Amazon, Flipkart festive season sale: Top five deals on premium smartphones

Both the e-commerce players have already unveiled the upcoming deals, which includes discounted prices, exchange offers, bank offers and no cost equal monthly instalments

Festive season is around the corner, and like every year, global e-commerce giant Amazon and home-grown e-commerce portal Flipkart are hosting their biggest sale ( Great Indian Festival and Big Billion Day sale, respectively) starting from October 10. Before the sale, however, both the e-commerce players have already unveiled the upcoming deals, which includes discounted prices, exchange offers, bank offers and no cost EMIs. While most of the deals are applicable on budget and midrange smartphones, premium devices such as OnePlus 6, Samsung Galaxy S9, Asus Zenfone 5Z, etc. would also be a part of sale deals.

Mobile Offer on Amazon

Here are deals on five premium smartphones to look out for during upcoming sale

OnePlus 6

This Amazon-exclusive smartphone was launched earlier this year in three RAM and storage configurations. Priced at Rs 34,999 for the base model with 6GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage, the OnePlus 6 would be available at a discounted price of Rs 29,999 – Rs 5,000 less than the original price. As a part of festive sale offer, Amazon would also be offering one-time screen replacement add-on worth Rs 12,000, along with several exchange offer and no cost EMI.

Samsung Galaxy S9

This flagship smartphone from the Galaxy S-series was also launched earlier this year at Rs 62,500. During the festive sale offer, Amazon would be offering flat Rs 19,510 discount, which brings down the effective cost of this smartphone to Rs 42,990. Amazon is also offering Rs 3,000 addition exchange value discount, along with nine months no cost EMI.

ALSO READ: Samsung Galaxy S9+ review: King of low-light photos

Asus Zenfone 5Z

This Flipkart-exclusive smartphone was launched in three RAM and storage configurations – 6GB/64GB, 6GB/128GB and 8GB/256GB – at Rs 29,999, Rs 32,999 and Rs 36,999, respectively. In the festive sale, all three variants would get an upfront discount of Rs 5,000, which would bring down the effective cost of all three variants to to Rs 24,999, Rs 27,999 and Rs 31,999. Flipkart is also offering 10 per cent instant discount to HDFC card holders, along with no cost EMI, mobile protection at Rs 399 and assured buyback value of 50 per cent, if exchanged within eight months, at Rs 199. As a part of sale offers, the company is also offering additional exchange value of Rs 3,000 on OnePlus devices. (more)

Social media may be future of entertainment: Should it be regulated?

Social media entertainment is certainly part of the gig economy. It's inherently unstable, with huge growth over a ten year period

Until 2010, the pathway to success in the screen industry depended on convincing broadcasters and film producers to give to you airtime or production resources. These days, all you need is an internet connection and a laptop or smartphone.

A new creative industry has been born in the last decade called “ Social Media Entertainment ”. It’s peopled by young entertainers and activists who you may never have heard of: Hank Green, Casey Neistadt, PewDiePie and Tyler Oakley.

These creators started out as amateurs, but have evolved into media professionals who make money from the content they publish on social media platforms. They are incubating their own media brands, building global fan communities, and enhancing Australia’s profile among young people around the world.

The Australian government is currently conducting separate inquiries into the future of film and television content in this country, and the market effects of digital platforms. Any decisions we make in these domains could affect social media entertainment, so it’s critically important we understand the industry lest we inadvertently strangle it as it’s just getting started.

The Australian market is growing

Social media entertainment emerged soon after Google acquired YouTube in 2006 – around the same time as the launch of Twitter, and their counterparts in China, Youku and Weibo.

It can be a lucrative profession. More than three million YouTube creators globally make money from the content they upload. Then there’s Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Twitch, among others. The larger the audiences, the more money to be made. In 2016, content creators earned more than US$5.9 billion across nine digital and social media platforms in the United States alone.

ALSO READ: How borderless nature of internet makes social media regulation complicated

The majority of the highest paid creators are based in the US, but popular Australian creators include the Van Vuuren brothers, Wengie, and the SketchShe group. Estimates suggest the number of content creators in Australia has more than doubled in the last 15 years. That increase is almost entirely driven by an extra 230,000 creators of online video content entering the industry. (more)

BlackBerry Evolve sale on Amazon on October 10: Know price, specs, and more

The BlackBerry Evolve will carry a Rs 3,950 cashback offer from Reliance Jio and a 5 per cent instant cashback on ICICI bank credit cards

Canadian smartphone brand BlackBerry, licensed to India-based Optiemus Infracom, on August 2 launched the BlackBerry Evolve in the country. The Evolve features a touchscreen design with a 5.99-inch fullHD+ screen of an 18:9 aspect ratio on the front, and a soft-textured design on the back. Priced at Rs 24,990, the BlackBerry Evolve will go on sale on October 10, exclusively on Amazon India. The phone will carry a Rs 3,950 cashback offer from Reliance Jio and a 5 per cent instant cashback on ICICI bank credit cards.

The BlackBerry Evolve is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 450 system-on-chip (SoC), paired with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage – expandable using a microSD card. The phone boots the Android Oreo 8.1 operating system optimised by BlackBerry with security and productivity tools like DTEK security suite and workplace. The phone is powered by a 4,000 mAh battery and has a USB type-C charging and data transfer port supporting the Qualcomm Quick Charge 3.0 technology.

Imaging is managed by a dual rear-camera module and a single camera on the front with a soft LED flash. The rear camera sports dual 13-megapixel lenses, and an RGB sensor mated with a monochrome sensor. The phone has a 16MP fixed-focus selfie camera unit on the front.

Honor announces Flipkart Big Billion Day offers; aims to sell 1 mn units

Here is a look at some of the best offers on Honor smartphones during the Flipkart Big Billion Day sale:

In the Flipkart sale, the company would be offering discounts, along with bank offers, on Honor-branded smartphones like the Honor 9N, Honor 9 Lite, Honor 7S, Honor 9i, Honor 10 and Honor 7A

Chinese smartphone manufacturer Huawei's sub-brand Honor on October 3 announced some exciting offers on its smartphones during the Flipkart Big Billion Day sale. The aim is to sell one million devices during the festive-season sale starting from October 11 on the e-commerce platform. In the sale, the company would be offering discounts, along with bank offers, on Honor-branded smartphones like the Honor 9N, Honor 9 Lite, Honor 7S, Honor 9i, Honor 10 and Honor 7A.

As part of its sale offers, the company has announced price reduction on the above-mentioned smartphones and their variants. The company also announced a 10 per cent instant discount to HDFC Bank debit and credit card customers and no-cost equated monthly instalments on Bajaj Finserv cards.

ALSO READ : Honor 9N review: Mid-range device with premium design, average performance

The sale offers are valid across Honor-branded smartphones and their variants, including the Honor 9N, Honor 7A, Honor 7S, Honor 9 Lite, Honor 9i and Honor 10. In the budget segment, the company would offer Honor 7A and Honor 7S at a discounted price of Rs 7,999 and 6,499.

In the premium budget segment, Honor is offering the Honor 9 Lite 3GB/32GB at a discounted rate of Rs 9,999. The phone’s 4GB RAM and 64GB storage variant would be available with a Rs 3,000 exchange offer which would bring down the effective cost to Rs 11,999.

In the midrange segment, the company is offering the Honor 9N with 3 GB of RAM and 32 GB of storage and 4 GB of RAM and 64 GB of storage at discounted prices of Rs 9,999 and Rs 11,999, respectively. The quad-camera-based Honor 9i would be available at a discounted price of Rs 12,999 and the premium Honor 10 would come with a discounted price of Rs 24,999. These devices are also eligible for Flipkart's complete mobile protection plan at an additional cost of Rs 199.

No respite as fuel prices rise again, petrol crosses Rs 90-mark in Mumbai

In Mumbai, the petrol price has touched Rs 90.08 per litre, while diesel is being retailed at Rs 78.58 per litre

In no respite to the citizens, fuel prices in the country touched new heights on Monday morning, especially in Mumbai, as the petrol price in the metropolitan city crossed Rs 90-run mark.

In Mumbai, the petrol price has touched Rs 90.08 per litre, while diesel is being retailed at Rs 78.58 per litre.

Meanwhile, the prices of petrol and diesel in New Delhi are Rs.82.72 per litre and Rs.74.02 per litre respectively.

Keeping the people's suffering in mind, the West Bengal government on September 11 reduced the excise on petrol and diesel by Re 1 per litre each last week. Similarly, the Karnataka government had also announced that the Petrol and Diesel pricesacross the state would be cheaper by Rs 2 per litre each, following the reduction in cess on these fuels. As per India's pricing mechanism, the domestic fuel prices depend upon the international fuel prices on a 15-day average and the value of the Indian rupee.

Fuel prices have been witnessing a steep rise since the past few weeks. While the Opposition has blamed the Union government for not doing enough to keep a check on prices, the latter has maintained that global crude oil prices and other international factors are causing a hike in prices of petroleum products.

However, Department of Economic Affairs Secretary Subhash Chandra Garg on Friday said that discussions are taking place with the United States regarding the reduction of oil imports from Iran.

Garg had also said that if needed, discussions will be held on trading of oil in terms of the Indian Rupee.

Article Source : Business Standard

Samsung Galaxy Tab A 10.5 review: Slate will impress multimedia enthusiasts

With a mammoth 10.5-inch screen, quad speakers with Dolby Atmos support, and a 7,700 mAh battery, the Galaxy Tab A 10.5 tablet is a multimedia powerhouse

South Korean electronics giant Samsung is among a few companies that continue to focus on tablets to fill the gap between smartphones and notebooks. Tablets provide a convenience of a smartphone in a big form factor with a huge screen estate. These devices, when connected with a keyboard and mouse, also double up as a trimmed-down version of notebooks. However, with Windows-based mobile notebooks and Chromebooks redefining the computing space, the use case for tablets has moved from productivity to entertainment or as a device at the centre of connected space, also known as internet of things (IoT). The Samsung Galaxy Tab A 10.5 seems to pack both of these.

The tablet is a fairly big device that puts it close to a notebook. It sports a mammoth 10.5-inch screen with huge bezels around. That is a plus, considering that you need some space to rest your thumbs while holding the device. The screen boasts a 1920 x 1200 resolution in a 16:10 aspect ratio which makes it compatible with most content and apps. The screen is bright and has ample contrast. However, it looks dull in comparison with OLED, which offers an impeccable colour rendition and deep blacks and is best suited for multimedia consumption. The screen also shows a shift in colours when looked at from angles, and that makes it less suitable for watching video content with a bunch of friends. The lack of S-Pen support also diminishes the overall utility of the otherwise large display panel.

The tablet's weight – more than 500 g – makes it difficult to operate using one hand. However, the weight is evenly distributed to helps in day-to-day operations. Thanks to a rubberised back, the tablet feels safe to hold and does not slip unnecessarily. However, a tiny bulging camera module on the back makes it uneven on flat surfaces like table.

Speaking of innards, the tablet is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 450 system-on-chip (SoC), mated with 3GB of RAM and 32GB of internal storage. The SoC is not a powerhouse. It is an entry-level octacore processor that barely manages to run power-intensive tasks. Surprisingly, it does not deter the tablet’s multimedia prowess and manages to run 1080p videos smoothly. The tablet runs smoothly and shows no lags in normal circumstances. However, things turn difficult when power-intensive or graphic-intensive apps like Asphalt 9 and PUBG are loaded. These games run on this device at the lowest possible graphics setting, and show stutters, becoming unplayable. This, however, does not come as a surprise, considering that the tablet makes no promise for gaming capabilities. It pitches its multimedia capability and that performs fairly.

Speaking of multimedia capabilities, the tablet features quad speakers (two on the bottom and two on the top) powered by Dolby Atmos for an immersive sound experience. The speakers are not loud but offer a good spatial output for a surround sound experience. Interestingly, these speakers automatically adjust left and right channels based on screen orientation, making them quite useful.

Article Source: Business Standard

Vivo V11 Pro review: Feature-rich smartphone with good camera, battery life

Priced at Rs 25,990, the Vivo V11 Pro is has rich features in the midrange smartphone segment. It is also among the first smartphone to have a tiny notch display

Chinese smartphone manufacturer Vivo started its journey with devices tuned to deliver best-in-class audio capabilities. With fast-changing dynamics of the smartphone game, the company soon shifted its focus to imaging by integrating higher megapixel cameras in its devices. Now, at a time when the specification race has saturated and the mobile phone game has moved to features, Vivo is seemingly taking the lead in shaping the future of smartphones — the Vivo Nex, with a three-side all-screen front and motorised pop-up camera is an example.

While the Vivo Nex seems to be a concept phone setting the benchmark for future smartphones, a Business Standard review of the recently launched Vivo V11 Prorevealed that the new device fits just perfectly as a smartphone filling the gap during thr transition. The Vivo V11 Pro features a modern design with glass body, a tall stance due to its 19.5:9 aspect ratio screen with a tiny notch on top (called Halo FullView), and respectable specifications.

Vivo V11 Pro design, display and in-display fingerprint sensor

With almost every phone offering the same specifications in their respective segments, the industry focus has now shifted to design and display; these have become a key differentiating factor for new-age smartphones. In terms of design, the V11 Pro is a step forward, especially with its glass-metal-glass design that looks plush. The back of the smartphone is uniform with almost no obstructions, except for a vertical dual-camera module placed on the top-left corner. The glass on the back has a starry night design of a glittery blue hue at the bottom, and a glossy shade of black on the top. A caveat: The phone’s back looks like an enhanced version of the V9.

The front is dominated by a new format 6.41-inch superAMOLED screen of fullHD+ resolution, stretched in a 19.5:9 aspect ratio. The screen boasts a new tiny notch screen area, accommodating just the front camera. Interestingly, the earpiece now sits under a thin bezel above the display, along with an infrared sensor on its right for the face-unlock mechanism. The new screen format gives the phone a tall look — that makes operating it using one hand somewhat difficult.

Being an AMOLED unit, the display is bright and looks vivid. It has a good saturation and contrast ratio. Sunlit legibility is satisfactory, but a fullHD+ resolution for such a big panel looks a bit pixelated, especially while reading text, playing games and watching videos. The lock screen supports the always-on mode to show notifications, time and date. However, unlike Samsung smartphones, there is no way you can interact or check notifications.

Article Source : Business Standard

Vitamin D may reduce cancer risk, breast cancer mortality

Apart from building healthy bones, vitamin D also may reduce cancer risk as well as BreastCancer mortality, especially in women with a lower body mass index.

Breast cancer remains the most common cancer in women worldwide and is the leading cause of death from cancer in women. Reproductive risk factors such as early onset of puberty, late menopause, later age at first pregnancy, never having been pregnant, obesity, and a family history have all been shown to be associated with breast cancer development.

The role of vitamin D concentration in the development of breast cancer, however, continues to be debated.

Researchers involved in the study concluded that postmenopausal women had an increased risk of vitamin D deficiency at the time of their breast cancer diagnoses, associated with higher rates of obesity than women of the same age group without cancer.

Similar studies also have previously demonstrated a relationship between vitamin D and breast cancer mortality. Women in the highest quartile of vitamin D concentrations, in fact, had a 50% lower death rate from breast cancer than those in the lower quartile, suggesting that vitamin D levels should be restored to a normal range in all women with breast cancer.

Apart from building healthy bones, vitamin D also may reduce cancer risk as well as breast cancer mortality, especially in women with a lower body mass index.

Breast cancer remains the most common cancer in women worldwide and is the leading cause of death from cancer in women. Reproductive risk factors such as early onset of puberty, late menopause, later age at first pregnancy, never having been pregnant, obesity, and a family history have all been shown to be associated with breast cancer development.

The role of vitamin D concentration in the development of breast cancer, however, continues to be debated.

Researchers involved in the study concluded that postmenopausal women had an increased risk of vitamin D deficiency at the time of their breast cancer diagnoses, associated with higher rates of obesity than women of the same age group without cancer.

Similar studies also have previously demonstrated a relationship between vitamin D and breast cancer mortality. Women in the highest quartile of vitamin D concentrations, in fact, had a 50% lower death rate from breast cancer than those in the lower quartile, suggesting that vitamin D levels should be restored to a normal range in all women with breast cancer.

Sony 'Master Series' A9F Bravia OLED TV launched in India for Rs 399,990

Sony 'Master Series' A9F Bravia OLED TVs comes with with features like Netflix calibrated mode, hands-free voice search and TV centre speaker mode to work with home theatre systems

Taking its popular Bravia OLED TV line-up to a new level, Sony India on Monday launched "A9F" under its "Master Series" with features like Netflix calibrated mode, hands-free voice search and TV centre speaker mode to work with home theatre systems.

Running Android TV 8.0 Oreo operating system (OS), the new television series -- "KD-55A9F" (55-inch) that costs Rs 399,990 while "KD-65A9F" (65-inch) is priced at Rs 559,990 -- will be available in India from September 20.

Equipped with "X1 Ultimate" picture processor and "pixel contrast booster" -- which is Sony's original panel controller for OLED -- the TVs would deliver 4K HDR picture quality and better contrast, the company said in a statement.

Sony has incorporated "single slate design" in its new TV offering with only one stand in the back to hold it up.

The TVs also come with "Acoustic Surface Audio+" technology to facilitate multi-dimensional sounds.

"The TVs would provide a faster, easier and more intuitive interface for the consumers to use," the company claimed.

Additionally, the TVs also come with multi-lingual support, accommodating 11 Indian languages and over 14 international dialects.

The "X1 Ultimate Picture Processor" can intelligently detect and analyse each object in the picture through Sony's new object-based super-resolution mechanism - pixel contrast booster- for exceptional accuracy and detail.

The object-based HDR remaster has been updated and allows each object to be remastered individually for better depth and accurate texture.

With this recent launch, Sony will continue to enhance its premium line-up in its Bravia TV range to cater the niche customers and chase more value and strong foothold, Sony India Managing Director Sunil Nayyar told Press Trust of India.

Besides, Sony would also continue to have its affordable range to cater the entry-level customers in 32-inch and 40-inch screen size as per its "twin strategy" in the segment.

Sony, which is strengthening its premium image here, would also enhance the domestic manufacturing of the TV units through its local partner.

"Our contribution of the premium sales is increasing rapidly.

Boat products review: Inexpensive phone accessories with quirky design

Boat is inexpensive, not cheap. It needs a bit of tweaking before taking on the audio biggies

Quirky is a characteristic of Boat, a comparatively new consumer electronics brand founded in 2016. Its designs have a generous use of bright colours -- red, pink, blue, fluorescent -- and the occasional grey and black, aimed at catching the eye in the cluttered segment of affordable mobile phone accessories. The company makes earphones, headphones and portable speakers, along with accessories such as chargers and cables. We tested out one in each category for its design, quality and ruggedness.

Rockerz 430 (on-ear wireless headphones)

The packaging of Boat products is unimpressive across categories. The boxes are flimsy and aesthetically banal -- uncharacteristically opposite of how the products look. The Rockerz 430 we reviewed has a charcoal grey exterior and is bright red inside. The plastic headband feels solid and the PU coating makes the headphones comfortable to hang on the neck when not in use. It’s also light.

have never been a fan of small ear-cups that sit on the ears and not cover them completely. Doesn’t matter the cushioning on the cups, even the slightest of pressure makes the headphones hard to keep on for extended use. The Rockerz 430 has a passive noise cancellation, which means they sit on the ears snuggly to block the outside noise by design; and the headphones won’t slip off even if you run with them. But not everyone can get used to the pressure on the outer ear.

The Rockerz 430 is paired easily, and is even faster to connect the next time. The over-enthusiastic announcer welcoming you with “you have plugged into Nirvana” is quite unnecessary though.

Moving on, the headphones don’t falter on delivering the low frequency sounds right. The sub-bass is deep and surround. Even the mids -- that include the vocals -- are clear. Listening to Drake and DJ Khaled is a pleasure, but only until the highs kick in. It seems like in order to achieve satisfactory base, the highs have been amped up. And the distortion is quite evident when bass takes a back seat. The snare drums in Highway to Hell by AC/DC were overbearing after a point, and by the time I moved an era to Charlie Puth’s Done for Me for its treble-heavy music and Puth’s high-pitched voice, I could not increase the volume over 70 per cent. While the bass is good, the overall sound quality Rockerz 430 delivers for Rs 1,995 -- even though cost-effective -- is average, at best.

Read more about : BassHeads 225, Stone 200 (Bluetooth speakers), Charging cable (for iOS)

PM Modi Celebrates Raksha Bandhan with Children & Women’s.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi today followed on Twitter 55 women, including sports and media personalities, to mark Raksha Bandhan.

These women include professional badminton doubles player Ashwini Ponnappa, tennis players Sania Mirza and Karman Kaur Thandi, athlete P T Usha, former Miss India and child rights activist Swaroop, and journalists Romana Isar Khan, Sweta Singh, Padmaja Joshi, Sheela Bhatt and Shalini Singh.

Others followed by the prime minister on the micro-blogging platform include actor Koena Mitra, weightlifter Karnam Malleswari, photo journalist Renuka Puri and some BJP members and state government ministers.

Some of those followed by Modi, thanked him and wished him on Raksha Bandhan.

Sources in the government said the prime minister followed them on Twitter to mark the festival.

The prime minister follows 2,000 people on his personal Twitter handle @narendramodi and is followed by 43.7 million people.

His official Twitter handle @PMOIndia follows 438 people, including world leaders. The official account is followed by 26.9 million people.

Article Source : BS

Xiaomi Poco F1 launched in India at Rs 20,999, to go on sale on August 29

Poco -- a sub-brand Xiaomi will use the manufacturing and supply chain as well as the after-sales network of the Chinese parent in order to bring Poco F1 to the customers

Xiaomi, the Chinese smartphone manufacturer, launched the Xiaomi Poco F1 in India today, under their new sub-brand Poco which stands for 'a little'. The Flipkart-exclusive smartphone is the most affordable smartphone to feature a Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 SoC and is a premium addition to the portfolio of parent Xiaomi, known mostly for its budget and mid-range smartphones.

In a recent media interaction, Xiaomi India Managing Director Manu Kumar Jain had said that the company was working on a premium smartphone, which would not be from the company’s existing portfolio, but a new offering designed specifically for Indian consumers. The Poco F1 launched today, has premium looks, features and specifications while the price starts from Rs 20,999 and one can get a first sale offer of Rs 1000 instant cashback if bought through HDFC Bank credit or debit card.

"As a small outfit within Xiaomi, Poco has the freedom to start from scratch, zeroing in on the product choices and technologies that matter. The brand focusses on delivering performance and innovation, which we believe will resonate with tech enthusiasts," Jai Mani, Head of Product at Poco Global, said.

Apart from the flagship Snapdragon 845 chipset, the Poco F1 sports a 5.99-inch fullHD+ notch display with 19:9 aspect ratio. The notch houses an infrared face-unlock feature as well. The phone comes with a 20MP selfie camera and 12-megapixel and 5MP dual rear cameras, a 4000mAh battery, a fingerprint sensor on the back and LiquidCool Technology cooling system

The Poco F1 comes in three RAM and internal storage configurations - 6GB/64GB, 6GB/128GB and 8GB/256GB and is available in three colour options - Rosso Red, Steel Blue and Graphite Black and a kevlar-backed armoured 8GB/256GB edition.

The OS is based on Android 8.1 Oreo with a MIUI skin on it and is expected to receive the Android P update in near future.

"Poco brand is focussed on innovation and has a different positioning. Our first handset - F1 - is for the power users....We don't think Poco will impact Xiaomi sales, Poco will be complementary to Xiaomi," its Global Head Alvin Tse said. (more)

CBSE wants to revamp Class X, XII exam pattern from 2020: Here's the plan

The questions will be shorter and stress would be on probing the critical thinking abilities of students

If everything goes according to plan, the question papers of Class X and XII will, in a couple years, wear a fresh look. The questions will be shorter and more in the nature of problem-solving. In effect, rote learning will walk out the door and questions based on testing students' analytical abilities will be the new norm.

All of these changes and more will become a reality if the CBSE Exams goes ahead with its revamp plan, as was reported on Thursday by 'The Times of India'.

"The questions will be more in the nature of problem-solving. There will be more short questions (between 1 to 5 marks). The stress would be on probing the critical thinking abilities of students and test actual learning outcomes rather than allow students to score high marks by virtue of rote," the report quoted a senior unnamed HRD official as saying.

According to the report, the CBSE also plans to hold vocational subject tests earlier and early declaration of results. The exams for vocational subjects will be held in February while the main subject tests will end in March "in around 15 days".

"This will give evaluators more time to check papers. Results, too, will likely be declared earlier", the report said.

The board is also mulling introducing new bylaws to simplify and shorten the affiliation process. According to the new affiliation/renewal laws, the decision will be based highly on the school's academic quality -- such as the quality of teachers, learning outcomes, and pedagogy. Also, the state's directorates of education/school education departments will evaluate the schools' facilities and the CBSE will depend on their reports while arriving at a decision.

"Instead, CBSE will put to use its resources in measuring the academic quality," the official said.

While the proposals regarding the examination schedule are "still at the discussion stage", according to the report, the board is already working toward implementing the changes in question paper by the year 2020.

Article Source : BS

MHRD announces entrance dates; JEE Mains to be held twice in 2019

All the exams will be computer-based except for NEET, which will be conducted in pen-and-paper mode

The Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) on Tuesday announced the schedule for various entrance examinations till May 2019 to be conducted by the newly-established National Testing Agency (NTA).

It announced the schedule for UGC-NET, JEE Main I & II, CMAT & GPAT, and NEET-UG.

All these exams will be computer-based except for NEET, which will be conducted in pen-and-paper mode as before. This mode of writing exam was kept unchanged at the request of the Health Ministry.

"The change in the NEET exam pattern (as against the statement made on July 7, 2018) -- which will now be a single exam in pen-and-paper mode and in the same number of languages as has been conducted last year -- is on the request of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, which wanted the same pattern as last year's to be maintained," the HRD Ministry said in its statement.

While declaring the establishment of NTA, the Ministry had in July said that all these exams will be conducted online.

As per the schedule announced on Tuesday, the UGC-NET will be conducted on several days during December 9-23, 2018; JEE-Main I on days between January 6 and 20, 2019, while JEE-Main II will be held between April 6 and 20, 2019.

The CPAT-GMAT entrance, earlier conducted by the All India Council for Technical Education, will be conducted by the NTA now on January 28 and NEET-Undergraduate on May 5 next year.

The Ministry said that through NTA it has also established 2,697 Test Practice Centres (TPCs) in schools and engineering colleges for candidates to practice and familiarise themselves with the pattern of the exams.

These centres will be available to the candidates on Sundays and Saturdays starting from September 1 and will be free of charge.

"The TPCs will have a downloaded Computer Based Test (CBT) which will be similar to the actual test to be conducted on the exam day. (more)

Simple leg exercises can reduce negative effects on heart and blood vessels

Did you know how beneficial are simple Leg exercises while lying down? A sedentary lifestyle can cause an impairment of transportation of blood in the body which in turn may increase the risk of diseases in the heart and blood vessels.

Performing simple leg exercises can make a huge change and prevent such problems, a new study reveals.

Earlier work has demonstrated that prolonged sitting for up to 6 hours results in a decline in both blood flow to the limbs and in our larger arteries' ability to widen to accommodate increased blood flow. This is the first study to show that sitting for just 10 minutes is sufficient to reduce blood flow to the legs and impairs the function of small blood vessels supplying muscles in the leg.

This paper also highlights a reduction in the function of small blood vessels when lying down. However, this study suggests that we might be able to reverse this impairment to some extent by performing some simple leg exercises when lying down in bed or on the sofa.

Also Read : Here's why diabetics should get proper sleep

The effects of sitting on blood circulation have been attributed to blood passing more slowly through arteries while sitting. The researchers aimed to find out whether these reductions were caused by sustained sitting, or whether 10 minutes would be sufficient to have a negative effect.

The researchers used a Doppler ultrasound technique alongside the knee to measure blood flow and examined the extent to which blood vessels widened in 18 healthy, young males. These measurements were made prior to and following a 10 -minute period of sitting or during a period of rest while lying down, with or without leg exercises, which were performed by extending the foot back and forth every two seconds for a third of the time spent lying down.

Results showed that a 10 minute period of sitting reduced participants' ability to rapidly increase blood flow to the lower legs via small blood vessels, but it did not affect the widening of larger arteries in response to increased blood flow. The results also suggest leg exercises can help maintain rapid increases in the blood supply to the limbs.

The study demonstrates changes in blood vessel function measured at the level of the knee. However, the researchers only tested healthy young males and their findings cannot be extended to females. It remains unknown as to how these responses may vary with age, or with people who have heart problems.(more)