Speak To Your Car With Microsoft SYNC

Remember the amazing 1980′s television show Knight Rider which starred David Hasselhoff and an Super Intelligent In Car Computer called KITT. Well, the 1980′s was surely the decade that produced some of the most amazing television programs many of which are watched even today.

Well, it seems like the engineers at Microsoft got really inspired from KITT and decided to create something of their own so that they can turn every car into a Knight.

Microsoft SYNC is a fully-integrated, voice activated in-car communication and entertainment system for your mobile phone and digital music player. Microsoft SYNC technology is a fully-integrated, flash memory-based system that enables drivers to call hands-free and to control a range of digital audio via voice commands and buttons mounted on the steering wheel. The system is based on an a Microsoft Auto operating system comprising an ARM 11 processor, 64MB of DRAM and 256MB of flash memory.

Microsoft SYNC works on the new Microsoft SYNC Framework which in the words of Microsoft is “a comprehensive synchronization platform enabling collaboration and offline for applications, services and devices with support for any data type, any data store, any transfer protocol, and network topology“. Now, that sure seems to be a bold statement and it would be interesting to see if any other in-car entertainment player uses the SYNC technology.

Microsoft SYNC enabled cars are now in sale in North America in 2008 models of Ford, Lincoln and Mercury. This sure is a very new field for Microsoft and it’s nice to see that they are trying to venture out into new areas. If you haven’t seen the ad spots for SYNC then you can probably check one out below:

Tags: microsoft, sync, framework, cars, usa, entertainment, ford, mercury

DP Money Watch – Investment Advice From The Indian Buffet

Rakesh Jhunjhunwala is one of the smartest investors in India who believes in the benefits of portfolio concentration. His top 5 holdings account for 54.67% of his portfolio and his top 10 holdings account for almost 80.00% of his portfolio. The average weighted market cap of his portfolio is a cool Rs. 5276 crores.

It is said that listening to Mr. Jhunjhunwala for one hour is better than reading 25 books on investment. Here are some of his words of wisdom for people who invest in the stock markets.

Enter the market when no one else does

Jhunjhunwala takes the cue from Warren Buffett when he says: “Most people get interested in stocks when everyone else is. The time to get interested is when no one else is. You can’t buy what is popular and do well.” Rakesh advices the following on this point:

• Don’t follow stock picks by big investors.
• Remember: the market is always right
• You can never be taught about the market, you have to learn it.
• You must balance fear and greed.

Jhunjhunwala says he is ‘well invested’ in key growth areas like banking, retailing and infrastructure, all of which are based on India’s domestic performance. His private equity interests offer more detail — education (private schools in Mumbai), hospitals and health care, a security company, pharmaceuticals, and dredging.

Markets are like women — always volatile

“Markets are like women — always commanding, mysterious, unpredictable and volatile,” ‘Big Bull’ Rakesh Jhunjhunwala had told a gathering in Mumbai a few months back. For Jhunjhunwala, trading by the hunches is the best thing to do. “If in doubt, listen to your heart,” is what he tells young investors. Given below are some investment gems from him:

• Be optimistic, opportunistic and Study the market thoroughly
• Invest in a business and not a company.
• Always have an independent opinion and be prepared for risks.
• Be happy with your gains but take losses in your stride.

Markets plunging!!! Don’t sell in panic

Jhunjhunwala states that there is nothing to fear despite a sharp plunge in the Sensex this year. He assures investors that:

• Nothing has changed as the Indian market is ‘deep-rooted’.
• Corrections, however sharp, are indispensable.
• Panic selling during a sharp fall is the worst thing to do.
• Stay invested and calm when the markets nosedive.
• The country is poised to soon achieve a double-digit economic growth along with an impressive corporate profit growth.

Jhunjhunwala said enormous wealth was created over the last five years because opportunities in India have grown manifold.ŠAdmitting that gains were going to be moderate in future unlike the manifold rise over the last few years, he advised investors to be realistic in their expectations.Š

Tags: jhunjhunwala, rakesh, portfolio, sharp, volatile, holdings, panic, manifold

First Impressions Of An Indian In The US of A

What is it about the United States Of America, better known as the US of A that all Indians are always eager to experience life as it happens there. Well, the reasons really vary from one person to another and even though the US is a multi-cultural and diverse country not everyone who goes there would like it too much.

Irrespective of where you come from in India your first visit to the US would surely make you observe new things about the way people go about there lives there. Let’s take a look at a few of these

• The Customer Is King: Good Customer Service is a very essential in America. Customer service standards are very high as there are big penalties associated with poor customer service. So if you visit a restaurant and don’t like the food that is served, you can speak to the manager and you can rest assure that he would do something about it. India is also moving towards this trend gradually but it’s still a long way away from the US.
• The Weather Is A Big Deal: If you thought that the weather in India is unpredictable then you were seriously mistaken. In the United States, it could be warm and cosy on one day and cold and rainy on another. The climate variations here quite extreme as a result of which most people constantly update themselves with the weather forecasts for the day and the week. Another thing that is different in the US is that the weather predictions turn out to be true most of the times, unlike India.
• The Day Starts Early: The working day starts really early in the US. People generally reach office by 8:30 am and finish their lunch by 1 pm. People usually leave by 5:30 pm and have their dinner by 7 pm. In India the days starts off a little late and also ends late as a result of which the meal timings are usually about 2 hours ahead of the American meal timings.
• You Need A Car For Everything: In most of the American Cities, people are crazy about cars and everyone wants to own a Nice Car. One of the main reasons for this is that it isn’t easy to move around on foot or public transport. The means of public transport are very limited and it’s really not convenient to walk to any place. One of the reasons why people rent cars a lot in the US.
• The Options Will Confuse You: The US of A is a paradise for the food freak. There are just so many options available for food and drink and you would most certainly be confused.

Well, if you have any more thoughts on this then do share it with us and if you’re traveling to the US for the first time then you might want to start preparing yourself for the new way life that you’ll experience there from now on, especially the jet lag.

DP Money Watch – Pitti Laminations, A Blue Chip In The Making

Pitti Lamination, PLL, is a 21 years young company catering to the Capital Goods Sector. Its ISO 9002 certified and manufactures high grade Electrical Steel Laminations which form a critical part in all types of electrical motors, alternators, pumps and DG sets. It is also into die-cast rotors, assembled rotors, built-up rotors, small laminations for compressors, jigs and fixtures. It supplies its products to many big giants of the electrical industry like Alstom, ABB, Best and Crompton, Barat Bijlee, BHEL, Crompton, Kirloskar, KSB Pumps, Otis, Toyo Power, Welco Technologies, GE Electric etc. Its exports to US and Japan constitute almost 25 % of its Rs. 150 crores turnover.

PLL is located close to Hyderabad and has 2 plants with a capacity of 10,000 tonnes. Capacity is being doubled and on 28th Jan 2008, PLL has commissioned its 1^st stage forward integartion project. On the Financial Front PLL’s top-line is growing at more than 30% YOY with corresponding increase in the bottom line.

Scrip Code : 513519 Company Name : Pitti Laminations Ltd

Type Audited Audited Audited Audited Date Begin 01 Apr 06 01 Apr 05 01 Apr 04 01 Apr 03 Date End 31 Mar 07 31 Mar 06 31 Mar 05 31 Mar 04 Description Value(Rs. million) Net Sales 1475.84 845.38 450.72 377.89 Other Income 1.14 1.12 5.77 1.72 Total Income 1476.97 846.5 456.49 379.61 Expenditure -1274.53 -708.33 -365.38 -324.75 Operating Profit 202.44 138.17 91.11 54.86 Interest -45.92 -19.18 -7.58 -8.94 Gross Profit 156.52 118.99 83.53 45.92 Depreciation -22.86 -11.8 -7.8 -7.98 Profit before Tax 133.66 107.19 75.73 37.93 Tax -32.14 -38.24 -25.47 2.38 Profit after Tax 101.52 68.95 50.25 40.31 Net Profit 101.52 68.95 50.25 40.31 Equity Capital 92.05 78.34 62.44 62.42 Reserves 397.24 192.9 47.72 8.08 EPS 11.35 8.79 8.05 8.72 Nos. of Shares – Non Promoters 5582110 4682410 3888310 3016110 Percent of Shares – Non Promoters 61 57 62 48 Result Type A

Financials reproduced from BSEINDIA

The latest Q3 results of FY08 are very encouraging with top line growing by more than 30% over Q2 FY08 with more than 50% increase in PAT over Q2FY08. PLL has an equity capital of Rs. 9.2 crores. Expected top line for FY08 is Rs.150 crores and Rs.250 Crores for FY 09. Based on Q3 results expected EBIDTA for FY 08 is Rs. 20 crores and an EPS of Rs.12 per share. Market capitalisation of PLL at CMP of Rs. 60 is less than Rs. 60 crores, and the share is available at P/E of 5, which appears to be highly under-priced for this high technology R & D driven company, catering to the most important segment of the Industry. With Mkt. Cap EBIDTA ratio of less than 3 for FY09 and PEG of less than 0.2, the share is a screaming BUY at CMP.

Buy is recommended at CMP of Rs. 56 with 2 years HOLD.

This report has been prepared solely for information purposes and the information contained herein may not be deemed to be an investment advice. Such information is impersonal and not tailored to the investment needs of any specific person. The information contained herein is not a complete analysis of every material fact representing any company, industry or security. The views expressed may change. While the information contained herein has been obtained from sources believed to be reliable, no responsibility (or liability) is accepted for the accuracy of its contents. Investors are advised to satisfy themselves before making any investments and should consult with and rely upon their own advisors whether and how to use such information in making any investment decision.

Tags: rotors, laminations, electrical, pumps, pitti, crompton, dividend, profit, stocks, equity, buy

Miss India Worldwide – A Search For The Most Beautiful Indian On The Planet

Today there are in excess of 200 countries in the world and more than 6 Billion people spread across the planet. If the entire population of the world was distributed uniformly then there would probably be about 30 million people living in each of these 200 countries. Imagine a country like India having a population of just 30 milllion (3 crore). One would have to go back in time to the early 19^th century too see an India like that.

Today India has a population in excess of 1 billion and together with China it constitues more than one third of the total world population. It comes as no suprise then that today you can find an Indian in almost any part of the world, a fact that is proved by a one of it’s kind beauty pageant The Miss India Worldwide Contest. Started by Mr. Dharmatma Saran in the year 1990, the contestants in all the pageants are of Indian origin, between the ages of 17 and 27, never married, and are citizens, residents, or born in the country which they represent. The pageant consists of four segments – Evening Gown, Indian Dress, Talent and Question-Answer.

This contest is truely very unique in it’s concept and just goes to show the immense spread of Indian families across the globe. The 2007 contest was won by Fareisa Joemmanbaks of Suriname, who defeated 17 other contestants who had come from countries like Australia, France, Netherlands, U.S.A, India, New Zealand, South Africa, UK and Ireland, just to name a few. Acclaimed as ‘ the most glamorous Indian function in the world‘, outside of India, the pageant has served as a platform for unifying the people of Indian origin scattered around the globe to come together and celebrate their rich heritage and oneness as part of the larger Indian Diaspora. Mr. Dharmatma Saran, the Chairman & Founder of the organization which manages the show feels that the contest is a great way to promote Indian values and performing arts among the Indian youth around the world.

Well, given the fact that the male:female ratio in India is quite low, it’s quite heartening to see that the Indian Beauty is present all across the globe.

Tags: india, beauty, pageant, worldwide, contest, models, population