Google expands Free Phone Number and Voicemail Project

Google is partnering with homeless shelters in San Francisco to distribute free phone numbers and voicemail accounts to those without homes, the company said Wednesday.

The Internet giant is expanding a service that was started by Grand Central, a San Francisco-based start-up that Google acquired last year. Grand Central's technology allows calls to be routed to a home, business, or cell phone using a single phone number. The service offers people a way to organize and unify their communications, a Google spokesman said.

Grand Central had already been offering the free phone number and voicemail service to people in San Francisco through Mayor Gavin Newsom's Project Homeless Connect, which brings together nonprofit organizations and other social-service providers in one location to provide on-the-spot services for homeless. The services include medical, mental health, substance abuse, housing, dental, and legal services, plus free eyeglasses, California ID, food, clothing, and wheelchair repair.

Since the acquisition of Grand Central last year, Google has been participating in periodic Project Homeless Connect events in which it has been providing the homeless with free phone numbers and voicemail accounts that they can access from any phone. More than 4,000 phone numbers and voicemail accounts have been distributed this way, Craig Walker, a senior product manager of voice products for Google, told the San Francisco Chronicle.

On Wednesday, Google announced that it would expand Grand Central's project and partner directly with homeless shelters that will now be able to give out phone numbers and voicemail accounts and help individuals set up their accounts anytime. The idea is to expand the service, and eventually offer it in other cities, a Google spokesman said.

"When you lose your home, you lose more than your house," said Google's spokesman. "You lose a permanent way of staying in touch with family members, employers, and social service providers. Being able to give a phone number to people and access voicemail can be a very powerful thing in sustaining quality of life."

Keywords: VoIP, Google, Grand Central, Free voicemail and Phone number

Top Golden Rules of Dalal Street for Investments/Savings

Currently, the Indian markets are in doldrums and nobody is talking of stocks or investments. You may think justifiably so, as the markets are headed in no direction. Is it not exactly the opposite of the exuberant times we were witnessing a few months back. Conversely, bottoms are made in turbulent times.

It is difficult, if not impossible, to say when the markets will halt their southward journey and change direction for the better. Who knows, we might have already hit the bottom and the markets may soon return back to their upward trajectory. My empirical observation and research have proved it that wealth making in the market has more to do with discipline and the power of time to compound growth than being smart at stock picking and timing the markets just right.

To help you in your quest to make wealth in our markets, I suggest you follow the golden rules of markets that will virtually ensure reasonable, steady wealth appreciation.

Bear in mind, you cannot have your cake and eat it too. Saving and consumption do not go hand-in-hand. You need to plan today for the lifestyle you want after you stop working, i.e. the finances you will require after you retire. Accordingly, save the necessary portion of your income to invest in equities. Equities, or stocks, may appear risky, but they are just volatile, they go up and down, and time is the perfect hedge against volatility.

Therefore, Rule No 1: Plan for tomorrow, today. Start saving for it now! Stagger your investments throughout your earning phase. Invest regularly and invest for the long term to buy in at an average price that includes both markets’ up and down ticks.

Never wait until you have large amounts of money to invest. However small the amount you are able to save, start early. The earlier you start, the better are your chances of making great wealth. Remember to make great gains. Time is a crucial factor, as wealth creation is a factor of both the power of compounding and the returns on your investments.

Accordingly, Rule No 2: Start early so that the power of compounding begins sooner; time is the magic that converts paise into rupees. In exuberant phases, when we have earned good money from our investments, most of us get greedy, and derivatives and futures provide an outlet for the expression of human greed. While such instruments often satisfy the whims of human greed, if taken to unrealistic levels, irresponsible investment in these securities can lead to financial ruin.

Hence, Rule No 3: Do not leverage, it is difficult, if not impossible, to predict short-term trends.

Buy markets, not stocks. We all know that our economy is in a secular phase of prosperity and the stock market is the best proxy for the growth of an economy. To benefit from our soaring economy, buy the market as a whole and not any single stock.

Consequently, Rule No 4: Buy stocks that mirror the broader indexes, but never buy a single, or a handful of stock exposures. This means that you need to spread your risk across various market segments in the event a particular stock does not perform for reasons beyond the company’s control. It is easier to predict company earnings, but difficult to predict stock prices of the same company in the short run. Ironically, over the long term, stock prices mirror growth in a corporation’s earnings.

“Wish you all happy savings and happy investments” – Global NEWS.

Keywords: Investments, Savings, Sensex, Dalal Sreet, Equities, Mutual Funds.

US Recession may be Worse than Feared: Warren Buffett

Warren Buffett, the world's richest person, said on Monday the US Economy is in a Recession that will be more severe than most people expect. Buffett made his comments on CNBC television after his Berkshire Hathaway Inc agreed to invest $6.5 billion in the takeover of chewing gum maker Wm Wrigley Jr Co by Mars Inc in a $23 billion transaction.

"This is not a field of specialty for me, but my general feeling is that the recession will be longer and deeper than most people think," Buffett said. "This will not be short and shallow. I think consumers are feeling gas and food prices," he added, "and not feeling they've got a lot of money for other things." He was not immediately available for further comment.

Known for his frugality, the 77-year-old Buffett has lived in the same 10-room Omaha, Nebraska, house for a half-century, despite being worth an estimated $62 billion. On Wednesday, the U.S. Commerce Department is expected to say how fast the economy grew in the first quarter. Economists on average have projected that gross domestic product grew at an annualized 0.2 percent rate in the quarter.

Two quarters of declining GDP is a traditional indicator of recession. That last happened in 2001. Economists expect the U.S. Federal Reserve on Wednesday to cut a key lending rate for a seventh time beginning last September. Berkshire is a $197 billion conglomerate best known for its insurance holdings, such as auto insurer Geico Corp, but it owns more than 70 businesses.

In March, Forbes magazine pegged Buffett's net worth at $62 billion, ahead of Mexican tycoon Carlos Slim's $60 billion and Microsoft Corp Chairman Bill Gates's $58 billion. Gates is a friend of Buffett and a Berkshire director.

Keywords: Warren Buffett, Bill Gates, Carlos Slim, USA Economy, USA Recession, Berkshire Hathaway Inc, Wm Wrigley Jr Co.

Microsoft's Board Fails to Decide on YAHOO Bid

Microsoft Corp's board met on Wednesday to discuss its stand-off with Yahoo Inc over its $41.8 billion takeover bid, but failed to reach a decision on what to do next, according to a Wall Street Journal report.

Microsoft's board of directors is still weighing whether to adopt a hostile approach and nominate a proxy slate of directors to replace Yahoo's board, sweeten its cash-and-stock offer for Yahoo, or possibly walk away from the deal, the Journal said. A Microsoft spokesman was not available for comment. A Microsoft-imposed deadline for Yahoo to start talks on a final deal or face a proxy battle passed last Saturday. An announcement from Microsoft is expected later this week, the report said.

Microsoft, according to the report, has indicated it would be willing to raise its bid to as much as $33 per share but such an offer may still fall short of the $35 to $37 per share that Yahoo's major shareholders are looking for. Meanwhile, Microsoft Chief Executive Steve Ballmer, who is also a member of the board, has appeared ready in recent days to abandon the offer since Yahoo and its major shareholders want significantly more money, according to the Journal.

Ballmer had said last week that Microsoft was considering walking away from the deal. But most Wall Street analysts dismiss this as a hardball negotiating tactic rather than a real threat to end its two-year-long pursuit of a deal.

Keywords: Microsoft Corp, Yahoo Inc, Steve Ballmer, Wall Street Journal

VODAFONE and Microsoft to launch SMS Search Services in INDIA

Mobile service provider Vodafone on Tuesday said it has joined hands with Microsoft India to provide its users SMS search service at a rate of 30 paisa per query.

This SMS search service, powered by Microsoft's live search, is being developed at Microsoft India Development Center (MSIDC), a joint statement said.

The search service would enable users to send their queries through SMS text message at a rate of 30 paisa per query.

"We have incorporated some unique features in SMS search service like local results based on the users city location, keeping track of users search session for 24 hours and delivering results formatted to match the users phone capabilities," Gurpreet S Pall, Director of Live Search and Emerging Markets at MSIDC said.

The service will provide Vodafone mobile users to search contents such as ringtones, images, local directory information.

However, currently the new search directory information service would be available in 8 cities mainly Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai, Kolkata, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Pune and Ahmedabad with 21 more cities expected to join the list soon

Keywords: Vodafone, Microsoft, Nokia Mobile, SMS Search Service, MSIDC

INDIA PSLV-C9 Launched Successfully with 10 Satellites

India's PSLV-C9 blasted off into space, carrying ten satellites including the country's latest remote sensing satellite CARTOSAT-2A, from Indian Space Research Ogranisation's Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota on Monday.

It was an awesome sight as the workhorse launch vehicle of ISRO roared into the skies leaving behind a trail of smoke and a rumble that shook the earth. A galaxy of scientists, led by ISRO Chief G Madhavan Nair, watched the course of the flight with bated breath.

Scientists cheered as the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle, in its thirteenth flight, soared into the clear sky in a perfect lift off at 9.23 am from the second launch pad.

Besides the 690 kg CARTOSAT-2A, the PSLV is also carrying ISRO's Indian Mini Satellite-1, weighing 83 kg, and eight nano satellites built by universities and research institutes in Canada and Germany.

While the CARTOSAT-2A, carrying state-of-the-art panchromatic camera, will be used for mapping purposes and management of natural resources, the IMS-1 will be used as a platform for trying out advanced technology in future launches.

“India can build any type of SLV”, said by A P J Abdul Kalam and we hope the same and wish India all the very success.

Keywords: PSLV-C9, CARTOSAT-2A, ISRO, Sriharikota, India

Indian Premier League Analysis

Indian Premier League already witnessed some exciting contests and wonderful performances from world cricket stars. But teams like Hyderabad surprisingly lost all three matches due to lack of proper planning. Everyone can learn cricket/real life lessons from these IPL T20 matches.

Lessons from Indian Premier League Cricket match so-far:

1. Hyderabad Deccan Chargers: This is a classic case of fall from grace.

A. You need a motivational leader to win a contest. A weak leader like Laxman is a minus point.

B. You need proper planning and unbiased selection to win in any sport.

C. You need a team which is strong in all departments. Hyderabad bought 4 hard hitters and forgot about other departments.

D. You need bench strength in case of emergency. What will they do when Symonds will not available in the last weeks of May?

2. Kolkata Knight Riders:

A. It has exciting passionate owner like Shahrukh Khan (He is like Mark Cuban of NBA).

B. It has inspirational leader like Sourav Ganguly who will not settle for second place.

3. Jaipur IPL: Shane Warne is doing magic both on and off the field with his bowling, inspiring captaincy and tactical coaching. A genius leader like Warne can spot ability in young cricketers and raise their game level.

4. Delhi Daredevils: They believed in true world class players but not bits and pieces. Bowlers like Glenn McGrath and Mohammad Asif are giving superb starts with their accurate bowling. Class is permanent.

5. Bangalore Royal Challengers: They too believed in world class bowlers like Dale Steyn, Anil Kumble, Nathan Bracken and Zaheer Khan. True all-rounder like Praveen kumar is an additional bonus. But they picked world class test batsmen for Twenty20 cricket games.

6. Mohali IPL: They picked players for advertisement needs. Yuvraj picked wayward bowler like Sreesanth because of friendship which cost them both matches.

7. Mumbai Indians: When a real icon like Sachin Tendulkar will not play, their game plans will not work and team members will miss that “some thing”. But they tried their best in both matches. Return of Sachin will change the fortunes of Mumbai Indians.

8. Chennai Super Kings: What you will need when you have a cool, glamorous and inspiring captain like Dhoni in your team? What you will need when you have talented and committed players like Hayden and Hussey in your ranks?

Most awaited matches:

1. Chennai Super Kings Vs Kolkata Knight Riders.

2. Delhi Dare Devils Vs Chennai

3. Kolkata Vs Delhi IPL.

We will learn new lessons after seeing the results of above match. Mathew Hayden will miss Man of the tournament award due to Australia's tour of West Indies.

So far this IPL has been so successful for entertaining the audiences and hope the same in the coming matches.

Keywords: IPL, Indian Premier League, Twenty-Twenty, T20, IPL T20, DLF IPL

Now, Airlines charge for e-Booking in INDIA

Flying is fast getting more expensive. Within days of all domestic airlines hiking fuel surcharge, some carriers have added yet another surcharge to their ticket costs. Low-cost carriers SpiceJet and IndiGo have started levying a Web transaction (e-booking) charge of Rs 50 on each ticket, taking total levies to Rs 2,225 (for flights about an hour duration, excluding basic fares) and Rs 2,425 for longer domestic flights.

"Our cost of hosting the website by systems in US had gone up. We had been absorbing this but now felt that some part could be passed on. Hence the Rs 50 Web Transaction Charge," said Kamal Hingorani, SpiceJet VP. IndiGo has also levied the same charge. GoAir has had a 'service' charge of Rs 25 for a while. IndiGo CEO Bruce Ashby said the airline had a flat transaction surcharge of Rs 100 for both call centre and website bookings for a year, starting from its launch in August 2006 and then suspended it.

"Some companies retained their surcharge for different booking channels, like call centers. Last Friday, we decided to reintroduce Rs 50 surcharge for website and Rs 100 for call centre bookings for each ticket," Ashby said.

Asked if this additional charge -- coming on heels of a hike on fuel surcharge from Rs 1,650 to Rs 1,800 and Rs 2,000 (for short and medium sector) -- could affect passenger flow, Hingorani said: "Primarily because of expensive jet fuel, the last quarter has been a bloodbath. We are hoping that summer vacation -- from mid-April to June-end -- sees a good passenger flow."

Airlines are now desperate to increase revenues from ticket sales. For instance, GoAir offers an advance seat booking facility for an extra charge of Rs 25.

Keywords: Airlines, GoAir, SpiceJet, IndiGo

Apple fights NYC over green apple logo

Look at this logo for a moment:

If you saw it on a reusable cloth shopping bag, would you think for a moment, "Hey, that must be Apple's new iBag!"? Apparently, Apple is worried that's the case. The above logo is actually the emblem of New York City's GreeNYC campaign, the Big Apple's move to encourage denizens and visitors to reduce pollution and greenhouse gases.

In case you can't tell, the GreeNYC logo is a combination of the infinity symbol and a green apple, the implied message being something along the lines of, "Let's keep the Big Apple green for all eternity." Apple maintains that the GreeNYC looks too much like its own corporate logo, which, of course, looks like this (in green).

The company has gone so far as to file a formal complaint with the U.S Patent and Trade Office against the GreeNYC logo, according to Wired, claiming that it will confuse people -- and potentially tarnish Apple's good name. "Any defect, objection or fault found with [GreeNYC's] goods and services marketed under [GreeNYC's] marks would necessarily reflect upon and seriously injure the reputation which [Apple] has established for its goods and services," the claim states

NYC's response, according to Wired: ’The city believes that Apple's claims have no merit and that no consumer is likely to be confused,’ says Gerald Singleton, the intellectual-property lawyer representing the Big Apple. 'This well-known city is using its new design in a variety of contexts that have absolutely nothing to do with Apple Inc.'

Keywords: Apple Computers, Apple Inc, NYC, GreenNYC, Big Apple.

WiMax coming to Nokia's N810 Internet Mobile..!

Turns out the rumors were true - the feature-packed Nokia N810 will, indeed, be getting WiMax connectivity, although finding a WiMax Network to use it on will be a challenge. Nokia just announced that the N810 WiMax Edition will hit the streets this summer, in "areas where WiMax connectivity is available." Pricing hasn't been set yet, although it's worth noting that the standard Wi-Fi N810 goes for $480.

WiMax, as you may recall, is the upcoming wireless technology that promises much greater speed and range than standard Wi-Fi; in fact, a few WiMax access points could conceivably cover an entire city.

The only problem, however, is that WiMax is just barely getting off the ground here in the States. Sprint is the prime mover for WiMax here in the States, and the last I heard, its planned WiMax network (dubbed Xohm, pronounced "Zoom") will soft-launch in just three markets—Chicago, Baltimore, and Washington D.C.—later this month. Beyond that, Sprint's WiMax rollout plans remain maddeningly nebulous.

Besides its WiMax capabilities, the new N810 will comes with the same basic features as the Wi-Fi version, including a WVGA touch screen, a slide-out QWERTY keypad, GPS, Nokia's Web browser (complete with Ajax and Flash support), Bluetooth 2.0, and a VGA Web cam.

Keywords: Nokia, Nokia N Series, Nokia 810 Mobile, WiMax, Wi-Fi Network.