Infosys has promoted another 4,000 people taking the total number of promotions this year to 20,000, effective July 1, 2012. This is about over 13% of the company's total strength of 1,51,151 as on June 30.
"We have done the promotions and progressions as we talked last time, we have done 20,000 across the corporations," Infosys CEO S D Shibulal said.
The company had earlier said it would review the wage hike decision depending on the company performance. However, with lower-than-expected earnings and forecast, in dollar term, the company will not lift its freeze on salary hike any time soon.
Infosys and its subsidiaries added 9,236 (gross) people in the first quarter of FY'13, while the net addition during the period stood at 1,157 employees. The rate of attrition during the quarter was marginally higher at 14.9% against 14.7% in the January-March quarter of 2011-12.
"Typically, attrition in the first quarter (of a fiscal) goes up because people tend to go for higher studies. About 30% of our attrition was due to this reason," Shibulal said.
Meanwhile the country's lead tech player Tata Consultancy Services has continued to hire to support business growth. With campus trainees joining the company from the beginning of July-September quarter, lateral hiring accounted for 75% of total hiring in Q1. There was a total gross addition of 13,831 people (net addition of 4,962), taking the total employee strength of 243,545 on a consolidated basis.
The utilization rate (excluding trainees) was at 81.3% and that including trainees was 72.3%. The attrition rate (last twelve months-LTM) was 12.0%.
"We have been able to effectively increase our retention rate in the first quarter to over 88% and increase our utilization rates further. The on-boarding of current year's trainees has begun," said Ajoy Mukherjee, executive vice-president and global head, human resources.
TCS has a target to hire 50,000 people this year while Infosys will hire 35,000 people, which includes 13,000 jobs for its BPO operations.
Know Your Mobile India brings you the best budget Android 4.0 tablets available in India
Keeping in mind the budget conscious consumers, manufacturers have now introduced a series of tablets that combine the delicious Android Ice Cream Sandwich flavor with style and performance.
The top 5 tablets that win the top slot as the best Android 4.0 tablets in India
Micromax Funbook tablet
The much awaited 7-inch Android 4.0 tablet from the Micromax stable has finally arrived for Rs 6,499.
Dubbed Micromax Funbook, it is the cheapest tablet to feature a Android 4.0 OS. Powered by a 1.2 GHz processor, the tablet comes equipped with Cortex A8 processor, dual mail 400 - 2D/3D graphics processor for multimedia processing, pinch-to-zoom functionality and 2800 mAh battery life.
The device also features a 0.3 megapixel front facing camera for video calling, 512 MB RAM, 4 GB of internal memory, WiFi and 3G connectivity. The Funbook tablet packs in a unique e-learning app to aid students from school to college among other handy apps like Documents on the Go, Adobe PDF, Adobe Flash, YouTube, Text Editor and more.
Available in grey and black colours, the Micromax Funbook tablet packs in a free Tata Photon EVDO data card and 1GB of free data download for two months.
Price: Rs 6,499/-
Zync Z-990 tablet
Priced at Rs 8,500, Zync Z-990 is India’s first tablet powered by Google Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich OS. The tablet comes equipped with a TFT capacitive touch screen with a resolution of 800x480pixels and a powerful 1.2 Ghz processor. In the era of mobile computing, this portable and innovative product brings an unmatched mobile experience with its 3600 mah battery life, 1GB RAM and 4GB internal storage which can be expanded to 32 GB.
Equipped with a 0.3-mega pixel front facing camera for video calling, the device brings host of connectivity options via Wi-Fi connectivity, USB port, 3G USB dongles, HDMI port among others.
The device also features control over data usage, new gallery app with photo editor, new lock action, user interface, camera capabilities and five point touch.
Dubbed iBerry Auxus AX02, the 1 GHz processor run tablet supports a gyro based motion sensor for better gaming experience along with a 1 GB RAM, HDMI output and 3G USB modem support and more for just Rs 10,000.
The manufacturer has provided the tablet with a one year comprehensive warranty and on-site warranty. This means that if your iBerry Auxus tablet is ever plagued with any issue, the company will pick up the tablet from your home.
There are also toll free numbers available for queries and technical support. Price: 10,000/-
Mercury mTab Neo2 - 3G Voice Tablet
Another budget tablet that boasts of impressive specs is Mercury mTab Neo2.
Powered by 1.2 GHz Cortex A8 multi tasking dual core processor, the 7-inch tablet packs in HD resolution for clear and vibrant pictures. The tablet sports both front and rear facing camera for capturing images and video calling. Mercury mTab Neo2 tablet currently runs on Android 2.3 OS but a Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich update is scheduled to release within next four weeks.
According to Sushmita Das, Country Manager - India, Kobian: Work, talk and share your stuff at high speed, with mTab Neo2. This product comes with all the features one can ask for in the current tablet ecosystem and a little more with the upgrade to Android 4.0. It's a beautifully bundled feature rich product from Mercury. The long battery life is the topping the ice which will surely attract more customers and hence will help our partners sell more.'
Other features include: 8GB with 32GB expansion via Micro SD, Bluetooth, HDMI 1080P Video Output and more.
Apple is preparing to launch a smaller tablet computer in the coming months in a bid to maintain its edge in an increasingly crowded market, the Wall Street Journal reports.
The Journal on Thursday cited unnamed sources as saying that component parts manufacturers had been ordered to gear up for mass production of the tablets in September, indicating the launch may be drawing near.
It said the new tablet's screen would likely be smaller than eight inches (20 centimetres), compared to the 9.7-inch (25-centimetre) screen on Apple's market-leading iPad, launched in 2010.
The newspaper cited one source as saying that Apple was working with screen-makers LG Display of South Korea and Taiwan's AU Optronics.
Apple has dominated the market for tablet computers since the release of the iPad but faces increasing competition as Samsung, Amazon, Microsoft and Google roll out competing devices.
Ivy Bridge is clearly the buzzword at Computex, this year and apart from Intel, every manufacturer worth its salt has an Ivy Bridge offering, be it a notebook or even a tablet. Along with that, Intel has announced their new CPU line-up in India as well for notebooks, desktops and All-in-one (AIO) PCs. The notebooks powered by these CPUs will be available from all major OEMs operating in India, like Dell, Asus, Acer, HP, etc. Also, the Croma chain of retail stores will be amongst the first to receive these new notebooks, so you can have a hands on with them before buying. They will also be the first partner to offer Intel’s Anti-Theft service in India. “Croma is proud of being Intel’s first partner in offering Intel Anti-Theft service in India since last year. Mobile PC usage in India is on the rise and we expect to further accelerate it with the new Ultrabooks and increased mobility brings with it the need for increased security. With Intel Anti-Theft technology we are able to secure the laptops and Ultrabooks purchased at our store so that our customers can safeguard their devices giving them peace of mind and helping us reaffirm our resolution of brining a world-class shopping experience to our customers,” said Mr. Ajit Joshi, CEO & Managing Director, Infiniti Retail Ltd.
Slimmer, lighter and hopefully cheaper
Powered by 3rd Generation Intel Core processors, made with the advanced 22nm 3-D tri-gate transistors, these new Ultrabook devices are responsive and more secure to better protect personal information. The new chips also offer increased media and graphics performance, long battery life and more choice in stylish designs. Because of the 22nm tri-gate transistor manufacturing technology the 3rd Generation Intel Core processors now deliver 22 percent faster performance on multi-threaded applications, compared to 2nd Generation Intel Core processors. For example, experiences when using photo editing software or many games will significantly improve based on the new processors. The new Ultrabooks have up to twice the video processing and 3-D graphics performance of the prior generation, cutting a user’s video processing time in half and making for a smoother, richer visual experience. All Ultrabooks with 3rd Generation Core processors will have built-in visuals with features like Intel Quick Sync Video, Intel Clear Video HD, Intel HD Graphics, Intel InTru 3D, Intel Wireless Display and Intel Insider.
Intel is working across a broad cross-section of the industry to accelerate and enable thin and light designs. A recent and significant breakthrough in chassis design using existing materials and standard injection molding equipment will enable an Ultrabook chassis that is equivalent in quality to machined aluminum and die-cast metal solutions in the market today. Borrowing engineering approaches from the automotive and aerospace industries, the new chassis design has the potential to reduce chassis costs by up to 65 percent and is expected to be in market next year
BIOSTAR MICROTECH INT’L CORP, one of the leading manufacturers of motherboards and computer peripherals Worldwide introduce H61MH motherboard. The new product is based on Intel H61 chipset, and supports the operating systems like Microsoft Windows XP, Windows Vista and Windows 7. The latest addition to the BIOSTAR family has a wide range of ports, connectors and interfaces for proper operation of the system. The product supports Intel Core i7, Core i5, Core i3 and Pentium LGA 1155 (Sandy Bridge) with TDP up to 95 watts. The product is available with two DDR3 DIMM slots that support upto 8GB Dual Channel DDR3 1066/1333 MHz, and supplements two expansion slots for PCI single slot PCI-E x1 2.0 slot and one PCI-E x16 2.0. So, in case the user needs more than integrated graphics can support (Full HD video and DirectX 10.1), it is possible to switch to a powerful discrete graphics card with PCI-Express x16 2.0 interface The additional feature this product offers are four SATA2 3Gb / s ports, six USB 2.0 ports (four on board and two more on the panel), productive 10/100/1000 Mbps LAN controller based on the Realtek RTL8111E chip, and high-quality 6-channel HD Audio based on Realtek ALC662 chip. Board is equipped with all the up to date video outputs, including digital HDMI and DVI, Analog Interface VGA.
H61MH is build with the latest technology BIOSTAR has come up in last few years such as BIO-Remote2 Technology for remote control of PCs via mobile devices Android or Apple, and the Charger Booster Technology, which allows to reduce by 42% while charging battery mobile iPad or iPhone via USB. Board is equipped with high-quality capacitors with solid electrolyte. H61MH is equipped with two SATA cables, optional interface panel, Quick assembly and a CD with drivers and instructions. Delivery of BIOSTAR H61MH to India market has already begun. And the product is available at a price of Rs 3600+Taxes.
Beetel Teletech, a Bharti Enterprises group company and one of India’s leading manufacturer and distributor of telecom and allied products, today announced the launch of a 3G Wi-Fi pocket Router-Beetel 3G Supreme for the Indian market. The 3G Supreme can be connected to a mobile phone (cellular) carrier and provide internet access for up to ten Wi-Fi enabled peripheral devices like mobile phones, tablets, laptops, desktops, gaming consoles etc.
The device will cater to multiple users at home, small businesses and even enterprises to use internet service at a very low cost. The device is compatible with Microsoft Windows 7, Vista, XP SP2+, Mac OSX (10.5.X Intel based CPU) and Linux (Optional). The Beetel 3G Supreme has a battery usage time up to 3-5 hrs when active. This innovative device comes at an MRP of Rs. 6000 and Rs.6500 (with LAN adapter).
Nokia is planning to lay off an additional 3,500 employees, as the company continues to restructure after announcing its decision to focus on Microsoft's Windows Phone operating system. The affected employees work in manufacturing, location and commerce, and supporting functions, Nokia said on Thursday. In manufacturing, Nokia plans to close its factory in Cluj, Romania by the end of 2011, as the company's Asian factories provide greater scale and proximity benefits, according to Nokia. The company is also reviewing how to best take advantage of manufacturing operations in Salo, Finland, Komarom, Hungary, and Reynosa, Mexico. The planned changes will impact on the number of personnel in 2012, it said. Nokia is also consolidating its location assets including NAVTEQ and Nokia's social location services operations. Going forward, Nokia will concentrate its development efforts in Berlin, Boston, Chicago and other supporting sites, while closing its operations in Bonn, Germany and Malvern, US. The changes are painful, yet necessary, and will turn Nokia into a "more dynamic, nimble and efficient challenger," CEO Stephen Elop said in a statement. The closure of the Cluj factory and related adjustments to the supply chain is estimated to impact about 2,200 employees. The changes in the location and commerce business are estimated to affect approximately 1,300 employees, according to Nokia. The layoffs are in addition to the measures Nokia announced earlier this year. In April, Nokia said it will outsource Symbian activities to Accenture, transferring 2,800 employees to the company in the process, and cutting about 4,000 jobs. Nokia is currently in a tough spot because sales of its existing Symbian-based smartphones have dropped faster than expected, and large volumes of Windows Phone-based devices aren't scheduled to arrive until next year.
Infosys has promoted another 4,000 people taking the total number of promotions this year to 20,000, effective July 1, 2012. This is about over 13% of the company's total strength of 1,51,151 as on June 30.
