Spy Things

Wi-Spy Helicopter and Intruder RC toys put the childlike wonder back into spying on your neighbours

Sick and tired of spying on the neighbors the old-fashioned way? Good news, all. Interactive Toy Designs showed off two new products in its not-so-subtly named Wi-Spy line of remote control vehicles. Really driving the notion home is the Intruder, the name given to the little red sports car. The helicopter, on the other hand, is called just that, though we're sure you can intrude upon people with the thing, if you really put your mind to it. Both vehicles have built-in cameras that beam live feeds to your iPhone or Android devices. You can also record the video and upload it instantly to social networking sites, to really get that spying 2.0 feel. The Intruder and Helicopter are both arriving in the fall, for $100 and $120, respectively.

Apple's iPhone

Apple's iPhone edged past major news events, celebrities and pop stars as the top searched term on the Web in 2011, according to Yahoo! The digital media company said the smartphone proved more popular than reality television celebrity Kim Kardashian, pop star Katy Perry and singer and actress Jennifer Lopez, who placed in the top five.

American Casey Anthony, the woman acquitted of the murder of her young daughter after a highly publicised trial, was No 2. "This is the first time since 2002 that we have had a gadget at No 1, which is an iPhone." Vera Chan, a Web trend analyst at Yahoo!, said in a conference call announcing the results of the review now in its 10th year. "Even though the product has been around for four years it just became such a major news story," she added. PlayStation2 topped the list in 2002.

Chan credited the iPhone with helping to facilitate political movements around the world and said the device embodied the vision of Apple co-founder Steve Jobs who died in October. Women dominated the list, capturing six out of the top 10 spots.

Troubled actress Lindsay Lohan made headlines for a brief stay in jail and court appearances for violating probation on drunken driving and theft charges captured the No 6 spot. Actress Jennifer Aniston, a first timer on the top 10 list along with Lopez, came in eighth. In addition to the Casey Anthony trial, the Japan earthquake and Osama bin Laden who was killed in a US assault in Pakistan earlier this year, were the only news stories to make the top 10.

"People don't have to search for details they get in the news, and it is rare that a news story end up on the overall list," said Chan. Pop princess Britney Spears, who dominated the list in the top spot for four consecutive years, failed to make the list his year. "American Idol," which was the most search item in 2004, placed seventh. The Yahoo! list is based on aggregated visitor activity on the network and billions of consumer searches.

Toyota announces new Prius V

Amidst a slew of global launches at the ongoing Auto Expo 2012, Japanese carmaker Toyota on Saturday introduced a new version of its popular hybrid Prius, priced between Rs.27.38 lakh and Rs.29.40 lakh.

The upgraded Prius now comes with a unique solar ventilation system in addition to the existing battery technology.

“The world's best selling hybrid car was first introduced in India in 2010…the introduction of the all-new Prius is our sincere effort to bring in advanced hybrid technology to India to develop such market here,” Toyota Kirloskar Motor (TKM) Deputy Managing Director (Commercial) Shekar Viswanathan told journalists here. Toyota is present in India through a joint venture with the Kirloskar Group.

Prius, now in its third generation, is a pioneer in hybrid technology and the first mass production hybrid vehicle. The new Prius comes with a solar panel integrated on the moon roof, generating electricity and using it to ventilate inside the cabin when the vehicles is parked, while the unique remote air conditioning system enables users to lower the temperature inside the cabin before entering the car. oyota has so far sold 150 units of Prius in India.

“We hope to see more Prius customers and contribute to the growth of the Indian hybrid market and thereby contribute to a greener tomorrow,” Mr. Viswanathan said.

TKM also launched Corolla Altis sedan with a customised swivel seat aimed to provide transport solutions especially for the mobility impaired. The car will be available as a retro-fitted accessory with additional price of Rs.29,979.

“Toyota strives to understand the needs of its customers enabling us to serve them better by enhancing the customer experience,” said Deputy Managing Director (Marketing) Sandeep Singh.

Sony cuts Tablet

sony cuts Tablet S price by $100, now starts at $400 for 16GB


New year, new pricing strategy? We just got word that Sony's cut the price of its 9.4-inch Tablet S by $100, so that it now starts at $400 for the 16GB model, and $500 for the 32GB flavor. The move follows a temporary $50 price cut, which Sony announced on December 15th and said would last through the end of the year. So, the fact that the outfit has lowered the price by another fifty bucks, and permanently, can't bode well for sell-through figures. In any case, that takes the Tablet S out of Transformer Prime and iPad 2 territory, though it now finds itself in an increasingly crowded field of mid-range slates, a category populated by the likes of the Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus, the original ASUS Transformer and both Toshiba Thrive tablets.

Maruti Ertiga will start selling in April

Maruti Suzuki Ltd, India’s biggest carmaker, will take on Toyota Kirloskar’s bestselling Innova this April when it launches the Ertiga multipurpose vehicle (MPV).

With a wheelbase that’s just 10 mm short of the Innova, it will seat seven people, with the second and third rows having foldable seats that afford various configurations.

Shinzo Nakanishi, managing director and CEO, Maruti Suzuki, promised to make Ertiga “attractively priced”. Experts expect it to be priced around Rs 10-11 lakh.

While the claimed mileage of the diesel engine is around 20 kmpl, it may return 14-15 kms per litre in city driving conditions. The petrol variant, on the other hand, is said to offer 16 km per litre in ideal test conditions and could deliver 10-12 km on city roads.
Looks wise, it’s unlike any vehicle in the Maruti portfolio. The front of the car is all Ritz, with touches of the new Swift on the wheel arches, while the tailgate is very prosaic. The dashboard is like that on the Swift, but in beige tint.

“The Ertiga brings space and compactness to utility vehicle customers in India. It will create a new compact MPV segment in India,” Nakanishi said.

The diesel variantwill have Fiat’s tried and tested 1,300 cc multi-jet (DDiS super turbo) engine that will unleash 88PS of power at 4000 rpm and 200 Nm of torque at 1750 rpm, while the company will debut its new K14B engine in the petrol version which will unleash 94 horses at 6,000 rpm with 13.25 kgm of power at 4,000 rpm.

Interestingly, Japanese rival Nissan is also lining up the launch of a similar 7-seater, called the Evalia abroad, which will also be “aggressively priced”, according to people familiar with the development. The launch is expected in August-September, and it will be a five-speed gearbox mated to a 1500 cc dCi diesel engine, just like the Nissan Sunny.

The Evalia, too, has foldable middle row and back row seats, with a ground clearance of around 190 mm.

Fujifilm opens the FinePix camera floodgates ahead of CES

Fujifilm knows that you're almost certainly going through gadget withdrawal in these days and hours leading up to CES, so it's unleashing not one, but ten FinePix cameras for your pointing-and-shooting pleasure. It's a long list, so get comfortable. Let's start with the JX580, which will offer up 16 megapixels, 5x optical zoom and a three-inch LCD for $119, when it drops in February. The JX500 will be hitting the same month for $99, bringing 14 megapixels, 5x optical zoom and a 2.7-inch LCD. The AX550 brings 16 megapixels and 5x optical zoom. It'll be hitting in March for $89. All three slim cameras feature intelligent flash, tracking auto focus and scene recognition auto.


And what of the FinePix JZ250 and JZ100? We're glad you asked. The JZ250 brings a 16 megapixel sensor, 8x optical zoom and a newly brightened three-inch LCD to the table, while the JZ100 rocks 14 megapixels, 8x optical zoom and a 2.7-inch LCD. Both can shoot movies in 720p and will hit retail in March for $149 and $129, respectively. The T400 and T350 both offer up Scene Recognition Auto, face detection and Motion Panorama Mode, as well as 10x optical zoom and three-inch LCDs. The T400 does 16 megapixels and the T350 tops out at 14. They'll run $179 and $159 when they're released in March.


The FinePix XP150 and XP100 do the rugged thing, shockproof, freezeproof, dustproof and waterproof to 33 feet. The XP50, meanwhile, is also durable -- albeit slightly less so. All three cameras shoot 1080p video and have dual image stabilization and tracking autofocus. The XP150 also brings GPS and geo-tagging to the table. The three cameras will hit in March for $279, $259 and $199. Full PR after the break.

Apple iPhone

Apple's Original iPhone From 1983

Check out this image of Apple's original 'iPhone' designed in 1983 by Hartmut Esslinger.


Esslinger is the same designer behind the Apple IIc computer and according to Wikipedia he was contracted by the company for $1,000,000/year .


In 1982 he entered into an exclusive $1,000,000 per year contract with Apple Computer to create a design strategy which transformed Apple from a "Silicon Valley Start-Up" into a 
global brand. 
Setting up shop in California for the first time, Esslinger and Frogdesign created the "Snow White design language" which was applied to all Apple product lines from 1984 to 1990, commencing with the Apple IIc and including the Macintosh computer. The original Apple IIc was acquired by the Whitney Museum of Art in New York and Time voted it Design of the Year. Soon after Steve Jobs' departure, Esslinger broke his own contract with Apple and followed Jobs to NeXT.

Take a look at the phone belo:-

Bajaj's Nano Car

India’s second-largest motorbike manufacturer Bajaj Auto Ltd (BAL) on Tuesday unveiled its long-awaited compact passenger vehicle RE60, just two days before the start of the Delhi Auto Expo. The company, however, insisted it was not a car and was intended as a step forward for three-wheeler owners.

“We are not trying to make a car but a four wheeler meant to ferry people in cities,” said Rajiv Bajaj, managing director, BAL. “It is not an incremental but dramatic improvement over a three wheeler. There are over 5 million Bajaj three wheelers in the country today. That's the market we are aiming for.”

Powered by a pudgy 200cc engine that belts out around 20bhp power, the RE60 is the smallest four-wheeler ever built. Boasting of an eye-popping fuel economy of 35 kmpl, it is also environment friendly with a CO2 emission of 60 gm per kilometer, the lowest in a four wheeler anywhere in the world.
The gawky looking vehicle, however, is no more than a glorified golf cart from some quarters and is unlikely to find favour with the Renault Nissan alliance, which has a partnership with Bajaj to build a Nano competitor.

Bajaj said Renault Nissan has not seen the vehicle yet and would get to do so only during the expo.
“It is okie for me if they (Renault Nissan) want to walk away,” said Bajaj. “There is always a risk when somebody tries to push the envelope and build something disruptive.”
Bajaj did not specify a price for the RE60 that will hit the roads only by the middle of this year

New hope in India for Job in year 2012

The new year may bring in loads of cheers for job-seekers, as the experts expect the companies to hire more than five lakh new employees during 2012 despite the uncertainties prevailing about the overall economic scenario.
Adding to the cheers of the job market, the employees could expect double-digit salary hikes during 2012.
"If all goes well, and depending on policies of the government and market situation, more than 5 lakh jobs will be created across all segments," executive search firm Global Hunt's Director Sunil Goel said.
The Indian job market in 2011, felt the ripple effects of the global economic uncertainty, but emerged out of it rather strong, as companies adopted a "cautiously optimistic" approach and experts believe in the new year jobs will continue to be added, albeit at a slower pace.
As per Monika Tripathi, Vice President (Heading the IT, ITeS, Telecom and Research practices) at recruitment process outsourcing firm Elixir Consulting, "The IT/ITeS sector alone will generate as many as around 3 lakh jobs in 2012."
Elixir expects the hiring activities to increase by 7-8 per cent in 2012, from the levels seen in 2011.
As the companies would increase their technology investments and entities from abroad look at India-based service providers or development centres, there is a bright prospect for both domestic as well as multinational companies based in India, in the IT/ITES segment.
In the coming months job, opportunities are expected to grow exponentially in sectors like retail, healthcare and IT & ITeS, defence, hospitality and consumer durable.
"Since the interest rates have hardened to all times high, they are bound to come down giving much needed respite to banking, this should give boost to real estate and automobile and hence these sectors are likely to see some hiring," executive search firm Symbiosis Management Consultancy.

Hussey nervous about Tendulkar

Australia are wary of Sachin Tendulkar ahead of the SCG's 100th Test, an occasion seemingly scripted to produce his 100th international century. Before the teams trained at the ground on New Year's Day,Michael Hussey said Tendulkar's return to the scene of three of his most satisfying innings carried portents of doom for the hosts.

Tendulkar was denied a hundred in Melbourne by a sharp delivery from Peter Siddle in the first innings, then sank with the rest of the batsmen in the second. But in each innings he showed the sort of touch that may easily bloom into a large score at the SCG, and Hussey said he was "nervous" at the thought.

"I am a bit nervous because the stars seem to be aligning with Sachin needing one more 100," Hussey said. "The 100th Test match in Sydney - he's made runs here before - it's a little bit ominous but hopefully we can make him wait until after this series and he can get a 100 in the first game of the next series that he plays."

Enthusiasm for Tendulkar's pursuit of his next 100 is vast among followers of the game both Australian and Indian, and Hussey remarked on the odd sensation of playing before a home crowd willing an opponent on towards success. "I do find that strange," Hussey said. "I can assure you that everyone in our dressing-room does not want him to make a 100. I think our bowlers down in Melbourne did an outstanding job, not just to Sachin but to all of their batsmen.

"They've got one of the best batting line-ups ever and the plans that we set and the way they [the bowlers] executed them were second to none. For a reasonably inexperienced attack to be able to do that job, and for long periods of time which is something we've been really working on, it's a real testament to the bowling group."

Irrespective of how well Australia's bowlers performed in Melbourne, they know Sydney may be quite a different scenario. While the pitch will offer some early assistance to the quicks, it shows less of the green tinge that has characterised its appearance in the previous two Test matches against England and Pakistan.

"Just from walking across the ground, it [the pitch] looks a lot less green than it has been over the last few years," Hussey said. "Certainly, in the last few years, I think the Sydney pitch has changed texture from when it used to be a real dust bowl and helped the spinners. The last few years have been really seamer friendly and there's been overhead conditions to help that as well."

In 2004 India stacked up a leviathan 7 for 705 in the first innings at the ground, while four summers ago it was 532, before Australia recovered to win in dramatic and acrimonious circumstances. Tendulkar, VVS Laxman and Rahul Dravid played in each match and will want to emulate those tallies.

"They're very experienced players. They know their game so well. They've played in Australia before," Hussey said of India's batsmen. "So I would expect them to bounce back very hard and we're going to have to make sure we're ready for a real counterattack. They'll be very determined.

"[But] we can take a lot of confidence out of the game in Melbourne. The way our bowlers were relentless with their line and length to the Indian batsmen, they know they're going to be in for a tough series."