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Sunday 21 October 2012

App developers get ready for Windows 8 debut









With Windows 8, Microsoft’s new operating system (OS), the technology giant is attempting to rethink its platform to bring in big changes to the user interface and navigation. One of the biggest components of this platform’s success would be application developers.

Microsoft has announced that developers from 120 markets (including India) will be able to publish their Windows 8 apps and start selling them online on Windows App Store from October 26, when the new OS will be commercially launched.

The sheer number of apps, both free and paid, was the primary reason why Apple and Google succeeded with their iOS and Android platforms, respectively, and also where Research in Motion (RIM) failed with its BlackBerry OS. With 3,500 developers participating at its AppFest earlier this month, Microsoft is throwing the red carpet to welcome developers.



However, app developers in India are in a dilemma, for they have to choose between Windows 8 and Android. Vishal Gondal, managing director – digital, DisneyUTV, says: “This is the first time that you will have an OS, which is tightly integrated with a number of devices and which is outside of the Apple eco-system. It is only in an Apple environment that a user gets a seamless experience between gadgets such as Mac, iPad and iPhone. The other advantage that Microsoft has is the number of users already using Windows. iOS, in that sense, is still restricted to a certain segment of users in India,” points out Gondal.

The other advantage of Windows 8 is that it lets app developers monetise their applications. Amrish Goyal, director, Windows business group at Microsoft India, says: “Microsoft will offer developers the option of using in-app transactions to make money or get the money upfront from the users for their apps. Alternatively, the developers can rely on the ad-funded model. The minimum price of an app, according to Microsoft, will be as low as $1.49 or as high as $999.”

Microsoft, like Apple, will keep 30 per cent of the app price on sales up to $25,000. For app sales beyond this, the Redmond-based company will keep 20 per cent. This revenue-sharing arrangement for a company like Rovio, which made a killing selling Angry Birds, could mean a potentially larger pay cheque from Microsoft over competing platforms.

Predictably, Microsoft has managed to get the attention of Indian developers. “After iOS, we will be considering the Windows platform for our apps, before we even think of Android where monetisation is extremely difficult,” says Mohit Sureka, founder and CEO, Spiel Studios. According to him, while the company is not looking at Windows 8 apps for PC, it will consider developing gaming apps for the Windows 8 platform on tablets and smartphones, once the OS is commercially launched. Spiel Studios has published several iOS apps such as Propel Man, that even featured among the top-10 apps on Apple’s India app store.

Girish Nuli, managing director and CEO of Antara Software, a Bangalore-based start-up that is ready with a health care app for Windows 8 web and mobile platform, says: “We evaluated other mobile OSes, but realised that Windows had a formidable reach in India. Our app, Active Life, is ready for Windows 8 app store and we are looking to monetise the app with in-app purchases.” Nuli is also working on adding a few more health care and education apps for Windows 8 soon.

Even developers who don’t have a Windows 8 app are betting the platform would open new doors. Nilay Arora, business head at ibibo Games, says: “We have been monetising our Android apps via in-app advertisements, and it has worked all right till now. But, we will use in-app upgrades on Windows 8 platform to monetise the app, since the company is providing a secure payment gateway.” With seven apps on the Android platform and two on the Apple iOS, ibibo Games believes while Android platform provides the company a better volume scale today, Microsoft’s new platform would give a wider distribution network to its apps.

Developers also see Windows 8 as an alternative to Google’s Android OS, one of the most popular OSes. “The Android ecosystem is fragmented at the moment, as developers have to configure apps according to different devices and the experience varies for each device. Secondly, there is no real business model surrounding Android. Google has not provided for any payment mechanism. Although one can depend on advertisement revenue, that is still very small,” said Gondal.

Microsoft’s Goyal emphasised that apart from computers and tablets, the Windows 8 OS also supports apps on Xbox console and smartphones, providing developers a much larger opportunity than its rivals. Windows has sold 630 million licences in about 200 countries and has a 90 per cent share of the OS market, which indicates the upgrade potential for Windows 8. The new OS, says Goyal, will also allow users to make purchases for their Xbox 360 gaming and queue them up for download on the console. In other words, Microsoft hopes to unify the OS across device platforms.

According to the latest Developer Economics report, Apple’s iOS is the most expensive platform to develop apps on, where an average app development costs about $27,000, making it 21 per cent more expensive than Android. The average app will take approximately three months to develop. A Windows Phone app, on the other hand, costs about $17,500 and an average Android app costs $22,617. “Naturally, app development costs depend on the country and app category. For example, iOS is faster to develop communication and social networking apps than Android,” the report notes.

Microsoft has also launched a four-month long programme across 50 cities in India, titled TechDays, to promote developers and technology enthusiasts to create apps for its OS.

Although Microsoft and its partner on the mobile front, Nokia, are going all out to woe developers and customers, its success will only be decided over the next few quarters..

Saturday 20 October 2012

Airtel launches 4G service in Pune









After Bangalore and Kolkata, Bharti Airtel yesterday the launch of Airtel postpaid 4G services in Pune,  the first 4G service in Maharashtra.

Airtel also has plans of rolling out India’s first multi-mode LTE TDD smartphone in India along with partners Qualcomm and Huawei.

The dongle for accessing 4G services on laptops and PCs is priced at ' 4,999. In addition, there are monthly usage charges. The 4G service is available for mobile handsets, Airtel 4G LTE, Airtel 4G dongle and Airtel 4G movies.


Commenting on this,  K Srinivas, president, consumer business, Bharti Airtel said, “The response received by Airtel 4G services in Kolkata and Bangalore has been compelling – thus reinforcing our long term focus on delivering technologies to fulfill the needs of India’s rapidly growing data evolution story. With both home and office users opting for 4G services, it is heartening to see early adopters of this technology acknowledge the experience that Airtel 4G delivers – for everything from streaming videos and downloading music, to accessing business applications, email and rich multimedia content. We are optimistic about the traction that 4G will see in months to come and loo k forward to rolling out our services in other circles soon.”

Customers can now check the availability of Airtel 4G services in their area online through the familiar Google Maps interface and buy the services online.

Along with a host of payment options, Airtel 4G will also be available on monthly EMI’s and cash on delivery. The online purchasing capability will soon be rolled out for customers in Bengaluru and Kolkata as well.

Airtel Broadband TV service on Airtel 4G dongle allows customers to stream live TV content directly onto their laptop or desktop without the prerequisite of a cable or set-top box connection.

Using Airtel 4G, customers can now access to close to 76 channels and on-demand videos across various genres including movies, music, entertainment and news.

Thursday 18 October 2012

Facebook has 65 mn active users in India






The number of active Facebook users in India has swelled to 65 million, according to Kirthiga Reddy, director (online operations) at Facebook India. This is an eight-fold jump in a span of two years.

“Facebook had a user base of eight million when it started its office in India in 2010, and 65 million monthly active users is the number that we have today to share and connect,” she told mediapersons in Hyderabad on Thursday.

The social networking platform has key products and innovations for India, both on desktop and mobiles, said Reddy. She added that Facebook was now available in nine languages on phone and 10 languages on desktops. She also announced the company’s new office in Hyderabad, which has a floor space of approximately 66,000 sq. ft. Facebook employs less than 4,000 people globally.



Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg recently announced that the company had passed the one-billion user milestone globally, making it the first social network to do so. “Over eight years, we have over one billion people spending time, sharing and connecting on the social network platform globally. Of that, 600 million use it from their mobile devices,” said Reddy. “Our goal is to make sure that we have a fantastic experience not just on smartphones but also on feature phones.”

Stating that Facebook continuously innovates to create products such as ads and ‘sponsored stories’ in news feeds for marketers, Reddy said a clutch of new products such as Facebook Exchange, Sponsored Results and Offers were further driving loyalty. “These are getting 40 per cent conversion via Facebook than any other source,” she said.

Citing the example of Mumbai-based Chumbak.com, she said that 25 per cent of the retailer’s online revenue came from Facebook.

“Chumbak has seen 5X return on investment (RoI) and 40 per cent of its traffic comes from Facebook,” she said.

“We drive results for marketers. A study across 63 campaigns globally (on Facebook) witnessed five times the RoI in 49 per cent of the campaigns.”

Reddy added that the online advertising spend in India is growing at 25 per cent year-on-year and Facebook’s reach can be a strong platform

Barack Obama is now anti-India, says Indian-American Republican




Citing US President Barack Obama's stance on outsourcing of jobs to India and work visas for IT firms, a leading Indian American Republican has said that Mitt Romney, not the incumbent, is the best bet for strong and enduring Indo-US relations.

Dr Sampat Shivangi, who was one of the three Indian American delegates to the Republican National Convention and a major fundraiser in Mississippi state, said the Democrats' India-friendly image is but just a myth.

Shivangi, the President of Indian American Forum for Political Education (IAFPE), said that with Obama openly and unhesitatingly criticising outsourcing to India, the future of ties between the two nations will be in safe hands only if a Republican occupies the White House.

He claimed that though majority of Indian-Americans do support the Democratic Party and Obama in particular, the trend was changing among second and third generation Indians.

"They no longer carry the Socialist and Nehruvian baggage from India like some of us in the age group of 60 to 70 do.

"President Obama is very critical of outsourcing jobs to India and work visa from India for IT companies are being gradually dispensed with. It's only a myth that Democrats are India-friendly," said Shivangi.

"President Obama's tirade against India on outsourcing has really changed his image in majority of the Indian-Americans. His television advertisements day in day out have taken warpath to disgrace India as the problem for joblessness in US which is untrue," Shivangi said.

Shivangi helped raise USD 1.7 million for Republican contender Romney in Mississippi, the highest collected in the State so far topping USD 1.2 million collected for the then President George Bush, again with the help of Shivangi.

... contd.

Tuesday 16 October 2012

No ADF at Delhi, Mumbai from Jan 1










The civil aviation ministry on Tuesday asked operators of the Delhi and Mumbai airports to stop levying Airport Development Fee (ADF) from next year, and directed Airports Authority of India (AAI) to infuse more equity into the joint venture firms.

Civil Aviation Minister Ajit Singh directed Delhi International Airport Ltd (DIAL) and Mumbai International Airport Ltd (MIAL) to submit proposals to the Airports Economic Regulatory Authority (AERA) on stopping ADF from January 1, 2013.

ADF — a form of viability gap funding to bridge the difference in the actual and estimated cost of construction for the private sector airport developers — is currently charged at the rate of Rs 200 per domestic passenger and Rs 1,300 per international passenger at Delhi airport, and Rs 100 and Rs 600 respectively at Mumbai.

DIAL said it would “analyse its financial structure... and increased impact on the aeronautical tariffs and respond appropriately to AERA”.

Monday 15 October 2012

Indians prefer unlimited Internet data plans: survey





A majority of mobile phone users in India prefer unlimited Internet data plans to usage-based plans, a survey by Ernst & Young has found.

"In India almost 54% of the respondents prefer unlimited mobile data for a fixed price per month," the survey, conducted across 12 countries including the US, the UK, China, Australia and Russia, to highlight short- and medium-term issues faced by operators, said.

The survey said confusion over data tariffs and lack of guidance from operators on the value of new services are limiting the adoption of mobile data services.

"One in three respondents say they cannot understand mobile data tariffs effectively while only one in five customers claim that they can make an accurate judgement as to what the best tariff option is," the survey said.

In India, 31% of the respondents said they clearly understand mobile data tariffs offered by operators, which is the highest among others.

In the US, only 16% respondents said they can understand the data plans, as many as 24% understand data plans in the UK and Russia.

"It is imperative for mobile operators to spread more awareness about the improved security and privacy features enabling the end consumer to effectively access mobile Internet services, especially in case of mobile money transfer or payment through mobile services," Ernst & Young Global Partner Prashant Singhal said.

The survey said rising smartphone take-up means that more than 1 in 3 mobile customers are using services such as web browsing, instant messaging and social media on their devices.

The survey finds that 3G customers are a high-value segment and in India, the average monthly spend of post-paid and pre-paid 3G users stand at $43 and $27 respectively, while in US, the figures stand at $115 and $78.

Sunday 14 October 2012

IBPS COMMON WIRTTEN EXAMINATION SPECIAL OFFER








Introduction:

The magnificence of IBPS has stood over 40 years. Working on international testing models like the ETS model, the Institute conducts a wide spectrum of activities in personnel selection both for promotion within and recruitment and selection from outside the organization. Today, IBPS has become a body providing integrated end to end solutions for human resource management of client organizations. The Institute is equipped with its very own fleet of qualified personnel - people from the banking and insurance industry, psychology, information technology and educational measurement who have specialized in the testing process. Its various verticals include Client Relations, Design and Analysis, Research and Development, Processing and Technology Operations and Support Services. It also has its own technology infrastructure for data ware house and processing. It has state-of-the-art printing facility that is capable of printing over 100 thousand data booklets and answer sheets per day. The Institute has the capability of testing simultaneously as many as 1 million candidates in 2000 venues across 200 centers (cities) in one session. In 2010-11 alone, IBPS was successful in screening over 10 million candidates for testing and filled approx. 79,236 vacancies for its client organizations besides testing of candidates for admission to academic institutes and certification for diplomas.




Institute of Banking Personnel Selection


COMMON WRITTEN EXAMINATION [CWE] FOR
RECRUITMENT IN CLERICAL CADRE IN PUBLIC SECTOR BANKS

Email: clerk@ibps.in Website: www.ibps.in

With high growth forecast, the Indian Banking sector offers vast opportunities for a career. Eligible
aspirants for bank jobs at the entry level in Public Sector Banks are invited to participate in the process.
With the validity of the scorecard issued for the first CWE for Clerks held in November/
December 2011 expiring in February 2013, the next Common Written Examination
(CWE Clerk-II) as a pre-requisite for selection of personnel for Clerical cadre
posts in the Public Sector Banks will be conducted online by the Institute of
Banking Personnel Selection (IBPS) tentatively in December 2012.
Any eligible candidate, who aspires to join any of the Public Sector Banks listed below
as a Clerk or in a similar post in that cadre, is required to clear the Common Written
Examination (CWE). Candidates who qualify in CWE Clerk-II, will subsequently be
called for a Common Interview to be co-ordinated by IBPS. Candidates, successful in
qualifying in both the CWE and Common Interview will be listed in the order of merit.
Depending on the vacancies in each bank of his preference, candidate will receive
through a computerised system an offer from one of the Participating Public Sector
Banks listed below. Vacancies remaining unfilled on account of candidates declining
offer, will be filled from among the remaining candidates, through subsequent iterations.
This system of Common Written Examination and common interview for recruitment of
Clerical Cadre in Participating PSBs has the approval of the appropriate authorities.
Candidates intending to appear for CWE will have to apply to IBPS after carefully
reading the advertisement regarding the process of examination and interview, eligibility
criteria, online registration process, payment of prescribed application fee/ intimation
charges, pattern of examination, issuance of call letters etc.

A PARTICIPATING BANKS

Allahabad Bank Indian Bank
Andhra Bank Indian Overseas Bank
Bank of Baroda Oriental Bank of Commerce
Bank of India Punjab National Bank
Bank of Maharashtra Punjab & Sind Bank
Canara Bank Syndicate Bank
Central Bank of India UCO Bank
Corporation Bank Union Bank of India
Dena Bank United Bank of India
IDBI Bank Vijaya Bank
After the declaration of result of both CWE and common interview, a notification will be
issued by IBPS giving the state/UT wise and category-wise vacancies for each Bank and
order of preference for Banks will be obtained from successful candidates. Based on the
marks obtained in CWE and common interview as well as the indication of order of
preference of Banks and available vacancies, a successful candidate will receive a call from
an individual Bank.

Since recruitment in clerical cadre in Public Sector Banks is done on State/UT-wise
basis, candidates can apply for vacancies in any one State/ UT only. Consequently, a
candidate would be required to appear for CWE in any one of the centres in that
particular State/UT. However, depending upon the response, administrative feasibility
etc. candidates may be allotted to a centre of examination outside the chosen State/UT
for which vacancies he/she is applying. Please note this reallocation is only for the
conduct of examination and the candidate will be considered for vacancies in the
State/UT applied for, as aforesaid.
B. ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA
Candidates, intending to appear for CWE should ensure that they fulfil the minimum
eligibility criteria specified by IBPS before applying for the Common Written
Examination (CWE):
Please note that the eligibility criteria specified herein are the basic criteria for
applying for the Post. However merely applying for CWE/ appearing for and
qualifying in the examination and/or in the subsequent interview does not imply
that a candidate will necessarily be eligible for employment in any of the
Participating Public Sector Banks.
I. Nationality / Citizenship:
A candidate must be either -
(i) a Citizen of India or
(ii) a subject of Nepal or
(iii) a subject of Bhutan or
(iv) a Tibetan Refugee who came over to India before 1st January 1962 with the
intention of permanently settling in India or
(v) a person of Indian origin who has migrated from Pakistan, Burma, Sri Lanka,
East African countries of Kenya, Uganda, the United Republic of Tanzania
(formerly Tanganyika and Zanzibar), Zambia, Malawi, Zaire, Ethiopia and
Vietnam with the intention of permanently settling in India,
provided that a candidate belonging to categories (ii), (iii), (iv) & (v) above shall be a
person in whose favour a certificate of eligibility has been issued by the Government of
India.
II Age (As on 01.10.2012):
Minimum: 20 Years Maximum: 28 Years
The maximum age limit specified is applicable to General Category candidates

Relaxation of Upper age limit
Sr. No. Category Age relaxation
1 Scheduled Caste/Scheduled Tribe 5 years
2 Other Backward Classes 3 years
3 Persons With Disability 10 years
4 Ex-Servicemen / Disabled Ex-Servicemen actual period of service rendered in
the defence forces + 3 years (8 years
for Disabled Ex-Servicemen
belonging to SC/ST) subject to a
maximum age limit of 50 years
5 Widows. Divorced women and women legally
separated from their husbands who have not
remarried
9 years
6 Persons ordinarily domiciled in the Kashmir
Division of the State of Jammu & Kashmir
during the period 1-1-80 to 31-12-89
5 years
7 Persons affected by 1984 riots 5 years
8 Regular employees of the Union Carbide
Factory, Bhopal retrenched from service
(Applicable to Madhya Pradesh state only)
5 years
NOTE: (i) In case of a candidate who is eligible for relaxation under more than one of the
above categories the age relaxation will be available on a cumulative basis with
any one of the remaining categories for which age relaxation is permitted as
mentioned above.
(ii) Candidates seeking age relaxation will be required to submit copies of necessary
certificate(s) at the time of interview, if called.
The following rules applicable to Ex-Servicemen re-employed under the Central
government would apply to Ex-Servicemen candidates appearing for the CWE:
(iii) Ex-Servicemen candidates who have already secured employment under the Central
Government in Group ‘C’ & ‘D’ will be permitted the benefit of age relaxation as
prescribed for Ex-Servicemen for securing another employment in a higher grade or
cadre in Group ‘C’/ ‘D’ under the Central Government. However, such candidates
will not be eligible for the benefit of reservation for Ex-Servicemen in Central
Government jobs.
(iv) An ex-Servicemen who has once joined a Government job on civil side after availing
of the benefits given to him/her as an Ex-Servicemen for his/her re-employment,
his/her Ex-Servicemen status for the purpose of the re-employment in Government
jobs ceases.
DEFINITION OF EX-SERVICEMEN (EXSM)
i. EX-SERVICEMEN(EXSM): Only those candidates shall be treated as Exservicemen
who fulfill the revised definition as laid down in Government of
India, Ministry of Home Affairs, Department of Personnel & Administrative
Reforms Notification No.36034/5/85 Estt. (SCT) dated 27.01.1986 as amended
from time to time.

ii. DISABLED EX-SERVICEMEN(DISXS): Ex-servicemen who while serving in
Armed Forces of the union were disabled in operation against the enemy or in
disturbed areas shall be treated as DISXS.
iii. DEPENDENTS OF EX-SERVICEMEN KILLED IN ACTION (DXS):
Servicemen killed in the following operations would be deemed to have been
killed in action attributable to military service (a) war (b) war like operations or
Border skirmishes either with Pakistan on cease fire line or any other country (c)
fighting against armed hostiles in a counter insurgency environment viz:
Nagaland, Mizoram, etc. (d) serving with peace keeping mission abroad (e) laying
or clearance of mines including enemy mines as also mine sweeping operation
between one month before and three months after conclusion of an operation (f)
frost bite during actual operations or during the period specified by the
Government (g) dealing with agitating para-military forces personnel (h) IPKF
Personnel killed during the operations in Sri Lanka.
DEFINITION OF PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES
Under Section 33 of the Persons with Disabilities (Equal Opportunities, Protection of
Rights and Full Participation) Act 1995 only such persons would be eligible for reservation
who suffer from not less than 40% of relevant disability and are certified by a Medical Board
appointed by the Central/State Govt.
Accordingly, candidates with the following disabilities are eligible to apply. Applicants
claiming such benefits should produce certificate in original in support of their claim at
the time of Interview.
Visually Impaired (VI)
Blindness refers to condition where a person suffers from any of the following
conditions namely (1) Total absence of sight, (ii) Visual acuity not exceeding 6/60 or
20/200 (snellen) in the better eye with correcting lenses. (iii) Limitation of the field of
vision subtending in angle of 20 degrees or worse.
Low vision means a person with impairment of visual functioning even after treatment
or standard refractive connection but who uses or is potentially capable of using vision
for the planning of execution of a task with appropriate assistive device.
As per the Persons with Disabilities (Equal Opportunities, Protection of Rights and Full
Participation) Act 1995, low vision aids will be permitted to candidates with visual
impairment, and such candidates will be eligible for extra time if applicable.
Deaf & Hearing Impaired (HI)
The deaf are those persons in whom the sense of hearing is non- functional for ordinary
purposes of life i.e. total loss of hearing in both ears. They do not hear, understand
sounds at all even with amplified speech. Hearing impairment means loss of sixty
decibels or more in the better ear in the conversational range of frequencies.
Orthopedically Challenged (OC)
Locomotor Disability means disability of bones, joints or muscles leading to substantial
restriction of the movement of the limbs or any form of cerebral palsy.
Cerebral Palsy means a group of non-progressive conditions of person characterized by
abnormal motor control posture resulting from brain insult or injuries occurring in the
pre-natal, peri-natal or infant period of development.

All the cases of Orthopedically Challenged Persons would be covered under the
category of ‘Locomotor disability or cerebral palsy’.
Guidelines for Persons With Disabilities using a Scribe
The visually impaired candidates and candidates whose writing speed is affected by
cerebral palsy can use their own scribe at their cost during the examination. In all such
cases where a scribe is used, the following rules will apply:
- The candidate will have to arrange his own scribe at his/her own cost.
- The academic qualification of the scribe should be one grade lower than the
stipulated criteria.
- The scribe may be from any academic stream.
- Both the candidates as well as scribes will have to give a suitable undertaking
confirming that the scribe fulfils all the stipulated eligibility criteria for a scribe
mentioned above. Further in case it later transpires that he/she did not fulfill any
laid down eligibility criteria or suppressed material facts the candidature of the
applicant will stand cancelled, irrespective of the result of the examination.
- Those candidates who use a scribe shall be eligible for extra time of 20 minutes
for every hour of the examination.
C. EDUCATIONAL QUALIFICATIONS (as on 01.10.2012)
Degree in any discipline from a recognized University or any equivalent qualification
recognized as such by the Central Government.
Computer literacy: Operating and working knowledge in computer systems is mandatory
i.e. candidates should have Certificate/Diploma/Degree in computer
operations/Language/ should have studied Computer / Information Technology as one of
the subjects in the High School/College/Institute.
Proficiency in the Official Language of the State/UT (candidates should know how to
read/ write and speak the Official Language of the State/UT) for which vacancies a
candidate wishes to apply is preferable.
Ex-Servicemen who do not possess the above civil examination qualifications should be
matriculate Ex-Servicemen who have obtained the Army Special Certificate of
Education or corresponding certificate in the Navy or Air Force after having completed
not less than 15 years of service in the Armed Forces of the Union.
Note: (i) All educational qualifications should be from a recognised university/ Board.
(ii) The percentage of marks shall be arrived at by dividing the aggregate/total marks
obtained by the candidate in all the subjects irrespective of optional/additional
subjects studied with the aggregate maximum marks of the examination passed for
all the years of the examination.
(iii) The date of passing the examination which reckons for eligibility will be the date
appearing on the Mark Sheet or Provisional Certificate

D. EXAMINATION (ONLINE)
Structure of Examination:
Sr.
No.
Name of Tests (Objective) No. of
Questions
Maximum
Marks
Total Time
1 Reasoning 40 40
2 hours
2 English Language 40 40
3 Numerical Ability 40 40
4 General Awareness with special
reference to Banking Industry
40 40
5 Computer Knowledge 40 40
Total 200 200
The above tests except the Test of English Language will be available bilingually, i.e.
English and Hindi.
Other detailed information regarding the examination will be given in an
Information Handout, which will be made available for the candidates to download
along with the call letter for examination from the IBPS website.
E. PENALTY FOR WRONG ANSWERS
There will be penalty for wrong answers marked in the Objective Tests. For each
question for which a wrong answer has been given by the candidate one fourth or 0.25 of
the marks assigned to that question will be deducted as penalty to arrive at corrected
score. If for any question a candidate gives more than one answer, it will be treated as
wrong even if one of the given answers happens to be right and 0.25 of the marks
assigned to that question will be deducted as penalty. If a question is left blank, i.e. no
answer is marked by the candidate, there will be no penalty for that question.
F. STANDARDIZED SCORES
(i) The corrected scores obtained by each of the candidates in different sessions will
first be normalized using equipercentile method.
(ii) Normalized scores may subsequently be standardized by linear conversion method.
(iii) If the standard score obtained is in fraction, the marks obtained will be rounded off
to the nearest integer, i.e. if fraction is 0.50 or more, it will be rounded off to next
higher integer.
G. CUTOFF SCORE
Each candidate will have to secure a minimum standard score in each of the tests as well
as on the Total Weighted Standard Score to be called for interview. The cut-off points to
qualify in each of the tests will be decided based on the average (Average – ¼ Standard
Deviation for General category candidates and Average – ¾ Standard Deviation for
Reserved Category candidates). Mere passing in individual tests may not be sufficient
as candidates should also score sufficiently high on Total in order of merit to be called
for interview. A candidate should qualify both in the CWE and interview for being
considered for appointment in vacancies announced and anticipated by Participating
Banks.

H. CWE SCORE
The candidates’ scores will be made available on IBPS website and candidates may view
the same.
I. EXAMINATION CENTERS
(i) The examination will be conducted online in venues across many centres in
India. The list of Examination centres is available in Annexure I.
(ii) IBPS, however, reserves the right to cancel any of the Examination Centres and/
or add some other Centres, depending upon the response, administrative
feasibility, etc.
(iii) As far as possible candidates will be allotted to a centre of his/her choice
however IBPS also reserves the right to allot the candidate to any centre other
than the one he/she has opted for and a candidate may be allocated a centre of
exam outside the State/UT for which vacancies he/she is applying.
(iv) Candidate will appear for the examination at an Examination Centre at his/her
own risks and expenses and IBPS will not be responsible for any injury or losses
etc. of any nature.
(v) No request for change of centre for Examination shall be entertained.
J. PRE-EXAMINATION TRAINING
It is proposed that Pre-Examination Training will be imparted to a limited
number of candidates belonging to Scheduled Caste/ Scheduled Tribes/ Minority
Communities/ ExServicemen/ Persons With Disabilities at some centers viz.
Agartala, Agra, Ahmedabad, Allahabad, Amritsar, Aurangabad, Balasore,
Bareilly, Behrampur (Ganjam), Bengaluru, Bhopal, Bhubaneshwar, Chandigarh,
Chennai, Coimbatore, Dehradun, Dhanbad, Gorakhpur, Gulbarga, Guwahati,
Hubli, Hyderabad, Indore, Jabalpur, Jaipur, Jammu, Jodhpur, Kanpur, Karnal,
Kavaratti, Kochi, Kolkata, Lucknow, Ludhiana, Madurai, Mangalore, Mumbai,
Muzaffarpur, Mysore, Nagpur, New Delhi, Panaji (Goa), Patiala, Patna, Port
Blair, Puducherry, Pune, Raipur, Rajkot, Ranchi, Rohtak, Sambalpur, Shimla,
Shillong, Siliguri, Thiruchirapalli, Thiruvananthapuram, Tirupati, Vadodara,
Varanasi, Vijaywada and Vishakhapatnam.
All eligible candidates who will opt for and wish to avail of Pre-Examination
Training should fill in the relevant column in the ON-LINE APPLICATION.
While training will be imparted free of cost, all other expenses regarding
travelling, boarding, lodging etc. will have to be borne by the candidate for
attending the pre-examination training programme at the designated Centers.
Depending on the response and administrative feasibility the right to cancel any
of the Pre- Examination Training Centres and/ or add some other Centres and/or
make alternate arrangements is reserved.
By merely attending the Pre-Examination Training no candidate acquires any
right to be selected in any of the participating Public Sector Banks mentioned.

K. HOW TO APPLY
Candidates can apply online only from 15.10.2012 to 05.11.2012 and no other mode
of application will be accepted.
Pre-Requisites for Applying Online
Before applying online, candidates should--
(i) scan their photograph and signature ensuring that both the photograph and
signature adhere to the required specifications as given in Annexure II to this
Advertisement.
(ii) Keep the necessary details/documents ready if desired to make online payment
of the requisite application fee/ intimation charges (In case of Offline Payment
i.e. CBS candidates have to apply online, obtain a fee payment challan and then
remit the necessary application fees/ intimation charges).
(iii) have a valid personal email ID, which should be kept active till the declaration of
results of this round of CWE. IBPS may send call letters Examination etc.
through the registered e-mail ID. Under no circumstances, a candidate should
share with/mention e-mail ID to / of any other person. In case a candidate does
not have a valid personal e-mail ID, he/she should create his/her new e-mail ID
before applying on-line and must maintain that email account.
Application Fees/ Intimation Charges (Payable from 15.10.2012 to 05.11.2012 (Online
payment) and 17.10.2012 to 09.11.2012 (Offline payment) both dates inclusive)
- Rs. 50/- for SC/ST/PWD/EXSM candidates.
- Rs. 400 /- for all others
Bank Transaction charges for Offline/ Online Payment of fees/ intimation charges will have to
be borne by the candidate
Procedure for applying online
(1) Candidates are first required to go to the IBPS’s website www.ibps.in and click on the
Home Page to open the link “Common Written Examination” and then click on the option
“CLICK HERE TO APPLY ONLINE FOR CWE- Clerks (IBPS-CWE-Clerk-II)
December 2012” to open the On-Line Application Form.
(2) Candidates will have to enter their basic details and upload the photograph and signature
in the online application form. Candidates are required to upload their photograph and
signature as per the specifications given in the Guidelines for Scanning and Upload of
Photograph and Signature (Annexure II).
Mode of Payment
Candidates have the option of making the payment of requisite fees/ intimation charges either
through the ONLINE mode or the OFFLINE mode:
(1) Payment of fees/ intimation charges via the ONLINE MODE
(i) Candidates should carefully fill in the details in the On-Line Application at the
appropriate places very carefully and click on the “SUBMIT” button at the end of the
On-Line Application format. Before pressing the “SUBMIT” button, candidates are
advised to verify every field filled in the application. The name of the candidate or his
/her father/husband etc. should be spelt correctly in the application as it appears in the
certificates/mark sheets. Any change/alteration found may disqualify the candidature.
(ii) The application form is integrated with the payment gateway and the payment process
can be completed by following the instructions.

(iii) The payment can be made by using only Master/ Visa Debit or Credit cards or Internet
Banking by providing information as asked on the screen.
(iv) In case candidates wish to pay fees/ intimation charges through the online payment
gateway after the upload of photograph and signature an additional page of the
application form is displayed wherein candidates may follow the instructions and fill in
the requisite details.
(v) If the online transaction has been successfully completed a Registration Number and
Password will be generated. Candidates should note their Registration Number and
Password for future reference.
(vi) If the online transaction has not been successfully completed then the following message
is displayed ‘Your online transaction was unsuccessful. Please register again’
Candidates may then revisit the ‘Apply Online’ link and fill in their application details
again.
(vii) On successful completion of the transaction, an e-receipt will be generated.
(viii) Candidates are required to take a printout of the e-receipt.
Note:
o After submitting your payment information in the online application form, please wait
for the intimation from the server, DO NOT press Back or Refresh button in order to
avoid double charge
o For Credit Card users: All prices are listed in Indian Rupee. If you use a non-Indian
credit card, your bank will convert to your local currency based on prevailing exchange
rates.
o To ensure the security of your data, please close the browser window once your
transaction is completed.
(2) Payment of fees/ intimation charges via OFFLINE MODE (at counters of specified
Bank branches):
Payment of fee/ intimation charges through the offline mode can be made through the CBS
branches of any one of the following 7 Public Sector Banks-
Bank of Baroda, Bank of India, Bank of Maharashtra, Central Bank of India,
Indian Overseas Bank, Punjab National Bank, United Bank of India
Candidates should carefully fill in the details in the On-Line Application at the
appropriate places very carefully and click on the “SUBMIT” button at the end of the
On-Line Application format. Before pressing the “SUBMIT” button, candidates are
advised to verify every field filled in the application. A Provisional Registration Number
and Password will be generated by the system and displayed on the screen. Candidate
should note down the Registration Number and Password. An Email & sms indicating
the Provisional Registration number and Password will also be sent. The name of the
candidate or his /her father/husband etc. should be spelt correctly in the application as it
appears in the certificates/mark sheets. Any change/alteration found may disqualify the
candidature.
In case the candidate is unable to fill in the application form in one go, he/ she can save
the data already entered. When the data is saved, a provisional registration number and
password will be generated by the system and displayed on the screen. Candidate should
note down the Provisional registration number and password. An Email & sms

indicating the Provisional Registration number and Password will also be sent. They can
reopen the saved data using Provisional registration number and password and edit the
particulars, if needed. This facility will be available for three times only. Once the
application is filled in completely, candidate should submit the data. Candidates should
take a printout of the system generated fee payment challan immediately. No change/edit
will be allowed after submission.
The registration at this stage is provisional.
Fee Payment: Fee payment will be accepted at the CBS branches of the banks listed above
from 2nd working day after registration and can be made within three working days.
System generated fee payment challan will be used for depositing fee. (For example: If
one has registered on 20.10.2012, then he/she will be able to deposit the fee from
23.10.2012 to 27.10.2012, considering 21.10.2012 is a non- working day). Once fee has
been paid, the registration process is completed.
Candidate will receive registration confirmation by SMS/e-mail after two working days
from the date of payment of fees/ intimation charges. Please ensure to furnish correct
Mobile number / e-mail address to receive the registration confirmation.
Note- - There is also a provision to reprint the submitted application containing fee
details, three days after fee payment.
After completing the procedure of applying on-line including payment of fees, the
candidate should take a printout of the system generated on-line application form three
days after fee payment, ensure the particulars filled in are accurate and retain it along
with Registration Number and Password for future reference. They should not send this
printout to the IBPS/ Banks.
Please note that all the particulars mentioned in the online application including
Name of the Candidate, Category, Date of Birth, Address, Mobile Number, Email ID,
Centre of Examination etc. will be considered as final and no modifications will be
allowed after submission of the online application form. Candidates are hence
requested to fill in the online application form with the utmost care as no
correspondence regarding change of details will be entertained. IBPS will not be
responsible for any consequences arising out of furnishing of incorrect and
incomplete details in the application or omission to provide the required details in
the application form.
An email/ sms intimation with the Registration Number and Password generated on successful
registration of the application will be sent to the candidate’s email ID/ Mobile Number specified
in the online application form as a system generated acknowledgement. If candidates do not
receive the email and sms intimations at the email ID/ Mobile number specified by them,
they may consider that their online application has not been successfully registered.
An online application which is incomplete in any respect such as without photograph and
signature uploaded in the online application form will not be considered as valid.
Candidates are advised in their own interest to apply on-line much before the closing date
and not to wait till the last date for depositing the fee to avoid the possibility of

disconnection/inability/failure to log on the IBPS’s website on account of heavy load on
internet/website jam.
IBPS does not assume any responsibility for the candidates not being able to submit their
applications within the last date on account of the aforesaid reasons or for any other
reason beyond the control of the IBPS.
Please note that the above procedure is the only valid procedure for applying. No other
mode of application or incomplete steps would be accepted and such applications would be
rejected.
Any information submitted by an applicant in his/ her application shall be binding on the
candidate personally and he/she shall be liable for prosecution/ civil consequences in case the
information/ details furnished by him/ her is found to be false at a later stage.
L. GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS
(1) Candidates will have to submit the examination call letter and a photocopy of
photo-identity proof at the time of examination.
(2) Before applying for the CWE for Clerk posts in the participating Public Sector Banks,
the candidate should ensure that he/she fulfils the eligibility and other norms mentioned
in this advertisement. Candidates are therefore to carefully read this advertisement and
follow all the instructions given for submitting online application.
(3) IBPS would be free to reject any application, at any stage of the process, if the candidate
is found ineligible as per the stipulated eligibility criteria. Decision of the IBPS in all
matters regarding eligibility of the candidate, the stages at which such scrutiny of
eligibility is to be undertaken, qualifications and other eligibility norms, the documents
to be produced for the purpose of the conduct of Examination etc. and any other matter
relating to the CWE will be final and binding on the candidate. No correspondence or
personal enquiries shall be entertained by the IBPS in this behalf.
(4) Not more than one application should be submitted by any candidate. Multiple
Applications/Registrations will be summarily rejected and the application fee forfeited.
(5) Online applications once registered will not be allowed to be withdrawn and/or the
application fee, postage charges once paid will not be refunded nor be held in reserve for
any other examination.
(6) Any resulting dispute arising out of this advertisement including the recruitment
process shall be subject to the sole jurisdiction of the Courts situated at Mumbai.
(7) Canvassing in any form will be a disqualification.
(8) In case it is detected at any stage that a candidate does not fulfill the eligibility norms
and/or that he/she has furnished any incorrect/false information/certificate/documents or
has suppressed any material fact(s), his/her candidature will stand cancelled. If any of
these shortcomings is/are detected after appointment in a Bank, his/her services are
liable to be summarily terminated.
(9) Any request for change of address will not be entertained.
(10) In case any dispute arises on account of interpretation of clauses in any version of this
advertisement other than English, the English version available on IBPS website shall
prevail.

(11) A Candidate’s admission to the examination is strictly provisional. The mere fact that
the call letter has been issued to the candidate does not imply that his/ her candidature
has been finally cleared by the IBPS.
(12) A candidate should ensure that the signatures appended by him/her in all the places viz.
in his/her call letter, attendance sheet etc. and in all correspondences with the IBPS/
Bank in future should be identical and there should be no variation of any kind.
(13) In the administration of the examination, there is the likelihood that a small number of
problems may occur that might impact test delivery and/or a result from being
generated. In the event that this does occur, every effort will be made to correct the
problem, upto and including the administration of another examination.
M. Use of Mobile Phones, pagers, calculator or any such devices:
(a) Mobile phones, pagers or any other communication devices are not allowed inside
the premises where the examination is being conducted. Any infringement of these
instructions shall entail cancellation of candidature and disciplinary action
including ban from future examinations.
(b) Candidates are advised in their own interest not to bring any of the banned item
including mobile phones/ pagers to the venue of the examination, as arrangement
for safekeeping cannot be assured.
(c) Candidates are not permitted to use or have in possession calculators in
examination premises.
N. Action Against Candidates Found Guilty of Misconduct/ Use of Unfair Means
Candidates are advised in their own interest that they should not furnish any particulars that are false,
tampered with or fabricated and should not suppress any material information while submitting online
application.
At the time of examination or in a subsequent selection procedure, if a candidate is (or has been ) found
guilty of –
(i) using unfair means or
(ii) impersonating or procuring impersonation by any person or
(iii) misbehaving in the examination hall or disclosing, publishing, reproducing, transmitting,
storing or facilitating transmission and storage of contents of the test(s) or any information
therein in whole or part thereof in any form or by any means, verbal or written,
electronically or mechanically for any purpose or
(iv) resorting to any irregular or improper means in connection with his/ her candidature or
(v) obtaining support for his/ her candidature by unfair means, or
(vi) carrying mobile phones or similar electronic devices of communication in the examination hall
such a candidate may, in addition to rendering himself/ herself liable to criminal prosecution, be
liable :
(a) to be disqualified from the examination for which he/ she is a candidate
(b) to be debarred either permanently or for a specified period from any examination
conducted by IBPS
(c) for termination of service, if he/ she has already joined the Bank.
Important:
IBPS would be analysing the responses (answers) of individual candidates with other
candidates to detect patterns of similarity of right and wrong answers. If in the analytical
procedure adopted by IBPS in this regard, it is inferred/ concluded that the responses
have been shared and scores obtained are not genuine/ valid, IBPS reserves right to
cancel the candidature of the concerned candidates and the result of such candidates
(disqualified) will be withheld.

O. CALL LETTERS FOR WRITTEN EXAMINATION
The date and time of Examination (tentatively in December 2012/ January 2013) shall be
intimated in the Call Letter along with the Centre/Venue address.
An eligible candidate should download his/her call letter from the IBPS’s website
www.ibps.in by entering his / her details i.e. Registration Number and Password/Date of
Birth, after 03.12.2012. The Information Handout will also be available on IBPS website
and a candidate may download the same. No hard copy of the call letter/ Information
Handout will be sent by post/ courier.
A candidate has to bring his/her Examination call letter along with his/her photo
identity proof in original as well as a photocopy while attending the examination
and will have to submit the Examination call letter and photocopy of photo-identity
proof in the examination hall.
Identity Verification
In the examination hall, the call letter along with a photocopy of the candidate’s photo
identity such as PAN Card/ Passport/ Driving Licence/ Voter’s Card/ Bank Passbook
with photograph/ Photo identity proof issued by a Gazzetted Officer/ People’s
Representative along with a photograph / Identity Card issued by a recognised college/
university/ Aadhar card with a photograph/ Employee ID should be submitted to the
invigilator for verification. The candidate’s identity will be verified with respect to
his/her details on the call letter and in the Attendance List. If identity of the candidate
is in doubt the candidate may not be allowed to appear for the Examination.
Note: Candidates have to submit photocopy of the photo identity proof along with
Examination Call Letter while attending the examination, without which they will not be
allowed to take up the examination.
This advertisement is also available on IBPS’s website address www.ibps.in
Candidates are advised to remain in touch with IBPS’s website for any information
which may be posted for further guidance.
Decision of the IBPS in respect of all matters pertaining to this examination would be
final and binding on all candidates.
Start date for Online Registration 15.10.2012
Online Payment of Application Fees 15.10.2012- 05.11.2012
Offline Payment of Application Fees 17.10.2012- 09.11.2012
Last date for Online Registration 05.11.2012
Download of Call letter for Examination After 03.12.2012
Mumbai Director
Date: 15.10.2012 IBPS
Please note that candidates will not be permitted to appear for the Common
Examination without the following documents:
(1) Call Letter for Examination
(2) Photo-identity proof (as specified) in original and
(3) Photocopy of photo-identity proof (as mentioned in (2) above)
Candidates reporting late i.e. after the reporting time specified on the call letter for
Examination will not be permitted to take the examination.

ANNEXURE I
EXAMINATION CENTERS (Tentative List)
The examination will tentatively be held at the following centers and the address of
the venue will be advised in the call letters:
State Code State /UT Centre
11 Andaman & Nicobar Port Blair
12 Andhra Pradesh Guntur
Hyderabad
Karimnagar
Rajahmundry
Tirupati
Vijaywada
Vishakhapatnam
13 Arunachal Pradesh Itanagar
14 Assam Dibrugarh
Guwahati
Jorhat
Silchar
15 Bihar Bhagalpur
Muzaffarpur
Patna
16 Chandigarh Chandigarh
17 Chattisgarh Raipur
18 Dadra & Nagar Haveli Bulsar
19 Daman & Diu Bulsar
Jamnagar
20 Goa Panaji
21 Gujarat
Ahmedabad
Bhavnagar
Bulsar
Jamnagar
Rajkot
Surat
Vadodara
22 Haryana Hissar
Karnal
Panchkula
Rohtak
23 Himachal Pradesh Dharamsala
Shimla
24 Jammu & Kashmir Jammu
25 Jharkhand Bokaro
Dhanbad
Jamshedpur
Ranchi

26 Karnataka Belgaum
Bengaluru
Gulbarga
Hubli
Mangalore
Mysore
Udipi
27 Kerala
Kannur
Kochi
Kottayam
Kozhikode
Thrichur
Thiruvananthapuram
28 Lakshwadweep Kavarrati
29 Madhya Pradesh Bhopal
Gwalior
Indore
Jabalpur
30 Maharashtra Aurangabad
Kolhapur
Mumbai
Nagpur
Nasik
Pune
Solapur
31 Manipur Imphal
32 Meghalaya Shillong
33 Mizoram Aizawl
34 Nagaland Kohima
35 New Delhi New Delhi
36 Orissa Balasore
Berhampur(Ganjam)
Bhubaneshwar
Cuttack
Sambalpur
37 Puducherry Puducherry
38 Punjab Amritsar
Bhatinda
Jalandhar
Ludhiana
Mohali
Patiala
39 Rajasthan Ajmer
Jaipur
Jodhpur
Kota
Udaipur
40 Sikkim Gangtok

41 Tamilnadu Chennai
Coimbatore
Madurai
Salem
Thiruchirapalli
Tirunelvelli
42 Tripura Agartala
43 Uttar Pradesh Agra
Allahabad
Bareilly
Gorakhpur
Kanpur
Lucknow
Meerut
Varanasi
44 Uttarakhand Dehradun
Haldwani
45 West Bengal Berhampur (West Bengal)
Durgapur
Kolkata
Siliguri

Annexure II
Guidelines for scanning and Upload of Photograph & Signature
Before applying online a candidate will be required to have a scanned (digital) image of
his/her photograph and signature as per the specifications given below.
Photograph Image:
- Photograph must be a recent passport style colour picture.
- Make sure that the picture is in colour, taken against a light-coloured, preferably
white, background.
- Look straight at the camera with a relaxed face
- If the picture is taken on a sunny day, have the sun behind you, or place yourself in
the shade, so that you are not squinting and there are no harsh shadows
- If you have to use flash, ensure there's no "red-eye"
- If you wear glasses make sure that there are no reflections and your eyes can be
clearly seen.
- Caps, hats and dark glasses are not acceptable. Religious headwear is allowed but it
must not cover your face.
- Dimensions 200 x 230 pixels (preferred)
- Size of file should be between 20kb–50 kb
- Ensure that the size of the scanned image is not more than 50kb. If the size of the file
is more than 50 kb, then adjust the settings of the scanner such as the DPI resolution,
no. of colours etc., during the process of scanning.
Signature Image:
- The applicant has to sign on white paper with Black Ink pen.
- The signature must be signed only by the applicant and not by any other person.
- The signature will be used to put on the Hall Ticket and wherever necessary.
- If the Applicant’s signature on the answer script, at the time of the examination,
does not match the signature on the Hall Ticket, the applicant will be disqualified.
- Dimensions 140 x 60 pixels (preferred)
- Size of file should be between 10kb – 20kb
- Ensure that the size of the scanned image is not more than 20kb
Scanning the photograph & signature:
- Set the scanner resolution to a minimum of 200 dpi (dots per inch)
- Set Color to True Color
- File Size as specified above
- Crop the image in the scanner to the edge of the photograph/signature, then use the
upload editor to crop the image to the final size (as specified above).
- The image file should be JPG or JPEG format. An example file name is :
image01.jpg or image01.jpeg Image dimensions can be checked by listing the folder
files or moving the mouse over the file image icon.
- Candidates using MS Windows/MSOffice can easily obtain photo and signature in
.jpeg format not exceeding 50kb & 20kb respectively by using MS Paint or
MSOffice Picture Manager. Scanned photograph and signature in any format can be
saved in .jpg format by using ‘Save As’ option in the File menu and size can be
reduced below 50 kb (photograph) & 20 kb(signature) by using crop and then resize
option (Please see point (i) & (ii) above for the pixel size) in the ‘Image’ menu.
Similar options are available in other photo editor also.

- If the file size and format are not as prescribed, an error message will be displayed.
- While filling in the Online Application Form the candidate will be provided with a
link to upload his/her photograph and signature.
Procedure for Uploading the Photograph and Signature
- There will be two separate links for uploading Photograph and Signature
- Click on the respective link “Upload Photograph / Signature”
- Browse and Select the location where the Scanned Photograph / Signature file has
been saved.
- Select the file by clicking on it
- Click the ‘Open/Upload’ button
Your Online Application will not be registered unless you upload your photograph
and signature as specified.
Note:
(1) In case the face in the photograph or signature is unclear the candidate’s
application may be rejected. After uploading the photograph/ signature in the
online application form candidates should check that the images are clear and
have been uploaded correctly. In case the photograph or signature is not
prominently visible, the candidate may edit his/ her application and re-upload his/
her photograph or signature, prior to submitting the form.
(2) After registering online candidates are advised to take a printout of their system
generated online application forms.

Saturday 13 October 2012

Apple to host Oct 23 event, iPad mini expected








Apple Inc will host an event on October 23, said a source familiar with the plan, in what is expected to be the unveiling of a smaller iPad to venture into a market staked out well in advance by rivals Amazon.com Inc and Google Inc .

Speculation has swirled for months that Apple was planning a smaller, less expensive version of its popular iPad to take on cheaper competing devices, a move that analysts say may hurt its margins but prevent its arch-rivals from dominating an increasingly important computing segment.

The consumer device giant is gearing up to unveil a new product at a major October 23 event, said the source who declined to be named, days before Microsoft Corp unveils Windows 8 and its new Surface tablet on October 26.

Related Stories


The source did not specify what the product would be. An Apple spokesman declined to comment.

News of the event was earlier reported by tech blog AllThingsD.

The device, which many expect will sport a screen between 7 and 8 inches (18-20 cm), is deemed by analysts to be the iPhone makers' attempt to finally get into the fast-growing market.

A smaller iPad will directly compete with e-commerce giant Amazon's Kindle Fire HD tablet and Google's Nexus 7, both of which have 7-inch screens and are priced at $199. The first Kindle Fire, launched last year, went on to grab about a fifth of the U.S. tablet market.

The Nexus 7, manufactured by Asus <2357 .tw=".tw">, has also seen a successful start with the tablet selling out soon after launch.

One Wall Street analyst said he saw the smaller tablet -- dubbed iPad mini by the media -- while visiting component suppliers in Asia.

"We actually had the opportunity to play with a pilot iPad Mini used by one of the vendors," Topeka Capital analyst Brian White said. "This 7.85-inch iPad Mini fit our hands like a glove and we were easily able to tuck the device in our sport coat, offering consumers a more mobile iPad experience for certain use cases."

Apple events are typically among the most-watched items on the industry calendar, monitored by consumers and tech investors alike. The event in two weeks however comes at a time of volatility for the most-held tech counter.

Apple shares were up 0.75 percent at $632.84 in the afternoon, barely recouping significant losses over the past three weeks as investor cashed out after it touched an all-time high of $705.07 on September 21.

While the stock is up 55 percent this year, it is currently down 10 percent from its record high following concerns about disruptions to iPhone supply after a September riot at one of the plants operated by its main contract manufacturer Foxconn Technology, and harsh criticism from consumers and reviewers about a wealth of errors in its crucial Maps service.

New segment for Apple

Apple's s fiscal fourth quarter financial results are scheduled for October 25, two days after the event, offering analysts a rare opportunity to grill executives about their thinking around a new product just after details are unveiled.

A mini version of the iPad marks a departure for the company that now has just one 9.7-inch iPad, though it does come with various storage options and starts at $499.

Late Apple founder Steve Jobs famously derided the 7-inch screen as unwieldy for tablet applications, saying the devices should come with sandpaper so that users can file down their fingers to use them.

But an internal email -- revealed during a recent patent trial against Samsung <005930 .ks=".ks"> -- showed Internet chief Eddy Cue arguing that there was a market for a 7-inch tablet and that Apple should have one. The email, sent in early 2011 to top Apple executives, said Jobs had warmed up to the idea of a smaller tablet.

Struggling Silicon Valley technology icon Hewlett Packard was among the first to show, albeit unwittingly, that there was indeed a healthy market for cheap tablets. Sales of the TouchPad took off after the company slashed the price to $99 from $399 and $499, after deciding to kill the product.


Friday 12 October 2012

Armstrong foundation fighting for future






 Lance Armstrong can never ride again in the world’s top cycling races. His attempt to win elite triathlons in middle age is over. He even got booted from the Chicago Marathon.

To the Lance Armstrong Foundation, a $500-million charity built on the “Livestrong” brand, it’s not about the bike. Chief executive and president Doug Ulman said the goal is to “keep fighting for the mission” of helping cancer victims.

“His leadership role doesn’t change. He’s the founder. He’s our biggest advocate and always will be,” Ulman said. “People with cancer feel ownership of the brand. It was created for them.”

Although Armstrong cancelled a public appearance in Chicago on Friday, Ulman said he will be a big part of several days’ worth of events in Austin next week to celebrate the foundation’s 15th anniversary, including a fundraising gala expected to raise $2 million.

Crisis management experts, however, think that might be the wrong approach.

Gene Grabowski, executive vice president of Levick, a Washington-based crisis and issues management firm, suggested Armstrong step away from his public role for a while. The charity must be allowed to keep the focus on the work and should not engage in the public debate over whether Armstrong doped, he said.

“We have an iconic leader of an organization shown to allegedly have feet of clay,” Grabowski said. “If the organization is that important to Lance, he might consider handing the reins to another high-profile person.”

Armstrong denies doping and has said he’ll no longer comment on the accusations.

Armstrong has given every indication he plans to stay visible.

About 24 hours after the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency’s report, Armstrong tweeted that he was visiting headquarters and stayed about 30 minutes. He chatted with staff and picked a place to hang a new painting he recently bought for his personal art collection.

The foundation reported a spike in contributions in late August in the days immediately after Armstrong announced he would no longer fight doping charges and officials moved to erase his Tour victories. Ulman said the foundation felt a bigger pushback from donors in 2009 when it endorsed President Obama’s federal health care plan.

Daniel Borochoff, founder and president of Chicago-based CharityWatch, which monitors the financial records of nonprofit groups, said it may take some time for donors to digest the allegations against Armstrong.

“Individuals that admire and support an individual who is later found out to be severely tarnished, don’t want to admit it, don’t want to admit that they’ve been duped,” Borochoff said. “People, though, do need to trust a charity to be able to support it.”

For now, the foundation can count on major donors like Jeff Mulder, a Michigan businessman who had previously purchased two tables at next Friday’s anniversary gala for $150,000.

Mulder said he “doesn’t care” about the doping charges and likely won’t read the details in the USADA report.

“I don’t know Lance. I’ve shaken his hand a few times. I feel bad for him,” Mulder said. “But I don’t do stuff for Livestrong because of Lance. He got it started, but I raise money because people have cancer.”

Corporate sponsor Nike Inc. said Wednesday it is sticking by Armstrong and the foundation.

“Lance has stated his innocence and has been unwavering on this position. Nike plans to continue to support Lance and the Lance Armstrong Foundation, a foundation that Lance created to serve cancer survivors,” the company said.

Corporate sponsors rarely pull out when the spotlight on controversy is white hot, Borochoff said. When the issue calms down, companies start to re-evaluate their commitment.

“Usually in a big crisis, companies hold back. They know from a marketing, (public relations) point, it would not look good,” Borochoff said.

George Merlis, founder of Experience Media Consulting Group in Los Angeles, said Armstrong’s defiance is risky for his charity.

“Every stone wall eventually crumbles,” Merlis said. “There are second acts in American life. He needs to do a mea culpa and ask that the charity not be hurt.”

Wednesday 10 October 2012

Your Brain And How You Use It




Is daydreaming good for you?


Yes, it is a critical brain process that allows us to manage ourselves in the social world, reveals an article in the July issue of Perspectives on Psychological Science. Daydreaming activates the 'default mode' network of the brain. While some may view it as a wasted opportunity for productivity, constructive internal reflection is critical for learning from past experiences and appreciating their value for future choices. It allows us to navigate the world we live in better.


Think and tell





Japanese scientists have uncovered how we predict other people's thoughts. Using Magnetic Resonance Imaging and mathematical models, they show how we simulate the thoughts of others by using two signals encoded in the frontal lobes of the brain. The 'reward signal' estimates the value of an interaction to the other person, while the 'action signal' simulates what the other person can do about it. The research came out in a paper published in the June 21 issue of Neuron.
Workouts make your brain smarter

Here's some good news for gym rats. Workouts don't just lift your mood, vitality, alertness and well-being, they also make your brain more agile

Increases production of neurochemicals that promote brain cell repair.
Helps in boosting decision-making skills.
Lengthens the attention span of an individual.
Prompts growth of new nerve cells as well as blood vessels.
Improves multi-tasking abilities and helps you plan out things better.
Improves memory.


20:80 RULE


We use 100% of our brain, but not all at the same time. Check out the rule of thumb for the brain
20% of grey matter works on conscious thoughts.
20% of the energy produced by the body is used by the brain.
80% of the brain is devoted to processing visual information.
80% of the brain is made of fats, especially rich in Omega-3.

Top six performance bikes you can afford





 
    The KTM Duke 200 came and created a buzz. With its distinctive bold looks and exposed body parts, the Duke is a very aggressive looking motorcycle. The machine continues its aggression with its power delivery with the 200cc single cylinder motor producing 25 BHP and 19.2 Nm.






The instrument cluster displays insane amount of data and with a price Rs. 1.32 lakhs (Mumbai), the Duke is very much value for money.




The bike that really caused storms was the Honda CBR250R. A Honda motorcycle, 250cc 4-valve, liquid-cooled motor (25 BHP, 23 Nm) and an awesome Rs. 1.64 lakh (Mumbai) pricing was enough to create a huge queue outside Honda showrooms.



Factor in the fantastic C-ABS braking system and the sub 10 seconds 100 km/h timing and the CBR250R instantly looks like a machine you simply can't miss.




   
    Yamaha R15 Version 2.0 is one of the most popular bikes amongst the youth of our country. The R15 is a mini fusion of the R1 and R6 and looks absolutely stunning.



The Deltabox frame and R-series 150cc motor ensure that the R15 is a track tool which none can match. Producing 17 PS and 15 Nm, the R15 is most happy at high revvs. Price - Rs. 1.20 lakh (Mumbai).




Royal Enfield's Classic 500 is a glimpse of the past but with modern mechanicals. The Classic flexes its retro styling with a modern 500cc, UCE, FI engine which produces 27.2 BHP and 41.3 Nm.






    Power delivery is addictive and the Classic is stable all the way up to its top speed of 130 kmph. What is most interesting though is the colours on this cruiser, which includes chrome as well as desert storm shades.




   
    The Karizma has been one of the most popular motorcycles in India. The recent ZMR avatar features crucial updates like full fairing, rear disc brakes, fuel injection, digital speedometer, etc. The ZMR has not really caught up on sales much but is a fantastic machine for long distance touring.



Power comes in from a 223cc engine which produces 17.6 BHP and 18.35 Nm. Price - Rs. 1.07 lakhs (Mumbai).



    The once upon a time fastest Indian motorcycle, the Bajaj Pulsar 220 offers 20.8 BHP and 19.12 Nm. The Pulsar 220 is sheer value for money at Rs. 88,000/- (Mumbai), which makes it so popular among the youth.



    With the Pulsar 200 NS coming soon, the Pulsar could well go numero uno in the top 6 performance motorcycle list.


Tuesday 9 October 2012

KesHa to release 'illustrated memoir' next month








The book which is due to be released next month will feature The TiK ToK hitmaker's "thoughts and reflections" as well as her childhood photographs which has never been seen before.

"In less than three years I've gone from being the worst waitress in L.A. to living out my childhood dreams of singing my songs to people all over the world. Sometimes, it feels as if the last few years have encompassed a few decades," Contactmusic quoted the songstress as telling in a statement.

"You might have heard my voice on the radio, seen me onstage and on the red carpet, or in a music video, but that's only a part of the story. In these pages, I'm revealing a more complete picture of what my life is really like. It's not all glamorous and it's not all pretty, but it's all real

Monday 8 October 2012

What's a Walgreens mean?






A Walgreens opening at Newmark and Broadway in North Bend. A Big Lots discount store opening across the street next week.

Is something attracting national franchises to our area?

Might just be a coincidence, said Joyce Jansen, economic revitalization administrator for the city of Coos Bay.

'I know that Walgreens has looked at the Coos Bay and North Bend area for many years," she said. 'They looked at several locations on Highway 101 at the south end of town. It all came down to the bottom line, what would it cost to make it happen."

She said that although chains are always scouting new locations, property owners also woo them when a building becomes vacant, as when Albertsons closed in the Newmark Avenue location where Big Lots is set to open next Friday.

'Responsible property owners do not want their property to sit around empty," she said.

Walgreens corporate spokesman Robert Elfinger would only say, 'We look for the best corners in America to build our pharmacies."

'We look at traffic patterns, vehicle and pedestrian, and demographics."

On Friday, a few curious customers were there when the doors officially opened at 8 a.m.

One was an avid Hot Wheels collector who was eager to check out the newest toy aisle in town.

He gave his name only as 'Randy," but admitted, 'If you print 'Randy' and 'Hot Wheels,' they're going to know who I am."

'There's Hot Wheels that are called 'Treasure Hunts,'" he explained. 'They might put one in the case, and they might not."

Hot Wheels collectors may be disappointed -- none were displayed on the toy aisle Friday -- but other customers will find plenty to interest them.

Manager Teresa Schaefer pointed out an express pickup kiosk at the pharmacy counter, where customers can pay with a credit card and then pick up a prescription without standing in line.

Another kiosk at the back of the store lets customers browse Walgreens' online site and order things not stocked in the store, such as fragrances, wheelchairs, and medical equipment, to be delivered to the store.

Fifteen employees roam the extremely shiny aisles, Schaefer said.

Walgreens makes a point of featuring local merchandise, and the North Bend store already carries both North Bend Bulldog and Marshfield Pirate garments, as well as a selection of Northwest microbrews.

Elfinger said, and Schaefer confirmed, that the store will entertain proposals from local manufacturers to carry locally made goods. If you've got a soap, a food, or a gift item to sell, give Schaefer a call at 541-756-0118.

The store is open for business, but a grand opening is set for Friday. There'll be promotional items -- apparently the word 'giveaway" is a no-no, but expect good things -- and the store will raffle off a bike. K-Dock, the North Bend High School jazz band, and the Marshfield dance team will entertain.

Shoppers can also look forward to the opening of Big Lots' doors Thursday, with that store's grand opening set for Oct. 19.

Saturday 6 October 2012

Pirates roll to volleyball victory






Marshfield’s volleyball team only allowed North Eugene to serve five times in the opening game of their match on Thursday, blasting the visiting Highlanders.

The Pirates won 25-5, 25-18, 25-13 to improve to 5-1 in Midwestern League play behind 5-0 Churchill.

“That’s the team we’re used to,” said Marshfield senior Brea Mosieur. “That’s the team we need to be. We really came together tonight.

“We have a great coach,” she added about coach Tammie Montiel. “And she really helps us push through.”

Marshfield set the tone early.

North Eugene’s only lead in the first game was 1-0 after a Marshfield net violation — from then on it was all Pirates. Marshfield took the lead 3-2 on a kill from Peyton Babb, then Babb had a marathon serving session.

She served 20 straight points, with Hannah Olson, Mosieur and setter Lauren McGowne dominating at the net with kills and blocks.

The Highlanders had a pair of blocks to make it 23-4, but Mosieur answered with a kill to force game point. Olson missed her jump serve, newly unveiled for the game, but North Eugene’s Janet Zornek also missed, giving the Pirates the first game by a wide margin.

“It was nice to start off as strong as we did,” Montiel said. “We didn’t get all six rotations in.”

The Pirates started off pretty strong in the second game, but started making little mistakes that kept the Highlanders in the game. Mosieur said they didn’t get down on themselves, though.

“We have a great crowd tonight ... and our seniors did a great job of keeping us pumped,” she said.

After an ace from North Eugene’s Ally Ganchegui narrowed the deficit to 21-17, Olson slammed a kill and Abby Clough followed with her own kill before North Eugene called timeout.

After the break, Mosieur had a kill to reach game point. Though Olson missed another jump serve, Mosieur blasted another kill to take a 2-0 match lead.

North Eugene jumped ahead in the third game, if only briefly. Babb served three straight points to give the Pirates a 5-2 lead, and after the Highlanders missed a serve, Olson had a pair of aces as she pushed the scored to 11-3.

North Eugene got within six points after a kill from Annaliesse Denn, but McGowne scored on a tip to put Marshfield back in possession. Babb again took over behind the service line, and Mosieur and Olson combined for a block as the Pirates pushed their lead to 21-10.

Marshfield forced match point after a North Eugene lift. A kill from Ganchegui and a miscommunication on Marshfield’s side of the net delayed the victory briefly, but Clough ended the match on a kill.

Mosieur led the Pirates with eight kills and a solo and assist block, and Olson had six kills, three aces and two blocks. Babb had five kills and eight digs, Moe had four kills and six digs and McGowne added 27 assists. Clough, a sophomore, had five kills.

“I thought Abby Clough played really well tonight,” Montiel said.

“The underclassmen really played well,” Mosieur said. “Abby had a great game tonight,”

For the Highlanders, Evelyn Mailander had 11 assists, and Zornek had nine digs.

Montiel and Mosieur said they were pleased with the Pirates’ serving — something they’ve been working on all season. They served much more aggressively Thursday night, with McGowne also debuting a jump serve.

“Lauren and Hannah have been kind of working on them in practice,” Montiel said.

McGowne, Babb and Katie Duell all served 100 percent.

“Our serves were good,” Mosieur said. “That’s something we’ve been working on.”

Even more important, Marshfield has won two straight matches after a heart-breaking loss at still-unbeaten Churchill last Saturday morning. The Pirates topped Springfield that same afternoon.

“The Springfield game, I think it was good to have that so close to the Churchill game because we could put it behind us,” Montiel said.

“We took a hit after Churchill,” Mosieur said. “To come back from it makes us even stronger.”

The Pirates don’t host the Lancers until Oct. 18, but it’s still highlighted on their schedule.

“I can’t wait for that game,” Mosieur said.

The Pirates have to worry about Willamette first, as they visit the Wolverines next Wednesday. The Wolverines sit in third place behind the Pirates in the league standings at 3-2.

The end of finesh a team very happy and enjoy.