In less than 48 hours, Apple’s iPhone, one of the most hyped and awaited gadgets of the 21st century will be launched.

The iPhone combines Apple’s runaway hit iPod music player with a cell phone that includes a browser and e-mail software as well.

The quad-band GSM phone also plays video and features a 2 megapixel digital camera.

                            Eager fans lined up to buy iPhones at Apple store
                                    on 5th Ave in New York City on Thursday 

Reviews in Wednesday’s Wall Street Journal (subscription required) by its technology guru Walter Mossberg and in the New York Times by David Pogue have given the iPhone high marks.

Although both reviews are comprehensive, we found Pogue to be more objective. You see, Mossberg has a tendency to go weak in the knees when it comes to anything Apple. 

After playing with the iPhone for a couple of weeks, Pogue writes in today’s NYT:

As it turns out, much of the hype and some of the criticisms are justified. The iPhone is revolutionary; it’s flawed. It’s substance; it’s style. It does things no phone has ever done before; it lacks features found even on the most basic phones.

Even though Pogue does not spare the iPhone the criticism it deserves, he’s impressed too:

But even in version 1.0, the iPhone is still the most sophisticated, outlook-changing piece of electronics to come along in years. It does so many things so well, and so pleasurably, that you tend to forgive its foibles.

The Journal’s Mossberg and his colleague Katherine Boehret  are equally effusive about the iPhone:

Our verdict is that, despite some flaws and feature omissions, the iPhone is, on balance, a beautiful and breakthrough handheld computer. Its software, especially, sets a new bar for the smart-phone industry, and its clever finger-touch interface, which dispenses with a stylus and most buttons, works well, though it sometimes adds steps to common functions.

Mossberg, a long-time fan of Apple products, is clearly bowled over by the iPhone:

It feels solid and comfortable in the hand and the way it displays photos, videos and Web pages on its gorgeous screen makes other smart phones look primitive. 

People have already started queuing up at Apple’s stores to be among the first to get hold of this hot product when it launches on Friday evening at 6PM.

A quick glance at Craigslist (of people offering to stand in line for those too busy to do so) reveals the tremendous interest in iPhone.

In an e-mail interview with Mossberg, Apple CEO Steve Jobs focuses Continue Reading…

Yesterday, we did something unusual.

We traveled over 330 miles (about 520 KMs) to New York City just to watch a new movie.

But then Sicko is not just any other movie.

Made by the controversial documentary filmmaker Michael Moore (of Fahrenheit 9/11, Bowling for Columbine and Roger & Me fame), Sicko is a wake-up call to America.

A well-made movie in the Michael Moore tradition of taking up controversial themes, Sicko takes a close look at an extraordinary American tragedy - the plight of the 50 million uninsured people in U.S.A. as well as the harsh treatment of those lucky enough to have insurance by the callous health insurance companies.

At a macro level, Sicko addresses the question of what American society has turned into as a result of the unabashed worship of mammon by the health-care industry.

Blinded by unhealthy greed and abetted by corrupt and uncaring politicians, the health-care industry in America - which includes primarily health insurance companies, hospitals, doctors and pharmaceutical companies - has brought about an American tragedy that is literally causing painful misery to countless people every day.

In America, sick people who are uninsured routinely put off treatment for their ailments because they can not afford the astronomical fees charged for even minor problems. Eventually, for many of these sick people the situation only gets worse and may even end in death.

As Moore mentions in Sicko, a person unfortunate enough to have two of his fingers cut off while working had to make a difficult choice - to reattach the ring finger  or the middle finger. The unlucky individual opted to have the ring finger attached because it cost $12,000. To have the middle finger reattached would have cost him an astronomical $60,000.

Unlike in India where government hospitals are fairly widespread (but provide shoddy treatment mostly) in cities, small towns and villages, in the U.S. there are no state-run hospitals.

The point that comes through in Sicko is accurate - If you are uninsured, have no money and fall sick in America, you are well and truly SCREWED.

Using interviews and case studies, Moore compares the sorry healthcare situation in America to Continue Reading…

A vibrating condom marketed by the state run Hindustan Latex Limited is raising the hackles of some Indian politicians.

Politicians on both the Left and the Right in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh are sounding off their irritation on the Crezendo condom that it’s actually a sex toy.

The politicians are seeking an immediate ban on sales of the Crezendo condom.

HLL officials claim that Crezendo has generated strong consumer interest, according to a story in the Daily News & Analysis.

Since its launch, Crezendo had generated considerable consumer interest and demand all over the country. It was launched in the wake of market surveys suggesting fall in condom use. A major reason cited for this was lack of pleasure in the use of condom and Crezendo was introduced as a pleasure-enhancer, [an HLL official]  said.

HLL say it has no plans to withdraw the condom entirely but may do so from the state of Madhya Pradesh.

When Mariane Pearl (Angelina Jolie) wails in agony after learning that her kidnapped journalist husband Daniel Pearl will never come back, it’s one of the defining and poignant moments of this fine movie.

So far, over the previous several days the visibly pregnant Mariane’s been an unusually controlled woman despite her anguish over Danny’s kidnapping.

But when Daniel Pearl’s boss returns home one night after viewing the tape of her husband’s beheading and tells Mariane that “Danny did not make it”, the controlled emotion transforms into helpless waves of anguish, sweeping the audience along on that tide.

Playing Mariane Pearl, wife of the Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl kidnapped and murdered by Islamic radicals in Karachi when on an assignment in 2002, Angelina Jolie turns in a powerful performance in A Mighty Heart that should be an eyeopener to Bollywood actresses most of whom can’t act even to save their lives.

For those worried that Angelina Jolie, the celebrity and the actress would overshadow the character of Mariane Pearl, rest easy because that has not happened.

The movie proceeds at a fairly brisk pace that keeps the audience engrossed at all times. 

Indian actor Irrfan Khan, who delighted us in Mira Nair’s recent movie The Namesake, charms us once again with a solid performance as the Pakistan Police Captain Habib investigating Daniel Pearl’s kidnapping.

Irrfan Khan’s sparkling performance in Namesake and now in A Mighty Heart reveal his prowess as Continue Reading…

French food giant Groupe Danone will soon part ways with its Indian partner Britannia and launch products on its own in the booming Indian market, reports today’s Wall Street Journal (subscription required).

Apparently, there has been tensions between the two companies over Danone’s plans to enter the market on its own.

By the terms of a 1995 contract, Danone had agreed not to launch food brands in India without the approval of the Wadia family, which owns 24.5% of the company. Nusli Wadia (grandson of Pakistan founder M.A.Jinnah) is Chairman of Britannia.

Danone owns 25.5% of Britannia, which is one of India’s biggest brands and the maker of a variety of biscuits (cookies).

According to the WSJ story,

Danone and the Wadias are in talks that could lead to an exit by Danone from the venture, according to people familiar with the situation. One of those people says an agreement could be reached within a month. A possibility is that Danone will pay the Wadias a fee to leave the venture.

Danone’s tensions with Britannia comes close on the heels of recent reports suggesting that all’s not well with its Chinese drinks joint venture Wahaha.

With its economy growing at well over 8% for the last few years, India is one of the promising emerging markets for consumer products companies worldwide.

Indian news media report that in their eagerness to get their kid into the Guiness Book, a doctor couple in the town of Manaparai in the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu have allowed their 15-year-old son Dileepan Raj to perform a caesarean  operation.

The boy is studying in the 10th grade.

Several doctors were aghast when they were shown a recording of the operation by the proud parents, who were said to have been keen on seeing their son hailed as the “youngest surgeon in the world.”

Apparently, the operation was done at the Mathi Surgical and Maternity Hospital, owned by the parents.

The only silver lining in the horrid incident is that the 20-year-old mother and daughter are said to be doing fine.

The state government of Tamil Nadu has ordered an inquiry into the incident. 

If true, the operation would hardly be anything unusual.

After all, Indians do the oddest things to land a place in the Guiness Book of World Records. We remember an incident in the 1990s of a young boy aged six or seven driving a car over several hundred miles.

Next time you think of visiting India for a cheap heart bypass surgery or hip replacement, think twice. And then think again. You never know if it’s a doctor or a Guiness Book wannabe opening you up.

Update: The 15-year-old boy’s parents were arrested by the police on Monday, June 25, 2007.

Like millions of others, we’ve been fascinated by the story of the Boy King Tutankhamun, the discovery of his tomb by British archaeologist Howard Carter in 1922 and, of course, the Curse of the Pharaoh.

So it was with much anticipation we headed for Philadelphia the other day to catch the King Tut Exhibition before it left town. Since the last time the exhibition was in the U.S. was in the 1970s, we reckoned if we missed it this time we’d never ever see it considering our age.

More than 3,000 years after the Boy King Tutankhamun’s sudden death, the son of Akhenaten and his minor wife Kiya comes alive in the Exhibition at the Franklin Institute in Philly.

Although King Tutankhamun was not a great king and his reign short, what made the discovery of his tomb one of the greatest archaeological finds is the almost undisturbed condition of the tomb and the rich variety of objects inside.

Unlike the tombs of most Pharaohs, grave robbers had mostly missed King Tutankhamun’s resting place. So, the tomb yields to our dazzled eyes one of the richest array of objects in fairly pristine condition from 3,000 years ago.

King Tut Exhibition at Franklin Institute in Philadelphia 

The exhibition includes about 130 objects from the tomb of King Tut and other Valley of the King Ancestors.

Alas, the death mask of the King is not included in the exhibition. Apparently, the mask is not allowed to leave Egypt.

But there are a number of other objects such as statuettes, daggers, necklaces, walking sticks, wooden chests, chairs and jars, some of which may have actually been used by the king himself.

Many of the objects at the exhibition have hieroglyphic inscriptions on them.

One of the highlights of the exhibition is an exquisite gold coffinette that was supposedly used to store the liver of King Tut after his death.

We surmised the coffinette was the most precious artifact at the exhibition because we spotted a security guard exclusively dedicated to watching that object alone.

A small chair that may have been used by King Tut when he was a child also made us pause for several minutes.

The King Tut Exhibition, which started on February 3 this year, ends on September 30, 2007.

We missed seeing the exhibition in Los Angeles about 18 months back but we’re glad we finally got to see it in Philadelphia.

So, if you have the time and are historically inclined, head to the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia to see some of the finest relics from the age of the Pharaohs.

If you are at the exhibition, for an extra $5 you can watch a nice 45-minute long film called Mummies: Secrets of the Pharaohs at the Tuttleman IMAX theater inside the Franklin Institute.

Following on a Financial Times story last week, the WSJ (subscription required) today has a piece on Bollywood looking to tap funds on London’s Alternative Investment Market.

Indian Film Co, an affiliate of Network 18 will list on AIM today following upon Bollywood film maker and distributor Eros International listing on the AIM last year.

And waiting in the wings is UTV Motion Pictures.

Why the attraction of AIM?

Apparently, Bollywood companies think they’ll see higher valuations on AIM than on Indian bourses. The U.S. is unthinkable for most Indian companies - Bollywood or otherwise - because of the strict Sarbanes-Oxley reporting regulations.

Yahoo CEO Terry CEO Terry Semel, who has deservedly been criticised for his rich pay package and not doing enough to counter the Google juggernaut, has resigned.

Semel will now be non-executive chairman.

Acknowledging widespread dissatisfaction with Yahoo’s recent financial performance, Semel said in his resignation letter:

This is the time for new executive leadership, with different skills and strengths, to step in and drive the company to realize its full potential — it is the right thing to do, and the right time is now.

Yahoo co-founder and board member Jerry Yang has taken the reins as CEO of the Sunnyvale, California Internet company that was once hailed as a pioneer but has now seen its sheen wear off considerably because of several missteps including its inability to mount a strong challenge to Google on the search advertising front.

Developed under Semel’s watch, Yahoo’s much delayed Panama advertising platform has so far failed to gain traction in the search advertising marketplace that Google completely dominates.

U.S. Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama, who has vowed to run a dignified campaign, has attacked his rival Hillary Clinton for her “personal, financial and political ties to India” in a memo leaked to the New York Times by the Clinton camp.

The caustic memo referred to Hillary Clinton as D-Punjab, a reference to Hillary’s joke at a fund raiser at an Indian American’s home in Maryland that “I can certainly run for the Senate seat in Punjab and win easily.”

Seemingly prompted by envy of Hillary’s close ties to the Indian-American community and her success in raising funds from this rich community, the memo attacks Bill Clinton’s stock ownership in an Indian company, outsourcing to India and the Clintons’ close ties to New York hotelier Sant Chatwal.

The Obama campaign memo reads:

The Clintons have reaped significant financial rewards from their relationship with the Indian community, both in their personal finances and Hillary’s campaign fundraising. Hillary Clinton, who is the co-chair of the Senate India Caucus, has drawn criticism from anti-offshoring groups for her vocal support of Indian business and unwillingness to protect American jobs. Bill Clinton has invested tens of thousands of dollars in an Indian bill payment company, while Hillary Clinton has taken tens of thousands from companies that outsource jobs to India. Workers who have been laid off in upstate New York might not think that her recent joke that she could be elected to the Senate seat in Punjab is that funny.

The Asian-Indian community, one of the richest in the U.S. is of course not amused by the Obama campaign’s attack. U.S.-India Political Action Committee chief Sanjay Puri told the New York Post:

For any candidate to imply there is something wrong with getting Indian-American support, that is upsetting - very upsetting - for our members.

Indian Americans for Hillary 2008 have already raised $1 million for Hillary and plan to raise a total of at least $5 million for her.

In a damage control exercise, Obama claimed the nasty attack as “a screw-up on the part of our research team” and that neither he nor his senior staff had seen the document.

After the storm of negative publicity that followed, Obama told the The Des Moines Register’s editorial board:

I thought it was stupid and caustic and not only didn’t reflect my view of the complicated issue of outsourcing … it also didn’t reflect the fact that I have longstanding support and friendships within the Indian-American community.

Superstar Rajnikanth and director Shankar have both come up short in the new Tamil movie Sivaji The Boss.

A flawed movie in many respects, Sivaji fails to scale the lofty heights that one expects when the two top-guns in the Tamil film industry come together.

We loved Shankar’s last film Anniyan and enjoyed Rajnikanth’s 2005 movie Chandramukhi.

Both Anniyan and Chandramukhi had strong, unusual stories and passionate performances that captured the audience’s interest.

So it was with heightened anticipation that we headed for the Premiere show ($25.00 per ticket) of Sivaji at CinePlaza in North Bergen, New Jersey on Thursday, June 14, 2007.

To our great disappointment, Sivaji is not half as good as Anniyan or Chandramukhi. Gosh, Sivaji is not even as entertaining as Pokiri, a remake of a Telugu film featuring Vijay.

Where Sivaji falls short the most compared to Anniyan or Chandramukhi is in its banal story that focuses on the twin evils of corruption and black money. Both subjects are hardly unusual themes in Indian movies and have been so beaten to death thoroughly over the past 25 years in both Tamil and Hindi films that it’s hard to see new angles emerging here.

Sivaji poster outside CinePlaza, New Jersey 

Director Shankar’s play-it-safe decision to hang the movie on the slender threads of corruption and black money means the Sivaji story can never go beyond the commonplace.

As if that were not bad enough, the Sivaji story is more than a wee bit disjointed. Altruism, revenge, homilies on eradicating the pernicious influence of Black Money and corruption, helping the poor and romancing the heroine follow each other in haphazard fashion.

The Sivaji story is pretty simplistic.

Sivaji (Rajnikanth) returns from the U.S., a rich man with plans to 

Continue Reading…

Jhoom Bore Bore Jhoom would be a more apt name for this sleeping pill of a movie.

Utterly bereft of any entertainment value, Jhoom Barabar Jhoom has no artistic raison d’etre and is an all-out assault on commonsense.

Yet another sophomoric love story, Jhoom Bore Bore Jhoom’s only redeeming feature is an above par performance by pretty face Preity Zinta.

Jhoom Bore Bore Jhoom is the second terrible film from India’s premier movie house Yash Raj Films in as many months. If you thought Ta Ra Rum Pum was bad, you ain’t seen bad until you see this buffoonish spectacle called Jhoom Barabar Jhoom.

Jhoom Bore Bore Jhoom’s got no story. It’s got no uplifting music. It’s got little in the form of acting. All you get is dollops of nonsense in this bizarrely awful movie.

From the first frame to the last, Jhoom Bore Bore Jhoom is an eggregious offense against good taste.

Lead actors Abhishek Bachchan and Bobby Deol are hopelessly incompetent and show no signs of improving Continue Reading…