Disgraced Satyam chief knocks SC's door for bail 
March 12, 2010
Source:  PTI

NEW DELHI: Disgraced Satyam Computers founder B Ramalinga Raju, the prime accused in the multi-crore financial fraud in the IT firm, on Thursday moved the Supreme Court pleading that he be released on bail.

In an appeal filed against the Andhra Pradesh High Court order which had rejected his bail application, Raju claimed he was suffering from serious cardiac and other health problems and was willing to abide by any conditions imposed by the apex court for his release.

The bail plea of Senior Vice President-cum-Global Head of Internal Audit Cell in Mahindra Satyam, V S Prabhakar Gupta, was also rejected by the high court along with that of Raju after CBI opposed their bail plea on the ground the duo could tamper with the evidence.

In his bail application, filed through counsel Uday Sagar, Raju said the entire investigation in the Satyam case has been completed and chargesheet was also filed and hence there was no further need for his judicial custody.

He claimed as the chargesheet contains voluminous documents, he was unable to go through it and to meet his counsel to prepare for his defence due to his ill-health.

CBI had earlier in the high court opposed the duo's bail plea stating it would hamper the ongoing investigation as the agency was awaiting additional reports from the courts in the UK, US and certain European countries on alleged diversion of funds by the accused.

Raju was arrested in January last year after his confession of fudging accounts in what was dubbed as the biggest corporate accounting fraud in the country. Since then, he is under judicial custody.

Motorola, Microsoft in deal to put Bing on phones
March 12, 2010
SOURCE : REUTERS

NEW YORK: Motorola Inc has reached a deal with Microsoft Corp that will put Bing search and mapping services on its phones that use Google's Android operating system.

Motorola said the partnership with Microsoft means that a Bing bookmark and search widget will be loaded on cell phones, starting in the coming weeks with phones in China.

The move follows shortly after Motorola struck a similar deal to let consumers in China use Baidu Inc, among others, as the default Web search instead of Google on Android based phones.

The partnerships come against a backdrop of Google's dispute with China over censorship, which, if it leads to Google withdrawing from the country, could cause big headaches for Motorola.

That's because Motorola is banking on its ties to Google's Android and its sales in China to help in a big turnaround effort. Having search alternatives on the Android phones should lessen Motorola's dependence on Google, in China or elsewhere, analysts have said.

Patni to set up software delivery unit in Mexico
March 12, 2010
SOURCE: ET Bureau

MUMBAI: Software firm Patni Computer Systems is setting up a software delivery facility at Queretaro in Mexico. The facility will employ around 200 people by the end of the year, with the bulk of hires coming from the local population. The company said the new facility will offer preferential access to customers in North and South America, and specifically within Mexico, which has a $5-billion local IT market.

“Patni has been increasing its focus on regional operations... The opening of the Queretaro unit represents an important step in our corporate strategy, showcasing our ability to invest locally by building delivery centres that leverage the talent base of local communities,” said Naresh Lakhanpal, president, Patni Americas.

Customers will be able to leverage a “near shore” engagement model and global delivery system simultaneously, allowing for seamless interaction on IT development projects, easier management of customer relationships and greater oversight on project tracking. This will reduce engagement costs, while accelerating time-to-market, the company said.

The Queretaro facility is Patni’s 22nd development centre globally. It already has a 40-person operation there, which will be scaled up at the new premises being inaugurated on Friday.