Entertainment
Mandira Bedi’s no go policy for ‘Bigg Boss’, ‘Jhalak…’
New Delhi: She walked into the television space with woman-centric show “Shanti” and also entered the cricket domain as a host, but actress-designer Mandira Bedi says getting locked up in the “Bigg Boss” house and shaking a leg through “Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa” is not her cup of tea.
“I can’t go inside ‘Bigg Boss’ house and I don’t see myself in ‘Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa’ because I am not a dancer and I don’t know how volatile I will be in ‘Bigg Boss’ house so those two are reality shows I want to stay away from,” Mandira told.
Known for its notorious quality, “Bigg Boss” is a show in which contestants are locked up in a purpose-built house for three months with limited access to luxuries and amenities. And “Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa” is a dancing reality show in which celebrities of different field showcase their dancing skills.
The actress, who was also seen as a RAW agent along with Bollywood actor Anil Kapoor in “24”, will be challenging herself through ZEE TV’s forthcoming reality show “I Can Do That”.
The show, to be hosted by multi-talented actor Farhan Akhtar, makes the contestants come out of their comfort zone by taking up new skills.
The mother of one asserts that the ‘unusual’ quality of the show made her take up the challenge.
“This show is unusual, something that I have not done, as a mom I was so happy doing that challenge of magic…beautiful magic act in front of my son. I’m the only mum in the show and I am getting to compete with 20 something contenders . I am enjoying it,” she said.
She may be taking up new shows and keeping herself busy with other professional assignments, but Mandira notes that she is a “hands on mom”.
“I am mom and that’s tough job so everything I do revolve around my son. If I have to meet my friends, I do that once he sleeps. I belong to my son when I am at home. I am very hands on mom and my child is my first priority,” she said.
Any plans to bring her son to the profession of acting? And she quips “only time can tell” that.
“My son has got weird taste but I don’t think acting is anywhere to be seen in him. One has to wait a while. Let him decide as and when time comes,” said Mandira, who showcased her sari collection here for the first time as the second in the “The Spirit of Zoya Woman” series.
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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