Where to find keyless finger-scan locks

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Finger tip access

Swipe your finger across the keyless, code-free entry system to activate the lock

Photo courtesy of Kwikset

Several companies offer biometric keyless locks for entry doors, mostly in the $200 range (as of 2008). One company is Kwikset. Its SmartScan locks are available at home centers and hardware stores (find retailers and more info at Kwikset.com). When you swipe your finger across a sensor, it reads your fingerprint and activates the battery-powered dead bolt. You don't need a key or a key code. Installation doesn't require hardwiring, and the batteries last about one year.

Other companies also sell keyless fingerprint locks. Search online for “fingerprint door locks.”

Sleek iPhone 6 Concept

If you’ve got your pulse on the internet you may know that this iPhone concept is not new (the video was uploaded a year ago), but it doesn’t change the fact that IT IS SO COOL. The concept was made by YouTube user Schoolpost who creates short films, visual effects, motion graphics, and animation. Let us know what you think in the comments. Does this concept beat out the current model?

DoCoMo to exit India at $1.3bn loss

MUMBAI: Japan's biggest mobile operator NTT DoCoMo is disconnecting from Tata Teleservices, its partner of five years, by offloading its entire stake at as low as half the original acquisition price of $2.6 billion. It becomes the second Japanese major to exit India in recent weeks after Daiichi Sankyo sold its interests in Ranbaxy Laboratories.

The over two-decade-old DoCoMo had acquired a 26.5% stake in Tata Teleservices between 2009 and 2011 in a deal that was supposed to catapult it into the telecom industry big league but cut-throat tariff competition, regulatory uncertainty and billions of losses have forced the Japanese biggie to hang up on Asia's third largest economy. Besides, this move has left a question mark on Tata Teleservices' future.

Under the 2009 joint venture agreement, DoCoMo had two options: one, to increase its stake to 51% in two phases by March and the second to sell its stake for half the acquisition price or at a fair market price, whichever was higher. Both the options were linked to performance targets and with the Indian joint venture missing the targets, the Japanese major has decided to dial out of Tata Teleservices.The Tata Group holds 65% in India's seventh-largest mobile services company, which lags far behind telecom giants Bharti Airtel and Vodafone. Singapore government's investment arm Temasek and serial entrepreneur C Sivasankaran too own small stakes in the company. DoCoMo said it will exercise its sale option by June.

"We invested in India because at the time we saw excellent growth prospects in emerging countries and we wanted to be involved there," DoCoMo CEO Kaoru Kato said. "We decided to sell because the growth we've seen in five years is not what we expected. Though, withdrawing was a very bitter decision." In FY13, Tata Teleservices reported a loss of Rs 4,858 crore, while its debt was Rs 23,491 crore.

A host of problems like delay in introducing 3G services, telecom licence cancellations and corruption scandals led to the JV's dismal performance, claimed DoCoMo.

In a statement, Tata Group's holding company, Tata Sons, said, "As stated by DoCoMo, it is not possible to predict how events will unfold; however, Tata Sons is cognizant of its responsibilities, and will act keeping in mind the interests of all stakeholders and in accordance with law."

With DoCoMo exiting the alliance, the Tata Group will come under pressure to fund the buyout as well as improve the telco's performance. "With an over 60% promoter stake and recent promise of equity infusion to sustain operations, it places pressure on the Tata Group as a whole. While continuing with operating performance improvement at Tata Teleservices is a pre-requisite, one cannot however rule out group considerations, including consolidation or finding replacement partners," said Thomas Kuruvilla, managing partner at Arthur D Little, a global consulting firm.

Media reports suggest that Vodafone and Russian conglomerate AFK Sistema, which owns MTS India, have held separate talks with Tata Teleservices to combine the business with the Tata Group either bowing out of the telecom business or holding a minority stake in the merged entity. However, Tata Sons said that the company "continues to be an integral part of the Tata Group". India's largest private sector conglomerate recently inked a deal to sell its South African fixed line telecom operator Neotel to Vodafone.

Shahid Kapoor in Vishal Bhardwaj's Maha Kaminey

Shahid has said that Vishal's Haider is his toughest project till date

Actor Shahid Kapoor is all set to star in Vishal Bhardwaj's Maha Kaminey, which is the sequel to his 2009 hit film Kaminey.

Kaminey had Shahid, Priyanka Chopra and Amol Gupte in lead roles. The film was produced by UTV Motion Pictures.

The film was set against the backdrop of the Mumbai underworld and told the story of a pair of twins, one with a lisp and the other with a stutter.

"The sequel to Kaminey, Maha Kaminey will be made. It will have Shahid in it. It will be more interesting. But the work on this project will start after Haider," sources close to the development said. (Also read: Shahid talks about Haider)

The makers have been planning to make the sequel for quite some time.

Vishal Bhardwaj is presently working on his Haider which stars Shahid and Shraddha Kapoor besides Tabu, Irrfan Khan and Kay Kay Menon. (Also read: Shahid excited about Haider final schedule)

Maha Kaminey will be third collaboration between Shahid and Vishal after Kaminey and Haider.