Satyam Demands Apology From World Bank

Indian outsourcer Satyam Computer Services has demanded an apology from the World Bank for statements made after it barred Satyam from the bank's direct contracts for a period of eight years.

Describing statements by World Bank representatives to the media as inappropriate, Satyam demanded on Thursday that the bank withdraw the statements, issue an apology for the harm done to the company due to the bank's actions, and provide Satyam with a full explanation of the circumstances related to the statements.

"Satyam was declared ineligible for contracts for providing improper benefits to Bank staff and for failing to maintain documentation to support fees charged for its subcontractors," the World Bank said in a statement on Tuesday.

The statement from Satyam on Thursday does not question the company being barred from contracts, or ask for the revocation of the bar, but instead objects to statements made by bank representatives. It does not also address the charges under which the World Bank said it was making Satyam ineligible for future contracts.

A spokeswoman for Satyam declined to discuss the matter further.

Satyam usually does not comment publicly on matters involving customer relationships, the company said. However, the inaccuracy and inappropriateness of the World Bank's public statements regarding Satyam has forced it to issue a brief statement in order to set the record straight, it added.

The company, which is India's fourth largest outsourcer, has already come under criticism from investors and analysts, for its moves on Tuesday last week to diversify into the construction business. It rolled back the decision less than a day later after investors knocked down the price of the company's shares by about 55 percent in trading on the New York Stock Exchange.

Satyam's share price was also down on Wednesday on Indian stock markets by about 15 percent after the World Bank statement.

While the World Bank's decision is a blow to Satyam it will not affect the credibility of other Indian outsourcers, as each outsourcing company is evaluated on its own merits, said an outsourcing analyst who requested anonymity.

From : PCWorld

Top Searches in 2008

What do Sarah Palin, Facebook and Euro 2008 have in common?

They are all on the list of the top ten fastest rising queries on Google during 2008.

The search engine has published its year-end Zeitgeist, the tool which reveals what internet users are searching for.

The most searched term for Google users in the UK was Facebook while the BBC came second and its iPlayer service was the fastest rising query.

The list also reveals what global preoccupations are and this year the US election candidates and the Beijing Olympics figure high.

The things people around the globe have in common are a strong interest in socialising and politics, according to Marissa Mayer, vice president of search at Google.

"Social networks compromised four out of the top ten global fastest-rising queries while the US election held everyone's interest around the globe," she wrote on Google's official blog.

FASTEST RISING GLOBAL QUERIES

Sarah Palin
Beijing 2008
Facebook login
Tuenti
Heath Ledger
Obama
Nasza Klasa
Wer Kennt Wen
Euro 2008
Jonas Brothers

Read the full article at : BBC News

Symbian to Open Source Track

The Symbian Foundation is on track to take over Symbian as an open-source operating system in 2010 and will put out its first distribution of software for developers in the first half of next year, its executive director said Thursday.

The foundation is the successor to the Symbian consortium that has administered the OS since 1998. It is being formed after Nokia agreed to buy the remaining part of Symbian, a deal that closed on Tuesday. The world's largest handset maker, which has been perceived as dominating Symbian since its creation, is releasing the platform as competition for developers grows among Google's Android, Apple's iPhone and other systems.

Nokia, Motorola, NTT DoCoMo, LG Electronics, Samsung, Sony Ericsson, AT&T and other companies agreed in June to form the foundation. Six new members, including AOL, Fujitsu's Cell Telecom division, and Intrinsyc, were announced Thursday at the Symbian Partner Event in San Francisco. That brings total membership to 64, the group said.

The distribution of code coming in the first half of 2009 won't be entirely open source. It will be released to members of the foundation, under a new partner organization that eventually will supplant Symbian's current partner program, said Lee Williams, executive director of the Symbian Foundation. It will include elements of Symbian and of Nokia's Symbian-based S60 platform. The group is already working on code for that distribution.

The open-source OS coming in 2010, will unite Symbian with S60 as well as two other platforms built on it: UIQ and NTT DoCoMo's MOAP (Mobile Oriented Applications Platform).

The foundation is now defining roles within its organization and starting to work on recruiting for those jobs, Williams said. By the end of April, there will be staffers answering calls and e-mail for developer support and other needs, he said.

Extratcted from : Yahoo Tech!

Parallel Lives...

The idea of having a virtual you following the real you around may seem rather strange - for those of us used to having our feet firmly on the ground.

But the creation of a virtual Berlin lets people be in two places at the same time - as 20km of the city has been faithfully replicated into an online world.

By the end of 2008, 50,000 buildings in the German capital are expected to have been copied into the virtual world.

"While Second Life and others worlds offer some stylised versions of cities - Twinity uses the 3D mapping data currently used for things like satnav and Google Earth," said Jochen Hummel, the chief executive of Metaversum - owner of Twinity.

"One by one each building is then made to look as it would in the real world," he said.

Twinity hopes to offer a space for "virtual tourism"

Twinity's Berlin, which it calls a "metaverse" has been created by taking pictures of the city and using them to build 3D facades.

Volunteer developers may soon be encouraged to add their own or adapt existing ones, like users updating and adding entries in Wikipedia.

Emphasis on realism

While many online worlds are put to frivolous uses, Metaversum sees Twinity as a step beyond gaming.

"It's a space for virtual tourism," said Mr von Hardenberg. "The realism of this platform could help you plan a trip here, or just help you get your bearings before you arrive."

So far the closest many come to wandering around the globe is through 3D-mapping applications such as Google Earth that provide a snapshot of places.

Twinity emphasises realism, but the mantra for the virtual world is "be nice".

Mr Hardenberg hopes the platform will gain an audience beyond the core male gamers and attract more women.

"It's a social environment for meeting people, visiting galleries, or online shopping. Users are encouraged to create avatars that look just like them so they'll be recognised and to use their real names," he said.

Twinity has one advantage over reality when it comes to transport because there are no cars and visitors simply teleport to key locations.

Extracted from the full article at : BBC News