Entertainment
The importance of being Taimur Ali Khan
With due apologies to Aamir, Shah Rukh and Salman, the biggest Khan superstar of India currently is Taimur Ali Khan.
As he turned all of two on December 20, his proud, paparazzi-wary parents whisked him away to Africa, far away from the cameras which love him the way only a true star is loved. At two, little Tim (as he is affectionately called by his father) is fully aware of his best camera angles. He calls out to the paparazzi who adore him and always ensure his comfort before clicking.
What he wears, and the random words that lisp off his lips become the trending topics of the day. And the child loves every bit of the attention.
So is Taimur, my most favourite member of the Pataudi clan after his grandmother Sharmila Tagore, the most popular star-kid in the world? Tom Cruise’s Suri comes close. The little girl was followed around by the paparazzi to describe her clothes, shoes and purse. In no time at all, little Suri acquired adult mannerisms and turned into quite a poseur.
In spite of all the media attention, Taimur remains blissfully uncorrupted. Yes, he loves the flashbulbs and the media attention, but he does’t strike poses. Not as yet.
At two, Taimur is a force that the photographers cannot do without. According to glam shooters in Mumbai, a picture of Taimur fetches a higher price than that of Salman Khan. And Taimur effortlessly lords over the below-five brigade of star-kids. His popularity exceeds that of Aamir Khan’s son Azad and Shah Rukh’s AbRam.
Such is his popularity in the public domain that Taimur needs constant surveillance. He is no danger of any kind. It’s just that he attracts way too much attention for a child his age. His parents fear their Tim may soon lose his innocence. Or else, the paparazzi may soon lose interest in Tim, and move on to another star-kid.
Too young to understand how the media operates, Taimur may lose all the attention overnight without knowing why the photographers have disappeared.
We must guard against the child’s first heartbeak when he is no more the darling of the paparazzi. We all know how savagely Taimur’s parents were trolled for naming their son after a cruel invader. Nothing that the original Taimur did can match the cruelty of the trolls gunning for little Taimur’s parents for their child’s name.
I am glad they stuck to their guns. Imagine if they had re-christened him Tarachand or Timothy.
Would he have been as popular? As Tim turns a year older we can only hope that he gets the same attention in the future that he is getting now. A tall order, I know. Children born with golden spoons often find that spoon snatched away from their mouths. That such a thing can ever happen to Taimur is heartbreaking, to say the least.
So let’s all think only positive thoughts for the Golden Nawab. Dear Taimur, Tim, Timmy, Tim-Tim… may you shine brighter than both your parents.
Oops, you already do.
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
Cheers and Cheers: Barzilla’s Joyful Ode to Inclusivity and Celebration
Casino Days Reveal Internal Data on Most Popular Smartphones
Meghalaya Reserves Legalized Gambling and Sports Betting for Tourists
Lockdowns in China Force Urban Communities to Defy Censorship and Vent Frustration Online
What monkey fled with a bag containing evidence in it: Read full story
IPL 20202 UPDATE: KXIP vs MI IPL Dream11 Team Prediction for Today Match, Update Point Table of all Team.
In a Live debate AAP leader Syed Asad Abbas hurls abuses to BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma.
‘India’s Most Wanted’ trailer out Arjun Kapoor on hunt of Osama-Bin-Laden
Time to move on: Sonakshi on Shatrughan’s joining Congress
