india

Comedic spoofs on popular songs can sometimes work, but what about if they're earnest remakes?

It appears that Samsung is testing those waters. At the launch party for its Galaxy S4 smartphone in India, one of the country's Bollywood actors, Ranveer Singh, performed "Gangnam Style" as "Samsung Style" (imagine pronouncing Samsung like Gangnam).

A video posted to YouTube shows the entire spectacle of Singh rapping and attempting the signature "Gangnam Style" dance backed by men and women in sequined outfits. But it's the lyrics that are the real kicker to the … Read more

Violence against women in India has come under the worldwide spotlight following the emergence of high-profile cases such as the gang-rape of a young woman in December. She later died from her injuries. In an effort to stem the violence, the Indian government is working on developing a wristwatch that would send out alerts for help. Three Indian engineering students also have joined the cause, creating an anti-rape undergarment that could provide a layer of protection for women.

Manisha Mohan, Niladri Basu Bal, and Rimpi Tripathi attend SRM University in Chennai. Their project is called SHE (Society Harnessing Equipment). The device is like a slip, to be worn under clothes. It has sensors and an electric shock circuit board built into it. The circuit is attached near the bosom and is designed to deliver an electric shock when an assailant comes into contact with it.… Read more

Nokia confirmed today it has been slapped with a demand for back taxes by Indian tax authorities.

According to Reuters, the Finnish phone maker was hit with a demand for income taxes 20.8 billion rupees ($383 million) going back five fiscal years.

It comes only a month after one of Nokia's factories in India was raided by the country's tax authorities.

The tax demand was issued on March 15. A stay has been placed on the demand, though, allowing Nokia to appeal the decision.

Nokia responded to Reuters' request for comment with a statement that "it … Read more

Could a wristwatch help deter sexual violence?

That's what Indian officials hope. The government has proposed a watch that can alert family members and authorities, and also start filming, when the wearer feels threatened.

Kapil Sibal, India's information technology minister, unveiled early plans for the device at a briefing last week. He said the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing, a unit of the Department of Electronics and Information Technology, is already working on a prototype.

The watch would send a text message to the nearest police station and preselected family members at the press of a button, as well as relay GPS coordinates. Built-in video capabilities could produce 30 minutes of footage. … Read more

A Nokia facility in Chennai, India, was raided earlier today by country tax authorities.

According to Reuters, which was first to report on the incident, Nokia confirmed to the news service that a raid was conducted on an office in the southern India city and that the company is cooperating with the probe, but declined to provide further details. An Indian tax official told Reuters that the raid relates to allegations of possible tax evasion against the smartphone maker.

The tax default is believed to be around 30 billion rupees ($543 million), the official told Reuters.

Technology companies commonly find … Read more

Fast-growing e-commerce site Fab plans to expand its focus on India after taking a "seven-figure investment" from Times Internet, the digital arm of the Times of India Group.

The specific financial terms were not revealed, but the investment will include a partnership between the two companies "to explore and execute on our India market strategy in the coming years," Fab founder and CEO Jason Goldberg wrote today in a blog post.

The investment and collaboration come a little more than a month after the design-focused shopping site acquired India-based True Sparrow, a tech venture company that … Read more

Shaheen Dhada wasn't sure what to expect when police called her house Sunday night. The 21-year-old medical student who lives in Mumbai, India, had just posted a political statement on Facebook and her friend Renu Srinivasan "liked" the post.

Within hours, the two young women were arrested and charged with using speech that was offensive and hateful, according to the New York Times.

Now, just days later, Dhada and Srinivasan have come to symbolize India's intolerance of free speech. Tens of thousands of people have taken to social networks criticizing the government's arrests of the … Read more

Apple is reportedly on the verge of changing up its iPhone sales strategy in India to bolster sales in the region.

Citing a source familiar with Apple's strategy there, The Wall Street Journal says Apple plans to open up distribution of its iPhone to a considerably larger network of sales partners, all with the aim of making the device available outside of direct sales by local carriers.

The big reason for all this? Apple's iPhone footprint in India is a tiny, and actually on the decline. The Journal points to data from IDC that shows Apple garnered just … Read more

India has surpassed the U.S. and taken the lead as the greatest spam-sending country in the world. One out of every six junk messages that litter users' e-mail inboxes are coming from India, according to a new report from SophosLabs.

The security vendor's third-quarter "Dirty Dozen" report of spam-relaying countries found that India upped its percentage of global spam for the third quarter in a row and now accounts for more than 16 percent of all junk e-mails.

What is important to note, however, is that this spam doesn't necessarily come directly from India's … Read more