Leslie D'Monte &Amp; Priyanka Joshi

Stories by Leslie D'Monte &Amp; Priyanka Joshi

Will my job be safe in 2009?

Will my job be safe in 2009?

Rediff.com   26 Dec 2008

Insurance, telecom, infrastructure, FMCG and energy are unlikely to downsize; Elsewhere, only top performers are safe.

3 undersea cable cuts hit India Net traffic

3 undersea cable cuts hit India Net traffic

Rediff.com   20 Dec 2008

Three major undersea cables -- the Sea Me We 4, Sea Me We3, and FLAG -- were cut, considerably slowing down India's internet and voice traffic. The extent of the damage is still being assessed.

Satyam mulling dividend too

Satyam mulling dividend too

Rediff.com   20 Dec 2008

If implemented, this will be music to the ears of shareholders and analysts who have been insisting that Satyam would be better off returning money to shareholders.

Satyam: Just what went wrong?

Satyam: Just what went wrong?

Rediff.com   19 Dec 2008

The crux of the problem it appears is one of "trust" and the perception that a unilateral decision was taken by the board, allegedly to favour Raju's sons' companies.

Turnaround at least a year away for IT firms

Turnaround at least a year away for IT firms

Rediff.com   8 Dec 2008

The last couple of months have dealt a severe blow to IT firms, which has even prompted the top listed Indian IT services providers to inform investors that they need to scale down their growth expectations from the sector that, on an average, has been growing almost 30 per cent year-on-year.

An audio treat for music lovers

An audio treat for music lovers

Rediff.com   4 Dec 2008

The latest generation of Altec Lansing speakers, the FX3022 ex-pressionist Bass, make an interesting set of speakers. ex-pressionist Bass are meant to be an audio treat for music lovers and are priced at roughly Rs 7,000.

Move aside desktops; here come 'nettops'

Move aside desktops; here come 'nettops'

Rediff.com   4 Dec 2008

It all started with the advent and success of smaller laptops or netbooks, as they are called, in June 2008. Now, Indian and multinational PC makers like Asus, HCL Infosystems and Wipro are ready to give a push to the retail sales of even smaller desktops or Nettops, based on Intel Atom processors. Others like Dell, HP and Lenovo are expected to follow.

Terror attacks to boost security gadget sales

Terror attacks to boost security gadget sales

Rediff.com   2 Dec 2008

Sophisticated security-related electronics are expected to flood the domestic market after the Mumbai terror attacks.

Terrorists one-up on tech

Terrorists one-up on tech

Rediff.com   1 Dec 2008

Terrorist attacks are becoming increasingly sophisticated and consistently exploiting India's gaping security loopholes -- both on terra firma and in cyberspace. Yet, India's seriousness about electronic surveillance as a preventive measure appears to be woefully inadequate.

i-bankers sink in marriage mart

i-bankers sink in marriage mart

Rediff.com   27 Nov 2008

Considered, till recently, the "blue-chips" of the estimated $15 billion Indian matrimonial market, the marriage value of non-resident Indian (NRI) and India-based investment bankers is rapidly being eroded.

Sprint mulls managing Indian WiMax networks

Sprint mulls managing Indian WiMax networks

Rediff.com   19 Nov 2008

"While telecom operators may get a licence for spectrum and have the money to build networks, they may not necessarily have the management skills. We are in talks to explore possibilities of knowledge transfer and help operators build capacities by lowering entry barriers," said Barry West, CTO, Sprint, and president, Xohm. Globally, Sprint is not doing well. It is now banking on WiMax to boost its revenues.

Cybercrime, phishing flourish as markets falter

Cybercrime, phishing flourish as markets falter

Rediff.com   24 Oct 2008

Sample this. Five cyber-thieves, allegedly part of a network that hacked into the account of a Noida businessman, were nabbed today for a Rs 1.66 crore (Rs 16.6-million) cyber hack. They used Internet banking to transfer the money from the businessman's account with the Punjab National Bank's Noida branch to their own account.

How to hook and retain customers

How to hook and retain customers

Rediff.com   20 Oct 2008

Reliance Life's virtual office has become the focal point of real-time interactions for its customers, agents and employees. It offers consumers the ability to review insurance claims and manage their plans; perform online transactions, such as ordering policies; access a consolidated, interactive snapshot of their retirement plans; and receive personalised health and investment news.

Free group SMSes from Google soon

Free group SMSes from Google soon

Rediff.com   7 Oct 2008

Google is testing its SMS channel in India and intends to launch it to global audiences later. It supports English, Hindi, Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam and Kannada languages. It was fully conceptualised by Google India Labs. Prasad Ram, head (R&D), Google India, says, "The SMS channel is in line with our endeavour to connect the 250 million mobile subscribers who have no access to information."

SAP takes centre stage with HCL, Infosys' bid for

SAP takes centre stage with HCL, Infosys' bid for

Rediff.com   29 Sep 2008

With India's two leading IT outsourcing companies, Infosys and HCL Technologies, vying to acquire the UK-based consulting firm Axon, SAP implementation is back in focus.

IT firms fish for overseas acquisitions

IT firms fish for overseas acquisitions

Rediff.com   29 Sep 2008

Eyeing to make 8 buys to meet their revenue guidance.

Google phone to hit Indian stores in December

Google phone to hit Indian stores in December

Rediff.com   26 Sep 2008

The price, however, will be higher than the US debut tag of around Rs 8,200 ($179). Ajay Sharma, country manager, HTC (India), told Business Standard: "We would prefer a mobile operator tie-up to introduce the Google phone in India in December."

Google entices phone users with voice search

Google entices phone users with voice search

Rediff.com   22 Sep 2008

Internet search giant Google hopes to hook the millions of cellular phone subscribers in India who do not use data or SMS-based services with its voice-based search. It is conducting pilot projects in Hyderabad and Delhi, and is expected to roll out more in Mumbai, Bangalore and Kolkata shortly. The company is expected to add audio playback for search queries on local news and entertainment.

Need a small, cheap, effective laptop?

Need a small, cheap, effective laptop?

Rediff.com   4 Sep 2008

You have two new options -- Asus's Eee PC 1000H and Acer's Aspire One. Both, says Priyanka Joshi, are worth your attention.

iPhone price may fall 15%

iPhone price may fall 15%

Rediff.com   1 Sep 2008

A week after Apple began selling iPhone in India, experts believe that the iconic phone is ready to become cheaper by more than 15 per cent to boost sales in the world's fastest-growing mobile phone market.