Wimbledon embraces gadgets

Now in its 133rd year, world's oldest tennis tournament is very advanced, in terms of using latest technology, to impart maximum benefit to its participants and audience.  

For over 20 years, they have been in association with IBM. "What we do here is an enormous data management exercise - collecting data, presenting it, visualising it in different ways for different audiences, and making it available across all sorts of media platforms," says Alan Flack, IBM's Wimbledon Executive.

Umpires update the score by tapping away at PDAs, while a team of data collectors overlooking each court log every moment of the action.

Tennis fans have also adopted gadgets to enhance their Wimbledon experience, especially as live spectators at the grounds. Android or iPhone owners can use technologies embedded in their mobile phones to access data tagged to their location. Augmented reality applications use the handset's GPS and built-in compass to overlay a virtual layer over the real-world environment.

Users onsite can turn on their phone's camera and point it around the complex to find out the nearest toilets, food outlets, and check the scores on various courts. They also have access to a live video stream of all the matches.

"To make sure we're giving the best quality video that we can, we're using a combination of local wi-fi networks that are available and also boosting the 3G network using local pico masts," said Mark Sweatman, technology head at developer Ogilvy One.

They are also using latest technology for providing maximum benefits to viewers watching these tournaments on their TV sets.

Who said all money way blown away in FIFA WC 2010?

Courtesy: BBC News, Wimbledon authorities.

Daily Mail fooled by fake Steve Jobs tweet on iPhone 4 recall

The Daily Mail website been caught out by a fake Steve Jobs account on Twitter, writing a story claiming that the chief executive said the iPhone 4 would be recalled on the basis on a message from the clearly-marked parody account.

The "ceoSteveJobs" account on Twitter plainly says in its biography: "I don't care what you think of me. You care what I think of you. Of course this is a parody account."

But the Mail on Sunday appears to have overlooked this in picking up on a tweet at 0017 BST on Sunday in which the person writing the account said: "We may have to recall the new iPhone. This, I did not expect."

Had the account belonged to the real chief executive, there might have been the faint possibility of it being true: Apple has acknowledged problems with reception when the iPhone 4 is held in particular ways, notably from below – though its guidance to customers is simply not to hold it in ways which lose reception.

The tweet was thus quickly picked up by the Mail, which wrote a story that was published at about 11am on Sunday morning which said that: "The much-vaunted new iPhone 4 may be recalled, Apple boss Steve Jobs revealed last night. Posting a message on the social networking site Twitter, the tycoon said …" and quoted the tweet.

Although the story was taken down later in the day, it was picked up by a number of commentators, and was still being indexed on Google News late on Sunday night – though the URL that it led to did not resolve.

Steve suggests on iPhone 4's reception problem

Apple said that adding a 'bumper' to the iPhone 4 could help improve signal strength by protecting the antennae coming in direct contact with your palm.

Steve Jobs, replied to an email sent by one user who was experiencing problems. The user, Aram, asked Jobs if there were “any plans” to fix the problem. Jobs responded by advising Aram to “avoid holding [the phone] in that way”.

The problem seems to occur when the iPhone 4 is held in the left hand, with the palm covering the lower left part of the stainless steel band that houses some of the antennae. Users have reported seeing the number of signal bars drop dramatically when the device is held that way, although the problem does not affect everyone.

“Gripping any mobile phone will result in some attenuation of its antenna performance, with certain places being worse than others depending on the placement of the antennas,” said Apple in a statement. “This is a fact of life for every wireless phone. If you ever experience this on your iPhone 4, avoid gripping it in the lower left corner in a way that covers both sides of the black strip in the metal band, or simply use one of many available cases.”

Apple has issued a range of ‘bumpers’ – coloured bands of rubber and moulded plastic – that clip over the stainless steel band on the iPhone 4, ostensibly to help protect the device from knocks and bumps. The company said these cases could also help maintain signal strength, by preventing the palm of the hand from directly touching the antennae.

The bumpers, which cost around £25 and are available in a range of colours, will not be shipped until at least July 16, according to the Apple website.

Courtesy: Claudine Beaumont, Technology Editor, The Telegraph London, UK.

MJ's first anniversary today

As with Elvis Presley or the Beatles, it is impossible to calculate the full effect Mr. Jackson had on the world of music. At the height of his career, he was indisputably the biggest star in the world; he has sold more than 750 million albums. Radio stations across the country reacted to his death with marathon sessions of his songs. MTV, which grew successful in part as a result of Mr. Jackson’s groundbreaking videos, reprised its early days as a music channel by showing his biggest hits.

Michael Jackson's estate has made more than $1bn (£677m) since his death a year ago, according to estimates by trade paper Billboard.

The magazine says Jackson's album sales have generated about $383m (£259m), while revenue from the film This Is It has hit nearly $400m (£271m).

Despite the This Is It tour never getting off the ground, revenue from tickets retained by fans as souvenirs and not refunded brought in about $6.5m (£4.4m), with merchandise raking in $5m (£3.4m), although concert promoter AEG has a cut of these profits.

Jackson's music publishing company, Mijac, currently has a value of around $150m (£102m), according to Billboard.

The magazine said Mijac could have generated as much as $50m (£33.9m) in the last year.

Jackson's estate also owns half of music publishing company, Sony/ATV.

Barry Massarsky of Massarsky Consulting estimated that Jackson's share of Sony/ATV's revenue is $80m (£54.3m) a year.

Other profits have come from DVD sales and rentals, downloads, royalties and ringtones.

Jackson died on 25 June last year at the age of 50.

Courtesy: New York Times, BBC, Radio 1

iPhone 4 signal issues reported

The all new iPhone 4 features a neat aerial design. The phone uses the metal outer casing as the aerial. However, it’s already causing problems since its first day, yesterday.

The “body aerial” was one of the main talking points at Apple's WWDC'10 launch event, but now that the phone has found its way to the hands of real users, it’s not quite all we hoped.

Reports across the web say that when then phone is in your hand, the iPhone 4’s signal bar drops off almost instantly, as if you’ve entered a signal black spot. And we thought this aerial design was meant to boost signal levels…

We’re not sure whether Apple will be able to find a firmware-based work-around for this situation, but ZDNet’s Rupert Goodwins writes that it’s caused by a fundamental flaw in the iPhone 4’s design. The metal aerial of the iPhone 4 relies on its own conductivity, which is disrupted when you put your mucky non-conductive paws on it.

It’s possible that the official Bumper accessory, which is a simple rubberised case, could sort out these issues, but at present the jury’s out.

Courtesy: Vofone consumer forum, fonehome.co.uk, BBC

London queues for iPhone 4

Today, 24th June 2010, you could see long queues in front of Vodafone and O2 outlets throughout Central London (and I am sure, throughout the country, despite all World Cup fever). I decided to move across London and find out what people were speculating. Due to data protection act, I will not be revealing real names and therefore use pseudo names for people I interviewed.

Anna at Cannon Street O2 outlet said, "I've been here since 7 AM". She didnt had any breakfast and just rushed to pick her 4th Generation iPhone, for which she has been waiting for since the beginning of May this year. Steven, back in the same queue said he had walked for 20 minutes as there were some delays in the national rail trains between Lewisham and Cannon Street this morning, and he didn't wanted to miss a spot on the first day itself. Stepheny and Clara were clever enough to get their breakfast packed well in advance, to counter this situation.

Thereafter, I moved on to Apple's Regent Street outlet this morning and if I am allowed to say so, it looked like a "fish market". There were at least 300-350 people in the queue at 10 in the morning, and the numbers were growing by manifolds with each passing minute.

Luckily I came across an old colleague inside the store and I could lay my hands on the new iPhone to test it for myself and I will say, it was an amazing experience. I expected better speed though, on 3G network as I disabled its Wi-fi and tried to do a Google Maps search for couple of locations in and around London. It was rather sloppy and slow but this may also be due to lethargic Orange's network on iPhone 4, which is a mandate if you want to buy iPhone 4 over the counter from any of Apple's outlets. It was also surprising to see that you need to buy a £10 top-up with the phone when you buy it over the counter, but interestingly, unlike in The States, your new iPhone 4 is Sim-free and can be used over any network of your choice.

At £499 for 16 GB and £599 for 32 GB, it has great build quality and product conformance as is the case with all Apple's products I've used so far (Macbook Pro, iPod, iPod Touch, 3GS and the iPad).

After Cannon Street and Regent Street, I moved on to Vodafone's outlet at Lewisham Shopping complex which seemed to be a good place to find people in high density and therefore higher probabilities of getting some feedback. George spoke about how excited he was to buy the phone and download loads of new games in his handset, while Claudia was more concerned about getting those calls that she previously used to drop due to poor reception in her iPhone 3G. Steve (not Jobs) told me, how he has been saving for a long time to buy this phone and give it as a gift to his younger brother on his birthday.

All in all a pretty interesting day meeting a lot of interesting people from all walks of life, all going all out for getting upgraded to the next mass appeal product.

The question is, how many people are able to acquire this phone in their speculated time period, as the manufacturer's UK domain clearly reflects earliest delivery dates being around 14th July' 2010 for people who have already booked their handsets with them.

Source: My personal Central London tour across Apple, O2 and Vodafone outlets today

Excellence in Service

1966, when he established the Oberoi School of Hotel Management (OSHM) or Oberoi Centre of Learning and Development (OCLD) as it is now known, Rai Bahadur MS Oberoi, founder chairman of The Oberoi Group recognised the chain’s need for the right profile of people to breathe life into the modern hotels he was building. 


Ranking high in all parameters in the Hindustan Times-C fore survey of top institutions across the country, the OCLD is on the cusp a turn in its history as it gets set to move to newly constructed premises.  The school was established as a corporate university where young people could be groomed through a combination of academic instruction and comprehensive on-the-job experience. In 1996, the school was renamed OCLD. To this day, most senior managers with The Oberoi Group — vice presidents, corporate directors, general managers and executive committee members — are graduates of OCLD; and a reservoir of up and comers are running The Oberoi Group’s restaurants, kitchens, housekeeping and lobbies, and proceeding to the next level of their careers.


“Our approach to quality is to share good practices internally and to look outside for informed practice (not best practice). Related quality principles include; design quality to continuously improve and sustain,” says, Dr Paul Zupan, dean, OCLD. All students, or associates, at OCLD commence their training at the physical centre, located at the Maidens Hotel, Delhi. They are based there for two years under the stewardship of a permanent faculty, who use interactive methods of teaching, learning and assessment to develop the assocaites, personally as well as professionally. The programmes are highly structured, fully documented and internationally benchmarked. There are robust systems for the management, delivery and quality assurance of the programmes, to ensure that they are consistent in status, standards, level and career trajectory. 
The three two-year post-graduate diploma programmes are offered in guest service management, housekeeping management, and kitchen management. The programmes are divided into three stages, each of which has 14 weeks of theory and practice at OCLD followed by a lengthy period of professional experience at The Oberoi Group’s hotels. The associates come from diverse backgrounds. Some are university graduates; some have attended an institute of hotel management; others have been educated overseas and then there are some others, who have already worked with The Group for a year or two.  Knowledge of a third language (other than the mother tongue and English) is an important asset for hotel professionals. To this end, associates at OCLD can choose a language elective to study throughout their two years. They can choose from Arabic, French, German and Japanese.

Alternating stints at OCLD, the associates undergo three phases of structured professional experience for a total of 52 weeks. During each phase they apply the knowledge and skills they have learned during the preceding component based at OCLD. When the associates are being recruited for OCLD, one of the key requisite qualities is the ‘service ethic’. 


The Oberoi Group states that it needs people who demonstrate that they have a passion for assisting people, solving their problems, anticipating their needs and exceeding their expectations.
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Courtesy: Hindustan Times, New Delhi, 15th June 2010

iAds to go Live by July 1st 2010

In the recent days, Steve has highlighted Apple’s new in-application advertising platform: "iAds".

According to Jobs, Apple is developing iAds as a revenue channel for developers so they can earn money from applications in ways other than direct sales to users. As outlined last April, Apple is aiming for high amounts of interactivity and engagement with iAds, building on HTML5 technologies rather than the still-industry-standard Adobe Flash. 

Apple will host all the advertising and handle ad sales, so all applications developers have to do is specify where in the applications the ads should be placed, then collect 60 percent of the revenue from placements in their applications. Apple has only been selling iAds for about two months—they should go live on July 1—and so far has many major brands on board, including Disney (Jobs is Disney’s biggest single shareholder), Target, Best Buy, Geico, DirecTV, and other major brands. 

Unlike traditional banner ads that eject users from applications out into Web browsers, iAds run without exiting a user’s application, providing an interactive experience without causing people to leave apps, or lose work or messages: the goal is an engaging experience that users know is “safe” regardless of the app they’re using.

Courtesy: WWDC 2010

Schumacher escapes penalty

Germany's Michael Schumacher escaped a penalty after colliding with former team-mate Felipe Massa during an eventful Canadian Grand Prix.


The seven-times world champion was investigated by stewards after the pair made contact near the end of the 70-lap event. Stewards spoke with both drivers but decided that no further action was needed.

Massa's Ferrari was damaged in the incident and he was forced to return to the pits for repairs while Schumacher, who was struggling for grip on the slippery surface, continued but was under pressure from pursuing cars.

"I was trying as hard as I could to defend myself but it was only possible to a certain degree and my tyres were just ruined after having done more than half the race distance," said Schumacher.

Schumacher, who got as high as third in the early stages, never mounted a serious challenge in his Mercedes but was still in the thick of the action as he spent the bulk of the race battling to hold his position.

He suffered a punctured tyre after a close encounter with Robert Kubica and then was overtaken by Sebastien Buemiearly on.

Near the end of the race and with his tyres wearing thin, he was passed by the two Indian Force drivers - Tonio Liuzzi and Adrian Sutil - to miss out on the points at a track where he had won a record seven times.

"At the start, everything went great and we made up places as we had been hoping for. The first stop was perfectly timed so it was looking quite promising," said Schumacher, who had qualified 13th.

"Then I had a puncture on the front right tyre... after I got together with Kubica, and that obviously decided my race." 

*Courtesy: Crash.net / Eurosport

Marketing implications of World Cup 2010

I would love to start from the beginning but can't resist mentioning the best moment for me as a marketer, that happened today.


Just as the first match of World Cup 2010 (RSA - MEX) finished, the ad spot was booked for the Audi A8's brilliant new advert. I tried finding it over and over again on the You Tube but could not find it there or the official Audi channel. So here is it: It starts amongst the beautifully crafter colourful classic cars of the 50's and 60's who are trying to have a bite of each other by drifting, dodging, sliding and turning but then arrives a beast, the all new Audi A8 driving smoothly and elegantly through the mess and reaches to the end, proving "Vorsprung Durch Technik" (in german), meaning "Progress/Advancement through technology" very true in a subtle way.


And the placement of this advert was so prompt that the moment match ended and people might have been ready to get up or switch the channel, this advert takes their breath away.

Second highest marketing implication of this match was selection of man of the match by the audience. For the first time in the history of FIFA World Cup, man of the match was selected by audience poll through the link at http://www.fifa.com/man.


The best part, it was even before the 88th minute of the game that South Africa's Siphiwe Tshabalala was selected man of the match.


Well hope you all enjoyed the RSA 1 - MEX 1 game.


Quite an interesting and warmed up beginning of the World Cup 2010.

What will you do with it?

Get the Nokia N8 and leave your digital camera at home. Its 12 megapixel camera and Carl Zeiss lens give you pin-sharp photos. And when you shoot at night, the Xenon flash makes sure pictures come out bright and sharp.

Your N8 mobile phone is also great for staying in touch with friends. Get Facebook updates straight to your homescreen – and share videos and pics (there’s room for loads with 16GB of storage built in) to the web easily.

Want to customise your N8? Put shortcuts, bookmarks and apps on three home screens – and give each one a different wallpaper. How’s that for making your phone your own?

The Nokia N8 is perfect for photos

Great camera – great pictures

There’s no need for a separate digital camera when you’ve got the Nokia N8’s incredible 12 megapixel one. Its Carl Zeiss lens gives you crisp shots time after time.

Clear photos – even at night

Out for the evening and want to capture something hilarious? The N8’s Xenon flash gives you all the light you need to take bright, clear shots.

Edit pictures without a PC

You won’t have to mess about editing your shots on a computer. Your Nokia N8 mobile phone comes with software that lets you edit them, include some text and even add music.

The N8 takes care of your social world

Social networking on the move

When you’ve got Facebook updates coming straight to your Nokia N8, you can stay in the loop without being tied to your computer.

Organise your social life

There’s a handy calendar in your N8 that helps you keep track of who you’re seeing and when. So no more double-booking friends’ parties.

All your contacts – all in one place

Finding those texts, tweets, emails, Facebook updates and more from your friends is simple with the Nokia N8 phone. Everything from each person is stored in their profile – making it really easy to stay in touch.

Personalise your Nokia N8 mobile phone

Three different home screens

With three home screens on your Nokia N8, you can have one for work, one for friends and one for fun stuff – or whatever you want. Give each one a different look by changing its wallpaper.

Apps, widgets, bookmarks – and more

Put your favourite apps, widgets and web bookmarks on any of your Nokia N8’s three home screens. It’s the quickest way to get to the stuff you love.

Build a music library in your phone

Add hundreds of songs and album art to your N8 mobile phone and create your portable music library. There’s 16GB of storage built in – and you can add up to another 16GB with a microSD card.


Courtesy: Nokia, Google, YouTube, Vodafone Corporate

World Cup 2010 Kicks off Today!

One of the most awaited event of the year is here!

World Cup 2010 Kicks off today with these two matches:

1. South Africa Vs Mexico @ Johannesburg JSC - 4:00 PM (SA Time) or 3:00 PM (London Time)

2. Uruguay Vs France  @ Cape Town - 8:30 PM (SA Time) or 7:30 PM (London Time)

Stay tuned here for the updates!

The actual Oil spill was double than estimated before

Before the cap was put on the well by 3rd June, the flow rate could have been reached, suggests the US Geological Survey held recently.

Around 1.7 Mn gallons (40,000 barrels) have been gushing out from a blown-out Gulf of Mexico well. This comes to about twice the volumes estimated before.

UK PM David Cameron and President Obama to meet during the weekend to discuss about the spill.

Amid US and UK assurances, BP's chairman has been asked to meet President Obama next week to ensure that bilateral ties would not be effected by the crises.

Oil has been leaking into the Gulf since the Deepwater Horizon rig exploded on 20 April and sank off the coast of the US state of Louisiana, killing 11 workers.

BP said the device placed on the well collected 15,800 barrels of oil on Wednesday - slightly up on the 15,010 barrels collected in the previous 24-hour period.

Channel 4 - Big Brother Lineup announced

This is the 11th and final run of Channel 4's famous reality show "Big Brother'

A total of 13 people + 1 Big Brother's Mole have been announced during the reality show's live launch.

Presenter Davina McCall announced these people, who have been selected out of 81 potential contestants.

Film-maker Shabby, retail worker Corin, volunteer Govan, ex-serviceman Steve, professional dancer Ife, student Caoinhe and medical student Yvette, nicknamed Sunshine have been named in the ceremony.

Also included were australian retired vehicle body worker John, minister David, professional Beyoncé lookalike and hair stylist Rachael, financial sales rep Josie, trainee joiner Nathan, and writer and broadcaster Ben.

Chosen as 'mole', Mario was selected out of luck through a tombola draw. The mole has to disrupt the lives of his fellow housemates by undergoing a series of secret missions. he has to dress up in a mole suit all the time and sleep in the house inside a hole.

If he remains undetected while being successful, he is supposed to join as the 14th contestant. If he fails, he will have to leave the show.

Courtesy: SKY News, 95.8 Capital FM, Channel 4

Iran's "Twitter Revolution" an absolutely Exaggerated affair!

Last year's presidential elections at Iran witnessed a heavy usage of Social Media to create ripple effect among people. This time was called "Twitter Revolution" by experts and media writers. 

Almost an year later, the same people when asked about their feedback on the scenario, say that it was simply an exaggerated affair.

Number of users, as high as that in 5 figures, changed their location to Tehran, under effect of the protests and in order to confuse Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's henchmen.  

A former White House official even suggested Twitter to be rewarded with a Nobel Peace Prize for playing crucial role in crises in Iran.

According to Mr. Hamid Tehrani, the Persian Editor of blogging network "Global Voices", "The West was focused not on the Iranian people but on the role of western technology itself".

Although a much followed Twitter ID "Oxfordgirl" clearly stated that Twitter helped in organising protests because people could tweet about presence of security personnels and road conditions etc, but Mr. Tehrani insists that the reactions were highly exaggerated.

He clearly mentioned an instance where people posted on Twitter about 700,000 people protesting in front of a mosque when only 7,000 people were present in actual.

As per Miss Victoria Grand, YouTube's head of policy and communications, "people were holding their cameras, like guns in their hands" during these politically turbulent times.

The importance of Social Media has been best described not just by the write-ups about them but government's counter-reaction about them. A lot of websites like YouTube and Facebook have been completely banned or filtered in Iran.

Agreed by Tehrani and others, the cornerstone of this revolution is made of "people" and not just technology.

Courtesy: The Guardian

Photograph Courtesy: STH/Reuters

Tesco chief Sir Terry Leahy to retire

Tesco CEO Sir Terry Leahy will be retiring in March' 11as per the announcements by the supermarket chain today.

He has been an integral part of the chain for 13 successful years and has overseen the brand in its entire journey of becoming UK's leading supermarket chain.

At retirement, he will be standing 55 years of age, earned £5.2 Million last year from the business and will continue to have a significant value of shares in the company.

Later after this announcement, TESCO's shares went down by 2.4%.

Philip Clarke (currently International and IT Director) will be replacing Sir Leahy and mentioned that he was "honoured and delighted" when approached for his comments on getting this position.

When asked Sir Leahy for what is he going to do post his retirement and with all his earnings, he modestly informed media that he will be doing some "private investment" thereafter.

Some facts and figures to reflect how efficient the brand has been under Sir Leahy's supervision. 

It is for time to tell what changes happen in future and how this transition is handled seamlessly by the officials at the organisation.

*Courtesy: IGD, BBC, SKY Network, ITN, Google News, Yahoo News.