India's telecom sector has been through dizzying peaks, troughs, policy U-turns, court battles, brutal competition, and daily controversies.India could go back to a private sector duopoly with just Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel surviving the mayhem. The third player, Vodafone Idea, could be history.

As Mahindra readies to unveil its latest version of the Jeep that is so beloved of adventure enthusiasts, the urban crowd as well as the countryside, Rajesh Karkera/Rediff.com traces the vehicle's journey through the decades.

The keenly-awaited Mahindra Thar 2020 was finally unveiled on August 15, 2020. Here are the first images of one of the finest off-roaders!

Long have I waited for a car to replace the Tata Safari feel in driving, and this updated version of the Tata Harrier is just IT, exclaims Rajesh Karkera/Rediff.com.

If the small cars and sedans are here, can the big boys be far behind? Rajesh Karkera offers a checklist of the SUVs and MUvs coming to India this year.

As part of the ritual, ''halwa'' is prepared in a big ''kadhai'' (large frying pot) and served to the entire staff involved in the Budget making exercise of the ministry.Halwa was served while maintaining COVID protocol with all present in mask and those distributing sweets were wearing gloves.

As a tech services company, Ola has never been in hardcore manufacturing.And unlike in ride hailing, which is a two-player market (Uber is the only other competitor), in two-wheelers it faces many entrenched players.But most of all, rivals say Ola's targets are out of sync with most, even ambitious, projecti­ons.

Smooth engine, plush interiors, great suspension that handle dodgy roads with ease, futuristic design elements that have little by way of competition in the market -- it's all there, says Pavan Lall.

India has the third highest number of billionaires in the world after the US and China, according to a new list by the prestigious Forbes magazine, which said Reliance Industries chairman Mukesh Ambani reclaimed his spot as Asia's richest person, dethroning Chinese business tycoon Jack Ma who was the richest person in the region a year ago.

'Our strategy is intact and our important pillars for India -- the SUV roll-out and the focus on the cost of ownership of a car -- remain in focus'

Tata Motors recently announced the launch of 'Dark' edition models of the Harrier, the Nexon, the Nexon EV and its premium hatchback, the Altroz.The 'Dark' editions add a premium touch to its existing models.In 2019, Tata Motors launched the Harrier in its 'Dark' avatar to customers looking for a bold, sophisticated and stylish SUV.

However, it has an auditory feature that throws up a soft but audible whirring sound like a spaceship while driving as well as a different tone on the outside to let bystanders know a car is on its way, says Pavan Lall.

At a time when fuel prices across the country are going through the roof with no sign of it moderating, electric vehicles seem the likely choice for car buyers who are looking at saving fuel costs.And add to it the negligible maintenance of electric vehicles.Continuing with this revolution with their 2nd offering in the EV segment, Tata Motors now offers the 2021 Tigor EV to its customers.Tigor petrol with its style-back design has always been a stunner since its launch and it still is.

I was not expecting to be impressed by the Tata Punch. But my drive proved me wrong, says Rajesh Karkera/Rediff.com.

'The global semiconductor shortage has inadvertently provided an imm­ense fillip to the pre-owned car market'

While the Q5 is a light driving car that feels like you can easily fling it over and around brooks and brushes and hills and plains, it's also versatile in that its rear seat is as comfy and spacious as you'd expect, says Pavan Lall.

It takes a while to get used to the constant and instant supply of power that is the case with EVs, and handling the S1 Pro when it takes a corner or makes a turn can be tricky, says Pavan Lall.

Suspension that has fully acclimatised to Indian roads and handles potholes and bumps with ease, plush interiors that feel premium beyond just surface level, and aggressive and imposing design cues give this SUV a presence and profile that has little competition, says Pavan Lall.

While the Slavia comes in eight different variants, it's the base model that starts at around Rs 10.7 lakh that is most likely to take a bite out of the market share of its competitors, says Pavan Lall.

The Meridian feels comfortable and upright with the quality of gadgetry, interiors and plastics expected from an international brand car.However, it lacks the overall premium-ness that may come with a top-end Japanese car or even a mid-range German car, says Pavan Lall.

The Carens is a warning for cars such as the Tata Safari, Hyundai Alcazar, Maruti Ertiga, Toyota Innova Crista and Mahindra XUV 700, because Kia punches much harder than others in its weight category.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will on Friday inaugurate the Terminal 2 of the Kempegowda International Airport in Bengaluru that has been built at a cost of around Rs 5,000 crore, according to officials.

According to Siam data, Indian auto companies sold 982,456 units of utility vehicles in the first half of FY23, a 50.29 per cent growth over the corresponding period last year.

Innovation ranging from exterior designs of vehicles to EV charger locks grabbed eyeballs at the expo

That means a manufacturer looking at a market like India needs to decide whether small, cheap cars or small, expensive cars or both will work better for them, says Pavan Lall.

Rajesh Karkera/Rediff.com takes the latest offering from the Mahindra stable for a spin.

The final rites of renowned industrialist and philanthropist Ratan Tata were performed with full state honours at a central Mumbai crematorium on Thursday evening.The Mumbai police paid tribute to Tata with a gun salute.

'A long-term investor with a 4 to 5 year horizon could invest in this theme via SIPs.'

Noise led the market with a 23 per cent share

Device also has a sound personalisation feature

This basic smartwatch tracks a lot of parameters and also lets you easily call contacts from your wrist

These True Wireless Stereo buds are clear and comfortable but a little on the expensive side

An entry-level DAC and headphone amplifier at a very attractive price point

The event also saw Freshcraft handing over its three versions of Tenshield to some of the startup’s first associated clients

The Kindle Scribe will ship later this year, the online retailer said Wednesday, at a price of $339

The new device comes with hands-free Alexa control and a new processor 

The Android-powered Pixel 7 and 7 Pro are joined by the Pixel Watch, running WearOS, and the Google Pixel Buds Pro to create a cohesive set of devices

The device is said to be the lightest TWS earbuds from the Japanese company so far.

Microsoft Authenticator will continue to work on iPhone and iPad

L’Oréal confirms that the Brow Magic eyebrow applicator will launch in 2023

Almost synonymous with portable music players in the ‘90s, the Walkman slides back into our lives in this new avatar.

Priced starting at $499, Quest 3 to be 40% thinner than Meta’s previous headset and feature colour mixed reality

Technology stocks led the gains in early trade, with Infosys rising 1.60 per cent, followed by Apollo Hospitals, Hindalco, Wipro, and Tech Mahindra

Facility will offer businesses access to Google Gemini’s Large Language Models for testing AI-driven use cases such as natural language understanding, image generation, and predictive analytics

The retail portion of the IPO emerged as the only fully subscribed category, receiving 1.02 times the shares reserved for retail individual investors (RIIs)

The project, funded by the Universal Service Obligation Fund, involves the design, supply, construction, installation, upgradation, and maintenance of BharatNet’s Middle Mile Network

BSE Sensex falls 184 points to 79,357, while the Nifty50 declines 75.30 points to 24,124