3 search engines which aren’t Google

The problem with search today - and we all know that - is that we’ve all figured out that if you type less keywords, you get better results. That’s crazy. - Steve Ballmer I agree with Mr. Ballmer. That is exactly the problem we have today. Part of the reason for this lazy behavior is Google. [...]

NearbySocial: Find Facebook users nearby you

NearbySocial is new Facebook download application via one can track other people using facebook nearby him or her and here ‘nearby’ means geographical proximity for e.g. in cafeteria, in college library or in office premise. Its actually a software application that uses the ubiquitous Wi-Fi signal and show profiles of interesting nearby Facebook users, apparently in [...]

MTNL Brings 3G Jadoo To Mumbai; Killer App; 3G A Revolution?

After typical delays, the public sector telecom operator MTNL has finally launched Jadoo in Mumbai today, Techtree reports. This is the second city where the company has launched 3G services, after rolling out services in Delhi in February. We had reviewed the 3G services in December, and questioned the rationale behind the inordinately high pricing. BSNL is also [...]

Fake IPL Player and the future of blogging in India

My guess is - 95% of people reading this are also reading Fake IPL Player blog. If not, here is a what fake IPL player in 140 characters or more.   Fake IPL Player is a blog started by a (allegedly) of Kolkata Knight Riders team and is creating quite a stir.The blogger talks a lot about [...]

Coins will revive the economy faster. If only we can get unbreakable 10 rupee coins

There was an interesting study done by few economists. They checked the denomination effect. Or the effect the coins have on the spending habits of the consumers. The results of the study are quite remarkable. People tend to spend the coins faster than the bills or notes. We’ve done some studies with four quarters and [...]

Research groups gravitate to IBM’s sideways server cluster

Research groups gravitate to IBM’s sideways server clusterITvoir, IndiaOne year ago, IBM made a play for the Web 2.0 market with iDataPlex, a server cluster designed for the needs of Web sites such as Facebook and MySpace. So far, though, IBM says the technology has gained more traction in the university and ...

SIS In Talks To Acquire SDB Cisco For Rs 300 Crore

Security and Intelligence Services (SIS), a Delhi-based private security provider, is close to acquiring SDB Cisco for around Rs 300 crore. The company may for a special purpose vehicle (SPV)  along with a private equity partner for the acquisition, reports Economic Times.   SIS has been backed hedge fund DE Shaw. Chennai-based SDB Cisco is a 60:40 joint venture between MAC Group and Singapore-based Certis Cisco. The report adds that AC Muthiah-led MAC Group is looking to sell its stake in the firm. Private equity funds like Carlyle, Sequoia Capital, Actis and TVS Capital are also in the fray to pick up a stake.   SDB Cisco provides security and cash-in-transit management services and has revenues of Rs 200 crore. It has an employee strength of around 25,000 security guards with 1,400 across the country.   SIS last year acquired the guarding and patrol business units of United Technologies Corp (UTC) in Australia. The units had revenues of $400 million. SIS had partnered with DE Shaw for that acquisition.   The acquisition of SDB Cisco will be a good strategic fit for SIS as it would help the latter expand to markets in southern and western India. DE Shaw had bought 14% stake in SIS for around Rs 300 crore $75 million in early 2008, valuing the company at about Rs 2,150 crore $525 million.   MAC Group is looking to sell its non-core assets, and selling of security business is part of that. The fund raised from this sale will be used in its core businesses like fertilisers, petrochemicals and logistics.   The private security market in India is growing at 25% every year and is said to be worth Rs 10,000 crore. Topsgroup is another player in this market, and received private equity funding from ICICI Venture, Indivision, the investment of arm of the Future Group, and Rakesh Jhunjhunwala. Denmark-based Group 4 Securicor and Brinks Arya are other major players in this market.  

Technology & Media Orgs Concerned About Security

CXOToday.comTechnology & Media Orgs Concerned About SecurityCXOToday.com, IndiaThe survey results showed that 'exploitation of vulnerabilities in web 2.0 technologies' and 'social engineering' techniques such as pretexting and phishing are regarded as a threat to a company's information security, with 83% and 80% of respondents ...

News Roundup: Travel Portals Claim Profits; No Conflict Of Interest, Says TRAI Chairman

Despite a fall in air travellers, four travel portals claim to have made a profit for the quarter ended 31 March, according to this Mint story. MakeMyTrip, Cleartrip, Travelguru and Yatra claim to have made a profit in the latest quarter. MakeMyTrip claims to have made a net profit of Rs1.5 crore for the quarter. Others did not offer numbers. While industry observers are sceptical about the claim—India's airlines saw a 10% drop in passenger traffic last fiscal—portals say other high-margin services such as hotels, cruises and package holidays, help them make up for the loss in travel bookings. New Trai chairman J.S. Sarma put an end to the controversy over the conflict of interest involved in him, a former TDSAT member who has sat in judgment over Trai rulings, now becoming chairman of the telecom regulator. Sarma told Business Standard that he will recuse himself from decisions involving his past judgments. This means if Trai wants to appeal against a TDSAT verdict, that decision need not be cleared by Sarma.  Join ContentNext, along with Social Media and Mobile visionaries, for our third annual EconSM Conference in San Francisco on May 14th. Registration includes admission for our post-conference mixer. Register at www.econsm.com for the May 14th event in San Francisco. Get 10% off the the early registration fee by using code "EconSM0910"