Aakash tablet's delivery pushed to 2012

DataWind, the Canadian company that is manufacturing Aakash, will start distribution of the much anticipated low cost Android tablet from next month for which online booking had started on December 15.

A spokesperson of Datawind said to The Mobile Indian, "People who have booked the Aakash tablet online will get its delivery in January.” The spokesperson, however, didn't cite any reason for the delay. Earlier the company had said that the Rs 2,500 Aakash tablet will be delivered within seven days of online booking.

Flip Flops

On earlier occasions also, Datawind have failed to honour their commitment as the tablet was supposed to be made available in retail stores by the end of November. Now it is expected to hit the stores only in February.

DataWind initially said that the Aakash tablet will be available to students only through colleges and schools. However, later it started online booking of Aakash for everyone including students. Besides,DataWind have given only 10,000 Aakash tablets to the government for distribution in schools and colleges of the initial 1 lakh proposed.

The Mobile Indian got more than 200 emails and 300 calls from users who complained that after booking the tablet online they didn't get any call or confirmatory email.

Even after The Mobile Indian's repeated request for clarification on the hardship faced by the consumers, Datwind didn't share any information instead it said: "An official statement will soon be released and we will keep you posted.”

We hope this time Akash Tablet is delivered to consumers on time.

About Aakash and UbiSlate

There are two versions of the tablet. The original Aakash tablet comes with much lower specifications and is priced at Rs 2,500. Its cousin — named as UbiSlate, is comparatively powerful and is priced at Rs 2,999.

UbiSlate will be powered by Android 2.3 and will have a resistive touchscreen, Cortex A8-700 MHz processor and graphics accelerator HD video processor, 256 MB of RAM and 2 GB of internal memory. Other specifications are - one standard USB port, 3.5 mm audio jack, a 7 inch display with 800 x 480 pixel resolution, resistive touchscreen, GPRS and WiFi support.

On the other hand, the 7 inch screen bearing Aakash tablet has Android 2.2 operating system, Arm11 — 366 Mhz processor, 2100 battery, WiFi and will have support for 3G modem. The price difference between the Aakash and UbiSlate is because the commercially available product will include a cellular modem, allowing it to deliver web access anywhere there is a cellular connectivity, and also to function as a mobile phone. Notably, Internet access on both the tablets across mobile networks will be priced at Rs 99 for 2GB.

Read more »

M.Stanley to invest $100-$125 mln in Mumbai: $125 mn housing project in Mumbai

MUMBAI (Reuters) - The global real estate fund of Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS - NewsMS.N) is in talks with Mumbai-based Sheth Developers to invest $100 million to $125 million in a residential project in Mumbai, three sources with direct knowledge of the matter said.

The Morgan Stanley fund will invest in the unlisted Indian firm's project in the western suburbs of Mumbai, said the sources, who declined to be named as they were not authorised to speak to the media.

Morgan Stanley declined to comment and Sheth Developers did not return phone calls seeking comment.

Sheth Developers acquired an 18-acre land parcel in Andheri from Borosil Glass Works in 2010 for about 8.75 billion rupees and plans to develop a large residential project there, said the sources.

If completed, the investment would be the first in India by the Morgan Stanley fund in three years, two of the sources said. The fund has invested about $750 million so far in India.

In October, sources told Reuters that a bunch of investors including a fund managed by Morgan Stanley and the Government of Singapore Investment Corp (:GIC.ULGIC.UL) are in separate talks to buy a Mumbai property from Indian textiles firm Alok Industries (:ALOK.NSALOK.NS) for about $200 million.

Last month, the Wall Street bank named Shirish Godbole as the head of its global real estate investment fund in India.

Indian developers have come under pressure over the past year as rising interest rates deter residential buyers and funding for builders becomes scarce as economic growth slows.

Private equity investment in Indian real estate was marginally down in the first nine months of 2011 to about $784 million, from $817 million at the same time last year, according to data from industry tracker VCCircle.com.

Read more »

Steve Jobs to be honoured with Grammy award

Los Angeles, Dec 22 (IANS) Apple co-founder Steve Jobs will be posthumously honoured with a Grammy award for his contribution to music technology, The Recording Academy announced Wednesday.

Jobs, who died Oct 5 of pancreatic cancer, will receive a Trustees Award for helping create products 'that transformed the way we consume music, TV, movies and books', Xinhua quoted the academy as saying in a statement.

Apple Computer Inc. first received a Technical Grammy Award in 2002 for contributions of outstanding technical significance to the recording field, the academy said.

Along with Jobs, bandleader and composer Dave Bartholomew, recording engineer Rudy Van Gelder will also receive the award.

The academy also picked the Allman Brothers, Glen Campbell, Diana Ross and Brazilian pianist/singer/guitarist Antonio Carlos Jobim as recipients of Lifetime Achievement Awards. Jobim was known for composing 'The Girl from Ipanema', a worldwide hit in the mid-1960s which won a Grammy for Record of the Year in 1965.

Other artists, including trumpeter Wayne Jackson, saxophonist Andrew Love of the Memphis Horns, country legend George Jones, and the late Gil Scott-Heron were also named as recipients.

German sound-technology firm Celemony and the late audio engineer Roger Nichols, who worked with artists including Ross, Placido Domingo, James Taylor and Stevie Wonder, were recognized with Grammy Technical Awards.

'This year's honorees offer a variety of brilliance, contributions and lasting impressions on our culture,' said President/CEO of The Recording Academy Neil Portnow.

'It is an honor to recognize such a diverse group of individuals whose talents and achievements have had an indelible impact on our industry.'

The honorees will be formally acknowledged during the 54th Annual Grammy Awards telecast at Staples Center in downtown Los Angeles Feb 12, 2012.

Read more »