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Event

City gets cricket development centre

Cricketer Shaun Tait inaugurates a cricket development centre at Powai-based school, offers tips and tricks about the game to students.
by The Editors | editor@themetrognome.in

Shaun Tait with KOOH Sports Cricket Development Centre kids in HFS, Powai KOOH Sports organised a press conference today, October 24, to announce the launch of their first Sports Cricket Development Centre in Mumbai, at Hiranandani Foundation School.

Australian cricketer and Rajasthan Royals player Shaun Tait, and key officials from Hiranandani and KOOH Sports were a part of the conference. Post the do, Shaun Tait spent two hours with the children on the ground and shared best practices and tips about the game.

Dedicated to imparting sports education in India through a multitude of programmes that will cut across grass root level initiation and identify and nurture talent, KOOH Sports is setting up more KOOH Sports Cricket Development Centres to target students from the 6-17 years age group across the country. In partnership with Rajasthan Royals, the academy claims that it will leverage the experience of seasoned sportspeople to nurture talent at the school and community level by providing them a specialised learning environment to coach them in cricket.

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Tech

Apple announces new iPad Air and iPad mini

New tablets were unveiled and new devices announced in Apple’s fall event. Here’s a quick review of the new offerings.
by Manik Kakra

Apple has announced two new iPads in its fall event – iPad Air and iPad mini Retina. The company also announced the new MacBook Pro, Mac Pro, OS X 10.1 Mavericks and new iWork and iLife software. Let’s take a look at what all Apple unveiled on the tablet side:

iPad AiriPad Air: The iPad Air is Apple’s fifth generation iPad, but now you have the term ‘Air’ added to its name –specifically because the new iPad is lighter (1 pound) and thinner (0.75mm) than the previous generation models. Apple has decreased the bezels on the iPad Air’s side to improve screen estate in the same size.

The new iPad Air is powered by the A7 (64-bit) chip that we previously saw on the iPhone 5s. Sporting the same 9.7-inch Retina screen as the previous two models, this iPad also boasts M7 commotion processor for saving battery and doing tasks related to motion like accelerometer, gyroscope, etc. On the back, there’s a 5 MP camera; while the front gets a better iSight camera with larger pixels for low-light performance.

Connectivity-wise, there WiFi with MiMo techlology thanks to its dual antennas for faster data exchanges, 3G and LTE (depends on model). The iPad Air also features dual microphones for better voice recognition and calls. The tablet goes on sale in the US and several other countries starting November 1, with a base price of $449 for 16 GB WiFi-only mode, and goes up to $929 for 128 GB WiFi + cellular model. The iPad comes in silver + white and space grey + black colour options.

iPad mini Retina: The Retina display on the next-gen iPad mini (in featured image above) was very much on the cards. It will be interesting to see how much its battery life is, considering that the size is pretty much the same, while the display is now much better than before. With its 7.9-inch Retina screen, with the same resolution as the iPad Air (2048 x 1536), the new mini is also powered by the same A7 (64-bit) chip and M7 motion coprocessor.

Having the same MiMo technology as the iPad Air for WiFi, and Bluetooth 4.0, the mini Retina also comes with a 5 MP rear camera, and the same front-facing 1.2 MP iSight camera. The tablet will start selling from November 1 too, with its base price for 16 GB WiFi at $399, and going up to $829 for 128 GB WiFi + cellular. The iPad mini Retina comes in silver + white and space grey + black colours.

The official covers for the iPad mini Retina and iPad Air are available in blue, green, pink, yellow, black and red, and the smart case for the iPad air will be available for $79, and $69 for the iPad mini Retina.

Apple also announced that it will continue selling the iPad 2 16 GB WiFi for $399 and 16 GB WiFi + cellular for $529, and the iPad mini 16 GB WiFi for $299 and 16 GB WiFi + cellular for $429.

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Event

“Crisis of credibility in journalism”: Sir Mark Tully

Noted journalist and author Sir Mark Tully puts today’s journalism in perspective, and talks of the challenges of establishing credibility.
by Salil Jayakar

At 78, he’s far more energetic and enthusiastic than most people of any age are. His mind and memory are still as sharp as ever. No wonder then he continues to be an authority on India several years after he left the BBC. And unlike most of his ilk, he doesn’t hesitate to give credit where it’s due. “Let me clarify again, it is always erroneously mentioned that I first broke the news of Indira Gandhi’s assassination. I did not. In fact, it was my BBC colleague Satish Jacob,” he stated.

Meet Sir Mark Tully. Almost priest, journalist, author and Indophile, whose love affair with India continues…

In Mumbai over the weekend of October 17-18, Sir Mark spoke at Com Fest 2013 organised by the Association of Business Communicators of India (ABCI) at the Taj Mahal Palace & Hotel, Colaba. Like most British people, his self-depreciating humour was there for all to see. For me, as an ex-journalist and media professional, it was a bit of a fan boy moment as I had the opportunity to interact with him.

Sir Mark, without a doubt, has inspired young journalists in India and abroad with his no-nonsense style of reporting, which is why we need to sit up and take notice when he declares: “There is a crisis of credibility in journalism today” with reference to the UK phone hacking scandal and the kind of live news journalism we see in India. According to him, the dangers of instant communication to journalism are real – as seen during the Varanasi bomb blasts and the Mumbai terror attack.

“Journalists today speak instead of writing or telling a story. They are talking, instead of crafting a story. At a time when mobile and television can communicate a message in an instant, there is a real danger of miscommunication,” he said. How do journalists then maintain their presence? “Journalists need to be trusted. More so now in times of the Internet; they need to carry the torch of reliability and trustworthiness.”

Citing the BBC, Sir Mark had harsh words for his former employer and says the credibility of the BBC Trust has been severely undermined by the hacking scandal and the Jimmy Savile sexual abuse scandal. He stressed the importance of a media regulator that has both politicians and journalists on its Board. Dismissive of the Indian Broadcast Editor’s Association, he says they are not doing a good job. According to him, a public service broadcaster (PSB) is necessary and should be independent of the government to be able to do a good job.

Sir Mark lamented the fight between management and editorial, the realities of running a paper or TV channel and the need to make money or profit. He believes that management has to realise that journalists are creative people and need to have the last word on a story. “The editor needs to be in control at all times. Irrespective of commercialisation, news needs to be credible and trustworthy. There has to be a balance between credibility and commercialisation,” he stated.

In his sartorial style, Sir Mark summed up the state of journalism and journalists today when he said, “Journalists need to keep in mind – this is not my story, it’s the story of the person.”

(Picture courtesy ABCI)

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Tech

What went down at the Nokia World event

As many as six new devices came out of the recent Nokia event, Abu Dhabi. Here’s a look at each.
by Manik Kakra

The last Nokia World event, from Abu Dhabi, was recently concluded and we saw as many as six new devices from the company. Nokia announced three new Asha phones, two new Lumia smartphones, and one, its first, Windows 8 RT tablet.

Let’s take a look at the new launches.

Asha 500: This phone has a 2.80-inch QVGA touchscreen, and a 2 MP rear camera. Supporting a microSD card of up to 32 GB, it is equipped with Bluetooth 3.0, WiFi, microUSB, and comes in single SIM and dual-SIM options. It’s priced at $69 (before tax).

Asha 502: This dual-SIM phone boasts a 3-inch QVGA touchscreen and 64 MB of RAM. On the back, there’s a 5 MP camera (with LED flash). Other features include Bluetooth, WiFi and microUSB. It’s priced at $89 (before tax).

Asha 503: This is an Asha device with 3-inch touchscreen along with Gorilla Glass on top. Available in dual-SIM and single SIM options, the phone sports a 5 MP rear camera and expandable storage up to 32 GB. It’s priced at $99 (before tax).

It was also announced that WhatsApp is soon coming to the existing Asha devices.

Lumia 1320Lumia 1320: The Lumia 1320 (in pic on left) features a 6-inch 720p screen with Gorilla Glass 3 on top, and is powered by 1.7 GHz dual-core Snapdragon 400 chipset and 1 GB of RAM. Running Windows Phone 8 with Nokia’s own apps available on it, the phone sports a 5 Mp rear camera, which can do 1080p videos; and a VGA front-facing camera. Connectivity-wise, there’s Bluetooth 4.0, WiFi, and microUSB 2.0. Equipped with 3,400 mAh battery, the Lumia 1320 supports microSD card of up to 64 GB. It comes in red, yellow, white and black colours.

Lumia 1520: This is Nokia’s first Windows Phone device that boasts a full HD screen (in featured image above). It has a 6-inch 1080p screen with Nokia’s ClearBlack technology. It is powered by Qualcomm’s 2.2 GHz quad-core Snapdragon 800 SoC, along with 2 GB of RAM. Other features include Bluetooth 4.0, WiFi a/b/g/n/ac, microUSB 2.0. The phone packs 3,400 mAh battery, and also supports wireless charging. Another USP of this phone is its 20 MP camera that has Nokia’s popular PureView technology. On the front, there’s a 1.3 MP camera, too. Colour options include red, yellow, white and black.

Nokia-Lumia-2520 and keyboardLumia 2520: This is a big one – literally and figuratively. Nokia’s Lumia 2520 (in pic on right) is the company’s first Windows 8.1 RT tablet, and it follows their Fabula design. The tablet has a10.1-inch full HD screen, a 6.7 MP rear camera, and a 2 MP front-facing camera. With 32 GB of internal storage, and expandable option through microSD, there’s a lot of storage space for its users. Under the hood, there’s 2.2 GHz quad-core Snapdragon 800 SoC, along with 2 GB of RAM. Connectivity-wise, there’s Bluetooth 4.0, LTE, microUSB, NFC and WiFi. The Lumia 1520 comes in white, black, red and blue colour options.

Nokia also mentioned that Instagram, Vine are coming to Windows Phone pretty soon, while Flipboard is now available for Windows 8 RT.

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Read

‘Writing isn’t easy…’

14-year-old student Maulik Jain releases debut book, says he writes as a response to what he experiences in the world.
by The Editors | editor@themetrognome.in

One can do something for years, but one needs just one brilliant second for a great little idea to strike. That is exactly what happened in Juhu resident Maulik Jain’s case – he was sitting at the dinner table one night and had a sudden flash of inspiration.

Maulik JainA little over a month later, after he’d let inspiration take over him completely, Maulik (14) was ready with his first book, Imagination Unplugged, a collection of personal essays and short stories. “I had always been writing, and my essays used to be read out by teachers in class,” says the Grade 10 student of Jamnabai Narsee School. “I have been writing a diary for the longest time, and so the habit of penning down my thoughts is an old one.”

This habit held Maulik in good stead, because, as he admits, most of the material for his book was already present in his jottings. “But for the book, I had to revisit a lot of the essays I had written, restructure the thoughts I had previously put down, because I found that what I had thought a few years or months ago, was not what I thought now. I sat down and went through the material, selected the writings I wanted to include in the book, then fine-tuned them,” he explains.

The entire process of coming out with the book took about eight months, with Maulik and his parents being an integral part of the decision-making process. “There was a lot to learn from the overall process. I got to know about the various parts of book publishing, took decisions on typeset and jacket designs, sat down for editing discussions. It was a great learning experience for me,” he says. The biggest learning, however, came from the ‘writing’ part of it. “I realised writing is really not that easy, especially writing a book,” he grins.

Once the book was printed and delivered, Maulik’s parents Deepak and Pooja arranged for a grand launch for the book. “Everybody was so supportive, and we were surprised to see Bhawana Somaaya with Maulik Jain at his Book launch of Imagination Unpluggedover 300 people turn up for the launch,” says Pooja. “Bhawna Somaaya spoke to Maulik about the book, and though he was a bit nervous at first, he really held his own when he answered her questions.”

With studies taking up most of his time, Maulik hasn’t had the time to promote his book. “May be in the vacations I will,” he shrugs.

His mother says that though he hasn’t ruled out writing as a career option, he would ideally like to join his father’s construction business when he grows up. But if he does take up writing, here’s what we could expect from him next: the straight-A student loves murder mysteries and counts JK Rowling and Anthony Horowitz among writers he admires. “If I write another book, I wouldn’t write a sequel to the first one. I would like to write fiction. May be I will write a murder mystery next,” he muses.

 

 

The launch of Imagination Unplugged:

 

Imagination Unplugged is available at all major bookstores for Rs 175. All proceeds from the sale of the book will go to Angel Xpress Foundation.

Categories
Tech

New iPhones coming to India on November 1

The iPhone 5C starts from Rs 41,900, and the 5S from Rs 53,500; current forex rates have pushed prices up.
by Manik Kakra

Apple is officially bringing its new iDevices — iPhone 5C and iPhone 5S — to India on the 1st of November. The phones were announced on the 10th of September, and have been available on several countries included in the company’s first and second list. Here’s the complete price list:

iPhone 5SiPhone 5S (comes in space grey, gold and silver colours):

16 GB: Rs 53,500

32 GB: Rs 62,500

64 GB: Rs 71,500

The iPhone 5C (comes in blue, pink, yellow, green, and white colours)

16 GB: Rs 41,900

32 GB: Rs 53,500

iPhone 4S (8 GB) is now priced at Rs 31,500, and the iPhone 5 has been discontinued, as mentioned by Apple at the launch event.

The official phone cases for the iPhone 5S are available in beige, black, blue, brown, yellow and red colour options, priced at Rs 3,200; while the official iPhone 5C cases come in blue, green, pink, yellow, black and white for Rs 2,300.

Yes, folks, the prices this time are pretty high, but not too surprising due to our foreign exchange rates. While Apple could have made a bit of a bargain on the highest storage models, it is hard to say if many people would buy one 64 GB model at launch.

Both these iOS 7 devices are Apple’s latest devices that are more or less among the best smartphones available today. While a lot of Indian users would be waiting for their launch, it is sort of disappointing to see so many smartphones, not just these iPhones, being priced above Rs 40,000 so often these days.

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