Motorola Xoom tablet for sale in India

Motorola Xoom tablet loaded with Android 3।0 Honeycomb and a dual core 1 GHz Nvidia Tegra 2 processor is available starting at Rs 31,500 for a WiFi model and Rs 38,900 for a WiFi+3G model.Announced almost a week ago, Motorola Xoom tablet loaded with Android 3.0 Honeycomb is now on sale both online as well as at retail outlets. This is surprising because Motorola hasn't officially announced the market operating price of Xoom tablet yet. A spokesperson said on behalf of Motorola that the official market prices of the device would be announced shortly. The market operating price of Motorola Xoom WiFi is about Rs 34,500 and its WiFi+3G model costs Rs 41, 500. Xoom WiFi is available online at a price ranging from approximately Rs 31,500 to Rs 32,500; while the WiFi+3G model is available at approximately Rs 39,000 to Rs 39,300. Motorola Xoom tablet was first unveiled at the Consumer Electronics Show 2011, along with Android 3.0 Honeycomb, a tablet-specific operating system. Housing a powerful dual core 1 GHz Nvidia Tegra 2 system on chip, Xoom has a 10.1 inch widescreen HD (1280 x 800 pixel) display. With a 5 megapixel camera at the back and a 2 megapixel camera on the front, the Motorola tablet certainly packs an impressive set of features. India already has Apple iPad 2, a 7 inch Samsung Galaxy Tab, Creative Ziio, Acer Iconia, and BlackBerry PlayBook in its tablet segment and now Xoom has joined the competition. Next month, we expect Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1, Asus Transformer, and ViewSonic ViewPad tablets to hit Indian markets. Usually, tablets are available in 16 GB, 32 GB, and 64 GB versions — all mostly possessing 1 GHz single or dual core processors. For all these tablets, the balance of price and features plays a crucial role. This is because potential buyers always tend to evaluate whether to go for a high end tablet or to buy an entry level laptop for about Rs 35,000. Nowhere do we see tablets actually replacing netbooks or entry level laptops. However, these new products certainly are setting up a new gadget segment altogether.

COOK CONFIDENT OVER ONE-DAY CREDENTIALS!

Having already inherited Andrew Strauss' one-day captaincy, Alastair Cook has now set his sights of replicating his predecessor's style at the top of the order। With Strauss now focusing on Test cricket, Cook will lead the side against Sri Lanka in the first one-day international at The Oval this afternoon and, in the process, earn his first ODI cap in over 15 months। His absence from the limited-overs set-up was due to uncertainty over whether he can adapt sufficiently to the faster-paced one-day arena. He has played just 26 ODIs compared to 68 Tests and, if not for his leadership credentials, may not have been given the chance to add to that number. Now he hopes to expand his game in the same way Strauss did when he was installed as one-day captain. "I think Straussy's a great example for me," said Cook. "When he first started playing one-day cricket I think he had a strike-rate of about 65, maybe 70. Towards the end his career strike-rate was up to 80. "You can evolve, you can improve and he certainly did that. Hopefully I can follow in his footsteps." Despite his imperious form in the longer format, detractors remain over his suitability for 50-over cricket - notably another former England captain, Mike Atherton. The Essex opener believes his efforts in Bangladesh in his last stint in the one-day set-up - when he produced scores of 64 and 60 at virtually a run a ball - show he can prove them wrong. "In Bangladesh I scored runs and I scored them quickly. I know I have the talent and the skills to do it," Cook added. "I'm nowhere near the finished article and as a 26-year-old I've got a lot of work to do, but I'm prepared to do it. "Everybody is entitled to their opinion. But I've scored a one-day hundred for England. I know I can score runs at the top of the order and I'm excited that I'm in a good place to go and show that." James Anderson and Jonathan Trott rejoin the squad that was routed by Sri Lanka in Saturday's Twenty20, with Tim Bresnan also added after recovering from a calf injury. For the tourists, today is a chance to say farewell to the legendary Sanath Jayasuriya. The 41-year-old will play his 445th and final ODI on the day after it was announced interim coach Stuart Law is leaving to take over Bangladesh. Thilina Kandamby admitted the pair would be a major loss. "Stuart Law has been good for us, especially in England because he has played a lot here," he said. "We have had a lot of good discussions with him and we will be sad and miss him. "Sanath is one of the biggest legends we have ever produced, probably the best one-day player we have had in our country, if he gets a hundred that would be the best farewell he can get."

Is Sonam Kapoor India's new gay icon?

After Celina Jaitley, it is fashionista Sonam Kapoor's turn to show her support for the LGBT community. Welcoming New York's latest gay-marriage law, the actress joined in the celebration with New York based designer Prabal Gurung on twitter.

'Finally. Love conquers all. Gay Marriage Approved by New York Senate. Yay!!!' she tweeted.

In the meantime, she denied rumours of her starring in Kamal Haasan's Tamil movie Viswaroopam. 'Dudes and duddettes.. Have not been offered any film in tollywood. I would love to work with the above mentioned stalwarts but I aint so lucky,' she added.We don't know if it was co-incidence or telepathic connection between the two actresses but both Bipasha Basu and Ameesha Patel wore the same outfit by designer Ramona Narang for IIFA's green carpet.

Bipasha was amused when she realised Ameesha was wearing the same outfit.

'Also last night a fellow actress landed up wearing the same dress in a diff color as me on d green carpet!It ws quite amusing even for me:) Anyways u can't stop the world frm buying d same things n keep a tab on all! So next time I'll plan my green carpet outfit in advance n nt pull out things frm my cupboard last min!' Bipasha tweeted.

Ameesha cleared her side of the story: 'Thank u sweethearts for loving myy iifa dresses. Ramona narang the designer made them 2 months in advance of the event. Thanks again.' IIFA has finally come to an end, and Bollywood furiously tweeting about it.

Karan Johar praised the organisers. 'IIFA in toronto was an experience!!! The love of the people and the sheer energy in the house makes making movies the best job ever!!! KUDOS to the IIFA team and the wizcraft management for putting up an indelible spectacle!!! IIFA rocked and rolled it,' he tweeted.

Bipasha Basu tweeted: 'IIFA night was great!Thank you Toronto:)Do not feel like leaving but sadly have to leave!Had the best time ever!'

Ameesha Patel had a good time too. 'The people of toronto were just amazing n soooo lovin. Loved the after parties at sohail khans n shahrukhs rooms too. Loads of fun,' she updated.

Dia Mirza loved the audience. 'What a night!!! #IIFA was truly incredible. The audience was just awesome :) THANK YOU TORONTO,' she tweeted.

Neha Dhupia praised Toronto. 'yet another wonderful #iifa ends... kudos to wizcraft and the entire team for such a fantastic show and thanku #toronto for ur hospitality!' she wrote.Riteish Deshmukh thanked Toronto for its hospitality. 'IIFA TORONTO was the best iifa we hosted and all thanks to the wonderful n beautiful people of TORONTO/CANADA thak u alll- love u guys,' he updated.

BlackBerry maker upbeat on Asian growth markets!

BlackBerry maker Research in Motion (RIM) is banking on Indonesia and other populous markets for growth in Asia, while it faces intensifying competition worldwide from rivals like the iPhone.

The Canadian firm had one of the most prominent stands at the CommunicAsia telecom fair that ended Friday in Singapore, where industry executives gather annually to check out new technology and seal deals.

"We are in a great spot. When I think about the (Asian) markets, I have a big smile on my face," RIM's regional managing director Gregory Wade told AFP at the expo.

Wade said BlackBerry currently leads the smartphone market in Indonesia, the Philippines and Thailand.

Technology research firm IDC estimates that RIM shipped 1.5 million BlackBerry devices to Asia in the first quarter of this year and since 2004 has sold at least 8.5 million units in the region.

Asia accounted for 11 percent of RIM's global shipments in the first quarter of 2011, compared to eight percent for all of 2010, it said.

Wade said that as more consumers seek replacements for older handsets, there's ample room for further growth in the Asian smartphone sector.

"There is a huge adoption of technology, consumers are making that leapfrog," he said.

Indonesia, the Philippines and Thailand have a combined population of 400 million, and Indonesians have a particular fondness for BlackBerry's instant-messaging function, which spares them from texting charges.

"If you look at the countries he (Wade) mentioned, those are good success stories for them despite the beating they are getting globally," said Byan Ma, an analyst with IDC.

"In Indonesia, everyone wants to have a BlackBerry."

Waterloo, Ontario-based RIM was once the frontrunner in the high-margin smartphone market when it introduced the first BlackBerry device in 1999, which integrated email into a handset in a secure and reliable way.

The gadget was an instant hit, especially with corporate users.

But now, according to technology research company Gartner, RIM ranked fourth in the smartphone market globally in the first quarter of 2011 with a 12.9 percent share based on operating systems -- behind Google's Android, Nokia's Symbian and Apple's iOS.

At CommunicAsia, RIM showcased the Playbook, its answer to Apple's iconic iPad.

The Playbook, which boasts a seven-inch (17.8-centimeter) touchscreen, was released in April but the market's reaction has been mixed in RIM's key North American market.

RIM said it shipped about 500,000 Playbooks in the three months to May 28, and sales start this month in Asia.

Roberta Cozza, an analyst with Gartner, said the Playbook was a "solid device" but like the rest of the iPad challengers, it lacks a well-supported "ecosystem" of applications similar to Apple's.

"Even Android tablets are struggling to deliver value to the consumers," Cozza said.

Android, an operating system developed by Google, is the software of choice among several iPad challengers like Samsung, while RIM has its own proprietary software.

Stress ‘really leads to comfort eating’!

Binging on sugary or fatty foods has long been thought to be connected to stress or anxiety. But until now, scientists have not been able to find a link. Now, a U.S. team has found stress hormone ghrelin which causes comfort eating.

In their study, researchers at the University of Texas have found that levels of ghrelin increased during prolonged periods of stress and also appeared to fuel cravings for fatty food, the British media reported.

In fact, in experiments on mice, they found that an increased level of ghrelin brought on by stress increased the animals’ appetite. The researchers studied the ghrelin levels of mice exposed to a variety of stressful situations who had free access to comforting chow.

Study’s author Dr Jeffrey Zigman said: “Many people when stressed turn to high calorie ‘comfort foods’ In our study, stress-induced food-reward behaviour was dependent on signalling by the hormone ghrelin.

“Insight into this could provide new targets for the development of drugs to curb this potentially detrimental behaviour.”

He added: “The popular media and personal anecdotes are rich with examples of stress-induced eating of calorically dense comfort foods. Such behavioural reactions likely contribute to the increased prevalence of obesity in humans experiencing chronic stress or atypical depression.”

Somdev knocked out of Wimbledon singles!

India's Somdev Devvarman bowed out of the Wimbledon men's singles second round with a 2-6, 4-6, 4-6 defeat to 18th seed Mikhail Youzhny of Russia.

It was 68th ranked Somdev's second straight defeat to Youzhny, who had got the better of him in the Davis Cup World Group tie at Moscow last year.

The 26-year-old Indian has never moved beyond the second round of a Grand Slam in five previous attempts. Somdev, however, is in contention in the men's doubles where he is partnering Japan's Kei Nishikori. They face Germany's Rainer Schuettler and Alexander Waske in the first round.

Somdev, who was making his singles debut here, admitted to having a "tough" outing Thursday.

"Definitely, a tough day at the office for me.. losing in slams is never easy emotionally... now doubles next tomorrow with Kei," Somdev tweeted.

The US-based Indian had an easy first round when his German opponent Denis Gremelmayr retired midway through the second set.

With his loss, India's challenge in the singles is over with its top women player Sania Mirza already out in the first round.

Winklevoss twins are back in Facebook's face!

Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss haven't backed away entirely from their epic row with Facebook, despite ending a Supreme Court appeal against an earlier ruling. The Los Angeles Times reports that the strapping, slightly creepy Olympic rowing twins, alongside biz partner Divya Narendra, are trying to convince a judge to probe whether the world's largest social network "intentionally or inadvertently suppressed evidence".

Earlier this week, the Winklevoss brothers and Narendra decided not to appeal against a ruling upholding their $65m settlement with Facebook, after a long-running dispute with the company's founder Mark Zuckerberg. But it turns out the fight, dramatically chronicled in the Hollywood flick The Social Network, isn't quite over yet. In April this year the Winklevoss twins and Narendra lost an appeal against a February 2008 settlement with Facebook, which granted them $20m in cash and $45m in the firm's shares. It turns out in that same month that the men were planning to ask the Boston federal court to look into their allegations that Facebook and the company's legal team concealed instant messages from them during litigation. However, the request to examine those claims was put in stasis while the Supreme Court appeal case remained pending. Now that the Winklevoss boys have abandoned that plan, the case in Boston can now proceed. Facebook lawyers dug out instant messages from Zuckerberg's computer that were later leaked to Silicon Alley Insider in 2010.

"I'm going to fuck them," wrote Zuckerberg in one exchange during his time at Harvard, notes the LA Times. In another, he said the twins had "made a mistake haha. They asked me to make it for them. So I'm like delaying it so it won't be ready until after the Facebook thing comes out." The Winklevoss men argue that they wouldn't have agreed to the settlement had they been aware of the IM exchange. As a result, their oars are well and truly poking Zuck again. Facebook responded coolly to the latest legal spat. "These are old and baseless allegations that have been considered and rejected previously by the courts," said the company's attorney Neel Chatterjee.