My latest venture...

Hey people,

Lately I've been working on a new venture. Its called Youthyard. www.youthyard.com

Youthyard - the youth portal in Bangalore - is your gateway to an amazing variety of hardware and software internships among others. Just three clicks will improve your career opportunities by allowing you access to the best internships in Bangalore.

Youthyard is a platform where you can view and apply for different jobs and internships. Earn while you learn by taking up jobs in your free time and doing paid internships with leading companies. This would add value to your resume and give you a leg up the corporate ladder.

www.youthyard.com

www.youthyard.com/register.php




STUDENT SERVICES

Youthyard provides you with a wide variety of internships/projects to choose from.

Earn while you learn by taking up part-time, flexi-time jobs in your vacations by being a member of youthyard.



CORPORATE SERVICES

Youthyard has a very diverse database which includes students of various disciplines and educational background.

The process of visiting colleges and sorting of resumes can now be done online.

Nokia 5300 Review

Introduction

The Nokia 5300 belongs to the XpressMusic series, which is at the tip of Nokia's sword for battling Sony Ericsson's Walkman brand. The most notable features on the 5300 are the new 2.5mm earphone jack and dedicated music keys. Today we will see if the 5300 can really substitute your music player.

Physical Aspects

At first glance, the Nokia 5300 looks like a sports version of 6111. From the color to the material used, you can tell that this device is targeted at the youth market. The main colors used here are chalk white, silver grey, and scarlet red, and they match well with the built in themes. This not a particularly small device, measuring 92.4mm x 48.2mm x 21mm (3.64" x 1.90" x 0.81"). The device is not especially light either, but the 107g (3.76oz) mass does not counteract the toy-like and plastic feeling during use. The whole body is made of hard plastic and the red band is anti-slip, which will make it more stable when you slide open the phone. The build is not particularly good though, and the slider does wiggle around, even when closed.

The 2.5mm headset jack is found on the left side, together with three dedicated music keys. The Infrared port, camera, and volume buttons are found on the right. The power button, power jack, and USB port are found on the top, whereas the camera and speaker grille holes are found on the back. Notice that the music keys slightly protrude, making it easier to skip tracks in your pocket, though they can be a bit hard to press. All in all, the Nokia 5300 has a well thought-out design. It would have been better if there was some protection to cover up the USB and power ports, though.

I have not mentioned the microSD slot thus far, as it is not visible from the outside of the handset. To swap your cards, you must open the battery cover. You do not have to switch the phone off and remove the battery, but it is still a hassle.

The keypad on the 5300 is one of the best out there. The keys are large and the tactile feedback is excellent. My only complaint actually arises from the built quality, and it is the obvious when you are text messaging. When you reach up for the d-pad, the slide will wobble, making your grip unstable. Apart from that, the whole keypad is extremely ergonomic, and even the lowest row of keys is very usable, as they are not that close to the edge of the device.

The half auto-open sliding mechanism works fine on the 5300. The only trouble would be the build, as we mentioned earlier, since it will not lock itself when slid up.

In terms of physical design, I am really happy with the 5300. It is a good-looking and ergonomic phone. The build problem and hidden microSD slot are relatively minor.

Shubhodeep Ghosh - Student & Entrepreneure

Student entrepreneurs float IT firm

TIMES NEWS NETWORK[ TUESDAY, MARCH 28, 2006 09:49:18 AM ]

BANGALORE: What did you do in college ? Bunked classes, crammed at the last minute for exams and spent hours in canteen sipping coffee? Shubhodeep Ghosh and Deboprio Ghosh, both 20, are a little different — they floated a software company Spicea. And they’re second year Bachelor of Computer Applications (BCA) students in Bhagwan Mahaveer Jain College.

“We use open source technology like Linux to deliver software goods and web-based technological solutions ,’’ they explain. They met during a class project on beam robotics. “After three months, we realised we were wasting our time and there was something much better we could do,’’ recalls Deboprio, founder-CEO .

They hit upon starting a company with another classmate Ravi Agarwal but initially encountered opposition from parents and teachers. “Everyone wondered why we couldn’t be ‘normal’ and concentrate on maxing our scores. But the placements of our seniors — who get second-grade jobs compared with engineering students — wasn’t very heartening,’’ says Shubhodeep, head-operations .

Chenraj Jain, chairman, Jain Group of Institutions, encouraged them with the initial investment when Spicea started in October last year. In the past six months, Spicea has already done projects with Yamaha, US-based software company Valley Speak, Chrysallis and city-based web designing company Rarethemes.

“What I like about them is that they’re so driven. Their professionalism is remarkable,’’ says Vikas Nagori of Rarethemes, which plans to enter into a joint venture with the five-member team at Spicea.

Deboprio and Shubhodeep insist that they’re no less technologically empowered than a qualified professional . “None of what we study is taught in college. We are completely self-taught , but at no point do we want any of our clients to look at our work and say, ‘Not bad for a student project’ . We want it to excel professional standards,’’ says Deboprio.

Their first cheque of Rs 1.6 lakh earned them their parents’ approval . But the money didn’t go into a champagne party — it funded the purchase of the the latest desktops and a laptop.

The duo can’t remember the last movie they saw or party they attended; even ensuring the minimum college attendance is a huge effort. Shubhodeep’s girlfriend broke up with him when he couldn’t make time for her. But the entrepreneurs have no regrets: “We know this will reap benefits in the long run.’’