Posts

Showing posts from May 30, 2010

Nokia unveils 4 cheap phones, bicycle charger

  Nokia Oyj unveiled on Thursday four new cheap phone models, and a first bicycle charger from the world's top cellphone maker, aiming to protect its dominant market share on emerging markets. Nokia controls more than 50 percent of phone sales in India and Africa, and has a strong prosition on most other emerging markets. "Tens of millions of these products will be sold, but competition is intensifying as Chinese vendors aggressively target the ultra low cost segment," said Ben Wood, director of research at CCS Insight. "With all the focus on its smartphone woes it is easy to forget that Nokia is a power house in entry level products." Nokia has struggled to keep up with rivals like Apple and RIM in the high-end of the market, and its ailing smartphone offering has hurt the stock price over the last few months. The four new simple phone models sales prices, excluding possible operators subsidies and local taxes, range from 30 euros ($36.9) to 45 euros. T...

How credit cards can make money for you

Credit cards of late have a negative connotation, and are pronounced as complete no-no by many, because of the high interest rates that are charged on late payments/defaults. Don't let this negativity cloud perception of the product. You would be surprised to know that, if you are judicious in using this product, you stand to benefit monetarily, and of course it eliminates the need for you to carry cash everywhere. More often than not the problem is that people do not understand the product well and hence are not able to use it to their advantage. The credit card company offers you a 'free credit period '   of around 50-55 days. The misconception most people have is that this free credit period is from the date of purchase. It is actually from the date of billing. E.g. Mr Anand's billing cycle date is December 28 to January 27 and his credit free period is 50 days. If his purchase was on January 22, he would enjoy credit for 25 days. However if he made the same purchase...

The simplest diet secret: Eat less to weigh less!

Image
If you control your portions at mealtimes, you're bound to lose weight -- it's a principle that cannot fail. But how much is enough? Illustration: Uttam Ghosh Most of us attempt to lose weight by forcing a self-imposed blanket ban on incriminating foods. But sooner or later, as our patience wears thin and resolve crumbles, we go for these very foods with a vengeance. The result is that we are back where we started -- or even worse. Another, better, option would be to follow a path of moderation -- where we continue to eat all foods, but in an amount where they are not harmful. Portion control essentially involves knowing how to select servings of each food item, so that the overall calories consumed are not in excess. It is about combining different types of foods in controlled portions so that the overall balance is not tipped. These are a few practical tips on implementing effective portion control: Cut it by half:  You can cut the calories of your favorite foods by 50 ...