Hands on: Apple iPad

We've managed to get our hands on an Apple iPad, which launched over the Easter weekend in the US. The first six hours with Apple's latest creation, the iPad, should be the best you'll ever have with the device but it takes a lot less than that to realise that the iPad falls some way short of the high level of expectations after the iPhone.
Apple does a stellar job in building up the illusion and the iPad is packaged, like all the firm's devices, very nicely. Once rid of the packaging you soon realise that a 10in slab of aluminium and glass isn't the most nimble form in the palm of your hand. You don't have to possess the physique of Poseidon to hold the device with one hand but if you do use the iPad for protracted periods of time then you'll want to lean it on something.
What hits the user first isn't the size or weight but rather the device's single most impressive feature, its screen. There's simply no word for it, the 9.7in IPS screen is breathtaking, striking much the same effect as the original iPhone.
Because it has a gloss finish, reflections are commonplace. It's a shame because the screen itself is bright and looking at photographs you notice that the contrast is also impressive. But any light source behind you is likely to impose a rather annoying flare.
It's not long after turning the device on that you are forced to connect it to iTunes and 'activate' the device. If you're an iPhone user then the settings, data and apps, if they are compatible, will be transferred over. In our case iTunes decided to give up the ghost halfway through the initial synchronisation.
If you're outside of the US and are willing to splash the cash on an iPad prior to its worldwide launch then you're in for a nasty shock. Apple doesn't want you to access its App Store before it releases the device to the free world. If you try and log in using an iTunes account which has a non-US credit card on file then you simply get a message saying that the App Store is not currently supported in your country.
This check isn't done using anything as technologically advanced as IP geo-location but rather just your account details. Unless you have a very generous friend who lives in the US, that shiny new toy will be pretty useless for the time being.
Once you get past the credit card checks and make it inside, it doesn't take long to realise that the iPad store isn't the same bargain basement App Store found on the iPhone. Rarely do you find applications costing less than £7 and free apps are few and far between.
Apple does provide an e-book copy of Winnie the Pooh for free and while beautifully illustrated, it's hardly the most technologically demanding application for the iPad. The interface is also nice but far from astonishing. So, by employing a simple networking trick, we downloaded the free ABC Player application, a sort of iPlayer for the US, and watched some telly.
The whole process was pretty smooth over Wi-Fi and we didn't witness issues with system performance or Wi-Fi connectivity. Quite how this will pan out with dodgy 3G networks is another question.
The issue we did have was with the positioning of the speakers especially when the iPad was held in landscape orientation. As the speakers are on one side of the metal casing, unless you hold the device so that the power switch is to your left, you will almost certainly block the three speaker holes. Even in portrait orientation, the device has to be held away from the body so as not to obstruct the speaker grille.
Unsurprisingly, given that the iPhone is still the standard bearer for mobile web browsing, the iPad's comparatively massive screen real estate improves the experience. The lack of Flash support is felt most when you try to view Flash encoded videos but you soon realise that your life can indeed continue without Flash in your Web browsing life.
Once you start entering URLs you realise that the iPad isn't designed to compose War and Peace. Unless the device is placed on a desk, you'll have one hand holding the device steady while your remaining digits grapple with a keyboard that provides no tactile feedback.
The iPad isn't any more portable than a netbook and judging by our initial Wi-Fi only tests, battery life isn't all that great either.
Check back on V3.co.uk later this week, as we'll be posting a full review of the Apple iPad, including our conclusions on the device's potential as a business tool.

Scarlett Keeling murder: Police found body on beach

An Indian policeman has described the discovering the body of a Devon teenager lying face-down and almost naked on a tourist beach.

Pc Vishant Chopdekar, 27, was giving evidence in the trial of two men accused of killing 15-year-old Scarlett Keeling in Goa.

His account backs up that of his colleague Constable Gurunath Naik, who gave evidence on Monday.

Samson D'Souza, 30, and Placido Carvalho, 42, deny culpable homicide.

They are also accused of grievous sexual assault and destroying evidence.

Pc Chopdekar told Panaji Children's Court: "We found a body lying on its stomach. The body was naked except for a bra, which was near its neck."

Miss Keeling, from Bideford, had been on holiday in Goa when she was found dead on Anjuna beach.

She had been left in the care of a tour guide while the rest of her family went travelling.

Police originally said her death was an accidental drowning, but a second post mortem examination revealed she had a number of bruises on her body and had been raped.

The trial is expected to continue until the end of the year.

Tata Motors says second Nano catches fire

A Tata Motors spokesman said the company was investigating the problem.

"We are sure that it is not a design flaw. We are looking into it," he said, adding that the Nano had complied with all safety requirements.

Last month a Nano was engulfed in flames in the western city of Mumbai minutes after it had been delivered to the customer, media reports said.

Last week P.M. Telang, managing director of Tata Motors' domestic operations told reporters that the fire incident in Mumbai was being investigated.

"We are still investigating the cause of the fire," he said.

Tata Motors started deliveries of the Nano - a show-stopper at the New Delhi autoshow in 2008 where it was first unveiled - in July last year and there are more than 30,000 Nanos on the roads.

Last year a few Nanos caught fire and the company said it had identified the problem as faulty ignition switches and was changing the vendor who had supplied the parts.

Tata has plans to sell gasoline-engine Nanos in Europe by next year and in the United States in the next three years.

Ashram inmates await return of Bangalore Sex Swami

Inmates at Swami Nithyananda's ashram in Kallugopahalli, Bangalore are eagerly awaiting his return.

"We don't have a single person heading the ashram at this point. A group of eight sadhakas look after the day-to-day activities. We don't have any idea when Swamiji will return as we don't have any contact with him. It is a difficult time. But we are all eagerly awaiting his comeback," said Swami Nithya Pranananda, the ashram spokesperson.

Nithya Pranananda revealed that daily ashram tasks like puja at the temple and other rituals were being conducted as per Swamiji's earlier guidance.

"There is no way Swamiji will renounce his saffron robes. When he returns, he will decide if anyone, if at all, would replace him. For the moment he has resigned from the board of trustees.

"Swamiji has said he will come whenever his devotees need him. That scandal has not affected our faith in Swamiji. The devotees are all with us. They will never abandon Swami Nithyananda," said Nithya Pranananda.

On March 25, the Karnataka High Court refused to grant anticipatory bail to Swami Nithyananda.

The Swami attracted considerable bad press after a video that allegedly showed him with Tamil actress Ranjitha appeared on various TV news channels.

Unwell Kareena accompanies Saif to Padma awards ceremony

An unwell Kareena Kapoor overlooked her ill-health and accompanied actor beau Saif Ali Khan to the capital on Wednesday for the Padma awards ceremony.

According to industry sources, the actress recently returned after shooting for Shah Rukh Khan starrer Ra.One in Goa, and did not want Saif to be alone in his moment of glory.

Saif's parents cricketer Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi and actress Sharmila Tagore were out of town and did not attend the ceremony.

The actor received the Padma Shri from President Pratibha Patil.

Saif wore a white sherwani while the actress wore an off-white coloured outfit designed by Manish Malhotra.

Lara Dutta not directing any film

Bollywood actress Lara Dutta has shot down reports that she's set to don the director's hat.

“I'm NOT directing anything right now guys! Not equipped to do so! Maybe quite a few years from now. In the meantime happy in front of the camera,” she wrote on micro-blogging site Twitter.

Reports suggested that Lara was planning to direct an independent film and has been working on the script for two years. The film was said to go on floors by July.

Meanwhile Lara is busy promoting her new film Housefull that also stars Akshay Kumar, Deepika Padukone, Jiah Khan, Riteish Deshmukh and Arjun Rampal.

The film is about a man named Arush played by Akshay Kumar who gets caught in crazy situations all because he has a deep secret - he has three wives. It will release April 30.

Deepika bonds with Ranbir's family

Yesterday Deepika Padukone met the legendary actor Shammi Kapoor at his residence. Deepika reached the veteran actor’s Walkeshwar house in the evening and spent more than two hours with him and his family. The pretty actress was thrilled as she also had dinner with Shammi Kapoor.

Incidentally, the legendary actor had been praising Deepika for a long time on a micro-blogging site and had also expressed his desire to meet her. Deepika had responded by promising him to promptly meet him.

A close friend of Deepika said, “Shammi Kapoor and Deepika had a long conversation. Shammi loved her performance in Om Shanti Om and Love Aaj Kal. Deepika was flattered when he told her that she is one of the finest actresses and that he is her ardent fan. Deepika told Shammiji that his compliments mean the world to her and she considers it as one of the best days in her life. They also had a long conversation about his experiences and the Hindi film industry. Shammiji advised her on several matters and also discussed several of his hit films. Deepika, who has also seen most of his films, was particularly excited about discussing his trademark dancing style.”

Deepika was reluctant to speak about the meeting and said, “I don’t want to discuss our conversation as it is personal and I would like to keep it that way.”

On being probed further, she said, “It was fun and I had a great evening. He took good care of me and we chatted over coffee and some good food.”

Marriage with John is not on cards of Bipasha

One of the hottest couple in Bollywood may not be enjoying the marital bliss for a long time. At least that is what seemed to be the outcome of what Bipasha Basu said.

John Abraham and Bipasha Basu have been in a relationship for the past eight years. Their marriage has been awaited for a very long period of time. But when Bipasha said that she does not feel the need to tie knot with Abraham, all the expectations were washed away.

Not that the Bengali beauty does not believe in the institution of marriage. But she says that she does not feel ready to be a part of such a commitment.

Talking to the media, the Bollywood actress said that the couple was not under any kind of pressure to get married. They actually don’t feel the need to get married and so there are no such plans in the near future.

But this does not mean that they are not going to stay together.

The two are doing very well in their professional lives. And not much of a conflict has been heard from them on the personal front as well.

Shilpa Shetty to judge Zara Nach Ke Dikha

After Jhalak Dikhla Ja, actress Shilpa Shetty will again take the judge's seat for a new reality show Zara Nach Ke Dikha.

"Promised to tell you all first... Will be judging Zara nach Ke Dikha. It's official so we are to start shooting soon," the actress wrote on her twitter page.

While Shilpa confirmed her presence, grapevine's abuzz that Arshad Warsi and Ganesh Hegde have also been finalised to judge the show.

The new show will see TV actors and actresses competing on the dance floor. The girls team include Aditi Gupta, Hazel Crowney, Kritika Kamra, Mukti Mohan, Rakhi Sawant, Rashmi Desai, Sangeeta Ghosh, Sanjeeda Sheikh, Sparsh Khanchandani.

While the boys participating in the show are Aamir Ali, Abhishekh Avasthi, Angad Hasija, Karan Kundra, Karan Singh Grover, Aksshat Seluja, Siddhesh Pai, Sushant Rajput and Ayesh Khedekar.

‘Hurricane’ Katrina Kaif inspired by Meryl Streep

Mumbai: Gorgeous Katrina, who has been lovingly named as ‘Hurricane Katrina’ by the movie team of ‘Tees Maar Khan’, cannot stop raving about her dream project. The actress is all set to make her debut as a producer and is adapting a French film. In the film, she wants to play the character of a scheming woman and has been closely studying Meryl Streep’s mean machinations in ‘The Devil Wears Prada’.

“I have to be a really selfish, scheming woman who stops at nothing to achieve her ambitions... and yet stay connected to the audience. And, boy, does this character enjoy creating scenes! I don’t want to copy the actress in the original film. This would be my take on a character I like because she’s just the opposite of who and what I am. I don’t like such characters in real life, honestly,” Kat said.

“I am not confrontational by nature. This character I’ve to play is aggressive to the point of being alien to me. I would rather walk away from ugly situations than let my private space be crowded with chaos and negativity. And that’s a problem,” revealed the actress.

Well, we are sure the audience will love her in every role that she plays!

Virus in Vodafone handset!

NEW DELHI: Internet security firm Trend Micro has said that its researchers were alerted to the discovery of a malware that came pre-installed on a

Vodafone mobile phone handset.

In a statement, Trend Micro said that Vodafone has been taking the heat for packing malware straight out of the box on their HTC Magic Android smartphones. Plugging the phone in via USB into any PC quickly led to an infection by WORM_SILLY.QT, the statement added.

Trend Micro threat researcher, Ryan Flores, believes that most likely a computer in Vodafone's production line has been infected by WORM_SILLY.QT. And, because of the worm's capability to propagate through removable drives, somehow SD cards in a certain batch of smartphones were infected.

The recipient of one of the malware-laden phones was, fortunately, an employee of the antivirus firm Panda Security.

In an official statement, Vodafone has said that the infected phone problem was an isolated one.

First-Day Sales of Apple's iPad Fall Short of Sky-High Hopes

Apple Inc. said it sold more than 300,000 iPads in the U.S. on the first day the device went on sale Saturday, tempering Wall Street's highflying expectations for the much-hyped multimedia tablet computer.
While Apple didn't provide any iPad forecasts, expectations had been building steadily for blowout sales since Chief Executive Steve Jobs unveiled the product in late January. Last month, people familiar with the matter said Apple was seeing strong preorders of the iPad that even exceeded initial sales of the company's previous big hit, the iPhone.

Analysts on average had expected first-day iPad sales of 400,000 to 500,000 units. Some analysts, such as Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster, had even higher sales projections of 600,000 to 700,000 units. Estimates for global iPad sales this year ranged from 2.5 million by financial-services firm Kaufman Bros. to as high as 7.1 million by research firm iSuppli Corp.

But though buyers flocked to Apple stores on Saturday in the first hours after the device went on sale, the long lines petered out at many stores by midafternoon. On Monday, some Apple stores reported robust activity. An Apple store in San Francisco said it sold out of its first shipment of iPads on Monday morning, and a small line formed to buy the second shipment that had just arrived.

Some consumers such as Hans Van Der Weive, a property developer from the Netherlands, bought the iPad, which starts at $499, on impulse. "I just arrived here on holiday, I saw the shop and decided to buy one," said Mr. Van Der Weive, adding that he planned to use the device mainly for reading digital books.

iPad Rollouts

• April 3: Wi-fi-only model introduced in U.S.; more than 300,000 sold in first weekend, including pre-orders
• Late April: Wi-fi-plus-3G model goes on sale in U.S.
• Late April: All models available in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Spain, Switzerland and U.K.

Journal Community

People familiar with Apple's thinking said the Cupertino, Calif., company was pleased with the initial sales results. "It feels great to have the iPad launched into the world—it's going to be a game-changer," Mr. Jobs in a prepared statement Monday.
How well the iPad will sell in the long term will likely stay unclear for at least another few quarters. Some of Apple's biggest products have previously had relatively slow starts. The iPhone, which has sold a total of more than 42.5 million units, sold 270,000 units in the first 30 hours of sales when it was launched three years ago. That was almost half of analysts' expectations at the time.
Shares of Apple fell slightly immediately after the company released its first-day iPad sales, but then rose to close up 1.1%, or $2.52, at $238.49 on the Nasdaq Stock Market. "We thought they were very good weekend sales," said Tim Ghriskey, chief investment officer for Solaris Asset Management in New York, which owns Apple shares. "We think it's going to be a very successful product."
Apple also said on Monday that it would hold a special event on Thursday for "a sneak peak" of the next-generation iPhone operating system, which runs on the iPhone, iPod touch and iPad. Apple watchers expect the new operating system to offer new features and more closely integrate iPad functions. A person familiar with the situation said Apple has also been working on creating an advertising service for App Store developers that takes advantage of its acquisition of mobile advertising firm Quattro Wireless last year.

Mr. Jobs has touted the iPad, which looks like a bigger iPhone, as a "magical and revolutionary" device that falls in between a phone and a laptop computer. Apple added features to the iPad like an iBooks digital-book reader and productivity software for tasks like word processing. But analysts and investors say the device's success will depend on the sort of applications that third-party developers create for it.

"The thing to really watch for are killer apps specifically for the iPad that showcase the screen and processing power," said Shaw Wu, an analyst for Kaufman Bros., adding that both the iPod and iPhone became popular because of compelling content. "Some of it is beyond Apple's control."

Apple said people downloaded more than one million applications and 250,000 e-books from iBooks during the first day. Before the iPad's release, there were about 2,500 iPad apps in the App Store, according to ad-exchange network Mobclix Inc. Only a handful of developers were given an actual iPad early, so analysts expect more innovative applications to emerge now that the iPad is in the hands of developers and consumers.
Users have reported a few glitches related to the iPad's Wi-Fi connection and charging, but there otherwise appeared to be no major problems.

Lara Dutta bikini logic to make theaters HOUSEFULL??

Heard this?? Lara Dutta, the sizzling hot bollywood babe with  a fabulous figure as shown  in a two piece bikini in Sajid Khan’s upcoming mega- budget flick ‘Housefull’ opposite action specialist Akshay Kumar, has become philosophical and cites a solid BEACH logic behind her body show.




It was during the Italian spell of the flick that Lara Dutta had a spark that if she was shooting the sequence on a beautiful beach then why not wearing a two piece bikini. Of course, this noble thought came to Lara from all knowing and even more philosophical choreographer Farah Khan, who was doing the job for her brother -director Sajid Khan.



 The song has turned out beautifully with full potential of attracting the audiences towards theaters making the flick truly ‘Housefull’. And if Lara Dutta could have some bikini and beach logic, can other beauties Deepika Padukone and Jia Khan be far behind? Na jee na, they too instantly became convert to Lara-Farah’s philosophy of bikini-beach wear and shot in audience friendly costumes (read bikinis).




After all Sajid Khan is making the flick to entertain the audiences and not to mollify some eccentric critic of the film, who in any case, would be able to see only negative things of the flick.


‘Housefull’ is a romantic comedy being produced by Sajid Nadiadwala with Akshay Kumar playing the lead opposite three bollywood beauties—Lara Dutta, Deepika Padukone and Jiah Khan. Most of the portions have been shot in London and other exotic locations of the world and it has turned out to be a beautiful film.

‘Houseful’ has a tight screenplay—Lara Dutta

The Bollywood actress and the former beauty queen Lara Dutta revealed during an interview that her forthcoming comedy flick ‘Houseful’ is not another mindless comedy but has a meaningful storyline that it follows throughout.

"It's not a mindless comedy. It has a tight screenplay. So if you are not following because of all the confusion, you might lose the plot somewhere," said pretty actress.
"Film goes by the literary meaning of it. There is one house crowded with people. One person has three wives and children. Time comes when all family members are together and confusion takes off, and that's what the film is all about," disclosed Lara about the film.
‘Houseful’ is a story of a guy named Aarush (Akshay Kumar) who is in search of finding true love to ward off his bad luck. In his quest to find love he ends up marrying thrice and that’s when confusions begins.
Tabloids are also suggesting that Lara is married to Akshay and Riteish Deshmukh in the film directed by Sajid Khan.
"I can’t reveal why she has two husbands,” said Lara slyly.
Lara taking break from comedy
During the interview Lara revealed, though, she enjoys doing comedy films but now is the high time to take a break from them in order to explore other genres.
"I like doing comedy; so most of the films I do are comedy films. Comedy is something that works,” said Lara.
Though was quick to add, “I would like to take a break from comedy and do something else. I have already shortlisted what I want to do, but I haven't signed any."
Lara bonded with Deepika Padukone
When two actresses’ works together in a film rumors always starts flying around about their alleged fights.
Interestingly, no such thing happened on the sets of ‘Houseful’ where leading ladies Lara Dutta and Deepika Padukone bonded quite well especially on a shopping spree.
“Lara was familiar with London and since she and Deepika shared a great rapport she would often take Deepika for the local sales,” said a source familiar with the matter.

Google Android Catching Up with iPhone In US Market, Confirms Comscore

Internet market research company comScore has released fresh mobile phone usage data which indicates that smartphones based on Google's Android OS are eating into Apple's and Microsoft's smartphone market share in the US.

The market share report released by the research firm disclosed that Android OS had increased the highest out of the all the smartphone OS present in the market and ended up gaining a market share of 9 percent, which comes out to be an increase of 5.2 percent since November 2009.

Meanwhile, Research In Motion, the company behind the highly popular BlackBerry Curve smartphone, managed to clock a 1.3 percent increase in its smartphone share from November 2009 to February 2010, acquiring a US market share of 42.1 percent.

On the other hand, Apple, which just launched its iPad tablet device, was seen nursing the 0.1 percent drop its market share since November 2009 to February 2010, thanks to the rising popularity of Android based software devices.

Infosys iRace makes employees say “I Quit”

Infosys has seen extremely high attrition over the last 3 months and most employees attribute it to the new HR initiative (I think Finance had more say here).There were reports that Infosys lost 4000 employees in the month of February alone accounting for 3% of its total strength. It appears Infosys has frozen all the exit interviews of employees resigning till the end of the March 2010 (H2), this appears as a move to show more acceptable attrition rate to the media and markets ahead of the annual results. Nandita Gurjar has been taking a lot of flak from infy employees in the media comments section. 

During recession Infosys like TCS,Wipro and many others increased the working hours from 8 hours to 9 hours and froze the hikes and promotion for two years. Now after iRace many employees have been demoted as they dont fit the expected criteria and their salary has gone down as well. Typically when a company starts reducing salaries even while showing profit growth it makes you wonder when will the normalcy return for these companies. Infosys while projecting a profit growth story to markets, it is doing exactly the opposite towards its employees.

By discouraging long serving employees, the likes of Infosys and TCS are encouraging a vicious cycle in the IT industry in terms of attrition and forced hikes by laterals, in spite of the fact that the cost for the companies will be much lower to retain employees rather hire at a higher price.

Kareena & Katrina- Aamir’s favorite tinsel-town actresses

As per the latest tabloids reports, Aamir Khan known as ‘Mr. Perfectionist,’ revealed in an interview that he considers both Kareena Kapoor and Katrina Kaif as his favorite actresses.

In the interview Aamir had all praises for both Bollywood divas and he also said that he believes Bebo and Kat are two extremely talented actresses in the industry today.
Generally, the reserved actor shy’s away from media and tries his best not to answer questions that are not related to the event he’s attending at that point of time. However, this time he pleasantly shocked the media with the open praise.
Aamir full of praises for the ladies
Reportedly, Aamir and Kareena Kapoor became quite good friends on the sets of the film ‘3 Idiots.’ After witnessing Bebo’s dedication and hard work, Aamir was totally impressed with the actress.
Even Kareena is full of praises for the talented actor and leaves no opportunity to praise Aamir on his work ethics and professionalism.
As per Kareena, Aamir is wonderful actor, who’s always concerned about giving his best and making his character look authentic onscreen.
On the other hand, Aamir and Katrina, who have not done any films together so far, leave no stone unturned to praise each other. Both met for a photo-shoot that was a tribute to the legendary actor Guru Dutt and actress Waheda Rehman in the film ‘Kaagaz Ke Phool', after which Aamir got impressed with Katrina because of her charisma.
Aamir’s favorite actresses not quite fond of each other?
Aamir might have declared that Bebo and Kat are his favorite actresses but interestingly, tabloids are always filled with stories of how both actresses avoid each other.
Reportedly, Kareena is allergic to Kat’s name ever since media started to compare her with the foreign babe. It seems like the feeling is mutual as tabloids report that Kat looked extremely irritated when someone compared her to the other Bollywood ladies.
Presently, both actresses are doing their best to be the reigning queen of Bollywood.

summer collection launch

Now God and sex on Varma's mind

Director-producer Ram Gopal Varma, whose films are mostly inspired by real life incidents, has started writing the script of his next film "God and Sex", based on Swami Nityananda's alleged sex scandal, which will take a hard look at the happenings in an ashram.

"My whole idea is to take a hard look at what happens behind the close doors of an ashram. That doesn't necessarily mean sexual activities. It's about power politics; it's about (an) industry running behind (it)," Varma told IANS in an interview.

From the scandalous incident of Swami Nityananda, Varma has drawn the conclusion that one can win over God but not over sex.

"You see so many 'babas' all over the place. I have been seeing...and so many of them are exposed. In spite of that, so many devotees keep going to them. As God doesn't speak, the next best thing you can have is a godman," the film-maker said.

"He has to design a certain image to make the devotee believe in him, but since he is a man at the core, he will fall prey to sex one day, which happened in the case of Nityananda," he added.

"So I thought about the interesting contrast between God and sex. You take all the bigwigs like N.D. Tiwari, a big politician, to Swami Nityananda to S.P.S. Rathore - they fell prey to sex, interestingly. So no matter, even if you win over God, you can't win over sex," Varma said.

Asked if he was prepared to withstand any protests by devotees, he said: "It depends on what I intend to show. My film will get more publicity, whichever way."

What excites Varma to make the film is to reveal that the 'babas' who are worshipped as godmen are actually very normal human beings.

"What I loved most about the Nityananda story is not the sex part but that he is watching Kannada film songs. That gave me the idea of how much a normal man he is. In his private life beyond the close doors, he is a normal man," Varma said.

"They earn in millions. No one is bothered where this money comes from. All are bothered that he had sex," the film-maker added.

Varma hasn't yet decided whom to cast in the lead role for the film.

Nityananda has not been seen in public since the telecast last month of video footage showing him in a sexual act with two women.

IPL fever: Shah Rukh Khan to do a full monty!

Spicezee Bureau

Mumbai: Well, ladies…this is serious hot stuff! Going by his team’s performance in the ongoing IPL tournament, there is a fairly good chance that you would see Shah Rukh Khan dance naked to the tunes of his super hit number ‘Dard-e-disco’.

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Yes, that is true for it comes right from the horse’s mouth. In a post IPL party, SRK quipped that he’ll do a full monty, provided his team grab the IPL trophy this year.

Shah Rukh is the proud owner of the cricket team - Kolkata Knight Riders which is doing pretty decent in this season of IPL, as compared to its dismal show in the last edition. So, when KKR won their last match a few days back, SRK went a little over board at the post IPL match party, and said, “If my team will make it to the finals and win… I`ll dance naked to my song ‘Dard-e-disco’ in the DY Patil stadium”.

Lalit Modi, Chairman, IPL, was all smiles. "He`s a great owner and highly possessive about his team members. I won`t be surprised if he actually sticks to his word about dancing in the nude if they were to win," he laughed.

Well, whatever be the outcome of the matches being played, SRK made one thing very evident and that is in this year of IPL, ladies know at least which team they have to hoot for!

’Bollywood’s time has come’

What else, in an interview to CNN, King Khan declared that Indians will soon be the global stars.

Asked if he imagined there maybe a time when Indian stars will be truly global, he said: "Much sooner than anyone would expect, most certainly" even though "all the main standard in the world becomes how much dollar value that finally the business brings, and that`s how you`re big."

"But I can see it happening in the next five or six years, very easily," Shah Rukh Khan said seeing the use of Hindi language in Indian films as another problem giving Hollywood "a big advantage" as they speak in English.

"But the time is coming now, because ...if you see a new Indian film, you`ll realise that the language is more `Hinglish’ he said referring to the use of liberal use of English terms in Hindi films.

Tiger Woods sports goatee, wraparound shades while practising in Augusta

NEW YORK: Professional golfer Tiger Woods was spotted sporting a rough-looking new goatee and wraparound shades as he practiced for his return to the Masters Tournament in Augusta, Ga.

Woods, 34, had a days-old growth of facial hair, and wore a lavender striped Nike polo shirt and khaki slacks, as he teed off at the famed course, reports the New York Daily News.

The golfer, who will hold a press conference on April 5, was also wearing a spiritual Buddhist bracelet that he says provides strength amid the storm of the sex scandal.

Looking relaxed, Woods chatted with caddy Steve Williams as in between swings at Augusta, and also shook hands with fellow golfer Jim Furyk.

The Masters, which starts on April 8, will be his first tournament since his reputation was ruined by reports he cheated on his wife with a bevy of babes.

Shilpa-Raj want to play a different ball game

After doing reasonably well as co-owners in the Indian Premier League (IPL), Raj Kundra and Shilpa Shetty look all set to launch an international football league soon this year.

Says a source close to the couple, "It will be a private football league (by invitation only). Six elite corporates and six A-List celebrities will co-own the football teams. The league will be christened the Football
India Cup.


Talks are on with the All India Football Federation to be affiliated with them. Team owners will buy international footballers. Retired footballers at the top of their form may also be included. There will be four international footballers and seven Indian ones for each team."

Raj and Shilpa are waiting for a window to be given to launch the football league. Only the letter in intent has been signed. The source adds, "Raj has always been extremely passionate about football and has wanted to form a league along international lines for some time now. He wants to improve the infrastructure for the Indian youth. Shilpa's hubby hopes that one day India will have 11 football players who will win us the World Cup."

The source says, "In fact, last year, he even met AIFF general secretary, Alberto Colaco and discusssed development projects, football competitions, the general football structure and the opportunities available in India.

Moreover, Shilpa and Raj are good friends of Praful Patel, AIFF president. It is hoped that with his involvement, the sport will be encouraged now. Football is huge in India and Britain. Kundra feels it's good to encourage another sport. For him, it's not another business. There are 300,000 registered footballers in India. The football league will offer them all job opportunities."

CSK's Bollinger wins hearts on debut

CHENNAI: He may have played many times at the Sydney Cricket Ground, but 40,000 people chanting his name every time he comes on to bowl, is something new for the Aussie paceman. That's the magic of IPL and the left-armer is soaking in every moment of it.

"I can't remember the last time when fans kept chanting my name," Doug Bollinger said after bowling a super spell of 2-15 on a day when 469 runs were scored off 40 overs.

Bollinger could not have asked for a better IPL debut than this. The Australian had landed in the city just two days back but there was not a sign of fatigue. He acclimatized well and his presence has surely added a new dimension to the Chennai Super Kings attack. In an unforgiving format for bowlers, Bollinger hit the right spots consistently, denying elbow room to the marauding Rajasthan Royals batsmen. He just stifled them .

The CSK team management may just think that the injury to Kiwi allrounder Jacob Oram has been a boon in disguise for them. Bollinger was a last-minute inclusion in his place and the way the paceman shaped up on Day I, he may well be one of the players who will be retained for next season as well.

Bollinger first came to India as part of the Australia A side two years ago. Last year, he was back again with the Australian senior side for the seven One Dayers, and by the end of the gruelling campaign, he was toasted as the find of the tour.

"I've played a fair amount of cricket here before and I'm aware of the pitch and the conditions. It's important to adjust to the conditions quickly and as a professional player I'm used to it. I'm happy that my effort helped the team win such an important match and I'm confident of delivering my best in the next games as well," Bollinger, who also bagged the award for the best catch to dismiss Yusuf Pathan, said.

Such was Bollinger's influence on the game that Royals skipper Shane Warne said it was the Aussie who denied them a win. "Vijay played an exceptional innings but I think Doug made the difference. He stuck to his plans and that did the trick for him," Warne said.

But Bollinger was modest enough to give the credit to his teammate. "It's a great compliment for me. Vijay played a fantastic knock and I think whole credit goes to him. Something like 220 would have been a very good total to defend but 246 was more than our expectations. It was a brilliant batting display. It wasn't an easy target to chase down and I was just doing my job and I'm happy that everything fell into place," Bollinger said.

CSK need to win at least three out of their four matches to make the semifinals and the New South Wales player has to play a big part if Dhoni's boys are to progress. He is well aware of it. "We have a few tough games coming up, but things have started on the right note."

Gaming on the iPad

It's not quite revolutionary, but Apple's iPad is shaping up to be a game developer's dream machine.

The word "revolutionary" gets bandied about quite a bit, particularly when Apple is involved. And to hear some people talk, the iPad tablet threatens the viability of all existing netbooks and e-readers while promising to usher in a new era of tablet computing.
Those rosy predictions may or may not be valid, but what about the important things--namely, video games?
As a gaming platform, the iPad has a lot going for it. The sheer number of applications already available is staggering, to say nothing of legacy applications for the iPhone and the iPod Touch. And though I wasn't particularly impressed with how double-pixel applications looked, backward compatibility is sure to please users with heavy investments in App Store products.
The iPad's biggest drawback as a gaming platform is mirrored across all of its use cases: How the heck are we supposed to hold this thing? At 1.5 pounds it's heavier than it looks, but trickier still is the business of manipulating the expansive screen while holding it aloft. I had the most success sitting upright on a couch (as the iPad ads encourage users to do). Playing while lying in bed was doable, too, though a bit more cumbersome than with the Nintendo DS or Sony PSP.
The iPad hardware leaves little room for complaint. The 9.7-inch screen is gorgeous; and though the 1024-by-768-pixel resolution may be a bit less precise than what you'd get on a television or a PC monitor, most of the native iPad games are quite stunning. Less welcome were the smudges that began building up on my screen after only an hour or so of play. If you plan to do a lot of iPad gaming, keep a screen cleaner handy.
Battery life is exceptional: After six or seven hours of extended informal testing, during which I ran the iPad on Wi-Fi and downloaded and played a number of games, my battery meter hovered near the 30 percent mark. As you would with most other portable electronic devices, you'll want to pack a pair of headphones. Sound quality from the single iPad speaker is fine, albeit lacking in bass or depth, when the speaker isn't obstructed. Unfortunately, such obstruction can happen easily--particularly if the game you're playing takes advantage of the accelerometer.
Ultimately, the applications will make or break this device as a gaming platform. And in this regard, the initial App Store offerings do not disappoint. Even better, games available now provide an excellent view of the iPad's strengths and weaknesses, and offer a few interesting lessons for developers.

iPad Plays Well With Others

Board-game aficionados, your electronic gaming platform is here. Though the iPad's $500 price tag means that it won't threaten the market for cardboard and plastic pieces with extinction anytime soon, the device's size and perpetual connection make it a great fit for group games and shared spaces. Scrabble leads the charge, with a readily accessible app from Electronic Arts.
EA's Scrabble app takes advantage of Facebook Connect, to keep iPad owners up to speed with their browser-based brethren. We may lament the increasing encroachment of backlit screens on our social lives, but asynchronous gaming that keeps friends connected with a minimum of fuss--despite schedules or time zones--is always a good thing.
When you do have a bit of time to gather with friends, breaking out the iPad to play a bit of Scrabble isn't as awkward as you might think--and not having to set up or clean up keeps things casual. If you're limited to a single iPad, the device is light enough to be passed around with ease, and the application is simple enough that anyone to figure out how to play it.
Then there's the Party Play feature. With the iPad lying in a central location as the board, up to four players can compete, using their iPhones and iPod Touches as personal tile racks. After all of the players have downloaded a free app onto their Apple handheld, they'll be able to sync with the iPad, rearrange their tiles and flick them onto the board, or browse a Scrabble dictionary for valid words. True, it's a bit gimmicky--but it's also fun, and it adds some nostalgic value, with your letters safe from roaming eyes.
EA may have the board game with the highest profile out on the App Store, but with this much money lying on the table, a digital board game revival can't be too far behind.

Multitouch Shines Where Precision Counts

As a dyed-in-the-wool strategy game fan, I was surprised to find that the iPad made Command and Conquer: Red Alert legitimately bearable to play--certainly a first for the real-time strategy genre on a platform that lacks a mouse and a keyboard. Multitouch is the key here, coupled with the size of the display. Though Gameplay suffers from limited AI and an occasionally choppy frame rate, the level of control over units is impressive.
Micromanaging units can be tricky, as the developers were a bit too ambitious with the size of combat engagements. Nevertheless, the ease with which I could pan about the map, divide my troops into groups, and execute multifaceted attack strategies, dwarfs anything that consoles--portable or otherwise--have attempted with the genre.
While real-time strategy games have their proof of concept, tower-defense games have hit the ground running. Consider PopCap's Plants Versus Zombies. It's a stellar game in its own right and has appeared on multiple platforms, but the iPad version is hands down the best iteration of the game thus far: superior in execution even to the original PC version.
Blasphemy? Not quite. Though Plants versus Zombies HD may not include all of the features that shipped on the PC version of the game, the core experience is vastly improved. The visuals scale excellently down to the iPad's 1024 by 768 resolution, while offering ample maneuvering room.
Better still is the multitouch experience. Response and reaction times are faster, simply because you don't have to slide a mouse cursor across a map, and because you can tap (frantically) in as many locations as you have fingers to reach. It's portable, too, without the drawbacks we saw when the game made the transition to the iPhone.

The App Store Experience

Apple's App Store is already a phenomenal success, having sold billions of apps, to say nothing of the popularity of the Apple handhelds. The iPad shows no sign of changing any of that for the worse.
During the initial launch, there was no clear division between iPad and iPhone apps; but the applications have subsequently fallen into place, with developers settling on naming conventions--appending "for the iPad" or "HD" to their games. Still, further streamlining, and a clear line of demarcation between the devices, would be welcome.
Pricing will be a learning process for consumers and developers alike. App store enthusiasts have grown accustomed to a glut of readily accessible, 99-cent titles. But the prices of iPad games are venturing into "real game" territory: Most start in the vicinity of $5, and some go as high as $15.
Though console and PC gamers may be accustomed to the pitfalls of digital distribution--such as being unable to share game purchases, or to return a product they're dissatisfied with--some iPad owners shelling out increasingly significant dollar amounts for games are going to be sorely disappointed. Some sort of trial program, or demo system, wouldn't hurt either.
It's too early to claim that Apple's iPad will revolutionize the portable video game industry. But regardless of how successful the device is at changing the way we play, it's sure to be a windfall for game developers: After just 20 minutes of casual browsing through iTunes, I managed to burn roughly $70 on a handful of games.
Convenience is great, but a lurking danger here is the feeling of instant gratification. Tap the Buy button, and your brand new game will be yours in seconds. Those $5 to $7 purchases start to add up alarmingly quickly, however. Now that the iPad has arrived, offering greater potential for iPhone developers to improve the overall quality of their wares, we'll have to wait and see whether pricing scales accordingly.

 

Katrina's night out with Royal Challengers

Siddharth Mallya and Katrina Kaif attends the IPL Nights after party following the 2010 DLF Indian Premier League T20 group stage match between the Delhi Daredevils and Royal Challengers Bangalore attends the ITC Maurya Sheraton Hotel on April 4, 2010 in Delhi, India. (Photo: IPL2010/Getty Images)   Katrina Kaif attends the IPL Nights after party following the 2010 DLF Indian Premier League T20 group stage match between the Delhi Daredevils and Royal Challengers Bangalore attends the ITC Maurya Sheraton Hotel on April 4, 2010 in Delhi, India. (Photo: IPL2010/Getty Images) Katrina Kaif attends the IPL Nights after party following the 2010 DLF Indian Premier League T20 group stage match between the Delhi Daredevils and Royal Challengers Bangalore attends the ITC Maurya Sheraton Hotel on April 4, 2010 in Delhi, India. (Photo: IPL2010/Getty Images) Katrina Kaif attends the IPL Nights after party following the 2010 DLF Indian Premier League T20 group stage match between the Delhi Daredevils and Royal Challengers Bangalore attends the ITC Maurya Sheraton Hotel on April 4, 2010 in Delhi, India. (Photo: IPL2010/Getty Images)

Indian stars will be truly global soon: Shah Rukh Khan

Pics:SRK's life in pics

With younger Indian filmmakers exposed to western cinema and western culture making different types of films, Indian stars will be truly global, "much sooner than anyone would expect", says Bollywood's superstar Shah Rukh Khan
.

"The younger filmmakers, I think are completely new-thinking people. They have learned the technique and technology, and writing from the western world," Shah Rukh told a news channel in an interview telecast in Washington on Sunday.

Youth "in our country now is also understanding different kind of cinema, because they're also exposed to because of television, Internet," he said. "So, they're like, OK, we can compare.

"And somehow Indians at this juncture feel, you know what? To be really proud, we need to make films which make a mark in the world," Shah Rukh said.

Asked if he imagined there maybe a time when Indian stars will be truly global, he said: "Much sooner than anyone would expect, most certainly" even though "all the main standard in the world becomes how much dollar value that finally the business brings, and that's how you're big."

"But I can see it happening in the next five or six years, very easily," Shah Rukh Khan said seeing the use of Hindi language in Indian films as another problem giving Hollywood "a big advantage" as they speak in English.

"But the time is coming now, because ...if you see a new Indian film, you'll realise that the language is more 'Hinglish'" he said referring to the use of liberal use of English terms in Hindi films.

"You know, we're using, and we don't have to translate it anymore, everyone understands it. And everyone uses it every day."

Shah Rukh also agreed India may soon be able to present its own world cinema. "Absolutely," he said noting that with globalisation "the language as a barrier will start breaking down. Culture as a barrier will start breaking down."

"So, all that will break down and other cinemas will come over, will come, and they'll use the technology and a lot of technicians from here," he said.

"But stories, every country has a story to tell. And once it reaches a certain standard in terms of technique, I think the world would like to watch it."

Ayesha's ace vs Shoaib-Sania?

Wedding plans of Shoaib Malik and Sania Mirza may be on solid ground in India, but in the orthodox world of Pakistan, the punishment may be quite fearful.

A Pakistan-based lawyer hired by Ayesha Siddiqui, the Indian girl claiming to be Pakistan cricketer Shoaib Malik’s wife, will file a case against the cricketer, accused of dumping her without a formal divorce.

Consent of current wife or divorcing her is the proper way to go about getting a second wife.

Farooq Hassan said that Ayesha’s father Mohammed Siddiqui had contacted him from India over the telephone and asked him to file a case against Shoaib.

According to reports, Ayesha’s family had sent a legal notice to Shoaib, but Hassan said that he was not aware of this.

“I don’t know anything about this, but all I can say is in next few days I will be deciding on what to do in Ayesha’s case,” The Daily Times quoted Hassan, as saying.

The Siddiquis claim that Malik married their daughter Ayesha in 2002, but has not divorced her till date.

The Hyderabad based family had also produced pictures of Shoaib-Ayesha’s Nikahnama (marriage certificate) that states that their marriage was solemnised on June 3, 2002.

Malik, on the other hand, has denied being married to Ayesha. He, however, admitted to talking to a girl named Ayesha over the telephone, but said he has never seen or met the girl.

Earlier on Sunday, Shoaib said that his wedding to Indian tennis star Sania Mirza would take place as scheduled on April 15, and claimed that he was “emotionally forced” to do a “telephone Nikah” (wedding on telephone) with Ayesha.

'Jaane Kahan Se...' about a woman from Venus

Men are from Mars and women are from Venus - quite literally in Jaane Kahan Se Aayi Hai, releasing on Friday. It teams up Riteish Deshmukh and Jacqueline Fernandez, with the Sri Lankan beauty playing a woman who descends on Earth from Venus in search of love.

The directorial debut of Milap Zaveri - who wrote rib-tickling comedies like Masti and Heyy Babyy - is a small-budget movie co-produced by Mukesh Talreja and Nikhil Advani.

"Jaane Kahan Se Aayi Hai is extremely youthful, but the subtlety element is prevalent right through its duration," Riteish had earlier said.

Made on a budget of about Rs.10 crore (Rs.100 million), the fantasy romantic comedy is releasing worldwide with around 600 prints. It is being distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures India.

Also starring Ruslaan Mumtaz, Sonal Sehgal and Vishal Malhotra in principal roles, Jaane Kahan Se Aayi Hai boasts of a number of guest appearances - Farah Khan, Akshay Kumar, Sajid Khan, Amrita Rao, Deepika Padukone, Katrina Kaif, Priyanka Chopra, Anushka Sharma, Vidya Balan and Karan Johar.

This is Riteish's and Jacqueline's second film together after Aladin.

The story of the movie revolves around Rajesh Parekh (Ritesh), a simple Gujrati boy who's been looking for love since he was a kid. Thoroughly unsuccessful in his endeavours, he nearly gives up till he meets Natasha (Sonal Sehgal), the girl of his dreams.

Just like Rajesh, Desh (Ruslaan Mumtaz), the youngest superstar in the country, is also looking for the girl of his dreams.

However, their worlds turn upside down when Tara (Jacqueline), an alien from Venus, lands here in search of true love. What follows is pure rib-tickling humour.

"There are some humorous as well as beautiful moments in the film when Jackie freezes time. One of the hilarious sequences is where she saves Riteish from an accident. Then, there is also a point where the two eventually realize their love for each other," Zaveri had told IANS.

While a major league of stars make special appearances in the movie, versatile actor Boman Irani will be seen in the trailer but not in the movie.

"It is for the first time in Bollywood that any actor is present in the trailer of a movie and is not present in the movie itself... They (the producers) needed a psychiatrist for the trailer of 'Jaane Kahan Se Aayi Hai' and I did it... otherwise there is no psychiatrist in the movie," Boman told IANS.

Aamir Khan to Host Kaun Banega Crorepati?

A buzz has come to us that ‘Mr. Perfectionist’ of Bollywood, Aamir Khan, will be the next celebrity to host ‘Kaun Banega Crorepati’(KBC). The show has been hosted by noted celebrities like Shahrukh Khan and Amitabh Bachchan
. Now, surprisingly, Aamir has been approached to host KBC.

Our source reports, “Even though Aamir has been tipped for hosting KBC, he has not yet accepted the offer but on other hand had not rejected it either. Reportedly, Aamir has been offered even more money than SRK and Big B, around 75 lakhs per episode and once he is sorted out, the deal will be inked. Aamir’s initial reaction to decline the offer for the show was that KBC has already seen two legends and doesn’t want to generate pointless comparisons.”


Speaking on this, Siddharth
Basu, (Producer of Licensed Company, Synergy) said, “It’s too early to talk about the next season for KBC.”

Well, it would be a treat for Aamir’s fans to see him hosting KBC and enjoy his new ‘takiyakalam’ after ‘Lock Kiya Jaye’ and ‘Freeze kiya jaye’, what say?

Rahul-Dimpy throw wedding reception

After flying back from the honeymoon, Rahul Mahajan and Dimpy Ganguly, has finally organized a wedding reception on Friday at a five star hotel in Kolkata. It was a low-key affair which was attended by family members, television celebrities and close friends.


Ravishing Dimpy Ganguly wore a sari which was designed by Tarun Tahiliani and Rahul was seen in garod kurta and a dhoti. The couple was busy welcoming the guests and friends. Dimpy's parents Saibal and Sushmita Ganguly looked happy and they were busy chatting with guests. But the absence of Rahul's sister Poonam Mahajan Rao has raised some eyebrows.


Dimpy-Rahul entered wedlock on March 6, 2010. After their marriage, the media exposed Dimpy's past bikini shoots and her hot item number in Bangla film Hello Memsaheb. Later Rahul defended her and requested the media to respect Mrs.Mahajan and went to Maldives for honeymoon.