Dh400,000 diamond-studded gold iPhone5 goes on sale; anyone?

  18ct Solid Gold Superstar iPhone 5 and the 18ct Solid Gold Diamond Studded Superstar Ice, laced with around 364 diamonds. (SUPPLIED)

Goldgenie, a UK-based company that had earlier launched a Dh9,300 (£1,597) BlackBerry Q10 in gold bezel, is back with another expensive version of a popular smartphone, this time an Apple iPhone 5 sporting both gold and diamonds with a price-tag that only a select few will be able to afford.

“Goldgenie have secured exclusive worldwide distribution rights to the Superstar iPhone 5. The phone comes in two editions: the 18ct Solid Gold Superstar iPhone 5 and the 18ct Solid Gold Diamond Studded Superstar Ice, laced with around 364 diamonds,” the company said in a statement.

Last month, Goldgenie announced its Bahrain franchise, which means that those interested in turning their handsets to gold can now do so within the region. Goldgenie Bahrain, established by franchisee Kingsley Dodwell, is the latest Global Master franchise set to make record sales, after creating the Bahrain Royal Crest Gold iPhone 5.

According to an earlier statement, Kingsley decided to launch in Bahrain after reading of the growth of the Goldgenie brand, as well as celebrity support and endorsements from clients such as the Beckhams, Elton John, Denzel Washington and Usain Bolt, not to mention a host of Premiership footballers and clubs.

The new limited edition version of the iPhone 5 that comes with solid 18 ct gold and 364 certified (5.5ct in total) diamonds is available for (widen your eyes) £68,000, or Dh393,000 at the current exchange rate.

“The Superstar ICE can be covered in 364 diamonds (5.5 carats in total) or any precious stone that you require,” the company says. All for just Dh400,000 or thereabouts.

If you don’t have that kind of money idly sloshing around in your study, there is a cheaper version too, sans the diamonds for those a little short on cash.

“The Superstar iPhone 5 blends high-spec technology with one-of-a-kind design. The Solid Gold Superstar weighs 180 grams and is priced at £48,000 (Dh278,000),” the statement reads.

“Purchase of either Superstar iPhone comes with a luxury oak finished customised box,” it adds. We’re absolutely sure that the oak-finished customised box completely justifies the exorbitant price!

It isn’t the first time Goldgenie has dabbled into Apple’s products. “This release is the latest in our prestigious Superstar range, and follows the hugely successful Superstar iPhone 4,” says the company.

It also boasts of the iPad mini embellished in 24ct gold, rose gold or platinum (for Dh9,300) and gold iPod Touch (ranging between Dh3,100 and Dh4,800). But that’s peanuts compared with the current offering.

“Goldgenie’s Swiss specialist designer can also offer a super update to any of the most current iPhone, BlackBerry, Samsung, or HTC smartphones, in fact any mobile phone,” the company claims.

Laban Roomes, Goldgenie CEO, said: “Goldgenie’s flagship offering has to be the Superstar Ice solid gold iPhone; 180 grams of pure gold which envelopes the iPhone 5. This very special piece of craftsmanship also incorporates 5.5 ct of clear or coloured diamonds to suit any taste.” Clearly.

Roomes, who founded the company in 1995, started by gold-plating car emblems for Lexus and body-piercing jewellery, before growing the company into an international pioneer of mobile phone and gadget customisation. Appearing on Dragon’s Den in 2007, Roomes attracted the backing of renowned entrepreneur and dragon James Caan.

Today, Goldgenie has master franchisees in 20 countries, at a wide variation of national economic profiles; from France to Zambia.The company specialises in customising and embellishing a range of items, from roses to game consoles, as well as supplying selected exclusive and luxury products to high end retailers such as Harrods and Selfridges.

70 things one should know while starting career and during his career. #Jobs #Oppurtunity

After years of experience in job and feedbacks from friends in other industry led to following list of things that we should have known and should know when we start our career. Just add your thoughts on the same to make the list comprehensive guide for better Career.

1. The career you think you’re going to have? This is not the career you’re going to end up with. The job you went to college for? That’s not the job you’re going to end up with.

2. You will spend a good portion of your work day with nothing to do.

3. Meetings almost never solve anything and never end on time.

4. You will seriously embarrass yourself, and possibly endanger your career at at least one (and maybe more) of your office Christmas parties.

5. Trusting co-workers can be bad for your career.

6. The movie Office Space isn’t just a comedy.

7. Pay is really about sitting or standing. The more you are sitting, the more you get paid.

8. Having a passing knowledge of current sports events is a critical skill for office small talk.

9. You’re probably way, way overeducated for the job you’re in. A good 30 thousand of those student loans you’re still paying off were wasted.

10. There are plenty more important things in life than your career.

11. You know that 401 k matching plan? It was really a pretty good idea. Grab a calculator. Calculate how much more money you’d have today if you had started contributing the day you were hired instead of 2 years ago when you finally broke down and did it. Now faint.

12. Some workplaces function EXACTLY like high school.

13. The company’s stock will not always go up.

14. Learning to look busy is a valuable survival skill.

15. You’re unlikely to ever meet a happy accountant.

16. No one really takes the time to adequately train you. All new employees are inadequately trained.

17. Upper management is more focused on improving their golf game than improving their company’s bottom line.

18. The mistakes you make are sometimes more valuable than the things you did exactly right.

19. When your career is the only good thing you’ve got going in your life, it’s time to reassess your life.

20. That temporary job you settled for… is it really temporary if you’re still in it after all this time?

21. Tuf wars and office politics exist in every office, no matter how small.

22. Be nice to the administrative assistants; they are the key to everything because they keep the world turning.

23. It’s rare that your colleagues are actually smarter than you; it’s all confidence.

24. Old white guys are not old and wise guys.

25. Dear lord, office bathrooms can be gross.

26. You never really get to rest. A career is about always building, always moving forward.

27. Your boss is a human being too.

28. No one will believe in you more than you.

29. And if you don’t believe in you, you’re not going anywhere.

30. Office gossip can be positively deadly.

31. Sometimes the game is rigged.

32. Lunch – try to never skip it. You do not earn points for working through it and it helps you stay sane.

33. It IS possible to one day wake up and realize you hate your dream job.

34. You fear taking your eye off the ball, but sometimes that is really what you NEED to do.

35. The car you drive to work is very important. Office workers put a lot of value judgments on fellow workers vehicles.

36. Timing, like location, is literally EVERYTHING.

37. Networking is not just a buzzword: it’s the most valuable thing you can do for your career.

38. Take the lowest paying job with the best job description and title, rather than the best paying job with the worst job title.

39. “Follow-through” is a great characteristic to be known for when you are first hired.

40. Do what you love, even if it pays less than something you’re good at.

41. Set personal goals.

42. Stay away from those who say “You Can’t”.

43. Plan and prepare for the long haul.

44. To land a meaningful job, prepare for a really tough interview.

45. Keep improving through the job search and beyond.

46. Develop a personal board of advisors for support.

47. Surround yourself with a diverse group of people with diverse thoughts.

48. Develop a backbone. Even successful careers can have disappointments

49. Think around, outside and under the box. The way forward may not necessarily be clear or straight ahead

50. Don’t expect your career paths to be logical to everyone looking on.

51. Don’t burn your bridges behind you. You may need a reference or two eventually

52. Be mindful of what your associations can say about who you are.

53. You don’t need to have all the experience in the job description to apply.

54. Job descriptions get rewritten all the time.

55. Be open to the fact that you might be underestimated.

56. Some people will like you for the job and some will not.

57. Some will laugh behind your back when they find out you are applying for a certain job.

58. The real work begins after you land the job.

59. Know your competition and do not underestimate them.

60. Think transferable skills.

61. You may have to say things during an interview to impress your future boss.

62. You have to build consensus to move ideas forward.

63. Keep track of your accomplishments; no one else is obligated to do that for you.

64. You may find people want to hang around you, just because you are successful – not because they care.

65. Education and training mean something.

66. Hard work and discipline pays off eventually.

67. It is not a shame to strategically plan your career.

68. Many people are not working in their college majors.

69. The more people who support you and your ideas, the more successful you will be.

70. You are always preparing for your next career opportunity, regardless of what you are doing

Monsoon covers entire country but may begin to weaken #SWMonsoon

The South-West monsoon has covered the entire country at least a fortnight ahead of schedule in what has been a spectacular and punishing opening spell.

Progress of monsoon so far has been good but it may start weakening from July, a former Director-General of the India Met Department told Business Line.

ABOVE NORMAL

June was expected to turn in above normal rainfall at the end of one of the best productive phases following an onset, he said.

Meanwhile, Climate Prediction Centre of the US National Weather Services suspected that monsoon activity might start to weaken from next week. Rains may relapse to below ‘climatological mean’ (historical normal for a given period) towards end-June and into July.

DRY WINDS

Paresh Nerurkar, a senior commander with Air India, told Business Line from Kolkata on Sunday that he could detect dry westerlies penetrating the North-West as they blew in from across the border.

On Sunday, the IMD too detected a western disturbance with a strong band of westerly winds parked just outside of Rajasthan-Gujarat. US National Centres of Environmental Prediction too showed skies clearing up over Northwest India (especially western parts) later during this week.

A low-pressure area was bringing heavy rains over Central India but could weaken under the onslaught of the dry westerly winds.

MONSOON LULL?

Drawing from experience, he said conditions reminded him of an impending lull in monsoon. ‘Break-monsoon’ is an inevitable recess after a rain pulse runs it course.

Depending on the extent to which it sustains, break-monsoon can decide fate of the early sown crops, especially during the humongous run in the onset phase of monsoon this year.

The former top official of Met Department cited model predictions to indicate that monsoon could hold good over North India until at least June 20 (Thursday).

It might weaken slightly in the first week of July. As of now, one of the regions where it had been weak was Bihar, he added.

Vinson Kurian  - vinson.kurian@thehindu.co.in

Telegram Breathes Its Last As the Internet Age Takes Over

Telegram was once upon a time the only means of mailing urgent news to the near and dear ones and is on the verge of extinction. It will finally end its long held era this July 15 with the dominance of information technology like mobile phones and internet, as reported by TOI.

It was in the year 1850 when the telegraphic service started its operations in India initially by cable and later wireless as it urged the Indian telecom to overtake it.

Telegraphy which was taken over by cash ridden BSNL from the postal department had increased charges two years ago, from Rs 4 for 50 words to Rs 50. The international telegrams were done away with two months ago and now, the domestic taar is set to come to an end.

BSNL took over the telegram services from the postal department in 1990’s. The BSNL can no longer meet the expenses of continuing the telegram service which has remained inactive with the rising trends of SMSs, emails, fax and smart phones for few years now so it has incurred a loss of over Rs 17,000 crore in the past two fiscals. Even with its losses, BSNL still held on to this 163 year old legacy and made two last-final attempts to keep it alive.

There was a price hiked of telegraph in 2011 after a span of six decades which was priced at Rs 50 for 50 words. This increase in price also failed to make the service possible for the loss-making PSU. Following all the mess, BSNL then seek the government’s help to support the commercially outdated product but the government asked them to find out if it is still in use in today’s world.

BSNL finally decided to stop this service after consulting the department of post in a circular issued by Shameem Akhtar, senior GM (telegraph services).

“The telegram had lost its relevance. The basic idea of a taar was to send a message fast. Now SMS, fax and emails do that job. With smart phones, people send and receive emails on the move. So when we sought government support to keep the telegram alive, we were asked to decide its fate on a commercial basis and hence will now be discontinuing the service,” said a senior BSNL official, reported TOI.

The employees of the telegraph department will now be shifted to mobile services, landline telephony and broadband services over the next few months.

The history of Indian telecom started with the first experimental electric telegraph line that was started between Calcutta and Diamond Harbour. The following year, the British East India Company began to use it.

The telecom service was available to the masses from the year 1854. Till the year 1902, telegraphs were sent by wires after which it adopted the wireless method.

Thousands of Gmail accounts hacked in Iran: Google

The phishing campaigns are being launched inside Iran and represent a big surge in the region’s hacking activity before Iran’s presidential election on Friday.

Internet giant Google says it has blocked a “politically motivated” phishing against thousands of gmail users in Iran on the eve of the country’s presidential election.

“For almost three weeks, we have detected and disrupted multiple email-based phishing campaigns,” Eric Grosse, Google Inc.’s vice-president for security engineering, wrote in a post on Google’s blog.

“The timing and targeting of the campaigns suggest that the attacks are politically motivated,” Grosse said without elaborating.

The phishing campaigns are being launched inside Iran and represent a big surge in the region’s hacking activity before Iran’s presidential election on Friday, Grosse said.

The hackers direct gmail users in Iran to fake account maintenance pages where they are asked to give their username and password, Grosse said.

Google used its Chrome browser to detect a phishing campaign in 2011, when a young Iranian student claimed he hacked gmail accounts belonging to anti-government dissidents in a personal “patriotic” initiative unconnected to the government.

Moderate cleric Hassan Rowhani has emerged as the favourite in Iran’s presidential race, after former presidents Mohammad Khatami and Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani threw their support behind him.

A former chief nuclear negotiator, Rowhani, is keen to transform Iran’s damaged relations with the west.

Pro-reform candidate Mohammad Reza Aref pulled out of the contest, saying he was asked to do so by Khatami.

Presidential incumbent Mahmoud Ahmadinejad cannot run for a third term in office.

Expo 2020: Dubai emerges strongest contender as Thailand bows out

With less than six months to go until the BIE General Assembly in November, when the crucial vote will take place to decide the winning host city for World Expo 2020, Dubai is emerging as the leading contender for hosting the prestigious event.

For its bid to host the 2020 World Expo in Dubai, the UAE has selected the theme “Connecting Minds, Creating the Future”.

“We want to host Expo 2020 – a global event in which the cultures, innovations and creations of the world will meet in Dubai. We want to welcome more than 25 million people during six months, so they can see the best of what the human mind can achieve across cultures and races. We want to host the greatest minds in the world to share innovative solutions for global challenges that cannot be dealt with in isolation,” says His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE, and Ruler of Dubai.

“Expo 2020 will bring together expert thinkers to share inventive ways to deal with pressing issues such as energy and water. Great minds will also come together to share smart solutions for transportation, sustainability and global economic stability. When we proposed to host the world’s biggest cultural event, we promised to astonish the world. Today we pledge to breathe life into our slogan: We will bring minds together for a better future,” Sheikh Mohammed says, explaining the vision behind the slogan.

Brazil, Russia, Thailand, Turkey, and the United Arab Emirates had all officially bid to host Expo 2020 by the November 2, 2011, deadline. Yesterday, Thailand’s Ayutthaya withdrew its bid for Expo 2020. A decision will be made by the BIE General Assembly in November 2013.

The World Expo is one of the largest global, non-commercial events in terms of economic and cultural impact, after the FIFA World Cup and the Olympic Games.

“If Dubai is successful in its bid, the Expo will attract opportunities not only for Dubai and the UAE, but across the region and the world,” said His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman of the UAE’s Higher Committee on Hosting the World Expo 2020.

Sheikh Ahmed said that the total economic impact of the Expo would be huge. “The total economic output across Dubai economy would amount to €28.8 billion,” he said, adding that “more than 277,000 jobs will be added to the economy” for the Expo itself.

“More importantly,” he said, “for every one expo employee, there will be 50 additional jobs sustained across the Mena region and the Indian subcontinent.”

Sheikh Ahmed said that the Expo would provide a “significant boost to not just the national GDP, but also leave a lasting legacy for a generation to come in the UAE and the wider region and the world.”

He said that the total economic impact of the Expo would be huge. “The total economic output across Dubai economy would amount to €28.8 billion,” he said, adding that “more than 277,000 jobs will be added to the economy” for the Expo itself.

Sheikh Ahmed made these comments earlier this year during the Bureau International des Expositions’ (BIE) Enquiry Mission. At that time, Steen Christensen, Chairman of BIE’s Enquiry Mission to the UAE and delegate on behalf of Denmark, had lauded the UAE’s bid and efforts and had noted that the “BIE Enquiry Mission is impressed with the robust infrastructure and the level of public support for the bid.”

He added: “The visit to Dubai has given me a very positive impression of the country and the people – in that regard, it has been a very good and enjoyful experience.” Vincent Gonzales Loscertales, Secretary-General of BIE and part of the Enquiry Mission, too said he was impressed by “the readiness and cooperation of the authorities” for the bid.

According to ExpoBids.com, which tracks the various bids for the BIE-sanctioned expo to be held in 2020, Dubai’s bid is the “best funded” among the candidate cities. “Sources seem to indicate that Dubai has one of the best chances of the five bids,” the website notes.

The most recent World Expo in Shanghai in 2010 was of great significance to China. As a showcase of what a modern city Shanghai had become, it was a considerable achievement on the soft diplomacy front for the Chinese as they gained international exposure and reached further out into the world.

The Expo involved 192 countries and 50 international organisations and was the most expensive in the history of World’s Fairs. By its end, a record 73 million people had visited. It cost 11.96bn yuan ($1.89bn) to run the event, but it made a profit of more than 1bn yuan ($158m).

Vicky Kapur

Apple officially unveils iOS7 at WWDC 2013, Twitter reacts to its ‘childlike’ design

Apple plans to make iOS 7 available in the fall.

Apple unveiled its biggest change to its operating system on the iPhone.

The operating system has been given a radical visual overhaul, described as the “the biggest change to iOS since the introduction of the iPhone,” by Apple CEO Tim Cook.

As Apple kicked off its annual conference in San Francisco for its developers, the executive gave a detailed comprehensive explanation on all the new features in the new operating system.

The key features on iOS 7 are:
Notifications Centre: The notifications panel isn’t laced with dark grey linen anymore, but actually has a very flat look to it. There is a today view, that lets you see friends birthdays, upcoming invitations, calendar, stocks, and a quick look at tomorrow.

Multitasking: If you have an app that you’re always using, iOS 7 will make note of that and make sure its updating in the background. So if you tend to check your favourite social app at 9:00 am every day, your feed will be ready and waiting for you.

Control Panel: Control Panel is a pull-up tray that is available in your lock screen. You can adjust brightness, volume, and other settings including Wifi, Airplane mode, rotation lock, or Bluetooth. The Control Panel even offers a flashlight, along with tabs for music, camera, and other quick-access apps. The Control Panel takes on the environment it’s in, so if you swipe up while you’re in mail, it will have the same blue and white colouring under that translucent panel.

Camera And Photos: The Camera app lets you swipe between your various camera types, such as panorama or HDR so you can quickly take a pic instead of fumbling around with settings. Photos marks the first update to the photo gallery on iOS since it was introduced.You can search based on date, and location, within the photos app. Apple has introduced photo filters so you can add a little professionalism to the picture. Users can share via AirDrop, iCloud photo-sharing, as well as shared Photo Streams. You can even share video with iCloud photo-sharing.

AirDrop: You can share share sheets with other people by simply tapping their name. No NFC required. Airdrop supports iPhone 5, iPad 4th gen, iPad Mini

Apple’s Craig Federighi had joked during the keynote that users won’t have to go around bumping phones to share files and photos.

Siri: iOS 7 also has a new voice, a new interface and sound wave at the bottom.You can choose a male or female voice, if you like. Voices include languages like French, German, and other languages “over time.” The visual UI has also been upgraded, with a sound wave going along the bottom.

Siri has also been integrated with settings, letting you tell her to turn on bluetooth, or lower the screen brightness. The company has also added support for Twitter, Wikipedia, and shows web search results direct from Bing.

Find My iPhone: The new feature ensures that if your phone is stolen and somebody tries to turn off Find My iPhone, they will require your Apple ID and password. Also the Apple ID and password are will be required before anyone can reactivate the phone. Users can also block messages and calls from other users.

Safari: Safari opens straight into full screen mode now, with the option to pull down to bring up the search bar at the top.The search field has been improved to be a unified smart search field, which lets you have access to all your favourite websites with a single tap.Tabs come with a totally new interface, scrolling in a vertical carousel, and there are no longer any limits. In other words, you can have as many tabs as you want, as opposed to just 8 like before. Swipe a tab off to the side to throw it away. The new Safari is integrated with iCloud keychain from OS X Mavericks, and also comes with parental controls.

iOS in the Car: iOS in the Car depends a lot on Siri.It puts the iOS home screen on the screen of your car, and lets you search for directions, listen to music, etc.

App Store: You can now search for apps based on location. In other words, search for apps by the Louvre and see a lot of French museum apps The App Store also automatically updates apps for you in the background now.

iTunes Radio: Apple has finally introduced the much-anticipated iTunes Radio, which gives a Genius-like experience to the entire 26-million title iTunes catalogue. You can see the full list of songs on each station by clicking history, with purchase and preview buttons built right in to send you to the iTunes store. iTunes Radio also lets you customise each station by clicking a star to show that you want more of this type of music.iTunes Match users will get an ad-free experience, but others will be able to use the app for free with a few audio and text ads.

The executives also showed off a new line of Mac computers and said that updated Siri voice software used on the iPhone now incorporates Microsoft Corp’s Bing search engine.

iTunes Radio, which will compete against Pandora Media Inc , allows users to customise by genre and personal taste. The service is free with ads across Apple’s devices, including Apple TV. It is free of ads for subscribers to iTunes’ Match, a digital content feature. 

Apple plans to make iOS 7 available in the fall.

The iOS will be compatible with iPhone 4, 4S and 5. It will also work with iPad 2, 3 and 4 and iPad mini and iPod touch.

Tasneem Akolawala 

CBI files fresh FIR in coal scam, books Naveen Jindal, ex-MoS coal for cheating, graft

The agency team carried out coordinated searches at the 6-Prithviraj Road residence of Jindal and offices of his firms in Bikaji Cama place.

In a major embarrassment to the Congress, its MP Naveen Jindal and former Minister of State for Coal Dasari Narayan Rao have been accused of alleged cheating and graft by CBI in its fresh FIR in the coal scam.

After registering the 12th FIR in coal block allocation scam probe, CBI sources said the agency today carried out searches at 15 locations including residence and offices of Jindal in the national capital and Rao in Hyderabad.

The agency team carried out coordinated searches at the 6-Prithviraj Road residence of Jindal and offices of his firms in Bikaji Cama place.

Besides Jindal and Rao, CBI has also booked companies Jindal Steel and Power Limited and Gagan Sponge which were allotted Amarkonda Murgadangal coal block in Birbhum, Jharkhand in the year 2008.

The agency also booked Jindal’s companies–Jindal Realty and ND Exim and Rao’s company Saubhagya Media.

The agency has accused Jindal, Rao and the companies of alleged criminal conspiracy, cheating and relevant provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act.

Rao, a former Congress Rajya Sabha MP, held position of Minister of state for Coal between 2004-06 and between 2006 and 2008. He has already been quizzed by the agency in connection with the probe in coal block allocation scam.

Reacting to the development, Head of External Affairs, Jindal Steel and Power Limited, Manu Kapoor said, “JSPL, as a law abiding company, is governed by a strong ethical code of conduct. This is an ongoing CBI investigation into coal block allocation. At this stage of investigation, JSPL is committed to fully cooperate with CBI.”

BJP Spokesperson Prakash Javdekar termed the action of agency too little too later and demanded that action should not be limited to searches alone. 

PTI

Top 10 Android Phablets With 5-Inch Screen Under 10, 000

Phablets, or the Smartphone-tablet hybrids have turned out to be trend-setters in the market. Measuring a screen size of 5-inch and above, the phablets have created a hype for their high price tag. Currently, the Indian market is on the lookout for low-cost phablets with 5-inch screens which offers ample space for games and entertainment.

Have a look at the top 10 Android phablets under 10, 000; compiled by IBN Live.

#10 Micromax Canvas 2 A110

Price: 9, 999
The Micromax A110 Canvas 2 is the successor of the company’s first phablet A100 Canvas. The A110 Canvas 2 comes with a huge 5 inch FWVGA display at a resolution of 480 x 854 pixels which counts to 196 pixels per inch. It is powered with 1 GHz Dual-Core processor, 512 MB of RAM and runs on Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich operating system.

It also features dual-SIM support, 8 mega pixel camera with dual-LED flash at the back, 0.3 mega pixel front facing camera, 2 GB internal memory and comes with microSD card slot for expanding memory up to 32 GB. The Superfone A110 Canvas 2 is priced at 9, 999 and is available in two color options – White and Black.

#9 Celkon Signature One A107

Price: 6, 999
The phablet, priced at 6, 999; Celkon A107 Signature One comes with a 5-inch capacitive touch screen. It runs on Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich and is powered by a 1GHz dual-core processor along with 512MB of RAM. The device comes with 512MB of internal storage out of which 105MB is accessible to the users.

The dual-SIM handset has a large 5-inch display and packed with 2100 mAh battery. The phablet has an 8-megapixel rear camera and a VGA one on the front.

#8 Lava Iris 501

Price: 8, 000
Lava Iris 501, priced at 8000; runs on Android 4.0.4 Ice Cream Sandwich. The Iris N501 is equipped with a capacitive 5 inch touch display (800X400 pixels) and powered by 1GHz dual-core processor along with 512 RAM.The model features a 5-megapixel autofocus rear camera with LED flash, VGA front camera and 4GB internal storage which can be expanded to 32GB via microSD card. It comes with a 2,300mAh battery which can stand to 7.8 hours talk time and 620 hours standby mode.

Apart from these features, the device also comes with pre-installed apps like Saavn, Fusion Music Organizer and games like Asphalt HD, Saving Private Sheep, Cricket Fever, Little Big City and Shark Dash. Various connectivity options like 3G, Wifi, Bluetooth and GPS are also provided.

#7 Micromax Canvas 3D A115

Price: 9, 950
The Micromax Canvas 3D A115 offers hassle free 3D viewing experience and requires no 3D glasses to view the content. The phablet houses a 1GHz dual core processor along with 1GB of RAM, promising superior quality graphics, multitasking and improved application manageability. It runs on Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean and the device, as usual, supports memory card for expansion from the 4GB of internal storage.

A115 Canvas 3D priced at 9, 950 boasts of a 5-inch display. Micromax has also pitched in its 3D Space for 3D videos and games. The back panel holds a 5 megapixel camera for picture enthusiasts, while a VGA camera is placed on the front. Connectivity features of the 3D Smartphone are Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0 and microUSB. The 2000mAh battery of the Smartphone offers talktime up to 4.5 hours.

#6 Swipe Fablet F3

Price: 9, 000
Priced at 9,000; Swipe Fablet F3 comes with Android 4.1.1 Jelly Bean operating system powered by 1GHz dual core processor along with 512MB DDRIII RAM. Designed with 5-point Multi-touch screen, the phablet has a built-in memory of 4GB which can be expanded up to 32GB.

In terms of connectivity, the phablet offers 3G, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and a dual-3G SIM for user’s personal and professional calls. It is equipped with 0.3MP front facing camera and 5MP rear camera and is packed with 2200mAh battery and includes multi-media features like FM Radio.

#5 Intex Aqua 5

Price: 9, 500
Intex Aqua 5, a budget phablet priced at 9, 500; is equipped with a dual core processor which yields high performance. The phablet comes with a 5-inch capacitive touch screen and is powered by 1GHz dual core processor. It runs on Android 4.0, Ice Cream Sandwich, powered by 1GHz dual core processor along with 512MB RAM.

The device comes with an internal storage of 4GB which can be expanded further up to 32GB via microSD card. Besides, it includes multi-media features like FM Radio, audio jack and connectivity features like Wi-Fi, 3G, Bluetooth and GPS. Apart from that, the phablet is equipped with 5MP auto focus rear camera with LED flash and 1.3MP front-facing camera as well as includes pre-loaded apps like Flipkart, Nimbuzz, Skype and the like.

#4 Zync Z5

Price: 7, 000
The Zync Cloud Z5 comes with a huge 5 inch multi touch capacitive touch screen which supports a resolution of 800 X 480 pixels. It functions on Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich operating system and is powered by a 1 GHz processor backed by 512 MB of RAM.

Along with these specifications the phablet comes with an 8 mega pixel rear camera and a 0.3 mega pixel front facing camera for video calling. It also has 4 GB internal memory along with a microSD slot for expandable memory up to 32 GB. The device comes with a 2,500 mAh battery. The phablet is available at a price of 7, 000.

#3 Spice Stellar Horizon Pro

Price: 8, 499
Spice Stellar Horizon Pro, priced at 8, 499 features a 5.0-inch screen that has a resolution of 480*800 pixels and runs on Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. The phablet, powered by 1GHz dual-core processor along with 512MB RAM has an internal storage of 4GB that can be expanded to 32GB via microSD card.

The phone sports a 5-megapixel rear camera with dual LED Flash and a 1.3-megapixel front facing camera. In terms of connectivity, the phone supports Wi-Fi, 3G (for both SIM card slots) and Bluetooth 4.0. It comes with a 2100mAh battery and promises a talk time of 4 hours and a standby time of 200 hours.

#2 Byond B65

Price: 8, 500
Byond B65, priced at 8, 500 comes with 5-inch capacitive touchscreen. Powered by 1.2GHz dual core processor along with 512MB RAM, the phablet runs on Android 4.0.4 Ice Cream Sandwich operating system. Built with an internal memory of 4GB, the storage can be extended up to 32GB via microSD card.

The device is equipped with 8MP front facing camera and 1.3MP secondary camera and offers 3 hours on 2G loaded with 2400mAh battery. Connectivity wise, it includes Wi-Fi, 3G, Bluetooth as well as multi-media features like music player and video player.

#1 Adcom Thunder A530 HD

Price: 8, 999
Adcom Thunder A530 HD comes with a 5.3-inch large HD LCD display screen and runs on Android 4.1 Jelly Bean operating system. Powered by 1.2GHz dual-core processor along with 512MB RAM, the device has an internal storage of 4GB which can be expanded up to 32GB.

The phablet is equipped with 8MP rear camera and 2MP front facing camera as well as includes connectivity features like Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, 3G and is packed with 2800mAh battery.

RBI’s New Banking License: Permits Only to High Quality Applications

After the Reserve Bank of India gave a green signal to issue new bank permits, plenty of applications made their way to the RBI for the license. According to the RBI spokespersons, around 39 applicants have applied for the new banking license.

In this regard, the RBI said that it will take wise and clear decisions in issuing the permit for the newer banks and also, it is not possible to allow all the eligible candidates to have individual licenses.

RBI spokesperson said, “There is no predetermined number. RBI will be very selective while considering the applications for new bank licenses. It will look for very high quality applications,” as reported in PTI. It also said, “It may, therefore, be not possible to issue license to all the applicants meeting the eligibility criteria.”

On February, 2013, RBI issued the final guidelines regarding the issuing of new banking license and this month, RBI finally said that it has received plenty of entries from various interested license seekers. RBI also gave some clarifications regarding this matter.