Google Email in Hindi

Certain Gmail features only available with English language settings.

Here is some good news for all you Indians out there who always wanted to email your friends and family in your native language.

Google has launched a new feature in Gmail that makes it easy to type out emails in Indian languages. When you compose a new mail in Gmail, you will now see an icon with an Indian character. This feature is enabled by default for Gmail users in India. If you do not see this function enabled by default, you will need to go to the "Settings" page and enable this option in the "Language" section.

When you click the Indian languages icon, you can type words the way they sound in English and Gmail will automatically convert the word to the selected Indian local language equivalent. Gmail currently supports five Indian languages -- Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, and Malayalam -- and you can select the language of your choice from the drop-down list next to the icon.

To change the language view in Gmail, you have to do the following:

1. Sign in to Gmail.
2. Click Settings at the top of any Gmail page.
3. Select a language from the Gmail display language: drop-down menu in the Language section.
4. Click Save Changes.

The Gmail interface will appear in the language of your choice after you click Save Changes. However, your Gmail's display language doesn't affect the language in which your messages are sent and received.

Some of the features available in the English language setting may not be available when you select another language setting. Google added that it's working towards making all of Gmail's features available in every language setting.

Real Estate Market

Mumbai Buyers tread cautiously even as developers offer discounts

On a steady descent, the property prices across the city have dropped by 30-40 per cent from its peak rates. Realty research figures indicate that the average property prices in Mumbai, Thane and Navi Mumbai (Mumbai Metropolitan Region) have come down from its peak of Rs 8,136 a sq ft in June 2008 to Rs 4,607 a sq ft in March 2009. With 420 ready and 1,349 under-construction projects in the MMR, the mounting inventory has led to a more pronounced price cut in the latter category.

Eager to tide over the absolute slack, several developers are advertising limited time discounts. HDIL has done the same at its Kurla and Andheri projects, Nirmal Lifestyle at its Mulund project, Lodha at its Dombivli project as well as a slew of others with big-sized projects in Thane and Navi Mumbai. They urge buyers to go in for a panic buying till the offer lasts, claiming that there will only be an upward movement in prices hereafter. This is a far cry from the initial days of the slump, when developers dangled sweeteners like stamp duty waivers or a free car and electronic goods, ruling out any reduction in rates.

However, realty players say that with banks tightening the noose around developers, the fate of many under-construction projects is unsure. Real estate rating agency Liases Foras estimates that about 50 per cent of the ongoing projects are doomed to either get stalled or get deferred.

Property rates are bound to fall up to 60 per cent. Not only are the developers starved for money, the buyers also have no money to spare. Also no buyer wants to put his money or risk taking a loan for buying an under-construction flat.

lats in prime areas such as Peddar Road have come down from a staggering Rs 1 lakh a sq ft to a range of Rs 60,000-35,000 a sq ft. In Bandra, it has dropped from Rs 25,000 a sq ft to Rs 14,000 a sq ft.

Luxury Goods

As Western markets falter, high-end retailers are searching for places where consumers are hungry for more glitzy brands and luxury products. India, in some ways, fills the bill, even as its economy cools.

While India makes up just 0.4 percent of global luxury good sales, the market is growing at 25 percent a year, according to a recent Bain & Co. study. There are 1.5 million households in India who could afford luxury goods, compared with 1.6 million households in China.

The numbers have prompted some luxury brand names to open retail stores in the largest cities in India in recent months, despite the economic downturn. New entrants say that gaining a foothold in India has not been easy, and doing business has been difficult.

Aishwarya Rai as barbie

Aishwarya Rai's representatives are in negotiations with the toy giant, Mattel, as it plans to transform the iconic doll into a Bollywood star and sell it throughout India. If it turns positive, the actress will be the first Indian face of the doll "Barbie". It will be named "Bollywood Barbie".

The company which recently celebrated Barbie's 50th birthday expects to cash in on the popularity of bollywood star.

Aishwarya Rai's face is well-known throughout the world as she had acted in Hollywood films, too. To name few " Pink Panther 2 " , "Mistress of Spices", "Bride and Prejudices" etc. She is accepted in Hollywood thanks to her green eyes. She will have the doll modeled on her with those eyes and outfits of the doll will be designed by India's top designer.

She is among the four Indian film stars to have their waxwork image displayed at Madame Tussaud's. The others are her Father-in-law Amitabh Bachchan, Shahrukh Khan and Diva Helen.

Sixth Sense Device

Pranav Mistry, a 28-year old researcher of a Massachusetts institute of Technology, has created a digital prototype of a "sixth sense" device that is being currently evaluated by Google, Microsoft, HP, Samsung etc. Pranav is from Gujarat, India.


To briefly describe what this sixth sense is all about, we need to understand how the current dissemination of information from current electronic devices takes place. Most of the information from computers, mobile phones and other devices are confined to screen or paper - if we decide to take a print. However, the sixth sense, according to Pranav, bridges this gap "bringing intangible digital information out into the tangible world, and allowing us to interact with this information via natural hand gestures". The concept falls under "wearable computing" -- the same category under which the ubiquitous mobile phone falls as well.

The equipment list for the sixth sense might seem a tad crude, but it does its job quite well. It comprises a pocket projector; mirror and web camera bundled in a wearable pendant-like mobile. With the help of the projector, you can turn any material surface into a touchscreen. The camera is used to "see" the hand gestures. The user will however need to wear color-coded gloves on the index finger and the thumb so that the hand movements can be recorded and decrypted.

Some of the interesting hand gestures include drawing a square frame which will trigger a command to take a picture, drawing the @ sign will let the user access his email. You can even write e-mails with the help of the projector, which projects an image of a virtual keyboard so that you can type. All this costs around $350 (Rs. 17,000) to build - which is not a bad for something as futuristic as this!

Pranav been approached by a couple of Indian companies who seem to be interested in his project. However, he wants the technology to be a little cheaper before it comes to India.

In-car device that reads your email

Now listen to email you receive while driving.

Intelligent Mechatronic Systems' (IMS) iLane, the first in-car device that interacts directly with your smart phone and lets you manage your inbox hands-free, using simple voice commands.

iLane, a portable smart phone-compatible device, which can be installed inside vehicles and gives drivers the ability to control their smart phones entirely hands-free. iLane reads out e-mails to the user, on command, and it allows for access and control of other smart phone applications by voice command, including managing phone calls, SMS messages, and calendars. iLane also provides on-demand access to news and weather content from The Associated Press and The Weather Network.

Users have an option to send two stock email responses - "I am in transit and will respond shortly" or "Call me if it's important" - or they can record a 15-minute voice memo, which the iLane will send as an email attachment.

iLane is available now through the iLane website at www.ilane.com or through E-Access in North America - http://eaccessinc.com - at $599 (Rs. 30,321.13 approx.), plus $7.99 (Rs. 404.33 approx.) per month. iLane is currently compatible with BlackBerry 8000 series and smart phones running BlackBerry OS 4.1 and newer versions. Compatibility with additional operating systems will be available throughout 2009.

Producers, Multiplexes

When a film is released, profit sharing, among producers, multiplex owners and distributors, is always a problem. This difference may force to postpone the release of the film. So Indian Producers and Distributors Forum has decided put a hold on release of films which were to be released from Apr 04, 2009.

The production and distribution houses have proposed 50:50 profit sharing irrespective of the star cast or budget. Producers are of the opinion that so far they have provided content for the multiplexes without any revenue sharing pattern. The revenue sharing model is ad hoc and is dictated by the multiplexes on producers as well as distributors. Multiplexes only share the revenue generated from the sell of ticket.

The multiplexes are yet in developing stage and the owners have to invest in maintaining and providing better movie experience to the viewers. It should be noted that this has come when IPL matches are on card, so loss to the multiplexes will not be to that extent.

Unlucky 13

During calendar year 2009, there is Friday on Feb 13, Mar 13, and Nov 13. This happens only once in 11 years. It is believed that 13 is unlucky and Friday on 13th of any month is most unlucky.

Reasons for the above belief:

• There was a ship "Friday 13" with British Navy. This ship started journey on Friday on 13th and didn't returned.
• On Apr 11, 1970, Project Apollo of Nasa, "Apollo 13" was launched at 13:13 (01:13 PM) was set on fire after 2 days, but all the astronauts were saved. The date was 11-04-70 (i.e. 1+1+4+7 = 13)
  
• Many hospitals skip bed or room number 13, toll buildings skip floor number 13 and many airline terminals skip gate number 13.
• President Roosevelt never traveled on 13th of any month and never hosted 13 guests at a meal.
  
• According to a numerologists 13 is suffered at its position which is after 12. As twelve is a complete number - 12 months in a year. Zodiac, 12 gods of Olympus, 12 labours of Hercules, 12 tribes of Israel, 12 apostles of Jesus, 12 days of Christmas and 12 eggs in a dozen.

Earth Hour

• Over 930 cities and towns in 80 countries, across 25 time zones to power down for Earth Hour 2009
• Global icons add to lights out spectacle

Precisely 8.30pm on March 28 the diesel generators will be switched off on the Chatham Islands, a small archipelago off the east coast of New Zealand, heralding the start of the greatest community event the world has ever witnessed - Earth Hour 2009.

As the first country to flick the switch for the global event, WWF New Zealand's Earth Hour organiser, Dairne Poole sees her country as playing a vital role in Earth Hour’s journey to reach one billion people in over 1,000 cities, across 25 time zones.

"New Zealand will be the first country in the world to turn its lights off for Earth Hour 2009 with 43 councils and local bodies taking part. Even though we are a small nation, we are setting an important example for others to witness and hopefully follow," says Ms Poole.

The global wave of participation will gather momentum through Asia Pacific with major cities such as Sydney, Seoul, Beijing, Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur, Manila, Singapore, Bangkok, Jakarta, Mumbai and Delhi dimming the lights as millions flick the switch to express their concern for the planet.

Across the globe Earth Hour will provide the platform for a collective voice to be heard from each and every time zone. From the streets of Cape Town to the Hills of Los Angeles, Earth Hour will unite people from all walks of life as the call for action on climate change makes its transglobal journey.

Paris, the ‘City of Lights’ will make a powerful statement by turning off its famous lights, including the Eiffel Tower, for Earth Hour. In the birthplace of democracy, thousands of Athenians will gather to watch the lights go out at the Acropolis in acknowledgement of their vote for action on climate change.

Metropolises across the Americas including New York, Rio de Janeiro, Toronto, Buenos Aires, Chicago, Mexico City and Las Vegas will see their united voice accompanied by unfamiliar lighting – stars.

Earth Hour Executive Director, Mr Andy Ridley, said that Earth Hour signals the beginning of the journey to Copenhagen, where the future of the planet rests with world leaders.

“Earth Hour will focus global attention on addressing the issue of climate change. We are asking one billion people to take part in what is essentially the first global vote for action on climate change by turning off their lights for one hour and casting a vote for earth,” he said.

“Earth Hour hopes to provide a global mandate for action on climate change to the world’s leaders at the UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen in December this year, where an agreement will be made to supersede the Kyoto Protocol.

“It is imperative this agreement leads to a sustainable outcome that suitably addresses climate change. Earth Hour presents an opportunity for every person in the world to have a say in that agreement’s outcome and ensure it isn’t merely an insubstantial token effort by our world’s leaders,” said Mr Ridley.

Vote Here.

Carpets - Manufacturer and Exporter

A and S Industries Pvt. Ltd., New Delhi

Aaka Furnishings, New Delhi

Aaka International, New Delhi

ABC Overseas, Mumbai

Aquarius (India) International, New Delhi

Archana India Export House, New Delhi

Atsar Exports Pvt. Ltd., New Delhi

Atul International, New Delhi

Delgem Overseas Pvt. Ltd., New Delhi

Kuttu International, New Delhi

Lucent Impex Pvt. Ltd., Ghaziabad

Mab Fab (India), Panipat

Punihani International, New Delhi

Royal Exim, New Delhi

Sahiba International, New Delhi

Shara India, New Delhi

Spectra,New Delhi

Wazir International, New Delhi

Xcessentials, Gurgaon

Manpower crunch in Real Estate sector

Real Estate sector is a sector which was hurt the most during recent recession and is now taking off.

During the real estate boom before the downturn, many developers hired more manpower than required. But during these 2 quarters of recession, the extra manpower was laid off. These employees are mostly taken in other sectors, as reality sector was damaged the highest. Now when the developers are in need of extra staff, they won't find proper staff. To find unskilled staff may not be a big problem. But for the skilled staff the case may not be same.

About 30% of the country's working population is employed in this sector and the sector is on number to 2 to give jobs, first being the agriculture. It accommodates employee from unskilled to highly skilled.

Laptop at less than Rs. 1000

A novel version of the laptop, built by India's premier science and technology institutes and to be priced between Rs.500-1,000 (approx. $10-20), was showcased Tuesday in Tirupati town.

The low-cost device, developed jointly by the (IIT), Chennai, and Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, for the human resource development (HRD) ministry, is aimed at bridging the digital divide and making access to computer literacy affordable to the masses.

Demonstrating the laptop in presence of HRD Minister Arjun Singh and experts in the Venkateshwara University campus, Education Joint Secretary S.K. Sinha said the low-power consuming gadget would hit the market in the next six months.

'The device, which is smaller than the normal laptop in size and weight, still needs fine-tuning. With 2GB memory and wireless internet connection, the laptop will be priced between Rs.500-1,000 to make it affordable to everyone,' Sinha said.

To popularise and make extensive use of the laptop, the ministry plans to distribute the device in hundreds to higher secondary schools and colleges across the country on a pilot basis under the national mission on education through ICT (information and communication technology).

'We intend to provide high-speed internet access to schools and colleges to download e-books, e-journals and relevant educative material through the state-run Sakshat portal,' Sinha said.

'The goal of the national mission is to increase enrollment in higher education by five percent by 2014. The government will subsidise 25 percent of broadband connectivity costs for private and public colleges,' Singh announced.

The mission is part of the ministry's initiatives to help the common man in his quest for education. The central government has earmarked Rs.46.12 billion (Rs.4,612 crore) for the mission in the 11th Five-Year Plan.

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy and state HRD Minister D. Purandeshwari were also present on the occasion.

Recent News

Terror struck at the heart of cricket when masked gunmen attacked the bus carrying the Sri Lankan cricket team to Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore. Five cricketers including Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara received minor injuries. Six security men and 2 civilians dead so far.

Not only the test match, but the tour is called off and the Sri Lanka Team took off for home.

The Sri Lankans were on their way to the Gaddafi Stadium when their bus was attacked by five armed terrorists near Liberty market. Habibur Rehman, chief commissioner of police, said 12 masked terrorists fired at the Sri Lankan team bus. The gunmen shot at the wheels of the bus and also injured the driver. A grenade was also thrown at the bus but it missed.

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Narendra Modi at a rally in Thane gave credit to Congress for Oscars to Slumdog Millionaire. He said "Without Congress there would not be slums and without slums there would not be any Slumdog Millionaire and no Oscars."

He added till 1960, Guajrat and Maharashtra were one state. Gujarat has become a benchmark for development in the country. Mahatrahstra can also achieve what Guajrat has achieved.

Replying to Pawar's remark that people of Gujarat want Gandhiji's Gujarat and not that of Modi, he said "Pawar has insulted Gandhiji, by comparing him with a small person like me."

Google Features

Gmail, the most popular email program, has just improved email attachment feature. Formerly, user had to attach each file one-by-one. To attach many small file, not only it takes more time, it is boring (in my opinion).

Now, Gmail has added a feature recently. Now you can attach more files at a time. If all the files are in a queue, then select first file and press Shift key and click on last file. OR if the files are not queued, then press control key and keep it pressed and go on clicking the files you want to attach. It will save your time. Not only that now it shows a progress bar also. Google has once again prove that it is working for us to make the surfing experience an enjoyment.

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You can't attach .exe or any program files to email for security purpose. Here is the trick (assumed you are using Word 2007)

1. Compress the program files into zip file format.

2. Open Microsoft Word or Excel (any version that support embedded object).

3. Click to insert menu.

4. Click Object button under the text ribbon.

5. Click Tab -Create from file.

6. Uncheck both the boxes -A) Link to file and B) Display as icon.

7. Browse to select the zipped program file.

8. Click Ok.

9. Save the file.

Exit Word.

Attach the word document as a normal attachment.