MUMBAI: Samsung India Electronics Pvt Ltd, the leading mobile phone provider today announced the launch of Wave II (S8530) on the ‘bada‘ platform. ‘bada‘ is Samsung‘s own proprietary OS and with its WAVE series of mobiles based on the bada platform, the Company is seeking to provide users with an enhanced integrated, immersive and intuitive Smartphone experience.

Announcing the launch of Wave II in India, Mr. Ranjit Yadav, Country Head, Samsung Mobile & IT stated: "The ‘bada‘ platform has been designed as a fully integrated platform which supports cutting-edge applications and services. The launch of Wave II represents our efforts to grow this platform further. The new Wave II enhances the consumers‘ smart phone experience with advanced entertainment, communication, push e mail, display and superior usability."

Designed to deliver a super fast performance, the new Samsung Wave II is equipped with a 1GHz processor that enables superior Multimedia, Multitasking and Application experience and adds to the overall usability of the device. With an enlarged 3.7" super clear LCD display, Samsung Wave II offers an unparalleled brighter view, improved outdoor visibility and a wider viewing angle. Since the super clear LCD display is slimmer, brighter and more vivid, therefore watching movies and enjoying games, videos and photos is a richer experience on the new handset. The Seamless Aluminum body of Wave II makes an unparallel style statement.

The Samsung Wave II features Quicktype by T9 which provides a faster and easier way to input text than standard texting. Instead of punching individual letters, users with Quicktype T9 just need to swipe their finger in a continuous motion over the letters of the word, and the mobile intuitively spells out the word, which is being typed. Along with this quick texting features, the Samsung Wave II‘s advanced Social Hub feature integrates all contact information from SNS, IM and e-mail allowing the users to track information and view history of activities with their peer group. Touchwiz 3.0 user interface of Wave II features Multiple Screens which can be customized for easy access to Multi Widgets like ‘Buddies Now" and "Feeds and Update‘‘ which enable users to connect with their friends with just one click. With the HD video player and recorder, watching movies or videos is convenient on the new Wave II. The HD video player provides universal compatibility for easy viewing of different file types with a multi codec support for DivX, Xvid, MPEG4, real, MKV, ASF and WMV. Users of Samsung Wave II can enjoy a whole range of mobile Apps from the Samsung Apps store and download exciting applications from the ‘bada‘
platform. ‘bada‘ is interactive and provides a simple, intuitive UI enabling effortless customization and interactivity. It is service oriented and provides unmatched support for social networking, device synchronization, content management and location-based services. ‘bada‘ is open and configurable allowing developers to create a host of exciting new applications.

The Wave II has a 5 megapixel camera with flash LED and a 1500 mAH battery which provides 15 hours of talk time on 2G network and 8 hours of talk time on 3G. The 2GB internal memory of Samsung Wave II is further expandable up to 32 GB and it comes with a Free 2GB Memory card. The Samsung Wave II is priced at Rs. 20,900/-.

With the launch of WAVE II, Samsung‘s mobile phone offering of the bada‘
based handsets in the WAVE series has been expanded to include 5 models in the price range between Rs 8800/- to Rs 20,900/-.
 

MUMBAI: Imagine a Bugatti Atalante Type 57 standing in a garage for 50 years before being found and put up for auction at US$ 5 million. A Maserati commissioned by the Shah of Iran and a 1918 Bugatti made for the French national hero and aviator Roland Garros breaks through pre-sales estimate by a seven figure sum.

Automobile enthusiasts can feast their eyes as Discovery Turbo brings a bevy of metallic splendours in an astonishing series of Retromobile Car show, CLASSIC AUTOS: THE PARIS AUCTION. Discovery Turbo presents the classic beauties, ranging from 1937 Bugatti T57 Atlante Coupe, 1925 Bugatti Type 22 Brescia, Alfa Romeos to many other prized collectibles. Viewers can watch 120,000 visitors from across the world re-living their automobile fantasies along with the formidable and entertaining duo Alain de Cadenet and Doug Nye.

Classic Autos: The Paris Auction, will air on Discovery Turbo, every Monday at 10 pm, beginning 24th January, 2011.

The series brings the best of what is there, in the thriving world of automobiles; ranging from dream vintage vehicles to the behind the scenes action and drama that goes behind each series. With this series, Discovery Turbo joins one of the world‘s most prestigious international auction houses, Bonhams, for their first auction of 2009, which takes place at the Retromobile classic car show in Paris. Retromobile is Europe‘s most important classic car show, attracting 120,000 visitors every year and provides a magnificent backdrop for a classic car auction.

The show proudly boasts of the most prodigious, marvelous and highly collectible classics designed to captivate & mesmerize your senses.

Highlights of the series:

* Viewers can see some classic Lotus racers, a Maserati commissioned
by the Shah of Iran and a 1918 Bugatti made for French national hero and aviator Roland Garros that breaks through it‘s pre-sale estimate by a seven figure sum!

* Viewers can see a classic Mercedes roadster and an immaculately
restored Jaguar SS100, the first car to bear the legendary Jaguar name as well as a Sebring winning Maserati brothers built OSCA.

* Viewers can watch Doug and Alain savour the Bugatti Atalante Type 57
that laid undiscovered in a garage for 50 years before being found and put up for auction with estimates ranging up to a $5M price tag!

MUMBAI: iVdopia (www.ivdopia.com), the largest video and rich media mobile advertising network, is a finalist in the Red Herring 100 Global award competition. Starting in 1996, technology leaders, executives, strategists and investors have turned to the Red Herring 100 lists as a way to find the most promising private ventures from around the global.

?iVdopia?s innovations in video and rich-media mobile advertisinghave brought in a new level of immersive engagement that has changed the way advertisers reach users on Smartphones. Being recognized by Red Herring 100 Global reinforces the impact we?re having on the fast-changing industry that we?re leading,? says Chhavi Upadhyay, COO for iVdopia. ?We?re extremely delighted to be selected from among hundreds of applicants, and for iVdopia to be recognized as one of the best of today?s technology companies.?

Red Herring is a global media company uniting the world‘s best high technology innovators, venture investors and business decision makers in a variety of forums: a leading innovation magazine; an online daily technology news service; technology newsletters, and major events for technology leaders around the globe. Red Herring provides an insider‘s access to the global innovation economy, featuring unparalleled insights on the emerging technologies driving the economy. Winners for the Red Herring 100 Global will be announced this week.

MUMBAI: Kellogg India, the Indian subsidiary of Kellogg Company, the world?s leading producer of ready-to-eat cereal and convenience foods, today organized a wake up to breakfast session with reigning diva of the silver screen Lara Dutta, brand ambassador for their breakfast cereal brand, Special K.

The event showcased a nutrition & wellness experience that emphasized the advantages of low-fat breakfast options such as Special K that help in managing weight. Tonia, Lara?s Yoga instructor conducted an engaging Yoga session, on the benefits of regular exercise to build endurance and everyday fitness.

Present on the occasion, former Miss Universe and now a health and fitness emissary, Lara Dutta spoke about her association with Special K, ?I have always believed in eating healthy that results in looking good. With Special K, I know I have a low-fat breakfast option to start my day. It provides me with the energy to grapple with my long day ahead. I keep a positive and simple approach to things including managing my weight. Managing weight effectively means to have healthy well balanced eating practices and to exercise regularly.?

Vikram Bahl, Director Marketing, Kellogg India says ?We are delighted to have Lara on board as the brand ambassador for Special K. We feel she personifies the Special K woman to the T because she is positive and loves the confidence that comes from the weight that she believes is right for her. Special K has been specially developed keeping in mind the functional, emotional and motivational support women need to start and continue on the path of weight management.?

MUMBAI: MUMBAI: Text 100 (India), a leading global boutique PR consultancy, has been appointed as the ?Official PR partner? for the forthcoming global events viz. Asia Retail Congress, Global Youth Marketing Forum, Shoppers and Consumer Insights Forum, and World HRD Congress. The leading confluences, that promise participation from some of the world?s leading brands, subject-matter gurus and industry veterans, will be held from 8th - 12th Feb 2011 at Hotel Taj Lands End, Mumbai, India. As the official PR partner, Text 100 Mumbai will drive the public relations campaign to create awareness and support the brand growth for all four confluences across target markets.

Commenting on the partnership, Dr Raju L Bhatia, Project Director for the confluences said, ?India is at the forefront of global action with a booming domestic market. The country is witnessing tectonic shifts in consumer behavior, employee needs and market dynamics, making it imperative to debate and discuss these developments and chart a future roadmap. We were delighted with Text 100?s role in building awareness for World Brand Congress, and look forward to their continued support in conveying the value proposition these confluences on Retail, Youth Marketing, Shoppers? Forum and HRD promise, to audiences in India.?

Sunayna Malik, Managing Director, Text 100 India averred, ?We recognize the opportunity for industry champions, leading brands and professionals to gather under a single roof and share insights, knowledge and best practices. We are confident that these confluences will play a defining role in shaping the respective industry?s future, and are therefore excited to forge an exclusive PR partnership with them.?
Asia Retail Congress (http://www.asiaretailcongress.com/)

The Asia Retail Congress, Asia?s single most important global platform to promote world-class retail practices, will be organized from February 8th - 9th, 2011 at Taj Land?s End in Mumbai. Themed ?Making Sustainability Good Business?, the focus of the conference is to discuss and influence the issues for change, and is aimed at company chairpersons, Presidents and CEOs from leading international and national retailers, directors of international and national retailers & directors of international brands. This year?s chairman of the conference will be Mr. Alok Bharadwaj, Senior Vice President, Canon India Pvt. Ltd and Vice Chairman will be Mr. Prodipta Sen, VP - Marketing & Corporate Affairs Alpha G:Corp Development Pvt Ltd. Global Youth Marketing Forum (http://www.globalyouthmarketingforum.com/)

The third edition of ?Global Youth Marketing Forum 2011? will be organized from February 8th - 9th, 2011 at Taj Land?s End in Mumbai. This year?s theme is ?Tapping the power of the trend setting Hip Hop Mindset, Culture and Lifestyle?. The event is a platform for several youth obsessed brands coming from across the globe. It is the largest rendezvous of Youth Experts, Marketing Professionals, Cool Hunters & Brand Specialist who will offer insights on what keeps youth craving for the Brand? What Youth like? What Youth want? How to capture the Youths attention in an increasingly intriguing and ?Multi-Tasking? youth segment of today? This year?s chairman of the forum will be Mr. Rahul Saighal, Chief Marketing Officer, Aircel Limited. Shoppers and Consumer Insights Forum (http://www.shoppersinsight.net/index.html)

The ?Shoppers and Consumer Insights Forum? will be held on February 9th, 2011 at Taj Land?s End in Mumbai. This year?s theme is ?How to Integrate Shoppers and Consumer Insights to The Marketing Plan to Impact the Shoppers Journey?. The shopper and Consumer insights forum promises a real path to innovation, versus relentless incremental improvements for Retailers and manufacturers.

All marketing efforts are successful only to the extent that they connect with a real, live human being - a consumer. It means seeing the world through the consumer?s eyes. It entails putting yourself in his shoes. It demands that to go beyond knowing who customers are to something deeper. Consumer Insights will enable to ?read? consumers and respect them for what they are and will allow you to speak to consumers with genuine understanding of who they are: what they need, what they feel, what they think, what they believe. It?s an Ideal opportunity to learn how to turn consumer insights into creative ideas that sell brands and to benchmark with leading companies through keynote presentations, brainstorming sessions, interactive discussions and hear quality up-to-date case studies from leading corporations but you will take a closer look at the improvements that the biggest companies in the market are implementing. World HRD Congress (http://www.worldhrdcongress.com/index.html)

?World HRD Congress 2011?? will be organized from February 10th -12th, 2011 at Taj Land?s End in Mumbai. This year?s theme is ?The Future of HR? The ?World HRD Congress 2011? will be an Executive Level Retreat in which participants will review Evolving Trends in HRM that could change their paradigm on leading people at work. It would provide an opportunity to acquire skills to maximize competencies and become a more knowledgeable contributor in the organization. Besides networking opportunities, the conference offers unique in-depth approaches to understanding important workplace issues that affect an organization‘s viability in today‘s fast-paced business environment. The Congress is the largest rendezvous of HR Professionals......from across the world. These Congress bring several Global Personalities under one roof.

On 12th Feb 2011, renowned Management Guru Dr. Marshall Goldsmith will address an exclusive session on ?The Future of HR: Developing Leaders from the Inside?. He is the million-selling author of many articles and books, including the New York Times best-sellers, MOJO and What Got You Here Won?t Get You There ? winner of the Harold Longman Award for Business Book of the Year.
 

MUMBAI: Last September saw Star Gold - the popular Bollywood channel of the Star network, officially occupy the slot of the UK‘s No. 1 Bollywood movie channel as measured by BARB.

According to data released by UK audience measuring body, British Audience Research Board (BARB), Star Gold‘s top Bollywood content has proved a success with viewers.

It now proudly sits at number three amongst other mainstream movie channels in the UK with Film4 at one, followed by Sky Movies Showcase in second, Star Gold at three and Sky Movies Family and Sky Movies Premiere following.

Yeshpal Sharma, VP of Distribution & Sales of Star UK said, "Star Gold consistently being the number one Bollywood movie channel in the UK has always been a clear strength for us, but now becoming the third most watched movie channel across the board in the UK is something that we are extremely proud of."

"We are committed to providing viewers with the best in Bollywood content and our huge movie library clearly appeals to our rapidly-growing audience," he added.

Star Gold boasts of one of the largest film libraries, comprising movies of outstanding critical & commercial success. The pay-TV channel Star Gold is available at position 809 on the Sky electronic programme guide and is owned by Rupert Murdoch‘s News Corporation.