Google Earth now scans the heavens

A new function in Google Earth has opened up the cosmos to Internet viewers. The new “sky” portion of the software allows users to view the starry skies, navigating through the galaxies with the click of a mouse, says Google spokesman Stefan Keuchel from the company’s Hamburg offices. Constellations, planets, and nebulae are all offered alongside information about their position, size and orbits.

The highest resolution images of space come from scientific installations such as the Baltimore’s Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI). Views normally reserved just for astronauts are provided through 129 images of NASA/ESA’s Hubble Space Telescope. Animations illustrate the course of the moon’s phases and the position of planets two months ahead of time. The various stages of the life of a star are also depicted.

MTNL launches Internet telephony service

MTNL has launched India’s first legal Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) service, NetFone, in New Delhi, in association with Aksh Optifibre for its broadband subscribers.

“With the launch of the VoIP service, we have managed to create a single communication platform for all Indians living in India and abroad. No more will calling international be viewed as expensive. The company will be uniquely advantaged as a solutions provider for a service that can potentially reach over four million broadband subscribers in both Delhi and Mumbai,” says Dr Kailash Choudhari, managing director, Aksh Optifibre Ltd.

VoIP allows users to call each other using the Internet. The voice chat facility that Skype and Google Talk offer is based on VoIP. Calls made from Skype and Google Talk do not come under the legal framework in India, which means no authority can monitor or track a voice chat or call that takes place through it. However, the MTNL VoIP facility is legal and can be monitored.


Using NetFone, a broadband subscriber can make a call from his computer or telephone to other subscribers on their mobile, landline or computer in India or in 150 countries, among them the US, the UK, Canada, Australia, Japan and Malaysia. If the call is made through a telephone, the subscriber will have to attach a small device to enable VoIP. This facility will be available at all MTNL PCOs, too.

MTNL is using differential pricing for VoIP calls across geographical areas. For 35 countries (including the US, the UK and Canada), it will charge Re 1 per minute, and for 45 countries (including Japan and Malaysia), the charge is Rs 2 per minute. For the remaining countries, the call charge is Rs 3 per minute.

Registration and installation cost Rs 500, plus another Rs 1,500, which is a one-time payment for the device that enables VoIP. Two tariff plans are available: Plan VoIP 200 with a monthly rental of Rs 200, which offers 400 minutes of PC-to-PC calls free and 20 paise per minute thereafter; and Plan VoIP 400 with a monthly rental of Rs 400, which offers 800 minutes of PC-to-PC calls free and 10 paise per minute thereafter. In order to call beyond this, there are prepaid cards available in denominations of Rs 100, Rs 500 and Rs 1,000, with validity of three months, six months and 12 months, respectively.

Dishtv launches dishtv on Computer

Marking yet another landmark in the history of live TV experience, dishtv, the pioneers of DTH technology in the country, brings the first of its kind in the world, technology innovation - dishtv on computer. This special set top box when connected to the desktop PC, can alter between computer and Live TV merely at the click of the button.

Dishtv on computer extends unparalleled experience to the viewers by offering the boutique 171 channels; value added service, active features, gaming and the like.

Re-iterating dishtv's pioneering commitment to the Indian market, Mr. Jawahar Goel, Managing Director, dishtv says, "With this new innovation of dishtv on computer, a cutting - edge home entertainment device, dishtv builds on its position as the ultimate authority re-defining the television viewing space.. Enriched with all dishtv content and value added services, it will provide the customers with digital TV viewing experience while working on computer, at just the click of a button".

It offers a dual advantage of being compatible to computer and television both and is extremely convenient to use. Its working is very similar to that of regular dishtv Set top box where dish installed on the roof/ terrace, faces a particular direction and the VGA box ( special set-top-box compatible with computers) is connected to the PC. The set top box doubles up the usage of the computer from a mere computing machine to one that is an entertainment gizmo. It is ideal for -

Consumers with a TV and a computer who can now become multi TV homes.
Consumers who want to swap digital viewing between computer and TV, as the box has dual compatibility.
Computer users who want to switch between information and entertainment on the same machine.
Specially suited for corporates and SOHO's, where televisions are not available, yet live TV can be enjoyed.
Young geeks who have computers but no TV's like students, young IT pros etc.



The VGA box comes at a price of Rs 4150 inclusive of equipment, installation and taxes. The product will be launched in a phased manner and is currently being made available at select top cities of Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Kolkata, Pune, Ahmedabad and Hyderabad. The box will be sold through hi-end consumer durable outlets that already sell dishtv. Additionally it is also being distributed, thru a special tie-up with TVSE, into computer and peripherals outlets.

Dishtv has demonstrated its technological prowess and innovative spirit thru a spate of new introductions. Unique among them have been, Mobile dishtv for vehicles and ships, powering live TV on aircrafts aboard Kingfisher airlines. With this unique and unparalleled product, dishtv satisfies the needs of knowledge and information seeking audiences, who aspire to be updated all the time, wherever they be.

Microsoft launches Windows Mobile 6 in India

Microsoft Corporation India Pvt. Ltd. today announced the launch of Windows Mobile 6, the latest version of its mobile software platform.


According to an official release, the new platform delivers enhanced communications, productivity, security and device management capabilities, enabling users to work and play when they are on the move.


By improving usability and added support for Microsoft Office features previously available only on PCs, Windows Mobile 6 delivers to the small screen. Hewett Packard (HP), Hi Tech Computers (HTC), O2, iMate and Motorola are Microsoft’s device partners in India.

The release quotes IDC Worldwide Converged Mobile Device 2006-2011 Forecast and Analysis, May 2007 - Windows Mobile will see a CAGR of 57.0 per cent, the highest rate of growth among the top 5 platforms through 2011.

In India Windows Mobile leads the messaging segment with a 30.5 per cent market share in Q1 2007 (source: IDC quarterly tracker).

Windows Mobile with its new look and feel offers the following key benefits to the users which include first platform to offer the ability to read HTML mail, direct push technology for up-to-date e-mail delivery and automatic synchronization of Outlook calendars, tasks and contacts through Microsoft Exchange Server.

It also offers chat with multiple contacts at one time, express more through emoticons, quickly send a file or image, as well as record and send voice notes through a new instant messaging application.

Another feature is 'Day Glance' that helps manage calendar tasks, seamless integration with SharePoint and active links, support for storage card encryption and storage card wipe, a rich set of Windows Live services including mail, messenger, search, contacts and spaces, ease of viewing and editing of Office system documents.


The platform offers a variety of security options, giving IT departments ways to help secure a device, including new Exchange Server policies and certificate options, storage card encryption, and continued support for remote and local device wipe.

It also has protected content features wherein organizations using Information Rights Management (IRM) technology are assisted to control the viewing, storing and printing of confidential information on PCs and the same can be extended to Windows Mobile 6 powered devices, a feature not available on any other mobile phone platform.

.NET Compact Framework and Microsoft SQL Server are built into Windows Mobile 6, making it even easier to create and access sales tools, inventory tracking and many other applications from a Windows Mobile 6 powered smartphone. A new built-in application makes using a Windows Mobile 6 powered smartphone as a laptop’s high-speed modem "one-click easy" with either a Bluetooth wireless or cable connection.

Windows Mobile 6 makes it easier for operators and device-makers to integrate a voice over Internet protocol (VoIP) solution into devices they are building. Windows Mobile provides people with more choice of operators and phone styles for nearly any business or personal need.

In India Windows Mobile is available on a diverse range of 30 form factors including both stylus and PDA phones which is the widest range of smart phones available in the country.

Google to sell print ads in newsPapers and TV

Google is expanding its Print Ads programme to allow online advertisers nationwide to place print advertisements in 225 newspapers, serving half of US newspaper readers.

The programme, which will let hundreds of thousands of Google AdWords customers place newspaper ads in the same way they buy Web page, radio or TV ad space, follows a 50-publication test started last November among a small group of advertisers.

The 225 newspapers are located in 32 of the 35 biggest US metropolitan markets, with a combined circulation of almost 30
million subscribers. Among the newspapers in the programme are The New York Times, Washington Post, Chicago Tribune, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Seattle Times and San Jose Mercury News.

Google Print Ads lets advertising agencies and advertising customers of all sizes plan and buy traditional newspaper media
-- from one-inch to full-page displays in both national and local newspapers via Google's existing ad sales software.

Smita Hashim, group product manager for Print Ads, said it was designed to bring online advertisers back to papers. "We are not actively marketing to newspaper loyalists," she said, referring to print advertisers to which papers typically sell.

Details are at http://www.google.com/adwords/printads/.

Separately, Google rival Yahoo said it has increased its own ad sales partnership with US newspaper publishers to 17 chains covering 400 newspapers, up from 176 publications when its programme began in November.

Unlike Google Print Ads, however, Yahoo's programme is aimed at helping newspapers sell ads on their online sites, something Google itself already does through its own AdSense programme.

On that score, Google said it had renewed an existing deal to supply Washingtonpost.Newsweek Interactive with online Web search results, as well as pay-per-click and contextually targeted ads to WashingtonPost.com readers.

With Google Print Ads, an ad buyer in Los Angeles might buy space in Chicago or Seattle newspapers, something only national advertisers now typically do. This allows local papers to reach a national base of online ad buyers.

"Google Print Ads has brought in new advertisers who were either too small to consider advertising in a national newspaper or who hadn't tried print advertising because their business was largely online," said Todd Haskell, the New York Times' vice president of business development for advertising.

Advertisers then place bids for space and upload ad images to the Google AdWords system and the rest is taken care by the newspapers and Google, which handles billing and payments.

As part of its bid to bring accountability to both sides of the print-buying process, Google asks newspapers to provide electronic "tear sheets" -- images that demonstrate exactly where and how a specific ad ran in a publication -- within 24 hours of the publication of the print advertisement.

Google officials said the extension of AdWords to include newspaper ads promises to bring the measurability of online ad sales to offline print media.

"Advertisers are using newspapers in very similar ways to how they use online advertising," Hashim said. Customers are beginning to test ad campaigns across different markets and shifting spending where it is most effective, she said.

ESPN-Star Sports fixes a high price for Star Cricket

Cable bills in non-conditional access system (CAS) areas may go up by 10-15 per cent with the launch of the all-cricket sports channel, Star Cricket, today.

With this launch, sports broadcaster ESPN Star Sports will become the costliest sports bouquet in non-CAS areas in the country, with a price of about Rs 65 per susbcriber.

Nimbus Communications bouquet of two sports channels — Neo Sports and Neo Sports Plus — is the second most expensive bouquet, priced at Rs 37.25 per susbcriber.

“While we will not be able to comment on the individual pricing of Star Cricket to the cable operators, the fact that it will be seen in most cable homes confirms our committment to millions of cricket fans across India,” an ESPN executive says.

Together, ESPN and Star Sports cost Rs 42 per susbcriber in non-CAS homes while it is priced Rs 5 in the CAS homes of Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata. With Star Cricket, it will become the costliest sports bouquet in the country.

The leading sports broadcaster has sold its all-cricket channel at Rs 19-23 per subscriber per month to different multi system operators (MSO) on the basis of exclusive coverage of the India-England three test match series begining today.

Star Cricket witnessed a soft-launch on July 1 and the sports broadcaster was seeking Rs 28 per susbcriber from MSOs.

Cable operators say that this will force them to increase cable prices by 10-15 per cent in non-CAS homes. Senior executives of the MSO WWIL (formerly called Siticable) say that there was no question of paying Rs 28 for Star Cricket.

“With the mandatory sports law in place, there is no exclusivity for any sports broadcaster except for test matches. We will have to pass on the pricing to the consumers or show only two out of three sports channels from ESPN bouquet," says a Delhi-based cable operator working for a leading MSO.

But it will be good news for direct to home (DTH) susbcribers. About 22 lakh susbcribers of Dish TV, a large DTH company, will be able to view Star Cricket, a Dish TV spokesperson has confirmed.

The deal with Tata Sky, the second-largest DTH operator, is also on the anvil, sources close to the development inform.

Bangalore is Lenovo's marketing hub

After emerging as the leading global destination for investments in the IT & ITeS sectors, Bangalore is now pioneering another offshore business opportunity for MNCs. The Chinese PC maker Lenovo has set up its global marketing hub in Bangalore, a testimony to the city’s skills in advertising and marketing, to serve the global market.

Within two years of starting its operations in India after acquiring the PC business of IBM, Lenovo has identified Bangalore to drive its global marketing initiatives. Its hub in Bangalore for this purpose will manage and track the effectiveness of the company’s marketing strategy across the world.

“We have one of the strongest marketing teams in India. Probably, our Indian team is one of the best creative teams in the entire operation. We have experience in India on building consumer brands from scratch. By setting up the global hub here, we will now leverage the marketing talents available in India,” said Deepak Advani, senior vice president and chief marketing officer, Lenovo.

The marketing hub, set up by the company in Bangalore, is spearheaded by the Lenovo India marketing team. The hub, which presently has 70 professionals, including 50 creative specialists from Ogilvy & Mather, Lenovo’s global media partner, will gradually scale up operations depending upon the quantum of works it handles.

Rahul Agarwal, vice president - marketing, Lenovo India, will head the global marketing hub, apart from overseeing the company’s marketing in India. He will report to Advani. The company will shortly appoint a new marketing head for Lenovo India. Piyush Pandey, chairman of O&M India, will lead his team for the Lenovo operation.

The initial focus of the hub will be to formulate marketing strategies and create marketing deliverables for print and online. However, the hub will not focus much on television advertisement initially with the exception of China and India.

The company aims to use the hub to develop creative work in close partnership with the local marketing leadership in different countries. The hub will track the effectiveness of the marketing campaigns launched by the company around the world. It will also advise the marketing teams, in each of the countries the company operates, to reuse assets it had created earlier for a similar campaign.

“We operate in more than 60 countries across the world. The local teams in those countries have a tendency to go to the local agency for their marketing deliverables, including advertisement and brochures. So there is not much sharing of IP happening across different countries. Now, they will come to the hub for their marketing requirements,” said Advani. This will help the company in customising the existing assets and reusing them instead of recreating assets.

The company’s marketing heads from different countries will visit Bangalore for regular interaction with the members of the marketing hub and give their local insights on different advertisement campaigns.

The Lenovo-O&M team, which started functioning from June, has already created 100 marketing deliverables. According to the company, the level of localisation of advertisement content will vary from country to country.

The company has put countries like India, China and Japan in a different segment, where the level of customisation of marketing deliverables will be little higher than in countries like the US, the UK and Australia.

Sony looking for new PS3 ad agency

Sony Computer Entertainment America has informed its agency‚ TBWA\Chiat\Day‚ that it is putting its estimated US$100 million Sony PlayStation account into review.

It is believed that TBWA parent Omnicom Group tried to keep the review contained to its agency network‚ but Sony has hired consultancy Select Resources International to oversee the process‚ according to advertising trade media reports.

Meantime‚ Nintendo’s Wii continues to outsell PS3 and is likely to overtake Xbox 360 as the leading console in the US.

Nintendo recently unveiled The Zapper‚ a game which allows users to play point-and –shoot games‚ similar to amusement arcade machines.

Logitech introduces laser mouse for PC navigation

Logitech which makes computer mice has introduced the Logitech MX Air Rechargeable Cordless Air Mouse, a versatile laser mouse that works on the desk and in the air.

Similar to the way people use a remote to control a television, when holding the MX Air mouse, people can now lean back and relax while navigating the computer and enjoying media content.


The firm notes that for many, the computer is now much more than a productivity tool. It serves as a hub for digital media, demanding a new way for people to control, consume and enjoy music, photos and videos on the PC. To enable effortless in-air navigation, the new mouse combines three important technologies – Freespace™ motion-control, gesture command and wireless – so people can point, select and play media files with just a flick of the wrist.

Logitech senior VP, GM of the Control Devices business unit Rory Dooley says, “The MX Air mouse offers a radically new way for people to control their PC entertainment. It is for anyone who has listened to music on their PC and been frustrated by having to return to the desk to change songs or volume.

" It’s for people who want to share vacation photos with friends and family without being tied to the desk. It’s for any of the millions of people using the Internet to browse and watch videos on sites such as YouTube or Grouper. And it’s for people with a living-room computer or media PC who want to navigate their media content on their terms.”


Advanced Control – Freespace and Gesture Commands
Freespace motion control technology is designed to provide accurate, responsive navigation without the limitations encountered by previous in-air pointing devices. This patented technology is based on a combination of MEMS (microelectromechanical systems) sensors, DSP (digital signal processing) technology and RF (radio frequency) wireless technology. These combined technologies allow a user to hold the mouse in any orientation, point in any direction, and enjoy effortless, intuitive cursor control. Additionally, sophisticated algorithms distinguish between intentional and unintentional hand movements – effectively canceling the slight involuntary tremors everyone experiences when holding a device in the air.

Gesture-based commands add a new level of sophistication to the MX Air mouse. To change the volume, people press and hold the volume button and simply gesture to the right to increase volume, or to the left to decrease it. For music applications, a small circular motion to the right activates the skip track command, while a circle to the left repeats the song.

In place of a traditional scroll wheel, the MX Air mouse features a touch-sensitive scroll panel. A swipe of the finger across the surface enables the inertial scrolling mechanism, which adjusts its speed according to the speed of the finger swipe. Media functions such as Play/Pause, Volume/Mute, Back and Select can be easily accessed in the air by pressing the large, orange backlighted buttons with the thumb.