Micro Star International (MSI) announced today that they will further enhance their retail reach to make their range of consumer notebooks easily available to a wider customer base.  In a customer-friendly move, the Company has tied up with popular large format retail chains including Croma, Reliance Digital and Big Bazaar across several cities.

Under the retail push, the notebooks will be displayed at dedicated MSI-branded counters in the LFR stores. Moreover customers will be able to browse and access detailed product literature, while trained personnel will on hand to explain product features and help customers derive an “MSI experience” before making their purchase decision. Says Tony Yang, MD of MSI India, “The LFR stores will bring new availability for MSI’s industry-leading notebooks to a wider consumer base. They will help buyers make more informed decisions by acquainting them with the capabilities and unique features of the different models.”

MSI had initiated their LFR programme on a pilot basis with 30 Croma stores across major metros, last month. This arrangement is now expanding to more than 43 Stores across 10 cities including Delhi, Mumbai, Cochin, Ahmadabad, Chennai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Gurgaon, Ghaziabad and Rajkot. MSI will be retailing the stylish and award winning X-Slim series of notebooks as well as their Classic series through the Croma outlets.

Further, MSI has already begun rollout of similar retail programme through Reliance and Big Bazaar stores. MSI notebooks are available at more than 20 reliance stores across ten cities, and another 21 Big Bazaar outlets in Delhi, NCR and Mumbai. The ultra-light U-series netbooks are placed in the Reliance Digital and Big Bazaar outlets.

Johnny Lin, National Product, Sales and Marketing Manager for MSI India informed that similar tie-ups with other retail chains were on the anvil. “The tie-up with these large retailers will strengthen MSI presence in India. The brand aims at leveraging an environment where the customers can have a first hand experience of MSI latest technology before buying it. Similar kind of tie-ups will be rolled out with more outlets within next 6 months,” said Lin.

The MSI retail outlet programme is driven by increasing consumer demand and is part of Company’s commitment to the Indian market. Some months ago, MSI had established its first branded retail access point for its entire range of laptops, in Delhi’s IT trade hub – Nehru Place market in collaboration with its channel partner Sun Computers. That arrangement is also being expanded with coming up of another branded retail point in partnership with Technology Next.
The MSI retail outlet programme through LFR chains and co-branded individual stores will expand the number customer access points in India from 90 today to about 300 by the end of 2010.

Popularity: 1% [?]

Michael Jackson passed away on June, 2009; but not before showing the world how to march forward in their bid to save the planet………..and, more importantly, humanity.

Now, his 3 children Prince Michael, Paris and Blanket are going to spread the message far and wide by reciting a special poem on ‘We are the World’ charity anthem. The poem that was recorded in 1985 during the calamity suffered by Africa is now getting re-recorded to aid the victims of earthquake-hit Haiti. And MJ’s sibling Janet Jackson has also decided to involve herself as she would be mouthing the lines of her late iconic brother.

Janet penned down the anthem with assistance from Lionel Richie and the latter teamed up with producer Quincy Jones to rope in stars including the likes of Barbra Streisand, the Jonas Brothers, Natalie Cole, Kanye West and Toni Braxton together for the re-recording.

Michael’s young kids with the eldest being merely 12 are putting up a brave face and despite their unfathomable grief are showing tremendous enthusiasm and courage to further the cause of empathy and humanity.

"They wanted to put a special message on the song - a message that echoes everything their father wanted for the world." The words sum it all…….

Popularity: unranked [?]

iPad…the latest reason to rejoice for all the gadget lovers. The thrill has gone up ever since Apple has launched the iPad tablet on 27th January 2010 at the Apple press conference at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco.

Did you witness the historical moment when the Apple iPad was unveiled? Good for you if yes…and for those who missed out the chance of catching it go uncovered…here is the YouTube video :

To have a better look of the sleek and ultra modern design, visit the Apple gallery.

Hey, are you losing heart that you might not own this masterpiece? Don’t be disappointed as we have something to tell you that’s surely gonna cheer you up! The price tag is not at all heavy and in fact quite affordable.

Wifi 16GB - $499   
Wifi 32GB - $599
Wifi 64GB - $699

3G 16GB- $629
3G 32GB - $729
3G 64GB - $829

Do we see that smile on your face? Not yet…then have this…iPad Wifi will be on stores for sale from March end and the 3G version will be out by the end of April 2010. Happy now?

Keep checking the space to be updated on iPad!

Popularity: unranked [?]

Governor of Virginia Bob McDonnell has recalled Thomas Jefferson while delivering the Republican’s response to the President’s State of the Union address. He was indirectly criticizing the Obama’s efforts to tackle the economic situation by praising Jefferson’s liberal economic policies.  “It was Thomas Jefferson, who called for ‘A wise and frugal government which shall leave men free to regulate their own pursuits of industry …. and shall not take from the mouth of labor the bread it has earned.’ He was right. Today, the federal government is simply trying to do too much” he said.

Bob McDonnell is against the growing government regulation in the financial sector. He feels that the government’s decision to impose taxes and regulations on private sector will stall entrepreneurship which kill jobs and hurt the middle class. At the same time he doesn’t back federal spending for creating jobs. He said that last year “we were told that massive new federal spending would create more jobs ‘immediately’ and hold unemployment below 8%” but instead more than 3 million Americans lost their jobs.

Popularity: 1% [?]

In what would surely go down as the one of the most tragic airline crashes in recent memory, an Ethiopian airlines flight, with 90 passengers on board, crashed over the Mediterranean Sea, barely minutes after taking off from Beirut.

And although there are fears that there could be no survivors in this sordid mid air crash, rescue teams were pressed into service and have been scouring the Mediterranean in desperately foul weather, for survivors.

As per the latest on this tragic eventuality, courtesy Reuters, it is learned that 21 bodies have thus far been recovered from the vicinity of the crash site, three-and-a-half km (two miles) west of the coastal village of Na’ameh, to be precise.

As per further feeds from official sources in the Lebanese Government, it is known that no survivors have been traced as yet, thereby bearing out fears that all 90 passengers on board the Boeing 737, have been killed.

It is further known that the flight, which had taken off amidst heavy lightning and stormy weather conditions, soon slipped into turbulence and disappeared off the radar barely five minutes after taking flight from the Rafik Hariri International Airport in Beirut.

As per the national news agency in Lebanon, it appears that Prime Minister Saad Hariri has announced a day of mourning for the victims of the tragic air crash and has ordered the closure of all government departments and offices around the country.

He has further lauded the frantic rescue efforts undertaken by the International Red Cross and the Lebanese Security forces, post the crash.

While the exact cause of the crash is as yet unknown, the authorities have reportedly ruled out any foul play in the crash of the Ethiopian Flight 409, which was headed to Addis Ababa.

Lebanese President Michel Sulayman was quoted as saying, “We don’t believe that there is any indication for sabotage or foul play.”

The Ethiopian News Agency further released a statement saying, “An investigative team has already been dispatched to the scene and we will release further information as further updates are received.”

With hopes of any survivors dimming by the day, a pall of gloom has descended among the shocked relatives of the air crash victims.

Popularity: 3% [?]

Wyclef Jean, the rapper who catapulted to fame for ‘Gone Till November’ was born in the Haitian city of Croix-des-Bouquets and, now, he looks back at the ‘mound of dead’ which, some hours ago, had been his home-sweet-home.

“Haiti today faced a natural disaster of unprecedented proportion, an earthquake unlike anything the country has ever experienced,” he laments unable to camouflage his unfathomable despair and incalculable grief.

But the strong-hearted man is hell bent on saving his perishing countrymen. In a bid to raise relief funds, he is endeavouring to publicize his ‘Yele Haiti Foundation’  that he had started after the catastrophic invasion of 2008’s Hurricane Gustav.

“Over two million people in Port-au-Prince tonight face catastrophe alone. We must act now. President Obama has already said that the US stands ‘ready to assist’ the Haitian people. The US Military is the only group trained and prepared to offer that assistance immediately. They must do so as soon as possible. The international community must also rise to the occasion and help the Haitian people in every way possible,” he pleads not to an individual or a nation but to the callous humanity that, often, turns its face the other way.

We, as an individual, must save the complete annihilation of a beautiful Caribbean country ….. because the only way to brave the wrath of Nature’s fury is to stand united and shield & safeguard our Mother Earth.

Here is how you can assist the unfortunate survivors who have lost their souls and are left with charred bodies:   

* Simply text “Haiti” to 90999 and give $10 to the American Red Cross.
    * You can text “Yele” to 501501 to donate $5 to Yele Haiti Org.
    * You can call Red Cross: 800-REDCROSS or visit www.redcross.org
    * You can call Mercy Corps: 888-256-1900 or visit www.mercycorps.org
    * You can visit Operation Blessing International: www.community.ob.org     

Or   

* You can pay Haiti Emergency Relief Fund online through your Master / Visa / American Expresses / Discover card at: http://www.haitiaction.net/About/HERF/HERF.html

Popularity: 1% [?]

Haiti was struck by a magnitude 7.0 earthquake on January 12, 2010, at 4:53 p.m. EST. The catastrophic earthquake sparked a tsunami watch for parts of the Caribbean, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. 

Many buildings near the capital have collapsed due to poor structural design, the capital is largely destroyed, and Presidential palace was badly damaged, but the President is unhurt. The earthquake is the country’s worst in over 200 years.
The situation in Haiti is “truly heart wrenching” in a nation that is “no stranger to hardship and suffering,” President Obama said at a press conference Wednesday.
Important collapsed buildings include the national penitentiary, the Parliament Building, the National Cathedral, main airport’s control tower and few of the ministries including finance. 

Despite the badly damaged road of the airport, planes carrying aid from the UN are expected to arrive in Port-au-Prince this morning. American President Obama promised a “swift and aggressive” effort including rescue workers and humanitarian aid as part of a coordinated international response. 

The first Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART) from USAID is expected to arrive in Haiti from San Jose, Costa Rica around 1:30 p.m. The team from Fairfax County is expected to arrive around 3 p.m. from Dulles. The USS Comfort hospital ship, which is now berthed in Baltimore, has begun to recall its crew.
You can help the people in need by donating whatever you can to Haiti Emergency Relief Fund. Eve a single dollar by a million people makes it a million dollar. For donating information, follow the link:

http://www.haitiaction.net/About/HERF/HERF.html

Popularity: unranked [?]

There will be a special election to fill the vacant seat in senate of Late Sen Ted Kennedy. He was an expert in the field of healthcare, but this election for his seat may affect the healthcare reformation process introduced by Obama administration last year. The election will be conducted on 19th January, 2010.

Republican candidate Scott Brown is contesting against Martha Coakley from Democrat side. Scott is a state senator while Martha is holding the position of Attorney General of Massachusetts. Different polls suggest that the final round of competition will be a very close one and Democrats are still holding a 15 points advantage. After 1972, none of the republican candidate was able to win the senate seat election in Massachusetts. CNN political analyst David Gergen said the health care reformation issue will play a vital role in this election and this bring the tight competition. Democrats hold the 60 – 40 majority in senate over Republicans, but if they loose in this Massachusetts senate election, they will lose their supermajority. 

So there is no surprise that this race has gained state and national attention. A campaign for Brown said that it was able to generate a fund of $1.3 million in internet campaign. The top donors of Democratic Party were asked to donate fund to provide much needed financial support to win.

Popularity: 1% [?]

Teresa Sullivan, the renowned educationist and Executive Vice President of Michigan University in Ann Arbor has been named as the 8th President of the University of Virginia. It is the first time that a woman has been chosen by University of Virginia
for such a prestigious post in 40 years. The 60 year old Teresa is a very well known sociologist and has extensive knowledge in the field of education. She will succeed John T. Casteen III who was the President for U.M for nearly two decades. Teresa will take over the reigns on August 1st. the day John actually retires. Speaking about her appointment, Larry Sabato, head of U.Va’s Center of Politics said that so far they have had seven presidents but all male and it is high time that the university opted for a female candidate. He termed her as an “exceptionally able” and the gesture of the University to appoint a woman is quite significant. 

Teresa’s name was chosen without any opposition at a meeting held in the Dome Room of Rotunda. Accepting her new role, the lady said that she would love to continue the good work of her predecessor whose vision was that a ‘University should be a house but a village’. Teresa worked as an Executive Vice Chancellor for academic affair for UT systems for about 4 years prior to Michigan. The position was such that, Presidents of the nine UT campuses reported to her.

Popularity: unranked [?]

A first year student of New College of Florida died in a sledding accident on Saturday morning. She sustained the injury in the accident in her hometown of New castle, Indiana. Her full name is Freshman Jessica Wantz and she was just 19 year old.

According to the associated press, she was crushed with a structure while sledding with her boyfriend in a New Castle part on Friday night. After the accident, she was taken to Indianapolis hospital where she was announced dead on Saturday morning. New College president, Gordon Michalson came across the news of Wantz’ death on Saturday morning. He said this really an unfortunate incident and a worse thing that can happen in college, especially in a small college. Michalson also said that he would talk to the teenager’s family and campus reaction of this unfortunate death will be done at family’s wish. 

A group in Facebook was formed in Wantz’ memory and within just six hours, 500 users joined this group to express their feeling in wantz’ memory. So many massages were left in her memory and prayers were done for her. Her face book profile reveals that she was in relationship with James Bowling and she also had a brother. Bowling tribute to Jessica is really a touchy one.

Popularity: 1% [?]