Stumbled upon a great and interesting post at Twitter Facts, an unofficial Twitter Blog that analyze facts and opinion on Twitter and so called "Twitosphere" . The post analyze Twitter accounts in India, History (graphs and charts) and also gives Twitter accounts URLs with rankings in terms of oldest accounts, updations, degree of activity, number of followers and followings.The blogger of the post found that there are  1631 active twitter accounts (at the time of posting) in India, which is surprisingly low i.e. there is a twitter account for every 687,000 people in India, indeed there would be lesser figure as Indian people who could or wish to use Tiwitter or say people who are more web savvy are living abroad and working either as a part of IT workforce in pretty good amount and does not mention India as their Home or native place while creating accounts, as the blogger at Twitter Facts has mentioned  this - "A Twitter account was considered to be held by someone from India if the location explicitely refers to India or if the Twitter user was located in India according to one of the Twitter mapping mashups." All the way an Interesting post and ...

A new entrant in online classifieds category AdHysteria.com has launched for India and Asia, middle east, Australia as well. The website serve place to find and post free classifieds, what different to others is video classifieds ads plus Google maps integration along with Google Earth technology. Other domain in this category is Click.in and Sulekha.com as more popular among mass audience nevertheless video ads where user can post video footage with audio has been missing, accomplished by Adhysteria, though Click.in much simpler and Sulekha being more like portal more other things other than classifieds. Adhysteria is focussed on classifieds, reviews (video as well for eg. iPhone on Hutch network in India) also Showbiz classified that seems like movie trailors. In Adhysteria what I am missing is, like I always do in Indian specific websites is UI rich with Web 2.0 elements and Rich Internat Apps through which one can interact with website and participate in websites' content generation although the video ads and Googl maps through which users can view their posted classifieds and ads on Maps in 2D and 3D view via Google Earth technology also Individual account sections will provide all data like number of visits, this is what ...

Indian companies and entrepreneurs seems to be busy in making acquisition news these days, first it was Zapak.com to acquire Sony online and now its Indian IT giant Wipro making news of acquiring Computer consulting firm Capgemini well known for being largest distributor of Google Apps.Capgemini, an European computer consulting firm facing a lot of competition from Indian IT firms is on a verge of getting acquired by Wipro, earlier this year it was rumored that Infosys would buy it, gone in time now its Wipro that planning to buy the European uber-consulting firm. Although Capgemini last year itself has bought Kanbay for $1.25 billion and BPO arm of Unilever India.Capgemini has just made a deal  September with Google over distribution of  Google Apps, all this doesn't suit with news of acquisition of the company, moreover integration management would be a problem for Wipro if acquired capgemini as Wipro has 77,000 employees whereas Capgemini possess over 80,000 and planning to expand furthermore.The rumor might be true but not come alive for atleast a month as Capgemini denied the rumor as expected and Wipro officials refused to comment. 

Sony Online Entertainment (SOE), a game development and publishing division of major brand Sony was in news a week earlier for being acquired by Indian gaming company Zapak.com, which is part of ADAG led by India's own Anil Ambani. Economic Times report published this news as Sony Online Entertainment (SOE) being acquired by Zapak.com for $300 million and would be having a full right to all content, owned and published by Sony Online. The story took U-turn when San Diego-based Sony Online denies this rumor. Sony Online's spokesperson told reuters (a global news agency)  over the phone that report brought by Indian media through anonymous sources is false and Sony Online Entertainment is part of Sony Corps and not for sale. Moreover Anil Ambani led ADAG group is looking for acquiring international studios and SOE is having studios in development studios in Austin, Texas, Seattle, WA, and Taiwan, which inline relates to this rumor of buying SOE, although the reporthas been denied by Sony Online nevertheless the speculations is in atmosphere. Two of these companies are having similar model as of online gaming, in which Sony is world leader in Online multiplayer gaming (Station.com) with millions of gamers around the globe and Zapak ...

Flux.com released a sharing widget cum button called fShare widget of different kind through which publishers, bloggers can put them on their websites, blogs to get shared on social network communities like facebook, MySpace, Friendster, Livejournal, Blogger and Flux communities obviously. Its perhaps same like ShareThis, AddThis buttons found on many blogs at the end of the posts to share on various bookmarking sites and email to friend option, but this time its for major social networks another different feature I am really looking forward in fShare button to be implemented on my blog as well is, one can embed the content (blog post, image, video) through embed option. Adding the fShare widget to site’s videos, photos, and blog posts will let visitors to distribute the content across the social web communities while preserving branding and attribution at the same time. The fShare widget is one of the further working of Social Project Inc (Previously TagWorld.com), to bind the social networks together. The Flux site apparently promises to bring more on this fShare widget and to come up with wider platform of sharing between various social communities on web in December of this year. Bloggers, publishers can sign up at flux.com to get ...

Microsoft released some new products and features in its Windows Live service stream, as on 6th November company released new set of tools for user across the web to work on the web, across PCs, and web-enabled mobile phones. Apart from Windows Live Writer, Windows Live OneCare that Microsoft has released earlier in this year along with other traditional services like messenger, spaces, Email service. Now Microsoft has bind all these services with all other already running services with some new features/ updates into a 'Windows Live Services' package to pack them for users where they can consume these revamped and new services as "all in one" Windows Live Online services free with no extra cost. Some of the new services in Beta, that has been officially released fro users are: Windows Live Calendar Beta Windows Live Gallery Beta Windows Live SkyDrive Beta Apart from these one service new to me from Microsoft is Windows Live Events, these and more services can be downloaded free in 'All in One' package to get started using all of these services on web, across your multiple PCs as well as on your web-enabled mobile phones. The two important traits of launch of revamped and all-in-one Windows Live Services are, Company's ...

Ubona is one of a kind and first service in India and presently for the people of Bangalore only, the website provide new kind of service where any user can call from his/her cellphone and it comprehend the speech of consumer and trigger appropriate action. See - Demo Using the service, People in Bangalore will be able to call any wine and dine place (restaurants, hotels , sweet shops, bakeries) only by saying the name of the place. The phone number to access the service is (91) (80) 4070 0000. The service is accessible from any land-line or mobile phone at no extra cost. The Ubona service for consumers, businesses and enterprise is new service that delivers consumers information and business to reach consumer in somewhat JIT (Just in Time) methodology of ERP. Through this new online mobile 2.0 service users can make purchase, get information, make reservation or enquire about a service or product through mobile whereas a business, enterprise can reach thier targeted audience in clutter free environment unlike to paid campaigns in search engines where you compete several other advertisers visible next to your ads. This service by Ubona has definitely created new dimensions in Mobile 2.0 market in India as ...

A new Web 2.0 startup Faayda.com to launch soon via Indian arena that will target small and mid-size business owners and freelancers. The site will inculcate in itself few business tools and applications that will help them drive their business in web 2.0 environment. Faayda that define as pure "Profit" in Hindi will be having web tools like to automate business activity such as Invoicing, Lead Management and Client Collaboration/ Information. These tools will be developed keeping in mind the latest business need that eventually in the process ease the business activity and flow of information. The first business application - "Invoice Tool" is said to be developed and launch first in early of January 2008 followed by business directory to showcase SMB enterprises to search and interact with each other that could also be part of lead management. The website will do have features to share, access and store all information in mobile as well which is mandatory trait of any Business and office 2.0 applications. The startup seems to inspired by Google Apps, Zoho Apps meme thus plans to move on to its next phase that is to develop tools to create various documents like word, spreadsheets, presentations etc. online and have ...

Ebay owned company Skype has Lauched its most anticipated product Skype Phone - an Internet voice mobile phone to make free calls. The phone is being manufactured by Chinese company Amoi and partnered with Hutchison's 3 unit. One can use it like an ordinary mobile Phone and can also make free calls although to Skype-to-Skype calls only and send instant messages as well. Skype-phone user has to top-up (recharge what we call in India) after every 30 days. Hutchisson's '3' unit operates mobile phone networks in Austria, Australia, Denmark, Hong Kong, Ireland, Italy, Switzerland, and the U.K., although Hutch, the market of whom is now acquired by Vodafone in India, the launch of Skype-Phone in India cant be figure out as when would Skype see India as one of the market of their latest released product. The recent scrutiny faced by Skype in India over free Internet PC-o-PC call service might have something to do with India not being considered as one of their Skype-phone market along with norms and policies for same in India, which still in infancy stage for such products and services. The launch of Skype-Phone is seen as a launch closer to Google's much more anticipated GPhone, which every now ...

Gaming industry seems to grooming in a more positive way, so positive that it now want you too get rid of stress hormones and bring about changes in yourself by seeing things in more positive way. A new video game designed by McGill University researchers has been launched that help to train people to change their perception of social threats and boost their self-confidence, moreover it is said that it reduce the production of the stress-related hormone cortisol. Mindhabit is gaming website that help people to cut down their stress and pump their self confidence and the game MinHabit Trainer is game that inhibit principle of research conducted by Dr. Baldwin’s at McGill University. The game 'MindHabits Trainer' applies three principles of social intelligence, as used in Dr. Baldwin’s research: activation, inhibition and association. The game and website again is result of what is called social networking meme going more than a hype these days, this gaming website that titled as - "Great games from serious science" is just another mashup of social networking + Online Gaming + Psychometric tactics. As per the website - "Research shows people who feel better about themselves and are better connected to others are healthier. In fact, experiencing ...

Although the news has struck early of this month and wandering how i missed this, but I would be covering this anyway, here it is - the famous 'Vogue' magazine has made it debut in India and subcontinent as well, the global publishing gaint Conde Nast aims to compete with other English giant who are already in Indian subcontinent. The magazine of style and culture aims to set as one stop center of style, culture, fashion news & trends, people and parties and lifestyle. VOGUE India has the unique distinction of being the only foreign lifestyle magazine in India to be run completely by its parent company. The website has stunning and glossy looks like those of its magazine, covering different topics related to fashion, style, beauty tips and parties along with forum. The website for obvious reason is great in visual part and pictures. The inaugural issue of Vogue India featured Bollywood stars Bipasha Basu, Priyanka Chopra and Preity Zinta, local supermodels MoniKangana Dutta and Laxmi Menon, and Australian supermodel Gemma Ward on the cover, shot by fashion photographer Patrick Demarchelier.

Yahoo! 360, a blogging service from Yahoo! is anticipating for major transition to more integrated service that would interact and bind with other services from Yahoo!. The transition as expected will took place in early 2008. Although the users can still use features until transition will finally take place in 2008. The team of Yahoo! 360 service made a post that apparently assures its community user to make this blogging service more of blogging capabilities and features and also to preserve existing bloggers' blog content, photos and friends list through out the transition and right tools required for smooth transition.The transition cum evolution is being seen major step towards expanding it recently launched social networking service Yahoo! Mash, the evolution could relates to yahoo mash but more than this it seems like Yahoo is focussed to integrate unversal Yahoo! profile through all of the Yahoo! Network be it Flickr, del.icio.us or MyBlogLog service acquired by yahoo in recent times.The evolution of Yahoo! 360 will bring much more improved blogging capabilities and user concentric features obviously enriched with web 2.0 elements. 

A social videos search engine, which is first in Indian internet space, SneakCast has been launched lately in September 2007 after testing it as private project. The site simply puts you to results of videos indexed/ aggregated from number of video sites such as myspace, metacafe and even Yahoo! videos. By registering one can save videos, review it and get personal space for saved videos which is named as 'Search Vault' wherein one can invite friends only by email at this point of time. The relevancy of results are just fine but video content quality in results are rather uninteresting or just relevant to few words if searched for phrases or more than one word (like I did for 'web 2.0', 'India internet', 'web2.0 India'). May be because the search engine is in its early stage and seems to be working on ranking algorithm and the aggregating system as apparent. The looks are simpler as it could get, nicely formatted indeed but the choice of results that are being shown need to be work out. Although the site is well versed to be next ULinx ( titled - "video search & socialize"), IndianPad, TubeDesi, IndyaRocks.com or so if it allow users to ...

Stumbled upon a YouTube video, the subject is quite old but the medium is new, video is trying to tell that Education system desperately require a change, likewise everything is changing than why not education, school/ college learning structure and pattern.? The video is edited by Michael Wesch and 200 students of Kansas State University, also the content has got the creative commons licence. Wesch is active in the development of new teaching techniques and is involved in the Peer Review of Teaching Project. As a part of his efforts, Wesch has developed a "World Simulation" for large introductory classes in cultural anthropology. This is among one of the initiative as far as my knowledge goes for Learning 2.0. Although no technique is mentioned nor visualized in video, but I thought to relate this need of changing Educational structure especially third world countries, with web 2.0 wave and internet. One of the commentator for the video said - "we (students) are the problem because we exploit other countries for our own selfish gains...we kill them or we force them into sweatshops so we can buy DVD players for $30...". Contrary to this other says - "The rest of the world is being ...