Hyundai Contemplating i10 Export to U.S. Market?

Hyundai Motor India Limited (HMIL) is planning to export compact car to U.S. market. The South Korean auto giant has already made a strong presence in India’s fastest growing car market and has been the largest car exporter in India. No Indian automaker could yet step into US market, but Hyundai is seriously considering US market as its next big export destination in the world. Though the company has not revealed the model/s it is going to export to US from India, Hyundai i10 seems to be perfect product to venture into the world’s largest car market.

Sify.com reported:

H S Lheem, managing director of Hyundai Motor India, said the company is looking to tap the US market and is conducting a feasibility study. "We have begun to study the possibility of exporting cars to the US but this will not happen immediately. It will take time," he said.

Hyundai i10 is a compact passenger car with hatchback design which is exclusively manufactured in Hyundai Motor India’s Chennai plant and exported to 96 countries across the world. Hyundai i10 has seen extensive success in Indian market since its launch earlier this year. The company will roll out Hyundai i20 by the end of this year. Hyundai i20 will also be manufactured in the company’s manufacturing plant in India and will be exported around the world.

Hyundai i10 might gain some instant attraction in the US car market due to its fuel/ gasoline efficiency. i10 can run 54 miles per gasoline- meaning an excellent fuel efficient car. Surging fuel price in world market has decreased the demand for luxurious car in the US and the demand for compact cars is increasing now-a-days. So, Hyundai i10 could be an eye-catching product for the US market.

As Hyundai i10 is manufactured in India, the manufacturing cost is much less than its competitors. So, the price tag that will be attached to i10 is also expected to be competitive in the US market. For exporting to the US market, manufacturers need to add some features to Hyundai i10 for safety concern in what the weight of the car would be increased by 400 pounds.

However, as I mentioned earlier that it is not yet confirmed which model the company is going to export to US. At this moment, Hyundai Motor India is currently manufacturing Santro, Getz and 'i10' models from its Chennai plant. The South Korean company is now planning to make India its export hub for small cars.

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tehrantimes

BSNL will allow private companies to use its network

Another great news for mobile phone subscribers in India. Now,

Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited, the largest tele-communication company in India, is going to allow mobile companies to use its networks around the country under agreement. If this happens, mobile phone users in India will not have to use SIM card. Times of India:

In a Management Committee meeting recently, the PSU approved a proposal in this regard. "The MoU in this regard may be signed with the seeking operators initially for six months only on non-exclusive and experimental basis," a BSNL internal circular of the Management Committee meeting said.

The committee said that only the idle capacity of BSNL’s network will be used to generate revenue. At present, the management committee decided to charge

Rs. .52 per minute for each outgoing call.

Swan Telecom is going to be the first company to sign a roaming agreement with BSNL. BSNL will review the charge after six months. Based on the volume of business, BSNL then think of increasing or decreasing the charge.

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The Times of India

Microsoft's price cut puts Xbox 360 on the top spot in the console market

After observing lower sales for the first six months of 2008,Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) lowered the price of its Xbox360 consoles and the strategy worked in their favor. The company regained the top spot in the competitive gaming console market replacing Sony Corporation’s (TYO:6758) PS3. On September 12, 2008, Microsoft cut its console price for the second time.

In August, Microsoft sold 195,200 units making it the top seller in USA. It also took the top spot in terms of game software sales. Madden ’09 which was sold with Xbox 360 was sold one million units,Soul Calibur IV sold 174,000 units and Too Human sold 168,200 units.Microsoft’s price cut ranged between $50 and $80 based on the models. Currently, the Xbox360 model cost $199. This is the cheapest next generation gaming console in the market.

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arstechnica.com

India observes an increase in industrial output

Despite high inflation rate and global credit crunch, Indian industry sector observed a rise in its industrial output in July 2008. According to the data, industrial production rose by 7.1%. In a poll organized by Reuters, the July growth was predicted at 6.5%. IBN Live.com reports:

Industrial output is geared mostly to the domestic market, accounting for about a fifth of GDP, and economists were divided on whether it was strong enough to prompt another tightening by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) at a rate review in October.

"Given the recent trend as far as manufacturing prices inflation is concerned there is still scope for RBI to go with that one last hike in October," says, head of Indian and ASEAN economics at Macquarie Capital Securities, Rajeev Malik.

Compared to 2007, manufacturing output increased to 7.5%, capital goods production 21.9%, consumer goods production 7.3%, and consumer durables 11.2%.

The Reserve Bank of India raised interest rates three times in June and July due to double digit inflation which resulted into a record hight 9% increase in the interest rates at which RBI lends money to the banks. The good news is that annual inflation rate, which went up by 12.6% in early August, came down to just above 12% by the end of that month which has led to considerations among economists that RBI may not increase its rates again,

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IBN Live

Chelsea Defeated Manchester City 3-1, Despite Robinho’s Debut Goal for City

Robinho scored in his premier league debut tonight, but Chelsea strolled to an easy 3-1 victory over Manchester City at Eastlands thanks to strikes from Ricardo Carvalho, Frank Lampard and Nicolas Anelka. Robinho opened scoring in the match as he put Manchester City ahead on the 13^th minute, but Chelsea needed only three minutes to clinch an equalizer thanks to Ricardo Carvalho. The first half ended in 1-1 stalemate, but Chelsea took lead just eight minutes into the second half when Frank Lampard scored the second goal for Chelsea.

However, the match was still close and either side had chances too. It was Anelka who ensured three points for Chelsea scoring a 69-minute goal making the score line 3-1. However, the West London club suffered a big blow when Captain John Terry was sent off in the 77^th minute- meaning the English defender will miss Chelsea’s next two premier league matches.

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Goal.com

Arsenal Clinched 4-0 Victory over Blackburn with Emmanuel Adebayor Scoring Hat-trick and Walcott Dazzling

Arsenal appeared with impeccable form against Blackburn Rovers tonight as they thrashed the home side 4-0 thanks to a hat-trick from Arsenal’s Togo international Emmanuel Adebayor. However, Theo Walcott was instrumental in Arsenal’s superb display at Ewood Park tonight. The hero of England’s midweek victory over Croatia in world cup qualifying set up Robin van Persie the opening goal of Arsenal on the 8^th minute of the match. Though he did not score any goal himself, Walcott remained a constant threat to Blackburn defense all through the match.

The Togolese striker was also in his prime to pulled off an excellent hat-trick, helping Arsenal pick up three points from the match with full of confidence. Arsenal lost to Fulham in their first away match of the season. So, ahead of the away match at Blackburn, Arsenal was a bit careful this time. Particularly, Arsenal’s midfield and front men were in superb form, but their defense was not up to the mark. Blackburn’s Roque Santa Cruz created a couple of chances following van Persie’s early strike and Blackburn looked very confident even under a goal down in the match. The home team’s Emerton also created some chances, but Blackburn Rovers failed to capitalize on the chances and thus let Arsenal create pressure on Blackburn Rovers.

Arsenal looked more dangerous in the second half and kept on attacking. With this victory, Arsenal moved up to third place with 9 points from three matches. The most important thing is that clinching a 4-0 away victory is always something special; no matter who the opponents are. Now, let us see if Arsene Wenger boys can continue their excellent form in the coming weeks as well.

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BBC

Xun Chi 138: The world’s smallest camera phone

As I am writing this entry, the phone is already out of stock and arrival of new stock has not been determined yet. I am talking about Xun Chi 138, the smallest camera mobile phone in the world. As days are going by, mobile phone companies are trying their level best to further squeeze the size of their mobile phones and load them with more interesting and useful features. Yes, small is the future in the mobile phone industry.

Dimension of Xun Chi 138:

Length: 2.65 inches

Breadth: 1.30 inches

Width: .76 inches

Weight: 55 g

Standard temperature: 5°-40°C

Humidity: 35%-85%

Standby time: 2-5 days

Talk time: 2-3 hours

Colors: Pink and Blue.

Xun Chi 138 features:

• The Xun Chi 138 is a dual band (GSM 900 / 1800 MHz) GSM phone. It will support dual band GSM networks in Europe, Australia and some countries of Asia. However, it will not work on North American GSM networks such as Cingular/Cellular One, T-Mobile, Rogers, Fido/Microcell, SunCom, Dobson, Edge Wireless, Alltel, Petrocom, Union, Pegaso/Movistar, Radiomovil/Telcel etc. This link contains list of countries whose networks will support the Xun Chi 138.
• The Xun Chi 138 will support any SIM card.
• The Xun Chi 138 has 121 MB memory.
• The Xun Chi 138 has video player and image editor.
• The Xun Chi 138 comes with VGA camera, not mega-pixel.
• The Xun Chi 138 has stopwatch with split and lap timing. The user can time four events at once.
• The Xun Chi 138 has on screen keyboard.
• The Xun Chi 138 comes with a small stylus attached on the backside of the phone.
• The Xun Chi 138 supports English and Chinese language.
• Xun Chi 138 can also be used as a hands-free speaker-phone.
• The Xun Chi 138 supports speed dial.
• The Xun Chi 138 can be used to menu shortcut settings.
• The Xun Chi 138 comes with five user editable profile-settings including: general, indoor, outdoor, meeting, and headset.
• The Xun Chi 138 non-expandable memory.
• The Xun Chi 138 has 34 mm (diagonally) LCD touch screen with backlight, 128 x 160 pixel, and 260,000 colors.
• The Xun Chi 138 comes with five screen backlight timeout settings: 5, 15, 30 or 45 seconds.
  

• The Xun Chi 138 has an EV between -4 and +4.
• The Xun Chi 138 has 7 color LED highlight settings.
• The Xun Chi 138 comes with six white balance settings: auto, daylight, tungsten, fluorescent, cloudy, incandescent.
• The Xun Chi 138 allows the user to set video files, GIF animations, and still images as wallpaper, screen saver, and startup-shutdown banner.
• The Xun Chi 138 has VGA still camera.
• The Xun Chi 138 can take pictures at 640 x 480, 320 x 240, 160 x 120, or 128 x 160 resolution.
• The Xun Chi 138 has 3x digital zoom/crop at lower resolution.
• The Xun Chi 138 comes with three different image compression quality settings: high, normal, and low.
• The VGA still camera of Xun Chi 138 has night mode and 50Hz or 60Hz banding setting.
• The Xun Chi 138 can take 3-5 sequential shots (1 shot per second).
• The Xun Chi 138 has a delay timer of 5, 10 or 15 seconds.
• The Xun Chi 138 comes with different effect filters including: sepia, sepia green, sepia blue, color invert, gray invert, blackboard, whiteboard, copper carving, blue carving, emboss, contrast, and sketch.
• With the Xun Chi 138, users can add fun photo frames such as, flowers, trees, moon, birthday, window, cloverleaf, bunny, pig, and two types of paper photo borders, while taking photos at 128 x 160 resolution.
• The Xun Chi 138 comes with three different shutter sounds (silent shutter).
• The Xun Chi 138 can record video at 176 x 144 resolution, 15 frames per second.
• The Xun Chi 138 has three types of video compression quality settings: fine, high, normal or low.
• The Xun Chi 138 camera has 4x digital zoom in 20% increments.
• The Xun Chi 138 camera can record with four types of time limits: no limit, 15, 30 or 60 seconds.
• The Xun Chi 138 camera has three file size settings: no limit, 95k, 195k or 295k.
• User can turn off audio recording during video.
• The Xun Chi 138 can encode in MP4 (mpeg-4) or H.263 formats.
• The Xun Chi 138 video camera can switch between vertical or sideways orientation.
• The Xun Chi 138 video camera has five playback speed settings: 1/2, 1, 2, 4 or 8x. There will be no sound in fast and slow modes.
• The Xun Chi 138 comes with MP3 player and sound recorder.
• The Xun Chi 138 comes with MP3 or MIDI ringtone and alarm tone setting with or without vibration.
• The Xun Chi 138 has single, repeat or increase ring volume settings.
• The Xun Chi 138 allows the user to set ringtone, picture and video to identify a caller.
• The Xun Chi 138 media player can play MP3 files (no WMA or OGG support).
• Users will listen to songs through the internal phone speaker or handsfree earbuds.
• The Xun Chi 138 media player comes with 7 equalizer settings: bass, dance, classical, treble, party, pop, rock.
• The Xun Chi 138 media player has repeat mode (one song or all) and shuffle modes.
• The Xun Chi 138 media player supports background play mode.
• The Xun Chi 138 media player has auto-search playlist generator.
• The Xun Chi 138 has sound recorder that saves mono audio files in WAV or AMR format.
• The Xun Chi 138 personal organizer includes: calendar and multiple alarms, calculator, unit converter (converts length and weight between various metric & english units), currency converter (stores 1 currency rate only), health (body mass index and menstrual cycle calculators), and animated screen saver.

Price:

I could not find any price quotation. However, the Xun Chi 138 comes with six months warranty. Buyers will also get:

• Two batteries each 3.7V, 480mAh
• Stylus.
• Handsfree earbuds with microphone and mute button.
• USB cable.
• 100-240V AC charger with adapter as per country requirement.
• You can also download the manual in either Chinese or English.

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clibryze.com