A smartphone, a tablet, a laptop: Asus releases PadFone

Asus has announced its Padfone device, which is a combination of a smartphone, a tablet and a laptop.

The latest 3G ready device from the company, is a single SIM device, which allow the users to make voice calls, create, edit and send text documents, emails and do many more jobs.

The device offers DynamicDisplay, the ASUS exclusive technology which automatically adjusts the PadFone’s display layout when it is placed into the PadFone Station to enable the user to view and enjoy more. This intelligent technology will also ensure that the app remembers where you stopped so that you can immediately continue playing that new game without having to start all over again when switching from PadFone to PadFone Station and vice versa.

Though the device is expensive that iPad and iPhone combined, the company feels there is a demand of these kind of devices. “Technology and user behavior changed, and as products and manufacturers we have to transform ourselves to meet customer needs,” said Alex Huang, Managing Director, Systems Business Group, Asus India.

Priced at Rs 65,000, the PadFone will be available across 40 Asus stores all over India and from regional distributors.

Bandra-Worli Sea Link, Mumbai

Bandra-Worli Sea Link, Mumbai

iPhone 5: Critics not impressed with Apple's new model

iPhone 5: Critics not impressed with Apple's new model
NEW DELHI: So Apple has announced the new iPhone, the taller, uber-sleek iPhone 5 with a faster processor. As has come to be a given, there was a great deal of speculation and anticipation prior to the event. Plenty of those who got a chance to use the iPhone 5 seem to have been touched by a bit of the famed Apple magic. So nothing has changed really. Or has it?

For years, Apple events were the fountainheads of disruptions that shaped the industry. Rivals scrambled to catch up. The touch screen, the retina display, Siri, a form factor that kept getting better, the iTunes store, the app store with more and better apps than any other platform.

But tech gurus around the world are saying something else now: that Apple's innovative disruptor status, guaranteed after every iPhone launch, is being challenged.

Full Coverage on Apple's new iPhone

"Although the 4S sold wonderfully for Apple and brought some interesting additions, few would argue against the suggestion that it opened the door for competitors," Patrick Goss wrote in Tech Radar. "Is the iPhone 5 going to sell like hot cakes? Of course. Will it send shock waves shuddering through the tech world and turn competitors back to their drawing boards? No."

Samsung enjoys a 32.6% share of the global smartphone market, up from 17% last year, according to research firm IDC. The Galaxy S3 alone has sold 20 million units in under three months. Apple's smartphone market share slipped from 18.8% last year to 16.9%.

After years of struggling to put out a credible competitor, Nokia last week unveiled the Lumia 920, a device with wireless charging, NFC (near-field communication) capabilities and a camera that was assessed by some tech watchers as even superior to rivals' offerings.

That was the sentiment - the iPhone 5 not having features some of its competitors have - that informed Jessica Vascellaro's review in the Wall Street Journal, asking whether the new iPhone 5 is "boring". She added that "few heralded the new device as a great leap forward. What's more, the iPhone 5 doesn't have several features that are becoming standard across other smartphones, such as ways to pay with your phone or bigger screens".

Some well-known tech gurus have other complaints. David Pogue in the New York Times made a point about the new Lightning connector on the new Apple devices, including the iPhone 5. "I'll grudgingly admit the Lightning connector is a great design...Still, think of all those charging cables, docks, chargers, car adapters, hotel-room alarm clocks, speakers and accessories - hundreds of millions of gadgets that will no longer fit the iPhone."

"There is nothing here that leaves the Galaxy S3, the HTC One X or the Nokia Lumia 920 looking dated or out of touch," Shane Richmond wrote in London's The Telegraph.

iPhone 5: Why no NFC?

Slow adoption of NFC in U.S. means Apple was wise to wait, some experts say

Computerworld - Apple didn't include near field communication technology in the iPhone 5, a decision that one NFC backer said the company might come to regret.

But several mobile payment experts said Apple probably made a good choice for now, given the slow rollout of NFC, especially in the U.S.

Only 2% of merchants globally are equipped with NFC reader terminals; that's not nearly enough to merit Apple's attention, said Rick Oglesby, an analyst at Aite Group. "Apple would need something really global to make it work," he said.

Apple's critics included a U.K.-based communications marketing company called Proxama. "NFC is going to progress at a pace without Apple," said Miles Quitmann, managing director of Proxama, in a statement. "This could be Apple's loss."

Quitmann said many credit card companies and smartphone vendors have committed to NFC, spending millions of dollars on developing the technology. Proxama is working with Device Fidelity on an NFC battery sleeve that will allow an iPhone 5 to interact with NFC marketing tags embedded in posters and product packaging.

Instead of adding NFC to the iPhone, Apple decided to promote its Passbook mobile payment software, which runs on the new iPhone's iOS 6 mobile operating system.

Passbook relies on transmitting payment data via bar codes on the iPhone 5's 4-in. display, according to a video of Apple's iPhone launch (this information comes at around the 45-minute mark of the video).

"Passbook is the best way to collect all your passes in one place," said Scott Forstall, Apple's senior vice president of iOS software. He showed how an airline boarding pass, a Starbucks card, a football ticket and other forms of money-backed "passes" can be presented in bar code format to make a transaction.

Starbucks has been successfully using a similar bar-code scanning concept with its Starbucks card for more than a year, since it already had the optical bar-code scanners installed at pay stations in its stores. Starbucks officials said they wanted to get a mobile payments system up and running without having to wait for NFC chips to be widely deployed in smartphones.

NFC payment systems require special software or special payment terminals for communicating with NFC chips in smartphones, and some merchants have balked at adopting those technologies.

Explaining why the iPhone 5 does not include NFC, Apple senior vice president Phil Schiller told AllThingsD that "Passbook does the kinds of things customers need today."

Google Wallet, a mobile payment system that was launched a year ago, relies on NFC and can be used in several Android phones. Some Android phones, such as the Galaxy S III, only use the NFC chip to make quick data transfers between phones.

Isis, a consortium made up of wireless carriers AT&T, Verizon Wireless and T-Mobile USA, is planning to launch a mobile payment system based on NFC in Salt Lake City and Austin later this year. Isis defends NFC as the most scalable and secure of mobile payment approaches.

In addition to Oglesby, other analysts said Apple made the right choice not to include NFC in the iPhone 5, with one noting that the hardware would have taken up internal space when Apple was trying to make its thinnest and lightest iPhone to date.

"In a move to increase functionality in the device, clearly LTE was the first priority and more important than NFC right now," said Jack Gold, an analyst at J.Gold Associates. "NFC does take up space and resources in the phone, so they would have had to perhaps make the device somewhat thicker or have had less space for battery. Even though NFC is only a chip, it also requires an antenna that could interfere with others in a highly compact device."

Gold said there's no compelling reason for Apple to provide NFC at this time. "NFC has taken off very slowly and will likely take at least a couple more years to catch on," he added.

Carolina Milanesi, an analyst at Gartner, added that "consumers are not jumping up and down to get NFC right now." Noting that many Americans still write checks -- a payment method that predates credit cards -- she said, "You wonder how ready consumers are for mobile payments."

"There's no real pressure right now for delivering NFC," Milanesi added. "The ecosystem is far from ready from a payment perspective. This doesn't mean Apple is not interested in NFC. They will do it when they can take advantage of it and deliver a differentiated solution to users."

Apple iOS: Top 5 new features

Apple iOS: Top 5 new features
A new iPhone is getting much of the attention, but Apple's older phones will get a software upgrade this fall as well. A new operating system sports a different mapping service and a built-in bond with Facebook. Apple has said that its iOS 6 software will sport more than 200 new features, though some won't be available on all devices. It will be a free upgrade for iPhones released since 2009, as well as last year's and this year's iPad models. It will also work with newer iPod Touch devices.

And of course, it will be on the new iPhone 5, which Apple Inc. is expected to unveil on Wednesday. The company may provide more details then on when the software update will be available for older phones.

Here are some highlights of iOS 6:

Maps

Apple's mobile devices will have a mapping program, built in-house.

In the past, Apple has given prominent billing to Google's mapping app. But the two companies have increasingly become rivals as people buy more devices running Google's Android operating system. Google also has been keeping some features, including turn-by-turn directions spoken aloud, exclusive to Android.

Apple's new Maps application will have a voice navigation feature. It will have real-time traffic data and offer alternative routes as traffic conditions change.

It will also include "flyover" three-dimensional images taken by helicopters hired by the company to fly over major cities. Google has been dispatching its own planes to produce similar 3D images.

Apple's map program will be integrated with its Siri virtual assistant so that you can ask for directions and pose other questions.

Facebook

The new software promises better integration with Facebook. The upgrade will enable you to log into Facebook just once, and then you will be able to post to the social network from a variety of apps. You can also post about websites directly from Apple's Safari browser.

Facebook will be integrated with Apple's online app store so that you can declare that you "like" specific apps there, as well as songs and movies in iTunes.

Events in Facebook's calendar and birthdays of Facebook friends will also appear on your phone's calendar.

Siri

iOS 6 will have enhancements to Siri, which interprets voice commands and talks back to the user. It is also coming to the iPad for the first time.

Siri, introduced last October with the iPhone 4S, is supposed to get better at fielding questions about movies, restaurants and other things.

Apple says it is partnering with Yelp so that Siri can include ratings and prices of restaurants when you ask her about places to eat. The company is also partnering with OpenTable to make reservations.

Siri will now be available in more languages and more countries.

Apple also says it's working with car manufacturers to let you use a button on the steering wheel to talk to Siri, allowing you to keep your hands on the road. Apple says General Motors, BMW AG and Daimler AG's Mercedes are among the automakers that have promised to offer Siri integration in the next 12.

Calls

Don't want to be disturbed?

Apple's new software will give you more options for preventing messages and text notifications from disturbing you at night, for instance.

You can control how and when you get back to people. If you can't call someone back right away, you can set a reminder to call that person back later or have a text message sent directly to the caller.

There's a "call when you leave" feature that reminds you to call back when you are leaving a building or office. The phone can detect when you are leaving.

Passbook

Apple's new Passbook feature will be a central place to keep your boarding passes, tickets and gift cards.

When you get to a Starbucks, for instance, the device will bring up your gift card if you have one and if you have the location feature turned on. Likewise, when you get to a movie theater or baseball stadium, the ticket will pop up. Passbook will also alert you to gate changes and flight delays once you have a boarding pass stored.

Passbook could be the foundation for a new digital commerce hub for Apple, especially if the iPhone 5 includes a " near-field communication" chip that enables payment information to be transferred by tapping a device on a terminal at a checkout stand. A few Android phones use this technology to process payments with a feature known as Google Wallet.

Apple's iPhone 5 bigger, faster but lacks "wow"

Apple's iPhone 5 bigger, faster but lacks "wow"
Apple Inc's new iPhone 5 goes on sale on Friday with a bigger screen and 4G wireless technology, as the company seeks to safeguard its edge over rivals like Samsung Electronics Co Ltd and Google Inc. 

The iPhone 5 fulfilled many of the expectations laid out by gadget geeks and

"There is not a wow factor because everything you saw today is evolutionary. I do think they did enough to satisfy," said Michael Yoshikami, chief executive of wealth management company Destination Wealth Management.

Other industry analysts speculated about what else was in Apple's product pipeline ahead of the crucial year-end holiday season, especially since the company stayed mum about an oft-rumored TV device or a smaller iPad.

The consumer electronics giant that in 2010 popularized tablet computing with the iPad has given no hints on whether it plans a smaller version to match cheaper tablets from the likes of Google or Amazon.com Inc.

Phil Schiller introduces Apple's new iPhone 5 in San Francisco. Reuters Photo

"We would really like to see the iPad Mini in the product offering for the all-important holiday quarter. They still have time," said Channing Smith, co-manager of the Capital Advisors Growth Fund.

"As soon as we see that, we will have more conviction about the stock heading into the final quarter."

Apple shares ended the day up 1.4% at $669.79.  How iPhone became King of smartphones

The latest iPhone comes as Apple faces competition beyond current key competitors Samsung and Google.

Late entrant Microsoft Corp is now trying to push its Windows Phone 8 operating system as an alternative to Apple and Android, the most-used smartphone operating system in the world.

Analysts have forecast sales of 10 million to 12 million of the new iPhones in this month alone.

Apple chief executive Tim Cook kicked off the event in San Francisco's Yerba Buena Center but it was marketing chief Phil Schiller who introduced the iPhone 5 and took the audience through the new phone's features.

The iPhone 5 sports a 4-inch "retina" display, can surf a high-speed 4G LTE wireless network, and is 20% lighter than the previous iPhone 4S.

Ceding a lead

It ships Sept. 21 in the United States, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore and Britain.

It will hit 100 countries by year's end in the fastest international rollout for an iPhone so far.

Phil Schiller introduces Apple's new iPhone 5 in San Francisco. Reuters Photo

The stakes are high with the iPhone, Apple's marque product, accounting for nearly half its revenue.

The California company has sold more than 243 million iPhones since 2007, when the device ushered in the current applications ecosystem model.

But Samsung now leads the smartphone market with a 32.6% share followed by Apple with 17%, according to market research firm IDC.

Both saw shipments rise compared to a year ago, with Samsung riding its flagship Galaxy S III phone.Apple iPhone 5: Top 5 rumours

Available for pre-order on Friday starting from $199 with a data plan, the iPhone 5 comes with Apple's newest "A6" processor, which executives said runs twice as fast as the previous generation.

It will pack three microphones -- enhancing built-in voice assistant Siri -- and an 8 megapixel camera that can take panoramic views.

It will hitch a ride on the three largest US carriers: Verizon Wireless, AT&T Inc, and Sprint. One popular enhancement was improved battery endurance -- the iPhone 5 can support eight hours of 4G Web browsing, the company said.

While Apple played catch-up on many of the new phone's features -- Samsung and Google's Motorola already have larger and 4G-ready phones -- analysts say the device's attraction is the way its software and hardware work in tandem.

"Where they are pushing the envelope, and where they remain the one to beat, is on the experience those features bring to the consumer," said Carolina Milanesi, Gartner Research analyst.

"While other vendors continue to focus just on the hardware -- delivering the speeds and feeds and bigger batteries -- Apple focuses on pulling the operating system, the hardware and what you can consume on the hardware."

Foo fighters rock

Cook began the event by giving updated metrics on the company's products and then quickly gave up the stage for Schiller to introduce the iPhone 5.

Apple's iPhone 5 and Samsung Galaxy SIII. Reuters and AFP Photos

The team then moved on to a new lineup of iPods, a redesigned iTunes store and ended with a surprise performance by rock band Foo Fighters.

Apple executives in the front row could be seen rocking their heads to "Times Like These" and other hits.

For the iPhone 5, Apple has done away with the connectors used on previous devices and replaced them with a smaller and more efficient "Lightning" connector.

With the iPhone, it is shipping new "EarPods" audiophones, designed after digitally scanning hundreds of ears.

Shares in Skullcandy, which specializes in stylized earphones, fell 4.5% on Wednesday.

Apple's iPhone 5 showing 3D maps. Reuters Photos

Beyond hardware, Apple telegraphed many of the software changes to expect in iPhone 5 when it debuted iOS 6, its latest mobile operating system, in June.

Upgrades to the software include voice navigation for driving, a feature already available on many Android smartphones, as well as "Passbook" for storing electronic boarding passes, sports tickets and gift cards.

Siri has been improved. In an onstage demonstration, Siri was able to answer questions about the result of a recent pro football game and recite a list of movies playing around town, along with ratings.

Earlier, Cook told the audience that its apps store now has more than 700,000 on tap -- the industry's largest library.

"When you look at each of these, they are incredible industry-leading innovations by themselves. But what sets them apart, and what places Apple way out in front of the competition, is how they work so well together," Cook said toward the end of the two-hour presentation.

iPhone 5: Apple reduces memory chip order from Samsung

iPhone 5: Apple reduces memory chip order from Samsung

Seoul: Apple Inc has reduced its orders for memory chips for its new iPhone from key supplier and competitor Samsung Electronics Co, a source with direct knowledge of the matter said on Friday.

South Korea’s Samsung is a core Apple supplier, producing micro processors, flat screens and memory chips — both dynamic random access memory (DRAM) chips and NAND memory chips — for popular Apple gadgets such as the iPhone, iPad and iPod.

Apple has been cutting its orders from Samsung as it tries to diversify its lines of supply for memory chips, although the South Korean firm remains on the list of initial suppliers for the new iPhone, the source told Reuters. The person declined to be named because the negotiations are confidential.

Reuters

The Korea Economic Daily, citing an unnamed industry source, reported on Friday that Apple had dropped Samsung from the list of memory chip suppliers for the first batch of the new iPhone, whose release is widely expected to be announced on 12 September.

The report said Apple instead picked Japan’s Toshiba Corp, Elpida Memory and Korea’s SK Hynix to supply DRAM and NAND chips.

“Samsung is still in the list of initial memory chip suppliers (for new iPhones). But Apple orders have been trending down and Samsung is making up for the reduced order from others, notably Samsung’s handset business,” the Reuters source said.

The source denied market speculation that the reduced orders from Apple were mainly due to a souring relationship between the two companies, which are locked in global patent disputes, and said Apple had already been looking to widen its supply chain.

The US firm frequently faces a supply crunch when a new product is launched, triggering a consumer stampede that drives demand far in excess of supply and production capability.

Earlier this year, a source told Reuters that Elpida was selling more than half of its mobile DRAM chips to Apple.

Apple and Samsung are locked in a patent wrangle in 10 countries as they vie for market share in the booming mobile industry.

Apple won a landmark victory last month after a US jury found the South Korean firm had copied key features of the iPhone and awarded Apple $1.05 billion in damages.

Samsung declined to comment and Apple was not immediately available to comment.

iPhone 5 in trouble? Samsung to sue, HTC wants it banned

iPhone 5 in trouble? Samsung to sue, HTC wants it banned

Update: According to a Korea Times report, Samsung is also going to file a patent complaint against Apple’s new iPhone. The report says,

“It’s true that Samsung Electronics has decided to take immediate legal action against the Cupertino-based Apple. Countries in Europe and even the United States ― Apple’s home-turf ― are our primary targets,”said an industry source.

Apple’s new iPhone is out tomorrow but the Cupertino tech giant’s flagship device could face an import ban if tech company HTC gets its way.

HTC wants the new iPhone and the current 4G LTE iPad banned, because its says Apple infringed an LTE patent owned by HTC. According to The Register, “Apple is subject to an ongoing investigation by the the International Trade Commission (ITC) under Judge Thomas Pender, after Taiwanese company HTC filed a complaint in August 2011.”

ZDNet reports that ”HTC filed this lawsuit against Apple for infringing on two patents it owns for LTE connection methods.  HTC acquired the patents from ADC Telecommunications Inc in April 2011.” 

The new iPhone is likely to come with 4G internet with LTE or Long Term Evolution, which is a standard for wireless communication of high-speed data for mobile phones and data terminals.

Images

According to this Bloomberg report, ITC judge, Pender has refused to quash HTC’s patents as invalid, stating that “I don’t care if they bought these patents to sue you or not. They are a property right.”

Bloomberg’s report also says, that initially HTC had alleged that Apple violated five of its patents which it acquired from Google. But “Pender threw out that part of the case, saying HTC didn’t have adequate ownership control under the terms of its agreement with Google. 

The wicket slowed down and it was difficult to hit later: Dhoni

The wicket slowed down and it was difficult to hit later: Dhoni

Chennai: Despite on the driver’s seat for most part of their chase, India failed in their attempt to beat the Kiwis in a T20 match as the hosts lost to New Zealand by one run in a thrilling encounter at M Chidambaram Stadium on Tuesday. Blaming the wicket for behaving differently in the second half of the game Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni said the wicket slowed down and it was difficult to hit.

“We should have won the match. Virat gave us a good start but the wicket slowed down and it was difficult to hit later. Our worry was how the wicket would behave in the second half. After the 10th or 12th over it got tough. It was good to see the approach in the start of the innings. It's good for us going into the World Cup,” said Dhoni.

Meanwhile winning captain Ross Taylor said that the win would boost the confidence of his side going into the World Cup. “Franklin needs a big pat on the back. Kohli could have taken it away from us. But Southee took a good catch off Franklin and that changed the course of the match. Hopefully we can take this confidence through,” said Taylor.

Meanwhile, Brendon McCullum who was Man of the Match for his stupendous knock that bailed the Kiwis out of a precarious situation and who was later involved with a nasty collision with Kyle Mills in their attempt to take Yuvraj’s catch, said, “My head's ok. Kyle's a bit dazed at the moment. Pitch was really good for 20 overs. A lot of our guys are getting more worldly when it comes to these conditions. The collision was probably my fault."

New Zealand sneak through by 1 run in the 2nd T20I against India

New Zealand sneak through by 1 run in the 2nd T20I against India

Chennai: Yuvraj Singh nonchalantly swung his bat across the line to a length delivery from Vettori and the ball crashed into the crowds for a six. That moment screamed out that Yuvraj Singh is back. In the 10th over, Yuvraj Singh had walked to the middle to a massive ovation marking his comeback; cricket had taken a backseat at that moment. Scorecard» | Highlights» |India vs New Zealand: As it happened…» After 40 overs though, it was New Zealand who triumphed over the fancied Indians by just 1 run. Set a target of 168, India managed 166. James Franklin bowled the final over conceding 11 runs, as India needed 13. Ross Taylor raced towards Franklin and lifted him like a rugby player, they were jubilant to register a victory in the series but even they would have thought of Yuvraj’s triumph against life for a moment on the field. Yuvraj was all set for a fairytale ending. He had valiantly scored 34 runs off 26 balls. Last over remained and 13 runs were needed. Franklin had the ball, he conceded a single in the first ball, Dhoni wildly got the second for a boundary. Franklin bowled a wide next up. Dhoni took a single then. Franklin bowled a slower one, Yuvraj went way too early with the shot, stumps rattled, the fairytale came to an end. A valiant effort from the left-hander, he left the field as a winner. 6 runs were needed off the last two balls, Rohit Sharma tried to go for the maximum on both the occasions and ended getting two doubles. Franklin finished his quota of overs with figures of 4-0-26-2 and an economy rate of 6.50 RPO. India finished with 166, 1 run short of the Kiwis total and 2 short of the target. On the backdrop of Yuvraj’s comeback match Brendon McCullum cut loose on the Indians, particularly on Ashwin, hammering a 55-ball 91 to power New Zealand to 167 in a tricky Chennai track after being put into bat by MS Dhoni. Zaheer Khan and Irfan Pathan had removed the openers Rob Nicol (0) and Martin Guptill (1) within the first two overs. McCullum, who came one down and Kane Williamson got the Kiwis going with a 90-run partnership in 11 overs. McCullum came to the crease with his dancing shoes on and he danced down the track more often than not to heave the spinners out of the park. Ross Taylor (25*) then joined McCullum in the middle but took time to get his eyes in. Irfan Pathan scalped McCullum courtesy a left-arm orthodox off-spin ball that had the Kiwi batsman playing all around it. New Zealand managed 167. In reply, in the absence of Viru, Virat Kohli opened the innings and launched into his free flowing form almost immediately. By the fifth over, Kohli had five boundaries to his name as Gambhir departed cheaply. Raina came into the middle and a partnership of 60 with Kohli put India on course to a comfortable victory. Raina departed for 27 in the 11th over as Yuvraj walked in. A fairytale saga awaited its perfect ending. That sixer off Vettori reaffirmed the ending. But, in the 13th over Taylor introduced James Franklin, out of compulsion as a collision led to strike bowler Kyle Mills off the field. Franklin picked up Kohli (70) against the run of play in his first over and conceded just 5 runs. With all eyes solely on Yuvraj, Dhoni’s struggle in the middle went unnoticed. Next over, Vettori conceded just 5 runs. At that time 39 runs were needed off 30 balls. The next three overs yielded just 14 runs. Yuvraj flicked one over square leg for a massive six off Oram in the penultimate over to raise the Indian hopes. But that final yielded for just 11 runs. Brendon McCullum was adjudged man of the match and man of the series.

India will win ICC T20 World Cup 2012, says Srikkanth

Outgoing chief cricket selector Krish Srikkanth on Monday predicted an Indian triumph in the World T20, starting in Sri Lanka on September 18.

    
"In eight days' time the ICC T20 World Cup 2012 is starting. The Indian team is one of the strongest on paper. To pick the eleven itself is going to be difficult for the team management. It will be difficult to decide whom to drop.
       
"This team has the potential to win the T20 World Cup. I am pretty confident. The positive energy and prayers of the one billion Indian people will come strongly again like in the 2011 World Cup to give energy to the Indian cricketers to help them win. I would be chairman when the tournament starts but would be ex-chairman when India win," he said.
       
Srikkanth and three co-selectors - Surendra Bhave, Raja Venkat and Narendra Hirwani - will step down from their posts after completing their term at the Cricket Board's AGM on September 27.
       
Only Mohinder Amarnath, the fifth member of the selection panel, has a chance to continue if he is re-appointed for another year by the Board's general body.
       
Srikkanth, here to perform his final job as chief selector by choosing the Irani Cup team and India 'A' and 'B'squads for the N K P Salve Challenger Series, said the 2011 World Cup triumph by Mahendra Singh Dhoni's team was easily the high point of the outgoing panel's tenure.
       
"We all had a dream and a goal when we took over (as members of) the selection committee... can we win the 2011 World Cup? We went getting  prepared for the World Cup.
   
"The Indian team played brilliantly and we could win the World Cup which, I would say, was the high point of this particular selection committee... in the sense that we could win the World Cup after 28 years," the former India opener said.
    
Srikkanth, a member of the 1983 World Cup-winning squad led by Kapil Dev, said personally it was more satisfying for him when the Dhoni-led team lifted cricket's showpiece trophy.

   
"For me personally it was a little bit more of a satisfaction because I was part of the (1983) World Cup winning team and I am chairman of the selection committee which picked the 2011 team," Srikkanth said.
    
"I should thank my co-selectors in the first three years - Raja Venkat, Surendra Bhave Hirwani and Yashpal Sharma - for their great cooperation. Now I have the opportunity this year of having me alongside a great cricketer like Jimmy Amarnath whose inputs have been valuable."
       
The former India captain was also confident that the country would attain the no. 1 ranking in all forms of the game in a short period of time, but cautioned that patience was required for this to happen.
    
"The other high point was that for 20 long months India was no. 1 in Tests and for a few months no. 1 in one-day cricket. Cricket is a game of ups and downs. We had some tough time in Australia and England and now we are rebuilding. We have had greats like Anil Kumble, Rahul Dravid, VVS Laxman and Sourav Ganguly retiring during this committee's tenure.
       
"It's not going to be easy to replace them but I am sure Indian cricket has got enough talent to start partially and then hope completely (to replace them). It's not easy to fill their shoes and it's a process. Rebuilding a side does not happen overnight. All of us will have to be patient.
       
"We have started that already with people like Virat Kohli and Cheteshwar Pujara who are doing the job very well. Like them there are so many youngsters. You saw R Ashwin coming in and bowling and taking the Man of the Series award. You saw Umesh Yadav coming in as a medium pacer."
       
"India would be back in no. 1 slot in all forms shortly. I can assure you that much as there is enough talent. The biggest advantage in Indian cricket is BCCI's cricket structure is so excellent... domestic format, number of matches, limited overs cricket, T20 cricket, four-day cricket.
       
"It gives tremendous opportunity for the youngsters to showcase the talent and go up the ladder. The future committee will continue the process of rebuilding," he said.

India vs New Zealand: 2nd T20 likely under cloud cover again

India vs New Zealand: 2nd T20 likely under cloud cover again

New Delhi: If an image upload by New Zealand opener Martin Guptill is an indication to go by, clouds and wet conditions may return to put the second T20 against hosts India on Tuesday, in jeopardy. This after the first match was called off in Vizag due to heavy rains.

Guptill on Monday evening, posted this image on his Twitter page. "Ominous clouds at training......" he wrote on the micro-blogging site. While weather predictions suggest cloudy conditions over Chennai, rain has not been predicted till later in the week. (Edit: A report by Indo-Asian News Service has said that the official prediction from the weatherman is of heavy rain lashing the city in the coming 24 hours from Monday evening)

Both teams have been looking to have a crack at one another. This especially with the World T20 tournament scheduled to take place in Sri Lanka from September 18. Although there are warm-up matches scheduled to be played, players like Kyle Mills have already suggested that playing an international T20 before the World Cup will be extremely important to fine-tune preparations.

Tuesday's T20 will also give fans another chance to catch Yuvraj Singh - making his comeback to the national side after battling cancer - live ahead of the series in Sri Lanka.

India vs New Zealand, 2nd T20I: Preview

Chennai: Two days after his much-awaited comeback match was washed out due to persistent rain, the focus is back on Yuvraj Singh as he looks to resume his innings in international cricket with the second Twenty20 game between India and New Zealand here on Tuesday. The first T20 in Visakhapatnam was called off without a ball being bowled, leaving the thousands who had thronged the stadium to watch Yuvraj`s much-anticipated return from a successful battle against a rare germ cell cancer, disappointed as rain had the final say. Yuvraj was diagnosed with the ailment between his lungs within months of winning the Man of the Tournament award in the 2011 World Cup. His career looked in jeopardy when the diagnosis was first revealed but the flamboyant all-rounder fought back after undergoing three cycles of chemotherapy in USA. After a satisfactory rehabilitation programme at the NCA, the 30-year-old left-hander will be donning the Team India jersey for the first time post-treatment, and he will surely look to make a statement at the MA Chidambaram stadium. His last International appearance was the Kolkata Test against the West Indies in November last year, while it was more than a year ago when he last played a T20 (against South Africa on January 9, 2011). Besides Yuvraj, the match will also mark Harbhajan Singh`s return to the squad after a long layoff. The off-spinner had gone out of favour after being blanked 0-4 in the disastrous England tour in July-August last year. However, with his immediate challenger Ravichandran Ashwin in great form, having taken wickets by the bagful in recent times, chances of Harbhajan being included in the playing XI does not look too bright. It will be interesting to see if the think-tank goes for an all-offspin attack.  The brief two-match series assumes significance as it is being looked upon as the start of India`s countdown for the World Twenty20 that will get underway in Sri Lanka on September 18. And with the first match being washed out, the Men in Blue will look to utilise Tuesday’s encounter to the fullest, though inclement weather can play spoilsport again. The visitors may hold an edge statistically having won all their three T20 ties against India, but the hosts will still start as favourites after their 2-0 sweep in the Test series. While Yuvraj and Harbhajan`s presence have added to their strengths, India`s mainstay in batting in recent months has undoubtedly been Virat Kohli. The youngster from Delhi has been going through a purple patch of sorts, having scored runs in every format of the game and against almost every opposition. The hosts also have, in the ranks, Suresh Raina, who have always excelled in this format. Having played here in four out of the last five editions of the Indian Premier League, the Chennai Super Kings knows the conditions like back of his hand. Add to it the explosive opening pair of Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir, and the batting line-up looks formidable. Sehwag has not been in the best of form of late, but one can never take him lightly. Last but not the least is the calm influence of skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni, one of the hardest hitters in world cricket. In the middle-order Rohit Sharma will have to prove his worth soon enough or the struggling batsman might end up losing his spot to the talented Manoj Tiwary, who has been waiting in the wings.

Now, use 4G with a mini-pocket wireless router

For all those who have WI-fi-enabled phones but stay away from 4G or 3G because of its high cost, here’s some good news for you: Many  Indian 4G operators are planning to  offer pocket-sized Wi-Fi routers for around Rs 2,500 which would enable existing EDGE or 3G-enabled smartphones to use high-speed internet, Business Standard reported today.

Despite the availability of 3G in the country, most Indians continue to operate on 2G because it is still quite  expensive to buy  3G-enabled versions of each device, as well as maintain separate data plans for them. With a mini-wireless router it is cheaper to buy one plan and share the connection between your iPad, tablet, notebook, phone  and laptop through the router to a 4G network.

Huawei’s router E560, which offers speed up to 7.2 Mbp and lets you connect up to 5 devices, is priced at Rs 4,500.

In India, BSNL, Tata Telel, Micromax and Tata Docomo have already launched pocket wi-fi routers.

BSNL, which has 3G network in more than 850 cities,  launched the Winknet Mf50′ router for Rs 5,800 in July 2012, while Huawei’s router E560, which offers speed up to 7.2 Mbp and lets you connect up to 5 devices, is priced at Rs 4,500.

The Micromax 400R (MiFi) Datacard is compatible with all major operating systems including Windows XP (SP2 and above), Windows 7, Windows Vista and Mac OS X 10.4.9 and is also affordable with a starting price of Rs 2,700. The battery provides four hours of usage on full recharge, an hour less than the Huawei router.

Beetel 3G Max is similar sold by Tata Docomo. However, at Rs 3,900, it is a bit costly compared to Micromax’s offering.

Given that the the number of phone owners using Wi-Fi as a service is not more than five percent,  4G operators are bound to tap in to this sector to generate revenue and make 4G more affordable.

In India, Bharti Airtel has already launched 4G services in Kolkata and Bangalore, while Mukesh-Ambani’s Reliance Infotel, which has pan-India 4G licence, is planning to launch its services by early next year.

1st T20 India vs New Zealand: Yuvraj Singh's comeback delayed, match called off

1st T20 India vs New Zealand: Yuvraj Singh's comeback delayed, match called off

Visakhapatnam: Bad weather wreaked havoc in the first Twenty20 international between India and New Zealand in Visakhapatnam on Saturday. The match was called off after heavy rains persisted in.

The covers were all that hogged the limelight in the stadium, with heavy rain lashing the southern coastal town since late afternoon.

The two-match series, a build-up for the World Twenty20 in Sri Lanka later this month, marks Indian batsman Yuvraj Singh's return to big-time cricket after being treated for germ-cell cancer between his lungs in March-April. He will now have to wait another couple of days before taking to the field in Indian colours.

A giant banner welcoming Yuvraj Singh back to international cricket after 10 months, reading 'Goodbye Cancer, Welcome Back Sixer' summed up the mood at the venue of the first T20 International between India and New Zealand even as heavy rains lashed the Dr YSR Reddy ACA-VDCA Stadium.

Amid the depressing weather, it was Yuvraj, sporting a bright smile and a badge that read 'YouWeCan', who stole the limelight of the full-house turnout at the 27,000 capacity stadium.

Heavy rains lashed the stadium more than an hour before the start of the match but the crowd -- and the cricket fans all over the world -- waited patiently to see Yuvraj back again, after conquering a rare germ cell cancer.

Even amid the bad weather, the official broadcaster kept showing highlights of the India-England 2007 Twenty20 World Cup, when Yuvraj had hit six sixes in a Stuart Broad over.

Yuvraj reciprocated the gesture, saying, "Dawa se dua badi hoti hai (sometimes prayers work wonders than medicine).

"It's a great feeling to be back. The preparation has been very well. I have pushed myself, every hour, every day. The rain is unfortunate. But I just can't wait to be back on the field," the 30-year-old, who last played for India in November 2011, said.

There was not just one banner, many of them welcoming Yuvraj were seen all over the gallery in the rain-soaked atmosphere.

'Yuvi, we want again 6x6 six sixers', 'The King of Sixer is Back', 'Yuvi Is Back', 'God please stop the rain, we want to see Yuvi back again', read some of the banners.

Not only from areas surrounding Visakhapatnam but people from far away had come to see Yuvraj's comeback match.

"We have scheduled our holidays so that we would get to see our hero back on the field on our home ground," 26-year-old engineer A Siddharth, who hails from Visakhapatnam, told PTI, sporting an India jersey.

He, along with his colleague I Varma, was in a long queue to enter the stadium.

"We are Yuvraj fans. It was a sad day for us when we got to know about his disease. But we knew he would fight it out. We kept sending him 'get well soon' messages on Twitter. And yes, he is back today. Hope to see our old Yuvraj back again. The king of sixer is truly back." he added.

Yuvraj conceded that he was little short on match practice but said, "...but I'm confident of doing well again. The atmosphere in the dressing room has been awesome. Everybody is hugging me."

After being diagnosed with cancer, India's 2011 World Cup hero took three cycles of painful chemotherapy in a United States hospital and returned to the country in April after a successful treatment.

"It was really frustrating. I could not take it initially. It was a very tough time for me and my family. At times, I lost my confidence. But the passion was to play for India, something that kept me going," he said.

Sporting a 'YouWeCan' badge, Yuvraj said he would like to create awareness and remove the stigma attached around the disease.

"The basic aim is to create awareness and remove the stigma. We want to give a message, 'if we can then you also can'."

'YouWeCan' is set up by the Yuvraj Singh Foundation, similar to that of Lance Armstrong's 'Livestrong' band that had become a rage in the 2000s.

"I'm passionate about it... It’s there to spread awareness about cancer and I hope to raise big funds like Livestrong Foundation does," Yuvraj said referring to his 'hero' Lance Armstrong.

The second match is due to be played in Chennai on Tuesday.