In the new initiative Idea urges and invites Indians to proudly say “Jai Hind” and spare 2 minutes from their busy pseudo lifestyles and express their solidarity though the microsite  BythePeople.in/jaihind. Users need to submit their name and mobile to participate in the movement. On 31st August, the national Flag Day, Idea will call and play the soulful composition ‘Jai Hind’ featuring Indian legends like Pandit Hari Prasad Chaurasia, Pandit Jasraj, Pandit Zakir Hussain, Javed Akhtar, Yesu Das, Jagjit Singh, Alka Yagnik, Shankar Mahadevan and Sonu Nigam to name a few. Idea aims at uniting million proud Indians in a single voice of patriotism.

There are many online properties trying to create a revolution. But are these website /microsites getting the desired response? Are they creating a revolution? If you have the answers do leave a comment

TTML has 2.5 million users in the 20.4 million strong Mumbai subscriber base.  The second-biggest telecom circle in India has 10 brands vying for subscribers where Vodafone Essar is the leader with 4.6 million users. TTML will be employing existing CDMA infrastructure for its GSM services rolled out in Mumbai and rest of Maharashtra. The Tata’s GSM services are functional in Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Chennai and Andhra Pradesh.

TTML has a capital expenditure of Rs 1,000-crore and plans on offering services at one-paise-per-second. The price point should stiffen the competition leading to probable price-cuts by competitors. The GSM rollout adds up to the GSM clutter and the only beneficiary would be the end-users. In the GSM war subscribers would have many options to choose from.

The US-based web monitoring firm GLM defines Web 2.0 as a term that describes new age web products and services. Apparently GLM sources the web for new terms and recognises it as a word once it is used for 25,000 times or more.

I was in splits when I realised the word ‘Jai ho’ and ‘slumdog’ was competing with Web 2.0. All thanks to danny Boyle.

Conventional dictionary makers, lexographers and academics are snubbing the move. They do not agree with the methods used by GLM to coin and legalise words.

With presence in 30 foreign countries Matrix offers cost-effective post-paid cards to Indian travellers. An Indian traveling to the US shells out Rs 75 / minute for an incoming call and Rs 175 / minute for outgoing. But Matrix offers Rs 30 for outgoing and Rs 15 for incoming calls. The company does not own infrastructure or spectrum; in fact it buys purchases bulk airtime through agreements with operators in varied countries. In the ned they sell the same airtime (minutes of traffic) to customers. With revenues of Rs 150 crore in FY09 the company is aiming a 35-40% increase.

It is a win-win situation for TTSL, simply because:
- Matrix products would perfectly fit TTSL’s CDMA subscriber base
- It would help TSSL offer lower call rates to subscribers going abroad
- It can offer matchless global roaming which is currently a deterrent under its CDMA platform

This move comes in after talks between Matrix and Essar Group’s retail arm The Mobile Store (TMS) have stalled. TMS proposed a merger with Matrix in a share swap deal.

Well Airtel seems to have taken a clue form biggies Apple, Nokia and RIM who have been using independent developers to create their mobile technologies. In fact the barrage of apps for the iPhone is the best example.

AODC offers tools to write apps, a software development kit and training to build applications for the PC, TV and mobile. The best part is that developers get to create technologies for Airtel’s 110 million + subscribers base; they would be creating apps for the mobile, Intenet, DTH, IPTV and of course landline users. Apparently over 1000 developers have signed up for the Community.

Other than the iPhone Google’s mobile operating system Android is an open source platform. Not to forget Microsoft’s Windows Marketplace designed for independent software developers. Even Vodafone has it won developing platform buffed Betavine.

This is great news for application developers as AODC would act as a revenue model. Plus they get to hone and showcase their skills.

Well this is not a swanky, air-conditioned franchise; in fact it is regular grocery stores in villages that would act as the Rural Airtel Service Centre . Other than selling FMCG products the grocery stores offer SIM cards and value added services other than recharging and activating mobile connections.

The telecom giant aims at increasing presence in rural India by starting 2, 00, 00 service centers in villages across India. The spotlight is on micro finance options and mobile money transfer services in untapped villages. In fact Airtel is already working with SKS Microfinance to offer loans to new Nokia customers.

This is really a wondrous way to double Airtel’s 100 million strong subscriber base. Real India lies in its villages and it looks like Airtel believes in the same.

In the past year there has been immense buzz about the monetization of Twitter. And voila, the solution is Twitter and Federated Media collaborating for Microsoft leading to ExecTweets.com. This unique page is designed by Federated Media and sponsored by Microsoft Corp. The idea is simple. Collect Twitter postings (aka tweets) updated by prominent corporate executives.

From  Richard Branson (Virgin) to Mark Zuckerberg  (Facebook) there is a long list of powerful individuals on ExecTweets.com. Apparently Twitter co-founder Biz Stone admits that the micro-blogging site gets offers from varied brands to sponsor “innovative experiences based on topics of interest”, but they do not have the time or resources.

The best part is that even the Twitter bird has got a makeover with a complete corporate look.

Burrp.com has cleverly created a vast network with an ever-growing unique user count. They have strategically launched individual portals for Mumbai, Chennai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Pune, Delhi and Ahmedabad. Here is snapshot of the New Year 2009 Gig Guide …

Burrp.com has successfully created a niche for themselves and in turn built a loyal user base. By no doubt they are one of the finest sources to locate great restaurants, entertainment information and other related services.

The print version should add an edge to their product offering. Take a look at the online version of the same.

Noida based agency Icreon Design Studio has developed an eye-pleasing website for the show. Though the website is design heavy it has very few sections and content. It looks like the website has been designed only to create an online presence for the show.

Overall the website sends out the desired message but fails on user interaction. But I advice you to watch “80 Wonders of the World” and take a tour around the world and delve deep into the Forbidden City in China or the metro in Moscow, Russia.

Even Joost has a loyal following and a wide content offering. Joost generates its revenue from advertisements. and unlike YouTube the content on Joost does not feature user generated content.

After populating YouTube with its videos, the Joost tie-up seems like a great move for Rajshri Media. The ne channel will help Rajshri Media tap into international markets. Take a look at the Rajshri channel on Joost.

Reliance ADAG owned BigFlix.com, a movie rental and video-on-demand (VOD) service have been desperately trying to penetrate international markets with their content offering. But with constant innovation and tie-ups by Rajshri it looks like BigFlix really needs to polish their act.