Entertainment
A.R. Rahman takes his 48th step of life
Mumbai: On the 48th birthday of Oscar-winning composer A.R. Rahman Tuesday, singers like Lata Mangeshkar and Kavita Krishnamurthy have hailed the talent of the ‘Mozart of Madras’, who has given Hindi cinema some lilting melodies and memorable numbers throughout his career.
Here’s what they have to say of the musician, who won two Oscar awards for his work in international film “Slumdog Millionaire”:
Lata Mangeshkar: A.R. Rahman is very talented. I’ve sung very few songs for him. I love “Jiya jale”, “Khamoshiyan gun-guna lagi”, “O paalan haare” and “Luka chuppi”. Rahman and I came together for the first time for the evergreen “Jiya jale” in Mani Ratnam’s “Dil Se..”. Then we collaborated for a prayer-song “Ek tu hi bharosa” in “Pukar”. It was a very special song. Because I sang it on screen myself. But I must admit “Jiya jale” was a very special song too. It became such a rage. And I’m asked to sing that song at every concert that I go to.
I think he was a little intimidated by me when we did “Jiya jale” in Chennai. But he allowed me to do it my own way. And when I started humming an impromptu alaap at the endA of the tune, he told me to just go on. He recorded that as well. Subsequently I recorded other songs with Rahman. My duet ‘Luka chuppi’ with Rahman for “Rang De Basanti” became so popular. It’s rare nowadays to get a good song like it.
Prasoon Joshi: Artistes and human beings like Rahman are rare. All my work with Rahman is very special to me. Much as I enjoyed writing fun songs like “Masti ki paathshala” and “Masakalli”, I cherish exploring the spiritual side of my creativity in the songs “Arziyaan” and “Zariya”. May god bless him with some of the happiness that he has given us through his music.
Ayushmann Khurrana: A.R. Rahman is a living legend. He has always been ahead of our times. His melodies have a phenomenal range. They’re always filled with surprises. He carries in himself the sure signs of a master composer. My favourite movie soundtracks of A.R. Rahman are “Delhi-6”, “Rangeela” and “Rockstar”. I wish the most reverred music director of our times a Happy Birthday.
Kavita Krishnamurthy: He’s a very talented and innovative music director. And a joy to work with. My favourite Rahman song is my own “Tu hi re” in “Bombay”.
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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