We all call ourselves a fast generation and we are moving towards an area where we can do everything at the fingertips. Here are the pros and cons of TATA Photon Plus which gives the consumers an option to do live TV any time, any place with your mobile handset. The Tata Photon Plus mobile TV service has been launched on five handsets. This includes the Samsung Corby TV, Samsung Metro, BlackBerry Tour 9630, BlackBerry Curve 8530 and LG 510 Cookie Zip. This is currently available on CDMA handsets only.

Consumers can easily access Mobile TV, just press on the Mobile TV icon in the menu screen and the thumbnails of all available channels will be displayed on the screen. There is access to more than 66 channels and more channels are being added recently. They are all free-to-air and are provided by the service ‘MimobiTV’, they integrate content from different service providers and make it suitable for small screen viewing. This vendor provides content for both Tata Photon Plus and Reliance NetConnect.

Consumers were attracted with the variety of channels offered. They provide kids channel like Cartoon Network and Pogo, news channels like NDTV 24×7, CNN IBN and BBC World and other general channels like Star One and Zoom. There was a lack in the choice of English channels.  Some of the content was available as live streaming, like news on NDTV and CNN, some other channels give you only pre-recorded programs.

The sports fans should not have to worry, you can watch ESPN mobile, which lets us catch some of the matches at Wimbledon live, TNA and the FIFA World Cup. There is an IPL channel but they broadcast only when there is live IPL in action. A key point to be noted is that there is approximately a  5-10 second lag between the broadcasting time on the television and what you see on the handset. The pre-recorded programmes episodes changes every day but Hollywood movies have displayed the same two movies since I got the handset. I think the movie channels are only updated once in a month.

Moving to the video quality, the video takes a couple of minutes to be active and this solely depends on the signal strength. The services are found to be very fast by consumers outdoor and it worked well even in moving vehicles. Sometimes the lag was found in pre-recorded programs. The quality of the picture is excellent, it is easy to scroll between the icons and select the channels. The volume was on an average and it is audible only in a quiet room. I would recommend consumers to use headphones. The preferred method is to go for a volume toggle switch because adjusting the volume with the help of the touch screen controls uses up a lot of the display space.

Consumers have to subscribe a data plan to watch TV on your phone. This is similar to the way you use mobile internet. If you watch up to an hour it takes up to 60MB of data. The customers have to apply for a base tariff plan, another Rs.100 per month for subscription. Moreover you have to subscribe to Tata Photon Plus’ data plans, which start at Rs 500 for postpaid users and Rs 110 for prepaid users. Based on the plan you choose you get a certain amount of free data which can be used for internet browsing or watching TV.  The plan of Rs. 600 gives 1 GB and Rs. 750 gives 2 GB. The method of watching television on mobile seems to be a unique experience but when technology improves; consumers can find more channels and programs with good video quality. Consumers were impressed with the speed and video quality. So to catch up all live action in your mobile phone while travelling, go for TATA Photon Plus.

Recently I came across the news of two IIT ians making a journey from technology to transport. The two persons, Mukesh Jha and Janardan Prasad who are the directors of a start up company in Pune, named their company as Ubida Solutions Private Limited. The name has got a meaning in Sanskrit, Ubi is location and ida means intelligence. The effort of these two brought the facility to dial in an autorickshaw and it is being warmly welcomed by the consumers.

We all know that they are similar facilities available for taxi, cabs but it is a new idea of putting the more economical choice which consumers make everyday. We have seen that even it is very difficult to find an autorickshaw and if found, we are charged more than the actual amount. The plan of taking the autos to the consumers by just dialing is a novel thought from the two IIT ians and they were really worried whether the rickshaw drivers agree to be a part of such a network. They are more doubtful about the commercial success also. The report was good from the consumer’s side.

They actually started the venture by starting with a scientific research, they surveyed over hundred drivers and got all the details including their issues and worries. Moreover they had a consumer survey; more than three hundred consumers were interviewed to find out whether the services were available for them. The result of the consumer report showed that the vehicle drivers travelled empty almost twenty five percent of their time, while consumer spent a considerable time either looking for an autorickshaw or making the drivers to agree to a destination where they wanted to go. Finally the decision was made to put the plan into practice.

A consumer needs to call and book a ride at least an hour before. A system developed by the techies locates the autorickshaws in the particular location and identifies the available drivers. Then a text message will be forwarded to consumer with the details like the vehicle registration number, name of the driver, mobile number, pick up time, distance in kilometers and the approximate fare.

The approach has been put on a trial basis and they are planning to move this to a commercial operation. Now they are providing the service for free and later they are planning to charge a nominal fee for this. Their expansion plan includes hiring more autorickshaws, pitch the service to more drivers, and then integrate them into the network. They are planning to extend it to web and messaging service as well. This will really be helpful for senior citizens and physically challenged people because of its convenience. Moreover as the rate is fixed they cannot argue with consumer for getting more. It is better if the plan is promoted to other states also. These kinds of ventures should be encouraged as it will really help consumers a lot.

Well few years back there weren’t many shopping complexes and branded shops in India. Consumers who needed such products could only purchase them when they travel abroad but there is a complete change in that trend now, we get almost all the branded clothes and electronics in India and when compared the price is much cheaper. Malls are one of the things which seems to growing bigger by the day in India.

Shopping in India is has its own flavor for it. There are these street-shopping where when you know how to bargain then you can buy a lot of merchandise with minimum amount of money. There are also these big malls and separate branded stores where high class consumers like to indulge all their time and money in. But how many ever shops come and go I will definitely never stop shopping in the streets. The fashion street in Bangalore and Mumbai is one of my most favorite where I am completely impressed with the quality of the goods and the price they quote. I could probably buy ten of such bags for the price of one braded bag. The bag probably last for six months and it is probably worth it for the money we pay for it. But buying these kinds of merchandise from these shop keepers is another art that everyone should learn and master. The fact that one should realize is that the shopkeeper rates his merchandise at least three times more than the cost price.  So whenever they claim a price, then haggle for half the price. They have the need to sell their articles and they see everyone as a potential buyer. They make a profit even if they sell it for half the price and their aim is to sell it only for that amount. The customers who pay the full amount they claim are the kind of customers they expect to come across by charging such a price for every article.

Unfortunately, there are more number of people who do not haggle and just pay the amount they quote. But when you want a good deal then it is a must that u fight for the price. They shopkeepers do strike a deal when they say that if we buy three of such article he will give it for the price we want but never fall for such deal unless and until you need so many products. Also be careful to take care of your belonging when you shop at such places. The theft in these areas increases everyday. There is no point in cribbing over the fact that you lost something because it is very difficult to retrieve lost cell phones and wallets.

I usually shop only for bags and belts in these places because I do not find anything else quite worth it. My friends buy a lot of clothes and shoes whereas the shoe only last for few months but the clothes last for a very long time. So have fun shopping and take care of your belongings.

I live in Mogappair and to get to my college bus it is nearly a twenty minute walk. My college bus only comes to certain stops on the main road and since the roads to my house are quite narrow and because it is a residential area there is no public transport. I should either get an auto or walk all the way to the bus stop. There used to be many times where I have missed the bus because of this reason. Then my friends nearby and I used to share the cost for the auto rickshaw, still it became an expensive factor because everyday we had to shed out ten to fifteen rupees for the auto fellows who charge a bomb when a person is in hurry and has no time to argue. Especially in summer where walking in the sun is a horrible option and it drains out anyone which used to result in less concentration level in individuals.

Recently I came across this article where they are going to launch public transport to colonies which has more than hundred families. This will be really helpful as it will cut down the expenses by a huge factor. If I have to spend at least three hundred rupees per month then imagine how much my family needs to spend just to travel from our house to the main road. This is a huge problem to a lot other families in my neighborhood and not everyone can afford to spend so much and it will be helpful to save that amount of money to something useful.

The article had stated that there is a demand for public transport from many residential area and the mode of transport and the area of operation will be decided only after a proper investigation. They will allow public transportation in these areas after checking the feasibility of operation over there. The roads in these areas are quite narrow and the normal buses cannot be maneuvered around there and also if busses do operate they will create traffic blocks. Earlier in the 1980’s there was a concept of mini buses to operate in the residential area probably they will bring out that system. The timings of operation and the routes will also be decided checking on the amount of traffic flow and the population density in those routes. The public transportation vehicles will also have very limited number of stops to reduce the traffic blockage and will operate only at specific timings. The idea behind this is to help the consumers and not to create traffic blocks and burden them. These kinds of operations are being operated in certain areas from the recommendation of MPs and MLAs and hopefully it will start operations in other areas as well pretty soon.

Many consumers will be benefitted by this and a lot of consumers have been appealing for this kind of a system to come up for a very long time. It will definitely put consumers like us at ease and reduce the cost factor for travel greatly.

Apple had recently launched a new product called Ipad. The Ipad is a revolutionary product of this year which has made the headlines several times for its unique stylish features. There was a huge crowd in front of the stores to buy the product the morning it was launched. It is not because of the product features but because of the huge hype it had created. Consumers nowadays are crazy about latest technology they do no know the amount of money they are wasting for no reason. New technologies may not be as perfect as consumers think they are. There is always some bug in them which needs to be fixed.
Apparently Ipad has been reported to have a lot of charging issues according to consumers all over the world. The Ipad is a device which is in between a mobile phone and a laptop but what good it is if it is not able to be charged via a laptop. It has been reported that it is not charging even with Mac books. Iphones and IPods can be charged using any computer device which is also a non Apple product. They can be charged using a wall USB charger too and most of the consumer expected this out of the Ipad but much to the disappointment that is not the case. Hopefully Apple comes with a fix for this issue before it affects the sales of Ipad.
Apple has given the explanation that the Ipad needs an higher power USB drive to charge the device. An USB port of 10W is needed whereas the normal USB ports are only 5W. This is the main reason for the Ipad not to charge when plugged into the laptop or normal USB ports. They are designed in such a way where they can only be wall charged. But consumers are not satisfied as that is exactly the reason they chose a Ipad because they did not want to find a wall charger when they needed. For that they would prefer to use their laptops instead.
Apple has suggested few tips to charge the Ipad. One is where we can use the wall charger which is given along with the unit. The other is where we can use a high power USB connected to the computer to charge the Ipad. The charging of the Ipad takes place slowed when the consumer opts for the second method. If any other devices we use to try and charge the Ipad then a warning message will be displayed which shows that ‘charging is not supported with this accessory’.
Consumers should always be aware of the complete details of the products they buy before they buy it. Consumers are always amazed by new technologies and buy them immediately when they are launched. They do not wait for the reviews to come out before purchasing the products. The products generally have issues and to perfect any product it will at least take few months. So consumers should be aware that new technologies maybe latest but they are not always perfect.

The issue of rising fuel problems is a big issue in the world economy let alone the Indian economy. The prices have been steadily rising over the last decade. The price which was once Rs 30 plus per liter of petrol is now being sold at Rs 50 +. However, the state government taxes are the main culprits, says the Central Government. The Government, post budget faced a lot of criticism from the opposition and they were at a loss of words as to how the prices of fuel kept rising. This has been turned towards the state government taxes. The taxes are the reason for the high fuel prices. Nobody bothers about the end consumer who has to actually shell out the money to buy fuel, the bureaucrats and politicians all travel on fuel that is sponsored by the government. The government sponsors fuel for the air conditioners too which keeps running when the Netas are not in their cars. Some states impose a tax/VAT as high as 30%. (thirty percent is a very large number, considering the price of fuel to be fifty rupees, a tax alone of rupees fifteen is to be paid as tax for one liter, fifteen rupees is the cost of kerosene in a fair price shop). The revenue that the states earn will benefit from reimposition of Customs Duty on crude oil and the hike in the prices of petrol and diesel. The budget has imposed a 5% customs duty on crude oil and 7.5% duty on petrol and diesel. The excise duty has also been hiked by Re1 each for petrol and diesel. The present excise duty alone on petrol is 14.35 rupees per liter and for diesel it is Rs 4.60. Each state has its own way of deciding the price of petrol and applying the tax on it. Some of the states which apply a very high rate are the Left ruled West Bengal with 25% on petrol and 17% on diesel. Tamil Nadu has a rate of 30% on petrol and 21.5% for diesel. This affects the people at large. Petrol and diesel are the lifelines of the economy. It has to be kept in check that the prices of these two essential commodities do not go through the roof. It would be a very bad impact. It is now a consumer issue of gigantic proportions. It could get bigger and uglier if the government does not do anything about it. The steadily rising fuel prices are also giving rise to increased mal practices that are followed in filling stations. Some unscrupulous traders even adulterate the fuel and use faulty machines to seller lesser petrol. This is a bad thing. It affects the economy and compromises the purchasing power of the consumer. Earlier the difference of opinion between the state and the Central Government was only with respect to the aviation fuel; this has now crept into the general fuel section. It does not hold a very healthy trend if this is to continue.

Companies such as Coca-Cola, Pepsi co, etc are few of the biggest producers of consumer products. Products such as aerated beverages, potato chips, etc, are few of the products which was plastic for the packaging purposes. Now most of the companies are shifting to degradable products to reduce their carbon footprint in the society. I think even other companies should also follow them and start using biodegradable products.

Coca-Cola has decided to use plant products to make bottles for their beverages. The new beverage container is the same weight and has the same feel but has promised to reduce the carbon footprint of Coca-Cola by nearly eighteen percent. It is made up of nearly seventy percent of petroleum based product and the remaining thirty percent of sugarcane based product. The older types of bottle were made up polyethylene terephthalate or PET which nearly consumed about seventeen million barrels of oil in 2006. If coco-cola alone consumers such huge amount of petroleum product then imagine how much of non renewable sources are depleted by other products when combined. Consumers should be aware that the Earth will be completely depleted of non renewable products in another sixty years, so everyone needs to be conscious of their own carbon footprint and try to reduce it as much as possible. Buying products which are made of bio degradable products are safe for the planet and also reduce the usage of non renewable material.

The ‘plant bottle’ from Coco-cola will debut itself during the Vancouver Winter Olympics game 2010. Coco-cola is also aiming to sell nearly 2 million of these drinks in these bottles. However, the plant bottles do not preserve the content very well as the PET bottles. They cannot last longer and the plant bottle cannot hold carbonated drink as well as the PET bottles. Coco-cola is taking a huge step in making such a decision. It is also a huge risk where they might have a huge loss or profit with this new plant bottle of theirs.

Other products such as Pepsi co have started making compostable bags for their Sun chips. It is also a big step where a huge number of populations have a different variety of chips which are packaged in plastic bags. When all chips containers are made into compostable bags then the usage of plastics will reduce drastically. Nestle is also reducing the plastic content in their bottles.

Hopefully they set a good example to the other big brands which can also try and reduce their carbon foot print in the society. Coco-cola funded a study which came to a conclusion that only 27 percent of the USA population recycle and where as the other products just end up in the junkyard. These are also the main reason for the increase of the carbon footprint. As a consumer and also a citizen we should be responsible enough to recycle our waste and buy products which are environment friendly. This will in turn reduce the carbon footprint of an individual as well.

Most of us now know that Google is far more than a search engine. Now Gmail, Google maps and Blogger are widely used by consumers. Let’s take a rundown of some other useful Google gems. We can find that Smartphone’s are getting very popular today and Google has ported some of the best applications to the market. Most of the smart phone users use the built in clunky browser to access the web. You can change that by just pointing the phone’s browser to m.google.com, here you can download the Google Mobile app. After installing this, the smart phone apps works with good speed and you can conduct speedy web searches by typing or by voice. You can easily access Gmail, Maps, News and Reader apps.

Google introduced the Google Docs which is an online word processor, spreadsheet, and presentation package. Google Docs has become very famous among the users. The word processing module is really reliable for consumers, the spreadsheet is usable for Excel junks and the power point presentation will surely satisfy the Power Point fans. You can edit the existing documents created through Microsoft Office applications or other software using Docs. You can use Docs to work on files during your travel or can make them available to you from work or other locations. Docs give you one gigabyte of free storage space and you can use the service as a free replacement for a USB thumb drive. For using this you do not have to sign up, if you have a Gmail account or some other Google service, just visit docs.google.com and click Create New or Upload to get started. The Help system is also available.

Moreover you do not have to go back to Google repeatedly to search for some product, person or keyword. The Google Alerts gives consumers the latest search results automatically. This you can get it as a periodic e-mail message or through an RSS (Really Simple Syndication) feed.  If you want to keep updated about our favorite sports team, you do not have to search every day for the latest news. You can set up the Google Alert by typing the team’s name in the Search Terms box. You also have the choice of selecting the type of information like news, blogs or videos. You can just provide the address to which the updates to be sent. If you have the Gmail account it will be automatically delivered.

Do you have the habit of visiting social networking sites or newspaper sites every morning? Then Google Reader can help you by aggregating that information in a single place. This is easy to use and it is very effective. You can log on to google.com/reader and click the Add a Subscription button and type the name of the favorite forum, blog or news site. You can add as many as you want. This will help you to scan the headlines along with a snippet of the article and you won’t be disturbed by other ads or other distractions. You can create your profile using Google’s Profile creator (google.com/profiles). Here people can remain anonymous on the web or you can add details according to your wish. There is a lot more coming from Google and the Google fans are waiting for that.

Colored contact lenses are becoming very popular especially with the younger generation. All are having a lot of fun in wearing contact lenses as contact lens can change the complete appearance of a person. This is just achieved by changing the look and color of eyes. Most of them uses color lens as a fashion accessory as they change it frequently depending on the outfits.
High care should be taken while handling lenses. The handling procedures and the precautions are almost the same as that of handling normal prescribed lenses. The procedures should be strictly followed. If you get a blurred vision or if your eye aches, remove it immediately. If you get a red eye or a coarse feeling after wearing the lenses, immediately take medical advice.
Colored contact lens comes under the beauty accessory items category but it should never be shared. It is better to get an eye test and prescription rather than directly purchasing the color lens. The most difficult part lies in choosing the color of the lens. I have found that most of the people use either blue or green color with various tones and hues. It is better to choose light color as it goes well with fair skins and darker tones go with darker skins. While trying out different shades make sure that you check your looks under different lighting areas.
There are very few colors which enhance or deepen the natural color of your eyes. These are the perfect choice if you do not want to make a big change in your looks. The visible tinted lenses are very helpful in the insertion and the removal process. It is easy to find if dropped accidently.
If you have a very light iris and you just need a deepening of color, it is better to use translucent tint lenses. This will add more color to your eyes and give a natural look. The opaque lenses are solid colored and it completely changes your natural eye color. These are suited for those with dark eyes and can literally turn your brown eyes blue. If you wish to enhance the outer edge of your eyes you can select lenses with limbal ring which appears to circle the iris with a definite line. If you need a golden sparkle you can choose pearlescent contact lenses. These are the perfect choices for the wedding and the formal events.
The range of products and price points are endless. You can select the daily disposable colored contact lenses or the traditional normal wear contacts. You should be very careful while choosing the brand. Recently my friend used the Lawrence and Mayo lenses, the normal lens which they provided for a trial. The trial period was one month. Within a week she had eye irritations. Lawrence and Mayo is the best brand available in this industry. Maybe the dealer provided some low quality lenses. She never wants to try this brand again. It is better to chooses lenses which are FDA approved.

After a tedious stretch of exams, the summer holidays have finally started and kids all around India are looking forward to have a great holiday. Nowadays, kids enjoy playing with their computers and videogames or watch television all day. We hardly find kids playing on the roads, they have absolutely no physical workouts and technologies are making kids lazier. The reasons why kids are more attached to technologies are because they do not have many neighbors to play with. It is important that kids get exposed to other outdoors games so that they can enjoy childhood to the maximum.
Summer camps are really good idea where your kids can learn as well play. They can also meet tons of people with same interests and it helps them to socialize better. Summer camps are all about developing skills where as school is all about developing knowledge. There are many kids who loves music and the summer camp gives them a platform where they can learn music. You can also question that even a music class will serve the purpose but the point you fail to understand is that summer camps are designed in such a way that kids can have fun while they learn. They will have tons of kids their age to compete with and they develop their competitive skills as well as music skills. There are different kinds of summer camps to build different skills; we even have science camp where your kid can learn all the interesting facts about science which is not taught in school.
There are few parents who feel that their kids need to relax during the holidays and taxing them with more work and studies is unnecessary. That is true as it is the only time where kids get to go to their grandmother’s house or go on a vacation with their family. There are also other options for people who think this way. They can always enroll their kids in a summer camp where the classes are only conducted few days a week. The other times they can take off to do what they wish. Summer camps are a new concept in India and it is yet to be perfected but majority of kids enjoy going to summer camps. The trick is to pick up the right kind of camp where your kids will enjoy and learn at the same time. Do not force your kids to go to a camp if it is not their interest. They will definitely not enjoy it and that will ruin their holiday. The summer is all about the kids and they should be the one to choose, so parents should stay out and let them decide. This will increase their decision making skills too
Most importantly, do not just enroll them in a camp which has fancy advertisements. Make sure you make a proper research and enroll them in a place where the facilities and the staffs are good. The ambience and the infrastructure should be sufficient and kids must feel at home; only then they will have a pleasant time. So give your kids the best summer ever and chill out.

 

The dispute between SEBI (Securities and Exchange Board of India) and IRDA (Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority) on the selling of ULIPs has confused customers who had invested in ULIPs (Unit Link Insurance Plan). SEBI has given orders against 14 private insurance companies from further selling on ULIPs. LIC is not included in this list. According to SEBI, ULIP schemes are under its purview. The ULIP scheme is very much popular among investors as the return is high for a longer period of investment. This plan accounts nearly 70 to 80 per cent of the revenues of insurance companies. Their order is going to affect millions of consumers unless the insurance companies register with SEBI. The dispute is about who should regulate the insurance companies, since the companies have ULIPs as one of their products.

Customers are now in confusion whether they can buy ULIPs until the dispute is resolved. Similarly insurance companies may suffer if investors stop buying the ULIPs. Every time there has been a change in the norms of ULIPs, it may be sometimes a ban on short term plan or the reduction in charges. This may help new customers as they will get more benefits than old policy holders. In this dispute the buyers are made to wait for a long time.

The power of the regulator is the biggest assurance for a policyholder. The regulator has the mandate to ensure that the policy holder is protected. They can ask promoters to bring additional capital if the company’s finance is under stress. Now the regulators’ power is questioned and the SEBI’s order resulted in forced, premature surrender of insurance policies which will ultimately cause substantial loss to policyholders and the insurers.

When the sale of ULIP products is stopped, the revenue flow will be reduced which can disrupt the payment of benefits for customers on maturity, on death and other admissible claims. This will definitely put the policy holder and the general public to irreparable financial loss. According to the present scenario it is good not to buy ULIPs now, it would also be reasonable for existing policyholders to continue with their policies.

Life Insurance Corporation is likely to gain market share if the dispute between SEBI and IRDA over ULIP regulation is not resolved. Since there is uncertainty consumers may be more comfortable with conventional products where LIC is strongly based. They have the largest array of traditional insurance products which are definitely outside the realm of dispute between SEBI and IRDA. We can see that LIC is best placed in the industry to fill in the vacuum created by the uncertainty over ULIPs.  If your agent is good enough, you will be better placed to identify the right course of action if there is a change in the regulatory regime. Nearly two third of the policyholders have a good professional relationship with their insurance agent. If he has spent enough time in explaining the policy to you and depending on the kind of returns that you get, you should probably hold on to the policy.

Has your fish ever tasted metallic? If not it may soon start tasting metallic. The PETA has discovered large amounts of mercury in fish. The organization along with Disha and Toxins Link (both Non Governmental Organizations) carried out a survey in West Bengal’s top five fish retail markets and it has been identified that over 60% of the production was contaminated with mercury. The state is well known for its huge fish consumption, every festival and every occasion is celebrated with varieties of fish. The most popular varieties of fish are all contaminated with mercury according to the findings by the PETA.
West Bengal has one of the largest fish markets in the country and the state has earned over Rs.300 crores in foreign exchange last year through fish exports. India is also the third largest producer of fish totaling a production volume of 6.3 million tones. The popular varieties like Hilsa, Tangra and Bhetki are the worst affected. The reason is thought to be the industrial effluents from the various industries in and around the state.  However the government does not seem to be in a hurry to inform the people. The fish vendors are also unwilling to tell the consumers about the problem of contamination. They are dependent on the trade and a decrease in the consumption would lead to a drop in the sales of the fishes. This would affect the trade severely.
The permissible limit of contamination is five micrograms for a 50kg adult; this is according to the US Environment Protection Agency. This is further a concern since most of the samples identified from the markets seem to have higher concentration of the contaminant. Mercury contamination is a very serious issue. All forms of contamination contribute to pollution of the environment. The mercury from a broken thermometer can also be very dangerous. This is a cause or concern as the mercury contamination can result in memory loss, brain disorders and nervous disorders.
Mercury takes a long time to show effects and hence the side effects of mercury contamination cannot be known immediately. This is more of a concern when the consumers are kids as their tolerance level is much lesser than adults. The tolerance of mercuric levels depends upon the weight of the person. Mercury tends to accumulate in the muscles of organisms and is a slow killer.
Apart from industrial effluents that are a major pollutant and source of mercury contamination, teeth fillings, broken tub lights and silver amalgamations are a major source. Official reports say that the annual discharge of mercury is around 300kgs. The toxicity of mercury is so high that this is a very big number and it is to be brought down. Consumers are to be educated about the effects of consuming food that is contaminated with mercury. The metal forms methylated mercury on exposure to the environment and it also settles down in water bodies. This finally enters into the human body through the food chain. Mercury is a killer and it is high time that the government takes steps to curb the issue at it root.

Finally, a sports car is coming into the Indian market. A majority of automobile manufacturers have always shunned away from introducing a high speed, high performance sports cars in the country mainly owing to the road conditions and the driving sense of the consumers here. In spite of the large consumer base, a number of companies have been reluctant to tap its potential as a sports car market.
Currently there are a handful of people in India who own sports cars with special permits. Also buying a sports car is a tedious process with many of them having to import the car from other countries. The Chevrolet company which staged a big exhibition to announce its entry into the Indian market did not put up the corvette for test drives, though initially the company did think about selling it. The conditions of the roads with the low ground clearance did not allow it to be feasible. Also majority of the drivers are rash which could lead to a large number of accidents
Some automobile manufacturers have showrooms for their supercars in The national Capital. Some companies like Lamborghini ands Porsche do not have many showrooms according to the number of cars sold. There is not a large market for supercars and sports cars in India. This is mainly du e to the expensive nature of sports cars which limits the purchasing power.
This trend is slowly changing with more number of Indian consumers becoming powerful buyers. The market for supercars is growing and this is the best time to launch the supercars in our country. Now, with a number of luxury cars an d companies making their way into India and the large amount of development in infrastructure, Mc Laren is looking at India as a potential launch ground for its new MP4-12C sports car.  The car is a full carbon fiber body. Mc Laren are the pioneers in carbon fiber technology introducing the, material in their F1 cars primarily. The sheer strength and the robustness of the material makes it more suitable for using in the sports cars. The car is a two seater with a mid mounted engine and it is the best in terms of quality design and styling.
The car is not aimed at good mileage. The engine on this vehicle pumps out 600bhp and has a top speed of over 200moh. The car is created by completely using Mc Laren technology with no parts or components from other vehicles or companies. The car uses the Mc Laren F1 technology both  in terms of engineering and design, it has been designed to promote maximum aerodynamics and minimum air resistance. The car is also rumored to come into the Indian market with a speed limiter initially.
The company is aiming at the Indian youth segment many of whom are interested in fast and stylish cars. The two seater mode l is not very economically viable to the Indian population but the market demand is shifting towards more expensive and stylish goods. The Mc Laren MP4-12C is all stet for a launch by early 2011 and the sales are to go through established retailers by mid 2011.

The Mumbai consumer disputes redressal forum has fined an architect and interior designer firm of rupees one lakh for delaying the work and abandoning it halfway. They had promised to meet a deadline which was deserted without prior notice. Consumers should definitely take such matters seriously so that such incidents do not occur again.
 Sangeetha Bhasin, 57 year old, is the owner of an optical showroom in Hiranandani Gardens in Powai. To re design her store, she gave the contract of designing and re-doing the interiors to Chandivli firm, Gurdeep Komalan and Associates. The work was promised to be completed by September, 29th 2005 as she wanted to open her shop by Dussera which falls on October, 12th 2005.
There was always delay in the work. After repeated request from the Bhasin side, the interior design firm presented her with a chart stating that the work will e completed. She even paid them an amount of 50,000 Rs even before half the job was done. When she sent them a mail on September 21,2005 regarding the completion of work, they deserted the work midway. She had to hire another firm to complete the task. She had to hire another consulting architect to assess the quality and the quantity of work that was done by the previous firm as well as the loss it had caused her.
Bhasin filed a consumer complaint against the interior designer firm. In her complaint, she wanted compensation for the losses and also wanted the money to pay the other firm. Gurdeep Komalan and Associates fought the case, stating that it was Bhasin’s unclear mind which delayed the work and they also claimed that she was constantly interfering with the work. The also blamed the weather and denied the fact the supervisor was hardly at the work site. They did not have enough evidences to back up their claims. There was no proof to state that Bhasin’s change of plan had anything to do with the delay of work.
The forum presided by JL Deshpande awarded Bhasin a compensation of Rs 50,000 for the loss of business and an additional 30,000 for the mental agony that she had to go through and also all the stress and hardship she had to face. Even, an additional amount of Rs 15,000 was awarded for the litigation cost.
These kinds of incidents, tells consumers that they are not alone when it comes to facing such problems. They should stand up for themselves and fight for their rights. When issues are handled the right way then justice will definitely be served. Sangeetha Bhasin did what she had to do to avoid the losses faced by her because of such irresponsible firms.

Mystery still surrounds the case of the radioactive scrap metal found at a scrap shop in Delhi. There are no indications to whom it was procured or how it came to becoming radioactive. Speculation and rumors are running riot with people even suggesting that there is a possibility of a manufacture of a nuclear weapon unknown to the government. The only information known so far is that the scrap metal was procured from Faridabad. It is said to contain large amounts of cobalt 60, a radioactive material used in the sterilization of medical equipment, tracer of cobalt in chemical reactions, medical radiotherapy, radiography and other fields. Cobalt 60 can also be used to prepare a crude fission device but requires the proper mechanism and environment to prepare that.
Large number of people mainly the shop’s customers are said to have been affected by the radiation. The government has not been very helpful so far. The health department is now issuing safety measures and steps to avoid problems due to radiations. Experts suggest that the impact of radiation could be larger than that imagined. A large amount of gamma rays has been exposed. Gamma rays are the most penetrative and should be handled very carefully. Exposure to radiation may result in immediate darkening of the skin. The police yet is to conduct a massive search operation to track down all the people who visited Deepak Jain’s shop in the last two days, mainly to screen them for radioactive exposure. There is no saying what kind of a problem would arise due to radioactive exposure, there are chances of the person getting cancer or even developing mutations.
A member of the NDMA said that they are waiting for the customers and others who visited the shop in the past two days. They have been isolated and the officials are waiting for their condition to improve to conduct an enquiry to trace the material to its source.
This is the first time that the capital has been under such a threat. The material is extensively used in a large number of industries and care should be taken to dispose them of in a proper manner. With so many people in the city improper disposal could become a major threat. The health department has recommended installation of radiation monitors to identify such threats and immediately report them to the respective officials.
A large number of people are thought to have been affected by this problem. The police is conducting an investigation and the root cause will be identified and the problem causers will be punished. The NDMA has already proposed installation of radiation monitors for protection reasons. The proposal has been sent for a review. Each radiation monitor costs about 70000 to 75000 INR. The monitors will be installed as soon as there is an approval from the government. The proposal was sent by the NDMA (National Disaster Management Authority) to the Union Home Ministry months back but it has been delayed due to various reasons.

Cigarettes claim millions of lives every year, to be precise; the count is one million in India alone. All around the world, the numbers are much colossal. A new report by Indian, American and Canadian economists and health experts suggest that a rise in the taxes for cigarettes and tobacco goods is sure to bring down the number of causalities every year.

The report by Dr Govinda Rao and Dr Prabhat Jha of the National Institute for Public Finance and Center for Global Health claim that 51 million Indians alive today are likely to die due to causes related to tobacco consumption. This also has a large impact on the economy. The impact on the economy is by the reduction of the workforce. On an average, a tobacco user dies 6-10 years prematurely than people who do not use tobacco. This leads to a drop in the working population. The difference in working populations costs the government losses of up to Rs30000 crore.

The report states that the tobacco taxes in India are not regularly adjusted for inflation and over time, tobacco products are becoming increasingly affordable. The report claims to challenge the affordability of tobacco goods to the consumer in order to reduce the death toll of tobacco users. The report also pointed out that tobacco would be responsible for 13% of all deaths in India by 2020. It is estimated that without any proper steps from the government, more than 38.4 million bidi smokers and 13.2 million cigarette smokers were likely to die.

Cigarette taxes in India account for les than 40% of the value of the package. The WHO recommends that the tax on packs should be that of 65-80%. The World Health Organization has also projected that at this continuing rate India would take up the lead in the number of people dying of tobacco related diseases. This is currently highest in the under developed nations such as the ones in African subcontinent.

According to some of the number crunching done by the experts , it is expected that increase in the tax rate on bidis from Rs 14 per thousand sticks to Rs 98, and from Rs 659 to Rs 3691 for cigarettes should curb a large amount of the population from using tobacco. This is extremely vital as the majority of bidi smokers are found to b from below poverty line. They also cannot afford medical treatments in  cases of complications.

Raising taxes on cigarettes and bidis to internationally recommended levels would generate more than Rs 18,000 crore annually in new government revenues that could be used to support efforts to reduce tobacco use and help bidi workers. The revenue currently earned by the government from taxing Bidis and cigarettes is only a fraction of this current amount and yet it is one of the major contributors to the economy. Various other health officials are looking forward to implement similar changes in the liquor industry. The liquor industry is the highest in terms of liver related problems and the second highest contributor of road accidents.

ISRO after its first mission to the moon has now set sights on space tourism. It is also looking forward to colonization of moon and mars along with Russia and the US. The organization’s first mission involving the Chandrayaan has been a great success. It is now looking forward to human space flights and space tourism in a big way. The newly appointed chief says that ISRO is exploring the low cost methods for the facilities it is to provide.
In the past year space tourism was limited. Very few countries offered space tourism. Russia charged a price of $20-35million for a trip till the space station aboard the space shuttle Soyuz. The space tourists often have tie ups with third party companies for research purposes. This helps in a reduction of the prices. Russia has been a key player in promoting space tourism; the Russian Space Agency has been providing this service part from a few private companies which are exploring possibilities of providing space travel.
The Institute for Defense Studies and Analysis (IDSA) says that India will play a prominent role in providing space tour opportunities. The country is looking for affordable solutions to enable a greater population to experience space tourism. Also it would increase more space enthusiasts to try out researches in space. US, Russia and Japan have started working on a possible habitat on Mars. An economical transportation system is in the pipe line. All this is proposed to be functional by 2030. The journey to Mars is over 250 days and various methods are being sought to make it a feasible trip in terms of comfort and expense.
India’s space program has proven to be the most economical and the huge success which it brought is commendable compared to the money that was put into developing the space program. The complete Chandrayaan program was less expensive than the cost of an average trip to put astronauts on the International Space Station.
Space tourism is a very young field and providing low cost solutions for it will surely create a large consumer base. Certain private players have implemented a few technologies with the aim of providing space flights. Virgin Group has a company named Virgin Galactic; an aspiring space tourism operator tested its suborbital spaceship over California’s Mojave Desert recently. It is a six passenger craft; the VSS Enterprise remained attached to the carrier craft throughout the journey. The company has also collected nearly $45million in deposits and shares, from 330 amateur astronauts who will experience few minutes of suborbital space flight.
Currently the ISRO is working on a mission to put an orbiter around Mars, using workhorse launch vehicles like the PSLV, GSLV and the new GSLV mark 3. Talks are also on to try out a reusable Launch vehicle which is likely to cut the payload cost in half as opposed to the current expenditure per kilogram of payload. Also the ISRO is working on a new cryogenic engine, more powerful and heavier than the current systems, the GSAT-4.
If all goes according to schedule, India will be a key player in providing space tours and space transportation.

We all live in a fast paced world today. For people like you and me, it is essential to stay connected with the world to ensure that updates related to our business and personnel life are delivered in time. For that purpose, the team Microsoft has come with the new Microsoft Office 2010. Microsoft Office 2010 promises to deliver the best productivity experience from any where across the PC, phone or browser.

Microsoft Office 2010 is the result after an in depth research and analysis of feed back and data that they received from more than half billion customers across the world. We all want our content to be extra ordinary whether we are preparing for a team presentation or preserving our family memories. Office 2010 gives you an exciting range of new and improved features. This will surely help you to make the right impression every time. They have certainly improved picture editing tools, now you can do much more with the videos, images, text and data.

Another new feature is the co-authoring, this is a revolutionary new feature which allows you and your team to work together and edit the same Word 2010 document. This can be done with the Power Point presentation simultaneously from different locations. With this feature, you can certainly work better on the projects. Moreover you can share the work efficiently with others.

Moving into their broadcasting capabilities, you can easily share the Power Point presentation with a remote audience. It is not necessary that you should have installed it on their remote systems. We can find that that there is a growing demand for social networking tools. Microsoft has added Outlook social connecter to the email application, Outlook 2010. This will allow users to write emails; can easily keep track of their family, friends and colleagues. This is possible by viewing the status updates’ and past communication history with the individual. While the users view the emails, they can see the name, picture and title of the person whom they are contacting. The users can make friends request too.

If you are willing to make a last minute change in your presentation or if you suddenly plan to have a brainstorming session with your team spread across different locations, Office Web Apps can help you a lot. Here you can easily save your files online and then you can access, edit, share them virtually from any computer with an Internet connection.

Microsoft Office Mobile 2010 also brings the Microsoft Office 2010. The feature, presentation companion allows users to control a presentation through their Windows Phone and helps to group related emails which make reading more easily; you can manage the emails more easily. The SharePoint work space mobile will allow users to sync documents from SharePoint servers directly to their Windows Phone. Thus, users can easily view it offline and if needed they can edit it to. There are lot more features and this is the beginning of a long exciting journey for the users for the world’s most popular office productivity suite.

Laptops were initially large instruments, they were a tad smaller than the desktops of those days. Large bulky scary machines which looked more like monsters than computation instruments. The laptop industry has come long way keeping in mind the various new and emerging consumer groups. The laptops have been adapted and modified from performing a single functionality to multitasking and workstation laptops.
They were considered the most expensive at a certain point of time. Now the laptops are available at a fraction of the price of desktops. Laptops range from a low price of 20,000 INR to colossal prices of over 2,00,000 INR. This difference is mainly due to the technological advancements. The laptops are now available from ten inch screen onwards, perfect for working while travelling without disturbing the guy in the next seat,  also they come with giant screens such as those used for gaming and graphical work.
 The dell introduced range of workstation laptops which have every prominent technology integrated in it. With a high tech security to prevent unauthorized users and data loss to cutting edge technology of using multiple processers to carry out rendering and other tough work. Also improvements have been made for the introduction of laptops in schools and colleges. The learner laptops cannot support various multimedia activities and they are to be used only for learning work. The Intel’s new school mate is a tablet form laptop unlike the clamshell type. The laptop can move from a clamshell design to the tablet design once fully opened and can be used as an ordinary classroom notebook. The Intel Classmate PC as it has been named include s a host of other features like swivel screen, rotational camera, a rugged keyboard that can withstand water spills and even a safely constructed design that can withstand accidental shocks when the laptop is dropped.  This is priced competitively at about INR 20000.
The other various designs that are being implemented with laptops are multiple operating modes and integration of various other instruments with the laptops. Following apple’s announcement of the release of the iPad, the engineers at Dell have worked out a laptop that functions both as a tablet and as a laptop. The screen can be detached from the system and it acts as a tablet which can sense the horizontal and vertical ad accordingly arrange the content on the screen. It comes with in built Bluetooth reception and sources say it is even capable of 3G connections.
Gaming laptops such as the Dell XPS and Alienware PCs are the pinnacle for game playing technology. Such laptops have the best configurations and multitasking processors. Graphic modules and the active keyboard backlighting make the system usable in any situation any time of the day.
Laptops have become a way of life, and every one seems to be in search of one. With increasing options available, the ability to customize laptops it is like living a dream. This is the age when technology travels along, no matter where we go.

Confusion is something that happens when there is too much of what we want. Anyone in this situation has a tough time getting to decide what he wants. Add a few cars to the list and remove the budget bracket and it is all chaos. There is no knowing what to decide. The electric car segment is one where you just cannot make up your mind as to what to buy.
Cars such as the Hyundai i10, the Chevy Electric Spark, the Reva NXR and NXG, Fabia Greenline from Skoda, Chevy Volt, Honda FCX and Toyota Prius are some really stylish and clean green cars. All these cars are cool in terms of design and features and there is no final decision as to which one to go in for.
The Chevy cars Electric Spark  and  Volt both have an electric vibe to them. They are both fully viable electric cars. The Spark is lively and attractive while the Volt boasts of a supreme appearance and a bossy look. The car also looks much smarter and rugged than many other cars in its segment. However, GM is not looking forward to sell the Volt in India in the near future. The Chevy Spark on the other hand is a small car, literally a baby when compared to many other vehicles.
The Hyundai electric i10 is another car looking to make its way into the Automobile sector, the car is to have a top speed of 130Kmph which is pretty decent or any electric car. It can travel 160 kilometers on a full charge. Now that is something that consumers will definitely want. There is a difference in the design though; the car is pretty much the same as the current i10.
The Reva Motor Company has completely revamped its new models. They have no similarity to the cars sold by the company some eight years back. The Reva NXR and NXG are designed by India’s famous automobile designer Dilip Chhabria. The elegant lines and contours make the car look too futuristic. It looks like an alien transport vehicle from the sets of sci-fi movie. The car is a three door, four seater family hatchback and it can provide a range of 160kilometers on a full charge, the top sped of the car is around 104Kmph. The car is presently being sold at around Rs 10,00,000 in Europe. The on road rate in India will be announced soon by the company.
The Toyota Prius is quite popular in European circles and it is also the first mass produced hybrid electric car. The car is pretty well known and it has also been recalled quite a few times adding to its publicity.
The Honda FCX, unlike the other electric cars uses Hydrogen to produces its own electricity. Honda is also looking for safe locations around the world to have its hydrogen filling stations and to provide cleaner fuel for the car.
The Skoda Fabia, is expensive as it is and the green version is no electric car. It is a major design change in improving the aerodynamics and low rolling resistance tires to improve fuel efficiency of the vehicle.