Entertainment
Assam’s legendary actor Biju Phukan passes away
Guwahati, Nov 22 (IANS) Assam’s prominent film actor Biju Phukan passed away at a private hospital here on Wednesday.
Phukan, who was suffering from cardiac ailments for last few days, was admitted to the Apollo Hospital in Guwahati around 4.30 p.m on Wednesday. The doctors said he breathed his last around 6.15 p.m.
“Phukan was suffering from breathing problems for last few days,” family sources said.
Phukan, counted as one of the most prominent actors of Assam, acted in over 80 films including some Bengali films during 1970s to 1990s and had given several superhit films to the Assamese film industry.
While Phukan made his debut in the industry with “Dr. Bezbaruah” in 1970, the last film he acted in was “Door” released in 2016. His first role as the lead actor in “Baruar Songshar” followed by “Aranya” (1971) established him as a hero in the industry. Aranya was also adjudged the Best Regional Film at the National Film Awards.
Assam Governor Prof. Jagdish Mukhi condoled the death of actor.
“I am deeply saddened by Biju Phukan’s death. Phukan hugely contributed to popularise Assamese cinema. With his death, a void has been created which will be hard to fill. I extend my condolences to the bereaved family and his fans. May his soul rest in peace,” said the Governor in a statement.
Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal mourned the demise of the actor, saying: “I am grieved and saddened by the sudden demise of Biju Phukan who is largely responsible for promoting Assamese film industry and brought it to the present status,” the Chief Minister said in a message.
The Media Adviser to Assam Chief Minister, Hrishikesh Goswami, visited the hospital immediately after the demise of the veteran actor and paid his tributes.
“We have grown up seeing Biju Phukan’s acting. Phukan was personally very close to the Chief Minister and me as well. It is a great loss to the industry as well as to the society as a whole,” said Goswami, adding that the veteran actor would be cremated with full state honour.
Veteran actor Samar Hazarika said: “Assam has lost a true actor and his death has created a void in the industry. We have suffered an irreparable loss. I have no words to express my feelings…”
–IANS
ah/nir/vm
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.
Content provided by Adverloom