We live in a Nano-age and it is natural to lust after gadgets that are compact while still making no compromises on their basic features. Slim digital cameras or &ldquo;ultra-compact&rdquo; as they are called, can be easily slipped into a purse or a pocket so that you never miss an opportunity to take a picture. Since these put a premium on their size and style while still retaining the best of technology in the segment, they do not exactly come cheap.

Shoot at sight

Business Standard

It&rsquo;s not the grey hair and wrinkles and gravity-affected flesh. It&rsquo;s not even the increasing tendency to spend a convivial evening at a bar talking about mortgages and sluggish thyroids and failed relationships with friends. Those are merely incidental. No, the sure-fire way to feel old is to have the people who were part of your youth die on you. Grandparents, parents, old friends, musicians. Movie stars.

Dancing king

Most journalists covering fashion have concluded that the recently held Van Heusen India Men&rsquo;s Week (VHIMW) was a success. I feel that it failed on a very important count: there was, as is always the case, no real critique of what one saw on the ramp. Most articles on fashion weeks are full of silly praise and a rehash of the designers&rsquo; press releases. And, for this, I would blame the designers themselves.

You've got male

James A Levine follows Mumbai&rsquo;s seedy underworld life convincingly in new book, finds out Vikram Johri.

Bombay Blues

He may not be the anarchist he likes to call himself but there&rsquo;s a lot of muck out there that&rsquo;s likely to stick to him, and right now, over fried rice balls stuffed with cheese and pesto &mdash; part of his new Sicilian menu &mdash; he&rsquo;s proving that he isn&rsquo;t much of a stickler for rules.

This gora is an Indian!

At a time when consumer product categories have been under pressure, Gillette surprised the Street with a significant improvement in its profitability (net profit rose 31 per cent) in the first quarter of this financial year.

Gillette's cutting edge

&ldquo;Fasten your seat belts, put your seat backs in the upright position and enjoy this commercial break.&rdquo; Now you can see or hear an ad and sample a product from the comfort of your aircraft seat.

Ooh!

When Ajay Gupta, promoter of Capital Foods, decided to sell instant noodles and soups under the brand name Ching&rsquo;s Secret, many thought he wouldn&rsquo;t be able to digest the diversification.

Chinese, made in India

When Asus announced the launch of India&rsquo;s first netbook &mdash; Eee PC &mdash; in July 2008, it was confident that the ultra-portable device would change the way computing is perceived among various user segments. Since then, a number of PC-makers have launched netbooks, expecting the device to catch the fancy of Indian netizens. However, contrary to their expectations, the consumer here has apparently shown a kind of indifference towards the product. And, the reason for this is a matter of debate.

On the way: Bundled netbooks

For serious gamers, gaming on ordinary laptops is a horrible experience. So, they need, rather deserve, strong and sturdy game consoles. What sets a gaming laptop apart from an ordinary one? A dedicated graphics card with as much RAM and video RAM (for handling the visuals and graphics on your notebook computer) as one can afford.

Toys for serious gamers

Unlike many other B-school products, who start their own ventures, make it a success and then sell it off for a tidy profit, Vivek Pahwa, a graduate from Hyderabad&rsquo;s Indian School of Business, harboured an entrepreneurial dream and lived it.

Webmaster's masterstroke

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The top 10 business bestsellers

    Name the brand which has come out with a Mahatma Gandhi limited edition of one of its products. The product design includes a lacquered surface showing cotton texture and yarn spun on a spindle.

The Strategist Quiz (#115)

    One of this brand&rsquo;s print ads featured a four-armed, scantily clad woman wearing gold clothing, accompanied by the headline, &ldquo;There is a Goddess.&rdquo; The company that owns the brand was accused by a group called the American Hindus Against Defamation of tarnishing the image of the Hindu god Shiva. Name the brand.

Answers to last week&#39s quiz (#114)

How S Ramadorai groomed Natarajan Chandrasekaran as his successor.

Transition at TCS

Kotak Mahindra Bank's new advertisements highlight its proposition of making banking simple.

Wife appeal

Tata Teleservices thinks it has hit upon the formula for success with its 'pay per call' plan.

No limits

So far the rural markets were supposed to be safe from the economic downturn. Though urban retailers were facing inclement weather, rural retailers were safe and sound. The National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme and high support prices for key crops had improved purchasing power. The expansion in the network of rural roads had begun to fetch better prices for farm produce. Rural income, of course, is not taxed.

Triveni Engg: Rural retail slowdown

For Mercedes-Benz, there is more to the Indian automobile market than just luxury cars. Along with Daimler India Commercial Vehicles, it is now looking to grow its share in the premium commercial vehicle market, which Volvo has ruled unchallenged for a while. Mercedes is not a newcomer to the Indian commercial vehicle market, having launched its Actros trucks and Mercedes-Benz buses in September 2008. The company has sold 580 trucks and 25 buses so far.

Mercedes-Benz: Merc&#39;s trucks roll out

If you are planning to go to a &lsquo;Nokia Priority&rsquo; store today to buy a mobile handset, you could be in for a pleasant surprise. There&rsquo;s a lot more to these stores now than mere hardware.

Nokia: Devices to services

Vijay is the name of the character that Amitabh Bachhan has played in many of his movies. In most cases, Vijay belonged to the underprivileged class.

Insurers bank on celebrity appeal

- Find Specials News, Features, Analysis and more at Business Standard. Full coverage of Goafest 2014

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