Blogging With Difference....: 2009

Sunday, April 5, 2009

Samsung Launches New 8MP Camera TouchScreen Phone

Samsung India today announced the launch of the Samsung UltraTouch, a slider touch-screen phone, for the Indian market. According to a press release, the phone is the world’s first 8MP camera phone with AMOLED screen. The phone sports a 7.1 cm AMOLED anti-scratch full touch screen, and has a slim 12.7mm body. The phone also has a 3x4 keypad slider and a brushed metal frame.

The phone’s embedded 8 mega pixel camera comes with dual power LED flash and smile shot mode. The phone also features 3G capability (HSDPA 7.2 Mbps), and a DivX video player. The phone uses Samsung’s TouchWiz interface, and has mobile widgets that can be dragged from the menu bar and placed anywhere on the screen for one-click access.

The Samsung UltraTouch is priced at Rs 27,500.

Thursday, March 19, 2009

Apple Launches New-Look iPod Shuffle

Apple has launched a new version of the iPod shuffle - its smallest digital audio player.

The iPod shuffle, which was first introduced in 2005, now sports a VoiceOver feature that 'speaks' the titles, artists and playlist names of the music playing. An ideal feature if you can't remember the name of a song or an artist.

It's bilingual too - offering 14 different languages - and will even 'speak' the battery level to you. The new shuffle is also the first to benefit from a 'Playlists' feature.

Apple claims the digital audio player is "significantly smaller than an AA battery" and with a 4GB memory is capable of holding up to 1,000 tracks. The new iPod shuffle also features a smooth aluminium casing, with all the controls now located on the earphone cord. It also features a built-in stainless steel clip, so it can be easily attached to your clothes.

"Imagine your music player talking to you, telling you your song titles, artists and playlist names," said Greg Joswiak, Apple's vice president of iPod and iPhone product marketing.

"The amazingly small new iPod shuffle takes a revolutionary approach to how you listen to your music by talking to you, also making it the first iPod shuffle with playlists."

Bundled with earphones and a USB cable, the iPod shuffle comes in silver or black, and is expected to be priced at £59(Rs.4,300).

Flickr Takes Its Place in Getty Images Archive

Digital photos posted by amateur and professional photographers to Flickr have been recognised by internationally renowned image library Getty Images.

Known as the Flickr Collection, images from the online photo gallery that have been identified as having particular artistic merit or visual interest are for the first time being offered for sale. Getty Images' digital licensing staff select images for inclusion in the Flickr Collection and both royalty-free and rights management-protected images are offered.

"We are thrilled to provide our customers with this ground-breaking collection," said Jonathan Klein, co-founder and chief executive officer of Getty Images. "We are impressed with the talent from the Flickr community, and are proud to once again lead our industry in this exciting new direction.

Getty is keen to keep adding to the Flickr Collection and will invite select Flickr contributors to submit suitable images for sale via its site.

Image libraries are big business, with other big names including Shutterstock, Reflex and the innovative iStock Photo, which also allows amateur and professional photographers to submit photos for approval and sale.

Gigabyte Motherboards to Now Feature Creative X-Fi Sound

Gigabyte today announced that the Gigabyte X58/P45/P43/P41 series of motherboards will now support Creative’s latest Sound Blaster X-Fi technologies. According to a press release, X-Fi Xtreme Fidelity is the new audio standard from Creative that affects music and movies. The X-Fi Xtreme Fidelity features three technologies; X-Fi CMSS-3D Virtual, X-Fi Crystalizer and EAX Advanced HD 4.0.

The release explains that X-Fi CMSS-3D Virtual technology expands stereo MP3s and digital movies into surround sound over multi-channel speakers, stereo speakers or headphones. X-Fi Crystalizer technology restores the detail and vibrancy to compressed music and movies by digitally re-mastering all the highs and lows, while leaving the mid range (vocals) untouched. EAX Advanced HD 4.0, with its Multi-Environment rendering and reverb modeling, delivers a more realistic 3D gaming experience. The release adds that apart from the entire X58/P45/P43/P41 motherboard lineup, motherboards featuring ALC889A or ALC888 audio codecs will also support the Sound Blaster X-Fi Technology.

The Aging of Facebook

If you got your own Facebook page last month, there's a good chance you're closer to getting your first copy of AARP than to finally hitting the legal drinking age.

Seems Facebook Inc.'s social network just isn't for the young whippersnappers who dominated its user base at first.

Last month, the social network's audience of people over the ripe old age of 35 increased by 23% compared to February 2008, according to a report released today by Hitwise, which measures online traffic. While Facebook was launched to serve college students only, the network over the past year or so has broadly expanded to include many middle-aged folks.

At the same time, Hitwise said that Facebook rival MySpace has been unable to expand its base beyond teenagers. In fact, the number of MySpace users over the age of 35 dropped 2% from February 2008 to last month, Hitwise noted.

Hitwise anonymously captures the online usage, search and conversion behavior of some 25 million Internet users.

The report also said that overall Facebook use increased by 149% from February 2008 to last month.

Facebook, which celebrated its fifth anniversary last month, also overshadowed MySpace in December, bringing in almost double the number of worldwide visitors, according to online researcher comScore Inc. Facebook, once thought of as the up-and-coming social network, had almost 222 million unique visitors in December, while MySpace came in at 125 million, comScore said. The race for unique visitors was a near dead heat in April 2008.

Indian Opposition Party Backs Open Source Software

India's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) said Saturday ahead of parliamentary elections in the country that the national government will standardize on open standards and open source software if the party is elected to power.

The BJP is a leading opposition party in India's parliament, and is using online advertising and its own Web site as key elements of its campaign strategy for the elections that start next month.

The party's promise to standardize on open source is a departure from the party's earlier policy not to take sides with either open source or proprietary software, leaving these decisions to individual government agencies.

The party ruled the country from October 1999 to May 2004. The subsequent United Progressive Alliance (UPA) coalition government also continued with the hands-off policy on selection of open source or proprietary software.

Some state governments, however, have programs around open-source software.

An "IT Vision Document" released by the BJP on Saturday also proposes a Multipurpose National Identity Card (MNIC) with a unique Citizen Identification Number (CIN) for every Indian citizen in three years. The cards will replace all other identification systems, the party said.

BJP also plans to distribute laptop computers at Indian Rupees 10,000 to 10 million students, with interest-free loans offered to students who can't afford a one-time payment.

It has also promised to create 12 million call center and business process outsourcing (BPO) jobs in India's rural areas. The outsourcing boom in India has not reached India's rural areas, prompting large scale migration of people from villages to cities.

Monday, March 2, 2009

New Version of Safari Web Browser is Available

Apple today announced the public beta of Safari® 4 for Mac and Windows PCs. The Nitro engine in Safari 4 runs JavaScript 4.2 times faster than Safari 3. Innovative new features that make browsing more intuitive and enjoyable include Top Sites, a stunning visual preview of frequently visited pages; Full History Search, to search through titles, web addresses and the complete text of recently viewed pages; Cover Flow, to easily flip through web history or bookmarks; and Tabs on Top, to make tabbed browsing easier and more intuitive.

Apple claims that the new Nitro JavaScript engine executes JavaScript up to 30 times faster than IE 7 and more than three times faster than Firefox 3. Safari loads HTML web pages three times faster than IE 7 and almost three times faster than Firefox 3.

Safari 4 includes HTML 5 support for offline technologies so web-based applications can store information locally without an Internet connection, and is the first browser to support advanced CSS Effects that enable highly polished web graphics using reflections, gradients and precision masks. The browser passes the Web Standards Project’s Acid3 test, which examines how well a browser adheres to CSS, JavaScript, XML and SVG web standards that are specifically designed for dynamic web applications.

Features in Safari 4 include

• Top Sites, a display of frequently visited pages in a stunning wall of previews so users can jump to their favorite sites with a single click;

• Full History Search, where users search through titles, web addresses and the complete text of recently viewed pages to easily return to sites they’ve seen before;

• Cover Flow, to make searching web history or bookmarks as fun and easy as paging through album art in iTunes.

• Tabs on Top, for better tabbed browsing with easy drag-and-drop tab management tools and an intuitive button for opening new ones.

• Smart Address Field, that automatically completes web addresses by displaying an easy-to-read list of suggestions from Top Sites, bookmarks and browsing history.

• Smart Search Field, where users fine-tune searches with recommendations from Google Suggest or a list of recent searches.

• Full Page Zoom, for a closer look at any website without degrading the quality of the site’s layout and text.

• built-in web developer tools to debug, tweak and optimize a website for peak performance and compatibility.

• A new Windows-native look in Safari for Windows, that uses standard Windows font rendering and native title bar, borders and toolbars so Safari fits the look and feel of other Windows XP and Windows Vista applications.

Safari 4 is currently a public beta for both Mac OS X and Windows and is available immediately as a free download at safari .

India Shatters Monthly Mobile Subscriber Record

India added new mobile phone subscribers at a furious pace in January after telecom service provider Reliance Communications launched a new network.

The nation increased its mobile subscriber tab by a monthly record high 15.4 million people in January, up from the previous record, 10.8 million, in December, according to the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI).

A large portion of the new additions came from the entry into GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications) services by Reliance, a large Indian mobile services provider, a source at TRAI said on Monday.

Reliance added 5 million new subscribers in January to reach a total of 66.3 million subscribers. Reliance rolled out its GSM services nationwide to 11,000 towns and 300,000 villages at special rates aimed at luring new subscribers.

Previously, the company only offered mobile services based on CDMA (code division multiple access).

India's largest mobile services company, Bharti Airtel added 2.7 million new subscribers in January, taking its total to 88.3 million.

The country's mobile market has not been affected by an economic slow down, posting monthly increases in subscribers of about 10 million in recent months.

Consumers in India regard spending on communications as a necessity, according to research firm IDC. Growth in unit sales of PCs has been flat, in contrast, with businesses buying less, IDC said.

IT spending in India is forecast to increase by 5.52 percent this year, down from 13 percent last year, research firm Gartner said last week.

The total number of wireless subscribers in India was 362 million at the end of January, while the total number of telephone connections - fixed and mobile - crossed 400 million, TRAI said on Friday.

In the fixed telephony segment, the number of subscribers continued to decline. The subscriber base decreased to 37.75 million in January from 37.9 million subscribers in December.

Windows Vista SP2 Release Set for May

Windows Vista Service Pack 2 (SP2) looks set to be released in mid-May, after Microsoft completed work on the package, according to reports.

The company would only confirm that it recently notified some testers of a new build, but declined to say whether that was a release candidate, dubbed 'RC' in software development parlance.

Vista SP2 RC's release was first reported Thursday by Ars Technica , which claimed that a group of invitation-only testers had been told of its availability via Windows Update, Microsoft's update service.

Late last month, the Malaysian Web site TechARP.com said that Vista SP2, the next major update to the problem-plagued operating system, was ready as a release candidate 'escrow' build, and would make it to RC no later than Friday.

The final version of Vista SP2, said TechARP, will be a release-to-manufacturing (RTM) build that should be ready sometime in the first half of the second calendar quarter - in other words, before mid-May.

Microsoft, meanwhile, stuck to a broader second-quarter target for Vista SP2 and Windows Server 2008 SP2. "Microsoft distributed notification of an update to Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 SP2 testers in an effort to gain additional feedback," a spokeswoman said in response to questions. "We will have more to share on Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 SP2 soon."

The one public version of Vista SP2 issued so far was the beta posted in early December 2008.

Elsewhere, TechARP also recently reported that Microsoft has told its hardware partners that it will not provide them with an OEM Preinstallation Kit (OPK) containing Vista and Windows Server 2008 SP2 until 60 days after the general availability of Windows 7, Vista's successor. Previously, TechARP had said that computer makers would not be required to use Vista SP2 on new hardware, as is usually the case when the Microsoft finishes an update of that size.

"Don't expect to see any products with Windows Vista SP2 or Windows Server 2008 SP2 until at least two-to-three months have passed after Windows 7 is launched," the site said earlier this month. "End-users, though, can receive Service Pack 2 via Windows Update."

Microsoft released a public beta of Windows 7 on January 10, but as of yet, it has not set a timetable for the new operating system's release.

Google Apps Dashboard Provides Downtime Details

Google has made good on a promise to keep its customers better informed of service outages by introducing a new dashboard for Google Apps.

The feature comes after Gmail went down for a couple of hours worldwide due to a coding problem, although Google said last year it would make more efforts to inform customers after several Gmail outages last August.

The Google Apps Status Dashboard shows a list of applications such as Gmail, Video and Docs and a green check if the service is up, according to the company's enterprise blog.

If not, it shows either a red 'x' representing a service outage, a yellow wrench for a service disruption or a blue 'i' icon for more information. The dashboard also has an RSS (Really Simple Syndication) feed.

The dashboard will be available to subscribers to Google Apps, the company's hosted suite of collaboration, messaging and office productivity services.

Nokia to Launch Laptop Range

Mobile phone manufacturer Nokia has revealed it is considering launching a range of business laptops.

According to Reuters, Nokia's CEO Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo confirmed the move during an interview on Finnish TV.

"We are looking very actively also at this opportunity," Kallasvuo said in answer to whether the phone manufacturer would diversify into the laptop market.

"We don't have to look even for five years from now to see that what we know as a mobile phone and what we know as a PC are in many ways converging. Today we have hundreds of millions of people who are having their first internet experience on the phone. This is a good indication."

Nokia's admission comes after laptop manufacturer Acer revealed at this month's Mobile World Congress it will be launching a range of smartphones later this year. The Tempo handsets will run the Windows Mobile platform and will offer super-fast web access, built-in GPS and 5Mp cameras.

Ben Wood, research director at CCS Insight, told Reuters: "All leading mobile network operators and retailers are adding connected notebooks and netbooks to their portfolios alongside mobile phones. On this basis it comes as no surprise that Nokia is evaluating this segment".

Sify Launches Cricket Streaming for Ind-NZ Series

Sify Technologies Limited, renowned for its consumer internet and enterprise services, announced live online broadcast of the on-going India-New Zealand cricket series on its website. The URL - www.scores.sify.com - allows users to watch the live coverage and highlights of all the matches, which include Twenty20s, ODIs, and Tests.

Commenting on this initiative, Mr. Venkata Rao Mallineni, Head of Portals and Consumer Marketing, Sify Technologies Limited, had this to say: "We are extremely happy to bring the series live to a global audience on Sify.com, aimed at providing viewers with the convenience of watching the game from wherever they happen to be."

We checked out the service at sify, the scorecard updates every minute or so. If you have a broadband internet connection, click on the "Watch Live Streaming" button (find it under the "Full Scorecard" page) to start watching YouTube-like streaming video of the cricket match in progress.

Friday, February 6, 2009

Gambhir powers India to victory on Murali's day

Sri Lankan spinner Muttiah Muralitharan completed a record bowling double before a Gautam Gambhir-inspired India scored a challenging 332-5 in the fourth one-day international on Thursday.

Left-handed opener Gambhir smashed a career-best 150 off 147 balls for his sixth hundred in one-dayers to boost his team's chances of posting their record ninth successive win.

India lead 3-0 in the five-match series, having already beaten England 5-0 at home last year.

Off-spinner Muralitharan, the world's leading bowler in Test cricket, became the highest wicket-taker in one-day internationals when he dismissed Gambhir for his 503rd victim.

The 36-year-old Sri Lankan surpassed former Pakistan paceman Wasim Akram's one-day record when he had Gambhir caught by wicket-keeper Kumar Sangakkara in his 10th and last over.

Muralitharan also holds the world record in Tests with 769 wickets in 125 matches.

Gambhir and skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni (94) dominated the Sri Lankan attack with a wide range of attacking shots, adding 188 for the second wicket after the early dismissal of in-form Virender Sehwag.

Sehwag, who scored 116 in the last match, contributed just five this time before uppishly driving fast bowler Nuwan Kulasekara to Sanath Jayasuriya at mid-off in the third over.

Sri Lanka then had to wait for more than 30 overs for their next success as Gambhir and Dhoni made the most of a mediocre attack on a slow pitch. The hosts' fielding also left a lot to be desired under pressure.

Gambhir was the first to reach his half-century, hoisting seamer Angelo Mathews over long-on for a six. Dhoni also completed his fifty in style, swinging Muralitharan over mid-wicket for a six.

Dhoni, who promoted himself in the batting order, fell six short of his fifth hundred in one-dayers when he mistimed a shot off left-arm spinner Jayasuriya, with Dilhara Fernando taking a one-handed catch at point.

The Indian skipper hit two sixes and four boundaries in his 96-ball knock.

Kulasekara then bowled Yuvraj Singh for five and Yusuf Pathan for no score off successive deliveries to raise his team's hopes of restricting India.

But there was no stopping Gambhir, who reached his century with a lofted four over covers off Kulasekara. He hit one six and 14 fours before being the fifth man out.

Gambhir added 103 for the fifth wicket with Suresh Raina, who remained unbeaten with a 37-ball 49.

Microsoft Ad Gadget to Launch in April

Microsoft has unveiled a beta version of a gadget that displays a small window of information when users hover over or click on an underlined word on a web page.

A link to Gaze, which is similar to a feature on Yahoo's web pages, can be embed by website owners into their pages. Visitors to the page will know that a word has a link because either it is underlined or accompanied by a small icon that sits next to the word.

If a user clicks on the link, a small box pops up that includes information about the word and an advertisement or an offer.

Mario Esposito, a developer in Microsoft's AdCenter Labs, said in a blog that end-users can either hover over or click on the link. It's unclear if that means that a link could work both ways or if site publishers have the option to make the links require a click or open when users hover over them.

In an example on the blog post, 'Madonna' is underlined and, in perhaps an odd error on the blog, a small box with information and links about Jennifer Lopez appears. The feature looks much like one that Yahoo uses on its own web pages.

Esposito added that the technology will be officially unveiled on April 15.

Microsoft's AdCenter Labs is a research group that develops new advertising technologies. The team designed the algorithms behind Microsoft AdCenter products such as Paid Search, Content Ads and Behavioral Targeting.

XP to Windows 7 'Upgrade' Scheme Announced

Microsoft will help users upgrade from Windows XP to Windows 7 by selling upgrade media, but warned XP users they must do a "clean" installation of Windows 7. That means all data on the XP machine will be lost.

"Regarding XP, customers can purchase upgrade media and an upgrade licence to move from Windows XP to Windows 7," a Microsoft spokeswoman told Computerworld US. "However, they will need to do a clean installation of Windows 7."

In a follow-up reply to questions, the spokeswoman fleshed out what Microsoft means by upgrade. "The 'upgrade' part is referring to the licence," she said. "You will be able to get the discounted 'upgrade' licence, but it will include full bits."

That's how David Smith, an analyst with Gartner, interpreted 'upgrade' in Microsoft's description of what it would offer XP owners. "They're talking about the upgrade price," he said, pointing out that most software vendors use the term to designate a lower-priced version aimed at existing customers.

Although Microsoft Tuesday spelled the six planned versions of Windows 7, it declined to provide pricing for them, or for the XP upgrade licences.

Typically, an operating system upgrade offers users the choice between an in-place migration of the machine - including installed applications and all data - and a fresh installation, which overwrites the hard drive's contents. When Microsoft launched Windows Vista in January 2007, for example, it offered people then running XP those upgrade paths.

Smith and other analysts applauded Microsoft's decision to not provide in-place upgrades from XP to Windows 7. "I'm not a big fan of them," said Smith. "They're tough enough from one version to the next, and from two versions [behind], it would be pretty challenging, technically."

Michael Gartenberg, formerly an analyst at JupiterResearch, and now a vice president of mobile strategy with JupiterMedia, agreed. "For most end users, it will probably mean that they end up with a more reliable installation," he said.

Microsoft benefits, too. "It makes life a lot easier for Microsoft by not having to support an XP to Windows 7 transition," said Gartenberg. "It means that it's something they can get out the door earlier."

Microsoft has been aggressively pushing Windows 7's timetable. Just two weeks after it launched the first - and in the end, the only - public beta of the new operating system, the head of Windows development said the company is moving directly to 'release candidate' directly to 'release candidate'.

But the process of upgrading a PC from Windows XP to Windows 7 won't be easy, Gartenberg predicted. "It's a double-edged sword. For many consumers who may be looking to go directly from XP to Windows 7, the idea of doing a clean install, backing up their applications, backing up their data, can lead to a lot of hassles," he said.

"Considering that there's a lot of XP out there, one has to wonder why Microsoft is taking this approach," Gartenberg added. "It's not going to be the simplicity of sticking a disc in the drive and upgrading. We'll have to see if that affects the upgrade market."

Microsoft said it was working on ways to help Windows XP users make the move, but would not get specific. "Microsoft plans to have other tools and ways to help people get through that process, but we don't have full details on that at this time," the company's spokesman said today.

Tuesday, February 3, 2009

End of the Road for Yahoo Briefcase

Yahoo's Briefcase online storage service is finally being shut down.Users of the free service, which soldiered on for almost 10 years with a distinctly Web 1.0 capacity of 30MB, are being greeted by a message that says they have to download or delete their files by March 30. After that, the accounts will be closed and files deleted.

Yahoo Briefcase lets people upload files as big as 5MB and organise them in folders. But Yahoo is discontinuing Briefcase because users outgrew it.

Other services, such as Yahoo Mail and Flickr, offer far greater storage capacity, and the use of Briefcase has fallen in recent years, the company said. The move will help it to focus on services that are more widely used, according to Yahoo.

As it battles Google and Microsoft in the search arena and struggles to bring in more revenue from its array of other services, Yahoo is being driven toward tighter focus. The company announced layoffs last year and has seen its stock price plunge since a proposed acquisition by Microsoft fell apart in May 2008.

Time may have passed Briefcase by, but the idea of internet-based file storage is alive and well. Microsoft last year announced Live Mesh, a service now in beta testing that lets users store files online, keep them synchronised across mobile devices and PCs, and access them on the road. The free DropBox application offers similar capabilities. And Google is rumored to be near introducing an online storage service called GDrive.

First Intel Core i7 Laptops Set for Release

PC retailer Eurocom plans to ship Intel Core i7 laptops, which the chip maker has dubbed the "fastest processor on this planet".

The Eurocom D900F Phantom i7 will include Intel's Nehalem-based quad-core Core i7 chips, which are typically put in servers and high-end gaming desktops. The laptops will ship on May 1, according to the Canadian PC retailer's website.

The laptop's Core i7 920, 940 and 965 processors will run at speeds from 2.66GHz to 3.2GHz and include 8MB of L2 cache. Intel launched the Core i7 chips in November and since then the chip has been praised for its speedy performance.

Calling it the "world's first notebook with i7 processor", Eurocom is targeting the laptop workstation as a desktop workstation replacement. It will include the X58 chipset and an Nvidia graphics processing unit (GPU) to boost graphics performance.

It will have a 17in screen and support up to 1.5TB of storage, 8GB of DDR3 memory and 1GB of graphics memory. It will also include wireless 802.11a/b/g/n technology and a webcam. It will ship with either the Windows Vista or Linux OS.

The laptop will weigh a whopping 5.4kg and it will come with a 12-cell battery. Pricing was not immediately available, though users can expect to dig deep into their wallets considering the use of new technologies in the laptop.

If Eurocom indeed ships the laptop, it could be the fastest Intel-based x86 laptop on the planet. Core i7 chips are built on the Nehalem microarchitecture, which includes the QuickPath Interconnect (QPI) technology. QPI integrates a memory controller and provides a faster pipe for the CPU to communicate with system components like a graphics card and other chips.

Each core will be able to execute two software threads simultaneously, so a laptop with four processor cores could simultaneously run eight threads for quicker application performance.

Nehalem chips are a significant upgrade over Intel's Core 2 chips, which are currently used in desktops and laptops. The new chips cut bottlenecks of Intel's earlier Core microarchitecture to improve system speed and performance-per-watt.

Though Core i7 isn't targeted at laptops, Intel intends to scale down the Nehalem architecture for other chips that will go in mainstream desktops and laptops. Intel will also integrate graphics capabilities in the CPU down the line, which should bring more power-efficiency to laptops. However, gamers might need a separate graphics card for better graphics performance.

Intel has said it will release laptop-specific Nehalem chips in the second half of this year.

Many companies including Lenovo and Dell offer laptop workstations. Last month Lenovo launched the ThinkPad W700DS mobile workstation that has two LCD screens.

Saturday, January 24, 2009

Windows Vista SP2 release date slips

Microsoft has delayed Windows Vista Service Pack 2 (SP2) by at least a month, and will now ship it to manufacturing sometime in May or June, according to a website that has accurately predicted Windows release dates in the past.

TechARP.com, a Malaysian website that correctly predicted the release dates for Windows Vista SP1 and XP SP3 in 2008, said that Microsoft will deliver a release candidate - the final test version - of Vista SP2 in March, a month later than the site had predicted earlier. Also, Microsoft will send the service pack to OEMs and out for retail copy duplication at some point in the second quarter of 2009, not in April as originally thought.

Windows Vista SP2 will be released for download from the web at an undetermined date after Microsoft ships the service pack to OEMs. In the past, Microsoft has had both short and long lag times between the two dates.

Windows XP SP3, for example, was rel4eased to manufacturing on April 21 2008 , and offered for download on May 6, about two weeks later. With Vista SP1, however, it waited about six weeks after sending the update to manufacturing before it let the general public download the service pack.

Inserted into the Vista SP2 schedule, said TechARP, is something Microsoft's calling a "release candidate escrow build". According to the site, an escrow build is a version on which development has stopped, but is handed to developers and testers, who are asked to test the code one final time to make sure there are no major bugs.

Elsewhere, TechARP also said that computer makers will not be required to use Vista SP2 on new hardware, as is usually the case when the Microsoft releases a major update, such as a service pack. "OEMs will not be compelled to ship their systems with the new builds, which would have required extensive work [such as] tests, implementation and logistics," said TechARP. "They are also not required to send their customers the Service Pack 2 upgrades."

TechARP speculated that Microsoft will make Vista SP2 optional for OEMs because Windows 7, Vista's successor, may be hard on its heels. "Many OEMs are probably hesitant about spending more money and [putting more] effort into qualifying the new builds with their products, especially in light of the current economic situation," said the site. "So the onus will be on the consumer to update their Windows Vista via Windows Update."

Microsoft issued the first public beta of Windows 7 on January 10, but as of yet, has not set a timetable for the new operating system's release, other than to say it will hit the street by early next year.

Microsoft did not immediately respond to questions about Vista SP2's timetable.

Virgin Mobile Reveals New Free SMS Scheme

Virgin Mobile today introduced a messaging scheme in which Virgin Mobile customers will now be able to send a total of 200 SMSs free; 100 National as well as 100 Local SMSs free daily after just paying for the first 3 SMSs on each leg (National and Local respectively) to any network.

According to a press release, the new free SMS offer is available to all Virgin Mobile subscribers across the country without any extra monthly commitment/upfront payment or pack. The first 3 Local SMSs sent are charged at 50p each which is the base tariff, post which 100 SMSs are free daily. The first 3 National SMSs are charged at Rs. 1.50 each, post which 100 National SMSs are free daily.

In essence the consumer gets a total of 200 SMSs free daily. All new subscribers and existing subscribers who are already on the New 50 Paise STD Local tariff will get this SMS benefit by default from today onwards, while the customers who are on the Old 50 Paise Local tariff can avail this benefit by recharging their account by a Rs. 12/- recharge coupon. For any queries, Virgin Mobile can be reached at 600 166 66 from any number (prefixed with the city STD code) or at 125999 from a Virgin Mobile number.

Toshiba Announces 16in Multimedia Laptop

Toshiba has announced the Toshiba Satellite A350 - a laptop with a 16in, 1366x768 pixel, 16:9 widescreen.
Running Windows Vista Home Premium, the Toshiba Satellite A350 will sport either an Intel Core 2 Duo or an AMD Turion CPU coupled with 4GB DDR2 RAM. Unusually, the Intel flavour will be the cheaper option: the A350 will range from £529(Rs. 35,800) to £749(Rs.50,500) inc VAT. Purchasers will be able to select up to 320GB storage in a hard disk drive. Connectivity includes both an HDMI port, three USB ports and 802.11n Wi-Fi.

The 16:9 aspect ratio on Toshiba's largest ever laptop screen points to the multimedia capabilities of this system.The Toshiba Satellite A350 also boasts Harmon Kardon speakers and Dolby Sound Room technology. Gamers can choose either an Intel GMA4500MHD or an ATI Radeon HD3650 graphics chipset.

There's also a standard-def DVD writer and a 1.3Mp webcam.

New Version of QuickTime Blocks Hackers

Apple has released a new version of its QuickTime media player adding critical security fixes as well as some new tweaks to improve the software's ease-of-use and compatibility with different file formats.

QuickTime 7.6 for Mac OS X and Windows, patches seven bugs, all of which could let hackers install unauthorised software on a victim's computer.

In recent years, hackers looking for ways to run their software on Windows PCs in particular have increasingly exploited flaws in add-on programs such as QuickTime. That's why security experts generally advise users to install this type of update as soon as possible.

The newly patched flaws do not appear to have been publicly known before QuickTime 7.6's release, according to Apple's security note on the update. Any attacks that exploited these flaws would involve tricking the victim into first visiting a malicious website or viewing a specially encoded media file, Apple said.

The 7.6 update also includes some performance-enhancements for H.2640-encoded and Motion JPEG media files, as well as some audio tweaks for AAC (Advanced Audio Coding) and MPEG video files. The update also "improves compatibility with iChat and Photo Booth," Apple said in a note on the update.

Sunday, January 18, 2009

Microsoft's New Tool Lets Old Windows Apps Run on Vista

Microsoft has released the first public beta of a tool that solves one of the chief complaints businesses have with Windows Vista: that older Windows applications aren't compatible with the new OS.

The Microsoft's Enterprise Desktop Virtualization (MED-V) lets people run legacy Windows applications, including those built for Windows 2000 and Windows XP, on Vista by using virtualization technology, according to a blog post on The Official MDOP Blog.

"Our primary goal was to deliver an enterprise virtualization solution for the compatibility challenges that IT teams have with some of their line-of-business applications, during the upgrade to new operating systems (like Windows Vista)," according to the post, attributed to Ran Oelgiesser, a MED-V senior product manager. "With MED-V 1.0, you can easily create, deliver and centrally manage virtual Windows XP or 2000 environments (based on Microsoft Virtual PC 2007), and help your users to run legacy applications on their Windows Vista desktops."

By using MED-V in this way, people don't have to test or migrate applications that before would have been incompatible with Vista before running them on the OS, saving companies money and time, he added.

To get the MED-V beta, people can sign up on the Microsoft Connect site

The final release of the software is expected later this year, according to the post. Microsoft acquired the MED-V technology when it closed its purchase of Kidaro last May. In fact, it is included in a larger software package called the Microsoft Desktop Optimization Pack, which rolls up several Microsoft virtualization acquisitions. In addition to Kidaro, the pack is comprised of software from Microsoft's purchases of Softricity, AssetMetrix, Winternals Software and DesktopStandard

Microsoft is investing heavily in desktop- and application-virtualization technology as a way to alleviate compatibility issues that have especially hampered the adoption of Vista. Many businesses opted to skip Vista and continue to run Windows XP until Vista's follow-up release, Windows 7, is available, and application-compatibility was one of several factors affecting their decision.

Microsoft just released the first Windows 7 beta last week, and some expect the final release of the OS as early as August or September, although Microsoft has not given a firm date for when it will be finished.

Early reports from Windows 7 beta users are that the OS is more stable, runs faster and is more secure than Vista, and improves on some of the user-interface features Microsoft introduced in that OS. Some are even suggesting that Microsoft not charge a fee, or charge very little, for Windows 7, since Vista should have the same high quality in the first place.

One-Third of Windows PCs Susceptible to Worms

The worm that has infected several million Windows PCs is causing havoc because nearly a third of all systems remain unpatched 80 days after Microsoft rolled out an emergency fix, a security expert said Thursday.

Based on scans of several hundred thousand customer-owned Windows PCs, Qualys concluded that about 30% of the machines have not yet been patched with the "out of cycle" fix Microsoft provided Oct. 23 as security update MS08-067.

"The unpatched numbers went down significantly around the 30-day mark," said Wolfgang Kandek , Qualys' chief technology officer, "when less than 50% were unpatched. After that, it went down a little slower. As of yesterday, 30% of the machines are unpatched."

With nearly a third of all Windows systems still vulnerable, it's no surprise that the "Downadup" worm has been able to score such a success, Kandek said. "These slow [corporate] patch cycles are simply not acceptable," he said. "They lead directly to these high infection rates."

The Downadup worm, called "Conficker" by some researchers, surged dramatically this week and has infected an estimated 3.5 million PCs so far, according to Finnish security company F-Secure Corp. The worm exploits a bug in the Windows Server service used in Windows 2000 , XP, Vista , Server 2003 and Server 2008.

Microsoft issued a patch in late October after confirming reports of in-the-wild attacks , most of them against machines in Asia.

On Tuesday, Microsoft laid at least some of the blame for the worm's success at the feet of Windows' users. "Either Security Update MS08-067 was not installed at all or was not installed on all the computers," said Cristian Craioveanu and Ziv Mador, researchers at Microsoft's Malware Protection Center, in a Tuesday blog post.

Kandek agreed with them. "This shows that a three-month patch cycle, which some companies use, is unacceptable," he said.

In related news, a researcher at McAfee Inc. today said that the author of Downadup/Conficker worm took a shortcut when crafting the malware by grabbing functional exploit code from Metasploit, the open-source penetration testing framework.

"By using the exploit from the Metasploit module as the code base, a virus/worm programmer only needs to implement functions for automatic downloading and spreading," said Xiao Chen, a McAfee security researcher, in an entry to the company's blog . "We believe that this can be accomplished by an average programmer who understands the basics of exploitation and has decent programming skills.

"It's obvious that worm writers are abusing open source tools to their advantage to make their work easier," Chen added.

Microsoft has recommended that Windows users install the October update, then run the January edition of the Malicious Software Removal Tool to clean up compromised computers.

Firefox 3.1 Beta Delayed Due to Bugs

Mozilla has delayed the third beta of its Firefox 3.1 web browser, citing a "large number" of remaining bugs as the reason for the slip.

The setback won't affect the final release date for Firefox 3.1, a company executive said. "Right now we're not expecting this to delay our shipping target of late in the first quarter," said said Mike Beltzner, director of Firefox.

Firefox 3.1 Beta 3, which until this week was set to launch on January 26, will now release a week later, on February 2, according to a tentative schedule Mozilla posted on its website. "Due to the large number of outstanding P1 blockers, we are declaring a code slip," Mozilla said in notes published after its weekly status meeting.

The third beta is expected to be the last for Firefox 3.1, which at one time was projected by Mozilla to ship in final form as early as late 2008.

There are 15 bugs blocking Beta 3's release, Mozilla said elsewhere in the notes, referring to those unfixed flaws labeled 'P1', the company's designation for show-stopping problems. Among the unfixed bugs are ones related to Firefox 3.1's new privacy mode, dubbed 'Private Browsing', a feature that debuted in Beta 2 last December; and several connected with the new ability to drag tabs from the browsing window.

Mozilla added a third beta to the Firefox 3.1 process in late November, saying at the time that it needed the extra build to wrestle remaining bugs and allow more testing of new features, including Private Browsing and a faster JavaScript engine. At the time, Beltzner said that the additional beta would not have a "major impact" on the final delivery of Version 3.1.

But Beltzner also said then that Beta 3 would enter "code freeze" - a milestone after which changes are either forbidden outright or tightly restricted - in early January. Yesterday, however, Mozilla set January 25 as the beta's code freeze deadline.

Beltzner remained confident that Firefox 3.1 would still be ready for release this quarter. But he also offered a caveat, the same that most major software developers regularly tout. "Of course, Mozilla will continue to abide by our policy of only shipping software 'when it's ready,' he said, "meaning that we'll never publish a release that doesn't meet our strict criteria for quality, stability and performance."

Thursday, January 15, 2009

Announcing Windows Server 2008 R2 Beta!

Oliver Rist, Technical Product Manager for Windows Server Marketing, announced availability of Windows Server 2008 R2 Beta on Windows Server Division Weblog..
For homo sapiens, getting older is painful. Take me for example. Nine hours on a plane never bothered me when I was in my 20s with a rubber backbone. But a couple of weeks out from birthday # 43 and one cross-country airplane ride translates into a sudden spinal meltdown that has me lying in bed, rigid as a vampire, popping painkillers like Christmas chocolates.

for maore information please visit:-
http://blogs.windowsnetworking.com/wnadmin/2009/01/08/announcing-windows-server-2008-r2-beta/

Configuring IIS To Host an FTP Site

t is easy to think of IIS as just being an application for hosting Websites, but IIS can also be configured to act as an FTP server that allows users to upload and / or download files. An IIS FTP site can be bound to a Web site or it can be a standalone site. In either case, IIS offers you a great deal of flexibility in setting up an FTP site. In this article series, I will show you how to install the necessary services, and how to provision your IIS server. I will also show you some variations of these techniques that you can use to adapt your FTP site to specific types of situations.

for more information please visit:-

http://www.windowsnetworking.com/articles_tutorials/Configuring-IIS-Host-FTP-Site-Part1.html

RIM Introduces the BlackBerry Curve in India

Research In Motion today introduced the new BlackBerry Curve 8900 smartphone together with Airtel, Reliance Communications and Vodafone. The BlackBerry Curve 8900 smartphone features a stylish black finish with chrome highlights. At approximately 110 grams and 109 x 60 x 13.5 millimeters, the BlackBerry Curve 8900 feels comfortable for either one-handed or two-handed use. It features built-in GPS and supports location-based applications and services. It also allows easy access to social networking sites and has built-in Wi-Fi (802.11 b/g), making it easier to stay connected to family, friends and colleagues.

The BlackBerry Curve 8900 feature list includes:

A 2.4 inch HVGA+ (480x360) light-sensing display.

A 3.2 MP digital camera including auto focus, image stabilization, digital zoom, flash and video recording

Built-in GPS and out-of-the-box support for 3rd party location based applications and services

Built-in Wi-Fi

Instant messaging with BlackBerry Messenger, Google Talk, Windows Live Messenger and Yahoo! Messenger

Support for Facebook, MySpace.com and Flickr , with fast, streamlined and optimized mobile access to the popular social network sites

An advanced media player for music, video and pictures, including support for streaming audio and video

An enhanced web browser that supports full HTML and fast browsing with desktop-style depiction

MicroSD/SDHC memory card slot supporting cards of up to 16 GB, ideal for storing songs, pictures, videos and documents

Removable and rechargeable 1400 mAhr battery that provides approximately 5.5 hours of talk time and 15 days of standby time

DataViz Documents To Go preinstalled, enabling customers to edit Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint files on the smartphone

BlackBerry Media Sync, giving users a simple way to sync iTunes digital music collections with the smartphone*

Premium phone features including voice activated dialing, enhanced background noise cancellation, a low-distortion speakerphone, and Bluetooth (2.0) support for hands-free use with headsets, car kits, stereo headsets and other Bluetooth peripherals

BlackBerry Internet Service support that allows access to up to 10 supported personal and corporate email accounts, including most popular ISP email accounts

BlackBerry Enterprise Server support with advanced security and IT controls for enterprise deployments.

Commenting on the launch, Ms. Frenny Bawa, Vice President, India, Research In Motion said: "We are pleased to be working together with mobile leaders like Airtel, Reliance Communications and Vodafone who share our vision for wireless solutions in India. We have experienced growing demand for BlackBerry smartphones in India and we believe that the BlackBerry Curve 8900 will be a very popular choice amongst both businesses and consumers.

Wednesday, January 14, 2009

16GB JetFlash Pen Drive from Transcend

Transcend introduces the JetFlash V33 16GB pen drive in India. The JetFlash V33 has dimensions of 60mm x 16.5mm x 8.1mm and weighs 7g. According to a press release, the JetFlash V33 supports Windows Me / 2000 / XP / Vista, Mac OS 9.0 / OS X and Linux Kernel 2.4.2 or later

The JetFlash V33 further comes with Transcend’s JetFlash software that offers features such as AutoLogin, PC-Lock, Mobile Favorites, Secret-Zip encryption, Mobile E-mail, DataBackup, Online Update and the My JetFlash browser. Apart from 16GB (Rs. 2,300), the V33 is also available in 1GB (Rs. 400), 2GB (Rs. 500), 4GB (Rs. 800) and 8GB (Rs.1,300).

Google Launches Reseller Program for Apps Premier

Google will launch a reseller program for the paid version of its Apps hosted collaboration and communication suite.

The program will allow, for the first time, third parties to resell Apps Premier, which costs US$50(Rs 2,450) per user per year.

For More Information please visit http://pcworld.in/india/news/5833016/Software/Google_Launches_Reseller_Program_for_Apps_Premier

Tare Zameen Pe...Journey Ends...

Finally Journey ends for Tare Zammen Pe, India's Official entry in Oscar Academy awards for this year.

Film is about the sensitive story of an eight-year-old dyslexic child with a lot of emotions mix up with the great acting from Aamir Khan as well as Darsheel Safari,child actor who played role of suffered boy from DYSLEXIC.

The film was selected as India's entry to the foreign language category for Oscars. Written by Amole Gupte

Tuesday, January 13, 2009

Windows 7 Pirated and Available Now

Pirated copies of a Windows 7 build pegged by many as the beta Microsoft will release next month have leaked to the Internet, according to searches at several BitTorrent sites.

A search on the Pirate Bay BitTorrent site, for example, returned two Windows 7 Build 7000 listings, both of which had been posted Friday.

As of Saturday afternoon, one torrent on Pirate Bay showed more than 1,800 "seeders" - the term for a computer that has a complete copy of the torrent file - and about 8,500 "leechers," or computers that have downloaded only part of the complete torrent. The torrent is a disk image of the 32-bit version of Windows 7 Ultimate, Build 7000, according to users commenting on the site and elsewhere on the Internet.

Pirate Bay and other BitTorrent sites, including Mininova, listed the beta build as a 2.44GB download.

This is not the first time Windows 7 has escaped from Microsoft's limited testing pool. Just hours after the company unveiled an earlier version at its Professional Developers Conference in late October, the alpha edition hit BitTorrent.

Users first reported the newest Windows 7 leak on Neowin.net's forums Friday, with the opening message and screenshots coming from someone identified as "+fivestarVIP" , who said he was from Beijing, China.

Build 7000 is what Microsoft will issue next month as Windows 7 Beta, according to other reports by Windows bloggers who have copies. Paul Thurrott, for example, posted a review and screenshots of Build 7000 today on his "SuperSite for Windows" site, naming it as the Beta build.

Although Microsoft has promised to open the beta to all users in early 2009, it has been mum on an exact release date. Information published on its own Web site earlier this month, however, hinted that the beta will be available no later than January 13.

Some commentators and bloggers have maintained that Microsoft may release the Windows 7 beta as early as January 7, after CEO Steve Ballmer delivers a keynote that evening at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, where he is expected to talk about Windows 7.

The successor to the perception- and problem-plagued Windows Vista will ship in late 2009 or early 2010, according to previous statements by Microsoft executives.

TOP B-Schools Of India

Here is a list that I thought would be beneficial to the readers who are interested in B-Schools in India.

1. Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad (IIM A)

Regarded to be the best of the best business schools in India, IIM Ahmedabad. offers four programmes in Management. The PGP - Post Graduate Program (equivalent to MBA), the FPM - Fellowship Program in Management(equivalent to Ph.D), the FDP - Faculty Development Program for Management teachers and Trainers and the MDP - Management Development Program - a refresher for middle and top level managers.

2. Indian Institute of Management, Calcutta (IIM C)

The oldest of the IIMs, established in Kolkatta, IIM Calcutta is amongst the top three B schools in India. The institute offers three full time programs. The PGDM - Post Graduate Program in Management (equivalent to MBA), the FPM - Fellowship Program in Management, the PGDCM - Post Graduate Diploma in Computer Aided Management. The institute also offer part time PGDBM - Post Graduate Diploma in Business Management for managers with relevant work experience. In addition, MDP - Management Development Programs are held in regular intervals for middle and top level managers.

3. Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore (IIM B)

IIM Bangalore offers two year full time PGP - Post Graduate Program in Management (equivalent to MBA) and a FPM - Fellowship Program in Management. Both these programs require the candidate to take CAT. The institute also offers part time non residential PGSM - Post Graduate Program in Software Enterprise Management. There is a separate entrance test for this program. This business school is ranked amongst the top three business schools in the country.

4. Indian Institute of Management, Lucknow (IIM L)

IIM Lucknow offers a two year full time residential PGP - Post Graduate Program in Management and a four year FPM program. Both these programs require a candidate to take CAT. The institute also has an interesting student exchange program where students of this B-School go to premier B-Schools the world over and do part of their education. Students and faculty from these internationally reputed B-Schools in turn visit IIM Lucknow. It is ranked amongst the top five B-Schools in India.

5. XLRI - Xavier Labour Research Institute, Jamshedpur

Xavier Labour Research Institute, popularly known as XLRI was established in 1949 at Jamshedpur. The institute offers two courses at the post graduation level in management - a post graduate diploma in Business administration and a post graduate diploma in Personnel Management and Industrial Relations (PMIR). Online version of the brochure is also available.

6. ISB - Indian School of Business, Hyderabad

Indian School of Business, Hyderabad is emerging as a preferred choice for MBA aspirants who want to pack in the program into a one year course. As it gradually builds up its permanent faculty base, the ISB has created a unique and sustainable visiting faculty model with some of the world’s leading academicians from Wharton, Kellogg, Harvard, Stanford, Chicago, Duke and Texas among others. The school offers a one year Post Graduate Program in Management.

7. FMS - Faculty of Management Studies, University of Delhi

FMS is amongst the top 10 B-Schools in the country and probably one of the two attached to a university amongst the top ten. The full time program of FMS started in 1967. Generally the demand for students is very high where most of the times students being placed within a day or two.

8. Indian Institute of Management, Indore (IIM I)

The Indian Institute of Management, Indore (IIMI) is the latest addition to the IIM community. IIMI has a two-year post graduate programme emphasizing on Experiential learning, IT orientation, and Social Sensitivity. IIM-I offers the following programs viz., (a) The Post Graduate Programme (PGP), a two year programme (b) Management Development Programme. These are held throughout the year. (c) Faculty Development Programme (FDP) is designed to assist in the development of teachers, researchers, and trainers for management education and (d) Executive Post-Graduate Programme (Exe-PGP) a 18-months programme, designed for working executives.

9. Indian Institute of Management, Calicut (IIM K - Kozhikode)

Established in 1996, The Indian Institute of Management Kozhikode, IIMK is the fifth Indian Institute of Management. Its academic programmes encompass a range of long term full time diploma programmes such as the Post Graduate Programme in Management, and a number of short duration executive education programmes. The institute also offers an “Interactive Distance Learning Programme”

10. Jamnalal Bajaj Institute of Management Studies, Mumbai (JBIMS)

The Jamnalal Bajaj Institute of Management Studies, (JBIMS) was established by the University of Bombay in 1965 in collaboration with the Graduate School of Business, Stanford University with the objective of pioneering and furthering post - graduate management education in India. JBIMS has been ranked in Asia’s Top 25 business schools by Asia Inc.

11. S. P. Jain Institute of Management Studies, Mumbai (SPJIMR)

The Institute’s PGDM programme amongst the best in the country offers the following specialisation in the second year (fourth and fifth trimester). Finance Management, Marketing Management, Information Management and Manufacturing & Operations Management. Core subjects normally focus on the basic aspects relating to a particular area of specialisation. In addition, each participant can take courses from another specialization as a ‘Minor Specialization’.

12. Shailesh J. Mehta School of Management, IIT Mumbai (Bombay)

The school commenced its operations in 1995 and has been awarding a full time two year masters degree, a doctoral program in management and Executive Education programs in management. One unique feature of the program is that apart from the regular courses on Finance, Accounting, Operations and HR, SJM SOM prepares for technology management with core courses like Technology Policy, R&D Management and Managing technology transfer. To secure an admission, you need to take JMET, the Joint Management Entrance Test.

13. Management Development Institute, Gurgaon (MDI)

Amongst the top management institutes in India, MDI offers a two year Post Graduate Program in Management. The curriculum is spread over six terms of about three months each. The core curriculum is spread over four terms with the bulk of it covered in the first three terms. MDI has student exchange arrangements with Aarus School of Business, Denmark, CBPA, USA; Copenhagen Business School, Denmark; EDHEC, France; ESCP-EAP and Sciences Po, France; Leipzig Graduate School of Management, Germany; McGill University, Canada; Norwegian School of Management, Norway; Queensland University of Technology, Bangkok; Solvay Business School, Belgium; Universita Carlo Cattaneo (LIUC), Itlay and Warsaw School of Economics, Poland.

14. Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies, Mumbai (NMIMS)

NMIMS offers a two-year full-time programme, spread over six trimesters and leading to the degree in Master of Business Administration. Number of seats: 240. Students are admitted to the programme if they meet the required standards of the two stage selection process - Stage I: A written admission test; Stage II: Candidates who qualify at stage 1 will be required to appear for the second stage of selection process like the Group Discussion and Personal Interview.

15. Xavier Institute of Management, Bhubaneswar (XIM B)

XIM Bhuvaneswar, offers the following courses: Post Graduate Programme in Management, Executive Post Graduate Programme in Management, Post Graduate Programme in Rural Management and Fellow Programme Management. The PGP in Management is the flagship programme of the Institute. The courses impart a generalist perspective, in addition to training the students in technical and functional business skills such as accounting, finance, marketing and production.

16. Symbiosis Institute of Business Management, Pune (SIBM)

SIBM, Pune offers a Master’s Degree in Business Administration - MBA Dual Specialization. Specializations include Marketing, Finance, Human Resource, Manufacturing, and Materials & Logistics Management. A total of 120 students shall be selected for this course.

17. Symbiosis Center for Management & Human Resources Development, Pune (SCMHRD)