Entertainment
‘I would like to date a struggling young man’: Miss Universe 2021 Harnaaz Sandhu
The heart of every Indian was brimming with pride after Harnaaz Sandhu won the Miss Universe 2021 crown at the contest held in Eilat, Israel, earlier this month. Harnaaz brought home the Miss Universe crown after 21 years and became the third Indian to win the title. The title was won by Sushmita Sen in 1994 and Lara Dutta in 2000.
In an exclusive interview with IndiaToday.in, Harnaaz Sandhu opened up about her Bollywood plans and also talked about the much-criticised question asked by host Steve Harvey on the Miss Universe grand finale stage.
Read excerpts from the interview here:
Did Sushmita Sen or Lara Dutta talk to you after your Miss Universe win? What did they say?
We all saw how beautifully they wished all of us. Of course, we will meet them sometime soon because we all are busy with our respective work and then there is Covid. I just came out of quarantine. So, let’s see how it goes.
During the grand finale, Steve Harvey asked you to do an animal impersonation on the world stage. This question was highly criticised as it was not deemed an appropriate question to be asked on a platform like Miss Universe. Did such a question startle you?
Why do think it is inappropriate for a beauty pageant? If you think beauty pageants are all about perfections, then I am sorry to say, it is not like that. I am happy that Steve, such a spontaneous and wonderful personality (one of my favourite personalities as well) asked me such a question that I could be myself on the stage and I got to showcase one of my big talents. After that, I was feeling so comfortable and I knew whatever I will do, I will enjoy the process. So, I am happy Steve asked me the question.
If Hollywood offers you the character of Cat Woman, will you do it?
Why not? I am a person who is a strong advocate for women’s empowerment and this is my vision. One of my passion is acting and breaking the stereotypes at the same time by choosing strong characters of what women are and can be. So, this will be the right thing to do.
We have seen both Sushmita and Lara make it big in Bollywood. What are your Bollywood plans?
It’s too soon to say because it has just got started. I think I will surely update everyone about this because now the decision that I make has to be very wise and thoughtful. So, don’t worry and stay calm and Harnaaz will update you.
If you get an opportunity to choose your co-star for your first Bollywood film, who would that be and why?
I think I would like to work with Priyanka Chopra, Lara Dutta and Sushmita Sen. Imagine how strong would that be if a film is made regarding women’s empowerment starring them. Imagine watching them all together again creating history.
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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