’re delivering a cleaner, contemporary look and feel; a more intuitive, convenient way to browse, decide and buy – both globally and locally; and a new personal way to curate your own shopping experience and discover items perfect for you. These new experiences will be rolled live in the coming weeks in the US and around the world in the coming months" said the company as it unveiled the new look.
Google launches free SMS in India via Gmail
Google launched Free SMS on Gmail in India allowing users to send messages to mobile phones across all networks. Gmail users will be required to add numbers to their contacts. The service will give 50 SMS credits for free with one message costing one credit. For every reply received, users will get 5 extra credits.
iPad Mini rumours and leaked pictures
The internet was flooded with pictures that were apparently those of Apple’s new iPad Mini. The company has refused to comment or even acknowledge the existence of the product, however commentators, tech blogs and news reports are speculating a 23 October launch. iPad Mini rumours suggest that the device will have a 7.85 inch screen and is likely to compete with Amazon’s Kindle Fire HD and Google Nexus 7.
Samsung launches Galaxy SIII Mini
Samsung officially launched Galaxy SIII Mini, a smaller version of the SIII. The smartphone has a 4 inch screen as opposed to the 4.8 inch display on the bigger SIII. It is based on the Android 4.1 Jelly Bean OS, powered by a 1 GHz dual core processor.
Galaxy SIII Mini has a 5 MP rear camera, front VGA camera, 1 GB RAM and comes in 8 and 16 GB variants.
Twitter selects Bangalore based MetricStream for its financial compliance program
Twitter selected global Quality and Governance, Risk, Compliance (GRC) solutions provider MetricStream for its financial compliance program. The microblogging website will use MetricStream’s GRC platform to ‘maintain a robust financial compliance program and internal controls environment’ said a press release.
"A robust application to monitor performance of control activities is critical for ensuring the integrity of financial and accounting information. By using MetricStream GRC Platform, we aim to drive efficiency, and strengthen the productivity of our staff, so that they can focus on other high value activities for the business" said Nilesh Patel, Corporate Controller, Twitter.
Infosys’ net profits up 24%, to promote 12,000 and hire 6,000
Infosys reported a quarterly net profit of Rs. 2,369 crore, 24% higher than Q2 FY 2011-12. India’s second largest software exporter also announced that it will hire more than 6,000 students from college campuses and promote over 12,000 employees, reported ET.
"A wage increment despite unsure economy reflects on the confidence the firm has in long-term growth" said SD Shibulal, CEO & MD, Infosys.
Lenovo topples HP in quarterly worldwide shipments
For the first time in the company’s history, Lenovo had the highest quarterly worldwide shipments according the research firm Gartner. The Chinese manufacturer edged out HP and commanded a 15.7% market share during July to September 2012.
IDC’s quarterly shipments report put Lenovo marginally behind HP however the former’s surge and the latter’s decline in market share was very evident. In Q3 2012, the worldwide PC market shrunk by over 8% in anticipation of the Windows 8 launch along with pressure from smartphone and tablet markets.
Earlier during the week, Facebook confirmed that it had been testing a ‘want’ button with retailers including Victoria’s Secret, Michael Kors, Fab.com and Wayfair. The feature will allow users to create wish lists of various products as they browse through collections of different retailers. Commentators are looking at this move by the social network as an attempt to push into e-commerce.
Micromax launches LED TVs, home theatre systems and Blu-ray players
Micromax launched a range of LED TVs with prices ranging from Rs. 15,990 to Rs. 1,29,990. They also launched home theatre systems with 5.1 surround sound speakers and a 3D Blu-ray player.
"As we move forward, we want to be the screen partner for our consumers, no matter what the screen size is. As consumer preferences evolve and they want their devices and experience to be smart and personal, we feel the future of TV will depend on user, programming, connectivity and personalization" said Rajesh Agarwal, co-founder and MD, Micromax. TOI also reported that the company is targeting an 8% market share and will be investing Rs. 100 crore over the next 3 years.
