Monday, March 11, 2013

Nokia staff in Chennai factory in India gets 200% wage hike

Nokia has decided to give its workers at the Chennai factory in India a raise, with some of the workers to get as much as 200% higher paychecks.
According to a report by the Economic Times, Nokia sees the factory as a key part in its comeback plans and has entered into a wage pact. As a result as many as a 3000 of the 9000 employees will see their wages jump from Rs. 7,000 ($129) to Rs 21,000 ($386) a month.
The rest of the staff will see significant pay increases as well. Furthermore, the Finns have set up a death relief fund, totaling to Rs. 500,000 ($9212). Its purpose is to go to the families of workers, who have died of natural causes.
Here’s what a Nokia spokesman said to ET
As policy, we do not share specific details of wage agreements between Nokia and its employees. That said, we would like to confirm that Nokia India Private Ltd and Nokia India Employees Union, an independent union with no affiliation to central trade union, have entered into a long-term wage settlement that was signed recently in the presence of assistant labour commissioner Dharmaseelan. A Soundararajan, MLA and president and consultant to our trade union, represented the employees union.

Google Shows Off its Shoes but You Cannot Buy a Pair

shoe Google Shows Off its Shoes but You Cannot Buy a PairIf you thought wearable tech was stupid, think again. From the guys who gave you Google Glass comes another wearable tech product called ‘Google Glass’. It won’t be coming to stores near you unlike Google Glass, but ripoffs are expected now that the idea is publicized.
Google Shoes are modified Adidas sneakers and is a part of the company’s ‘Art, Copy and Code’ project. Its build in co-operation with the tech company ‘Yes Yes No’. They feature a custom-build microcontroller and speak funny things out to you via a speaker, or Google plus when connected to the internet. Things like accelerometer and gyroscope are build into the shoes too along with the pressure sensors at the bottom.
Its the messages though which make this piece of technology great. For example, if you start walking it will say "I’m snoring" and if you are not moving, it will yell "I am trying to imagine what it would look like moving" at you. It can also connect with an Android smartphone.
The Google Shoes were shown at the SXSW event in Austin, Texas. What’s a pity though, is that Google doesn’t plan to sell these in any market. They might however open-source the information so that you can make your own. The pair shown off at the SXSW were made to show what’s possible with data.
So the next time you are at an Adidas store (or elsewhere) buying your next pair of sneakers, take a moment to think about the possibilities of wearable tech. This one actually looks like a better concept than Google Glass, even if its not quite nearly as functional.