Avi Aggarwal

Thursday, November 8, 2012

Online Shopping Sites in India

Best Indian Online Shopping Websites

Online shopping is becoming popular in India these days. In a country like India, where people has to depend on metro cities for finding commodities with good quality and wide selection, Online shopping offers vast, easy and interesting shopping experience.

Online shopping provides several advantages like 24 hours shopping, which requires less travel, rich product availability and specifications etc. Almost all online shopping sites now offer items in discounted price and free shipping for selected items thereby attracting the net savvy customers to have a try. Unlike conventional shopping the consumer can get a detailed account of the specifications of the commodity through the website.

Online shopping has its drawbacks too, we cannot touch and feel the item, delay in shipping, risk of loosing your money etc are a few.

Ebay and Amazon are the market leaders in online shopping in the world. However local counterparts are more popular in India. Here is a list of popular websites offering online shopping in India.

Please note our ranking of site is based on votes which we get by our viewers

How it works:-We average votes of all online shop and shop which has lower average comes first for example if 3 peoples have given rank ebay and yebhi to 1,6,3 and 8,1,5 so we get average for ebay is 5 and for yebhi is 7
In this case ebay comes first and yebhi second

Here is real average for each ranked site (last Updated 8th September 2012)

Flipkart-4.76, ebay- 4.88, Tradus.in- 5.32, Futurebazaar.com- 5.39, Infibeam-5.69, Homeshop18- 5.82, Yebhi-5.88 , Snapdeal-5.93, Buytheprice-5.99 ,Indiaplaza.com- 6.06

(1) Flipkart.com – Score(4.76) -You can not only buy books online through Flipkart, but also mobile phones & mobile accessories, laptops, computer accessories, cameras, movies, music, televisions, refrigerators, air-conditioners, washing-machines, MP3 players and products from a host of other categories. After takeover of letsbuy.com now flipkart is largest player of e-commerce of India.

(2) ebay.in -Score(4.88) After almost 6month of dominating at number 1 ebay has come down at number two on indiafreestuff.in list. eBay.in is the Indian version of the popular online shopping portal eBay.com – world’s online marketplace. Ebay has a diverse and passionate community of individuals and small businesses. Ebay offers used and fresh items with a wide network of international shipping. http://www.ebay.in/

(3) tradus.com - Score(5.32) Tradus.in is owned by ibibo from books to clothes they sell you everything. Tradus offers the Online Shopping in India to buy Books, Mobiles, Cameras, Watches, Apparel, Home Appliances, Ipods & Many More at Lowest Price & Free shipping although their refunding process takes more than expected time and they don’t ship all over India but still at no 3 on our list.

(4) futurebazaar.com -Score(5.39) -FutureBazaar.com is owned and operated by Future Bazaar India Ltd futurebazaar offers you wide range with good price The people of behind this company are same from bigbazaar, pantaloon and ezone

(5) infibeam.com -Score(5.69) India’s Online Shopping Platform offers Buy Mobile Phones, Books, Apparel, Jewellery, Cameras, Watches, Send Gifts to India, New/ Used Cars & Bikes in India a report says 40 lakh visits per month by Indians on this site.

(6) homeshop18.com -Score(5.82) here you find large range appliances, kitchen, cameras, mobiles, laptops, site, indian, gifts, apparel, buy, online, gifts. and more, HomeShop18 is a venture of theNetwork18 Group, India’s fastest growing media and entertainment Group. Network18 operates India’s leading business news television channels – CNBC TV18 and CNBC Awaaz. HomeShop18 has also launched India’s first 24 hour Home Shopping TV channel. The company has its headquarters in Noida, UP. The website has received the ‘Best shopping site” award from PC World Magazine in 2008

(7) Yebhi.com- Score(5.88) Yebhi is India Largest Shopping Destination for your Wardrobe. Shop for shoes, apparels, jewelery, Bags and more. No matter yebhi rules in Apparel catagory and if you want to buy clothes or shoes online this is best site, Their deals become more lucrative with discount coupons, Now they are also selling mobiles at good price.

(8) Snapdeal.com -Score(5.93) SnapDeal offers everything from local daily deals on restaurants, spas, travel to online products deals. They offer you best price with free shipping.

(9) buytheprice.com -Score(5.99) Shop Online – Buy Mobile Phones, Laptops, Digital Cameras, MP3 Players, TVs and Hard Disks + Free Shipping .One of the unique feature of this site is item prices get reduce after selling in big quantity for example a 4 gb pendrive is listed at 350 if 5 people buys it price gets down at 320 if 10-15 people buys it gets down at 285 so on buytheprice is at no 5 on our top10 list

(10) indiaplaza.in – Score(6.06) indiaplaza.in is on 10th place of indiafreestuff.in ranking, Shop online over 8 million items at India’s largest shopping site at lowest prices.

Apart from Top 10 Indian e-commerce sites here we have listed 10 more sites based on suggestion of our readers which can make place in top 10 lists.

( 11) Myntra.com :-Myntra.com is leading online retailer of lifestyle and fashion products. Myntra offers T-shirts, Shoes, watches and more at discounted price.

(12) Shopclues.com:- Shopclues is famous for their heavily discounted Jaw Dropping deals. Shopclues is one of the best online stores that offers a wide variety of cameras, Computer accessories, Mobile, Gift, Jewellery, Cosmetics, toys, clothes, books and bag

(13) Pepperfry.com :- Pepperfry is one of leading Indian website in selling lifestyle products ranging from men and womens clothing, home decor, jewellery, perfumes and cosmetics, furnitures, bags and accessories.

(14) Shopping.indiatimes.com :- Shopping.Indiatimes.com has a wide array of products that range from electronic items to products related to health & beauty, home appliances, fashion, music, movies and games.

(15) Sulekha.com:- deals.sulekha.com offers you great discount on all listed product.They offers wide range of products from Computer, laptop, mobile to books.

(16) Koovs.com:- Koovs offers best offers in dining, luxury, technology, entertainment, utilities, health care, fashion, travel & adventure and plenty more.

(17) Bestylish.com :- Bestylish is one stop destination for all your footwear shopping, they have good range with good price.

(18) Seventymm.com :- eventymm offers electronic gadgets‚ LCD televisions‚ DVD players‚ musical instruments‚ TV video games‚ handheld games‚ kids laptops‚wrist watches Being Human‚ Playboy‚ Ed Hardy & other fashion accessories like handbags‚ laptop bags‚ bed linen etc. For kids‚ we have exclusive stuff from Barbie‚ Disney‚ Ben 10‚ Cars‚ Pogo‚ Mickey‚ Winnie the Pooh. Buy soft toys‚ remote controlled toys‚ school bags‚ block books‚ activity books‚ coloring sets‚ umbrellas‚ animation DVDs‚ story books‚ stationery and more. Other products include decorative‚ toiletries‚ glassware‚ digital cameras‚ mobile phones‚ jewelry‚ coffee table books‚ movie posters‚ etc.

(19)HushBabies.com :- Hushbabies is Indias one-stop shopping source for baby products. from fun, bright bedding and furniture to gear,apparel, toys, baby care, cleaning products, and more. We bring you 100s of world class brands with 1000s of items to choose from

(20) Goodlife.com :-GoodLife.com is a one stop destination for your personal care essentials. It offers products from top Indian and international brands. Some of the most reputed brands available on GoodLife.com include Lakme, Sally Hansen, Lotus Herbals, Maybelline, L’Oreal, H2O+, Garnier, Revlon, Olay, Lux, Dove, Park Avenue, Organic Surge, Palmer’s. GoodLife.com offers the widest range to chose from, boasting of over 5000+ products.

Top 10 Online Shopping Sites in India

Online shopping has its drawbacks too, we cannot touch and feel the item, delay in shipping, risk of loosing your money etc are a few.

Ebay and Amazon are the market leaders in online shopping in the world. However local counterparts are more popular in India. Here is a list of popular websites offering online shopping in India.

Please note our ranking of site is based on votes which we get by our viewers

How it works:-I average votes of all online shop and shop which has lower average comes first for example if 3 peoples have given rank ebay and yebhi to 1,6,3 and 8,1,5 so we get average for ebay is 5 and for yebhi is 7
In this case ebay comes first and yebhi second

Here is real average for each ranked site (last Updated 8th September 2012)

(8) Snapdeal.com -Score(5.93) SnapDeal offers everything from local daily deals on restaurants, spas, travel to online products deals. They offer you best price with free shipping.

(10) indiaplaza.in – Score(6.06) indiaplaza.in is on 10th place of indiafreestuff.in ranking, Shop online over 8 million items at India’s largest shopping site at lowest prices.

India congratulates Obama on re-election

Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh today congratulated US President Barack Obama on his re-election, and said that he looks forward to continuing their rewarding association in order to build further on the enduring foundations of shared values and the accomplishments of the past four years. In his message to President Obama, Dr. Singh said: I have no doubt that there is much more we can do together to further strengthen the India-U.S. partnership and thereby advance peace and stability, expand mutual economic opportunities, harness the potential of science and technology, innovation and higher education and empower our people to address global challenges.

Obama wins re-election, sees better days ahead

Barack Hussein Obama was yesterday re-elected President of the United States on Tuesday, beating a strong challenge by Republican contender Mitt Romney.

Obama won Colorado, Iowa, Ohio, New Hampshire, Virginia and Wisconsin, the battleground states, and held a narrow advantage in Florida. The margins narrowed for Romney, with Obama winning at least 303 of the 538 electoral votes. A cheer of jubilation sounded at the Obama campaign headquarters in Chicago when the television networks began projecting him as the winner at 11.20 pm yesterday, even as the ballots were still being counted in many states where voters had waited in line well into the night. The victory was far narrower than his historic election four years ago, but it was no less dramatic.

“Tonight in this election, you, the American people, reminded us that while our road has been hard, while our journey has been long, we have picked ourselves up, we have fought our way back,” Obama told his supporters early on Wednesday. “We know in our hearts that for the United States of America, the best is yet to come.”

Growing optimism about the economy and a big turnout of the core Democratic coalition sealed Obama’s re-election victory. After years of bleak economic news, enough Americans now believe better days lie ahead for the US economy. The coalition of young, female and minority voters that propelled Obama to victory four years ago also turned out again, in huge numbers.

“I thought four years ago there was an enduring Obama electorate, and that is what we've seen tonight,” said Tad Devine, a veteran Democratic strategist. “It’s made up of African-Americans, Latinos, single women and young people,” he said. “You combine that with blue-collar union workers and upper-educated whites, and you have a majority, especially in battleground states.”

Romney also appeared to have overplayed his hand when it came to his central campaign argument that the US economy was in dire straights because of Obama’s bungled fiscal stewardship. Obama effectively swept the American Midwest, the county’s industrial heartland. Romney’s efforts to convince voters that America’s stubbornly high unemployment rate of 7.9 per cent was all Obama’s fault appeared to have backfired. Early national exit polls revealed that about 50 per cent of US voters still blamed former Republican President George W Bush for the country's economic problems rather than Obama.

Bill Galston, a former domestic policy adviser to former Democratic President Bill Clinton, said Obama clinched victory because a range of economic factors improved in the past six months. Galston said the jobless rate had been ticking downwards, the housing market appeared to have stabilised with home prices finally rising, and consumer confidence had been improving.

A Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted in the week before the election reflected how voters’ views of the economy had been improving steadily. “The president’s handling of the economy had to be the centrepiece of Romney’s campaign,” Galston said. “He had no choice. But all sorts of economic signs perked up in the past six months — and just in time for the president.”

No US president has won re-election with an unemployment rate of over 7.2 per cent since Franklin Roosevelt in 1936.

Monday, November 5, 2012

Diwali

Diwali is regarded as one of the most important festival of the Hindu calendar. It is celebrated across the nation with great pomp and excitement. The festival is mainly associated with lights as it is called the festival of light. On the day of the festival diyas (small clay lamps) are lit in everybody's home irrespective of their social status. The name Diwali signifies 'rows of lighted lamps'. Diwali is a five-day festival, beginning on the 15th day of the Hindu calendar month of Kartika (Ashwin). By the Gregorian calendar, Diwali falls in October or November. Diwali marks the beginning of the Hindu and Gujarati New Year and is celebrated with the lighting of lamps and candles, and lots of fireworks. People decorate their home with beautiful diyas and making rangoli pattern in the courtyard and in front of the gate. They put flowers and mango leaves on their doors and windows. Diyas and candles are placed on rooftops, rooms, and kitchen and even in the bathrooms. On this day, people worship Lord Ganesha, the foremost of all Hindu Gods and Goddess Lakshmi, the Goddess of Wealth and Prosperity. It is time to exchange gifts and sweets with friends, relatives and neighbors.

Due to India's varied cultural diversity there are many manifestations of the Diwali festival. The festival begins with Dhanteras, a day set aside to worship the goddess of prosperity, Goddess Lakshmi. On this day, homes are cleaned and paintings are done. There are various legends associated with the celebration of Diwali. But people mostly associate the celebration with the legend of Lord Ram returning to his kingdom of Ayodhya after fourteen years of exile and defeating Ravana, the demon king. In Bengal, the celebration is marked with the worship of Goddess Kali. People celebrate Kali puja with great fervor and enthusiasm. Joy and festivity reins every corner of the nation during the Diwali season. Diwali festival is the one Hindu festival that unites the whole of India. The exchange of sweets and the explosion of fireworks customarily accompany the celebration of the festival. Diwali is an occasion for cheerfulness and togetherness. This is that time of the year when people of all age and all class take part in its celebration.

Friday, November 2, 2012

Chakravyuh: Movie Review

Rating:

Review: I faced a lot of criticism last year for giving Prakash Jha’s ‘Aarakshan’ very high ratings. I was preparing myself for the same with Chakravyuh until the interval. But the second half crushed all my expectations. It quickly dwindled from a 4 star rating to a 3 star and by the end of the film it almost went from 3 to 2.5 thanks to Arjun Rampal’s wooden acting. Many critical scenes banked on his performance. Although other good performances might have saved face. A genuinely good build up that hit the breaks in performance, plot and pace; post interval. Based on the Government v/s Naxalites war, Chakravyuhis a classic case of good subject matter dealt with a shaky plot. It definitely had the potential to be much more.

S.P. Adil Khan (Arjun Rampal) has just taken up a controversial and dangerous posting at Nandighat, which is at the heart of Naxal activity. The government has vested interests in the area because a big industrialist called Mahanta (Kabir Bedi) has crores invested in their land. Mahanta wants the adivasivillages there evacuated. The Naxals led by charismatic leader Rajan (Bajpaee) and right hand commander Juhi (Anjali Patil) want to protect the villages. They do so by terrorizing anyone who comes near the area with guns and bombs. To stop this terror, Adil sends best friend Kabir (Abhay Deol) into the jungles as his informer to become a part of the Naxals. What happens when Kabir begins to believe in the Naxal cause?

Some highlights include: the issue of the Naxalites looked at from a sensitive perceptive. They are portrayed as messiahs not demons with guns (baring a few violent scenes). Another noteworthy aspect of the film was 2 good performances, Manoj Bajpaee and Anjali Patil. Patil especially was brilliant. Known for highlighting socio-political issues in his films, Prakash Jha commands respect from reviewers like me for brave film making. Audiences generally want to take a break from hectic lives, and intense films like these don’t serve that purpose. Therefore, kudos for bravery Mr. Jha.

Verdict: A good effort sidetracked by a shaky plot. Only for serious cinema lovers.

Malvika Rao

Movie Details
Release date: Oct 24, 2012
Language: Hindi
Genre: Drama, Social
Cast & Crew: Abhay Deol, Arjun Rampal, Esha Gupta, Manoj Bajpayee, Anjali Patil, Om Puri
Director: Prakash Jha
Music: Sulaiman Merchant, Salim Merchant
Length: 2 hrs 32 mins
Writer: Prakash Jha, Anjum Rajabali, Sagar Pandya

English Vinglish: Movie Review

Rating:

Review: 1997 had Sridevi playing a selfish housewife who sells her husband to a rich heiress in Judaai. More than a decade later she returns again as a housewife. But this time she returns to play Shashi, a kind, honest and dedicated homemaker. She is perfect in her duties as a housewife, even popular as the best laddoo maker in town. But as most Indian households go, she is constantly made to feel insecure by her family for small things. One of her family’s major concerns or rather to their annoyance, she cannot speak English.

The story is pretty much about the small journey Shashi undertakes to rid herself of the constant scrutiny and judgment she is subjected to for not being proficient with English. But it’s not this simple story that counts, it’s all the small things that make up the story. The film has been crafted with a simple message in mind and told in a very elegant and impactful manner. Shashi’s small struggles as she goes from everyday embarrassment and insecurities to self-confidence makes you empathize, laugh and cry with her. You feel yourself rooting for Shashi throughout this elegantly tied-together film.

When in her hometown, she is as it is subjected to constant judgment, but when she lands in New York for her niece’s wedding, her patience is tested and she breaks down. That’s when she decides to join a fast track course to learn English. And in a complete, Mind Your Language sort of setup, heartwarming friendships are formed between Shashi and the group. A jolly group that has a Chinese girl, a Pakistani cabbie, a South Indian techie, a Mexican nanny and a gay African. None of them understand each other’s language but manage to communicate in the most endearing manner. The handsome Frenchman develops a liking for our traditional Shashi. The delicate manner in which this has been handled is another aspect worth applauding for this brilliant debutante director. And if you haven’t been charmed by this story yet, wait for the climax.

Verdict: Sridevi’s comeback is a simplistic and warm effort that’s definitely worth a watch.

Malvika Rao

Movie Details
Director: Gauri Shinde
Cast: Sridevi, Amitabh Bachchan, Mehdi Nebbou, Priya Anand, Adil Hussain
Writer: Gauri Shinde
Music: Amit Trivedi
Length: 2 hours 16 minutes

Student Of The Year: Movie Review

Rating:

Review: Two boys, one girl and a high-school romance… going by the trailers you may have thought the story is simple. In reality it isn’t. Here we encounter a glossy affair, called St.Teresa’s located (fictitiously) in Dehradoon. When it comes to Karan Johar’s work on screen, you really can’t expect subtlety.

Student of the Year is the latest and one of the biggest films this year made under the magnanimous Dharma Productions banner, directed by the new-age romance weaver, Karan Johar himself. As seen in the past, all his films have well-known actors who’ve been seen on various platforms that K Jo brings together. Some of them are the faces you may have not seen for many years now. Then, there is the full-of-life, Rishi Kapoor, who doesn’t cease to exude charm whenever he speaks and acts. His character as Dean Vashishth was the most enjoyable one. Sharing some screen space are Boman Irani, Farida Jalal, Ram Kapoor, Gautami Kapoor (last seen in Ghar Ek Mandir opposite her husband), Ronit Roy and so many more. The perfect amalgamation of such seasoned talent couldn’t have got any better, I believe.

The debutantes, Alia Bhatt, Varun Dhawan and Siddharth Malhotra were spectacular as first-timers. Especially the boys, all oozing with talent. There were many Gossip Girl moments, as well as those that I would like to call ‘Poo’ moments ala Kareena Kapoor’s role as the bimbette in K Jo’s dream project,Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham. The great divide that exists in the society, that of the upper class and middle class, has been highlighted once again here. When Aamir Khan got into a duel with Deepak Tijori back then in Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar, you felt bad for Aamir Khan every time he failed. This film, on the other hand, comes with high-octane drama but the feeling dies along the path. The result of the Triwizard Tournament-like competition called Student Of the Year is inevitable. No points for guessing who wins.

Next year’s best debutant award may be shared by the two leading boys in the film. You would keep wondering who was better of the two, yet not zero-in on either. If a masala Bollywood flick is your cup of tea, go watch this film, you will enjoy it for all the good reasons. The songs make the frilly drama even better, for the foot-tapping music, most of the songs that you have heard before, just remixed and re-enacted. At some point, the film was a Kuch Kuch Hota Hai meets Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar, but I reminded myself how this one was a tad-bit different. It is winner at the BO. Also, a surprise appearance is from one of the most renowned actresses in the industry who also happens to be K Jo’s lucky mascot. While you may have already guessed it or read about it, you will still enjoy what you see on screen.

Verdict: High-school romance fizzles out with the competitive feeling, yet keeps you feeling warm and fuzzy.

Saumya Sharma

Movie Details:

Release date: Oct 19, 2012
Language: Hindi
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Romance, Teenage
Cast & Crew: Siddharth Malhotra, Varun Dhawan, Alia Bhatt, Rishi Kapoor
Director: Karan Johar
Music: Vishal-Shekhar
Length: 2 hrs 21 mins

Wednesday, October 31, 2012

Google unveils first 10-inch Nexus tablet

Hugo Barra, Android at Google Director of Product Management, holds up the Nexus 10 tablet at a Google announcement in San Francisco, Monday, Oct. 29, 2012. Photo: AP Photo/Jeff Chiu

Google Inc unveiled a larger version of its Nexus-branded tablet computer on Monday, and updated its mobile gadget and online content offerings as competition with Apple Inc, Amazon.com Inc and Microsoft Corp heats up ahead of the holiday sales season.

The device follows a spate of new product launches by the technology leaders in recent weeks, including Apple's iPad Mini last week and software-maker Microsoft's first-ever home-built tablet, the Surface.

Google, the world's No.1 Internet search engine, has pushed deeper into the hardware business at a time when consumers are increasingly accessing the Web on mobile devices.

Google's new Nexus 10, made in partnership with consumer electronics company Samsung Electronics Co, is the first 10-inch tablet to come to market under Google's Nexus brand. The device, with prices starting at $299, will be available on November 13 in the United States and seven other countries, Google said in its official blog on Monday.

Google was scheduled to introduce the device at a media event in New York on Monday, but was forced to cancel because of Hurricane Sandy.

The Nexus 10. Photo: AFP

Google also said it was expanding its online movie and music retail businesses to several countries in Europe.

And the company introduced an improvement to its online-music storage service. The new "matching" feature scans songs in a consumer's music collection and automatically creates an online or "cloud-based" library of the same tracks which consumers can access from any device or computer.

Google said the music matching feature, which only works with tracks that are part of the Google Play store's music catalog, will be available in Europe on November 13 and in the United States soon after.

Google also updated its smaller, Nexus 7 tablet released earlier this year. It increased the storage on the $199 version of the device to 16GB from 8GB, and introduced a new $299 version of the Nexus 7 with a cellular data service option. Google also unveiled a new Nexus 4 smartphone, made in partnership with LG Electronics, that features a quad-core processor and a 4.7-inch display

Apple iPad mini's screen is inferior: Reviews

iPad mini's 1024 x 768 resolution was a big step backwards from the iPad's much-touted Retina display, and underperformed the rival Kindle and Nexus, the two reviewers agreed.
SAN FRANCISCO: Apple's entry in the accelerating mobile tablet race squeezes about 35 per cent more viewing space onto a lighter package than rival devices from Google or Amazon.com, but it sports inferior resolution and a lofty price tag, two influential reviewers wrote on Tuesday.

The iPad mini, which starts at $329 versus the $199 for Google's Nexus 7 and Amazon's Kindle Fire HD, is easy to hold with one hand, eliminating a drawback of the 10-inch iPad,Wall Street Journal columnist Walt Mossberg wrote in one of the first major reviews of a gadget introduced last week.

Both Mossberg and New York Times columnist David Pogue offered kudos for cramming most of its full-sized cousin's functions onto a smaller device, as advertised.

But the iPad mini's 1024 x 768 resolution was a big step backwards from the iPad's much-touted Retina display, and underperformed the rival Kindle and Nexus, the two reviewers agreed.

Mossberg said Apple chose to go with a lower-quality display because the existing 250,000-plus iPad applications could only run unmodified in two resolutions - and the higher level would have sapped too much power.

"The lack of true HD gives the Nexus and Fire HD an advantage for video fans. In my tests, video looked just fine, but not as good as on the regular iPad," Mossberg wrote.

The original iPad was launched in 2010 and went on to upend the personal computer industry, spawning a raft of similar devices. The iPad mini marks Apple's first foray into a smaller 7-inch segment that Amazon's Kindle Fire now dominates, demonstrating demand exists for such a device.

Apple, making its boldest consumer hardware move since Tim Cook took the helm from late co-founder Steve Jobs, hopes the smaller tablet can beat back incursions onto its home turf of consumer electronics.

"In shrinking the iconic iPad, Apple has pulled off an impressive feat," Mossberg wrote. "It has managed to create a tablet that's notably thinner and lighter than the leading small competitors with 7-inch screens, while squeezing in a significantly roomier 7.9-inch display.

"And it has shunned the plastic construction used in its smaller rivals to retain the iPad's sturdier aluminum and glass body."

Mossberg, whose reviews are followed closely by consumers and tech companies alike, wrote that the iPad mini did as advertised by bringing the full-sized iPad experience onto a smaller screen.

He noted, however, that the device was too large to fit easily into pockets. It exhibited battery life of about 10 hours and 27 minutes, an hour more than the Kindle Fire at the same settings, but about 17 minutes less than the Nexus 7.

"By pricing the Mini so high, Apple allows the $200 class of seven-inch Android tablets and readers to live," Pogue wrote.

"But the iPad mini is a far classier, more attractive, thinner machine. It has two cameras instead of one. Its fit and finish are far more refined. And above all, it offers that colossal app catalog, which Android tablet owners can only dream about."

Google Celebrates Halloween With Pumpkin Carving Google Doodle

Google goes all out for this years Halloween doodle

Today is Halloween. A day full of costumed adolescents and all the candy you can eat, with out your child knowing you stole it from them of course. Sure the candy is the highlight of the holiday, but another big part is the tradition of carving a macabre face into a jack-o-lantern.

If you enjoy pumpkin carving, you’ll be sure to get a kick out of todays Google Doodle, as they team from Mountain View have really gone all out this year. Sure, Halloween is one of the Doodles that Google does every year. Usually they just do an illustration of some sort, but this year they’ve put together a stop motion logo which features six pumpkins being carved over the course of eight hours. Below you can see the Google Doodle for yourself with some details of how the thing came together.

“To celebrate Halloween this year, the doodle team wanted to capture that fascinating transformation that takes place when carving a pumpkin. Instead of picking up a few pumpkins from the grocery store, however, we decided to work on six giant pumpkins, specially delivered from nearby Half Moon Bay (some weighing well over 1,000 pounds). What you see is a timelapse video of the approximately eight hours we spent carving in the middle of our Mountain View, Calif. campus.”

If you’re interested in seeing some behind the scenes of Google’s huge Doodle undertaking, you can see a video below of how the Halloween doodle came to fruition.

Happy Halloween! Google Celebrates with an Interactive Doodle

Google users in the U.S. are still stuck with the boring old Google logo, but users in places like Australia are being treated with Google’s new Halloween Doodle – an interactive experience complete with sound.

On this Doodle, users are greeted with a bunch of closed doors, which they must open with a click. There are five doors in all, each revealing a ghostly/monster depicting of the G-O-O-G-L-E. Once you open the doors to reveal the creatures, you can click on them again to interact.

There are a couple more clickable areas on the Doodle, but I’ll let you find them on your own. Here’s the Doodle pre-interaction:

And post-interaction:

Last year, Google celebrated Halloween with a special pumpkin carving doodle. They used six giant pumpkins for the doodle, some weighing in at over 1,000 pounds.

Happy Halloween! Google spooks with an interactive doodle

Happy Halloween! Google spooks with an interactive doodle
New Delhi: October 31 is celebrated as Halloween in a number of countries around the world and Google is celebrating the event taking users on a visit to a haunted house on many of its home pages.

The Google Happy Halloween doodle features a haunted mansion (numbered 13) with many spooky inhabitants, who double up as letters of the Google logo. The characters reveal themselves when you knock (click) on the doors of the haunted house. To add to the atmosphere there is also an eerie sound playing in the background. The faint hearted though can turn it off with a click of a mouse.

A blue one-eyed octopus stands for 'G' in the Google logo, a pair of red and yellow eyes behind the second door from the left are the two 'Os', the second 'G' is a veiled ghost. A clattering skeleton is the 'L' and a smiley face that turns into a monster represents the 'E'. An apparition also appears between the skeleton and the smiley monster.

The most bizarre Halloween looks you can copy

There is also a black alley cat, a crowing crow and a spider for extra effect. A number of jack-o'-lanterns rest on the steps of the mansion. It is only when you click on all the interactive elements on the Happy Halloween! Google doodle and the alley cat jumps out of the frame that the page redirects to the search results page for the keyword "Happy Halloween!".

Halloween is also called All Hallows' Eve. As it falls on the eve of All Saints' Day, it has a religious significance for some Christians otherwise it is nowadays observed largely as a secular celebration.

Google doodle celebrates Halloween

Ghouls and ghosts hiding behind doors are brought to life at the click of a mouse to form company logo

Google Doodle celebrates Halloween

Google is marking Halloween with an interactive doodle that animates some spooky happenings on a street where assorted ghouls and creatures are brought to life by users clicking on four front doors.

The inhabitants behind the doors, including a central one which is suitably numbered 13, double up to form the letters of the Google logo.

They include a blue one-eyed octopus, which stands for 'G', a pair of red and yellow eyes which provide the two 'Os' and a veiled ghost which forms the second 'G'. A skeleton is the 'L' while a smiley face that turns into a monster represents the 'E'.

An eerie soundtrack plays in the background, although those of a nervous disposition can turn the sound off.

The Guardian has set up a Halloween Flickr group following on from the fun last year when readers posted pictures of their ghoulish gourds and creative costumes.

Happy Halloween! Google doodles a trick-or-treat surprise

Happy Halloween! doodle is Google's Halloween surprise for visitors across the globe. Halloween is a yearly celebration observed worldwide on the last day of October, the eve of the Western Christian feast of All Hallows, hence the name all-hallows-eve, which got shortened to Halloween.

The doodle shows a street with a series of houses. Visitors can trick-or-treat by clicking on the door of each house. Clicking each door reveals a surprise, just like in real-life trick-or-treating. In this case, there's an octopus behind one of the doors, a spooky pair of eyes behind another, while yet another has a skeleton. Of course, no neighbourhood, real or virtual, would be complete on Halloween without pumpkins carved into jack-o'-lanterns.

But in a year when Abraham Lincoln was depicted as a vampire hunter and zombies are everywhere, gory costumes that were once reserved for preteens and teens are now available in ever-smaller sizes.

"For the last couple of years, darker is where it's been at," says Melissa Sprich, vice president of Halloween merchandising for Party City. For babies and toddlers, Sprich says "darker" may mean dressing as a devil this year, rather than a cheerful dinosaur. But for all other ages, many parents are seeking vampires, zombies and "the Freddies, Jasons and Chuckys" even for kids too young to see those characters on screen.

David J. Skal, who has chronicled America's fascination with horror since the 1990s in numerous books, including "The Monster Show," says he's surprised at the level of "monster-ization of children" we're seeing this year.

He points out that for centuries, frightening masks and "scary stories have been used to pass on a kind of coming-of-age message to children that the world is not always a safe and welcoming place." Perhaps, he says, this year parents are especially preoccupied with just how unwelcoming the world seems.

Of course, this year Halloween comes in the aftermath of hurricane Sandy, with celebrations ranging from non-existent in the severely effected parts of the US, to muted in others. Elsewhere in the world, some Catholic bishops in Poland say that Halloween is harmful because it promotes "diabolical" behaviour and are asking believers not to observe it.

Archbishop Andrzej Dziega in Szczecinsaid in letter to his parishioners that under the vestige of fun, Halloween can be "destroying the spiritual life." The "tricks" hide "diabolical attitudes" by encouraging readiness to harm the others. He asked believers not to observe Halloween.

Happy Haloween

Happy Haloween!!!!!