Monthly Archives

June 2010

NEWS

Load-shedding reduced to 35 hours per week

by NewsTeam Jun 22, 2010

written by NewsTeam

The Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) Monday decided to reduce load-shedding time to 35 hours from 54 hours per week.

Dandapani Basyal, spokesperson of the NEA, informed that the new schedule will come into force from Tuesday.

As per the new schedule, consumers will have to face 5 hours of power outage per day.

Dandapani Basyal, the spokes person of the NEA said that the load shedding time has been decreased due to the increase in water level in the rivers.

Earlier, NEA increased load-shedding time to 54 hours from 42 hours per week from June 14 due to the depletion in water level in rivers and the closure of the Kulekhani power plant for maintenance.

The NEA will now cut off power for two hours in the morning and three hours during day or evening everyday, he said.

According to him, once the Kulekhani power plant resumes operation, load-shedding hours will go down.

NEA is forced to fluctuate its load-shedding time due to depletion and increase in water level in the rivers as most of the power generating plants are based on run-of- rivers.

Jun 22, 2010 0 comment

PRODUCT WATCH

Philips launches 56 inch full HD 21:9 Cinemascope LCD in Nepali market

by NewsTeam Jun 21, 2010

written by NewsTeam

Syakar Company Limited, the authorized distributor of Philips products in Nepal, Monday introduced 56-inch full-HD Cinemascope LCD television in the Nepali market.

The company claimed that the newly launched set is the world´s first cinemascope LCD television-Cinema 21:9. “Consumers can enjoy movies as they would in the cinema with the outstanding performance of the television in both picture quality and sound, the company said in a statement.

The television is possibly the largest television to be launched in Nepal.

“Until now, true cinematic viewing experience has been extremely difficult to replicate at home. With the Cinema 21:9, we have developed a television which brings cinema to your home,” the statement added.

The unique 21:9 aspect ratio completely fills the peripheral vision, enveloping the viewer so completely in the action that they can actively feel along with the characters in front of one.

Unlike the traditional LCD televisions that compromise on the cinematic viewing experience either by changing the aspect ratio to fill the screen losing the full scope of the original shot or by inserting distracting black bars at the top and bottom of the screen, Cinema 21:9 overcomes these issues and perfectly displays 2.39:1 (cinemascope) movie material to give the viewer an uncompromised and absorbing cinematic viewing experience, the statement added.

Cinema 21:9 combines superb picture quality courtesy of Philips powerful 2009 Perfect Pixel HD processing engine (500 million pixels per second processing power and 2,250 trillion vivid colors) with immersive three-sided Ambilight Spectra technology.

Completing the picture package, cinema 21:9 is also equipped with a Full HD 2560x1080p screen with 8.3 million pixels that guarantees crystal clear and razor sharp images with high definition sources.

Another notable feature of the Cinema 21:9 is that it comes with the fastest LCD in the industry — with a refresh rate of just 1ms. The 200Hz Clear LCD allows even the fastest on-screen action to appear realistically life-like.

According to the company the television holds the distinction as the winner of the prestigious Best Innovation Award (2009-2010) by European Imaging & Sound Association (EISA).

The new sets are available at Philips Showroom, Jyoti Bhawan, Kantipath.

56-inch Cinemascope LCD
Perfect Sharpness with 500 millions/s processing power
Perfet motion
Up to 2,250 trillion color options
80,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio
Full HD 2560×1080 pixels
Net TV with Wi-fi for popular online services
Price : Rs 699,900

Jun 21, 2010 0 comment

PRODUCT WATCH

Panasonic Digital Camera Prices in Nepal

by NewsTeam Jun 21, 2010

written by NewsTeam

Panasonic Digital Camera Prices in Nepal

Image	Product Description	Price
Panasonic DMC FX-520	10.1 Megapixel Zoom 5x 25mm wide lens 3.5 inch LCD(460K) Touchscreen	22,920
Panasonic DMC TZ-15	9.1 Megapixel Zoom 10x 28mm wide lens 3.0 inch LCD (460 K)	22,150
Panasonic DMC TZ-11	8.1 Megapixel Zoom 10x 28mm wide lens 2.5 inch LCD (230 K)	20,700
Panasonic DMC FS-20	10.1 Megapixel Zoom 4x 30mm wide lens 3.0 inch LCD (460 K)	19,520
Panasonic DMC FS-5	10.1 Megapixel Zoom 4x 30mm wide lens 2.5 inch LCD (230 K)	18,670
Panasonic DMC LZ-8	8.1 Megapixel Zoom 5x 32mm wide lens 3.0 inch LCD (230 K)	11,300
Panasonic DMC LS-80	8.1 Megapixel Zoom 3x 33mm wide lens 2.5 inch LCD (230 K)	9,100

Price Disclaimer: We do not claim any guarantee of the prices listed above.

Jun 21, 2010 0 comment

BUSINESS

Buddha Air introduces ATR-72 aircraft

by NewsTeam Jun 21, 2010

written by NewsTeam

With a view to expanding its services, Buddha Air, a leading domestic airline company, has added an ATR 72-500 aircraft to its fleet. The new aircraft landed at the Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) on Sunday, flying from Abu Dhabi to Kathmandu via Ahmedabad in India.

The ATR 72 is a twin-turboprop built by French-Italian aircraft manufacturer ATR and seats up to 70 passengers in a single-class configuration. With the arrival of the ATR 72, Buddha Air has a fleet of nine aircraft. The airline plans to add one more ATR 72 next year.

Buddha Air purchased the aircraft for US$ 7.75 million with the payment to be made in instalments spread over three years.

“This aircraft features the lowest seat-mile cost in its class and has great efficiency and reliability and is technically sound,” said Birendra Bahadur Basnet, managing director of the airline. With the new addition, the airline is also targeting its international operations which it plans to launch in September.

However, the new ATR 72 will initially operate on the Kathmandu-Biratnagar sector while the existing ATR 42 that flies the Kathmandu-Biratnagar sector will be used on the Bharatpur, Dhangadhi and Pokhara routes. Basnet also hinted that Budhha Air will slash fares after the arrival of the ATR 72.

“As the ATR 72 is cost effective, technically sound turboprop aircraft, it will reduce the maintenance cost and it will have a direct impact on the fares,” he said.

Buddha Air that has recently spread its wings to Paro, Bhutan, will start its international operation by launching a flight from Kathmandu to Patna, Lucknow and Kolkata, all in India, in September.

“We will be launching flights to these three Indian cities simultaneously,” said Basnet. The airline was scheduled to launch its flights to the Indian cities from June, however, the plan has to be postponed due to technical problems.

Buddha Air plans to operate flights to most of these destinations depending on market viability as allowed by Air Service Agrement between Nepal and India.

Jun 21, 2010 0 comment

NEWS

Nepal Telecom to link with China Telecom through optical fibre

by NewsTeam Jun 20, 2010

written by NewsTeam

Nepal Telecom (NT) plans to establish optical fiber connection with China by the end of fiscal year 2010/11.

The state-owned telecom major has held a series of discussions with China Telecom to establish optical fiber connection between the two operators as per the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed two years ago, said
Anoopranjan Bhattarai, deputy managing director-planning division at NT.

Optical fiber connection will link NT´s network with China Telecom´s network from from Tatopani and Rasuwa stations. NT has already developed necessary infrastructures at the Tatopani station but is yet to build infrastructures at Rasuwa station, according to Bhattarai.

NT is working out economic aspect of share and use of the optical fiber network. “We are discussing bandwidth, leasing period and financial aspect of the deal. We are constantly in touch with the Chinese telecom operator to discuss the related issues,” Surendra Thike, spokesperson of NT told on Sunday.

NT currently has optical fiber connection with India and it sends and receives data toward Hong Kong, Korea, Japan and other countries through India.

“If optical fiber connection with China is established, the cost of telecommunication services to and from other countries will significantly drop,” Bhattarai said.

He also added that China and India would reach to an understanding to connect their telecommunication networks through Nepal once the Nepal establishes optical fiber connection with the northern neighbor.

Thike said voice quality and data transfer speed will improve tremendously once the optical fiber connection is established as the connection will be based on next generation network (NGN) technology. “We will get alternative route to send and receive data through physical network of China Telecom, he added.

NT is currently establishing connections to Europe and America using satellite technology.

Amarnath Singh, managing director of Nepal Telecom, has already made public the state-owned telecom giant´s plan of expanding optical fiber network to all district headquarters.

NT already has east-west optical fiber connection. It plans to start its north-south optical fiber connection within the coming fiscal year. NT also plans to introduce WiFi services to different places across the country and introduce 3G mobile connections in Bhairahawa and Biratnagar by the coming fiscal year.

NT has provisioned Rs 32 billion as the budget for the current fiscal year and Rs 12 billion of it has been allocated for capital expenditure.

“The budget for the coming fiscal year more or less the same,” Bhattarai said.

(Source:Republica)

Jun 20, 2010 0 comment

PRODUCT WATCH

HTC Smart launched in Nepali market

by NewsTeam Jun 18, 2010

written by NewsTeam

Atlantic Computer Pvt Ltd on Thursday unveiled the all new HTC Smart in the Nepali market. HTC Smart begins with a friendly compact touch design and integrates an intuitive user experience that is centered around HTC Sense, an HTC design philosophy that puts people at the center by focusing on three core areas: Make It Mine, Stay Close and Discover the Unexpected.

HTC Smart enables personal customization of each person’s own phone experience. It also provides a quick and easy way to see what friends are up to via various social networks as well as quickly communicating over the phone, through text messaging or email.

This phone utilizes Qualcomm’s Brew MP, a popular mobile operating system that enables smartphone devices to be offered at more aggressive price points, providing HTC with the flexibility to deliver smartphone features on devices across multiple tiers.

The new HTC Smart will be available in three colours – Black, White and Pink at all authorized resellers .

Jun 18, 2010 0 comment

BUSINESS

Construction of Mero City apartments begins

by NewsTeam Jun 16, 2010

written by NewsTeam

Royal Orchid Developers officially started the construction of Mero City apartments by organizing the auspicious ceremony of Bhumi Pujan at its site in Hattiban, Lalitpur, on Monday.

The auspicious ceremony was attended by officials of Royal Orchid Developers, media persons and those who have booked apartments at Mero City. On the occasion, Royal Orchid also signed contracts with all the buyers of the apartments. It also gifted a silver coin as a token of wellbeing and good luck to the buyers.

“Mero City is coming out as one of Kathmandu Valley´s most affordable apartment system that has the perfect combination of serenity and availability at the same location. We are organizing this ceremony for the well-being of Mero City with the faith that would bring out Mero City as one of the best location to call your home,” Prakash Bajracharya, managing director of Royal Orchid Developers, said, addressing the ceremony.

Mero City situated in Hattiban – just 1.2 km from Ring Road (Satdobato Chowk) — consists of five towers and have education, hospital and shopping facilities nearby. Semi-furnished flats and toilets with complete fittings, two automatic elevators in each tower with 24 hour power backup, adequate water supply, ample parking space, community call, amphitheater, hydrant fire fighting system, sewage treatment plan and ATM terminal, among others are the major features of Mero City.

Jun 16, 2010 0 comment

BUSINESS

CG Digital showroom opens at Chabahil

by NewsTeam Jun 16, 2010

written by NewsTeam

CG Digital, a multi-brand electronics and home appliances showroom of CG Electronics, was formally opened at Chabahil. Nirvana Chaudhary, executive director of the Chaudhary Group, inaugurated the showroom. CG Digital will feature 300 product models of famous brands such as LG, CG, Onida, Kelvinator and Rico, among others.

The showroom has been divided into two sections CG digital and CG life. CG digital will provide one-stop shopping experience for electronics products while CG life will feature different brands of home appliances.

Jun 16, 2010 0 comment

PRODUCT WATCH

Microsoft Office 2010 launched in Nepal

by NewsTeam Jun 16, 2010

written by NewsTeam

Microsoft Office 2010 was launched in Kathmandu today roughly around the same time as the rest of the world. Microsoft Office 2010 allows easier, quicker and more extensive usability options.

“A new feature in Microsoft Office 2010 is the Social Connector. This allows users to write emails while keeping track of their family, friends, and colleagues by viewing status updates and past communication history with the individual,” Said Alan Bailochan Tuladhar, Country Manager for Microsoft Nepal.

2010 Office suites and 2010 Office programs
Office Home and Student 2010
Office Home and Business 2010
Office Standard 2010
Office Professional 2010
Office Professional Plus 2010
Office Professional Academic 2010

Access 2010
Excel 2010
InfoPath 2010
OneNote 2010
Outlook 2010
Microsoft Outlook 2010 with Business Contact Manager
Project 2010 (Standard 2010 and Professional 2010 edition)
PowerPoint 2010
Publisher 2010
SharePoint Workspace 2010
Visio 2010 (Standard, Professional, Premium)
Word 2010

Jun 16, 2010 0 comment

BUSINESS

Mobile Phones import on the rise

by NewsTeam Jun 14, 2010

written by NewsTeam

The import of mobile handsets has witnessed a steady growth over the last three years with the rise in the number of mobile users in the country.

Imports of mobile sets during the first 10 months of this fiscal year have surpassed imports during all of last year by 27.08 percent, according to Department of Customs.

A total of 885,823 mobile sets worth Rs. 2.87 billion were imported during the first 10 months of this year against 601,601 handsets worth Rs. 2.26 billion previously. The country had imported 583,503 sets worth Rs. 1.64 billion in the fiscal year 2007/08.

There were 6,828,468 mobile users in the country as of mid-April 2010 compared to 4,802,482 in the last fiscal year 2008/09.

Nabaraj Bhandari, director general of the Department of Customs, said the government’s policy was also important for the growth in mobile imports as mobile dealers were getting a VAT rebate of 60 percent. “This policy has helped to tackle the import of smuggled mobile sets,” he said.

Mobile importers also admit that the mobile market has been growing in a speedy way. Big names such as the Triveni Group, Golchha Group, Vishal Group, Chaudhary Group, Jyoti Group and IMS Tele Trade are involved in the trade of mobile sets besides a number of small importers. In 2010, around half a dozen new mobile brands were launched in Nepal.

According to Ramesh Shrestha, general manager of CG Electronics, sales of mobile sets are on the rise due to easy availability of SIM cards.

There is a growing number of Chinese and Indian mobile sets with attractive features in the market which have also contributed to the growth in the mobile handset market, according to Shrestha. The Chaudhary Group is the authorised dealer of LG, CG and Alcatel mobile handsets in Nepal.

Other handsets available in the Nepali market include Nokia, Samsung, Motorola, Philips, Spice, Colours, Micromax, Bird, Karbon, G Five, CG and Yasuda, among others.

Sanjay Golchha, managing director of Neoteric Nepal which is one of the authorised distributor of Nokia handsets in Nepal, said the import of mobile handsets would increase till the penetration level reaches 40 to 50 percent of the population. The penetration level at present is around 25 percent, he added.

Jun 14, 2010 0 comment

BUSINESS

CG brings Rico Home Appliances in Nepali market

by NewsTeam Jun 14, 2010

written by NewsTeam

Chaudhary Group (CG) has made a foray into the lucrative home appliances segment with a tie-up with India-based RICO Appliances for marketing its product in the Nepal market.

RICO was established in 1965 while CG is one of the largest business houses in Nepal.

The group has introduced RICO’s pressure cooker, mixer-grinder, iron, rechargeable batteries, LED emergency light, rice cooker and rechargeable fans. “Conscious of the best quality for all its products, CG has introduced RICO appliances in the Nepali market; RICO is one of the best appliance manufacturers in India” a press release issued by the group said.

Jun 14, 2010 0 comment

NEWS

Kulekhani Hydropower under maintenance mode

by NewsTeam Jun 14, 2010

written by NewsTeam

The Kulekhani Hydropower Project has stopped generating power since Sunday, as it has begun carrying out maintenance work of the main gate valve and turbine of the second unit of the project.

“We have stopped generating power from the project for its maintenance,” said Sachidananda Mishra, chief of the project.

Mishra said that the first phase of maintenance of the project was completed recently.

A total of 92 MW of electricity is generated from both the units of the project. Of them, the first unit of the project produces 60 MW, while the second unit generates 32 MW. But at present, the project is generating around only about 50 per cent of the total capacity due to its damage.

He informed that three technicians, who have come from Japan, have started maintenance work of the second unit of the project.

According to him, the project will resume power generation only after 15 days.

“After completing the maintenance work, both projects will generate power as per their capacity,” he said.

With the start of maintenance of the project, the Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) has revised its Load-Shedding Schedule to be effective from Monday. It has increased power outage period to 54 hours a week from 42 hours.

Jun 14, 2010 0 comment

BUSINESS

Fabindia Store to open in Jawalakhel

by NewsTeam Jun 13, 2010

written by NewsTeam

The valley will soon have another international brand to add to its name; with many international brands, lately paving their way into the Nepali market, Kathmandu will soon be boasting of a Fabindia store.

Fabindia in Nepal has started supplying their products to many major departmental stores and their exclusive products are already available. “Soon we will be launching a Fabindia store in Jawalakhel, but we have begun distributing our products to major stores in the valley,” said Ashryata Karki, executive director of Evolution Clothing Company.

Catering mainly to the upper niche market, Fabindia also has a price range suited to the medium pocket, “We have a wide variety of products to choose from and the products are an alternative to mass produce making it exclusive yet affordable as there are a wide range of products to choose from,” added Karki.

Power brands coming to Nepal is creating a strong brand power and also shows that the people have the purchasing power. “Travel and exposure have made people brand wary and if international products slowly pave their way into the market the culture will emerge strongly. Its all about taking the initiative,” he said adding that once the political situation stabilises the country can be a hub for many more brands to seek investment in.

Celebrating its fiftieth year in India, Fabindia began in 1958, and was initiated by John Bissell who left his position as a buyer for Macy’s New York to work as a consultant for the Ford Foundation in order to develop India’s export potential in its emerging textile industry.

Products available range from linen, organic food items, garments, and bath and body products. The specialty of the store is that their products are all natural. The food is completely organic, their furniture is all made out of solid wood, their garments use natural dyes and their body products are made from authentic natural sources.

Fabindia Store in Nepal will be launched in the next five weeks.

Fabindia sources its products from over 40000 craftsmen and artisans across India. Supporting the craft traditions of India by providing a market and thereby encouraging and sustaining rural employment, they export to over thirty-three countries worldwide, to wholesalers as well as retailers.

The company started as a wholesale exporter has since successfully established itself as the number one retail brand.

Jun 13, 2010 0 comment

BUSINESS

Homely Furniture store to open in Bhatbhateni

by NewsTeam Jun 12, 2010

written by NewsTeam

Homely Furniture is all set to open a sophisticated furniture store at Bhatbhateni Super Market, Bhatbhateni, Kathmandu.

The company will sell furniture manufactured by the Quan U Furniture Group of Hong Kong.

The showroom is located on the fifth floor of Bhatbhateni Super Market.

“The store will offer furniture for residential purposes in the first phase and furniture for the office will be made available in the future,” said Durga Bahadur Shrestha, president of Homely Furniture.

Homely Furniture has made an investment of Rs. 100 million on the showroom.

The company plans to expand outside Kathmandu after opening one more showroom in the capital.

Chengdu QuanU furniture Co., Ltd is one of the largest large-scale board furniture enterprises in China. Established in 1986, QuanU furniture has undergone more than 20-year of struggle to set up 20 workshops, 1 R&D center, 1 marketing center, 20 offices in other provinces or cities, hundreds of distributors, over 1000 exclusive stores.
QuanU products cover the full series of board, solid wood, and soft furniture in more than 30 categories and more than 200 styles. QuanU Furniture is popular and marketable in China for many years which is manufactured in large by first-class German and Italian equipments.

Jun 12, 2010 0 comment

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