iWorld
#fame announces Closeup Websinger Round 2
MUMBAI: Live video app #fame announced the launch of Round 2 of Closeup Websinger. This round will see Raghu Dixit as the theme mentor and Pritam Chakraborty, who makes his digital debut, as a maha mentor. The theme of Round 2 is folk fusion as the theme. Closeup Websinger is about sourcing the next big voice of Bollywood from the web.
Closeup Websinger consists of five rounds and the winner of each round with different themes will then compete for the ultimate title of the Bollywood Singing Jodi. The show also brings together some of the biggest names in the Bollywood music industry. Ace music composer, Pritam will be seen grooming and guiding the budding talent along with theme mentors; Raghu Dixit, Benny Dayal, Aditi Singh Sharma and Monali Thakur. Unlike other talent shows, the judges here will mentor the talented participants and hone their talent further to make them Bollywood ready.
Commenting on the hunt for the next folk fusion talent, Dixit said, “Folk as a genre forms an imperative part of Bollywood music. Through Closeup Websinger, I am searching for an artist that has a perfect blend of Folk and Bollywood music in the voice.”
This show has already announced the 12 semifinalists who will compete against each other to make it to the top 6 finalists. This was through a meticulous screening by Dixit and Pritam. The Top 6 finalists will then perform live every day on #fame – an app, to build their social following. They will sing, interact, and take requests from their fans and music lovers, thus getting their fans to follow them on the app. The finalists will urge their fans to like, share and comment their videos, etc, thus increasing their social scoring and chances to win the final battle.
Through this proposition, the music lovers can watch them perform anytime, anywhere on their mobile screens, without having them to tune into Television at a specific time. Lastly, this property beautifully l the power of social & digital through views, likes & comments based scoring, not just through SMS.
Watch the music videos of the 12 semifinalists on the official Close-up Websinger YouTube channel –
e-commerce
Google rolls out new AI shopping tools for Indian users
Gemini, AI Mode in Search, and Circle to Search get smarter upgrades to simplify online buying.
MUMBAI: Google is making online shopping in India a lot less “add to cart” and a lot more “ask and discover”. The tech giant has announced a fresh set of artificial intelligence-powered updates designed to make finding and buying products more intuitive and efficient. By integrating its Gemini models with the Shopping Graph, a massive dataset of over 50 billion product listings that sees nearly 2 billion updates every hour, Google is bringing smarter, more conversational shopping experiences across its platforms.
Users can now move seamlessly from idea generation to product discovery within the Gemini app. Whether planning a festive outfit or building a gift list, shoppers can receive product listings, comparison tables, pricing from across the web, and direct purchase links, all through natural conversation. The feature is currently available in English and Hindi.
Google has upgraded its AI Mode in Search, turning it into a more natural shopping assistant. Instead of relying on traditional filters and keywords, users can ask questions in plain language and receive structured responses with visuals, pricing, reviews, and inventory details. Comparison tables highlighting key differences are also included. While currently available in English, a Hindi version is expected soon.
The popular Circle to Search feature has been enhanced on devices such as the Pixel 10 and Samsung Galaxy S26 series. Users can now identify and explore multiple objects in a single image at once. In fashion-related queries, the tool can break down entire outfits and suggest similar products, making style replication or discovery much easier.
Google stated that these updates build on last year’s successful rollout of the Virtual Try-On tool in India, which helped users visualise apparel before purchase.
In a market where shopping decisions often happen in seconds, Google is betting that smarter AI will turn casual browsing into confident buying. From festive shopping lists to spotting the perfect outfit in a photo, these new tools aim to make every scroll feel a little more rewarding and a lot less overwhelming.
