Brands
Funskool rolls out sizzling summer lineup ranging from Rs 249 to Rs 2,749 to keep kids creating, crafting and conquering
MUMBAI: Summer holidays just got a serious upgrade—Funskool India has launched a fresh collection of toys and games designed to turn living rooms into labs of creativity. On 12 May 2025, the country’s homegrown toy giant dropped a lineup that caters to everyone from toddlers to teens, covering roleplay, puzzles, crafts and action.
This year’s release features a rich mix of new titles under in-house brands like Giggles, Handycrafts, Play & Learn, and Fundough. Highlights include Fundough Mega Cake Factory, Fundough Breakfast Set, Scotland Yard Deluxe, Scotland Yard Junior, Triominos, Sequence for Kids, Dobble Kids, Cube Conquer, and Rummikub Joy.
For younger children, Giggles delivers sensory-rich options like Wooden Wonderland Playgym, Unicorn Xylophone, Bee Blossom Stacker, and Wobbles Train Express. Animal Squeakers—available in sets of two and four—round out the toddler range.
Crafty minds can dive into Canvas Art Fantasy, Peppa Pig Scrapbook kits and finger-painting inspired by the Animal Kingdom under the Handycrafts label. Puzzle lovers are in for a challenge too, with additions like the Fairy 4-in-1 Puzzle (120 pieces), Panda Puzzle (300 pieces), and the detailed Colosseum Puzzle (1,000 pieces)—all built with durable, interlocking cardboard.
And for superhero fans? The Batmobile makes its entrance, ready to drive up playtime action.
“At Funskool, our passion lies in creating safe, high-quality toys that spark imagination and learning. Our focus on innovation ensures that every new launch brings fresh excitement to playtime while supporting a child’s growth and development,” said Funskool India CEO K. A. Shabir.
The new range is now available across retail outlets, with prices spanning Rs 249 to Rs 2,749.
Brands
Uber launches hotel bookings feature in partnership with Expedia
From hotel bookings to room service at your door, the ride-hailing giant is making its boldest push yet into everyday life
CALIFORNIA: Uber is done being just a taxi app. At its annual GO-GET product event, the world’s leading mobility and delivery platform unveiled a sweeping set of new features designed to plant itself at the centre of how people travel, eat and shop, hotel bookings included.
The headline move is a partnership with Expedia Group that lets Uber users in the United States book hotels directly within the Uber app, with access to a catalogue that will eventually grow to more than 700,000 properties worldwide. Uber One members get 10 per cent back in Uber One credits on all hotel bookings and savings of at least 20 per cent on a rolling list of more than 10,000 hotels globally. Vacation rentals from Vrbo, Expedia Group’s home-rental brand, will be added later this year. The partnership is expected to expand beyond the United States. From June, Uber rides will also be integrated directly into the Expedia app, with push notifications sent to travellers ahead of hotel check-in to book discounted Uber rides for the duration of their stay.
Dara Khosrowshahi, chief executive of Uber, framed the expansion in terms of the modern condition. “Uber is becoming an app for everything, helping people go, get, and now travel all in one place,” he said. “We’re all living through a moment of real cognitive overload: too many apps, too many decisions, too much noise. At the end of the day, our job is to help people reclaim their time, spending less of it managing the logistics of life and more of it actually living.”
Ariane Gorin, chief executive of Expedia Group, struck a similarly ambitious note. “Travel should feel effortless, and this partnership gets us one step closer to offering a seamless traveller experience,” she said. “By connecting our two-sided marketplace with Uber, we’re bringing Uber rides directly into the Expedia app and Expedia Group’s lodging inventory into the Uber app through our Rapid API technology. Together, we’re helping travellers spend less time planning and more time enjoying the journey.”
Beyond hotels, the product announcements come thick and fast. Travel Mode, available within both the Uber and Uber Eats apps, offers curated recommendations on local favourites, tourist destinations, OpenTable restaurant reservations and on-demand delivery to hotel rooms. Uber One International means the membership programme now works globally, allowing members to earn credits on rides abroad that can be redeemed once back home. A new Shop for Me feature lets users request items from any store, even those not listed on the app. Eats for the Way allows riders in select cities booking an Uber Black or Uber Black SUV to have a drink or snack waiting for them in the car. Voice Bookings, powered by artificial intelligence, lets users book a ride conversationally, without touching their phone. And a redesigned One Search bar consolidates results for places, food and items across the entire Uber platform in a single query.
Uber has now logged more than 72 billion trips since it launched in 2010. The question it is now answering is what comes after the ride. The answer, apparently, is everything else. Whether users want a hotel in Paris, a coffee in the back of a car or a snake plant from the local garden centre, Uber would very much like to be the one to provide it. The app economy’s land grab has a new front-runner.
NOTE: The image used is AI generated and only for representational purposes.
