MoserBaer uses mobile vans to sell CDS, DVDS

Kirtika Suneja, New Delhi
Business Standard
Moser Baer Entertainment Ltd (MBEL), the wholly owned subsidiary of optical disc maker Moser Baer, has found an innovative way of distributing its film CDs and DVDs in small cities and rural areas. It has introduced mobile vans in six states to distribute these discs directly in such places.

“Moser Baer does not have a big presence in small cities, so we need to play the price card and take it directly to villages. Film discs will be carried directly by these mobile vans. As of now, there are around six vans in each state,” Harish Dayani, chief executive (Entertainment Division), Moser Baer said

The company plans to have around 100 vans in 25 states in the next two months. Each van will have a capacity of 4,000-5,000, dominated by its Super DVD brand. Super DVDs, currently priced at Rs 45, have three films on one DVD and are available in more than 1,000 stores across the country.

The company recently reduced the Super DVD’s price to Rs 30 and plans to reduce it further to Rs 25. “For rural areas, we are looking at more delightful price points of Rs 22, 25 and 27, depending on the price realities of a particular place and the strength of piracy,” added Dayani.

Japanese delegation explores opportunities in semiconductor sector

M. Soundariya Preetha, Coimbatore
The Hindu
An eight-member Japanese trade delegation was here on Thursday and Friday to explore investment and business opportunities in the semi-conductor sector.

The delegation preferred a combination of investment and off-shore supply.

Members of the delegation included representatives of the Japan External Trade Organisation (JETRO), the Kyushu Economic Research Centre, the Fukuoka City Government and the Asia Semiconductor Trading Support Association (ASTSA).

The delegates told The Hindu on Friday that 30 percent of the $ 350 billion global semiconductor industry was in Japan. And, nearly one-third of the Japanese production came from the Kyushu island.

With the car manufacturers in Japan stepping up the annual production, the demand for embedded software was also increasing. Japan required skilled manpower for this. It was also looking at companies and suppliers for the electro control units used in automobiles. The cooperation in this field could be investments in Japan, joint ventures or trade. It was also looking at opportunities in all electronic-related sectors such as equipment and machinery.

Microsoft, Nokia to take on RIM

Silicon India
Bangalore: Microsoft and Nokia have formed an alliance to bring Microsoft (MS) software applications on the Nokia phones and to counter the dominance of the Research in Motion's (RIM)Blackberry. This is for the first time that Microsoft will make Office applications for non-Windows mobile phones

The latest versions of the Microsoft's Office applications, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint and messaging, will be available on the Nokia phones, which makes up 45 percent of the global smartphone market with 200 million users. The companies expect to offer Nokia phones running on the Symbian operating system and having Office sometime in the next year, initially targeting enterprise customers integrated into Nokia's E Series phones.

"This is giving some of our competitors; let's spell it out, RIM, a run for their money. I don't think BlackBerry has seen the kind of competition we can provide them now." said Robert Andersson, Executive Vice President, Nokia.

Research in Motion's BlackBerry has created the market for mobile e-mail, and has a dominant position in the corporate sector, especially in North America.

"RIM should be reasonably safe in the near-term because Nokia's presence in the U.S. is relatively small. Partnering more closely with Microsoft will help to raise Nokia's profile in the U.S." said Neil Mawston, Strategy Analytics.

The alliance is also looking to counter Google recent move into free online software, targeted at Microsoft's business customers and the growing popularity of Apple's iPhone device.

Microsoft's new Office suite of applications could be available to large numbers of users as compared to the users of Windows Mobile phones, which make up nine percent of the smartphone market

college e-textbooks go to class in iPhones

San Francisco
The Economic Times
US and Canadian college students can pack textbooks into their pockets instead of spine-bending backpacks courtesy of an iPhone application released by CourseSmart.

The northern California supplier of electronic textbooks on Tuesday released free software that makes digitized forms of college textbooks available on Apple's ubiquitous iPhone or iPod Touch devices.

"We've seen significant demand from student customers for the ability to get required textbook content in electronic form on an iPhone or iPod Touch," said CourseSmart executive vice president Frank Lyman.

"We see incredible potential for iPhone and iPod Touch applications in education." Students that buy "eTextbooks" from CourseSmart can view them from any Internet-linked computers and are able to print out pages or copy sections into custom study guides.

Instead of lugging old-fashioned ink and paper books to classes, students can use iPhones of iPod Touch devices to access textbooks online for reference during classes.

"It's important to students to be able to access textbook content in color with the same page layout as a printed textbook and now the eTextbooks App allows them to do that," Lyman said.

CourseSmart began offering eTextbooks in 2007 and as of Tuesday had reportedly sold copies to students in slightly more than 5,900 schools.

DELL unveils nickelodeon PC for kids

San Francisco
The Economic Times
Dell Inc on Tuesday unveiled a line of Nickelodeon co-branded personal computer for children, the first in a series of branding deals intended to galvanize its consumer business.

Dell's move is the latest example of PC makers using design and targeting particular demographies to stand apart from rivals such as Hewlett-Packard Co and Acer Inc in an increasingly commoditized industry. The Dell Inspiron Mini Nickelodeon Edition will come clad in the Viacom Inc channel's trademark "green slime" design, with additional designs based on programs such as "SpongeBob SquarePants" and "iCarly."

The 10-inch netbook has wireless Internet access, weighs less than 3 pounds and comes loaded with entertainment and educational content. It will also feature a personalized user interface with Nickelodeon-branded desktop wallpaper and icons, and easy access to the channel's online content.

Michael Tatelman, vice president of global consumer sales and marketing for Dell, said the Nickelodeon netbook is just the start of its co-branding effort as it pushes into areas such as college students and pro sports. "The PC, like the smartphone, has become a 21st century symbol of self-expression. People are identified by what they carry, and people identify with what they carry," he said.

Leigh Anne Brodsky, president of Nickelodeon and Viacom consumer products, said the "sweet spot" for the PC was the so-called "tween" market. "This really is not a toy. This is the real deal," she said. The world's No. 2 PC maker did not announce pricing for the netbook, which will be available in October in the United States through Dell's online store, and at Wal-Mart Stores Inc outlets and Walmart.com. The Nickelodeon PC is based on Dell's Inspiron Mini 10v, which starts at $300.