Entertainment
I want to become a better singer: A.R. Rahman
New York : He has two Oscars, two Grammys and a host of other awards. But showing his characteristic humility, music maestro A.R. Rahman says he wants to become a better singer before he can cut an album of non-film music.
Asked at a news conference here on Monday if he had plans for such an album, he said: “I want to do that, but I want to become a better singer.”
What was the secret to his creativity, he was asked. Beyond everything, he said: “There is truth; you channelize that in your consciousness.”
He added: “Greatness comes from recognizing the divine.”
Rahman was in New York for an Indian Independence Day concert in honor of M.S. Subbalakshmi, who became in 1966 the first Indian to perform at the United Nations.
Part of the culture of growing up in Chennai was “looking at the aura” of Subbalakshmi, he said.
About the musical influences, he said he was open to all music influences. “There was Carnatic and Tamil music all around and Hindustani.
“As I grow older, I respect the cultural foundations, with MS (Subbalakshmi) as the foremost,” he added.
Prakash Muthuswamy, who coordinated the UN concert, said Rahman created the Sunshine orchestra not with accomplished musicians, but by going to slums and other places in Chennai and looking for talented young people who have not had the experience of playing musical instruments.
He trained them at his own expense, taking care of their living expenses and education, even at the college level, Muthuswamy said.
The Sunshine Orchestra performed at the UN concert on Monday.
Syed Akbaruddin said Subbalakshmi’s 1966 performance was like no other at the UN.
She had sung the “Maaithreem Bhajatha” 50 years ago when there was no talk of Sustainable Development Goals or of leaving no one behind, he said. These ideas now dominate global thinking, he added.
Entertainment
Casino Days Reveal Internal Data on Most Popular Smartphones
International online casino Casino Days has published a report sharing their internal data on what types and brands of devices are used to play on the platform by users from the South Asian region.
Such aggregate data analyses allow the operator to optimise their website for the brands and models of devices people are actually using.
The insights gained through the research also help Casino Days tailor their services based on the better understanding of their clients and their needs.
Desktops and Tablets Lose the Battle vs Mobile
The primary data samples analysed by Casino Days reveal that mobile connections dominate the market in South Asia and are responsible for a whopping 96.6% of gaming sessions, while computers and tablets have negligible shares of 2.9% and 0.5% respectively.
The authors of the study point out that historically, playing online casino was exclusively done on computers, and attribute thе major shift to mobile that has unfolded over time to the wide spread of cheaper smartphones and mobile data plans in South Asia.
“Some of the reasons behind this massive difference in device type are affordability, technical advantages, as well as cheaper and more obtainable internet plans for mobiles than those for computers,” the researchers comment.
Xiaomi and Vivo Outperform Samsung, Apple Way Down in Rankings
Chinese brands Xiaomi and Vivo were used by 21.9% and 20.79% of Casino Days players from South Asia respectively, and together with the positioned in third place with a 18.1% share South Korean brand Samsung dominate the market among real money gamers in the region.
Cupertino, California-based Apple is way down in seventh with a user share of just 2.29%, overshadowed by Chinese brands Realme (11.43%), OPPO (11.23%), and OnePlus (4.07%).
Huawei is at the very bottom of the chart with a tiny share just below the single percent mark, trailing behind mobile devices by Motorola, Google, and Infinix.
The data on actual phone usage provided by Casino Days, even though limited to the gaming parts of the population of South Asia, paints a different picture from global statistics on smartphone shipments by vendors.
Apple and Samsung have been sharing the worldwide lead for over a decade, while current regional leader Xiaomi secured their third position globally just a couple of years ago.
Striking Android Dominance among South Asian Real Money Gaming Communities
The shifted market share patterns of the world’s top smartphone brands in South Asia observed by the Casino Days research paper reveal a striking dominance of Android devices at the expense of iOS-powered phones.
On the global level, Android enjoys a comfortable lead with a sizable 68.79% share which grows to nearly 79% when we look at the whole continent of Asia. The data on South Asian real money gaming communities suggests that Android’s dominance grows even higher and is north of the 90% mark.
Among the major factors behind these figures, the authors of the study point to the relative affordability of and greater availability of Android devices in the region, especially when manufactured locally in countries like India and Vietnam.
“And, with influencers and tech reviews putting emphasis on Android devices, the choice of mobile phone brand and OS becomes easy; Android has a much wider range of products and caters to the Asian online casino market in ways that Apple can’t due to technical limitations,” the researchers add.
The far better integration achieved by Google Pay compared to its counterpart Apple Pay has also played a crucial role in shaping the existing smartphone market trends.
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